Roslyn and Annabel Haunt Prince of Wales Hotel

*Photo by Roni Price, Ghosts of the Old City Tour. Could the large white orb be Roslyn and the small green one Annabel?

Since writing about Annabel and Rosyln, our two ladies of the night haunting the old Prince of Wales Hotel, activity has increased. Rosyln has been stroking female guests as they walk down the lane and we smell their lavender perfume on almost every tour now. While living, these lovely ladies used to bath only a handful of times each year then smother themselves with lavendar fragrance to cover any body odour. We have had a few psychics through who have confirmed that Anna's real name is Annabel. Annabel has long, blonde hair and Roslyn is older, with long dark hair. Annabel is believed to have died by being thrown from the upstairs window after an argument with a customer about payment. Roslyn passed away from an STD. Both women are now aware that they have passed away and Roslyn has made it her business to protect those around her. She has followed a group of teenage boys down Nelson Place on our March tour. They felt they were being watched and felt as though they were being touched on their shoulders. I have felt Roslyn's arm around my waist on more than one occasion. Many mediums are able to tune into there lovely spirits who are very curious as to what the fuss is all about. Unlike our other hauntings, I cannot find records of Annabel and Roslyn. Unfortunately there were very few records of burials in Williamstown's unoffical cemetery at Point Gellibrand. We didn't even have grave diggers as they were all searching for gold. As a result, many people simply bought a spade, wrapped their loved ones in cloth and buried them. All the bodies were exhumed and moved to Williamstown Cemetery between 1899 and 1901. The lack of records for Roslyn and Annabel makes us believe they date to the late 19th century. All our clairvoyants and mediums are picking up on the same names and descriptions, our ladies want to be remembered.

*Copyright Lantern Ghost Tours 2010

Haunted Williamstown: The Prince of Wales

I have been running ghost tours around Williamstown for almost a year now and I can't believe how many Williamstown residents have been coming forward with their own ghostly encounters and just how many experiences we are having on the tours.

*The Titanic Theater Restaurant (Old Prince of Wales Hotel) Williamstown

The surgeon John Wilkins owned the origial 15 room hotel from 1858 until 1873. As with many of the hotels in the 1800s, it's hotel cellar was also used as a makeshift morgue and the bar was frequently used for coroners inquests. William Wilkins, presumably his son, acquired the hotel in the 1870s, then it was owned for a short time (1877-1880) by George Stanway. Between 1880 and 1902 the owner was S. Abraham until 1890. Some of the longest serving publicans were Henry Trump (1858, 1869- 1872), Patrick Brodie (c1883-1889) and Henry and Amelia Fonseca (c1873-1882)

I have recieved numerous sightings of a "short, round, balding man who looks Maltese or Italian in descent". He looks shrewd and busy, running around the outside and downstairs section of the old Prince of Wales hotel. We believe he is the ghost of Henry Fonseca. He is believed to be of Portugese Jewish descent and was s shrewd businessman who used to plan 'power outages' so he could pickpocket partons. The Prince of Wales for sometime was the most popular pub in Williamstown but at the end of Henry's management, numbers dwindled due to power outages.

The laneway next to the building is also haunted by two prostitutes circa early 1900s, believed to be called Ann (several indepedent reports of this name) and Roslyn (only one report of his name). Several people have reported they feel the ladies were pushed to their death from the windows and are still wearing white night dresses, makeup and lavendar perfume. On almost every tour we experience the smell of lavendar perfum waft by us, as though someone is wearing the perfume and walking past. We have also had many unusual photos of orbs and strange shadows down this lane. One group flet they were followed all the way to Thompson Street by one of the ladies.

**Copyright Lantern Ghost Tours 2010**

References

http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/heritage/15143