The end of October is growing closer and closer so the length of the days are quickly shortening, that means Halloween is almost upon us.
Wimbledon is completely covered in spooky Halloween decorations, but that is not the only scary part about it.
On the 31st of October after the sun has set, it is quite the opposite of the charming town it is in the day time.
For those who are courageous enough to venture out at night, a whole new eerie side of Wimbledon awaits them.
Despite what many people believe it actually has a sinister past and below I will tell you about some of Wimbledon’s best known ghost stories and haunted spots.
Wimbledon Common:
One of Wimbledon’s most infamous ghosts is Jeremiah “Jerry” Abershaw who was an 18th century highwayman born in Kingston Upon Thames.
He began his life of crime as early as seventeen years old and he led a gang of robbers on the road between Kingston and London (which is now the A3) targeting travellers.
During his time when he was avoiding capture, he took shelter in the Old House in the West Street in Clerkenwell which was a famous refuge for criminals and it contained secret passages and trap doors.
Many other famous outlaws are said to have hidden there as well.
There were many failed attempts to arrest him, however in January 1795 he shot and killed a constable and attempted to shoot another during an arrest attempt.
This finally lead to his arrest at the Three Brewers pub in Southward.
In July that same year he was finally tried and was convicted of committing murder, as they said he shot the constable with the intent to harm him.
On the 3rd of August 1795 he was executed at Kennington common and later on his body was displayed on a gibbet at Putney Vale.
His corpse was seen by over 100,000 people and it is said that many thieves took his knuckles, hair and even his toes!
Many people believe that if you do not have a proper grave then you will continue to stay on earth for all of eternity.
He is said to have remained calm and even joked with the bystanders as he was taken to the execution site and met his sentence with a defiant look.
He even used cherries to paint scenes of his exploits on his cells walls during his final days.
He was executed when he was only 22 years old.
He was known by everyone as “The Laughing Highwayman” because of his dark humour which was especially clear during his trial and execution.
Many say that on dark, cold winter nights, especially on Halloween you can hear his laughter and the sound of his horses hooves echoing through the night in Wimbledon Common.
The New Wimbledon Theatre:
It is often thought that theatres can be haunted, especially those made in Edwardian times just like The New Wimbledon Theatre.
Many dismiss these tales and believe them to be made up Halloween stories, however The New Wimbledon Theatre has had so many inexplainable occurrences that it leaves people struggling to not question if this is the result of its paranormal residents.
Just over ten years ago, a women attending the show with her sister suddenly saw a dark figure, appearing to be dressed like a 17th century puritan.
He even had a goatee, however after about ten seconds the man mysteriously disappeared leaving the woman absolutely terrified.
Since the 1990’s many other people have also reported that they have seen a shadowy figure moving along the corridor towards the bar in the Stalls.
Another ghostly figure that has been sighted is JB Mulholland’s ghost.
He founded the theatre in 1910 but passed away a decade later.
Stories from the 1960’s and 1970’s say that there were sightings of a figure who was dressed in Edwardian style clothes sitting in seat B27 in the dress circle even though the theatre was closed.
During the renovation of the theatre in the 1960’s, there have been many inexplainable occurrences such as fire alarms and sprinklers activated without a cause.
It is rumoured that a mysterious apparition known as the “Grey Lady” set off the sprinklers and in 2010 psychics even identified her presence around the front of the stalls.
Other photographs from this time also revealed a spooky figure in the window of a locked storage room.
The Hillside:
This Hillside is often described as one of Wimbledon’s most Haunted streets, especially in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
It was home to Estelle Roberts who was a prominent British Spiritualist, and she practiced both mental and physical mediumship.
She travelled all the way across the UK to perform mediumship demonstrations in front of audiences who paid to watch her.
In July 1930, Roberts participated in the memorial of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was the author of the Sherlock Holmes series, which drew thousands of people.
She claimed to have seen his spirit sitting in a chair during the service.
Another thing that draws lots of Ghost Hunters to the area, is the many reported sightings of a young girl.
She is said to have appeared in gardens and then vanish very quickly.
Many locals have also blamed a playful spirit for tampering with their cars and their personal belongings.
The Alexandra Pub:
One of many peoples favourite places to enjoy a lovely Sunday lunch with their family is the Alexandra Pub.
Wimbledon is also home to many other great pubs such as the Crooked Billet and the Hand in Hand and they are all believed to contain resident ghosts.
In the 1990’s in the Alexandra Pub, terrified staff are said to have seen the ghost of a young bond haired child.
Many people say that often if you are in the pub, especially at night, you can hear the faint calls of the little girl crying out for her mother.
Many photos were discovered of the child everywhere in the attic and lots of clothes of young children were found in a trunk.
To this day no one knows where these came from at all and it remains a complete mystery.
The Swan Pub also has reports of people hearing unexplained noises in the middle of the night, and in the Ridgeway Pub customers have witnessed unexplained activities.
Peoples glasses have moves across tables, and the staff in 1990’s claimed to see the ghost of a brown haired man dressed in a grey coat sitting at the bottom of the stairs.
