Loftus Hall (furnished)

The Legend
A young man was welcomed into the mansion. Anne and the young man became very close. Then, one night they were in the parlour; around this time it was not well-mannered for a girl to play cards, but Anne insisted and she played. When she dropped a card (or in some versions a ring) on the floor and went to pick it up she glanced under the table and noticed that the young man had a hoof in place of a foot.

It is said that Anne screamed and the man went up through the roof in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a large hole in the ceiling. Anne was in shock and was put in her favourite room in the mansion, which was known as the Tapestry Room. She refused food and drink. She died in the Tapestry Room in 1775. A rumour states that the hole could never be properly repaired, and it is alleged that even to this day, there is still a certain part of the ceiling which is slightly different from the rest. This, of course, is a myth, since the present house was built more than a century after the events described above. Meanwhile it was believed that the stranger with the cloven hoof returned to the house and caused persistent poltergeist activity. A number of Protestant clergymen apparently tried and failed to put a stop to this. The family, who were themselves Protestants, eventually called on Father Thomas Broaders (a Catholic priest, who was also a tenant on the Loftus Hall estate) to exorcise the house which he managed to do in spite of fierce opposition from at least one of the hostile spirits. The success of Broaders led to many concessions being made to local Catholics whose religion was still technically illegal. Fr. Broaders was parish priest of the surrounding area from 1724 to 1773.

Father Broaders' gravestone exists today and it is popularly - but erroneously - believed that on it is written, "Here lies the body of Thomas Broaders, who did good and prayed for all, and who banished the devil from Loftus Hall". Broaders was buried in a half Protestant, half Catholic graveyard not far from Hook Head.
The apparent success of Father Broaders' exorcism did not end the ghostly visitations at Loftus Hall. The ghost of a young woman, presumed to be Anne Tottenham, was reported to have made frequent appearances in the old Hall, especially in the Tapestry Room, until the building was finally demolished in 1871.

Although the present Loftus Hall is an entirely new building, interest in the ghost story has remained strong and many aspects of the story seem to have attached themselves to the newer house.

The Lot This lot was inspired by the real Loftus Hall, only it is furnished as I imagine it may have been furnished when it was a home. There is one small room unfurnished but otherwise all rooms are furnished. The house contains nine bedrooms including the servant quarters, three bathrooms, billiards room, study, games room, cards room, living room, dining room, artists studio, pottery studio, kitchen, study, library, ladies room and a large greenhouse. I advise placing this lot in a grassy neighborhood as there is no terrain covering for grass in it. There are a total of 4 fireplaces and a few dummy chimmneys.

Lot Size: 4x4
Lot Price: 759468