A Haunted Wardrobe at Carterton Manor
4 July 2021 (Updated 22 January 2025)
"FOR SALE--Haunted wardrobe.--Advertiser will be glad to deliver same to anybody interested, complete with ghost, which would also no doubt feel more at home if welcomed.--Write Mrs. B. Barclay, Carterton Manor, Oxon."
So read an advert that appeared in London's Morning Post on August 19, 1937. The advert unsurprisingly garnered a lot of interest and Mrs. Barley was forced to elaborate. She had acquired the wardrobe at an estate sale in Berkshire 3 years earlier, but ever since installing it in her house had been troubled by phenomena.
Knockings were heard all over the house, and the doors of the wardrobe opened and closed of their own accord, even if tied shut with string. On one occasion when Mrs. Barclay was examining the wardrobe the door flew open so violently that it smashed a nearby mirror.
The haunting escalates
Soon Mrs. Barley, her brother and her secretary all reported seeing the figure of an elderly man in old-fashioned clothing stepping out of the wardrobe, and walking through the house. On one occasion the ghost reportedly kicked her butler in the shins!
Faced with these alarming events, Mrs. Barkley's staff began to resign, and Mrs. Barkley was forced to sleep outside in order to get some peace at night. The wardrobe had to go, and despairing of finding any local buyers, Mrs. Barkley placed her now-famous advert.
The wardrobe finds a buyer
There was a flood of interested correspondence, but the wardrobe was eventually purchased by Mr. Rundle, the landlord of an inn near Clanfield. Mr. Rundle did not believe in the supernatural, but was in need of a good large wardrobe! Despite his skepticism, Mr. Rundle soon reported strange occurrences. The wardrobe would shake of its own accord and sometimes produce banging sounds.
Mr. Rundle disassembled the wardrobe in an attempt to identify the cause of the disturbances. He found nothing, but on reassembling the wardrobe the phenomena abruptly ceased, and Mr. Rundle found himself in the possession of a perfectly normal Victorian wardrobe!
It's hard to know what to make of the above accounts, though some have pointed out that while Mrs. Berkley reportedly purchased the wardrobe for £10, she sold it to Mr. Rundle for £50, which only goes to show that ghosts sell!
Notes on the location
While tales of haunted wardrobes might put you in the mind of centuries-old buildings surrounded by ancient oak trees, in reality Carterton Manor is considerably more modern. Located at 17 Corbett Road, Carterton Manor was built in 1935, just 2 years before Mrs Barclay put the wardrobe up for sale.
At the time of the alleged haunting, Carterton Manor was a thoroughly modern house, featuring such mod-cons as a two-car garage, en suite bathrooms and an alcove in the hallway for the telephone. This Rightmove listing provides a glimpse inside. Thanks to John High for pointing me towards the correct location of the Manor!
