Woking, Surrey (1911)

A Woking ‘ghost’.

Weird happenings in a local residence.

An unsolved mystery.

During the past week Woking has been much excited over strange stories of weird noises in a gentleman’s house situate in one of the best parts of the district. On many occasions during the past fortnight unearthly screeches, yells and mysterious thuds have resounded throughout the house, the inmates of which are quite at a loss to account for them.

Two representatives of the ‘News and Mail,’ who called upon the occupier on Tuesday, had an interesting talk with him, and were also lucky enough to hear the strange noise which has so astonished, if not terrified, the household. The residence, judging from its appearance, is about the least likely of all houses to harbour a ghost. A pleasant, roomy, modern house, standing amid fine trees, with here and there lilac and fruit trees in full bloom, it looks as little like the ancient, woe-begone haunted house of tradition as it would be possible for a dwelling to be, and so far the ‘ghost’ itself has forsaken all ghostly precedents by persisting in making its manifestations only by daylight.

The noises have nearly all occurred in the hall, which is a particularly wide one, with a balcony running round it on the level of the first floor. Fearful groans and screeches, says the occupier and his family, have been heard in mid-air in the hall. “It started,” he said, “a week last Thursday with a screeching in the hall. The maid was in the kitchen, and she heard it, and told us, but I believed it was all nonsense. On the next day she said that she would not sit in th ehouse alone, and my son, a boy of about 12, stayed in with her, and he also heard it, about mid-day. Then they told us again, but I did not believe it even then, and told them that they had been dreaming. On the next morning (Saturday week) at about a quarter-past seven, we heard a most awful howl at the same time as a boy walked past. I remarked at the time that the boy was making an unearthly row. My boy and the girl came rushing out shouting, “That’s the noise,” but I then said that it was the boy outside.

“Afterwards I was in the hall, and then I heard a screech just over my head. After that it was heard several times, and it kept on increasing in frequency. Last Wednesday it was heard 19 times. On Thursday and Friday it was again heard, and they say that something strange happened today.”

Asked as to what the sound was like, the gentleman said it was just like a woman shrieking and crying out.

The Rt. Hon. Gerald Balfour had expressed himself interested in the phenomenon, and has visited the house. He was not, however, favoured by hearing the noise. Mr Balfour expressed the opinion that many cases of so-called ghostly phenomena were simply due to the contraction of furniture or ironwork through heat, which, in many cases, accounted for mysterious sounds.

Mr Elliott O’Donnell, the well-known investigator of the supernatural, whose strange experiences have become familiar to magazine readers, was communicated with, but he was unable to come to Woking and investigate the matter.

Questioned as to whether he thought that the noises might not be due to owls or other birds lodging in the eaves, the occupier of the house said at 10.30 p.m. on Saturday a policeman was reported to have seen a huge owl flying near the house. The maid has been to the police station, and an inspector had made inquiries into the matter. A thorough search was made, and although it was discovered that owls might easily find their way into the house, no trace of their presence could be discovered.

One other incident was related to our representatives. A fine bull-terrier dog is kept in the house, and on one occasion the animal was walking across the hall, when suddenly it stopped short as if it saw something, and then, with a dismal howl, bolted into an adjoining room.

The governess, who lives with the family, informed our representatives that, after having been quiet since last Friday, the happenings had resumed that (Tuesday) morning. Mysterious tappings at the window were heard, and two bells in the house rang loudly without any apparent cause. 

The maidservant also stated that strange thuds on the stairs were heard, as if someone were being dragged down them. These sounds, she says, were accompanied by deep groans.

Many and strange are the theories put forward to account for the occurrences. One gentleman talked learnedly of his disbelief in ghosts, but thought it possible that some past occupier’s brain, under the strain of fear, pain or other violent emotion, might have given off waves of thought which were now causing such strange manifestations! Another good neighbour favoured the owl theory, and suggested that part of the roof should be taken off in order that a proper search might be made. He was a builder, by the way. Then someone else suggested that wind had got into the water pipes, and gave the opinion that they ought to be taken out. He happened to be a plumber.

