Haunted Blackpool E-Book

Stephen Mercer

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

Seitenzahl: 154

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Blackpool has long been a favourite for holidaymakers and conjures up cosy images of theme-parks, donkey rides and ice-cream. However, this popular seaside resort also harbours some disturbing secrets. Discover the shadier side of Blackpool with this terrifying collection of true-life tales from across the town. Featuring the ghosts of some of the most iconic buildings, such as Blackpool Tower, the Grand Theatre and Blackpool Opera House, this book is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources and containing many tales which have never before been published, Haunted Blackpool will delight everyone interested in the paranormal.

Leseprobe

HAUNTED

BLACKPOOL

The author conducting his Blackpool Ghost Walk. (Photo by Peter Taylor)

HAUNTED

BLACKPOOL

Stephen Mercer

This book is dedicated to the spirits of all those who have helped to make Blackpool the wonderful town that it is.

Thank you.

First published 2011

First published 2012

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2014

All rights reserved

© Stephen Mercer, 2011, 2014

The right of Stephen Mercer 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.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 5986 5

Original typesetting by The History Press

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

one

Blackpool: A Short History

two

The Promenade: Trams, Donkeys and Shipwrecks

three

North Pier: The Pier and North Pier Theatre

four

Blackpool Tower

five

Pleasure Beach Resort

six

Blackpool Zoo

seven

Blackpool’s Parks: Stanley Park and Salisbury Woodland Gardens

eight

The Winter Gardens: Opera House, Spanish Hall and Empress Ballroom

nine

St John’s Square

ten

The Grand Theatre

eleven

Haunted Hotels & Pubs

Sources & Web Links

Acknowledgements

THANKS are owed to so many people for making Haunted Blackpool possible. To Beth Amphlett, Matilda Richards and all at The History Press for making my dream of writing a book on the ‘darker side’ of Blackpool a reality, my sincerest thanks.

Thanks to Ian and Julie Lawman for being such good friends and for their encouragement. Long may we continue to investigate the unknown.

To Peter Taylor for attending many ghost tours and providing me with disc after disc of photographs, my grateful thanks. Thanks to Sean Conboy of Photo-Genics for allowing me to reproduce some of his wonderful architectural photography. To Juliette W. Gregson of Blackpool Ghosts Photography, thanks for providing many of your inspirational images for the book.

To Mark, Rob and Jebby (Para-Projects) for being great friends and supporters; thank you.

To everyone who wrote to me, telling me of their encounters with the supernatural; a very special thank you. To name you all would take another book, but without you Haunted Blackpool would not be.

Thank you to the managers and staff at many of Blackpool’s famous attractions for allowing my ghost tours and investigations to take place.

To Robin Duke and colleagues at the Blackpool Gazette; to Ian Shepherd and all the presenters and staff at Radio Wave; to everyone at visitBlackpool and Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board (www.visitlancashire.com); thank you all for your support.

To Mum and Dad – thank you for always being there and for simply being you. To Andreas, thank you for your patience and for putting up with me as I pulled my hair out trying to complete this book on time! This book is for you.

Foreword

I have always had a very special link to Blackpool and it is a place I hold dear to my heart. As a child I used to come to the town with my family on holiday. I loved it. Whether I was climbing to the top of the Tower, playing on the beach in good weather or escaping to the amusement arcades in bad, or enjoying a show in one of the theatres and being both scared and exhilarated at the same time when experiencing the rides at the Pleasure Beach.

My link with the town, however, goes much deeper than that. My spirit guide is Charlie Cairoli (1910-1980), who was probably the most famous clown in the country. He spent many years performing at the Tower Circus; perhaps that is why I was drawn to this most famous of seaside towns in my younger years and why I love visiting the resort to this day.

As a psychic medium, I have travelled the length and breadth of the country investigating hundreds of reported hauntings and other experiences of paranormal phenomena – whether whilst working on television shows such as Most Haunted, Famous and Frightened and Living with the Dead, or with ghost hunting and paranormal tour companies. I was particularly delighted when Stephen contacted me a few years ago and asked me to be a guest on his Supernatural Events ghost tours and investigations. I couldn’t say no to an invitation to a town I love.

I now count Stephen as a close friend and together we have investigated many Blackpool locations. There are many stories to tell. Haunted Blackpool is a collection of some of these stories; not just those ghostly sightings reported in the newspapers, or paranormal encounters written about on websites and social networking sites. These are stories from people who have ‘been there’ and experienced the paranormal up close and personal.

I am sure you will enjoy (if that is the right word) the stories you will read in Haunted Blackpool. Some are funny, some are poignant, and some are just a little bit scary!

Ian Lawman, 2011

Psychic medium and exorcist Ian Lawman.

Introduction

FOR as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the spirit world and intrigued by all things supernatural. In my teenage years I purchased books on ghosts and haunted buildings, witchcraft, the occult, goodness knows how many decks of tarot cards, rune stones, and much more paranormal and esoteric paraphernalia. As I grew into adulthood nothing changed, except my collection grew larger.

