Appuldurcombe House — Attraction in England

Spooky, eerie and more spooky!... I visited this intriguing site quite some years ago on my own!! My family and I will be going back to the Isle of Wight soon, so in advance I decided to plan our excursions. I remember this estate being beautiful, but in my opinion a very spooky looking shell of a place, especially if you visit on your own with not many others around like I did eek!! Apparently the series "Most haunted" did an episode here, but I had gone there years before this, so am not surprised they filmed here! As soon as I parked in the car park, it had a spectacularly eerie presence about it! A couple with 2 dogs who walked past me looked as if 'the wind had got up them', their 2 dogs literally had their heckles up! On speaking to the couple, they had felt the strange atmosphere too and commented their German Shepherd wouldn't go further towards the house at one point! On reading the history I found out there had been quite a lot of "goings on" such as murder, suicide and intrigue in its long history (sounded something straight out of a Jane Austin novel). I recommend this place to visit for its beauty and atmosphere, but I'm not sure if this will be on my return 'go to list' though. This place certainly stayed in my memory for many years! Makes me shudder thinking...

This derelict site is managed by English Heritage.

Originally, it was a palatial structure, set in a glorious rolling landscape, created by Lancelot "Capability" Brown. The grounds are still impressive and well worth the visit. You can spend hours just walking the grounds.

Sadly, the building was severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War. The owners could not afford repairs, and after the war, some work was undertaken to stabilise the structure and make it safe.

You can walk around the site and enter the building; but sometimes it is used for various events, and access may be limited; watch out for signs advising you of access limits for safety reasons.

The property has a slightly ethereal and mournful air; what was once such an impressive baroque structure is now just an empty shell, a ghost that hints of days gone by.

Access to the site is via a narrow lane, with a few passing places. There is a large stone dressed car park, and all the footpaths are also stone chippings. The site has no toilet facilities, cafe or shop.

Despite this, I would still suggest that it is worth the visit, even if only...

What a lovely place! - Appuldurcombe House is a derelict Mansion & gardens maintained by 'English Heritage' which started as a Priory in 1100 for Monks of the Order of St. Benedict & went on to be a home to the Leigh family during the reign of Elizabeth 1st. Next the Worsley Family inhabited it (Robert Worsley was the Govenor of The Isle of Wight) & he rebuilt it early 1700's & it was further extended in mid 1700's by Richard Worsley who also had gardens designed by Capability Brown. 1855 saw Appuldurcombe become an Hotel, then, coming full circle, more Benedictine Monks (exiled from France) used the Mansion from 1901 for a few years until Quarr Abbey Nr. Fishbourne was completed for them. Troops billeted at Appuldurcombe during both World Wars & a German Luftwaffe plane dropped a mine nearby which severely damaged the House before crashing. Now the House is literally a shell (with some roofing & reglazing). The place has a stark beauty & reading of its chequered history was amazing; what remains of the grounds are pretty & the whole place is tranquil with...