We've had a few Belleville residents write to us for information on the mansion named Glanmore. Built in 1883 and a fine piece of Victorian architecture, the historic former home of the Phillips and Faulkner families now houses a museum and is a historic site open to the public. "The splendour of the Victorian period comes alive" in the house according to the book, Mysteries of Ontario by John Robert Colombo.

Apparently, the house also houses something else...

The painter, Phillipa Faulkner was born in the house and when she donated it to the city (1971), she noted that it has "peculiarities".

Apparently, she was once visited by a soldier in a red tunic and white hat at the house. He was a benevolent apparition and smiled at her then vanished. She was certain that the apparition was an uncle who had passed in the Boer war. She was somehow comforted by this 'ghost' as she felt that 'he' had come to watch over her and protect her.

Mrs. Faulkner reported as well that the piano in the drawing room has played by "itself" and her heavy bedroom door has opened of it's own accord.

The widow felt that this was the 'ghost' of her grandmother, Harriet Phillips.

Apparently, the phenomena at some points was so heavy that one just needed to spend a few quiet moments in the home and before long, they'd sense or experience "something".

The phenomena was more annoying than 'scary' and in 1965, a Roman Catholic priest was summoned and exorcised the 'ghosts' of Glanmore.

After that, the disturbances... at least the major ones... ceased. Minor ones, apparently, do continue.

We have had reports come in from an 'eerie' sense of being watched while in the home to a witness that reported seeing a door swing open of it's own volition and then close... according to this witness, this was not the house settling or wind as they STRONGLY wished it to be but say they triple-checked all possibilities of something 'natural' with no success.

Either way, the home/museum is a "must see" for any history buff and the 'ghosts', if they do remain, are still benevolent and seem to be causing no real harm.

Update: March 2004

We were happy to receive the following e-mail from Anne Burrows Faulkner, who's family owned Glanmore until 1971... It corrects mistakes we've posted up as well as presents interesting insight into the home and it's ghosts.

We are indebted to Ms. Faulkner for her information and willingness to share and provide her comments verbatim as we received them...

You have a link up to the history of the home at http://www.glanmore.org/glanmoreind.html which does contain a family history (the home was lived in by the Phillips, Burrows and Faulkner families, 3 generations, not 2). As well, it contains photographs that are a much more accurate representation of what Glanmore actually looked like when it was lived in as significant alterations (redecorating) was done subsequent to the sale of the home by my mother. The photographs that are on the link above were the photographs that my mother had taken in 1968-9 for submission to the Historic Monuments Board of Canada. The redecorating was undertaken subsequent to 1971 and before the opening of Glanmore in 1973 by the Museum Management Board of Belleville, Ontario.

My mother sold Glanmore in 1971, not 1955.

So those are the dates that need changing.
(Editor's Note: Done!)

As for the ghosts..

You have the story of the British soldier but it isn't quite accurate.

Shortly after my father died in 1955, my mother was alone in the house with my brother and I and worried about how she was going to get on without my father, her father (Sandy Burrows) had died recently as well. She was worried about being alone with 2 kids to raise.

My bedroom was the back upstairs nursery (where the Curator's office is). My mother was sleeping one night and I came into her room crying and woke her up (I was 3). When she turned the bedside light on, there was a British redcoat standing at attention beside her bed. He looked at her, smiled, and disappeared. She never saw him again. She did tell me that she was never afraid after that.

Historically, my great-great-grandmother, Amelia Curran, married a Captain Phillips - either in Ireland or shortly after arriving in London, Ontario from Ireland c1840's - who served with Queen's Grenadiers (I'm not sure of the Regiment, this could be incorrect, the obituary is illegible). Their son was John Philpot Curran Phillips, who built Glanmore with his wife, Hattie. So, if it is true that there are ghosts, that is the probable connection :-)

We had a British redcoat uniform in a trunk in the attic with the other Victorian clothes - my friends and I used to play dress-up in them when we were younger.

After we moved back from Mexico c1962, my mother had a priest bless the house because it didn't "feel right". There was an oppressive presence felt. Apparently, this resolved it.

I remember when she did that. I never heard anything further about it.

I think I may have seen Hattie once.

I play the piano and was practicing one day in the drawing room. I was in the house alone.

I don't know if you play an instrument but.. I was in the.. "zone" and totally focused on the music. All of a sudden, someone was walking by me, enough to interrupt that concentration in that I stopped playing to see who came in the room. I just saw this tiny woman in a grey silk dress, wearing keys on a belt around her waist - who had red hair - walking by out of the corner of my eye.

When I turned to say something (as in, "Can I help you?), there was no one there. Needless to say, I experienced somewhat of an adrenalin surge

Shortly after, my mother came home and told her what had happened. When I described the woman, she said: "You've just seen Hattie Phillips" who was, in fact, a very tiny woman (4'7", etc.), had red hair and always wore the house keys at her waist.

My cousin was visiting one year for Christmas. We were sitting - again in the drawing room - by the fire, late at night. All of a sudden, her face blanched and she - "moved" off that couch. I thought she'd seen a spider or something. I asked her: "What happened???" She said she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder, and there was no one there.

I think that - if anyone haunts Glanmore - it is Hattie Phillips. Glanmore was very much her home and it always preserved as such while in the family's hands. She decorated the interior and was the original painter of the ceilings and most of the artwork that was there (in the photographs taken in 1886). It was her wish, always respected by the family, that the integrity of her home, Glanmore, be preserved. Sadly, this has not been the case. Given the redecorating - not restoration - undertaken between 1971 and 1973 - that do not accurately reflect her home, I'm sure she's not a .. happy presence.

You are more than welcome to use the above without editing, it its entirety as this is the truth on which you may quote me as the family representative.. I look forward to the amendments to your page.
(Editor's Note: We have! Thank you!)

Warmest regards,

Anne Burrows Faulkner

Needless to say, we are VERY interested in looking further into this case and welcome any information. If you can, please write an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to our researcher in the area at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know if there's any information or experiences you can share with us.

This site/page is about the reports of ghosts and hauntings in Ontario and is NOT related to Glanmore in any way. Please, if you're interested in visiting this fine historic home and museum, visit the official site by clicking here.