My first encounter with the paranormal occurred when I was a child. I was brought up in a small town in Northern Ireland; opposite my family home were fields that housed cattle, horses and sheep, or were used to grow wheat or hay. Living so close to the countryside was wonderful; I would spend many hours enjoying the exciting world of Mother Nature, taking long walks along muddy lanes, hopping across stepping-stones over streams and rivers. On all my walks I used to stop by one run-down old building. I seemed to be drawn to it every time. Everyone knew this was a haunted house. I had been warned about going into it and told that, if I did, the ghosts who watched over the building would ‘get me’!

One evening, I decided to investigate that haunted house and find out for myself if there were any ghosts. I waited until it got dark then put my torch in my pocket, walked across the fields, and found myself at the open doorway to the ruined building. I took a deep breath and ran across the doorstep. I was so nervous I even forgot I had a torch in my hand, and when I did remember to switch it on I had already managed to pass through two rooms. I could see a door in front of me and nervously edged my way towards it. I put my hand out, determined to turn the old-fashioned doorknob. I got within a few inches of it and saw it turn on its own. I couldn’t move. I was frozen to the spot. The door started to open towards me. I watched... terrified! The door flung itself wide open, banging against the wall. Then, suddenly, I was thrown backwards. Landing on the floor, I picked myself up and looked around; there was nothing there. I panicked... I ran… I think I even screamed!

So, that was my first experience of the paranormal, but it wasn’t my last. Many years later I moved to Blackpool, a town I had visited many times with my family as a child and then on my own as an adult. I finally came to work at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. It was while I was there that I heard stories of the theatre ghost. I would spend many evenings in the theatre, and occasionally I would be one of the last to leave. I would sit in the darkened auditorium hoping to catch a glimpse of something from beyond, or experience some kind of paranormal phenomena. And I did!

Nothing compares to Blackpool’s beach with the sun setting over the Irish Sea. (Photo by Juliette W. Gregson, Blackpool Ghosts Photography)

I heard footsteps from above the stage when no one was there; I heard banging noises on the stage; I even had my shoulder tapped whilst I was sitting in a seat in the auditorium. In 2006 I started organising ghost tours at the theatre to allow other people to come in and experience what I had.

Over the next few months I spoke to many people about the town. I wanted to find out more about Blackpool’s haunted buildings and attractions – I didn’t realise there were so many! I was fortunate to be allowed into many of these to investigate the ghostly sightings and sounds that people had reported. I was amazed at some of my experiences and began to operate my company Supernatural Events – ghost tours and investigations – in some of the active locations.

Stephen Mercer – author, paranormal investigator and founder of Supernatural Events.

Blackpool’s history is fascinating, but its haunted heritage is gripping! I hope you will join me on this tour around some of the town’s reportedly ghost-inhabited locations and that you find this collection of ghostly tales, as recounted to me by those who have experienced the supernatural, as intriguing and enjoyable to read (and perhaps just a little bit terrifying) as I have had experiencing, researching and writing them.

Happy hauntings!

Stephen Mercer, 2011

www.SupernaturalEvents.co.uk

A very warm welcome to Blackpool, the UK’s most famous, most popular, most fun – and most haunted, seaside resort. The town has developed over many years to become the nation’s favourite holiday destination. In its youth, Blackpool was a small hamlet situated next to the sea, with much of the surrounding area being marshland. The name of the town originated from the old English name for stream, ‘Le Pull’. As the area grew the name became Blackpool, so-called because of the dark-coloured water that found its way via a stream from a small lake at Marton Mere to the sea.

The 1700s saw visitors arriving in Blackpool, many of whom were of the ‘wealthier classes’, who came especially to bathe in the sea. It was a common belief that the sea held secret cures for illness and disease, and people would travel great distances to dip their toes into the salty waters. Not only did the sea become famous for bathing in, it also became known as the final resting place for many ships that were wrecked in the strong tides and currents along the coast.

Blackpool grew in popularity throughout the late 1700s, when a road was constructed in 1781 through the marshland areas, making the town much more accessible. By the end of the century there were four hotels receiving visitors from around the North West.

The railway arrived in 1840 to the nearby village of Poulton. Six years later the line was extended to Blackpool, allowing even more visitors to travel to the seaside. With the increase in the popularity of the town, more hotels were built to house the ever-growing number of tourists, and entrepreneurs began to build and create attractions to entertain the visitors. Many of the buildings that held these attractions remain to this day; many have stories of ghosts attached to them.

The year 1856 was significant in the history of the town, with gas lighting being installed and the construction of the seafront promenade, which was officially opened in 1870. In 1863 North Pier was opened; it was a promenade pier and a place to enjoy the summer sun. Two further piers followed: Central Pier in 1868, known then as South Jetty, with a theatre, and South Pier with its amusements in 1893. North Pier may have been a place to have gentle fun, but it has had its share of tragedy, from fires breaking out in its theatre to ships crashing into and destroying part of the pier itself.

