During the Second World War the Castle Archdale estate was the headquarters of RAF Castle Archdale, a flying boat base whose aircraft watched the North Atlantic for German submarines and helped protect Allied convoys. Spirited Isle notes that after the war the Georgian mansion was abandoned and demolished in 1970, leaving the cobbled courtyard and whitewashed outbuildings that now house a visitor centre.
The page says some visitors claim traces of the wartime years remain: aircraft engines heard where none are flying, ghostly marching boots, and a figure in what looked like a Canadian or American airman's uniform, standing silently near the old courtyard before vanishing among the trees. It calls the last one a widely shared account, without a named witness.
A visitor note on the same page describes a cold change of atmosphere at the spot where the demolished house stood and a small dog becoming frightened. These are the sort of low-key impressions common to places with a heavy past. The wartime base itself is not in doubt, and the sightings are best treated as a modern reputation.
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