Monday November 5th 2018
Well.... I had thought that I'd be sitting at home on Halloween evening - as recently predicted - but I ended up being kindly asked to pop along to the site of a 'strange experience' by my old mate Wayne Pickrell instead...!!
One February evening in 2006, Wayne was making his way to a UFORM meeting at Stourbridge - around 7 pm - and was, at the time of 'his encounter', traveling along the A449, just outside Himley, South Staffordshire. As he approached the entrance to the village Cricket Club - situated on his right-hand side - he suddenly spotted what appeared to be a 'figure', standing on the grass verge, a short distance in front of him to his left......
Now, the verge on that side of the busy thoroughfare is quite steep and narrow..... bordered on one side by the high wall of Himley Hall grounds and sloping quickly down to the road on the other, with no pavement. The night was dark, overcast, and it had been raining most of the day, so Wayne had instantly though: "Look at that fool.....! If they slip, I'll have no chance of avoiding them....!!"
As he was traveling around 60 mph at the time, he conscientiously checked his mirrors.... slowed down.... and - when he looked back - the figure had now gone!?
Within a matter of a second or so, he had covered the distance to where the figure had been standing and, as he reached the spot, what he describes as a 'persistent knocking sound' - like knuckles rapping hard and repeatedly - suddenly began on the windows of the car around him!?!
Wayne readily admits he is no mechanic, but he certainly knows his way around a car..... and no simple explanation for what he was now experiencing was forthcoming!? Amazingly, the noise continued until he reached a point some distance further on - as he approached the traffic lights in Himley village itself.... where the sounds stopped as abruptly as they'd begun!?!
A rational thinker, Wayne instantly pulled onto the forecourt of the nearby Himley Hall Hotel and, exiting the vehicle, checked the car over.... but to no avail!? Continuing his journey, he had no further issues of any kind and the rest of his journey - to attend a talk on 'Shadow People' by Russell Kellet - was completely uneventful.......
To this day, he has not been able to find a rational explanation for the events of that evening.... but, remaining open minded, this strange encounter potentially seemed to presage a brief series of other, 'peculiar' happenings that subsequently occurred in his own home!?
Moving on briefly to a wider view of the area in which Wayne had his strange experience, it should be mentioned that a great many would not regard such an encounter as 'anything out of the ordinary' for the location in question. To say Himley is regarded as something of a 'haunted area' is a considerable understatement and the ghostlore of this - rather small - region is VERY rich and varied indeed!
One February evening in 2006, Wayne was making his way to a UFORM meeting at Stourbridge - around 7 pm - and was, at the time of 'his encounter', traveling along the A449, just outside Himley, South Staffordshire. As he approached the entrance to the village Cricket Club - situated on his right-hand side - he suddenly spotted what appeared to be a 'figure', standing on the grass verge, a short distance in front of him to his left......
Now, the verge on that side of the busy thoroughfare is quite steep and narrow..... bordered on one side by the high wall of Himley Hall grounds and sloping quickly down to the road on the other, with no pavement. The night was dark, overcast, and it had been raining most of the day, so Wayne had instantly though: "Look at that fool.....! If they slip, I'll have no chance of avoiding them....!!"
As he was traveling around 60 mph at the time, he conscientiously checked his mirrors.... slowed down.... and - when he looked back - the figure had now gone!?
Within a matter of a second or so, he had covered the distance to where the figure had been standing and, as he reached the spot, what he describes as a 'persistent knocking sound' - like knuckles rapping hard and repeatedly - suddenly began on the windows of the car around him!?!
Wayne readily admits he is no mechanic, but he certainly knows his way around a car..... and no simple explanation for what he was now experiencing was forthcoming!? Amazingly, the noise continued until he reached a point some distance further on - as he approached the traffic lights in Himley village itself.... where the sounds stopped as abruptly as they'd begun!?!
A rational thinker, Wayne instantly pulled onto the forecourt of the nearby Himley Hall Hotel and, exiting the vehicle, checked the car over.... but to no avail!? Continuing his journey, he had no further issues of any kind and the rest of his journey - to attend a talk on 'Shadow People' by Russell Kellet - was completely uneventful.......
To this day, he has not been able to find a rational explanation for the events of that evening.... but, remaining open minded, this strange encounter potentially seemed to presage a brief series of other, 'peculiar' happenings that subsequently occurred in his own home!?
Moving on briefly to a wider view of the area in which Wayne had his strange experience, it should be mentioned that a great many would not regard such an encounter as 'anything out of the ordinary' for the location in question. To say Himley is regarded as something of a 'haunted area' is a considerable understatement and the ghostlore of this - rather small - region is VERY rich and varied indeed!
