DUBLIN, July 30 — A private beach, 2500 square metres, 22 rooms, 25 hectares: this Irish manor can be yours for €2.5 million (RM12.5 million). That is, if you don’t have a problem with ghosts.
Time Out magazine has uncovered an unusual real estate bargain: Loftus Hall is for sale.
This historic manor has been designated the most haunted house in Ireland. It’s located in the southwest Hook peninsula, in County Wexford, a 2.5-hour drive from Dublin. The structure, whose foundations date to 1350, was named for the English Loftus family, who arrived as part of Oliver Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland in the mid-17th century.
According to legend, one day a strange visitor arrived at the manor after his boat sunk off the coast and was given shelter by the family. Lady Anne Tottenham, a young member of the Tottenham family, fell in love with him. One day while playing cards, she knelt to the floor to retrieve a fallen card and noticed that the stranger had cloven hooves in place of feet. The stranger vanished in a smoky explosion that pierced the roof. Anne never recovered from the shock and she died just a few years later, devastated by the experience. It is said that both the mysterious stranger and the lovesick young woman haunt the structure to this day, despite the exorcism carried out by a priest.
Fans of dark legends can now own this unusual manor, as long as they have €2.5 million in the bank. If not, you can still indulge your curiosity with a visit to the manor, as Loftus Hall also offers 45-minute tours for those who can overcome their fears. And at the moment, you don’t even need to wait for a booking, as live webcams show what’s going on in every room at www.loftushallafterdark.com. — AFP-Relaxnews
