Many of the rooms are open to the public, including the King's bedroom, where Henry VII staying during his visit in 1498.
Just off the King's chamber is where a latrine was cleverly converted to hide a priest hole during the persecution of the Catholics. You can see down into the hole where the priest would have been hidden. It's no longer open to the public, but when I was a teenager I went down in to the priest hole itself and it was extremely claustrophobic. The priest would have been shut in, with no way of getting out by himself. If the family were arrested or forced to leave before they had released him, he would have starved to death. It's not known if it were ever used. The house was certainly raided, but it would never have been recorded if they'd have had a priest in residence at the time.
The house is reputed to have two ghosts. One, a visiting Spanish or possibly Italian woman who disappeared while heavily pregnant at some point in the 16th century.
Another ghost, of another 16th century lady, is seen haunting the north bedroom and staircase. She is said to have thrown herself from the bedroom window, drowing in the moat below.
There are variations on these tales, sometimes merging the stories, sometimes suggesting one or other was a jilted lover or mistress. There are no real historical references that tell their stories. Italian and Spanish women did indeed visit, but as far as I can find, not terrible consequences followed their visits.
Still, these ghosts have been seen. Over 500 years of history would probably include quite a few tragic tales, so I'm surprised there aren't more ghosts here!
The grounds contain a small chapel, a kitchen garden, and a wonderful walk through a meadow if you visit in June or July.
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