This 17th Century Scottish Island Home Is Haunted By A Number Of Ghosts

The Orkney archipelago is home to a mysterious 17th century mansion that is believed to be haunted by a number of restless spirits.

Skaill House is a historic manor house overlooking the neolithic site, constructed in 1620. It was built by Bishop George Graham as a simple manor house, and over the centuries was expanded as it passed down to succeeding lairds.

There have been over 5,000 years of life on the land on which Skaill House sits and there was once a Neolithic settlement on the site, referred to as the ‘Scottish Pompeii’. There is also evidence to suggest the house was built upon an ancient Pictish burial site.

The house opened to the public in 1997. It can be rented as a holiday let, or a venue for receptions and events. There is also a falconry on site, although separate to the house. 

What many people at Skara Brae may not realise is that they are close to another Orkney tourist attraction that, while not quite as old, is certainly worth a visit. In fact, according to the Orkney website, it was the home of the man who unearthed Skara Brae in 1850.

Skaill House is abound with ghost stories. The current Laird, members of staff and members of the public have all had spooky experiences!

The present Laird swears that he and his dog heard footsteps late one night when he was doing some work to the house. His dog raised her hackles and barking loudly, ran out of the room. But there was no-one there. This presence has been attributed to Ubby, who many years ago, built the small island in the middle of Skaill Loch by rowing out and dropping stones which can still be seen there. He is reputed to have died out there and to now haunt the wing of the house where he once lived.

One worker reported seeing a reflection of a man inside the shop, but when she went through to investigate there was nobody there. A similar incident occurred when a tourist asked a man inside the gun room a question about the house, but it was later confirmed that there were no male members of staff working on that particular day.

There have also been many strange sounds, doors opening and closing of their own accord and even smells. Malcolm Macrae, owner of Skaill House reports he was in the attic office and there was a smell of fresh cigarette smoke. Both he and an employee commented on it but could not find the source of the smell. This is a familiar tale.

This may have something to do with the fifteen skeletons that were discovered underneath the flagstone during Macrae's earlier renovations. These were dated in the 1990s as being Norse. Before this, other Norse skeletons were found under the flagstone floor of the main hall. Before the flagstone was replaced with oak floorboards, the skeletons were returned to their original resting place, and are still there today.