Nut Bush Farm | A Ghost Story by Charlotte Riddell | A Bitesized Audio Production
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- The new tenant of Nut Bush Farm finds himself intrigued by the story of his predecessor's abrupt departure. What possessed the man to leave so suddenly, and could it be related to the legend of "something that walks" in the long field?
A new, original recording of a classic public domain text, read and performed by Simon Stanhope for Bitesized Audio.
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Charlotte Riddell (1832-1906), often credited in typical Victorian style under her husband's initials as "Mrs. J. H. Riddell", was born Charlotte Eliza Lawson Cowan in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland. She moved to London in 1855 and married Joseph Hadley Riddell, a civil engineer, two years later. She apparently turned to writing to make a living after her husband lost all his money, early in their marriage. In all she wrote 56 novels and short stories, of which several had a supernatural theme. Her best remembered shorter ghost stories include 'A Strange Christmas Game' and 'The Open Door'. She was also the co-proprietor and editor of the periodicals 'Home' and 'St. James's Magazine' in the 1860s and 70s. Her husband died in 1880; there were no children from their marriage, and from 1886 she "retired in seclusion" to Upper Halliford, Middlesex, until her death in September 1906.
The first known publication of 'Nut Bush Farm' was in 'Weird Stories', a collection of Riddell's shorter supernatural fiction published in 1882; given her involvement as editor of St. James's Magazine it's likely that it originally appeared in that periodical, although this has been impossible to verify.
Recording © Bitesized Audio 2020.
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Thanks for listening.
Simon Stanhope (narrator)
These somewhat longer tales are wonderful for the present moment, and read so well; absorbing and very welcome.
The narrator could recite the alphabet and I would listen intently to it.
Saved this for tonight , listening at present in bed.
Lovely.
Very kind of you to say so, thank you!
Absolutely agree! Love this channel's choices of story and narration.
This is such a good story! You are just magical with your renditions. Thank you so much. Kathi
I love listening to bite-size audio Classics I can listen to him over and over again
Ok Simon.. looked you up. You've been talking me to sleep for a few weeks so I had to put a face with the voice..
Your credits had me at Paw Patrol.
Greetings from Seattle and I hope to hear more installments soon.. 😊🍿
I am so delighted to have found your channel! I have migraines and spend a lot of time in a dark, quiet, room so I’m always looking for something to listen to that’s compatible with both those conditions and my condition. This was very well read and the reader’s voice was quite pleasant. I feel those things are as high in importance in an audiobook as the written words aren’t.(I might even be able to listen to the “right” voice read me the ingredients lists on cereal boxes for an hour and a half.. but that may be the pain medication talking lol) I look forward to listening to more and I know I won’t be waiting for a migraine either! lol Thank you so much!
Me too Marilyn. The narrator's pitch of voice doesn't increase my head pain.
You can also try those audios with background music of nature sounds best being rain and thunder
I have the same issue and my defaults are Simon here at Bite sized Audio Classics and Horrorbabble.
Out of all the authors that Ive had the pleasure to listen to, on this channel, this one is my very favorite. Her vivid descriptions of every particular, made me see, feel and even smell the odors of the roses, hay fields, see the night wuth the moonlight filtering down, giving everything a beautiful aspect is so descriptive, that I was standing there seeing, feeling, smelling it all myself. I love her. Wish I could have been born and raised at Nut Bush myself way back then. This is the fourth time of listening to this wonderful tale.
Perfectly said
The moonlight walk was so beautifully descriptive. I loved Ms. Riddell's quirky Mrs. Gostock. Well written and read. Thanks, again.
I am so glad your channel popped up in my feed. You have an absolutely amazing (and growing) selection of wonderful stories. The narration is excellent and the quality too. And personally, I do love the portraits of the authors to the story, nice touch. Now I am subbed and immensely look forward to gorging my way through your channel. Thank you very, very much!
Wonderful, thanks so much for listening - and subscribing!
Most enjoyable. Thank you for posting this story.
