Have you heard of the ghost of Richmond Green?

On October 23 1886, the Richmond and Twickenham Times reported that a ghost had been seen around Richmond Green standing with his hands in his pocket.

Some said he looked like a clown, others an old vicar who had returned to terrify his parishioners.

What was undeniable was that the ghost had been seen by many. People would turn up night after night to try and see the ghost for themselves.

However, there was something peculiar! The ghost did nothing but stand there, even when great crowds would gather to see it.

In this instance, there was a practical explanation for this apparition. It wasn't a ghost at all!

The street lamp opposite the house of a Mr Noyce had been fitted with a double burner in order to give it a stronger light.

The bright light threw a reflection onto a house on the corner and the various obstructions meant that the light took an odd shape. Add imagination and ghosts appear.

So there wasn't a ghost on Richmond Green… at least not this time!

Read next: The ghost of Ham House

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