One of Plymstock’s newest thoroughfares is associated with one of its oldest legends. The story suggests that the White Lady in question was one of several girls living at the erstwhile mansion house at Radford in the eighteenth century. Allegedly the young lady became friendly with an Oreston lad, but her parents forbade contact with him on account of his lowly status. However, with the help of one of Radford’s serving girls, she determined to rendezvous with him. It was a summer’s day and as was her wont at that time of year, our lady was dressed in white. The two took a boat across Radford Lake but unfortunately it capsized and both were drowned.
Stories of ghostly apparitions have been recorded at various times down the years since and were fuelled, evidently, in the early days by housemaids dressing a broom in white garments and leaving it at the foot of the butler’s bed. On awakening he would be convinced he had had a visit from the White Lady. Subsequent sightings include people who claim to have seen her seated by the lake, walking through the grounds, looking for her lost love. A cycling railwayman and a local newspaper reported are among those who claim to have seen the White Lady of Radford.