A curious statement, for which many people in Woking vouch, is that a man who occupied the house possessed great natural powers as a spiritualistic medium, and could make heavy oak tables move about without effort.

Our representatives were conducted round the house in the hope that a solution of the mystery might be hit upon. After passing through a maze of disused attics, a small room was gained from which opened a dark passage which runs all round the house under the eaves. It was in this that it was supposed owls had made their home. While the party were examining the passage, a curious, shrill cry rang through the house. “That’s the row,” said the gentleman, and the party made their way to the hall with all speed. Here the family were found gathered, the maid being in a state of apparent terror. “A groan generally follows,” someone said. But no groan followed this time, and although search was made for possible practical jokers, or birds,  nothing to explain the noise was found. 

The sound came from the hall, where nearly all the noises have been heard. At present no satisfactory solution of the mystery has been found, but possibly some person with an intimate knowledge of the calls of owls and other big birds might be able to say definitely if he heard the noise whether it could possibly come from a bird or not.

On Wednesday the strange cry was heard seven times, and we are informed that bells rang in a most unaccountable manner.

Woking News and Mail, 19th May, 1911.

Though it is explained in regard to the manifestations of a daylight ghost at Woking, that “the facts are quite simple,” there is a good deal of apparent mystery in regard to their origin. There are said to be repeated moans and shrieks in a modern villa of the “artistic” kind at Woking. 

Not only have the family heard them, but they have  fallen on the ears of visitors, among whom has been Mr Gerald Balfour, brother of the Leader of the Opposition. The singular part of the matter is that the uncanny noises are heard by day, and not by night, about noon being a favourite hour of the “spook.” 

On one occasion when the resident was in his bath the unearthly and awe-inspiring sounds were noticed, and “appeared to come from just behind him.” On another day there is this entry in the tenant’s diary: “Wednesday, 10th. – 6.30 a.m., loud wails and shrieks woke the children. The cries were repeated nine times.”

Coventry Evening Telegraph, 22nd May 1911.

 Daylight Spook That Shrieks and Knocks.

Queer phenomena in a Woking residence.

Yesterday’s doings.

Mr Gerald Balfour among the ‘ghost’s’ large audience.

From our special correspondent. Woking, Saturday night.

The town of Woking is just now pleasantly excited over a ghost which in several particulars presents features of novelty. Woking, except for a neighbouring cemetery, does not suggest spectres, for most of the town is new and bright and cheerful, and the spot which the ghost – as it may for the present be called, in the absence of any other explanation – haunts is one of the brightest and most salubrious districts, covered with pretty modern villas.

One of these at present is occupied by Mr George Holroyd, whose father is a member of the firm of Friary, Holroyd and Healy, the famous Surrey brewers. It is a charming house, obviously of recent date, standing in its own grounds. Its most attractive feature inside is a large hall, with a railed gallery running round it. Above this is the roof, for the house is one of two floors. This hall is the scene of the mysterious manifestations which have begun during the last fortnight.

Mr Holroyd has lived in the house for just over a year, and nothing in the least weird or uncanny had happened until Thursday, May 4. On the morning of that day, just before noon, the maid heard from the hall what she described as shrieks and moans. The maid was in the kitchen at the time. Just afterwards, Mr Holroyd’s son, a youth of twelve years, also heard similar noises. When Mr Holroyd was informed of this, he laughed at the suggestion, and said it must be the result of imagination. The following morning, however, precisely the same noises were heard at the same time – about noon.

Mr Holroyd and his wife were then in the house, as well as the children, the governess, and the maid. Since then the sounds have been repeated about fifty times, generally in the morning and evening, but never at night. That, perhaps, is the most curious fact, for as a rule these manifestations are during the hours of darkness.

The voice seldom varies, except in its volume. Mr Holroyd describes it as a shriek, as of a woman in pain or terror, followed by a moan. It has been heard as early as half past six in the morning, the occasion being Wednesday, May 10, when the cries, echoing through the house, woke the children in their bedroom. On that day the “voice” was especially persistent, and was heard nine times in three hours up to half-past nine, and again several times at noon, as well as in the evening. That day, in fact, holds the record at present for the now familiar demonstration. It has been heard as late as a quarter to nine in the twilight. On Tuesday last two very loud shrieks were heard at that time.

