Black Country Ghosts E-Book

Anthony Poulton-Smith

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 255

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2008

Beschreibung

Local author Anthony Poulton-Smith takes the reader on a fascinating A—Z tour of the haunted places of the Black Country. Contained within the pages of this book are strange tales of spectral sightings, active poltergeists and restless spirits appearing in streets, inns, churches, estates, public buildings and private homes across the area. They include the ghost of a murdered woman in Dudley's Station Hotel cellar, the tragic lovers of Cradley Heath's Haden Estate, Walsall's notorious Hand of Glory and Coseley's enormous black dog forecasting death. This new collection of stories, a product of both historical accounts and numerous interviews conducted with local witnesses, is sure to appeal to all those intrigued by the Black Country's haunted heritage.

Leseprobe

BLACK COUNTRY GHOSTS

ANTHONY POULTON-SMITH

St Giles Parish Church, Willenhall, has its own ghost.

For my beloved Kristen

First published 2008

Reprinted 2010

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www. thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2013

All rights reserved

© Anthony Poulton-Smith, 2008, 2013

The right of Anthony Poulton-Smith to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUBISBN 978 0 7509 5343 6

Original typesetting by The History Press

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Black Country Ghosts

Afterword

Bibliography

The Crooked House, officially the Glynne Arms, Himley, proclaims itself as a haunted house.

FOREWORD

Having been asked to produce a book on a subject I had always wanted to examine was a challenge I eagerly anticipated. However, I approached the task with some trepidation for I knew virtually nothing of the Black Country. My fears were unfounded. I met a wealth of individuals and groups eager to assist me in my endeavours, both directly and by passing on contact details and leads to other stories. Maintaining a friendly disposition and an excellent sense of humour added to the enjoyment during my research.

To all those who contributed a tale, my heartfelt thanks and I hope you enjoy seeing your narratives in print. For those who assisted me, even to the smallest degree, I offer my appreciation; without you many of the leads would have dried up before a story had been found. I also offer my thanks to the libraries of Staffordshire and the West Midlands, and to the librarians who showed exemplary patience in spite of my sometimes overly zealous pursuit of a narrative. Special thanks go to the staff at Dudley Archives, Walsall Local History Centre and Wolverhampton Archives, without whom these pages would be very empty.

This was my first face-to-face encounter with the unique qualities of the Black Country. So taken was I by the pride in their history and a camaraderie I had heard of but had never before experienced, I have already determined that this will not be the last time I investigate an aspect of this very unique region of England.

All photographs are taken from the author’s personal collection.

INTRODUCTION

Alittle research will soon inform you that the Black Country was named for a number of reasons, the most popular being its description of the grime created by the smoking chimneys in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Today’s Black Country contains architectural examples from every technological milestone across the two centuries since then. This region has its own distinctive dialect and has produced a number of characters, both living and dead. It is the latter in which we are interested here.

Within the pages of this book are a number of narratives of ghostly apparitions. Few of these are malevolent, several are originals, many have no identity and most are unexplained. Those who have told me their experiences have defined them as only being explicable as ghosts.

My personal experiences are limited to one event. Late one evening I was driving along a trunk road and was about to enter the town. Knowing this stretch of road well, I allowed the car to slow down because of the lower speed limit when my headlights illuminated a patch of mist stretching right across the road. This was not unusual here for the natural lie of the land had created a small brook, actually little more than a drainage ditch. No buildings had been erected on either side, and certainly no other road has ever run across here, yet I still have the image in my mind of a coachman driving his horses at breakneck speed across the road in front of me.

Having always dismissed the ghostly sightings of others as being misinterpretations, I found myself in something of a quandary. I came to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that I had mistakenly put a ghostly interpretation to something which had to have some rational explanation.

Whatever are the sources or interpretations of these sightings, what this book seeks to do is to record these events, many of which have never previously appeared in print. It is up to the reader to make up his or her own mind in each case.

