NGI

The History of Lissan House

Despite hard times and financial difficulties the Staples never sold the house, which today stands proudly surrounded by tall trees on the banks of a babbling river. A blue plaque on the outside of the house commemorates the artist Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples (1853-1943), many of whose paintings can be seen inside the hall.

The house has now been given over to the friends of Lissan trust, and was open to the public for a while.

The Haunted History of Lissan House

It is not surprising that Stalpes family members who were so happy in the house in life, should in death still continue to occupy the property.

The hall’s last owner Hazel Radclyffe Dolling (the last member of the staples family) is no longer with us, but she had many a strange tale to tell about the house. Certain parts of the house would contain cold spots and the heavy footsteps of an invisible man could be heard plodding around the house at night.

Visitors to the house have remarked on the strong smell of lavender and rose petals that occasionally fills every room, and the sobs of a young child have also been heard. One guest claimed to have witnessed a group of noisy children playing a game in the hall, and when she to ask them who they were they skipped off down the hall and vanished.