Blackpool – the most famous and most haunted of Great Britain’s seaside resorts. (Photo by Juliette W. Gregson, Blackpool Ghosts Photography)

The world’s largest mirror ball can be seen on New South Promenade; part of the outdoor exhibition entitled The Great Promenade Show. (Photo by Juliette W. Gregson, Blackpool Ghosts Photography)

The late 1800s saw more attractions open to excite the visitors, who were now arriving in their thousands during the summer months. Dr Cocker’s Aquarium and Menagerie opened in 1875, followed three years later by the Winter Gardens with its indoor promenade and pavilion. Blackpool became the first town in Britain to have electricity in 1879; the same year saw the introduction of what has become Blackpool’s most famous and free attraction, the Illuminations, when eight arc lamps were hung and switched on for the very first time, described as artificial sunshine.

In 1885 Blackpool achieved another first, when it became the first town in the country to have electric trams. In 1890, the largest theatre outside of London – the Opera House – opened. The year 1894 saw the opening of the town’s main landmark, Blackpool Tower, followed by the Grand Theatre and the then largest Ferris wheel in the world, the Gigantic Wheel, within the Winter Gardens.

The following century saw the opening of Blackpool’s first airport, the opening of the Pleasure Beach, Stanley Park, Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks and Blackpool Zoo. The Promenade continued to be developed, and by the 1950s Blackpool had become the most popular holiday destination in the UK. The improved road networks throughout the North West meant that even more people could visit the town. More attractions were built to keep tourists entertained during the 1900s, many of which still stand and are as popular today, including the Sea Life Centre, Model Village, Sandcastle Waterpark and Coral Island Amusements, amongst others.

Blackpool is constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs of its visitors, and to entice more tourists to sample its delights during the holiday seasons. It is still the most popular tourist destination in the UK and, with over 2,000 hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and caravan parks to accommodate its visitors, it is likely to continue to be so for many years to come.

With phantom trams, haunted theatres, ghost trains with ‘real’ ghosts, apparitions of donkeys on the sands, the sound of invisible bells ringing, and spectral screams that are said to come from the poor souls who lost their lives in the ships that were wrecked along the coast, it is no surprise that Blackpool has become one of the most popular destinations in the country for another reason – ghost hunting.

BLACKPOOL’S famous Promenade, nicknamed the Golden Mile, is full of wonder and excitement. Jutting into the Irish Sea, it is here that you will find many of the resort’s legendary attractions, such as Pleasure Beach Resort, Sandcastle Waterpark, Madame Tussaud’s, Sea Life Centre, the three piers and, of course, Blackpool Tower, along with amusement arcades, stalls, cafés, novelty shops, trams, open-air artworks – collectively called the Great Promenade Show – and much more.

Blackpool trams. (Photo by Juliette W. Gregson, Blackpool Ghosts Photography)

The Promenade can best be enjoyed on foot along beautiful pathways, green garden areas and the beautiful golden sands of the town’s beach, or by bicycle or tram. During autumn, the Promenade becomes awash with colour with the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations.

Trams

Blackpool’s trams first appeared in the town in 1885. The tramway is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world and, although the track now runs approximately 11 miles between Blackpool and Fleetwood, it was originally constructed between Dean Street and Cocker Street (between South Pier and northwards past North Pier), a distance of around 2 miles.

With a selection of single and doubledeck trams that date back to the 1920s still in operation today, taking a ride on the electric trams are a highlight for many who holiday in Blackpool. There are many variations in the styles of trams including the Standard Car, dating back to the 1920s, the Balloon Trams from the mid-1930s, the Coronation Car built during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation year in 1953, the single-deck Rail Cars that had a similar design and look to train coaches in the mid-1950s, and the more modern Jubilee Car dating from the late 1970s and early ’80s.

The brightly lit and colourful illuminated trams that delight Blackpool’s visitors during the Illuminations season. (Photos by Stephen Mercer)

Perhaps the most loved of all, the tram many visitors will queue at the stops to alight, is the Boat Car – a single-deck, open-topped tram so-named because of its ship-like appearance, which came into existence during the 1930s. There have been many other tram designs; many that have sadly come and gone.

During the annual Blackpool Illuminations (in the autumn months of September and October), when visitors flock to the town from all over the world, you can see some of the most decorative and colourful of trams. A selection of single-deck cars were rebuilt in various styles as illuminated and themed trams. Shining bright with colourful lights, you can still see the Illuminated Frigate and the American-style Western Train making their way slowly along the tramway amidst the lights and camera flashes, as people try to capture these marvellous sights.

The Man with the Gas Lamp

The tramway close to the Lytham Road junction with the Promenade is where many have seen the apparition of a man standing in the centre of the tracks, dressed in a smart uniform and holding up a lamp, which he waves from side to side, as if trying to signal to the driver of the tram to stop. Some passengers have seen the man in question and have become worried when the tram doesn’t slow down and the driver doesn’t seem to notice him. When they look around after the tram has passed by the figure, he has vanished.