Wednesday 23rd December 2020

To all of our lovely visitors... here's wishing a 'VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR', from the members of the West Midlands Ghost Club!!

Monday 30th November 2020

Complementing our post below, about Moreton Corbet Castle, we briefly refer back to a photograph that was sent into the group following an appeal for ghost stories, in the Shropshire press, back in 2011.  In response to the plea, we were sent the image above.... 

This intriguing photograph was taken in the graveyard of St. Bartholomew Church, situated next to the castle, by husband and wife, Vikki and Andy Yeomans, in late December 2010.  They told us that they had seen nothing untoward at the time of taking the picture and the image was only obtained as a result of Vikki testing out the camera function of her new mobile phone.

 

Showing the image to a reporter from the North Shropshire Chronicle, in very late February, 2011, the picture merited considerable interest and the newspaper ran a sizeable article about the matter, the following week.  Some people, upon seeing the photograph suggested that the 'ghost' was simply a naturally occurring pale patch on the dividing wall... however, if you look closely (see blow-up above) you can see where the light coloured shape actually seems to jut slightly 'above' and stray a little 'below' the wall itself......!? 

Monday 30th November 2020

One site that I'd been desperately wanting to visit for a number of years now - but just never seem to get round to seeing - was the magnificent ruin of Moreton Corbet Castle in Shropshire.  I say I'd been and was there, as, on Saturday night - purely due to the kindness of family members, desperate for a little excitement during these annoyingly dull days of 'lockdown' - this omission was a long-standing 'itch' that I finally got to, well-and-truly, scratch!  Typically, it turned out to be a pitch-black, foggy, rainy night...... but, excited child that I am, when it comes to this kind of thing, even that couldn't detract from this experience that I'd waited so long for!     

Situated not many miles from Shrewsbury, construction of this impressive structure initially began in 1606, under the direction of Sir Robert Corbet, of Acton Reynald.  Sadly, however, Sir Robert was to prematurely die in London, of the plague, before his project got very far....  The considerable task of carrying on the work now fell to his brother - and successor to the baronetcy - Sir Vincent Corbet.

The latter was said to be a rather kindly man and - while not a Puritan himself - he clearly had no time for the related age of persecution that was sweeping the land during this period.  In fact, Sir Vincent had keenly pursued a friendship with a local Puritan called Paul Holmyard, who was a recognised target of such oppression.  (*Some variations of the legend say that he openly 'sheltered' Holmyard at Moreton Corbet?)

Whatever the truth of the tale, political pressure grew to such a level that Sir Vincent eventually had to be seen to be shying away from his bond with Holmyard..... and the unfortunate man is said to have ended up living in local woodland, basically existing, for a while at least, like a feral creature!!            

During this period, it transpires that Holmyard was passing near the castle one day when he spied Sir Vincent checking on the progress of the property!  Wholly distraught at his current predicament, Holmyard began to vent his anger on his former friend.... and is said to have 'cursed him' thus:

"Woe unto thee, hard-hearted man, the lord has hardened thy heart as he hardened the heart of the Pharaoh, to thine own destruction. Rejoice not in thy riches, not in the monuments of they pride, for neither thou nor thy children, nor thy children's children shall inhabit these halls. They shall be given up to desolation; snakes, vipers and unclean beasts shall make it their refuge, and they home shall be full of doleful creatures. Rejoice not in thy riches, not in the monuments of they pride, for neither thou nor thy children, nor thy children's children shall inhabit these halls. They shall be given up to desolation; snakes, vipers and unclean beasts shall make it their refuge, and they home shall be full of doleful creatures."

 

Well - whether you happen to believe in curses or not - it turns out that this magnificent property was never actually finished...  During the Civil War period, the Corbet family garrisoned the building for the Parliamentarians, resulting in it receiving a considerable battering from besieging Royalist forces!  

Of the ghost that supposedly haunts the site, you could have probably guessed that - on moonlit nights - the bedraggled spectre of the unfortunate Holmyard is said to walk the empty halls of the ruin.... supposedly checking that the building is still not being worked on....!

While the ghost clearly falls into the 'legendary' category - more tale than substance - the site has clearly become a very popular location with the ghost hunting fraternity, and a number of people report strange happenings here.  Some years ago, a number of West Midlands Ghost Club members visited the location and happened to accidentally capture some 'strangeness' on a recording.....

While generally touring the site, one of the members had a video camera running and, as the group passed over the thick grass between ruins and nearby graveyard wall, a sequence of 'footsteps' - on what sounds to be stone flooring - clearly ring out on the footage...!?!  This anomaly wasn't noticed until the tape was later viewed - it was not heard at the time of recording - but, at that exact moment on the tape, one of those present (off camera) calls out:  'What was that...!?'  Intriguingly, when this person was questioned subsequently, they did not recall speaking at that point in time and had no idea what they might have been referring to?

 

In mentioning my recent visit to friends, Carl Buttery - a veteran, North Staffordshire based investigator - describes Moreton Corbet as a 'superb location' and says that he has always picked up activity when visiting the place.  Similarly, my good friend John Chance, of 'Ghostcallers UK', has visited the ruins numerous times and reports quite a lot of happenings there.....  He tells me that he has detected the sound of 'heavy booted footsteps' near the Gatehouse portion of the site... coincidentally, in generally the same section where the aforementioned 'footsteps on stone' were recorded!?  In the main portion of the ruin, adjacent to the room containing the entrance to the cellars, he also detected a noise akin to a set of 'bellows' working?  This sound is said to have continued for a good 20 minutes!  He also reports 'large balls of light' in the same area of the building.....

Monday 30th November 2020 

While we realise that this is a matter that has briefly been mentioned on this blog at least a couple of times in the past, a recently discovered, 'fuller' write-up of the overall affair has recently been discovered on an old, back-up disk.... so we thought it might be worth sharing, just as a matter of interest, perhaps?

