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Ham House, RichmondHam House, situated beside the River Thames, just to the south of Richmond, in the United Kingdom, is claimed by its present owners, the National Trust, to be "unique in Europe as the most complete survival of 17th century fashion and power". It was built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour and in 1626 passed into the hands of William Murray, who later became the Earl of Dysart. Ham House was enlarged in the 1670s by his daughter, who became the Duchess of Lauderdale - said to be beautiful, ambitious and renowned as a political schemer. Her descendants continued to live there until the National Trust took over in 1948. The house has changed little in 300 years, and the same applies to its formal gardens, which feature an orangery, ice house and dairy. The house is said to be haunted by the Duchess of Lauderdale and her dog, which a number of visitors claim to have seen running down the corridors (no dogs are allowed in the building). Doors are said to open for no apparent reason, objects are moved, and in recent years ghostly footprints have also been reported. In November 2003 a pair of barefoot prints supposedly appeared on the steps of the great staircase, and a month later, three supposedly unaccounted for prints were noticed in the duchess's bedchamber.
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