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House of Shadows
This Mansion is a very spooky place. Standing on the edge of an expansive estate, the house is a derelict baronial mansion dating back to the 16th century and originally built around a 'keep' or fortified tower. It was extended over the centuries, with the east and west wings being added in 1673, and the 'newest' part of the house being added in 1856.
The house is comprised of thirty-seven rooms over four floors (together with basements and attics) - these range from large public reception rooms (including one which may have been used as a ballroom) to servants quarters, kitchens and cellars. Central to the house is the ornate carved oak staircase, leading from the main entranceway to the upper floors.
It was last occupied by Polish soldiers during the Second World War. Now, its only occupants are a handful of mannequins in various rooms. Walking into rooms and seeing these is a heart-stopping experience, particularly the one standing next to a large window and the one which appears to be rocking a cradle.
The Mansion is the sort of place that makes you think of ghosts and wonder what is lurking at the bottom of the stairs, at the end of a dark corridor, or just beyond a closed door.
Despite the shabby state of the place now, it is evident that this was once a palatial mansion - in many of the public rooms, the original gilt cornicing is intact and remnants of heavily brocaded wallpapers remain on many of the walls. The bathrooms are ornate even in their disrepair and the former bedrooms all have their own attached dressing and sitting rooms.
The structure of the Mansion is poor - the staircase is creaky but still standing, and has clearly been very impressive in its' day. In some of the larger rooms, the floors have holes showing through to the rooms beneath and in some places, the edges of the floors have begun to collapse.
What is perhaps most remarkable is that the place is still as intact as it is; it has not been demolished, has never been set alight and apart from some smashed windows, there is little sign of vandalism. This is no doubt due to the very rural location of the mansion and the woods surrounding it; most people probably don't even know it is there.
Elsewhere on the estate are the ruins of a very old Castle. The caput of the barony, it was built in 1734 to replace the original castle, which had been built in 1414. In 1952 the roof was removed in order to reduce the taxes due on the building - and with that, its fate was sealed.
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