It’s been seven years since the halls of this once-thriving Darlington hotel were roamed by guests… or has it?
The rings of the reception bell and tunes of the grand piano are nothing more than a distant memory at the former St George Hotel at Teesside Airport.
The building, which was part of the former RAF base and became a hotel in the 1960s, has been closed off since 2018.
The 59 suites, bar, and ballroom have remained frozen in time, with some of its fixtures and fittings still intact - from bed frames and tables to chandeliers.
And while the last time guests checked in for an overnight stay may be long gone, that doesn’t mean the rooms are fully unoccupied.
Ghostly goings on have been documented for years, according to Geoff Hill, chair of the Middleton St George Memorial Association - and the building being closed off to the public hasn’t been enough to stop the supernatural spooks.
In a tour of the hotel this week, Geoff told The Northern Echo all about the hotel’s resident ghosts - and how they have made themselves known over the years.
Silence. That’s the first thing you notice walking through the dark hallways of the former St George Hotel, just steps away from the Teesside Airport terminal.
The rooms that were once home to events, functions, dancing, music, and happy holidaymakers now eerily quiet, and just a shell of their former self.
Considering it has been seven years since the hotel was operating, the building itself has fared well - and despite some water damage and damp, Geoff believes it could even be revamped and brought back to life in the future.
But for now, all that’s left are brief reminders of its heyday. Empty pint glasses. Mattresses and curtains. Even a chandelier adorning a room once stayed in by the late Queen Elizabeth herself.
“It’s a crying shame”, Geoff tells me as we walk through what was once known as Mynarski’s Bar, named after Canadian Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski who died saving his friend when their Lancaster bomber was shot from the skies.
Geoff, who is from Sedgefield, was quick to point out areas of the building that have stood the test of time - such as the ballroom, several rooms, and bathrooms.
Some suites are less so, however, including one that has seen the roof collapse above the bathroom. Mysteriously so, as Geoff points out.
The Room 44 poltergeist and the ghost pilot
As with many dilapidated buildings, talk can quickly turn to whether paranormal activity runs through the rooms, halls, and walls.
And for the St George Hotel, that’s definitely the case in Geoff’s eyes.
Arguably the venue’s most notable ghoulish residents is the ghost of a flying officer, who died after his plane crashed into the side of the hotel.
Raymond Thomas Norman was coming into land in his Gloster Meteor aircraft when he lost control and ploughed into Room 52 on Saturday, November 24, 1951.
The room was normally occupied by a flight controller - and while Norman survived the initial crash, he was killed by falling bricks and died at just 33-years-old.
The room was later split into two - and despite being closed for seven years, Geoff is still convinced that both are haunted by Raymond.
He explained: “[My partner] Heather used to work in the hotel and everytime she went into that room, she used to get her apron tugged.
“She would say: ‘Raymond, please stop, I have got work to do.’ She was the only staff member in the hotel who would clean that room!”
Since its closure, the building has also been used by police to train tracker and sniffer dogs, with the force hiding items for them to hunt down.
And he thinks even the canines knew something was off: “They took over the whole building and had sniffer dogs, they used to try and hide cigarettes and drugs.
“Every time the dogs went past the room, they went to the far side of the corridor and scooted across. They wouldn’t stop.”
But Room 50 and 51 were not the only spot of spooky goings on.
Geoff, who himself stayed in Room 16 when he got married, believes Room 44 is home to its very own hanger-twitching poltergeist.
“I went past once and the coat hangers started moving”, he recalled.
“I couldn’t explain it and I need an explanation. I have been a builder all my life and I have seen a lot of different things and I always have to have an explanation.”
He put it to the test - and came back down the corridor at speed to see if the hangers would rock, hoping this could explain it. Or maybe even the wind.
The hangers didn’t rock.
It’s not just Geoff or Heather either who have been spooked. Geoff’s grandson Reece Downs, 19, has also encountered some otherworldly incidents.
The Norton air cadet explained: “I was working here in June and I was looking at a tin of keys for a room, right at the end of the room.
“I was by the door and my grandad was standing outside, there was only one person on the property with us. I then saw a figure walk past.
“I’ve always been sceptical but in my head, it registered that someone had just walked past me. I looked outside and I saw grandad and the other man.”
‘It is sad’
Each room was its own treasure trove of hotel items from time gone buy.
The suites were in different states and had various bits and bobs of furniture, this was mainly due to an auction for its fixtures and fittings being held days after the hotel was closed.
There were also some boarded up windows here and there - although the building is also protected by additional security measures.
One of the most striking features of the venue, the ballroom, where many weddings and functions have been held over the years, hasn’t changed much from its closing day.
The roof of the once bustling room may look dark but the grey carpet looks almost new, and the dark grey panelling on the walls still looks modern.
A particular sad empty room for Geoff is the RAF Middleton St. George Memorial Room, where an array of memorabilia and wartime artifacts once adorned the walls.
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This feature was so popular that people would visit just to catch a glimpse.
“It is sad”, Geoff added. “Believe it or not, but the hotel was making a good bit of money. People used to come solely to see our collection.”
The hotel was owned by the Peel Group until the Tees Valley Combined Authority took over the airport site in 2018 - but days before the deal, Peel closed the hotel.
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