Visible crew/equipment: After their cleaning and ironing in the kitchen Lucy and Martha head up the stairs, then as Lucy says, "Nearly halfway through life, and what have I done," the shadow of the moving boom mic is visible at the top left side of the screen. (00:15:25)
Continuity mistake: When Martha and Lucy put away Lucy's mourning clothes, at the start of this scene the wicker knitting basket is on the table beside the big leather chair; it's still visible there when Captain Gregg shouts his wish for Lucy's roses to die of blight. Later in this scene, Captain Gregg corrects Lucy's misuse of nautical terminology while romanticizing the seaman's life, and when Lucy sits on the bench she reaches right beside her for the wicker knitting basket, that moved itself onto the bench. (00:32:10 - 00:36:05)
Visible crew/equipment: After Lucy's in-laws inform her that she's lost her source of income, Lucy sits down beside the vocal Captain Gregg and responds to him aloud that she doesn't intend to make a scene. Then, when Mother takes a seat beside Lucy, the shadow of the moving boom mic is visible above Mother at the top of the screen. (00:38:40)
Visible crew/equipment: During the in-law visit Mother starts weeping, prompting Captain Gregg to roar at Lucy, "Make her stop the eternal caterwauling," and when Lucy tells him to keep out of this, of course Mother thinks Lucy's comment was directed at her. In the next shot, when Lucy stands up the black tape mark is visible on the rug at Mother's feet. (00:38:55)
Visible crew/equipment: When Lucy enters her bedroom, she asks Martha if she likes the painting done by Mr. Fairley and Martha quickly replies no, then just as Martha walks over to the bed, a black T-mark is visible on the rug near the big leather chair, right before Lucy takes a few steps toward that mark's location and stands there. (01:15:30)
Continuity mistake: To show time has passed, the wooden fence on the beach deteriorates, but the top of the fence, with Anna Muir carved in it, was never anywhere near the water - it was way up inland, far away from the water's edge - but now it is in the water, waves washing over it.
Continuity mistake: When Lucy is looking over Gull Cottage, for the first time, she opens the left window next to the telescope, but once outside, it's the right window that is left open.
Character mistake: After a year in Gull Cottage, Lucy and Martha walk up the stairs together. Lucy says she had a dream a year ago and Martha says she remembers her telling her about it, but because it was about the ghost, she didn't tell her a word. So Martha didn't hear a word.
Other mistake: When Anna and her fiancee arrive for tea, the fiancee is put in the living room while Anna and Lucy, in the kitchen, talk about the ghost; as they leave the kitchen, Anna heads right, which is wrong - the living room is to the left.
Continuity mistake: After a day at the beach, Lucy has a long walk ahead of her via a very long dirt road. When Lucy starts the walk, there is a man/woman riding a horse-drawn wagon; but, after a brief chat with Daniel, when she starts walking again, the wagon is gone, and there are no visible side dirt roads.
Continuity mistake: At the end, Lucy is sitting in the big chair in her bedroom, and Martha leaves, pulling the door closed with her. In the next shot, the door is wide open. In addition when Lucy dies, her head is turned to her right, but as she leaves as a ghost, she looks back at herself, and her head is now turned to the left.
Chosen answer: The scene takes place at a public beach where Anna and her mother go swimming and the fence may be connected to that. Anna is a small child and Mr. Scroggins carves her name where she can always easily see it, and it is far away from the water's edge. Of course, for the purpose of the movie, it was placed in such a way to be seen by the audience as a way to gauge the amount of time that is passing. It becomes worn and deteriorated over the years.
raywest ★