Anthony Poulton-Smith 2008

BLACK COUNTRY GHOSTS

BENTLEY

Charlie

During the 1960s, inhabitants of Bentley were all aware of Charlie. This friendly ghost, who was always seen over the top of the hill at the Cairn, was described by witnesses as wearing a long cloak and having the appearance of a Cavalier. Several of the choir from neighbouring Emmanuel Church claim to have seen him, as have those who ring the bells, and he was reported to have been particularly active during December 1966. He was only seen in the time between dusk and midnight, appearing over the top of the hill as if peering over an invisible wall.

The Revd Raymond Wilcox claimed to have seen him, as had the verger, Mrs Pallett, though he seemingly only ever interacts with ladies, with a jovial and gentlemanly manner, doffing his hat, hoping with an impressive bow to send them into a ‘swoon’. Maybe this true gent, a spirit from the seventeenth century, had a liking for the free-spirited and liberated ladies of the 1960s. Indeed, his appearance was reported to be at the exact point where the former Bentley Hall, home of the Lane family, once stood. Long since demolished, it had been one of the stopping off points for King Charles II as he fled from the Battle of Worcester.

A great deal of interest was sparked by reports in the local press in early 1967. Not only did the story reach the national press, but also regional television. The reporters’ nightly vigil eventually came up trumps when one saw a figure near a footpath leading to the church. The ghost seemed to be peering over an invisible wall and disappeared when approached.

The attention of another reporter was then drawn to a dark figure close by, and then to a second. Bemused, he suddenly realised that these were the shadows of the watchers, cast by the floodlighting of the church behind them. The ‘wall’ was a mist which formed between 3ft and 8ft above the ground. Furthermore, the headlights of a car cast shadows on the hill, or the Cairn itself.

The Revd Wilcox, embarrassed by the massive amount of attention the story had evoked, eventually admitted his supposed ‘sightings’ were made up. Yet this was not the end of Charlie, for a few weeks later a former employee of Bentley Hall came forward with a narrative from an earlier age.

Before it was demolished in 1929, the hall was home to a number of families. In 1888, a young lady named Miss Bennett, then aged 17, worked as a housemaid for the Walker family. It was around dusk and lamps were just being lit when she was asked to take clothes to the linen room on the first floor landing.

Bentley Cairn, where Charlie, the friendly ghost, was frequently seen.

As she emerged from the small room, she was asked by another maid if she had seen the ghost. Apparently this ghost was known to have been seen just as daylight failed and always around that room. Overhearing the conversation, Mrs Walker, the lady of the house, was surprised to hear that Miss Bennett had never seen Charlie. Indeed, within the hour Miss Bennett was to learn that she was the only female in the place not to have seen him. Mrs Walker informed her that she had seen this tall and quite charming individual in his low knee breeches and long cloak, who smiled and doffed his hat. Furthermore, he only ever appeared to ladies, none of whom were frightened by the apparition.

So, were reporters in 1967 too quick to dismiss Charlie as a myth? Perhaps the stories from the old hall had continued and the shadows from the church lights were misinterpreted, later to be overstated by the vicar. The floodlighting of the church cannot be the explanation for the Charlie of the late nineteenth century, for they simply did not exist at that time.

The name Charlie is likely an association with the former monarch. However, it is highly unlikely that any of the ladies of the nineteenth century would have been aware that the former Stuart monarch was well over 6ft in height. Yet every report of the ghost describes a very tall man.

BEWDLEY

Tickenhill Manor

This is a manor house with a long history of some distinction. Behind the Georgian façade, a lot of the Tudor house remains, though there was a manor house here by 1304.

During the reign of Henry VII there was a royal wedding at the house. In May 1499 Prince Arthur, the 14-year-old Prince of Wales was married to the daughter of the King of Spain. The marriage was by proxy, vows actually being exchanged with the would-be bride’s elder brother, Prince Roderigo. Later, the bride would be a pivotal figure in English history, for this was Catherine of Aragon who, following the death of Prince Arthur some months later, would become the first wife of Arthur’s brother, the future Henry VIII.

