New book published on Portsmouth's mysteries - and whether they were actually true

Matt Wingett, author of The Snow Witch, will launch his newest book, Mysteries of Portsmouth at Cascades Shopping Centre from 3pm on Saturday, November 16.

The official launch and signing session will take place in the same unit in which the The Snow Witch art exhibition was hosted between Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, November 10.

Matt’s latest book uncovers strange, bizarre and uncanny stories from around the city that have appeared in history, newspapers, myths and legends and investigates whether the tales are true or were deliberately made up.

Among the many tales the book will explore is Portchester Castle’s ghostly crusader, Britain’s last woman to be jailed for witchcraft, Hayling Island’s church that sank beneath the sea, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s communications with the dead and Southsea’s plague of fortune tellers.

He said: ‘I’m really looking forward to the launch of my newest book, Mysteries of Portsmouth, at Cascades Shopping Centre.

‘I had a lot of fun putting it together and discovering some of the strangest, most peculiar, and bizarre myths, legends and stories that Portsmouth is associated with. From UFOs and King Arthur to Tutankhamun’s curse and sea-serpents, it’s been intriguing to find out where these stories have come from.

‘I’m incredibly grateful to Cascades for its support over the last few weeks. The Snow Witch art exhibit was truly mind-blowing and for the shopping centre to host it was an unbelievable gesture. I’m excited to be able to launch my new book there.’

Up until last week, 40 Portsmouth artists displayed their art at the shopping centre as part of the open exhibition solely dedicated to the hugely popular novel, The Snow Witch, which was published in 2017.