Simon Stanhope is a great narrator.
Thank you!
More by this author please, she's wonderful!
I second what the commentator Samantha Marburger wrote. You are an extraordinary narrator, what an amazing treat. I'm an illustrator and these stories are beyond my wildest expectations as I work, besides discovering new excellent writers. Thank you and thank you again and again.
Thank you so much for your kind comment Marisa, I'm so glad to know you enjoy the stories. An illustrator - what a lovely artistic occupation. Best wishes to you
@@BitesizedAudio 💕
How lovely the soft sweet way of speaking.
Love this story. So far, only 33min in but awesome story and narration. Occasionally these kinds of stories are wasted on me
I enjoyed this unique tale very much. I also enjoy the narration!❤
It would have been nice to hear what happened to the narrator himself. He was a good man through the whole ordeal and it would have been nice to hear how his personal story played out.
Thank you for sharing of course. It was a pleasant listen.
Very enjoyable to listen to while cleaning.
Engrossing story with wonderful character development ... and as always... beautifully read by Mr. Stanhope!
Thank you!
What a great reading, thank you.
This was quite a round-about tale and it took me 3 times to finish it but it was definitely worth it and I had no trouble at all recalling where I left off because the narration was so extremely good.
I just registered that this - one of my absolute favourites btw - has, to date, had 148,585 views! That, cher Simon, is both awesome and utterly deserved. ❤
Thanks Bob! Ah yes, this story seems to a favourite of quite a few regulars. I must do some more Charlotte Riddell before too much longer...
@@BitesizedAudio The more obscure the better!! ❤
Loving listening to these wonderful stories ❤️❤️❤️
Wonderful, thanks Geraldine
What a delight.
Brilliantly narrated, thoroughly enjoyable story as well. M
Thanks Mirk, very kind - glad to know you enjoyed it
This author communicates a deep understanding of the emotions and interactions of men and women. A remarkable women, to so convey the beauties of nature alongside an appreciation of the deeper and darker depths of the human soul. It is extraordinary, how victorian women seem to have gained an outlet for expression and creativity via the gene of the ghost story, which appears to have liberated them from the socio-historical constraints of their time. Such a powerful vision, so original and so uniquely feminine. A true love of life, its darks and lights, revealed in a conventionally accepted fictional form, that could be published and public via this gene, but in few others. A striking skill, to assume the conventional viewpoint of a male narrator, yet to undermine it entirely through the art of excellent characterisation of unconventional characters which are understood and accepted by an author willing to be open to difference and willing to show such difference in a way that draws in the reader and makes understanding inevitable. Charlotte Riddell is a human being of great depth and understanding.
Very insightful comments, thank you Eric. Yes, I've long been struck by the number of female authors from the Victorian era who wrote excellent ghost stories but who chose to employ a male first person narrative voice - Amelia B. Edwards and Edith Nesbit are other notable examples among the stories I've done on the channel so far. Also interesting that several of them originally published either anonymously (Edwards), or under initials which didn't give away their gender (M. E. Braddon, L. T. Meade, E. Nesbit), although Charlotte Riddell was usually published as "Mrs J. H. Riddell". Thanks for listening, and for taking the time to comment.
Nice time for a mystery that’s off the beaten track! “They Never Found a Body” ruclips.net/video/7pfXLyAvS08/видео.html
right here on YT under “Claude Chabot Presents” AND a curious little radio fantasy comedy, “A Trip to the Moon” starring Joyce Randolph of The Honeymooners, as well as two unique ghost stories. If you don’t want to click the link just search “Claude Chabot presents” on RUclips.
Great story who is the narrator? Great voice adds to story new sub
Thank you Jade, appreciated. I'm the narrator, my name's Simon Stanhope, I'm an actor based in the UK. Thanks for subscribing!
🙋 really enjoyed this. Do listen. Well read and a good story. More please 👏😀
Thanks Denise. More stories on the way....
Wonderful story! Loved it
@linus0804 Glad to know that, thanks for listening and commenting!