Rebuilding of the manor has taken place several times, though it has been occupied for most of its 700-plus years. While the present house is run a little differently today, around fifteen years ago, did an overnight visitor experience an echo from its earlier days?

In the 1970s, Holistic Therapist Sylvia was looking forward to a weekend-long Body Harmony course at the manor. Following a deeply thoughtful, tiring yet enjoyable Saturday, the mostly female students retired to their respective rooms to sort out the sleeping arrangements. A lack of space meant that those students who did not spend the night at a nearby hotel were split between only two bedrooms. Some shared the double beds, others offered to bed down on the floor. The group agreed to rise early the next morning and enjoy a walk down by the river before breakfast.

In what was known as the King’s Room, Sylvia was to share the double bed with another lady, while the rest of their group curled up in sleeping bags on the floor. The King’s Room was reached along the upstairs landing, along a corridor and around to the right at the corner of the building. The only way in or out of the room was via the large panelled door or through a sash-drawn window.

Sylvia was restless, finding it difficult to sleep in a strange room. She eventually got to sleep but was suddenly awoken. It took a few moments for her to gather her thoughts and remember where she was. Her first thought was she had overslept and everyone else was up and about, yet she soon realised it was still dark and well after midnight.

A large wicker rocking chair at the side of the bed was creaking and rocking gently, despite being unoccupied. From beyond the panelled door she heard the sound of voices and the hustle and bustle of a large household at the onset of a new day. She heard one person clearly say ‘Yes, ma’am’ and ‘No, ma’am’, while outside she heard the unmistakable sound of horse-drawn carriages pulling up, the whinny of impatient steeds, shaking their harnesses and pawing the ground.

Sylvia arose to discover she was the only one awake and crossed the room on tiptoe, so as not to wake her companions. She pulled open the door, expecting to see people, yet was stunned to find only darkness and not a soul; indeed no sound could be heard. The following morning she asked if anyone else had heard anything during the night, but all had slept soundly.

Had Sylvia experienced an early morning scene from the Georgian manor’s past?

BILSTON

White Rabbit

During the eighteenth century, a coal mine near Bilston was the haunt of an evil spirit which was greatly troubling the miners. Before long they were forced to take action and so it was that ‘White Rabbit’ was summoned. This was no character from Alice in Wonderland but a white witch, whom they begged to use his renowned powers to save them from this vile creature.

White Rabbit showered them in magical incantations and told them to visit the pit on the stroke of midnight. Their leader was to carry a key in his left hand and the Bible in his right. Some accounts tell of them having to recite the Lord’s Prayer backwards. (This is likely a fanciful enhancement as they were simple folk for whom this would have been far too difficult.)

Dutifully, the terrified miners approached their place of work at the appointed hour, yet when the apparition appeared before them, they panicked. Suddenly, one of them realised their leader’s mistake and cried out for him to switch the Bible to his right hand and the key to the left. The instant the exchange was completed the evil spirit vanished, never to be seen again, with the only remaining trace being the unmistakable odour of brimstone.

The Beldray Ghost

Founded by members of the Bradley family in 1872, products bearing the Beldray logo (Beldray being an anagram of Bradley) soon became commonplace in many homes. From the early range of buckets for every possible need, through to galvanised baths, wheelbarrows and watering cans, the designs remain easily recognisable by those who used them.

One late summer night, shortly after the end of the Second World War, the night watchman of the Beldray premises was making his rounds. In those days, there were two tennis courts and two bowling greens behind the factories, solely for the entertainment of the workforce. This sports ground was on two levels, differing by over 10ft. Access between them was provided by two flights of steps, complete with attractively designed and well-maintained handrails and pillars, through a bank of flowering shrubs and bushes. It was on one of these flights of stairs that the watchman saw a figure clad in white. As he approached the ghost, it levitated silently into the darkness of the night sky.

