Book Review by Leslie Grout
Published in Windlesora 32 (2016)
© WLHG
In the 1970s Angus Macnaghten produced a small book on Windsor hauntings. Brian Langston – greatly expands and adds to this material.
Not everyone has seen ghosts or experienced supernatural phenomena – the owner of a house was recently told that his place was haunted, but he had never seen anything, even though he had lived there all his life. Langston gives a good example of this in the case of Market Cross House when in its days as a café items went missing or where inexplicably moved. The staff were puzzled but not unduly worried and blamed ‘Harry’ for all the mischief, but one morning when they arrived for work, tea had been spilt on the floor, crockery had been smashed and all the teapots had their spouts intertwined. Then a customer who was clearly psychic told them that she had seen the ghost of a woman in the shop. She had evidently taken exception to being referred to as Harry and was expressing her displeasure accordingly. The staff renamed her Ella and the activities ceased. It remains to be seen, says the author, what Ella will make of her next earthly lodgers.
Windsor Castle, as befits such an ancient and historical building has a great many ghosts, but relatively little has been written about them, as the authorities were reluctant to publicise such hauntings. Henry VIII is supposed to haunt the Deanery and Charles Knight speaks of a black dog on the North Terrace, but when in 1906 a maid was terrified by a ghastly apparition – indeed she never returned to work again – Edward VII put a gagging order on the Royal Household, saying that if news of this got our, staff would leave in their droves and others would be scared to come and work at Windsor. Ghosts are still being discovered; only this year a figure possibly in 18th century dress was seen in the Macdonald Hotel.
One or two items need to be treated with caution – William Boyd Carpenter was never Dean of Windsor, though he was a Canon for a short while, and where is the Seabrook Tower? However, a stroll along the streets of Windsor will conjure up many ghostly pictures — friendly or otherwise.
Copies are available online from various sources, including Waterstones Bookshop in Windsor – Price £10
Windsor Local History Group 