Provost Skene's House
Provost Skene’s House is located on Guestrow and now stands in the middle of the new Marsichal Square building. Unlike its contemporary surroundings it has a long history with the oldest part of the building dating back to 1545. It was built by the Knollis family, bought over by George Skene of Rubislaw in 1669, and was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland (or the Bloody Butcher) prior to the Battle of Culloden. It is said that the Bloody Butcher was a particularly unpleasant occupant. He and his men apparently caused chaos during their stay by breaking objects and stealing items from within the home, and for 200 years after it was known as Cumberland’s house for this reason. Provost Skene’s House is also said to be haunted.
Staff have reported hearing the sound of disembodied footsteps walking up the stone staircase when no one else was in the building. They have also reported a strange feeling of unease, or fear. This feeling it seems has no apparent cause and can catch you off guard even on the sunniest of days in the city. One visitor to the house felt her hair being tugged in the Costume Gallery and turned around to find nobody there. The lady had short spiky hair and not the type to get caught, and therefore no cause could be attributed to the experience. Perhaps the strangest encounter, however, comes from the Painted Gallery – a beautiful room at the top of the house. A visitor who was very keen to see the Painted Gallery had climbed upstairs to the room. On her arrival, however, she heard a function going on inside. She could hear lots of talking, movement and laughing coming from within. Disgruntled that she had not been told about the function she made her way back down to the front desk to complain. However, the staff member on being told about the function looked confused. It was early in the morning, and the staff member assured the visitor that no function was taking place. They went back upstairs to check the room to find nobody inside…