By the time the day shift had clocked on the next morning, the watchman was at home recovering from his experience (and didn’t go near the place again for some time) and everyone knew of the Beldray Ghost’s appearance. Over the next few weeks, other workers reported seeing the same sight across the sports fields. The news spread through the local community and before long, people started gathering in the adjoining lane to keep an eye out. The local press were soon on the scene and printed a report showing that, while the workers were convinced, the management dismissed the reports as ‘fanciful’.

Observing that the ghost was gaining further credence, the management decided to act and four brave souls camped out, armed only with a single pistol and a bottle of whisky (a seemingly unwise combination). The following morning, the four men revealed the truth of the apparition. The Beldray Ghost was a rather large barn owl that perched on top of the white posts, flying noiselessly away if anyone approached.

However, this was not the end of the matter, as incidents continued until the closure of the premises in 2005. Other sightings of the ghost were reported in the ladies’ lavatory. As a result, the women in the office categorically refused to lock themselves in, should they need to make a quick exit. For several years, reports continued, including a positive identification of the apparition as one of the Bradley family, Hermon, when he emerged from an old garage on the premises in 1977. This incident resulted in the instant resignation of the security officer who saw him.

The Flying Nun

In 1766 a turnpike was redirected from Little Bloxwich to Wallington Heath, whereby the status of coaching inn, which once went to the King William at Little Bloxwich, then transferred to the Kings Arms at Wallington Heath, servicing the coach which ran between Wolverhampton and London. This is not quite as grand as it may seem, for the coach ran just twice each week – from Wolverhampton on Monday, the return journey from London starting on Thursday!

From 1814 to 1904, the inn was a private residence known as Wallington House. At the beginning of the twentieth century the old building and surrounding 20 acres of land was purchased by the Sisters of Charity of St Paul of Chartres. By 1905, they had set themselves up as teachers of children over 10 years of age; four years later the school had separate buildings. The nuns remained until the school closed in 1964.

During the time the building was serving as a coaching inn in the late eighteenth century, a young lady was murdered while a guest there. The story of her restless spirit haunting the old building grew, eventually outliving the inn and the private home and today lives on as that of the Flying Nun. This tale would appear to be fabricated, for the story maintains that the ghostly sister’s appearances pre-date the arrival of the nuns in 1904.

The Olde White Rose

This is a friendly and welcoming pub in Lichfield Street which was listed in the Good Beer Guide of 2006. The apparently small frontage hides a roomy interior which goes back a surprisingly long way to the beer garden at the rear. Indeed, this part of the pub, popular during the summer months, was once the former stables – a relevant factor for the following tale.

John Denston has been the licensee here for some time, and when we met, described to me a morning in the late 1990s he will never forget. He told me that it was just after 7 a.m. and he was awaiting the arrival of the drayman in the cellar. In those days this was a big walkthrough cellar and the tubs to be collected were left near the stairs which descended virtually from the exact centre of the premises. Deliveries came early Tuesday mornings around the back of the pub and were rolled through, the empties going back the opposite way.

It was while bringing the empty tubs to the collection point that John saw a pair of legs coming down the stairs. His immediate thought was this was a robbery, so he removed a stick which he knew was tucked behind an old boiler in order to defend himself. By the time he had turned back, the figure had reached the bottom of the stairs. Somehow John was instinctively aware that this individual did not mean him any harm and was not in the least malevolent. What is more, he also knew that there was something altogether odd about this man.

The landlord stood rooted to the spot, faced by a very thin man standing over 5ft 9in who was wearing something similar to black velvet riding pants and a short-waisted jacket. The figure was intently examining his own hands and John remembers being suddenly aware of his remarkably long fingers. John also recalls, with some clarity, the man’s gaunt face and bushy eyebrows.

John has no idea how long the encounter lasted; it could have been minutes or mere seconds. However, during this time, not once did the figure ever look directly at John, nor give any indication that he was evern aware of him. Eventually, the figure turned to the left and walked down a passageway which had been blocked off many years ago.

