A Haunted Theatre
The Theatre Royal Bath is the most haunted theatre in Britain
The Grey Lady
The Theatre Royal’s most famous ghost, her appearance is usually accompanied by the strong scent of jasmine. She is dressed in 18th Century evening dress with feathers in her hair. She has no colour, her whole figure appears as grey. At times she appears solid although sometimes as a wispy, smokey figure.
There are differing accounts as to her origin. The most popular version is that she is the ghost of a lady who killed herself after her husband killed her lover in a duel. The second account is that she fell madly in love with an actor at the theatre and spent all her time watching him from the top box. As her love was unrequitted she committed suicide. The third version is the same as the second one except that the roles of the lady and the actor are reversed. Her suicide is agreed in all versions. She hung herself behind a door in the Garrick’s Head, the theatre’s own pub. The Grey Lady’s favourite haunt in the theatre is the top left hand box facing the stage, although she has also appeared in the opposite box. She has also been seen in the corridor of the Dress Circle. It would seem that she just does a re-run of the same actions. The only adverse effect that she has is that after a sighting of her, most people feel depressed as if they have absorbed the misery that she must have experienced when she took her own life.
The Butterfly
The theatre’s most respected phantom.
Of all the stories of ghostly happenings in the theatre, the Butterfly
phenomenon is the most authenticated and amazing. Its weird happenings
and prophecies have been witnessed by hundreds of people, including stars,
audience and staff.
It all began in 1948 when a new pantomime was being rehearsed. A spectacular
ballet scene was to be included. The chorus girls were all dressed as
Tortoiseshell Butterflies and a large butterfly set piece was constructed.
Reg Maddox, the Manager/Producer, was certain that this ballet would
add colour and beauty to his pantomime. One day, just before the start
of a ballet rehearsal, a dead Tortoiseshell Butterfly was found on stage.
Shortly after the discovery of the dead butterfly, Reg Maddox died.
Frank Maddox, Reg’s son, took over and continued with the production of
the pantomime. Frank, unsure what to do with the Butterfly Ballet,
eventually dropped it from the show. Rehearsals carried on, but everything
seemed to go wrong. The Butterfly set piece sat in the wings, as a
reminder of the omen. A rehearsal started, when a live butterfly flew
in and around the feet of the dancers.
Immediately after, everything
fell back into place. Rehearsals went well and the show was a success.
Every successful pantomime since has always had a live butterfly appear
on stage – unusual in Wintertime. A dead butterfly is a bad omen,
usually meaning a death will shortly follow.
The butterfly set piece can be seen today, hanging in the theatre’s fly
tower – a special mascot and guardian of the Theatre Royal. It has never
been moved or touched, unless told of the reason.
Most authenticated pantomime sighting – In 1979 ‘Aladdin’ – a butterfly alighted on the shoulder of Leslie Crowther (Wishee Washee) in front of an audience, including members of the press. After the performance he told the ‘Butterfly Story’ to the audience, making them all aware of what they had witnessed
The Phantom Doorman
He appears dressed in 18th Century clothes, and only cast members have ever seen him. Nothing is known about him, other than the fact that he must have once worked as a doorman at the theatre. He is just one of the many apparitions sighted over the years, including a vicious ‘Thing’ compiled of many screaming faces and various cold chills and whispering voices.
Most theatres pick up some form of psychic phenomena, perhaps due to the high emotions generated by the theatre’s everyday activities. The Theatre Royal has a long and rich history, and it is also situated in a unique position. The whole surrounding area is infested with poltergeists and ghosts. The theatre is sandwiched between two houses, both of which were lived in by Beau Nash. The Garrick’s Head was his original house, ‘Popjoy’s’ restaurant next door carries the name of his mistress and he died there in 1761. Both buildings are haunted by mysterious figures and happenings – a blood stain appears on the floor of the Garrick’s Head every year in the same spot and ‘Popjoy’s’ has its ‘Vanishing Lady’.
Join the ‘Ghost Walk’ which runs every weekday evening from 8pm, starting at the ‘Garrick’s Head’. It takes you on a fascinating tour of Bath’s most haunted places