And so:  In the earlier months of 2009, the W.M.G.C. received an entirely random, terribly brief email - as many correspondence frequently begin - from a woman inquiring about 'help' with a proposed 'vigil', to be held at her place of work.  In response to our prompt reply, we received a little information about the situation concerned:

"In September 2008 I parked my car in the basement of the building I work in. My grandson and I went to the theatre and on our return (about 11.00pm) we were escorted down to the basement by our security guard. As we were about to go up the ramp, I happened to look down the bottom end of the basement. I know I saw a man peeping out from behind a pillar. In the seconds I saw him, I can only describe him as a young man, with very fine hair, or could have been bald. The security guard and my grandson were now half way up the ramp.

On my return to work, I questioned how many people were on site that evening (i.e. contractors, etc) and was informed that only two guards were on duty: the one that took us down to the basement and the one that stayed on reception.

Having always been interested in the supernatural, I started to dig and found out the history of the place.  As my interest grew, I decided that it was well worth an investigation.  XXX, who own the building, agreed for me to organise it.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, quite a few things happened:  i.e. trains were heard, ladies foot steps, coldness, some thing nasty in one of the shower rooms (when our group tried to get in, with the same key, we couldn't) classical music was heard by people in the two groups.  It was a interesting night. Since then, things have been heard, rather than seen, by myself and the security guards, although sceptical, report noises as if things were been thrown around...."

Needless to say, we have had to omit the name of the company that owned the multi-storey, office building from this write-up, for quite obvious reasons.  Suffice it to mention that the concern was a major, financial firm, associated with Birmingham area, in the West Midlands.

As a result of the above note, two members from the W.M.G.C. traveled to the location involved to interview Jane (we shall call her) - and her grandson - and receive a tour of the locations that featured in the stories associated with the overall site:

Apparently, on a staircase near the roof of the building - during their previous investigation - a 'guttural, breathy noise' was picked up on a digital voice recorder.  There is a shower room near to this location where many report having felt 'something nasty'!?  One of the company cleaners flatly refused to enter this room.  In another shower room - this time located in the basement area - one group of people claim to have experienced some inexplicable sounds, during their investigation.  A second group had, subsequently, gone to check out the matter concerned, but, when they tried to enter the room with the same key used by the first group, earlier, they discovered that the lock refused to open!?  In the end, they tried a number of keys in the lock concerned, but couldn't gain entry!? 

On touring the basement portion of the site, we asked about the 'peeping man' episode mentioned earlier.  Jane said that they had exited a lift and were in the process of walking up a ramp, when she happened to look back behind them and spotted the male figure.....  She didn't know why, but she had said nothing at all to her companions at that time(?)  However, in questioning the security guard on a later occasion (about how many people were present in the building that night), he had blatantly asked her:  "You've seen one of our ghosts, haven't you!?"

She replied that she didn't know, but - if there were indeed only 4 people in the building that night - she must have seen something strange!

Jane had subsequently questioned a gentleman who used to be head of facilities at the company concerned and blatantly said to him:  "I am going to ask you a question and I don't want any crap!  Is this building haunted?"

In response, he had simply said 'Yes!', without any pause......

 

Continuing the tour, we were informed that the figure of a young girl had supposedly been seen on the first floor of the building... which is an area said to play host to poltergeist-like activity too.  However, this portion of the site was not accessible to us on the night in question.  There were, apparently, a number of stories about the little girl being seen, including instances where people have felt themselves being 'poked in the stomach' by small fingers!  In a toilet block on this same level, people entering first-thing in the morning had frequently discovered items / objects inexplicably 'piled up in the middle of the floor'...?

At this point in our visit, we are informed that there have actually been a number of deaths reported in the building, with more than one member of office staff simply being 'discovered dead at their desks' over time!?

On Friday, Jane had to travel up to the 8th floor of the building in one of the lifts.  (Usage of the lifts being a daily, multiple times a day, thing).  On this occasion, she heard a noise.... something akin to a 'slowly released breath' noise.....!?  This wasn't a sound she'd heard previously, so she exited the empty lift and just stood, looking back into the entirely glass car... and the noise continued?  Intriguingly, Jane actually suffers with hearing issues - making her slightly deaf.  On occasions, she has also parked in the basement / car park sub-levels and heard a voice say:  'It's her!'

On the night of their investigation, the attendees had purposefully not been told of the history of the location, which Jane reports as significant in relation to the fact that some had reportedly heard classical music and trains in the basement area: something which has previously been reported by people, allegedly?  (*It should be mentioned, however, that a number of subterranean train lines run throughout parts of the city and the property is only around 400 yards from one of the cities train stations?  On the other hand, it is known that a subterranean mail train used to run close to the location of the company decades earlier).  On the classical music front, however, it was discovered that - during the 1930's - a classical concert was, apparently, held in tunnels running under the city centre!?

During the staff investigation, they had - because the location had previously been a hospital and a bank - used coins and bandages as trigger objects.  Because of the presence of the little girl too, they had also utilised such items as a toy doll.  Apparently, none of the items used had moved, during their stay, though group members reported more standard activity, such as battery drain on cam-corders and the locating of 'cold spots', etc.  Some of the trigger items had been left in place after their investigation ended, however, and it was discovered that money - left where the 'peeping man' had been seen - had indeed moved from its mark?  (Only a very slight movement, though).

At a point during the investigation, one group member had been taking a break in the coffee room area - off the main foyer of the site - when 'something' had apparently 'slapped the cup of coffee from her hand'!

At one particular door in the basement, 'noises' had been detected.  It is claimed that these noises got louder when actually asked to do so by people investigating?  The sound of female footsteps were also reported by team members, who noticed such noises coming from the car park level above, during a vigil.  Unknown to them, both Jane and a security guard had previously heard these same sounds.  It seems that they happened a lot.