Saturday and Sunday last were a blank – which suggests that the “ghost” was spending the week-end elsewhere. But there were several performances yesterday. “At ten minutes past eight o’clock when I was just getting out of my bath,” said Mr Holroyd, “I heard a very shrill shriek which seemed to come from just behind me. This was succeeded by a long moan, apparently from the stairs. Twice this afternoon the sounds were heard, at one o’clock and at four. On the first occasion Mr Gerald Balfour, once the President of the Local Government Board, and the brother of the ex-Prime Minister, was present, while at four o’clock there was quite a considerable audience.”

Mr Balfour, whose interest in psychical matters is well known, has paid several visits to the house. Last Wednesday he heard the phenomenon twice, and he was also treated to a kind of “extra turn” by hearing the electric bells ring without visible agency. On that day also there was an unexplained tapping on the windows, but not much weight need be attached to that. 

In addition to the shrieks and moans Mr Holroyd has heard what he describes as thuds on the stairs, when there was nothing to account for them. The shrieks and moans have been heard by at least a dozen people, and as Mr Holroyd’s house is now the Mecca of enthusiasts in these matters the roll is likely to be lengthened. He himself and Mrs Holroyd preserve an open mind. They are both possessed of iron nerves, and their attitude towards the strange noises is one of mingled curiosity and annoyance. Their young son is happily of the same philosophic temperament.

Various suggestions have been made to explain the noises. In the hall is a stuffed owl in a glass case, and one of the first explanations offered were “owls.” But Mr Holroyd happens to be particularly familiar with the cries of owls, and, though he admits that the bird can make the strangest sounds, those that are daily heard are, he declares, utterly unlike anything that an owl is capable of. They can, he says, be likened to nothing but the shrieks of a woman.

Even the house dog, a fine bull terrier, is said to be disturbed in his mind. When he hears the shrieks and groans he growls, and hurriedly retires from the hall, and seeks the seclusion of the dining-room. 

The house has been thoroughly searched by the police, and the services of an electrical engineer have also been retained. He has not yet finished his investigations. When he has, and when the Psychical Research Society have brought expert knowledge to bear on the mystery, it may be explained.

Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, 21st May, 1911.

The spook stories which every now and then get into the papers are very aggravating, for, like serial instalments, they generally break off at an interesting point, and we miss the subsequent chapters. The Woking “daylight ghost” promises well, though why a ghost should take up its inconsequential abode in a modern villa seems rather peculiar. 

The shrieks and wails and moans suggest a screech owl suffering from indigestion after a night’s hunting; but as Mr Gerald Balfour and the Psychical Research Society are on the track we must wait patiently for the result of their investigations. We hope that the result will be made public, just to satisfy curiosity, for it happens so often that when a natural solution has been found nothing more is said about the matter, and the consequence is that for all we know mysterious noises and unnatural activity of inanimate objects are going on in “haunted” houses all over the country.

Westminster Gazette, 24th May 1911.

Woking’s ‘Ghost’.

Shrieks and wails suddenly cease.

Has the ‘spook’ been laid?

Interview with Mr Holroyd.

Woking’s daylight ‘ghost,’ which has aroused curiosity all over the  country, owing to the wide publicity given to the mysterious affair by the London Press, has apparently ceased its operations for the time being. The cause of the strange sounds in Mr G.R. Holroyd’s residence on the outskirts of the town has, however, so far baffled all investigation.

Last week loud wails and shrieks were heard daily, and on Saturday evening piercing cries broke forth. This happened at about 10.30 p.m., and threw the family into almost a state of terror, for it looked as if the ‘ghost,’ which had hitherto confined its manifestations to the daylight, was about to commence its work in the night, when naturally the inexplicable sounds would be far more nerve-trying to the harassed occupier and his family than during the day. On Sunday, at mid-day, another loud cry was heard, but since then not a single sound that could not be accounted for has been heard.

Mr Holroyd told our representative that since the uncanny affair had been made public, his house had been besieged by large numbers of people all anxious to hear the strange sounds, and all perfectly certain that they could supply an explanation. One gentleman who arrived at the house towards eleven o’clock on Saturday evening, questioned him as to the sounds, and then requested that he might be allowed to stay in the hall all night, in the hope that something unusual might occur. This the occupier declined to permit.

