Ghosts of The Perth Mint

Opened in 1899, The Perth Mint’s heritage building is one of Perth’s most impressive colonial-era monuments and one of the first buildings entered on the Western Australian heritage register.
Now more than 125 years old, it’s truly a historical institution – and as with other old establishments, it comes with its share of stories.

Rumours of ghosts have haunted the halls of the Mint for almost 100 years.

Two historical deaths are seemingly associated with these ghost sightings – although some remain unexplained.

A ghostly presence

In 1938, the Deputy Master of the Mint, Bertie Gritton, was walking from the Mint to the Weld Club on Barrack Street when he collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack.

His death led William Rogers to become the new Deputy Master, and his family of four children moved into the residence above the lobby (now our Shop and Exhibition Reception).

One night, he and his daughter were alone in their home when they heard a crashing noise on the nearby polished jarrah staircase.

Rogers rushed out of his bedroom and his daughter ran out of hers, but they could not find any person or other explanation for the racket.

His daughter was convinced her room was haunted. This claim was supported by other family members who reported hearing unexplained noises and feeling an unknown presence brushing past them on the stairs.

It got so unbearable that the Archbishop of Perth was called in to perform an exorcism – and the ghostly visits ceased.

Later it came to light that another death had occurred 18 years prior which could explain the otherworldly events.

The unfortunate butler

Years earlier, Arthur Ventris arrived from England to begin his new job as the first Superintendent of the Perth branch of The Royal Mint.

Ventris and his wife brought along a couple of loyal family retainers, a woman who performed cooking and housework and a male butler.

At the time, the Ventris’ living area was separated from the operating Mint by a partition which ran across the bottom of the stairs. This structure supported a door which acted as the front door to the private residence.

When the bell was rung, the butler would come down the staircase to answer it, climb the stairs again to determine if Ventris was receiving visitors, and descend once again to escort the visitor in if necessary.

The Ventris’ home opened into an ornate lounge room featuring views over the river in a space which has since been converted into a boardroom. The next floor up was the servants’ quarters where the maid and the butler lived.

In 1919, at the age of 66, Ventris was forced to retire. He was in fact supposed to have retired a year earlier, however due to the war – during which the Mint continued to produce gold sovereigns for the Australian and British economies – he had been granted permission from London to stay on another year.

This was a lifesaver for Ventris and his wife, as they were building a house in Busselton and were able to stay at the Mint while construction was completed.

However, some months later, they had yet to move out and it was time for the new Superintendent, Frank Allum, to move in.

With emotions running high, the Ventris family found themselves homeless until their new residence was finished. The old family retainers, the maid and the butler, were turned out on the streets.

The maid was employed by another family. However, the distraught butler was found dead just outside his old room – which Rogers’ daughter would occupy 18 years later.

The ill-fated story leads many to question, could the butler be one of the ghostly spirits haunting the halls of the mint?

Another ghostly encounter

While what could be the butler’s spirit may have been exorcised from the Mint more than 80 years ago, recent sightings suggest he may not have been the only ghost to remain in its historic halls.

A member of staff subsequently reported seeing a young girl multiple times in a location close to the previous sightings.

According to the long-time employee of the Mint, the girl appeared to be around 14 or 15 years old and was wearing a dark green dress.

“She was hovering, and she wasn’t creepy or scary – not to me anyway. I saw her several times, and she always looked sad.”

With no records of a young girl dying at the Mint, the mystery remains and perhaps it’s a story that will never be told.

However, if you ever visit the Mint, be sure to take a careful look at the staircase in the foyer – just in case an ethereal presence decides to make an eerie return!

Unexplained ghost bird

During a recent photo shoot capturing our newly upgraded gold pour experience in the original Melting House, something strange appeared. When the images were reviewed, one photo revealed a bird sitting on the crucible held by our gold pourer. The twist? No bird was present during the photo shoot, and a check of the raw image file confirmed the bird’s presence in the frame – meaning that’s how it was captured in camera on the day.

Sophie, one of our talented gold pourers, vividly recalls feeling a breeze passing over her during the pour despite no windows or doors being open nearby. No one can explain how the mystery bird came to appear in the image. It’s just one more unexplained moment adding to the Mint’s growing collection of ghostly tales.

Learn more about the fascinating history of The Perth Mint here.

First published 11 October 2022