While this tour / interview was being recorded (on tape) by one of the W.M.G.C. members, a 'glitch' was detected on the footage, obscuring the conversation between Jane and other group member.  While it is hard to distinguish precisely what this is, it was noted that it may well have been 'other voices' somehow superimposed over the conversation? 

Within a month of initial contact, a group of W.M.G.C. members visited the property, with a group of staff, including an alleged 'psychic' (also from company staff).  As the bulk of our investigations go, the night went rather quietly.

At one point, however - just prior to 12 midnight - the staff group were conducting a 'psychic oriented' sitting in the coffee room, on the ground floor, off the main reception area.   At approx. 12.20 am, a W.M.G.C. member - situated on a 5th floor balcony, conducting a vigil - heard voices from the reception area below and believe that their vigil must have come to an end?  In checking, Jane was found to be situated at the security desk with security staff.  We are told that she had decided to leave the seance-like session nearby, as it had been suggested she might well be 'inhibiting' matters, perhaps?  In explanation, she says that the psychic, at one point, said that she'd received a message pertaining to 'Morris Dancers' and - for whatever reason - another staff member present had suggested that 'Jane wasn't liked' by whatever was there!?  (It wasn't suggested just how they came to this strange conclusion, though, but Jane excused herself from proceedings, just in case?)  Just prior to this exit, both Jane and the psychic had believed they were picking up the sound of muffled voices, but it couldn't be ascertained what - if anything - was being said?  Jane also said she had personally been detecting 'faint breezes' around the same time......

 

 

At this point, where the above was being explained, the security officer at the desk says that they've noticed a distortion on one of the cam feeds, associated with a nearby fire exit.  The area is instantly checked, but nothing can be found.......

Following our investigation of the site - during which, nothing of a potential paranormal nature was noted - further visits to the location were discussed / offered.  However, it was clear from this brief dalliance alone that the location had clearly become (what we term) a highly charged, 'paranormal community' in itself, which is hardly a condition conducive to objective ghost research.  Mainly because of this latter-mentioned, it was decided not to pursue any more investigations at the site and the matter was greatly left untouched afterwards..... 

Wednesday 11th November 2020

A matter that has only come into the W.M.G.C. within the last couple of days or so is the story of some form funerary stone, or memorial marker, being discovered in the cellar of a fairly 'local' house....  

The family concerned have lived in the house for a number of decades now and the stone was discovered, secreted in a corner of the cellar, when they first moved in. The epitaph relates to one Mary Pearson, who was born in 1851 and died in 1890.  If actually made around the death date carved on it, the stone pre-dates the building of the house by approx 15 yrs (give or take).  There was once an occupant of the property with the same surname as carved on the stone.... so perhaps this person simply 'brought it there with them', when they moved in, for whatever reasons?
 
While we have not been able to visit the property as yet and examine the stone personally, it looks - from the photograph and video received - as if it is possibly made from a slim slab of sandstone-like material.  While fairly well executed - you can clearly make out the lines used to plan out the lettering - it still strikes as somewhat 'amateurish' in nature?  Rather than being a 'gravestone', it very much resembles an epitaph slab, for affixing to a wall, or perhaps a side slab from a table-top tomb, possibly?

In an endeavour to try and discover exactly who Mary Pearson might have been, we have once again asked our good friend, Genealogist, Lyn Tambe, to kindly look into the matter for us.  Within a very brief time, Lyn was able to suggest one candidate - with a given birth date of 1852 - for the area concerned.  It is, however, still early days yet.... so the search currently continues!  

There isn't exactly any hint of a 'pressing' case of haunting involved, as such... the occupant only report some slight, potential, 'activity'.... but, together with the presence of the stone, we did find the matter quite intriguing, it could probably go without saying!?

Tuesday November 10th 2020

The same as my long overdue return to Chester, of a few weeks ago, another place that I'd been itching to visit again was the lovely city of Worcester.  Going back around 30 or so years ago, I had gone to explore certain features of the area a number of times, in relatively quick succession, but then no further visits in the subsequent decades, sadly.....

However, come the very last afternoon before the UK 'Covid Lockdown' began again, in earnest... I once again found myself in a position to be able to tour some of the most haunted properties in this fair district!

Sadly, the magnificent Guildhall (shown at the top of this post) is one of those sites that has become rather popular - on the commercial ghost hunt front - which, in my humble opinion, invariably and completely ruins the ghostlore of a site... rendering it utterly useless to further, serious research......  It's haunted history, however - prior to all of this rubbish - is a matter of record.  In decades past, I recall that the site has been used on occasion by my old acquaintance David Taylor, his (now sadly defunct) group 'Parasearch'... as well as by the National association 'ASSAP' too. 

Not all that far along the High Street from the Guildhall is, what is thought to be, the oldest church-site in Worcester City.  I first visited St. Helens Church only my very first visit to the area,  when it still housed the County Records Office / County Archives.  Apparently, since then, however, it has returned to it's former usage as a place of worship and popular community hub.....

The site itself is said to be haunted by the apparition of a little girl, who - witnesses claim - appears to be in the process of 'looking for something'?  Just after renovation work, in the 1950's, a woman is said to have spotted the child in the Nave.  She reports that the little ghost actually 'spoke', informing her that she was 'looking for her collection....'  Unfortunately, the child neglected to say exactly what this 'collection' consisted of..... so the mystery continues!?

Whether it is related in some way to the above or not, the sound of a child crying is said to be one of the oldest ghostly effects reported at the site.....?

The ghost of a monk has also often been seen in the church over quite a period of time.  On one occasion, a young man, who was working at a computer in the Archives, was startled to have his ghostly figure physically 'brush by him', as it went about it's spooky business....!?   At another point, a young, female, staff member had been left to lock up the building after closing one night....  After securing the site, she suddenly realised that she had left something she needed inside the church and - upon re-entering - spied the dark figure of the monk loitering near an internal door......!!

