Burghstead Lodge, a beautiful Georgian house on Billericay’s High Street, holds a truly chilling secret. As told by a former resident, J.A. Sparvel-Bayly, the house is home to a haunted bedroom at the back of the building. The story dates back to the 19th century when a night nurse was hired to care for a gravely ill young gentleman.
On her very first night, the nurse sat by the fireplace, listening to the wind outside. At the stroke of midnight, the patient grew uneasy. The nurse was startled to see a lady in a green silk gown with a black veil seated by his bed. The nurse approached, but the lady simply motioned for her to sit down. Though it was a cold, late hour for a visitor, the lady sat motionless, watching the patient, and seemed to repel the nurse whenever she tried to help him. After a moment, the nurse closed her eyes; when she opened them, the lady was gone and the patient seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
The relief was short-lived. The patient's heavy breathing soon made her look up, only to find the mysterious lady seated by the bed once more. She wore a low-bodice summer dress, strangely out of place in the cold. The nurse went to the patient's aid, ignoring the lady’s gestures to stay back. At this, the lady drew her veil across her face and retreated to the window. The patient's distress became an agony, his eyes following the mysterious figure as he rejected the nurse's offers of help.
The following night, the nurse, determined to unravel the mystery, watched for the veiled woman. When she finally appeared, the nurse again approached the patient. The young man's eyes strained in terror, fixated on the lady. As the nurse reached for the door, she tried to lift the lady's veil. But she collapsed, senseless, as she was met with the horrifying sight of a death’s head beneath the bonnet. A horrid laugh echoed through the room before the lady vanished.
The next morning, the nurse was found cold and numb on the floor. The patient had died hours earlier. The young man, Charles Leroy, was buried in the parish church with an expensive funeral. It was said that young man bore a remarkable resemblance to the head on a coin of the realm at the time.
The nurse herself died three months later from the ordeal. While nothing was ever seen or heard to frighten future occupants, the room was said to always have an odd feeling of awe and coldness.