Halloween stories: The haunting tale of 'Charlotte the Ghost'
Like all hotels with a history, Notties Hotel is believed to be haunted...
In the spirit of all things spooky this Halloween, we take an eery look at KZN's haunted Nottingham Road Hotel where 'Charlotte the Ghost' is said to reside.
We are jumping straight down the rabbit hole here by taking a look back in time at this historic and quite animated hotel.
We're not sure she is anything like Casper, but we hear she can be quite playful.
In a land not so far away from East Coast Radio, there lives a ghost named Charlotte.
The legend of Charlotte is rumoured and remembered among many KwaZulu-Natalians, so much so that she has been dubbed 'one of the most iconic ghosts in the world'.
Let this legend come to life as we walk down the moonlit path and uncover the mystery of the friendly-ish ghost (dun, dun, dunnnn)...
This unique hotel is in the history books as it is one of the Midlands’ most popular hotels, dating back all the way to 1854.
Time to take it all the way back to when this spooky spirit first stayed at the hotel.
Little did she know that her soul would haunt the place for the rest of eternity.
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The urban legend of Charlotte initiated during the Second Anglo-Boer War.
It is alleged that Charlotte was either a guest or an employee of the hotel. The story depicts that she passed in 1902 after jumping from the building.
Legend has it that she is ‘Charlotte’, a lady of loose morals or a chamber maid depending on the source of the tale, who apparently threw herself to her death over the balcony outside her room after being jilted... or was she pushed?
By a similar token, this house-proud, gentle ghost apparently moves flower arrangements, packs away clothes, and straightens bedding - how helpful.
The hotel shares that in the past, guests and staff have reported that the spirit of a woman roams the hotel (especially room 10) and its grounds.
One of our very own team members experienced this first-hand. Here's how Nick Tatham depicts the supernatural events that unfolded:
I saw her in the toilet under the stairs. She didn't talk to me but she scared me.
As Charlotte wanders these creaky hallways keeping the place in tip-top shape, we can't help but fixate on why this ghost gal does the most.
Until we get to immerse ourselves in experiencing the renowned spirit of friendly Char, there is only one group of people we can look to in order to bust or trust this myth... Ghostbusters.
Click here to watch these specialists detect what other worldly creatures traipse around the hotel.
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Charlotte, if you are reading this, if you ever get tired of haunting the halls of Notties, you will always have a place to come and be a ghostwriter at East Coast Radio.
Stay tuned for more as we investigate the phenomenal phantom.
Do you have any ghost stories to share? Tell us your frightful tales below:
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Image courtesy of Nottingham Hotel