One of the main reasons I was absolutely desperate to visit Worcester Cathedral, this time around, was to see the 'Miserrimus Stone'.... a spooky attraction that I hadn't actually been aware of, on previous visits! 

This memorial slab is situated at the bottom of a small flight of steps - from the body of the Cathedral to the Cloisters, via the South, or Misserimus Door - just outside the entrance to the Gift Shop.  Local legend has it that ON NO ACCOUNT must you step on this stone, as, if you do, you run the risk of summoning the ghost of Thomas Morris.......!?

Morris was a vicar of nearby Claines and a minor canon of the cathedral.  In 1689, he refused to take the oath to King William and Queen Mary and - as a result - was purposefully thwarted in his aspirations and chosen pursuits, during his lifetime.....  On his death, he is said to have asked to be buried at the foot of the aforementioned flight of steps, with just this one word carved on his stone.  He said that he had been 'walked over all of his life' and, therefore, would be 'walked over in death' too...!

I will admit that I did go there to specifically 'step on the stone'... a challenge is a challenge, after all!  However, when I actually  went to do it, such an act felt rather disrespectful - give the poor chaps story - so I ended up purposefully NOT treading on the stone, instead!! Laugh!!

As well as the above tale, there are a number of other ghosts (and strange occurrences) associated with the Cathedral and surrounding environs.....

On one occasion, two electricians were working in a terribly narrow crawlspace, with one man having to pass required tools along to his friend, who was then carrying out the work.  Getting a little bored in his tedious task, the former crawled out of the uncomfortable passageway, for a quick loo break and a snack.  Getting a little carried away with his 'rest', he eventually realised that he'd actually left his friend for an overly long period of time and - crawling back into the hole - he apologised heartily for being away so long.....  The man carrying out the work was somewhat puzzled by his friends admission, saying that he hadn't noticed, as the required tools had seemingly continued to be 'passed on to him', without any pause...... even when his mate was away, elsewhere!?

Interestingly, given the above story:  While I was conducting an investigation at a solicitors premises in Wolverhampton, some years ago, one of the staff present told me that a relative of his was somehow 'involved with' Worcester Cathedral.  (I forget exactly how now, however, as it has been such a while ago).  The relative had told the man that they had quite recently uncovered some form of small passageway that led to a tiny, cell-like room....  Apparently, anyone who had visited this room had found it terribly disturbing... to the extent that they could not bear to be in there for more than a minute or so at a time!?

On a number of occasions, different apparitions have reportedly been seen in the area around the Cathedral, including those of an elderly woman, monks and - since the Civil War period at least - the ghost of a bear!!

Only a couple of hundred yards from the Cathedral is the ancient thoroughfare of Friar Street, which - perhaps rightly so - is said to contain a number of haunted properties.  One such building is the 'Cardinals Hat' public house...

The apparition said to haunt this property is that of a young woman in white, nightdress-type attire, with long, blonde hair.  No one knows who the girl is, for sure, but she has been nick-named 'Emilie'.  Today, she is accused of playing playful pranks on staff at the site, but, local legend has it that her origins may lie within a terrible tragedy.....?

In an upstairs bedroom, a number of staff and owners have experienced somewhat bizarre temperature changes... uncommonly, for a haunted property, finding that the air had become 'steamingly hot'!?!  The apparition of the girl has often been seen in the passageway outside the room involved, so it has been suggested that the unfortunate creature may well have died here, in a fire, at some point in the buildings history, perhaps? 

Another Friar Street site - visited during my first trip to Worcester - was the 'Tudor House Museum'.  Interestingly, the property has apparently changed hands in the interim.  Formerly run by Worcester Council since the 1950's, it was eventually closed down in 2003... only to be later taken over by a collective called 'The Worcester Heritage Amenity Trust'.  It is this group of lovely volunteers who still proudly look after the site today.....

Sadly, nothing really seems to be known of the 'haunted history' of this ancient building under Council ownership, but - since the aforementioned 'W.H.A.T.' took over - a number of strange occurrences have seemingly been reported......?

An author, visiting the property as part of an event, had a pot of water 'jerked out of her hands' as she was walking up the stairs....  She says that she couldn't understand how this came to happen, but was apparently 'told off' by an angry kitchen staff!!  Laugh!!

Because of a succession of reported occurrences, a paranormal investigation was held at the site, during which the sound of women - shouting and screaming - was heard in the cellar.  One of the investigators present claims to have detected 'something swinging' out of the corner of her eye and, when she turned to look, she supposedly saw the form of a young man 'swinging from one of the beams'!?  Some while later, an electrician had to carry out some work in the same area and later emerged, saying:  'There's a lot of sadness down in that cellar.....'

Sadly, with our visit falling on their last day of opening before this further (ridiculous IMHO) lockdown, the site will not be opening again until very early December!  However, if you're ever in Worcester with a few minutes to spare, please DO pop along to the Tudor House Museum and show your support for such a beautiful, little attraction!!  The museum website can be visited via this LINK)

Monday November 2nd 2020

I'd only recently been joking with someone about the fact that the media hadn't been contacting us, with regards to articles and shows, etc, since the group took the decision to greatly 'back away from' a lot of media contact, off our own bat.  This decision came after many years of fostering healthy working relationships with numerous, different, media sources, which greatly ended - in more recent times - with a handful of instances where newspapers (in particular) took liberties with the group, resulting in a lot of wasted time and effort on our behalf......

Having said this, it was with a little surprise that someone kindly sent us a link to a 'Birmingham Mail' article from approx 5 days ago that gave the group a MINISCULE mention in a standard, Halloween piece, concerning the usual, run-of-the-mill, Black Country hauntings......

