Castledown House

General information
	1810-1985
	Castledown Avenue
Location	Loading map...;

Built between 1810 and 1830, the first owner was Reverend William Wallinger, curate of St. Mary In The Castle between 1828 & 1834.

Entry in Index of Wills for E. L. Mackmurdo (1784-1866)

In November 1866, the contents (including a number of valuable artworks) were sold at auction upon the instructions of the executor of E. L. Mackmurdo's (who obviously resided there prior to his demise on the 30th of April that year^[1]) estate. In addition to the artworks, the contents of the wine-cellar and plant collection were offered^[2]. A genealogical search reveals the deceased to be Edward Longdon Mackmurdo, who was born in Walworth, Surrey during 1784. Edward was the child of Ebenezer Mackmurdo and Sarah Stark; the fifth child out of six, three of whom did not live beyond the age of three. Indeed, it would appear that his mother died either during the birth of his sister, Sarah who did not survive either, or soon after in 1787; Edward being three years old at the time. Edward did not marry, nor did he have any children^[3]. His executor waa a cousin, also named Edward Mackmurdo, a chemist, of Edmonton in Surrey - the son of his uncle Edward Longdon Mackmurdo (1756-1817), and the estate was valued as up to £100,000^[1].

The property was noted to have been vacant for a lengthy period in a newspaper article dating to 1904, with rumours of a previous occupant having committed suicide in the building, and apparently haunting the house. This reputation was undoubtedly enhanced by a family of spiritualists who took residence in the house at one point. The article rebuked this superstition quite forcefully^[4]. The ghost was reportedly that of Mrs. Siddons, a famous actress, who had visited the house in 1818. At the same time as the Curtis family were resident, much of the large garden was sold off for development; this development unfortunately caused some damage to the house.

The supposed haunting of the house was highlighted during a court case brought by the trustees of the late Thomas Newman regarding the eviction of Mr. H. E. Curtis (the aforementioned spiritualists) who was tenant between about 1904 and 1926. Curtis had reportedly sent photographic evidence of the house being haunted to a number of people in an effort to decrease the perceived value of the property. A policeman was posted at the house one night to assist in allaying the superstition. As stated above, the property was vacant prior to 1904 - the Curtis family being the first tenants in a number of years. In the final ruling, the Curtis family were evicted^[5]

The building remained a large detached villa until the 1930s when it was divided into flats^[6]. By the late 1960s/early 70s it was empty and would eventually become abandoned and derelict. The building remained, no more than a shell until demolition in June 1985.^[7]

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