“I am as far from any solution as ever,” remarked Mr Holroyd to our representative. “Everything possible that we could think of has been suggested, but there was nothing to account for the sounds. Some have put them down to owls, but the cries are not those of owls, I am sure. They are more like human screams.”

That there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy few of us doubt. Whether the sounds in the Woking house are to be accounted for by some simple and very material cause, or whether their origin lies deeper than that is a debatable question, but a suggestion made by a young  lady, who is employed as governess to the occupier’s children, is decidedly interesting. “If there is anything at all in spiritualism,” she said, “I should certainly think that the noises are due to some person in the house being unconsciously a medium, through whom occult forces are acting. I do not by any means believe spiritualism, but this thing shakes one’s disbelief in ghosts. What the explanation is we cannot tell, and it does look as if there is something deeper in it all.”

Since accounts of the phenomenon appeared in various newspapers, Mr Holroyd has been deluged with letters from all parts of the country, giving advice as to ways and means of solving the mystery. One writer said that he was ‘perfectly certain that the noises were made by owls,’ another was ‘perfectly certain’ that they were due to the hot-water pipes, and yet another urged that the floor should be taken up, stating that if a hedge-hog had by some means become imprisoned beneath the floor-boards, the animal would emit terrible cries. Another writer related that in a case within his knowledge a family had been greatly scared by screams and cries, which afterwards ceased. In course of time the floor of the house was taken up and the dead bodies of a cat and several kittens were then found.

But by far the most startling suggestion of all was that of an anonymous correspondent, whose letter was received on Wednesday evening. The writer stated that he or she was certain that a murder had been committed at the house, and urged the occupier to call in the police without delay, and have the floor taken up, and a thorough search made. No importance, however, is attached to such a suggestion by anyone acquainted with the house.

The occupier and his wife and family, with the governess, now occupy only two bedrooms, so thoroughly unnerved have the women-folk and children become, that the children are naturally afraid to sleep by themselves. 

Mr Holroyd has never from the first believed in a supernatural cause of the strange sounds, and, being a cool and level-headed man, he has quietly sought in every way to try and elucidate the mystery. Thinking that there was a possibility that the wooden or iron structure of the house might be affected by changes in temperature, he took careful note, and discovered the interesting fact that the shrieks were far more frequent and intense when the weather was hot than when it cooled down. 

But, against the theory, he must place the experience of the last few days, when, though the weather has been very hot, not a single cry has been heard.

We have received the following interesting letter from Mr Holroyd: – 

Dear Sir, – As I hear a report is being put about that ‘the ghost’ has been found, I am writing to contradict this unless it has been found by some outsider, in which case it is strange that that particular person has not informed us. I hear that some have tried to make out that the noises have been caused by the maid, and others that they were made by my son. I state emphatically that I can prove this is not the case, and if I come across anyone making such a statement I shall place the matter in my solicitor’s hands and make him or her answer for the statement in the proper place. It has been heard on several occasions when neither has been in the house, nor even on the premises, also when others have been in their company.

Personally I do not believe in ghosts, and I feel quite certain these strange noises could have a very simple explanation as is generally the case in such circumstances. Believe me, yours faithfully, George R. Holroyd. Woking, May 25th, 1911.

Woking News and Mail, 26th May 1911.

 Daylight Ghost.

Shrieks and wails in villa.

Throughout the ages, whenever man has not been able to account for any phenomena, it has been usual to attribute the cause to supernatural agency. This is the only reason for describing the manifestations which have become notorious in Woking during the last few days as a “ghost” story.

The facts are quite simple (says the  “Daily Chronicle”). Rather more than a year ago Mr George Holroyd became the tenant of a furnished villa on the outskirts of Woking. Originally intending to remain there for only a few weeks, he has – owing to reasons into which it is not necessary to enter – occupied it up to the present time. 