While we knew nothing about the piece concerned - re-reporting a Dudley Castle related spooky photograph from 2014 - we were subsequently contacted by a features writer from the 'Express and Star' newspaper who inquired whether club members might be interested in being interviewed for an article?  Long-standing W.M.G.C. member, Steve Chew, happily stepped up and the resulting piece - one of the best we've ever had published about the group, it has to be said - appeared in the 'Express and Star' Weekend Supplement for Halloween.....        

Saturday, 31st October 2020

Despite this year being highly restrictive for most of us, here's hoping that all of our visitors still manage to have an enjoyable and safe Halloween!!  Our very best wishes to everyone, everywhere!!

 

Saturday, 31st October 2020

Despite all of my travels throughout this region (and beyond) over the decades, I'd somehow managed to miss visiting the relatively close-by hamlet of Kings Norton, situated just a few miles away, on the opposite side of Birmingham City.  I'd been aware of the ghostly heritage of the related location, St. Nicholas' Place, for many years - and had always planned to go - but just never seemed to get round to it, for whatever reason...?

However:  In more recent times, one of our social media friends (and an acquaintance of mine for many years), Pat Taylor, had made a number of references to the area on the W.M.G.C. Facebook page (LINK), concerning it's associated ghost stories.  As well as long being fascinated by paranormal matters, Pat also happens to have been an active volunteer at the historic property known as 'The Tudor Merchants House' - formerly, commonly, known as 'The Saracens Head' - located in St. Nicholas' Place. (Above image).  As readers may well imagine, this property - the oldest parts of which date from the very late 15th Cent. - has played many roles over it's long history.  The 'Saracens Head' title comes from the fact that part of the overall building had been turned into a public house, of that name, by 1700...... 

And it is here that one of the key ghost stories associated with the area appears.  It is recorded that, during the English Civil War period, Queen Henrietta Maria stayed at the property, as she passed through the region with a force of some five and a half thousand men.  As frequently happened, such armies were at the constant mercy of a variety of devastating illnesses and, at this point, the contingent of royal followers were visited by an outbreak of influenza.  For safety reasons, Queen Henrietta was housed in the Saracens Head, while her troops camped nearby.  In order to pass messages between the two parties, an unnamed maidservant of the queen was used as a 'runner'.  Typically, with the virulent nature of such conditions back then, it wasn't long until the unfortunate girl was also afflicted with the virus....... 

When the army chose to move on, the servant was still very ill and, therefore, was left behind.  Sadly, instead of improving, the girl passed away... and it is her ghost that is said to haunt the location to this day.  While it is often said that her apparition has been experienced, walking the upper floors of the property, looking for her long-gone Queen, it has to be noted that she appears to be very much a 'legendary' ghost and, while she is alleged to be there, actual 'first-hand experiences with' her sad spectre are either strangely unrecorded or perhaps just a matter of popular myth?

 

Situated on the opposite side of the churchyard to The Saracens Head is the beautiful 'Old Grammar School'.  Possibly built, originally, as the priests house to St. Nicholas' Church, this lovely, little property also has an associated ghost story.....

Some years ago, I was contacted by a lady who - as a girl - had attended a function in the area with a friend.  In exploring around the church, they had spotted the Grammar School and - 'as you do' - had, inquisitively, gone over to peep in at the windows......  As they squinted through the grimy glass, they became aware of a group of what appeared to be 'school children', dressed in period style, apparently staring right back at them!!  Whatever the girls had see, they were not interested in exploring any more and... safe to say.... they quickly exited the scene!! 

Once again, I am greatly indebted to my good friend, John Chance - of Ghostcallers UK - for allowing me to accompany him on his recent visit to this fascinating and historic area!!  Many thanks matey!!

Friday 16th October 2020

Strangely, I'd only recently asked members of the W.M.G.C. Facebook page if anyone had anything of interest planned for Halloween this year....?  Well.... if you have no plans as yet - and live within a reasonable distance of North West Shropshire - the absolutely beautiful Whittington Castle is staging an amazing event that will surely appeal to 'ghost enthusiasts' of ALL ages!!

Tuesday 13th October 2020

Once more, we find that we're greatly indebted to our good friend John Chance - of Ghostcallers UK - for kindly taking us into the wilds of Shropshire, on one of his recce visits to a handful of allegedly haunted sites!  On this excursion, we visited the lovely, little town of Madeley, situated just outside Ironbridge.....

The main focus of this recent visit was to take a look at the ruin of an old windmill, situated in woodland, just to the rear of the popular (and supposedly haunted) Madeley Court Hotel.  Possibly erected as early as the beginning of the 18th Cent., this is an intriguing spot with a fair amount of 'strange history' associated with it.  In his late-80's booklet, 'The Ironbridge District Ghost Book', Ascott-Davies tells the story of a young man, who was walking through the area on the way back home from visiting his girlfriend.  On passing the mill, he suddenly became aware of a groaning noise and the unfamiliar sight of 'sails' moving around on the derelict structure, where no sails existed any longer!?  Even more bizarre, however, was the presence of two, Satyr-like figures seemingly in the process of 'knocking the sails around'!?!  Now, it's clearly all-too-easy to scoff about a story like this, but - if the sighting were indeed true - then what could possibly cause a vision like this to be experienced......?

Ascott-Davies also mentions the story of a girl who was out walking her dog one day, near to the mill, when she suddenly became 'deaf'!  She could see other people close by - cars passing in the distance and so on - but she found that she couldn't hear the slightest noise!?  Putting her hands to her ears, she was instantly aware of a deep, black, hole situated just in front of her!!  Apparently, this turned out to be the very real air shaft to an old mine.... and the girls hearing returned on the same instant that she spotted the pit!  Whatever caused the inexplicable silence, the girl believed this strange incident saved her life that day........?

John also mentioned that he had recently been speaking to another ghost enthusiast, who says that they have investigated the area around the old windmill on a number of occasions in the past.  They apparently report having heard inexplicable screaming sounds from the surrounding woodland......?