Thank you:) Thumbs up ! 👍
Your channel at all met my views:
1.convinient presentation of subtitles
2.excellent reading
3.not boring stories
4.the possibility to ask a question and to receive the appropriate answer
5.brilliant narrator , the dearest SIMON.
Thank you Natalya!
@@BitesizedAudio Sheer joy.
Another wonderful reading! And another story with a delicious dry sense of humor interspersed with the mystery.
Thank you Nancy, glad you enjoyed it. Yes there's quite a bit of humour in this one, the character of Miss Gostock was especially good fun to read...
Bitesized Audio Classics Yes, she was enjoyable,. I was hoping for an explanation of her eccentricity. I decided she was based on someone the author knew, and who probably thought she belonged in a story.
You're right, it's a shame she doesn't feature as much in the latter part of the story after her very promising introduction and, as you say, it's a pity her back story isn't more developed. Perhaps Mrs Riddell decided the story was already long enough!
Thanks a bunch.
Hey.
What does it mean
" at my wit's end"
1:06 - 1: 08
Thank you for your help.
This is another English idiom. "Wit" in English is most commonly associated with humour, but the word is also a synonym for intelligence, processing thoughts, understanding etc. If someone is "quick witted" it means they learn quickly, or are quick to understand a concept or situation. So, "at my wit's end" means really that you've reached the limit of what your brain can deal with, you don't know what to do.
@@BitesizedAudio vey nice expression...very nice explanation...thank you very much indeed...
Good voice to listen to .
Thank you Margaret, appreciated
The 12 adverts make this impossible to listen to if you listen to audiobooks for sleep
Jack, thank you for bringing this to my attention. For some reason YT has automatically added mid-story ads, even though I always turn them off so as not to interrupt the story. I've turned them off again, so there should now be only an ad sequence at the beginning and after you listen to (or skip) that you should be able to listen uninterrupted. Apologies for the inconvenience, I'll investigate further to avoid it happening again.
Many Thanks for your presentation! I enjoy the women author’s ghost stories, especially - but I’m not sure why! They do seem to be a little more drawn out…..
As enjoyable on the second listening as on the first hearing,
Very well read, but the story suffered from the sort of longueurs that are all too common with Victorian writers; particularly, I'm sorry to say, some women writers. Possibly people with too much time on their hands.
A later generation of women writers of the genre were rather more disciplined; for example Margaret Irwin, Marghanita Laski, or E Nesbit -- all of whom are well worth reading!
The 2 previous episodes I listened to were good this one is draaaaaaaging too long
You and this channel have become my absolute, number one favorite thing to listen to and I listen to them repeatedly! IMHO, only a proper English gentleman can do these awesome old ghost stories the justice they deserve and I’m so happy to have discovered you! I enjoy your readings just as much as I enjoy Michael Hordern and Basil Rathbone readings but (unlike them) I can look forward to new ones from you. I listen every single night when I climb into bed and let me tell you, I’m enjoying losing sleep...THANK YOU!!
Thank you Samantha - I'm extremely flattered to be bracketed with Michael Hordern and Basil Rathbone, I'm a huge admirer of both, they featured in many of the films I enjoyed in my formative years (and Michael Hordern was still a regular on TV in the UK when I was growing up). Thanks so much for listening, and your kind words... but I do hope you manage to get enough sleep though!
The reading of this interesting story is so nuanced, so balanced. I have listened to it several times and it is invariably immersive. Thank you so much for providing these needed respites from the world right now.
Ahh . . . At last . Someone who doesn't merely read the words, but understands and portrays each character splendidly.
I am glad he did not run after seeing the ghost but decided to solve the ghost murder and right the wrongs for his family. Excellent story!
I loved this story. I love that you focus on old English tales. I love the stories that come out of the UK. God bless you and your family
"What on earth would have happened had I not been married?"🤣
These stories are great and the narration is second to none.
I think that he shudders at the thought.
he would have moved to arkansas to marry his sister thats what
I love ghost stories with happy endings
Gee thanks.
