The Woman in White(a ghost story, and nothing to do with bathing)
Posted by Caroline on October 02, 1997 at 13:25:34:
In response to Thanks, and an answer, written by Betsy on October 02, 1997 at 11:50:28
TWIW was dramatised by the BBC yonks ago(I think they have dramatised just about everything sometime!) but I haven't noticed it on TV recently. I only saw a couple of episodes, and I cannot for the life of me remember who 's in it or anything.
The reason why the story has my attention is that I grew up in England, on the grounds of what had been an old stately home. The house had been pulled down in the late fifties, but there were traces of it left- some old walls, a few things like old keys that could be found if you dug, a wonderful wood full of old Beech trees and Rhododenrons, with an ornamental walk, a small lake with an island, a tiny marsh full of frogs and orchis,altogether a wonderful place for kids. The home farm still exists, along with the walled gardens and the old stables.
The reason I bring it up now, is that the park had a ghost, a white lady who flitted between the two lodge-houses and a narrow path bordering the lake. She wasn't harmful, as far as I know, but of course, as children, we were terrified of meeting her one day.
As I grew older, I lost interest in the "ghost", but the tradition persisted, and it is perpetuated still by the local children (and even those who are not children).I did do some work for the Local History Society, collecting old photos of the village,including some of the house.It was a nineteenth century gothic building, rather gloomy , but nothing really spectacular.
It was much later that I learned that Wilkie Collins had written TWIW when staying at the house.The name of the house was Frogmore Park, and the name of the village was (is) Blackwater..........
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