Tuesday 30th June 2020

Within the last couple of weeks or so, one of the members of the W.M.G.C. Facebook community happened to share some details of 'strange goings-on' in their home..... including this highly intriguing photograph!!

We were told that the occupants had moved into a very run-down, 2 bedroomed, bungalow around 8 or so years ago.....  The house had previously been home to an elderly lady, who had apparently lived there with her own mother.

During the course of subsequently renovating the property, the roles of certain rooms had to basically be 'switched':  the front bedroom temporarily becoming the family lounge, for example.  One evening, while seated here, the mother of the family says that she distinctly saw a hint of 'movement' in the corner of the room... and noticed that her husband had also looked in that direction too!?  The daughter of the family - "I am the feet!" she introduced herself (laugh!!) - tells us that, subsequently, a 'small black blur'.... taken to be a cat (?)..... was sometimes witnessed in the room.

We are assured that they have never owned a cat!  

A few years later and the 'lounge' became the aforementioned daughters 'bedroom', where - while taking a picture to show a friend a dress intended for New Year, 2017 celebrations - the compelling image was taken!!  The bulk of people viewing the image - W.M.G.C. 'FB' members and myself included - clearly see 'cat-like' features, passing between the feet.... to the extent that some have even suggested a breed for the creature....?  The daughter mentioned:  "My older brother thought it looked more like a squirrel; I think an old cat, you can actually see the eye and ear quite clearly..."   

For the sake of objectivity, it should be pointed out that the photograph was taken 'in a mirror', but, at the time, the glass was checked for potential streaks, etc, though nothing was found to correspond with the effect.  

Whatever this image might represent, readers have to admit that this indisputably 'cat-like' form is highly compelling.... especially in the light of what had apparently been seen and experienced in the house previously!?

With regards to 'other' happenings, a 'movement across the floor' has also been experienced in the 'new' lounge area too.  This has been witnessed by numerous people.  In the kitchen, you distinctly get the feeling that 'someone has walked behind you', yet there is no one there when you check.  A good friend of the mother sat where she would normally sit, at a dining table, and was observed to see if she possibly reacted.....?  She did.... and said she'd had the impression that someone had passed behind her!?  A number of people have supposedly had similar experiences here:  someone distinctly moving by them..... with some even reporting sightings of a form, reflected in a nearby glass surface, at the same time!?  It's often believed to be the father of the family, until a check is made.... and it is found that no one is actually present.  Because of this latter notion, the daughter tends to believe it is possibly a 'male' presence....?

She also mentions that her partner has heard footsteps in the property and - in the master bedroom - has felt the sensation of someone 'sitting behind him, on the bed', though no one was there when he checked. Inexplicable footsteps have also been heard passing up the stairs to the property.... which strikes as a highly peculiar matter, as there were no stairs in the building before the current family moved there!?  It's said that this sound is rare, however, but can be loud!  On one occasion, the daughter and her partner were entering the home when they suddenly heard someone 'run upstairs' as they came in.....  The partner took chase, but subsequently found nothing to account for the sounds......!?

I'd just like to say a big 'Thank You!' to the family concerned for sharing the photograph with us and giving permission to post this data on the blog!  Needless to say, we'd love to hear what visitors think on this perplexing image / matter, so please do leave a comment or write in privately to let us know!?

Tuesday 30th June 2020

After answering an appeal for paranormal stories and experiences, West Midlands Ghost Club friend, Gordon Anthony Cave-Wallace, made a recent appearance on the popular 'Road To Innsmouth' podcast.....

"It's a good way to get a lot of information across," he says of the experience, "...and, as much as I like reading, it's always good to hear someone speak about it!  Hopefully it will encourage more people to come forward with their own stories......?"  

Despite being a relative newcomer to the world of the 'podcast', I must admit that I've taken to the subject quite avidly myself and have to agree that there is certainly something to the 'straight from the horses mouth' (if you'll excuse the comparison!) experience....  I've often had to 'interview people' via correspondence, during the course of research, but this mode is no comparison at all to actually 'hearing' someone actually be able to 'tell you' of their experiences.....  The delivery, intonation and emphasis, is a vitally important factor in the relating of information and especially so in any form of 'oral storytelling' (again, if you'll forgive the terminology!) 

