Henley's ghostly goings-on revealed

WITH Halloween fast approaching it’s a fitting time to discover the haunts of Henley, writes Lucy Boon.

Blandy House

NOW a dental practice, the Grade II-listed Blandy House on Hart Street was the home of Mary Blandy.

The 1977 book The Ghosts Who’s Who reports Mary’s ghost standing under an old mulberry tree in the garden of the house where she lived.

Other accounts mention her standing there with a shadowy male figure beside her.

Kenton Theatre

THE apparition of a young woman — thought to be Mary Blandy — was seen at the back of the theatre watching rehearsals and vanished when approached. The play in question was about Mary’s life and was performed at the theatre in the Fifties.

Actors also reported strange occurrences during rehearsals, including doors opening and closing, lights switching on and off and a large mirror jumping off a wall.

A cup was also reputedly seen rising from a table before dropping and smashing whilst cast members were discussing Mary herself.

Lambridge Wood

ON December 8, 1893 the housekeeper of Lambridge Wood Farm was found brutally murdered. So infamous was the crime that day trips were run from London to view the house and the copse where the body was discovered.

The Little Angel pub

PHENOMENA here has been experienced by nearby residents and customers, with the most famous taking place over a 30-month period starting in 1952.

The landlord and his wife heard tramping footsteps and the slamming of doors could be heard from upstairs. The apparition of a hysterical woman was also seen sitting on a sofa, and unexplainable rappings were heard on the front door.

David Eggleton, of Henley Ghost Tours, believes this to be Mary Blandy. “She had been placed under house arrest and confined in her room,” he said. “Then one day, on discovering a door had been left open, she went out into the street, crossed Henley Bridge and took refuge in the Little Angel.”

The Bull on Bell Street pub

A CURIOUS and unexplained smell of burnt candles has been reported over a long period of time.

The pub is said to have more than one spirit, including a lady from the early 1800s and a monk from several hundred years earlier.