Diane Berthelot and her Husband Peter were visiting Worstead church in 1975 and captured a photo of a ghostly image. The ghost is now known as The White Lady. Diane and Peter in the place in the church where the original photo was taken..
PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY
AMAZING PHOTO: Ghostly presence in north Norfolk church
Alex Hurrell , Reporter
Monday, July 25, 2011
3:02 PM
A pub’s name-change in honour of a north Norfolk village’s ghost brought haunting memories flooding back for EDP reader Diane Berthelot.
Diane Berthelot shows Dennis Gilligan, owner of Worstead's White Lady pub, the photo of herself and the spirit in the church which is in the backgroundMrs Berthelot read about the re-launch of Worstead’s New Inn in the EDP and was thrilled when she saw it was to become The White Lady; celebrating the ghost said to appear in the nearby church every Christmas Eve.
One hot summer’s day 36 years ago, Mrs Berthelot believes she unwittingly had her photo taken with the White Lady while visiting the church, and the EDP article prompted her to get in touch.
While one early account of the ghost’s appearance ends in the witness’s death, Mrs Berthelot, of Hipperson Close, North Walsham, says her own experience was of a healing and peaceful spirit presence.
In 1830 a man is said to have climbed into the church belfry on Christmas Eve, boasting that he would kiss the White Lady if he saw her. When he failed to reappear, his friends followed and found him huddled and terrified. He managed to whisper “I’ve seen her, I’ve seen her,” before dying.
Diane Berthelot pictured in Worstead Church in 1975 with the White Lady behind herMrs Berthelot, now 79, says she had never heard of the ghost when she, husband Peter and their 12-year-old son David visited the old weaving village of Worstead on Saturday August 2 1975, during one of their regular holidays in Norfolk from their then home in Essex, and went inside the church to escape the heat.
She had suffered ill health for some time and remembers that she was taking antibiotics for an infection and felt unwell that day. As her husband and son wandered round the empty church taking photos, Mrs Berthelot sat close to the font on a wooden bench and prayed for recovery, unaware that her husband had caught her on camera too. She remembers feeling warm, relaxed and at peace.
Months later, back in Essex, the family and their lodger Barbara decided to have a slide show and view their summer snaps for the first time. They were astounded when Barbara asked: “Who’s that sitting behind you Di?”
Mrs Berthelot said: “I looked up, saw the white figure and my feet started to ‘tingle’. This sensation eventually engulfing the whole of me. It was a pleasant, comforting feeling.”
The photo appears to show a woman dressed in light-coloured, old-fashioned clothes, with a bonnet, sitting on the bench directly behind Mrs Berthelot.
The following summer Mrs Berthelot says she went back to the church and showed the slide to the late Vicar of Worstead, Rev Pettit, who told them about the legend and said there was talk that the White Lady was a healer who appeared when there was sickness.
For many years Mrs Berthelot said she experienced the same tingling sensation whenever she looked at the photo, although this has since stopped.
“I’ve been back to the church many times since but nothing ever happened again,” she said.
Mrs Berthelot has now presented a copy of her photo to Dennis Gilligan, the new owner of Worstead’s pub, who decided on the name change after finding an ageing newspaper article about the White Lady when he moved into his own home in the village.
Mr Gilligan plans to frame and display Mrs Berthelot’s photo. He suspects the White Lady may have started drifting across to the pub since it was renamed as lights appear to turn themselves on and off without human intervention - and he was recently touched on the shoulder while alone in the cellars.
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17 comments
Its just the remains of Norfolks Christian congregation. An image of the past before we started the slide into Islam.
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keith gerrard
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Having seen the original of this pic when I lived in Worstead, it seems to me its been enhanced with time. the original was less clear and more beleivable.....I tried to replicate the lighting effect to get a repeat effect....but could not succeed..Still don't know!!
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granny
Friday, July 29, 2011
Amazing photo? amazingly rubbish more like, as per other comments, you can see the blokes legs, puely a function of light from the window being over exposed. A flash would have sorted that photo out a treat.
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Norfolk'n'Good
Friday, July 29, 2011
Amazing photo? amazingly rubbish more like, as per other comments, you can see the blokes legs, puely a function of light from the window being over exposed. A flash would have sorted that photo out a treat.
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Norfolk'n'Good
Friday, July 29, 2011
anon123 is right - in fact I'm pretty sure that the person sitting behind Mrs Berthelot is none other than well-known actor Richard Wilson. Either that or it's an especially radiant Keith Skipper.
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Chris Booty
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Isn't is just a poor photo of someone sitting behind Mrs Berthelot. You can see the dark part of the thighs at the bottom of the 'glowing' white body. Below Mrs Berthelot you can see a dark area which appears to be someone's feet, as it is not aligned with the feet of the pew. Finally the 'glowing' body is just someone who is sitting in the sun and the photo is over exposed. If you look at the ground between the first and second feet of the pew that the "white lady" is sitting on, you can see the ground is also glowing like the person sitting behind Mrs Berthelot due to overexposure.
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anon123
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Reminds me of the infamous "Spectre of Sloughbottom" that was regularly seen across the park and in and around the Galley Hill public house. Local legend says that he was an icon among the youngsters of the area, famed for his strength and boxing ability, only for his life to be snatched away following a terrible accident involving the pub cellar and a lady of ill repute. Unable to protest his innocence following his ill-timed demise, legend has it that he would spend his days and nights in the area trying to convey his apologies and regain the love of his public.
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Valpy Word
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I'm sure I can see a Pooma in the background
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robotsthatcare
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Of course the white lady has been to the pub - if you look carefully you will see she is legless.
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highrev
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
If you look along the floor you can see intense light from the windows and the figure falls within that line - doesn't take much working out does it! Love the comment about Casper earlier.
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PhilTompson
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
You can fool some of the people some of the time and you can - blah blah blah! Oh how easy it is to be seduced these days by so much bumpkin!!
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ME
Monday, July 25, 2011
Bears an uncanny resemblance to Casper the Friendly Ghost - nothing to worry about then ?
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Farquarson-Smythe
Monday, July 25, 2011
If I get to come back I do hope it's not as a white shapeless blob. Had enough of that in this lifetime!
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Chris Booty
Monday, July 25, 2011
When I worked at a Broads information centre a few years ago I had a phone call from a holiday gent whose wife was terrified having seen a presence in Worstead Church. I rang the local vicar who confirmed that apparitions had been reported before and there was a legend about ghosts in that church.
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Maurice
Monday, July 25, 2011
OMG look at the big black ghostly figure in the 2nd photo, it seems to be touching their feet!
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Piranha24
Monday, July 25, 2011
OMG look at the big black ghostly figure in the 2nd photo, it seems to be touching their feet!
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Piranha24
Monday, July 25, 2011
I have never seen such an obvious fake photo lol - is it April fools day again ?
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Farquarson-Smythe
Monday, July 25, 2011