With this in mind, Gordon has previously shared quite a bit of information with me, concerning some of the (numerous) 'strange experiences' in his life... all of which has been in the form of the 'written word'.  The recent 'Road To Innsmouth' interview HERE - or on Youtube HERE - 'gives a voice' to some of those encounters.... something that we're sure our page visitors will enjoy........!   

Monday 29th June 2020

One of the first sites that I ever investigated - even before the founding of the 'West Mids Ghost Club', in 1989 - was a place called Turls Hill Wood, in Sedgley.  Around the time in question, the 'local history' newspaper, 'The Black Country Bugle', had happened to re-print a lot of information about this supposedly haunted spot in one of their Christmas-time 'Annuals' and - needless to say - this was a considerable inspiration to visit and explore the region itself......

Over the subsequent 35 or so years, the location has been the site of numerous re-visits, at various times of the day and night.

The alleged, 'haunting' data was, at that initial point, taken as 'reliable' information... though, in more recent decades, it's been clearly revealed that 'The Bugle' has been wholly 'unreliable' in their reporting of supposedly paranormal matters over the years.  Suffice it to say, they are known to have quite shamelessly 'manufactured' details / stories in the past, leading to speculation re. the actual validity of literally any of their paranormal-related pieces? 

With this firmly in mind:  the accounts reported by 'The Bugle' spoke of people apparently seeing the figure of an old woman, dressed in period costume and carrying a lamp. She is said to be seen in the pedestrianised portion of Turls Hill Road, leading to Hurst Hill Wood, which contains an old quarry.  According to the newspaper, the two sons of a local family both committed suicide in a cave - situated at the bottom of the quarry - and the apparition of the old woman was said to be their distraught mother, desperately searching for her deceased offspring.....  It was also suggested that the ghosts of the suicidal brothers had also been seen in the locality, standing together, at the gate to a field......? 

In a couple of their accounts, specific witnesses were named, though, without actually chasing up the people concerned, readers will have to make of this what they will.....  These details - or, at least, variations on that general theme - have appeared in a number of places, over subsequent time, but, chronologically speaking, it should be noted that 'other', reported, references adhere to the details listed in 'The Bugle' and are, therefore, most probably the same references simply being re-reported.....?

Considering the abovementioned, it's interesting to note that, in subsequent decades, there does not really seem to have been - specifically - any 'fresh' reports of either the female apparition mentioned in these alleged 'accounts', nor those of the suicidal brothers?  The data concerned has clearly entered the paranormal culture of the Black Country, however, as many people and references obviously allude to these ghosts.... though, again, all sources appear to be the simple repeating of 'known lore' - "It's said that the area is haunted, etc...." - featuring the same, familiar motifs as above, or 'variations on a theme', based around the Bugle reports.  In such situations, we always HAVE to be aware of the notion that a supposedly 'known haunting' - the presence in the social history / culture of a given region, indicating that a certain place is 'said to be haunted', etc - can often 'generate' reports and sightings, etc, irrespective of whether the initial legends / rumours are true.....

Even with the above firmly in mind, however, conversations in more recent times with a number of different and mostly unconnected 'locals', about 'peculiarities' noticed and experienced within the region, would certainly seem to indicate that at least 'something', of a potentially 'paranormal' nature, is possibly afoot?

Greatly setting aside the 'old lady' and 'suicidal brothers' motifs for one minute, a number of people basically report having 'seen' presumed 'apparitions' in the more general locality.... which appear to include everything from 'headless', male figures, to overly-tall, 'monk-like' forms.... to indistinct, elephant-sized, shapes..... to a female figure wearing a hat and long coat!?!  As you will probably agree, none of these suggestions are particularly indicative of the legends indicated by the Bugle, though it should be stressed that this 'other', proffered ghostlore does affect a much broader - yet still localised - area than (again) suggested in the BCB tales!? 

As well as these one-off sightings, there are also a number of allegedly 'haunted houses' in the region too - featuring their own 'hauntings' and activity - involving everything from fairly typical poltergeist-like effects, to sightings of apparitions, etc:  all kinds of 'ghosts', including male, female and also young (m / f) spectres (respectively, from property to property, of course).  In at least one of these cases, the inhabitants of the house reported that their own issues seemed to initially begin 'following' the sighting of the 'monk-like' form, mentioned above, in the Turls Hill region?