I'm about 75% through this and wanted to say how excellent it is - it's very skillfully performed, but also it's a story with great characterization and much more social depth than usual (for a ghost story.)
Thanks Mickey, appreciated
What a delight ! I really enjoy listening to such wonderfully narrated stories . A joy to have discovered this channel . 👌🏼
Thank you Christine
1
@@BitesizedAudio ÀààààààaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaàaaaaaaaaaaaP
Perfect voice for this book!
Absolutely great sir😊🇺🇲
Good old fashioned mystery! Thanks
I discovered your channel recently. I’m addicted to it! Provides me with much needed stress reduction when I listen.
Glad to know that
i’d just love to hear more of her stories. this one was engrossing and, of course, you read it beautifully. the characters were so well drawn. thank you so much :) 🌷🌱🌿🌸🌱🌼🌷
Thanks Alexa. Yes, I have some more Charlotte Riddell on my list for future recordings...
Well done, you've done it again. Plucked another great story from obscurity. 😁
Thank you Rach
Don't mention it 😁 can I ask you your name please?
Of course! My name is Simon - I'm a jobbing actor, based in the UK. My web link etc is on the channel page.
Thanks Simon, and what is a jobbing actor?
So sorry Rach, I missed your reply/question for some reason! Jobbing actor as in going from job to job, for multiple employers rather than one. Although in these days of lockdown that's rather a moot point as most areas of work have closed down! I do have bits of recording work to do, and of course I'm very glad to have an artistic outlet via this channel...
Just listened to this for a second time on a disappointing day and was so lifted by this wonderful story and Simon’s beautiful voice! 😃💕
@The Last Sausage I'm sorry to hear you've had a disappointing day, but glad if this story helped a bit! Thank you for your kind comments, all best wishes to you
Effects me likewise!✊♥️
There's only one word fitting to describe the narration: Perfect in all and every way! Loved every second of it!
First class voice actor.
I agree 👍 with you.
Yep I love this narrator too.✊
@@kennymonty8206 Makes huge difference, really enjoy this mans narration✊
@@kennymonty8206
Hi
I think there was a ghost . He was trying to tell the owner where his body was once his body was found he could rest in peace .
Really enjoying listening to this old favourite, I have collected ghost stories for the past 45yrs since I was a very young child . Being an Irish girl I grew up loving the folk tales & stories told at home and at gatherings . Charlotte Riddel wrote quite a few good supernatural tales and features in many compilations. The victorians are still my favourites , along with the later master MR James of course .
Beautiful pacing and pronunciation, this narrator is a bedtime gift .
Glad to know that. Thanks for listening, and for your very kind feedback!
M R James is my absolute favourite as well
@@nadiaminerva Oh Yes he is a master of the ghost story to be read aloud, and I adore the atmosphere of academic investigation in most of his work. Theres little I love more in literature than his tales of some old professor or vicar digging through archives or archaeology to come up with a terrible past happening & haunting , or a cursed artifact ; then of course we have the holidaying ramblers seeking or finding supernatural relics , as in his masterpiece, O" Whistle and I'll come to you , my Lad. In which case the use of a simple bed sheet becoming a thing of horror was pure genius, a ghastly idea which has been copied in film and stories time & again ever since.
Yes MR James is a character I should love to have known.
Pleased to tell you I have some M. R. James lined up... hopefully coming within the next month or so
@@BitesizedAudio Wonderful news , great stuff! You will read his stories beautifully , I look forward to it very much. 💚
Thank you very much for reading and sharing this tale.
Thankyou. Looking forward to listening to this one tonight.
What a beautifully written and read story. The leisurely pace allows characterisation of impressive depth and variety, and the loving descriptions of nature are a delight. I had not heard of Charlotte Riddell before I found your channel, and am grateful that you have introduced me to her works.
