Spooky Isles reader LES HARRINGTON recalls witnessing a ghostly Lady in White in his London East End flat as a child during the 1950s
In the mid-1950s, I lived with my family in a flat at 27 Mathews House, part of the Burdette Estate in Bow, in the East End of London. One incident from that time still lingers in my memory, and it involves a mysterious encounter with a Lady in a white dress.
I was just nine years old, sitting on the side of my mother’s bed, engrossed in drawing, when I noticed a Lady standing at the bedroom door. She wore a long white dress that reached her shoulders, and it had a pattern of tiny black dots or holes. With a friendly smile, she motioned for me to come with her.
Startled but curious, I woke up my mother and told her about the Lady. We both went to investigate, but by the time we reached the front room, the Lady had vanished. We lived on the third floor, so it was odd that she walked in the opposite direction of the street door. We searched but found nothing. Our building was relatively new, built on the site of houses that were bombed during the war.
As time passed, my mother tragically passed away, leaving me to ponder the significance of the Lady’s visit. Could she have been a messenger, foretelling my mother’s approaching end? I was too young to think of her as a ghost; she simply seemed like a woman in our flat. Her friendly smile and resemblance to my mother stayed with me, along with the details of her white dress.
In the years since, I’ve had some unusual experiences. I sometimes get vivid images in my mind, showing me things about people I know, which I then share with them. It’s as if they’re communicating with me through my thoughts. Despite these occurrences, I assure you I haven’t lost my mind.
Looking back, I realise the significance of our flat’s location. It was once a bomb site, transformed into a new building with flats like ours. This context adds a layer of mystery to the Lady’s appearance – perhaps a connection to the past and the turbulent aftermath of war.
Now, at 76 years old, I still vividly remember that encounter with the Lady in the white dress. Although her face eludes me, the image of her long white dress with its distinctive pattern remains etched in my memory. It serves as a reminder of that peculiar day and the mysteries of life that we may never fully understand.
While the true nature of the Lady’s visit may forever remain a puzzle, I cherish the memory as a part of my personal history – a fragment that connects me to a specific time and place.
Have you seen a ghost in the UK or Ireland? Tell us in comments section below!
