Chilling history of I’m A Celeb’s Gwrych castle with ghostly figures, Satanic rituals & rooms that dogs refuse to enter

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ANT and Dec may have lost their snake-infested camp in the Australian jungle – but rest assured I’m a Celebs’ new UK haunt will be even scarier.

The 2020 celebrities are set to brave the creepy turrets of Gwrych Castle folly in North Wales – which is said to have rooms even dogs won’t enter.

The castle has a series of dark, abandoned rooms that will likely be used for trials

Filming will take place on the 25-acre site, near the town of Abergele, with all the celebrities now confirmed.

But from floating spectral women in white, to the paranormal sounds of horses’ hooves and even the sensation of being strangled, visitors have reported some terrifying experiences from inside the walls over the years.

The sprawling 200-year-old castle is thought to have been haunted for decades, with ghost tours revealing creepy pet cemeteries, dingy cellars and a laundry block that’s claimed to have been the site of a grisly murder.

Here we take a look at its chilling history…

Visitors claim to have seen figures roaming the run-down halls, while dogs are reportedly afraid to step in some rooms

Haunted by ‘woman in white’

The eerie ruins are said to be prowled by the spectre of its previous owner, the Countess of Dundonald, who died in 1924.

Locals believe she fell out with caretaker Bill Price, who would lock up the library at night only to find it opened the next morning. Sometimes, items are said to have been mysteriously moved.

One castle worker said: “A few people have claimed to have seen a floating woman in white.

The ghost of Winifred, Countess Dundonald, is said to reside in the castle

“Ghost-hunters have also claimed to have felt the presence of her and gamekeepers. We think the Countess might be unhappy as her husband stripped the castle of valuables.

“They certainly didn’t have a happy marriage.”

The Countess reportedly cut her husband, who she wed at the age of 19 in an arranged marriage, out of her will, only for him to then buy it back before stripping it of its contents.

However, it’s thought there could be more than one ghost in the grounds.

A spooky photo taken there ten years ago shows a pale, shadowy young woman on the first floor — in what used to be a magnificent banquet hall.

A chilling photo taken at the castle ten years ago shows a pale, shadowy young woman on the first floor. Freelance Photos N Wales.

A chilling photo taken at the castle ten years ago shows a pale, shadowy young woman on the first floor

However, the floorboards beneath the window had rotted away, making it impossible to stand there.

And others say there is a ghost of a servant girl who died falling off a horse on the estate.

The ghosts of past gamekeepers are also said to stalk the castle’s grounds.

Paranormal horses and corners that even dogs won’t enter

While the castle has scared humans for years, it’s claimed even animals have been left terrified.

Campmates could be stuck inside cavernous and overgrown rooms inside

According to the Daily Mail, dogs have begun growling at the site of the former kennel without explanation.

And there are also reports of guard dogs, which resided there in the 1980s, refusing to enter the stables or a room in the main castle where the Countess’ spiritual healer is thought to have held séances.

Meanwhile, a ghost hunter has also claimed to have heard paranormal horses in the past.

Sean Owen, who spent a day at the castle, told the news outlet: “As we were exploring during the day we heard the sound of horses hooves walking up the cobbled path at the back of the castle. It lasted for a second or so then faded away.

“Later that evening we had a similar experience when we heard what sounded like a horse blowing through its nose.”

There is reported to be a creepy pet cemetery in the grounds of the castle

The castle is a hot spot for ghost tours in the area

However, with no horses on site at the time, there appeared to be no explanation for the sounds.

Pet cemeteries, haunted wine cellars & a ‘deadly’ laundry block

Dr Mark Baker, chairman of Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, told the Daily Post that there’s a pet cemetery on the grounds – and some visiting dogs had been scared off from the area.

“One dog walker was walking their dog and it suddenly just bolted and jumped over a tower and it fell 50ft,” he told the news outlet.

“Luckily it hit some branches on the way down and was fortunate to survive.

The campmates will face a series of Medieval-themed tasks in the castle

The castle has been abandoned for decades

“We’ve had several people visit who say they are psychics and they say the countess had lots of pet dogs and there is also a pet cemetery.”

Meanwhile, according to the Mail, there’s also a laundry block that’s claimed to have been the site of a grisly 19th-century murder. In fact, some visitors have reported feeling a strange sensation of being strangled inside.

And the creepy wine cellars in the castle were once a Chamber of Horrors tourist attraction – likely meaning they’ll be the perfect spot this year for some creepy Bushtucker Trials.

‘Satanic rituals in the basement’

It’s also claimed that Satanic rituals have been held in the castle’s basement in the past.

Some claim recent restorations have triggered more ghostly sightings

Visitor Kirsty Scott told the Daily Mirror: “Some people used to do satanic rituals in the basement.

“I remember seeing all the things left behind by them with some friends, and we all had the strangest feeling someone was there who shouldn’t be.

“So be careful, people.”

Boxing champ: ‘We just turned and ran for it’

British heavyweight boxing champion Bruce Woodcock was training in the castle in 1950, for his world title fight with Lee Savold, when he claims to have seen the ghost of the Countess.

Bruce Woodcock, the British Heavyweight Champion at his Doncaster, Yorkshire training camp

According to the Mail, his sparring partner Ted Greenslade said at the time: “We had walked right round the castle when we came to a lonely path and saw the bent-up figure of a young woman sitting on a fallen tree trunk.

“It looked as though she might be in difficulties, so we went up to her. When we got about six yards away she just disappeared. Bruce and I just turned and ran for it.”

Since then there have been various attempts to restore the castle, including a past attempt to turn it into an opera centre, before New Age travellers are said to have looted the property.

It’s these constant restoration works that recent reports have claimed may have ‘unsettled’ the ghosts – but it remains unclear whether it’s simply natural occurrences, or something more sinister.