Thank you for your kind comments Katy, appreciated! Glad to know you enjoyed it. I hope to more from Charlotte Riddell in the future (along with many other unjustly neglected authors!). Best wishes
Charlotte had a hard life it seems. She took care of business though.
She did indeed. Thanks for listening Lisa
I've never heard of an 18th century female writer who didn't have a hard life.
"He beckoned me to come. He might as well have asked one seize with paralysis." Great line.
"She was 67 but looked 200." Ha! Tragic that we have to go back to the Victorian authors to find plain speaking. Very well read, as always.
The good old days of sexism
A pleasure, even for those not native to english.
@@MovieJustinare you saying such comments were only directed at women? How little you know of English idiomatic language and expressions.😅
...ugh
@@MovieJustinI know, right?
Peter's comment is essentially saying "let's roll back 100 years of tolerance because I want ye olde tyme humor back"
Thank you!
I quite enjoyed Ms. Riddell's descriptive prowess. And you have a lovely narrative voice. ☺️
Very kind of you to say so, thank you!
A master narrator. A rare find. Thank you.🙏
An antique ghost story that has evaded my greedy eyes and in this instance ears! What a True treat and delight!
Good author great reading Thank You!!
Nut Bush
City limits
@@glease3144 Thats what I was thinking....I couldn't get that song out of my head whilst listening to this story.
Wonderful narration. His deep voice and cadence were soothing. Like having Santa read me a story! 🎅
What a lovely comment, thank you!
Santa! 🤣 Simon's voice definitely does have a sort of timeless quality to it 👍
I was apparently, one of the few, who listened to One Word radio. I loved the unabridged books and classic readings.
Read by individuals who clearly loved what they were doing.
What a gem this is.
One Word Radio was very good. I think it was part of Channel 4. In any case, I regret its passing.
This is great, who's the narrator?
Thank you! That's me.... Simon Stanhope, I've narrated all the stories on this channel to date. Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment.
@@BitesizedAudio Brilliant mate, great acting and production, top skills!
@@BitesizedAudio Brilliant!👍Thank you so much for sharing your rare talent with us.🙏
Bitesized Audio Classics - Hi Simon 😊 I am happy to see your name as I have spent so much time listening to the sound of your voice in the last few days. Your narration is superb & sound quality is amazing playing on my google nest hub. Thank you again for sharing your verbal gift with the rest of us. 🎉
Perfect for relaxing in my recliner with my headphones on, or lights out in bed. thank you !
Excellent - thank you Charlie!
Just listened again...such a gripping story, so well interpreted and brilliantly performed by Simon. Well done, sir!
Another excellent story & reading. Thank you.
Beautifully written by Riddell, and so deserving of Simon's sensitive interpretation... I just love this one...
Being a spiritual medium i can also appreciate Riddell's descriptions of the ghostly interactions, and totally am convinced she had to have had a few run-ins herself. I wonder if she kept a personal journal? Would love to find it. Thank you Simon! Another fine telling!
Thank you Marcia, appreciated!
This one I've read... but not as elegantly as our host.
;-)
Thank you!
Delighted to have found this channel. I enjoy your skill. Thanks.
Delighted you found your way here too! Thanks for listening
My kind of story. The delightful descriptions as well as the speech satisfy my every expectations of old fashioned tale telling which are so seldom being available in these days of ridiculous made up monsters, cursing and every other low class scribblings. This is certainly a refreshing change of the sort I have looked in vain for in this day and age. Thank you for it and the fantastic enjoyment of narration.
Thank you Keekee hawk, much appreciated!
Ooo long day at work..shall enjoy this Thank you🌹
Excellent narration. Thank you.
Excellent thankyou
Thanks for listening - and subscribing!
Wow! held me entranced. great “ghost” story. very good writer. i’m going to check if have more of her work. thanks . :) 🌷🌱
Doggie and I think this is our very favorite of all your stories. Indeed, it has helped with our insomnia on so many nights…. But the whole spirit of the story is so lovely. Solving a mystery. Working a farm. Describing the meadows, cattle, hawthorns in bloom. And the characters! Simon, you bring them to life for us! We want to live at Nut Bush Farm.