Only a matter of 300 or so yards from the aforementioned mill stands the beautiful and historic Madeley Court Hotel.  In 2006, the once very popular (but now defunct) 'Beacon Radio' recorded a 'Halloween Special' show at the site and kindly asked if members of the West Midlands Ghost Club could possibly attend and add an objective, 'investigative angle' to the proceedings?  Needless to say, we were only too happy to oblige!

Interestingly, most of the ghost stories historically associated with the site seem to involve the area surrounding the property!?  Ghosts seen, over the years, supposedly include former residents of a series of cottages that once existed close by.... including the apparition of an old lady who is said to smile sweetly, before disappearing into the entrance of one of these (now long gone) properties!?

One of the more 'popular' sightings for the region are the figures of 'monks', a number of which have supposedly been spotted, over time, walking the grounds of the smart hotel.

Inside the building itself, different forms of activity have been reported in numerous areas... including poltergeist-like happenings in the cellar and the sound of children laughing and talking in a certain function room (that is actually a fairly 'new' addition to the overall hotel complex).  A small access door has also been seen slamming, seemingly of it's own accord, in this same area.

According to visitors - at the time of our 2006 visit - 'Room 11' is the most haunted portion of Madeley Court.  Although lovely, it must certainly also rank as one of the tiniest rooms in the property too?

Here, it is said, the figure of a man has been seen on a number of occasions, seemingly standing mid-way 'through a bed'!?!  He is generally positioned around the centre of the bed, with his legs invisible to onlookers, being situated 'inside' the item of furniture itself!!  The face of a woman has also been seen 'peering in' at the window to the room, despite the fact that it is high-up on the second floor.....  It was while situated in this chamber - myself seated at the window, because my companions from the radio station were too scared to sit there!  (Laugh!) - that we discover a recording device inexplicably failed to work and a fully charged DV cam no longer held any charge in it......

In the adjacent, associated mill building (above), the ghost of a young girl has been seen in the kitchen area and the figure of a man near one of the downstairs bars.  The staff member who experienced the apparition of the little girl said that the child appeared to be 'playing hide and seek with her'.  As they had been situated at a work surface, they had clearly seen the girl 'bobbing up and down' - in and out of sight - at the end of the same kitchen unit.  This was experienced from their peripheral vision, but, whenever they turned to look straight at the child, there was nothing to be seen!  Apparently, this is a ghost that a number of people have reported over time.  She is around 5 years of age and wears the clothing of a late / post Medieval period.  In a separate kitchen in the same building, the little girl was also once blamed for tugging at the clothing of another staff member.

At this point - pertinent to our recent visit - it should be mentioned that, while Madeley Court Hotel seem fine with daytime visitors to the site, we would very much like to warn anyone wishing to take a look at the location of the approach to the hotel itself.  The complex is accessed via a winding drive that is utterly shot with sizeable pot-holes... many of an horrifically worrying depth!  Suffice it to say, some of these pot-holes are clearly capable of causing 'flat tyres', if not navigated very carefully!!

Our final location of the day was the picturesque St. Michael's Churchyard, situated at the heart of Madeley Village itself.

As well as containing some absolutely fascinating graves - including a number of 'cast iron' tombs - the cemetery is said to be haunted by a female apparition.  One early December morning, a gentleman was passing through the graveyard when he suddenly spied a female figure in the process of laying flowers on one of the grave plots....  As it was terribly early, and barely light, he decided to walk down towards the woman for a closer look.  As he progressed, he suddenly stumbled and - momentarily distracted - looked back up to find no sign of the lady anywhere....!?

Once again, a massive 'Thank You' goes out to John Chance for kindly inviting us to tag along with him on his recent visit!  Cheers matey!

Tuesday, 22nd September, 2020

The tiny village of Ruyton XI Towns stands in the borderland between England and Wales, on the very Western edge of Shropshire.  Atop a hill in the village, overlooking the surrounding, picturesque countryside, is the mid-12th Century church of St. John The Baptist, which houses - in it's weathered graveyard - the remnants of a small castle......      

During our recent trip to nearby Whittington Castle (see the following blog post), John Chance had mentioned to me that he also wanted to view this intriguing site and intended to visit during our journey homeward.

Local legend has it that anyone passing through the graveyard at midnight will be privy to a spectral mist, rolling in from the nearby valley.  This fog will eventually engulf the whole churchyard and Ruyton Castle ruins.....  At this point, the apparition of a man, seated on a mount, will be seen riding towards the site of the castle keep, before finally disappearing into the ever thickening mist........!?!

Who the rider is, no one can actually say..... but what better setting for such a lovely legend: a castle ruin, situated inside a church yard, atop a wind-swept hill, overlooking such beautiful Shropshire scenery.....!?!

Now, without waffling on unduly, I guess it could be said that regular visitors to this page will, by now, know me as something of a hard-nosed sceptic when it comes to alleged, paranormal matters.  I am certainly not a person that flits from one supposedly haunted spot to another, experiencing 'paranormal happenings'; in fact, as anyone who knows me will be able to attest, I have - in an entire lifetime of interest and 32 years of actual, hands-on, paranormal investigation - had possibly 2 or 3 separate experiences that I would go as far as suggesting might have been 'mildly strange' in nature, at best.......

Keeping this firmly in mind, however...... read on.......

At one point during our visit, John and myself were pretty-much standing, side by side, at the spot indicated by the pink arrow in the photograph above. We had been walking in the direction also indicated by the arrow, when we happened to stop and look at the extremely clear inscription on the side of the table-top tomb.   The small gap between the wall of the church tower and the side of the tomb - occupied by John and myself - was possibly 5 or 6 feet maximum.

