The autumn brings darker nights and an encroaching chill. Join us for two talks on haunted moments and macabre encounters
Sandra Lawrence - Miss Willmott and the Mystery of the Screaming Skulls
In November 1899 famous horticulturalist Miss Ellen Willmott - best known for (allegedly) sprinkling the seeds of a ghostly sea holly in other people's gardens - was intrigued to learn of a strange sickness that had recently befallen three young men after touching two curious human skulls kept at Warbleton Priory in Sussex. A longtime member of the Society for Psychical Research Miss Willmott asked her acquaintance to send her details...
Sandra Lawrence is the author of 14 non-fiction books for adults and children on a variety of subjects ranging from history (including Murder and Mayhem Trials and Treachery and Instant History) via myths legends and folklore (including Myths & Legends; An Atlas of Heroes and An Atlas of Monsters) and quirky heritage (Paperscapes: Paris; Paperscapes: London).
Sandra was shortlisted for GMG Journalist of the Year 2018-19 for a series of three long-form essays in Hortus about the Victorian Kitchen Garden; she was also shortlisted for the SLA's Information Book Award in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Tina Vantyler: Delightfully Frightful True Ghost Stories
Journalist Tina Vantyler has been fascinated by the supernatural since she was a (weird!) child. The fact her mother kept her up late watching classic horror films and took Tina on outings to graveyards rather than playgrounds probably has something to do with her obsession.
Tina’s lifelong love of the macabre led her to collect stories from people she met through her work
who’d had blood-curdling ghostly encounters. She’s published three books of genuine hauntings in her Real Ghost Stories series: True Tales Of The Supernatural From The UK True Tales Of The Supernatural From The UK Volume Two and True Tales Of The Supernatural From The UK & Ireland Volume Three. Her fourth book Haunted Toys is out in August 2022.
Tina will share accounts from her books such as:
The anniversary break that almost broke a husband and wife
The terrifying school attack by a ghostly jilted lover
The marrow-freezing expression of affection that shattered a mother and daughter’s peaceful evening.
Plus Tina will share her own paranormal story of how a loft extension awakened the dead and a renowned psychic medium helped her out.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Miller, 96 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SS, UK, London, United Kingdom