London, England - Director's Personal Experience. After Dinner in London, England... circa 1995.
After eating a dinner at the Old King Lud pub near St. Paul's Cathedral in London, my "ex" and I made our way, as we often did, by foot back towards our hotel. We were near St. Brides Church when we paused in the churchyard to enjoy this set-off part of London.
It was late and no, I had not been drinking when we were near the front door of the church when I got the distinct impression of someone being directly behind me. I turned and out of the corner of my eye I caught glimpse of what I can only say was a cavalier or soldier of the 17th or 18th century not a few inches from me making his way as quickly as possible to the doors of the church. He was a sort-of plain, thin fellow in dark (maybe purple?) military clothes with a beard, moustache and a feathered hat. I didn't get a clear look at him but I immediately alerted my ex to his presence. She had not seen him and he was quickly gone towards the church and had disappeared.
Not so much the visual image but the uncanny feeling of being "in the way" of someone in a hurry got to me that September night.
Sept.2003 - UPDATE: With a little of my own "sleuthing" online and my foggy memory somewhat still in tact, I decided to do a little tracing of possible "Cavalier Ghosts" in and around St. Brides.
There's a wonderful PDF file online (freebie!) from "Classic Pub Walks" in London that lists a Cavalier Ghost at a pub called "The George" within spitting distance of St. Brides. Apparently, this cavalier is not rushed and is referred to in the document as a "respectable ghostly Cavalier".
The PDF file is available to view (for anyone interested and anyone heading to London) by clicking here.
I know these pages are devoted to Toronto, and Ontario for the most part, but if anyone can maybe help me get a handle as to a possible history or any other related tales from St. Brides would be most welcome. Send responses to matthew@torontoghosts.org