I was bending forward slightly, to view the text, and John was standing up straight, to my immediate right.  I believe one or the other of us was saying something at the point in question, but (from my point of view) I suddenly heard a vocal 'Huhhhh...' type noise from - I would personally be willing to bet - just a foot or perhaps two in front of my face, at a position approximate with the top-right / 'broken' corner of the side of the tomb we were facing!?  (see pic below, supplied by John Chance).  The noise sounded 'vocal' and 'male-ish', to my hearing... i.e. coming from the throat of a 'man'?

I didn't actually say anything as the sound occurred, but John then, instantly afterwards, said (words to the effect): 'Did you hear that noise then...?' I indicated I had indeed heard something and, in trying to emulate the sound, we clearly agreed on having heard the very same effect!?  The only possible thing that I could think of to explain away the strange noise was that if an animal of some kind had potentially taken up residence inside the tomb - as occasionally happens with such structures - and had made a sound in an attempt to warn us away from it's home, perhaps?  A quick investigation of the row of table-top tombs in question, however, revealed no sign of an opening at all, where an animal could possibly gain entry.....?

In ending this post, I should just like to take a moment to say a MASSIVE 'Thank You' to my friend John for, once again, kindly inviting me to accompany him on this most enjoyable excursion to Whittington and Ruyton XI Towns!!  As always, a lovely day out in equally lovely company!!

Tuesday, 22nd September, 2020

I'm greatly indebted to my friend, John Chance - paranormal researcher and head of the 'Ghostcallers UK' association [Facebook Page] - for most kindly generating the opportunity for this post to be made...... 

I had first heard of 'Whittington Castle', near Oswestry, in Shropshire, a number of years ago now, having first come across the site in one of the books by author, Ascott - Davies, in the early 90's... and later in other, Shropshire-related, paranormal literature.  Sadly - until this past weekend and John's generous offer of accompanying him on a visit to the location - I'd never had the chance to actually see the place 'in the flesh', as it were....   It must be stressed that the site had invariably looked a most charming and picturesque location in photographs, but this was - no exaggeration - nothing at all in comparison to being able to view the castle at first-hand!  As the stunning ruin first came into view, entering the village from a Southern direction, it was like being smacked in the face with a 'best of...' feature from 'This England' magazine!!

From an 'associated ghostlore' aspect, the aforementioned Ascott-Davies offers the information that two children are often witnessed peering from the small windows of the twin entrance towers.  Exactly who the children are is unknown, but he suggests that they may well be related to former occupants of the castle... while other authors posit they could possibly be 'prisoners' of some kind?  Harking back to the conflict-ridden days of border skirmishes with the Welsh, maybe these unfortunate children were taken as a form of leverage, in the hope that warring parties might be encouraged to 'toe the line' and behave themselves?  Certain references suggest that the ghostly children are never encountered by anyone inside the confines of the fortress, but only witnessed by 'passers by'...?  However, other sources contradictorily state that people had also possibly 'heard them', going about their ghostly business internally too.....?

In 'Haunted Places Of Shropshire', by Rupert Matthews, another 'ghost' for Whittington village is mentioned.  This supposedly appears in the form of a mounted figure, clad in early 13th Cent. armour, seen riding around the general region!  Matthews suggests this is the phantom of Sir Fulk III Fitzwarin, who kept the castle until his death at the remarkable age of 80!

Of course, all of the above are purely snippets of 'lore' that have been repeated about the castle and this can - it has been proven time and again - differ greatly than potential, 'real life' and / or 'ongoing' activity.  John Chance has visited Whittington Castle on a number of occasions previously and even actively investigated the site, in the past.  He assures me that the castle is what he describes as an 'active location'.... something bore out by the fact that the site regularly plays host to night-time paranormal investigations....!?

Whittington Castle website can be accessed HERE and contains a wealth of relevant information - pretty much anything and everything the potential visitor should need to know about this most beautiful location!  On site, there is a shop, tea rooms, archaeological exhibits, amenities.... and even a charming little book shop!  Not only does the castle play host to numerous public events and activities throughout the year, but - akin to some of the aforementioned paranormal investigations - the location can also be hired for private events too!

Tuesday, 22nd September 2020

Since my first and only visit to the beautiful city of Chester - some 28 years ago now - I had always intended to go back one day!  It could probably go without saying that this, now distant, break was 'ghost related': entirely based on the fact that I'd previously read so much about the ghostlore of this historic city and decided to go and take a look-see for myself.....  On a personal 'Best Of...' list - i.e. a mixture of history and ghostlore - the locality is only, potentially, surpassed by the likes of York (I.M.H.O.), and easily on par with the likes of Oxford and Cambridge, etc.....(?) 

As anyone who has made the same kind of (historic-cum-paranormal based) visit would know, Chester is simply not a location that can possibly 'be done in a day' though....... so, it was with intense pleasure that I was finally given another chance to see the place once again, in mid-August, this year!!  

One, key site that I'd previously managed to completely 'miss' was the ruin of St. Johns Church.... The most intriguing aspect of this particular haunting is that it supposedly didn't actually 'begin' until April 14th 1881, when the great tower of the structure suddenly collapsed!?!

Almost immediately afterwards, a figure in a long cloak was reportedly seen lurking around the ruins!? The form was observed so clearly, however, it was initially believed that it may well be a real, flesh and blood, person afoot?  Subsequently though, it was later witnessed 'vanishing into thin air', which seemed to 'put pay to' any further notions of human-based skullduggery!!

The black robed form is often said to be seen in the aptly titled 'Haunted Passage': a high-walled alleyway, at the side of the remains of the church tower, which leads down to the river......  During the early 1970's, the apparition supposedly accosted a college lecturer here and 'muttered at him in an ancient language'!!! The night was said to have been one full of 'heavy snow', but, as the two figures separated and the lecturer turned to view the strange vision once again, he found not a living soul in site..... nor any footprints but his own in the fresh snow!!  

