Here’s a little more about the infamous spiral staircase at the National Museum of Singapore from Ghostwriter…
cc photo by Lynette Lan
Legend has it that the staircase was originally found in a private residence. The engraved patterns are said to resemble a similar staircase in the Victorian Albert Hall in London.
The staircase at the second level, is reputed to be the most haunted part of the museum. Apparently many sightings have been made at or near the staircase.
The best known spirit reputed to reside in the museum is none other than its last expatriate director Carl Gibson-Hill.
He was a keen naturalist and dedicated scientist. Plagued by ill health and personal problems, he was thought to have committed suicide in August 1963. His death was covered in a small front page report in The Straits Times.
It said he died of an overdose of sleeping pills in a bathtub at his home in Seton Close. However some believe the man actually hanged himself in his museum office. Why the discrepancy is anyone’s guess. Since Gibson-Hill’s death, many museum staff, according to legend, have
seen his spirit in the halls of the museum.
Here’s another take on the haunting of the spiral staircase … rumour has it that someone died after tripping and falling down the staircase. Eye-witnesses have reported seeing a “priest-like” figure roaming the vicinity. People who
have tried to climb the staircase said they felt an unseen hand pushing them down – and that’s why it still remains closed off to the public.
4 Responses
Yup thats the one ….
Ghostwriter
http://dottsg.blogspot.com
Posted on July 20th, 2008 at 4:22 am
I read this post with interest. Is this the small staircase painted in a shade of grey? The few times I have seen it, it’s cordoned off to prevent people from climbing it.
The steps are pretty narrow. I asked the staff about it before, and if memory serves, they told me it’s a replica.
Posted on July 20th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Is this the staircase in question?
http://www.artculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/spiralstairs.jpg
Posted on July 20th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Yes, I heard above the Ang Moh’s (European) death in his bath tube when I was a little boy living just a stone’s throw away at Tanglin Road. If it’s 1963 then I was 10 years old. I didn’t know his name nor that his death maybe a suicide. It is interesting though to read about the connection of the spiral staircase. I only got interested in old things and our heritage recently when stumbled upon Lam Chun See’s blog. In fact I have gotten in touch with a gentleman who lived in No.1 Seton close from 1948 to
Posted on September 6th, 2010 at 1:38 am
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