When it comes to ghosts, are you an ardent believer or a sceptic? About a month ago, I was walking along Degraves Street (where the Cascades Female Factory is sited) in my Louisa’s Walk costume, when a young man approached me and asked if I knew anything about the site? Well just a bit!
He told me that he lived in the middle cottage of the three opposite the Female Factory. He also stated that he had a strange story to relate and that I had to understand he was a sceptic. I told him what I knew about the three cottages; we believe the first one was once occupied by the Superintendent of the Female Factory. I told him that we had once met a woman (aged about 90) whose grandmother had nursed female convicts with scarlet fever in the second cottage (the one in which he lives) and that was about the extent of my knowledge.
His story unfolded as follows: every night, since he has moved in, he hears heavy, male footsteps at exactly 3.15 every morning. His partner has heard them too. One morning, just a few weeks ago he decided to get up, when he heard the footsteps and see what was going on. He went to his front door, which opens directly onto the street, exactly at the time of hearing the footsteps – there was no-one to be seen either up or down Degraves Street.
I leave it with you.
