The Walnut-Tree House by Charlotte Riddell

·1 hr 8 min·5 clips

A sad, silent child appears in the library, searching the room before vanishing up the staircase.

The episode begins with a reading of Charlotte Riddell's ghost story 'The Walnut-Tree House', set in a desolate mansion in Upper Kennington Lane. Mr. Edgar Stainton, the new owner, arrives from abroad and is warned by a clerk from Timpson & Co. that the house is haunted by a child who has driven out all previous tenants. Ignoring the warning, Stainton stays in the house and soon encounters the ghostly child, a sad boy who wanders the rooms searching for something. He investigates the mystery by consulting his lawyer, Mr. Timpson, who reveals the child was one of two twins, grandchildren of the previous owner, Felix Stainton. Stainton then visits the Peddler's Arms and learns from Mr. Hennings about the house's history and the housekeeper, Mrs. Topless. He finds Mrs. Topless in Lambeth Workhouse, and she recounts the tragic story: the twins, Georgie and Mary, were mistreated after their grandfather's death, leading to Mary being taken away and Georgie dying of a broken heart. The ghost is Georgie, eternally searching for his sister. Later, Mary and her aunt visit the house, and the ghost is finally at peace when reunited with her. Stainton discovers Felix Stainton's missing will, which leaves the property to Georgie and a legacy to Mary, and he proposes to Mary, bringing a happy ending. The host, Tony, provides commentary on the story, discussing Charlotte Riddell's life, the Victorian context of the ghost story genre, and themes like social justice and moral resolution.

As heard by us

A sealed mansion, a dead child, and a house that remembers too much.

Charlotte Riddell's "Walnut Tree House" shapes a sealed red-brick mansion into a ghost story about what a house can keep hidden. The new owner arrives after seven years of emptiness, and the focus settles on his exchanges with Mrs.

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Why you'd press play

You get a wet-night Victorian ghost story with a locked drawer and a house full of old wrongs.

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