Brading Wax Museum closed on 3rd January 2010 but its resident ghost – the unfortunate Frenchman Louis de Rochefort – may still remain …
The building in which Osborn-Smith’s Wax Museum was located is said to be the oldest house on the Island – built in 1499. It had previously been a guild house, a coaching house and an inn known as The Crown.
When the tourist attraction first opened over half a century ago, it’s hardly surprising a spectre came with it.
The phantom Frenchman is believed to have been a French agent dispatched to make contact with the imprisoned King Charles I at Carisbrooke Castle. Local folklore suggests he stabled his horse and lodged at what was then The Crown.
However, the unfortunate emissary never left the grounds of his Island lodgings. He was treacherously slain by an unknown assailant – most likely a Puritan, the ideological enemies of the Stuarts.
His body was then secretly buried on the premises.
The tale continues that as he lay mortally wounded, he swore with his dying breath that he would haunt the site of his murder until his body was returned to his native land.
Apparently, this was no empty threat. De Rochefort was believed to have met his end on the first floor. Dogs are said to be very wary of the spot in which he was slain. Many have claimed to have encountered his thin, outlandishly dressed countenance in the garden of the Wax Museum.
Of course, this may be no more than a legend. However, back in 1964, workmen dug up a skeleton at the tourist attraction’s water main. The bones were dated to the 17th century.
The owners of the waxworks attempted to trace Louis de Rochefort’s descendants to return his remains and bring the haunting to an end. But to no avail.
Graham Osborn-Smith – the then-owner of the Wax Museum – wrote in its guidebook:
“His ghost may well be doomed to restlessly pervade the confines of these ancient walls until the end of time.”
De Rochefort’s ghost is not the sole haunting of the former Wax Museum. Next to the building is Quay Lane, which leads to the town’s former quay (when it was once a thriving port).
Residents claim their sleep has often been disturbed by coaches transporting goods and people to the bygone quay.
Now that the wax museum is no more, is Louis still around?
Let us know in the comments.
I’d love to spend the night there to check if he’s still there
I would join you Paul it would be fun .
It was such a shame when the Waxworks closed,
it was one of my favourite attractions to visit.
Crazy to close any indoor attraction with our miserable Summers and even more miserable other seasons.
Guess like Famingo Park health and safety and low life suing for their feral brat’s misbehaving and getting hurt makes such never worth it ever again now.
Or maybe stop moaning
Osbourne -smith was a modern day PT Barnum. An old school showman and generously let any brading residents into the waxworks for free. Many a happy hour spent in there.
Does anyone know what happened to his mortal remains?
Still miss it and the Council were stupid not to take it on, as wet days it was a Godsend for families to get kids out and amused.
Maybe with this wet weather they will have to re-think the now all year round tourist attraction of the Isle of Wight, and consider investing some money in indoor attractions as warmer climate will mean a lot more rain.