The Olde White Rose, Bilston.

By this time, the landlord admits to being visibly shaken and made no attempt to follow the man. Instead, he made his way quite quickly up the stairs to await the arrival of the draymen, calming his nerves somewhat with a quick scotch off the optics. As far as John has been able to ascertain, there had never been any reported incidents prior to this, nor has there been anything unusual since.

It has been said that only those who possess a certain sense are able to perceive such phenomena and John Denston has often wondered if he has this gift. He recalled a time when, as a boy, he was house-hunting with his parents. His father had a new job in a bank in Gloucester and they spent a couple of days in the city trying to find suitable accommodation. John still remembers the old Edwardian building they viewed as being huge. Being a typical pre-school boy, he was instantly bored by ‘the pleasing aspect from this window’ and ‘the dimensions of that room’ extolled by the estate agent, so he set off to explore the bulding alone.

Young John quickly ascended the stairs and soon found himself opening the attic door. Here he was faced with a very old lady sitting up in bed. She smiled at him and said, ‘Hello. Who are you?’ Needless to say, John simply turned and ran back to the safety of his parents.

By the time the estate agent’s tour brought him back to the attic, the scene had changed to one of an empty and badly rusted iron bedstead covered in cobwebs.

Whether John has the ability to tune into the spirit world or not, he is quite content with just the two personal experiences and would not be unduly upset if there was never a third.

Fag-ash Liz

When Tracy Slater and Simon Lawrence took over the White Rose in Temple Street in the spring of 1998, they had no idea a former landlady would come as part of the fixtures and fittings. Indeed, for the first days nothing unusual happened, yet as soon as the couple had settled in, things began to happen.

First, little things occurred, such as buckets inexplicably rattling entirely on their own and the packet of cigarettes which managed to move from the bar to the middle of the floor. Later, Tracy had the distinct feeling she was being followed as she climbed the stairs. Similarly, a shadowy figure was spotted in the hallway by staff and customers alike, yet when they looked again, there was no-one there.

Simon has reported hearing a woman’s voice calling his name from beyond a locked door; yet when he opens the door, nobody is there. This was not an isolated event, but has happened on numerous occasions. However, the strangest of them all happens when the pub is locked up for the night and the owners retire to their beds. From downstairs comes the unmistakable sounds of a bar full of customers, and when they investigate, there is nothing and nobody.

While this was all a little unnerving for the newcomers, the regulars are quite used to such things. They even claim to know the identity of the ghost. Apparently, she is a well-known former landlady who went by the somewhat unflattering name of Fag-ash Liz Willoughby. She had earned the soubriquet ‘fag-ash’ owing to her always being seen with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth when she was serving.

Both Tracy and Simon are sceptical about ghosts and the paranormal and, while events at the White Rose might have given them something to think about, Simon still hopes for a rational explanation.

One wonders how Fag-ash Liz would have coped with the smoking ban?

Greyhound & Punchbowl

This is a building which, with its half-timbered appearance, is thought to have been built around 1450 by one John de Mollesley, who called it Stowheath Manor. It changed hands several times until around 1810, when it became an inn for the first time. By the mid-twentieth century, the place was in need of repair and suffered several periods of closure. Today it is again open to the public, as it was during a particularly hot summer day just after the end of the Second World War.

A boy aged about 10 or 11 was returning with his parents from a visit to Bilston. On the way they called in at the old pub for refreshment. A long and narrow stone hallway led to the bar, where his parents enjoyed their drink and brought a glass of soda to their son.

The lad noticed how cold it was in the hallway, despite the oppressive heat of the day. Gazing down the passageway, he noticed a fog floating at the far end. Thin wisps danced and floated about, eventually forming themselves into a lady wearing a long white dress. He particularly noticed how she seemed to be floating above the floor. As she disappeared from one end of the corridor, the young man vacated the other and finished his drink outside.

