The Dutiful Maid

In the shadowed corridors of Ye Olde Griffin Hotel, the spirit of a devoted chambermaid continues her eternal rounds. This benevolent presence has been faithfully tending to guests for decades, her ghostly ministrations becoming the stuff of local legend throughout the Fenland market town of March.

The Gentle Haunting

The dutiful maid’s presence manifests in the most caring of ways. Guests have returned to their locked rooms to discover beds made with hospital corners, clothes neatly folded in ways that would impress the most meticulous housekeeper, and personal belongings organised with an almost maternal care. These unexplained tidying episodes occur even when no living staff have entered the room, leaving visitors both mystified and oddly comforted.

The upper floors of the historic inn seem particularly favoured by this spectral housekeeper. The corridor near Room 5, situated in one of the oldest sections of the building, witnesses the most activity. Here, in the small hours when the ancient timber frame settles and creaks, guests report the soft rustle of Victorian-era skirts and the gentle tap-tap-tap of worn leather boots against wooden floorboards.

Witnessed Encounters

Staff conducting their nightly rounds have become accustomed to the sound of feminine humming drifting from unoccupied chambers - a melody reminiscent of the working songs that Victorian housemaids would sing to pass the long hours of their labour. The tune, though hauntingly beautiful, carries the melancholy of a bygone era when service was a way of life rather than merely employment.

A former manager, speaking to local paranormal investigators, recalled: “I often felt a cool breeze and heard skirts rustle on the first-floor landing after midnight, as if the maid was making one last round.” The phenomenon became so routine that staff would bid the spirit goodnight when locking up.

Guests too have shared their encounters. A 2016 review mentioned being “charmed by the ghost - woke up to find my scattered shoes lined up neatly!” Another visitor described gentle knocks on their door at dawn, though when answered, only empty corridor greeted them - perhaps the maid’s courteous way of providing a wake-up call from centuries past.

The Spectral Figure

Those fortunate enough to glimpse the dutiful maid describe a slender young woman in the dark woollen dress and crisp white apron typical of late Victorian domestic servants. She appears most commonly in peripheral vision, a graceful figure gliding through doorways or ascending the main staircase with an armful of what appears to be fresh linens. Her movements are purposeful yet serene, suggesting a spirit at peace with her eternal duties.

The apparition typically fades when observed directly, as if modest about intruding upon the living. During a 2020 Halloween event, a guest managed to capture what appeared to be a misty figure in the hallway on their smartphone - a translucent form that seemed to dissolve even as the image was being taken.

Historical Context

The Griffin’s ghost likely hails from the late 19th century, when the inn underwent significant refurbishment around 1877. Local historians have suggested this spectral maid may have been one Elizabeth, a 21-year-old servant who died in March during this period of the hotel’s transformation. If accurate, this would explain both the youthful appearance described by witnesses and the Victorian-era clothing consistently reported.

During this era, chambermaids worked from dawn to dusk, their lives devoted entirely to the comfort of guests. Such dedication, it seems, has transcended even death itself.

Paranormal Recognition

The dutiful maid’s reputation extends well beyond the Griffin’s walls. She is documented in the comprehensive Paranormal Database and has attracted the attention of Fenland paranormal research groups. Small teams have been permitted to conduct overnight vigils, during which they’ve recorded Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) of what sounds distinctly like a woman whispering “room five” - the very chamber most associated with her appearances.

The hotel itself embraces its supernatural heritage, displaying what is claimed to be a 19th-century newspaper clipping in the lobby that references “the ghost of a maid.” Whether authentic or replica, it serves as a testament to how deeply embedded this gentle haunting has become in the Griffin’s identity.

A Comforting Presence

Unlike the frightening specters that populate many ghost stories, the dutiful maid brings only comfort and care to those who encounter her. Guests speak of feeling watched over rather than threatened, as if this devoted spirit has extended her protective instincts beyond the grave. Her manifestations - the straightened rooms, the gentle wake-up calls, the soft humming that speaks of contentment rather than sorrow - suggest a soul that found such joy in service that not even death could separate her from her calling.

In an age when genuine hospitality can feel increasingly rare, perhaps there is something deeply reassuring about a presence that continues to care for travellers with the same devotion she showed in life. The dutiful maid of Ye Olde Griffin stands as a reminder that some bonds - between servant and establishment, between caregiver and those in their charge - are indeed eternal.