One element that does seemingly appear in the bulk of stories - across the board - is the presence of some kind of 'light' effect.......  In the Bugle tale, the ghost of the grief-stricken mother is said to be 'carrying a lantern' and a number of people do, indeed, speak of having seen similar things in the area?  Of course, we again have to refer to the suggestion of 'known lore' being seen to potentially 'create' associated happenings..... i.e. the notion that: 'the alleged, well-known presence of an apparition carrying a lantern is almost certainly going to generate sightings of just that....', etc!?  In this particular instance though, it is most interesting indeed to note that almost all of the newer accounts seemingly refer to different forms of light or light source being witnessed and, in only one case, it was suggested that the effect seen was probably a 'lamp / lantern'.  (And it should be noted that this sighting was made by 'ghost hunters' specifically in the location concerned looking for the legendary ghosts associated with it).  In other instances, however, we have reports of fairly vague lights being seen that simply might - or might not - conform to the effect given by a lamp:  seen in the process of moving along, from a distance - one person refers to a typical 'orb' style sighting - or static lights, taken to possibly be the effect of a torch light, but seemingly the wrong hue for such devices and so on.....  

On two occasions - a handful of years apart - an effect described as 'cloud-like balls of light that seemingly travel at a running or jogging pace' were witnessed by two, different, groups of people in the same location.  Clearly, not indicative of a woman carrying a lantern, by any stretch of the imagination?  In a further encounter, a young couple, driving along in their car, were forced to swerve when they saw something in the road in front of them.....  The passenger reported a crouching figure - seemingly made of white-ish mist - appearing in the street just in front of the vehicle!?  The driver, on suddenly being alerted to the impending collision, says that they saw 'a white light, rather than a figure', it seems?  The shape - whatever it was - simply vanished at the point of presumed impact!?

So, irrespective of the validity of the lore suggested by the local press, it would certainly seem that something strange may well be afoot in the Turls Hill region of Sedgley... but, as to exactly what is going on here is anyone's guess!?  As intimated at the beginning of this post, this is a matter that I've followed for decades now, but, NEVER taking the paranormal culture at face value, I personally tend to think that the foundation stones of this case boil down to a wholly unknown equation that would prove infinitely more complex and (geographically) wide-ranging than anyone would probably consider?  I personally reject the legend suggested by 'The Bugle' newspaper completely:  firstly because of the wholly unreliable nature of the reporting by the periodical and secondly - even if the suggested stories did indeed have some bona-fide 'history' to them - because the tale concerned clearly falls drastically short of adequately encapsulating both the types of phenomenon being reported and the area over which this activity seems to actually be occurring?

Former local, Richard Davis - whose interest in this matter quite recently served to breathe new life into my own, sporadic ponderings on the subject - told me the following:

"The only person I knew who had seen the 'white lady', saw it in their back garden in XXX Road in the early hours, in the early 1990's.  [*Said to be closer to a 'classic white lady apparition' than a grey figure holding a lantern].  XXX Road has a lane that runs behind it and I was told by my elderly neighbour, it was this lane where the ghost had been seen before. The older generation knew more about the tale, but they have long since passed. It appears to be distorted by the Black Country Bugle re-telling of the story and it is somehow getting linked, by association, to the suicide of one of YYY family, in Turls Hill Wood, in the early 1900's. The YYY family, who owned Turls Hill House, (known as 'The Belgians' due to it having Belgian WW1 service men there) were wealthy industrialists in the iron trade who lost their wealth in an economic downturn. I think surviving members of the family have a low opinion of the story as it is confabulating a family tragedy with the local ghost story......."

It is Richard who posits a potential link between the ghostly / strange activity in the region and nearby Holy Well Street.  He intriguingly cites folklore connections between these places - the presence of a Holy Well in the region (probably destroyed by 1970's housing) and underground water courses - and the more elemental-style creatures / deities associated with such things...... 'white ladies' and 'Silkie-like' apparitions being a fairly common motif?  Considering the much wider-ranging activity in the overall region, along with it's seeming contradiction of the more basic story / haunting suggested by The Bugle, this kind of angle makes a highly compelling theory indeed!   

Whatever the reasons for this potential strangeness in the area, however, the W.M.G.C. will continue to take interest in the case and - it should probably go without saying - we would very much like to hear from anyone who may be able to add relevant data to the overall topic?