This October local writer Zowie Swan is drawing on local folklore to give us 31 days of spooky stories. Today, we learn about Sarah Siddons whose captivating Lady Macbeth still haunts theatre goers today.
Lancaster’s Grand Theatre was built in 1781 and was one of the first permanent theatres in Britain. Today it is the third oldest theatre in England and has number of spooky residents that still tread the boards.
Most famous of all its spectres is that of the legendary Sarah Siddons. Sarah was the premier actress of Georgian Britain and cut a mesmerising figure on stage. “She was tall and had a striking figure, brilliant beauty, powerfully expressive eyes, and solemn dignity of demeanour which enabled her to claim the character as her own”. Sarah Siddons’ celebrity status became almost mythical, with everyone in England knowing her name, even if they had not seen her perform.
Charles Edward Woodlock, who built Lancaster Grand (known then simply as The Theatre, Lancaster), also happened to be the brother-in-law of Sarah Siddons. It was a great boon for the theatre having her perform there as Lady Macbeth, to great acclaim. This was Sarah’s most famous and beloved character to play and she really made the role her own – “rather than portraying Lady Macbeth as a murderous evil queen, Siddons depicted her with a strong sense of maternity and a delicate femininity”. Even more remarkably, Siddons was the first woman to play Hamlet, which she did for three decades, well into her fifties.
Witnesses have reported seeing a Grey Lady at the Grand. She is seen drifting across the stage or sitting in the back row of the stalls, quietly watching performances. She has also been seen backstage in the dressing rooms. It is said that this is the ghost of the great Sarah Siddons herself, in the guise of her signature character Lady Macbeth.
Next time you visit the theatre, see if you can catch Sarah out of the corner of your eye, watching the show, her love for the theatre having survived even death.
Main image: Sarah Siddons as Lady Macbeth, painted by George Henry Harlow in 1814.
Read our previous Hallowe’en Tales
Day 1 – The Curse of Carleton Crematorium.
Day 2 – The Witch Ducking Stools of Poulton-Le-Fylde.
Day 3 – The Ghost-Seer of Weeton.
Day 4 – Smuggling, Drowned Nuns and Fallen Acrobats at Raikes Hall
Day 5 – The Hauntings at the Old Coach House
Day 6 – Old Scrat
Day 7 – a goblin funeral at Extwistle Hall
Take a look at Zowie Swan’s debut novel, Chingle Hall here.
Show Comments (0)