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The Ghosts of Gosport” by the late Mr. H. T. Rogers which was published in the September 1975 issue of “Gosport Records”. The
extract is published by courtesy of the Gosport Society.
“The Ghost of King Street”
And what are we to make of the curious happenings in King Street about the end of the last century ? it appears that a carpenter came to work at
Camper and Nicholsons, and looking around for somewhere to live, he and his wife were surprised to be offered a house in King Street at a very low rent. The landlord told them that the place had a
sinister reputation and was supposed to be haunted. They both laughed and said they were lucky to secure such a good home. For some time they noticed nothing extraordinary except the sounds of children
playing late at night sometimes happily and sometimes squabbling. They both worked all day, going out early and getting home late, and so they assumed that the children belonged to a neighbour, but.
thought it strange they never saw them and that they were allowed up so late.
One Christmas Eve they came home laden with parcels and presents for their relatives, all wrapped up in gay Christmas wrappings. As all their
own children were married the presents were for grown-ups except for one small doll which they had purchased for their one grandchild. On entering the hall of the house they were greeted by a tremendous
babble of children’s voices which suddenly changed to howls of rage. Some unseen force like a rushing wind swept through the house and icy fingers snatched the parcels from their paralysed hands
and dashed them to the floor.
Terrified, they spent the night at the Crown Hotel, and on Christmas Day the husband went back with some friends to remove the furniture. The
parcels still lay broken to pieces on the floor, all except one - the little fragile china doll was unscratched. The house stood empty for some years and today the Masonic Hall stands on the site, but my
informant swore that the tale was true. I was so intrigued that I made some research but all I could find was about a hundred years earlier a woman baby farmer had been sentenced and hanged in Gosport,
and THAT SHE HAD LIVED IN KING STREET, drowning the bodies in the harbour nearby. If only I could have proved that it was the same house what a story it would have made - “The Kelpies of King
Street” ! If you doubt my tale you can always try walking down King Street carrying a parcel on Christmas Eve.
From Mark Channon BACK TO GOSPORT GHOSTS
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