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!
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