The villa is quite a modern effort, belonging to the “artistic” style. It is built of red brick, stands in its own grounds of about half an acre, and altogether it is about th elast place in the world which might be suspected of harbouring ghostly visitants. The main feature of the interior is a large hall, round which, on the bedroom floor, is a gallery. The usual rooms – dining and drawing, and so on – are disposed to right and left of the hall; at the back are the kitchen and scullery.

Until about a fortnight ago Mr Holroyd, who lives in the house with his wife and children, a governess and a madiservant, enjoyed the customary quiet existence which one naturally expects in the salubrious neighbourhood of Woking. It was on the morning of May 4 that this peaceful atmosphere was disturbed. Just before noon the maid heard a loud shriek, apparently proceeding from the hall. She is described as a rather timid girl, who is in the habit of using a night-light in her bedroom. Mr Holroyd’s son, a bright boy of twelve years of age, was in the house at the time, and also heard the strange noises, which were repeated a few minutes later.

On being informed of the matter Mr Holroyd determined to stay at home the following day to see what happened. On Friday, at about the same time, similar shrieks and moans were heard. “I was skeptical at first,” said Mr Holroyd, to a “Daily Chronicle” representative. “I am not a believer in spooks, and both my wife and I fortunately possess strong nerves; my son, too, is interested, but not in the least frightened. The suggestion has been put forward that the noises are made by an owl. As it happens, having lived in the country nearly all my life, I am particularly familiar with the cries of owls. Those which I have heard perhaps forty times in this house are quite unlike any cry produced by an owl. I can only describe them as the shriek of a woman in pain or terror, and the shriek is generally followed by a low moan.”

“It is,” said Mr Holroyd, “impossible to locate the source of these voices. Generally speaking, they seem to come from the roof of the hall, yet this morning, when I was in the bath-room, the yell – as I heard it – seemed to be just behind me.”

A curious fact – considering all that has preivouly been known concerning the habits of spooks – is that the manifestations are confined to daylight. The latest recorded time at which the sounds have been heard is 8-15, in the twilight; the earliest, 6.-30 a.m., when the sun has long risen.

As might have been expected, the manifestation have excited the interest of spiritualists. Mr Gerald Balfour, brother of the Leader of the Conservative party, has paid several visits to the house, and on two occasions has been fortunate enough to hear the shrieks and groans. It is understood that he will enlist the services of the Psychical Research Society, in the hope of solving the mystery. Mr Holroyd was good enough (writes the “Daily Chronicle” representative) to supply me with a copy of the diary he had kept since the manifestations began. It runs as follows: –

The Woking ‘Ghost.’

No further sounds.

On inquiry yesterday, we were informed that the mysterious sounds in Mr George R. Holroyd’s residence, which have so astonished the inmates recently, have not been heard since last Sunday week. Although every investigation has been made, no solution of the mystery has been hit upon.

Woking News and Mail, 2nd June 1911.

The Woking Ghost.

Has the solution been found?

There have been some rather curious developments in the Woking ghost mystery, which is possibly a mystery no longer. A fortnight or so ago the loud shrieks and howls which so much puzzled Mr George R. Holroyd and his household, came to an end., but the mystery was apparently as far from explanation as ever. During the past few days, however, facts have come to light which may in some degree elucidate the curious happenings.

Mr Holroyd has employed as maid-servant a young woman who was engaged by the family in an emergency. During the days on which the strange sounds were heard, this maid appeared to be the most terrified person of the whole household. On Sunday last she was supposed to be having her afternoon out, and was believed to have gone to visit friends at Guildford. Mr Holroyd was in the garden when he suddenly caught sight of a figure at one of the upper windows of the house. Proceeding quickly upstairs, he found the maid, whom everybody in the house believed had gone to Guildford.

On Monday a gentleman from whom Mr Holroyd has rented the house arrived in Woking, and he and Mr Holroyd questioned the woman, who has now left Mr Holroyd’s service.

The young woman herself, called at the offices of the ‘News and Mail’ on Tuesday. She explained why she had left her situation and further stated that she heard strange noises in the house on Thursday of last week. Questioned as to whether she knew the cause of them, she said that she firmly believed that the cries heard were those of a human voice. She was sure of this.

Woking News and Mail, 9th June 1911.