More than one person has seen this ghost so closely as to be able to hear that it was muttering in a language that sounded like German? Historians have suggested that this may well have been Anglo Saxon, perhaps?

Apart from the ghost itself, one of the main points of interest associated with St. Johns is a Medieval, 'wooden coffin', which is said to have been discovered by workmen in the 19th Cent. and - for whatever reason - housed by them in the upper portion of one of the church walls?  (Above image).  The coffin has the legend 'Dust To Dust' painted in the middle of it, which, needless to say, is a grim reminder, to anyone who reads it, concerning the fleeting nature of their own mortality....... 

St. Johns isn't - by any means - the only haunted location in just this tiny portion of the city, however, and actually shares the immediate region with a handful of other sites known for their ghostly reputations!   

Within a hundred yards  - heading back in the direction of the city centre - stands 'Peppers Gate' [marked as '1' in photo below], the remains of a 'Roman Amphitheatre' [main focus of photo] and the base of a 'Roman Tower' [marked as '2' in photo].  All of these locations have associated ghost stories.   

It's said that Chester's 'oldest' ghost walks the area between the latter two sites: the figure of a Roman Decurion (officer), of the 11th Legion Adiutrix. We can be so precise about the appearance of this apparition, because witnesses have described him in such vivid detail, it seems!  Legend has it that the soldier fell in love with a local, Celtic girl and - when on duty at night - he would leave his post under the control of his subordinates and 'slip out' to meet his lover.   One evening, however, a group of Celtic tribesmen captured him as he left the tower and slipped inside to kill the remaining guards and steal what they could in the process....... The officer had only been 'trussed up' by the tribesmen, it seems, and he somehow managed to slip his bindings  during the incursion... rushing inside to try and raise the alarm!! Sadly, we don't know if he ever managed this final act, but it is suggested he was cut down by a Celtic blade in his attempt........!?!      

'Peppers Gate' also has a romantic ghost story associated with it, dating from the Tudor Period.  It is said that the daughter of a powerful Alderman fell in love with a lowly armourer. It should go without saying that the girls father disapproved of the association. Their secret love affair continued, however, until, one day, the girl was playing with friends next to Peppers Gate, when she suddenly leaped onto the back of a powerful charger, ridden by the armourer.... The pair quickly shot across the nearby River Dee into Wales and freedom!!

Some years later, there was a reconciliation between the girl and her father, resulting in a return to Chester. It is suggested though that the act of her escaping from her over-bearing parent is recorded in the area outside Peppers Gate, in the form of 'phantom hoofbeats' that are said to have frequently been heard at night.......?

Also, only a stones throw from St. Johns Ruins, is a public area called Grosvenor Park, the gates to which are often found 'locked' - or to have been inexplicably 'opened' - when park staff haven't been near them!?  This activity is usually put down to a little character called Billy Hobby, once said to have been the keeper of a pool and pure-water spring inside the park.  While some say that Hobby was a real character in the history of the area, folkolorists have suggested that his name intimates a more 'otherworldly' being.... i.e. a 'Hob' or 'Hobgoblin'?  Whatever the historical truth to this character - if any - the latter mentioned theory, considering the infamous 'trickster-like' activities of these creatures, would certainly fit in with the troublesome opening and locking of gates, eh!?

And... there are even more interesting sites that could be listed in close proximity to these mentioned above, but I shall just leave this post here... to save myself rambling on indefinitely, even though I have barely scratched the surface with regards to local hauntings and ghostlore!!!  Suffice it to say, this beautiful city has so much to offer pretty much anyone, no matter what your taste.  I'm certainly looking forward to my next visit to Chester and I hope you might take my advice and go there for a good look-see yourself, if you already haven't.....  You certainly won't be disappointed!!

 

Tuesday 22nd September 2020

It's been almost 30 years now, since members of the W.M.G.C. first visited Cosford Aerospace Museum in Shropshire.  Our decision to take a look at the site at that initial point was a direct consequence of a fascinating B.B.C. Radio 4 documentary, 'The Haunting Of RF398', which had been broadcast a month or so earlier.

At the time of tapping out this note, I couldn't accurately guess at the amount of further visits I've taken to the museum, over the years, in the company of 'ghostie-related' friends and family; but it's always been a pleasure to find myself standing in the shadow of the imposing - allegedly haunted - Lincoln Bomber, RF398, once more......

As visitors to this page will probably know, strange stories surrounding the aircraft in question began during the 1970's, while it was still in the process of being renovated and repaired.  Mechanics are said to have regularly discovered necessary tools being 'moved out of reach' inexplicably.... and rumours of a figure, in 'full flying gear', glimpsed around the workplace?  Interestingly, once the repairs were finished and RF398 installed in the museum itself, numerous visitors to the site - including TV / media staff and crew - have supposedly seen a head and shoulders, wearing typical pilot gear, up in the cockpit of the plane!?

During the 1980's, R.A.F. Cosford allowed a number of paranormal investigations to be held in the aircraft, at which point (supposedly) inexplicable sounds of operational 'gear' - switches, ratchet devices and so on - were recorded, seemingly being manipulated by unseen hands inside the cockpit!?  It was this, along with rumours of other ghostly activity, that led to the BBC interest in the location and subsequent coverage.  (*It should be mentioned here, however, that these 'operational sound' recordings have been an item of considerable debate, over the years, and where potentially 'faked' by certain parties for ulterior reasons?)

Whatever the truth behind the alleged 'hauntings' at R.A.F. Cosford Museum, it is always a most enjoyable and fascinating place to explore.  Needless to say, our most recent visit - on July 19th this year - came amid all of the hustle, bustle and concern generated by the ongoing 'Covid 19' affair.  While certain sections of the overall site were closed off to the public at this point - Hangar No.1, for example - the museum is still currently open to the public, though Covid related terms and conditions  obviously apply.......