August 2026

Ghostly giggles at The Lord Milner Hotel

In our previous post, we introduced you to the beautiful Matjiesfontein – a village that was declared a National Heritage Site in 1975. If you’re interested in the history of this little town or want to have a look at the elegant Victorian buildings again, click here.

Today we are going to tell you more about our stay at the double-storey Lord Milner Hotel, which was built in 1899 by James Logan. The hotel was used as a military hospital during the Anglo-Boer War (1899 – 1902), and perhaps that’s why you often hear about ghost sightings and strange noises. We’ve been told that these ghosts are mostly playful and even mischievous. It was time to find out: Is this true or just stories.

The Lord Milner Hotel at Matjiesfontein

Water fountain in front of the hotel

Hello Lucy:

It seems that the ghosts being referred to are all women – interesting, isn’t it? Lucy is probably the most famous of these ladies. Apparently, she’s the one that floats around the passages and the stairs, wearing a negligee. There are rumours that Lucy has never checked out of her room on the first floor.

Impressive stairs upon entering the hotel

Could this be the place that Lucy sometimes waiting for guests?

The hotel is filled with numerous antique pieces, small statues, and portraits. If you have a vivid imagination, it might even feel like the eyes in some of those portraits are following you as you walk around the hotel.

Lovely corner inside hotel filled with antique pieces

Busts at the entrance of the hotel

Display in the foyer of the hotel

Meet Mary-Anne:

There’s the story of Mary-Anne (another female ghost) who has a fondness for rattling the doorknob of Room 26. I was very happy when we got the key to Room 14 as our resting place for the night – a considerable distance from Room 26.

Our lovely old bed in Room 14

Our room had an en-suite bathroom – which I was really happy about. I’m not sure if, during the night, I would have felt completely comfortable going to a bathroom down the long hallway. It was interesting to see that the shower in our en-suite bathroom was at quite a height.

Black & white decorated en-suite bathroom

The ‘Lady in White’ roams in the garden:

The hotel is surrounded by lovely green lawns and a beautiful garden. It’s here that another ghostly lady, only known as the ‘Lady in White’ has been observed wandering through the hotel’s gardens. During our visit, however, it was just Berto and me strolling through the garden while appreciating how neat and well-kept it is.

Outside passage between the pub and the hotel

Beautiful green lawns of the hotel

On the edge of the big green lawn, there’s a quaint building known as The Traveller’s Chapel. It was originally built to house gas-generating equipment that was used to light up Matjiesfontein. But David Rawdon, who bought Matjiesfontein in 1968, later converted the building into a chapel dedicated to his father George Rawdon.

The Traveller’s Chapel

Inside The Traveller’s Chapel

From the chapel, we walked down the stone steps that lead to the causeway of the Baviaans River. When you climbed the steps on the other side, you enter the Raymond Crowley gardens, orchard, and graveyard. This is also where the beautiful swimming pool of the hotel is located.

River causeway and stone steps

Inside the Raymond Crowley gardens

Graveyard (note the unadorned tombstone of David Rawdon)

Flowers and natural water pond

Swimming pool area

Sparkling swimming pool

Dinner in the hotel’s beautiful dining room was an enjoyable experience. Guests have been served here for the past 120 years, and we really enjoyed the lovely Victorian setting. There were plenty of choices between starters, main courses, and desserts.

Dining room of The Lord Milner Hotel

While I enjoyed tasty butternut soup, Berto had a beer unique to Matjiesfontein. His lamb shank and my chicken schnitzel were excellent. The portions were so big that we took our dessert up to the room. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the cheesecake, but you can take my word that it was delicious.

Beer and soup

Our main courses

And then there’s Kate:

It was during dinner that we heard about yet another ghost. Kate, a young nurse, died under mysterious circumstances when she was only 19 years old. During her time at the hotel, she was known for playing cards with patients recovering in a room on the second floor of the old turret. Guests say that sometimes they can hear the sound of cards being shuffled, muffled voices, and faint laughter late at night.

After we ended the evening with a glass of red wine, it was time to head up to our room on the second floor. So, the question was: Would we run into Lucy in the passage, or hear either Mary-Anne turning the doorknob of Room 26, or Kate playing cards with a patient? Or would we see the ‘Lady in White’ wandering around in the garden if we peek through our bedroom window?

Our night in The Lord Milner Hotel:

The answer? None of the above. BUT … between 2-3 am I clearly heard a small bell ring three times. At first, I thought it was wind chimes, but when I heard it a second and third time, I realised it sounded more like a handbell or service bell. Could it be the kind of bell that patients used years ago to get a nurse’s attention? The light in the hallway had been on all night, and a thin strip of light shone under our bedroom door. There was a moment when it seemed like a shadow moved past our door.

Was this just my imagination after hearing all the ghost stories? Well, I didn’t wait to find out and pulled the sheet over my head, shut my eyes, and scooted right up to Berto.

The next morning it was time to pack up and head back home, but not before we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel dining room. There was such a wide variety of breakfast options to choose from. The cold breakfast was laid out in the room adjacent to the dining room while we could order a choice of several hot options. The Lord Milner Hotel definitely makes sure that their guests eat very well (and plenty).

Friendly staff at breakfast in the dining room

Breakfast buffet

Just a few of the options at breakfast

What a lovely breakfast

Sweet pastry and cheese

We had a wonderful time in Matjiesfontein. And The Lord Milner Hotel did not disappoint either – even though our night wasn’t quite undisturbed. To be honest, I’d rather listen to a bell ringing in the middle of the night before I run into Lucy, Kate, Mary-Anne, or the ‘Lady in White’.

We were warmly greeted and seen off by Gert at the hotel’s front door

In our next and last post about Matjiesfontein, we’re going to take you through two incredible museums.

The Lord Milner Hotel at Matjiesfontein