Eliza Kleininger (The Blue Lady)

In the early hours of 27 October 1886, disaster struck the grand Victorian manor house of Berystede. What began as a routine night for the household staff quickly turned into a tragedy that would echo through the corridors for over a century. Eliza Kleininger, a devoted lady’s maid in service to the socially prominent Hélène Standish, would become the fire’s only victim - and the hotel’s most enduring presence.

Historical records confirm that Eliza was a devoted member of the Standish household staff, serving the family at their Gothic-style manor near Ascot. The Standish estate was no modest country home - Henry Noailles Widdrington Standish and his wife Hélène de Pérusse des Cars maintained a substantial household with numerous servants, befitting their status as friends of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

When the fire tore through the wooden structure in the pre-dawn darkness, panic must have seized the household. Contemporary accounts suggest that whilst the family and other servants escaped the rapidly spreading flames, Eliza made the fateful decision to return to her quarters. Historical sources indicate she was attempting to retrieve a jewelry box from her bedroom - likely containing precious gifts accumulated during her years of faithful service, as was common for lady’s maids of the Victorian era who often received jewellery from both their mistresses and visiting house guests.

Overcome by smoke and flames, Eliza collapsed at the foot of the servants’ staircase. Her charred remains were discovered there after the blaze was extinguished, the tragedy so profound that the Prince of Wales himself travelled from Windsor Castle to comfort the bereaved family. The Standishes never returned to Berystede, permanently abandoning the estate after this traumatic loss.

Yet staff and guests at the rebuilt hotel report that Eliza never truly left. Witnesses describe encounters with a figure in blue Victorian dress - likely the distinctive uniform she wore in life - moving through the corridors with purposeful intent. Her appearances are most commonly reported near the original location of the servants’ staircase, now incorporated into the hotel’s north wing, and in rooms 306, 361, and 362. Guests have reported seeing her searching through furniture and appearing by fireplaces, as if still seeking the precious belongings for which she sacrificed her life.

The phenomenon typically occurs in the early hours around 3 a.m. - close to the time the original fire broke out. Maintenance workers report hearing the sound of laboured breathing in the hallways, whilst others describe glimpsing her reflection in mirrors before it vanishes. Her expression, when glimpsed, is described as one of worried determination - perhaps still compelled by the Victorian sense of duty that led her back into the flames on that terrible October night.