RON BOWERS AND THE RED LION HOTEL
By Christina M. Schumacher

     On October 15, 2008, I received an email from Ron Bowers sharing some photos he had taken the previous night at the Red Lion Hotel in Colchester, Essex, England. Ron had been invited to a charity event involving SGR radio and around 30 people were given a ghost guided tour of three haunted inns in the area.
     Ron admitted to not picking up anything at the first two inns as often he has difficulty capturing spirit when there are many people around him. However, he was able to capture some interesting photos while at the Red Lion.
     Before I share these photos with you, I'd like to give a brief history and some haunting information.
     The Red Lion Hotel was built in 1465 and is located in the center of historic Colchester, but it was not always called The Red Lion. Up until 1633, it was named The White Lion and was a private residence. This 24 room hotel has great historical connections to Oliver Cromwell.
     It seems the hotel has had a haunted history for quite some time. For over 200 years, there was an instant dismissal rule for any employee that dared to mention encountering a ghost. The proprietors were afraid this kind of talk would scare off potential customers.
     Today, this is not the case. Most haunted inns and hotels actually have many customers who are actually seeking ghosts or spirits, thus The Red Lion being part of a ghost tour.
     Rumor has it that there are three ghosts within The Red Lion. There is the shadowy figure of a hooded monk who has been seen wandering the hallways and hanging around the reception area. He is said to have died in a fire while trying to save the children that were in his care. The second is a small boy who can be seen in the parliament room and who has been said to have appeared in photos taken by the guests.
     Most famous of all is Alice Miller, a chambermaid at the hotel, who was either murdered or committed suicide in 1638. Alice's ghost was apparently so terrifying that the owner had her room bricked up 200 years ago. This did not seem to stop her, however. Alice is said to haunt rooms 5, 6 and 10, the upstairs bar and has been seen on the stairs and in the kitchen. She has also been known to pull hair and has been heard whispering often. Alice also disappears through the bricked up wall that was once her bedroom.
     Ron has shared four photos here. The first three were taken in the Tudor room which is a large upstairs banquet room at the front of the hotel. The fourth photo he took in the cellar where areas were bricked up but still showed the old tunnel arches where underground tunnels once led to other parts of the town.

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