This is one of the most famous ghost pictures around, but until recently I didn’t realise it was taken in this country.
The ghostly picture shows an almost-typical white figure at the bottom of the staircase which turns out to be that of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The house is over 300 years old and has that air of true grandeur, with a long driveway towards the large front – it provides the picture perfect English stately home.
The picture in question was taken in 1936 by a couple of photographers working for the London magazine “Country Living” (Captain Provand and Indre Shira), and unusually the ghost was actually seen descending the by both of them just before the photo was taken rather than simply being an image discovered after developing.
The “Brown Lady” as she has come to be known has been seen occasionally since the photo was taken. And she is by far the only ghost reputed to walk the halls of the grand house, although she is of course the most famous.
Who is the Brown Lady? There is some speculation that she was Lady Townshend who at least apparently died in the house in 1726. Speculation persists however that she was actually still alive after that with the funeral simply being a cover-up, and was actually kept a prisoner in the house by her husband and thus she still walks the corridors to this day.
We have been unable to establish whether Raynham Hall is open to the public as no official web site appears to exist, but suggestions currently are that it is currently an entirely private house.
Other resources:
Wikipedia on Raynham Hall