Referring to the satellite map above, the majestic Himley Hall is said to be haunted, as are a number of sites that fall within the confines of the Hall grounds. The area around The Great Pool, for example, were long believed to be haunted by the apparition of a Grey or White Lady. Needless to point out - as the crow flies - the site of Wayne's encounter, just opposite the entrance to Himley Cricket Club, lies just a stones throw from the Western edge of the lake in question. The woodland to the immediate North of Himley Hall has long been regarded as having a strange reputation and it was here, some years ago, that a couple of walkers saw a somewhat unusual, dark, human-shaped figure which - on being spotted - was said to have 'taken off' vertically and 'flown' up into the tree canopy above them....!!
To the South East of Himley Hall lies the aptly named 'Crooked House' pub, which has previously played host to investigations by both Wayne's 'Black Country Paranormal Society' and The West Midlands Ghost Club.... as well as a number of other, local paranormal groups. However, it's not only the pub itself that is said to be haunted, but some of the grounds surrounding the location too.... including the nearby woodland and the drive leading to this fairly secluded watering hole as well!? In fact, most of the nearby roads and trackways have some form of spooky reputation associated with them, with a number of supposed 'apparitions' - figures in 'Cavalier-style' garb and so on - being encountered by numerous, passing motorists over a considerable number of years.....
Moving back into Himley Village itself momentarily, Himley House Hotel, the Dudley Arms public house opposite and the nearby crossroads all have some form of ghostly reputation attached to them, it seems. With regards to the latter, pale, indistinct figures - frequently crossing the road in front of passing traffic - have been reported on numerous occasions.... similar incidents also being recorded as occurring along the stretch of the B4176 leading to the entrance to Himley Hall grounds too.
To the South and West of the village are two sites linked by a particular aspect of our tumultuous history.... namely the 'Gunpowder Plot'. Holbeche House is the location where fleeing members of the conspiracy finally held out against pursuing government forces and were (mostly) caught. Not only is the historic structure itself said to be haunted, but, supposedly as a result of the aforementioned siege, a 'phantom horseman' has supposedly been seen galloping through the general region. His presence is also supposedly felt in Himley Plantation - off to the North West - as well as a number of the fields and roads surrounding this heavily wooded area.......
While only giving a brief 'taste' of some of the associated hauntings and legends here, readers are urged to check out the work of local paranormal researcher and author, Andrew Homer, who has covered a number of the locations mentioned here in much greater detail in his numerous works. We have mentioned a couple of Andrews publications (mentioning such cases) on this page previously - HERE and HERE - but a further article on the ghosts associated with Himley Hall itself can also be found via this LINK.
To the South East of Himley Hall lies the aptly named 'Crooked House' pub, which has previously played host to investigations by both Wayne's 'Black Country Paranormal Society' and The West Midlands Ghost Club.... as well as a number of other, local paranormal groups. However, it's not only the pub itself that is said to be haunted, but some of the grounds surrounding the location too.... including the nearby woodland and the drive leading to this fairly secluded watering hole as well!? In fact, most of the nearby roads and trackways have some form of spooky reputation associated with them, with a number of supposed 'apparitions' - figures in 'Cavalier-style' garb and so on - being encountered by numerous, passing motorists over a considerable number of years.....
Moving back into Himley Village itself momentarily, Himley House Hotel, the Dudley Arms public house opposite and the nearby crossroads all have some form of ghostly reputation attached to them, it seems. With regards to the latter, pale, indistinct figures - frequently crossing the road in front of passing traffic - have been reported on numerous occasions.... similar incidents also being recorded as occurring along the stretch of the B4176 leading to the entrance to Himley Hall grounds too.
To the South and West of the village are two sites linked by a particular aspect of our tumultuous history.... namely the 'Gunpowder Plot'. Holbeche House is the location where fleeing members of the conspiracy finally held out against pursuing government forces and were (mostly) caught. Not only is the historic structure itself said to be haunted, but, supposedly as a result of the aforementioned siege, a 'phantom horseman' has supposedly been seen galloping through the general region. His presence is also supposedly felt in Himley Plantation - off to the North West - as well as a number of the fields and roads surrounding this heavily wooded area.......
While only giving a brief 'taste' of some of the associated hauntings and legends here, readers are urged to check out the work of local paranormal researcher and author, Andrew Homer, who has covered a number of the locations mentioned here in much greater detail in his numerous works. We have mentioned a couple of Andrews publications (mentioning such cases) on this page previously - HERE and HERE - but a further article on the ghosts associated with Himley Hall itself can also be found via this LINK.
No comments:
Post a Comment