Blickling Hall, Norfolk County, Great Britain

Today's Blickling Hall was built in 17th century on the site of an older building that used to belong to the Boleyn family in the time of Tudors. The architect of the building is John Tradescant the elder. The castle is situated on the territory of 2,000 hectares. It is rather famous for its rich library and the wonderful garden that every new generation took care about it very carefully. In 1437 the castle passed to Jeffrey Boleyn, a couple of years later the owner of the castle became Thomas Boleyn, England's future Queen's father.

Anne Boleyn, Thomas Boleyn's daughter and Henry VIII's wife was never noted for her beauty, but she was very smart and danced very good. Owing to her father's efforts she became one of King’s minions, later the Queen of England. For this purpose Henry VIII had to break off relations with Vatican as church didn't let the King divorce his official wife Catherine of Aragon.

However the King lost interest towards his young wife very soon and fell in love with one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting Jane Seymour. Anna was accused of adultery and parricide, and in 1536 she was publically executed. She was hardly 30.

Afterwards the spectrum of young but desolate Queen of England inhabited the Blickling Hall. Every year on May 19 (the execution day) she appears in the castle. One can see her in one of the bedrooms, where she sits on the bed with her head on her knees. Also she can be seen in the corridors. But her most impressing appearing is when she arrives at the castle on a horse carriage, with horses also beheaded, and the coachman is Thomas Boleyn also without his head.

There are two more ghosts in the castle: one belongs to Sir John Fastolf (died in 1459) and Sir Henry Hobart (was killed in 1698 at a duel). These three spectrums can often be seen in the main hall near the fireplace drinking tea.

By Sona Gasparian, www.building.am

Photos by: www.picturesofengland.com