by MacMan on Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:23 pm
OK, ghost stories. I know the Hamilton one.
Back in 1974 a huge fire broke out in a room on the 4th floor of Hamilton Hall, on the side facing The Scores. The fire spread upwards to the 5th floor level and caused extensive damage to it. The 6th floor was a small floor of two rooms above that and it was only accessible by a single, small, wooden staircase. Because the 5th floor was on fire, a girl got trapped on the 6th floor level and sadly died, probably from smoke inhalation. It is my reckoning that she died on the staircase as the staircase in question was preserved exactly as it was after the fire until the present. Last year you could take a look at it by going through a door with a handwritten "Private" sign on it, and then opening a small cupboard in the wall. Inside was the preserved staircase. Whether it was preserved for investigation purposes or as a mark of respect, I will never know. It is dark and charred in there, the staircase is unstable and the there is still a blackened 1940's light fitting hanging from the ceiling. The access to the 6th floor has been blocked off by a stud wall. The staircase was very well known to most Hamilton residents.
Reputedly the 6th floor and particularly the burnt staircase is haunted by the ghost of the girl who died there. There were some reports of strange happenings on the 5th floor level, footsteps on the ceiling in the night, voices from the walls and strange apparitions. This may be down to the supernatural or to the (often bizarre) behaviour of students in halls which can sound like ghosts. It is likely that the footsteps heard above were from students sneaking about the disused 6th floor at night, but it was locked most of the time so it makes it a little creepy.
The 6th floor was a bit eerie, with its wobbly floor and the general cold, quiet feel of it. The views from the windows and the roof access door though were stunning, as they overlooked the Old Course and West Sands. It is a pity that the Univeristy abandoned it as a residential floor, but this was probably due to health & safety rules. A new, metal staircase was added to the existing back stairs to give maintenance access to the 6th floor, but it is so steep that it couldn't be used practically every day.
The 5th floor of Hamilton used to only be accessible by a single staircase too, at the back of the building. However aster the fire in '74 the Univeristy added a second staircase with aweful, yellow lino treads. At the top of this staircase is the winding gear for the lift and an access door to the attic. The attic was interesting and I got to have a look in it because the access door was sitting open one day. It is a large, long attic in the roof space above the 4th floor and the roof beams etc. look brand new because they were all replaced after the fire. You can also get inside the famous dome of Hamilton from there, which houses a large water tank. The dome used to be lead but this melted in the fire and was replaced with a fibreglass replica. Inside the dome, light streams in through the semi-transparant fibreglass, giving an odd, yellowish light in the attic.
As Hamilton is now closed I think it is fair to share the photographs of all the places I shouldn't have been in there! It was a fascinating building and it is a real shame that the Univeristy chose to sell it off. I will try to get the photos up here or on FaceBook at some point this weekend.