Later he told his disbelieving parents what he had seen. However, it was not until the 1950s and ‘60s when he realised how often this pub had appeared in the local press as the scene of a visit from a spirit. Although none of the descriptions really reminded him of his own experience, the Lady in White has always remained vividly imprinted on his memory.

Greyhound & Punchbowl (Revisited)

Fifty years after the previous event comes another inexplicable occurence at one of the country’s oldest public houses. The new licensees were entertaining family. After pitching in with the lunchtime trade, all were relaxing in the small lounge near the kitchens, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace.

The convivial atmosphere was interrupted when a figure passed by the window of the room. It was noticed by the landlady’s mother who, seeing he was heading for the kitchens, alerted them to a possible intruder. Her most vivid memory of the man was his size, for he was huge. Wearing a long black cloak and large black hat, she had the impression that he was a priest.

The kitchen was reached via a concertina-style door which, although not closed, was impassable for even the smallest of individuals without opening it further. Any movement of the door would have been heard, yet the door was exactly as they had left it and no telltale sounds had come from there. The kitchens were examined and found to be empty, although the window gave access to nowhere else and there was no other way out other than back past the same window.

When discussing the mystery with her daughter moments later, the landlady discovered that they had both seen the huge man pass the window. Indeed, it was surprising, considering the size of the man, that nobody else seems to have noticed him. An even more remarkable discovery was that mother and daughter, who both saw the huge man pass the window at exactly the same time, saw two different people. While the mother saw a priest dressed in black, her daughter saw a man dressed in what she described as a suit of a style worn in the 1950s.

It is thought that the ability to sense the paranormal is often passed down from one generation to the next. This might offer an explanation of why only two people witnessed the man passing the window, though their having seen two different people is certainly unusual.

Greyhound & Punchbowl (Today)

Time has not diminished the ghostly sightings and experiences here. Perhaps the hub of the psychic activity is the post situated almost directly in the centre of the inn. It is said to be an ancient timber which was originally used to tether the guilty before they were taken to the gallows. Whether it stood here then or was later moved here to double as a supporting beam is unclear.

Indeed, the fame of the long-time activity here had spread to such an extent that an overnight sit-in was arranged to sample the atmosphere and run a series of tests, both psychic and technological. It was this particular night when the shape of a hand was seen after it had thudded against the other side of the glass in a door. The door led to a very small storage room, where boxes of crisps were stacked against the other side of the door. An investigation failed to discover the owner of the hand or any reason for it being in the area.

It was at this time that a séance attempted to make contact with two supposedly known spirits – Rachel and a French girl who had been seen in the region of the kitchen area near the freezer. Sadly, nothing was discovered, although they did confirm the nationality of the latter spirit, or at least its mother tongue. A total of eleven spirits were said to be in residence, none of whom were named.

The post in the Greyhound & Punchbowl, Bilston, where those sentenced to be hanged were tethered.

Speaking to locals, I discovered that a number of people had observed the silhouette of an ape-like figure here. While this figure was only ever seen on a road outside the building, it is interesting to note that this particular road has been known as the ‘monkey run’ for as long as anyone can remember. Was the apparition the reason for the nickname? Sadly, as this is not the official name of this place, there is no record, so the etymology will forever be a mystery.

Certainly, the largest sighting of ghosts which I discovered on my research happened here. It seems a member of staff walked into a room one daytime to discover it was full of customers enjoying a drink, smoking and engaged in conversation. There’s nothing unusual in this, of course, except that it was before opening time and the ‘punters’ vanished before the staff member’s eyes. Another incident involved two gentlemen engaged in conversation in the main corridor of the inn. It was well before opening time and staff members were certain they were alone on the premises. Hence their surprise when a small block of ice came sliding down the corridor from the direction of the toilets and hit one of the staff member’s foot.

The fireplace at the Greyhound & Punchbowl, Bilston, where the bones of a young girl were discovered.