P. S. The landlady is the best.
We also love The Hammer of God. What a story! Chesterton doesn’t pull any punches.
Wonderful, what a joy to listen to
Thank you Robert
Enjoyed this story very much ! Thank you 😊
Excellent story!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks Nancy
This industrious fellow, the protagonist, is fairly in love with his sister! He takes her for windy walks in barley fields at dusk, spouts adoration of her physical beauty, praises her delightful personality with flowery speeches, and lest I forget to mention the manifestation of these inclinations, kisses her full upon the lips (which, I may say, she invites him to do through aggressive puckerings...!) Miss Riddell has taken great pains in totally omitting the man's wife from the story altogether, and describes the fruit of their marital bliss as a weakling. So I might speculate, with a good prima fascia case of evidence, that she herself harbored some sort of amorous or openly erotic fascination towards her brother in her personal life-this I have been taught to do by my several socially liberal and morally experimental English literature professors. It is a loathsome habit one never fully is able to train himself away from, and I do not condone it. But really, all the inquiries about why the missus is not there, and indeed, the entire ghost plot may be an elaborately spun and thinly veiled attempt to keep the wife away so that sister and brother may indulge in..well ahem, they did not do such things in the year of (as Simon would put it) 18..eh, ahem, ah...
11 : 19
"...the afternoon sun streamed over the grass..."
What a beautiful language.
I would never do business with a cantankerous overbearing woman like that. Never do business with a disrespectful person.
strangely I find these stories and the reader's voice very soothing and therapeutic in an ugly, disturbing time of global turmoil and daily news of gloom and disaster! Thanks so much. Natural remedies without drugs indeed. Now what happened to those bank notes? Lol
I'm late to your site but am an instant fan. I look forward to listening to more of your narrations.
That's wonderful, thanks Nina. Happy listening!
Thank you 👍
“Putting out a measure which frightened me.” 😂🤣
Not long found this channel.. now can't seem to stop.. i did have a few others that i listened to but thus has taken over, no unnecessary long pauses, no unnecessary emphasis on words. Just reads with feelings, as if understanding the writer to how it should be read..
Seems you nearly a company me most of the day, ear plug in and away I go. How can I be lonely. Thank you..
Thanks for listening, Alison, and for your kind comments. Best wishes to you
I really enjoy the stories you choose. This one is haunting and Romantic in its description of the moonlight walk. I thoroughly was impressed by your narration of this tale. You gave the central narrator a softer tone than other characters and changed tempo and volume where appropriate.
Your narration is fantastic! Listening while i crochet/knit/embroider! Hugs from Italy!!
Thank you Maria, very kind!
I have listened to this story over and over, always finding something new. Fantastic reading constantly brings me back. It is now November 2021 and sadly I haven't come across any new uploads for a while. However I want to thank this reader for guiding me through many dark dispondent times during the dark months of the covid outbreak. I am sure that I am not alone in that gratitude.
You're most welcome! I'm glad to say though that I have been uploading regularly, most recently a couple of days ago and usually about every 7-10 days depending on circumstances. It sounds like you've not received the notifications... If you click Subscribe and hit the bell that should mean you're alerted about future uploads. In the meantime you can see all the stories at this link: ruclips.net/user/BitesizedAudioClassicsvideos
Glad to know you enjoy the stories, thank you for your kind words
@@BitesizedAudio You are more than welcome. I have just checked and for some reason, I had become, unsubscribed?! I have now rectified this and so, I should now resume getting my notifications👌
Beautifully told story, I would liked to have lived at Nut bush Farm, thank you once again Simon.
You are most welcome!
Great stories so happy that I found you!! Love your voice you become the story seems like your there. Be nice to have longer stories if you are up to it. A 2-3 hour be nice to snuggle in bed going to sleep with a smile
Thank you, very glad you found your way here too! I do have a couple of slightly longer stories in mind - hopefully later this year, all being well...