Sunday 13th August 2023
Less than a week after my Moreton Corbet visit (mentioned in the post immediately below this one) John Chance contacted me and asked if I would like to accompany him on a trip to another, Shropshire landmark – Acton Burnell Castle.
This would, apparently, be Johns first experience of the location, but something of a ‘return journey to see an old friend’, for yours truly…
Members of the West Midlands Ghost Club had been ‘frequent flyers’ regarding the spot, in years gone by. Back in 2004, group member, Steve Chew, had expressed an interest in checking the site out and subsequent news of the visit – on the old group website – had, at that time, generated a reasonable amount of interest in the location. There had, in quick succession, been a flurry of visits and investigations by a number of other groups and ghost enthusiasts… some of which kindly shared their impressions and findings with us.
The ruin itself has something of an interesting and rather chequered history. Initially built towards the very end of the 13th Century, it has served as everything from a lavish stronghold… to a ‘barn’! Parliaments are said to have been held here twice, in the 1280’s, but – less than 150 years later – the building was abandoned and subsequently fell into a state of dereliction! A new dwelling was built adjoining the castle site – Acton Burnell Hall – with the original, fortified site being allowed to decay into the picturesque ruin that you see here today…
As far as reported ghostlore is concerned, Acton Burnell was – for many years, if not still now? – one of those locations that most seemed to ‘know’ was ‘haunted’… but very few could offer a suggestion as to ‘who’, or ‘what’, actually haunted here? There still seems to be a reasonable amount of ambiguity about such things, to be frank, and pretty much none of the available literature concerning ‘Shropshire ghosts’ so much as ‘gives a nod in the direction of’ the ruin…!?
Local legend seems to indicate the apparition of a ‘white lady’ walks the general region, though she is mainly associated with the grounds and certain buildings of ‘Concorde College’, that adjoin the castle site. As far as our own visits to the site were concerned, I don’t believe that anything of potential significance was ever noted, save for a couple of vague effects on video camera footage.
Other do report having potentially experienced things here, however…
One gentleman described the ruin as ‘by far the most active place that I have ever been…’, though the activity reported to and shared with us did all seem to boil down to ‘orbs’ (i.e. dust particles misinterpreted by digital cam technology) and ‘photographic mist’ (i.e. human breath). Needless to say, we report such explainable anomalies not as criticism of the individuals concerned, but simply as a – then acceptable - aspect of more innocent times, re. the developing and misunderstood technology of those times, etc…
Another person who had contacted us around the same time said that they had spent a lot of time in Acton Burnell itself, over the years, and had ‘seen the ghost of a woman’ in both the aforementioned college buildings and on the pathway that ran between the entrance to the castle and nearby St. Mary’s Church. She had the strong impression that the ghost was in no way ‘nasty or evil’… in fact, offering the suggestion she was even ‘happy and friendly’ in nature!? (To be honest, this was the first and only time that any form of ‘intent’ has been suggested in connection with the ghost concerned… though, of course, people seem to often report ‘picking up on’ such details during experiences, don’t they?)
It was also mentioned that the ghost was often heard ‘whistling’ in nearby properties… and was seemingly blamed for ‘flinging open heavy doors’ during the night too, on occasion!
The recent re-visit with John - after a pause of well-over 15 years - was a most welcome jaunt and I’d realised, in the process, the first I’d ever taken here in complete daylight! It has to be said that we seemed infinitely more drawn to St. Mary’s Church – rather than the castle itself – though, both historically and edifyingly, this latter contained infinitely ‘more to study’ than the nearby ruin! (My abject apologies to Acton Burnell Castle, for that statement! Lol!)
On the church itself: In the darkness of most of our previous visits, we had purposefully stayed clear of the property due to the presence of an automated light, which switched on as you approached. In not wanting to disturb the local residents, we had naturally avoided ‘tripping’ this feature. On at least a couple of visits, however, arriving in twilight, we were able to enter the (seemingly ‘eternally open’?) church without concern. Internally, it proved to be a highly fascinating and rewarding site, containing a number of beautiful and grand memorials, a mass of original Medieval tiles and, in one chapel, walls bearing pretty, Medieval, floral-pattern paintwork…
Once again, ‘thank you very much’ to John Chance for the opportunity to re-visit such a picturesque locality!
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