September has been a spooky month for me. Not only did I get to see Uncanny Live in Salford, but I took part in a Paranormal Convention in Leicestershire (Festival of the Unexplained).
This has inspired this month’s blog post to be about ghosts! I thought I’d start by sharing stories from the places I have lived.
When I was growing up in Essex we told each other spooky ghost stories about the local area. Apparently, there was a headless horseman who rode around the country roads, also haunted by a ghost car that would drive right through you! I have no idea whether any of these stories were true, so I did some research.
Local stories claim that a headless horseman roams the area around Aveley or an actual restaurant called ‘Sir Henry’s’. The pub, on Romford Road, is known for its long-standing history in Essex. The buildings were originally constructed in the 13th century and the venue takes its name from Henry Gernet, the sheriff and executioner of Essex who rented the estate during the 14th century.
Some locals have seen a headless horseman riding across the grounds to where the main gate of the estate used to be at night!
There is also a pond on the premises that is allegedly linked to witch trials in the area. Four women in Aveley and South Ockendon were accused of being witches, according to the pub’s website, and could have faced the ducking stool at the pond. The witch trials in Essex are well known with Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins being perhaps the most notorious character.
I found no direct evidence of haunted roads or my local hall being haunted however this famous story was in one of my ghost story books growing up (probably by Usborne). I was so scared by the ghost pictures that I used to have to hide the book in my bedroom to sleep at night!
This image in particular scared me senseless. I thought it was taken at Borley Rectory but turns out it was the fabled ‘Brown Lady’ of Raynham.
On September 19, 1936, Country Life photographers on assignment at Raynham Hall in Norfolk took what is probably history’s most famous example of ‘spirit photography’. The ethereal, veiled form they captured gliding down the hall’s main staircase is widely believed to be the fabled ‘Brown Lady’ of Raynham — the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole, an 18th-century mistress of the manor.
Back to Borley, supposedly one of the most haunted locations in the UK, apparitions have appeared in photographs, objects have moved on their own, and out-of-place-looking figures have been witnessed.
Supposedly, a monk and nun tried to elope around here but were caught and killed by their disapproving elders. One room, “The Blue Room”, has had two separate deaths occur.
Unfortunately, most the building burned down, but the remains of it is still active with ghostly energy.
During the construction of the Stocksbridge Bypass in 1988, strange occurrences started to be reported. Workers building the road began to see small children playing on the site who would often vanish when approached.
Reports state that the children were dressed in old-fashioned clothing and could have been the ghosts of children who went missing in the nearby mineshafts many years before.
There is also a famous report of two security men who were so spooked they refused to return having seen a black monk on the bridge. When the police investigated (yes it got that bad!) they even saw the torso of a man standing right next to their car! I have driven down the A61 many times whilst visiting my boyfriend (now husband) in Warrington whilst living in Sheffield but never witnessed anything thankfully.
If you want to know more about this haunted highway check out ‘Don’t Scare Claire’s vlog on You Tube or her article in the latest Haunted Magazine.
Warstone Lane Cemetery, in use since 1847, has sightings of a young lady in grey in 1930s clothing passing through solid objects, including a wall and a parked car.
These sightings are accompanied by a pear drops like scent likely to be the bitter almond smell of potassium cyanide, which was used in gold-plating and silver-plating in the Jewellery Quarter. Perhaps the poor woman cyanide poisoning, perhaps by accident in one of the factories.
Built in 1836, Walton Hall in Warrington, was built by Sir Gilbert Greenall, the grandson of Thomas Greenall, of the famous Greenall’s Brewery.
The most common sighting is of a female ghost, believed to be Lady Daresbury, the wife of Gilbert Greenhall. Her spirit has been seen around the main staircase area, completely unaware of any person around her.
There is also a spirit of a little girl who makes herself known to female guests. Allegedly looking for her mother it’s likely she wants to hold their hands with them for comfort.
Finally, you’ll be pleased to hear that I’ve created a NEW ghost pendant this year. Last year was the turn of Paul (named Paul ter Geist – geddit!) who had a subtle cobweb pattern.
This year I’ve created one with another subtle pattern of stars and moon pattern. I decided to call this ghost Jim after famous astronaut Jim Lovell who died in August this year. My brother was obsessed with Apollo 13, and he had a soft spot for Jim Lovell who was the commander of Apollo 13 when it ‘had a problem’. It seemed appropriate that a ghost covered in stars and moons should have an astronaut’s name.
My ghosts are now haunting my shop but be quick before they vanish!
Author
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