Haunted Peterborough E-Book

Stuart Orme

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

Seitenzahl: 168

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Peterborough has a rich and fascinating history, stretching back 3,500 years to the Bronze Age. The city is a vibrant place with a new town surrounding an ancient town centre, still dominated by its Norman cathedral. But the city has a sinister and spooky side… Written by the creator and guide of the city's popular ghost walks, discover the spooky side of Peterborough's past. Uncover the eerie secrets of the city, from apparitions of monks to ghostly children; from a slaughtered Cavalier to a phantom lorry. This book explores many of the city's historic buildings and their ghost stories, including Peterborough Cathedral precincts. It also covers in print, for the first time, detailed accounts of the spectres, stories and sightings at Peterborough Museum, one of Britain's most paranormally active buildings.

Leseprobe

Contents

Title Page

About the Author

Foreword

Introduction

One Peterborough Museum – Our Most Haunted Building

Two Monks and More … Ghosts of the Cathedral

Three Military Ghosts

Four Railway-Related Ghosts

Five Ghosts of the City Centre

Six Greater Peterborough Ghosts

Afterword What is a Ghost?

Bibliography

Copyright

About the Author

STUART Orme was born and raised in Derby. He has a History degree from York University and an MA in Museum Studies, and has worked as a secondary teacher, adult education lecturer and freelance event organiser. Since 2001 he has worked for Peterborough Museum, where he is currently Interpretation Manager. He has a passion for history and is well known in the Peterborough area for delivering talks with enthusiasm and humour for local groups and societies. Stuart also leads guided tours of the city, including the Peterborough Ghost Walk (which he created), and regularly broadcasts on historical subjects on local radio.

The author in ghostly form in the museum’s cellars. (Photograph by, and courtesy of, David Savory)

Foreword

OVER the past twenty-five years or so that I have been involved in the subject of ghosts, hauntings and the paranormal in general, I have been lucky enough to meet some very knowledgeable and scholarly people; my good friend Stuart Orme is one such person. His knowledge concerning the ghosts and hauntings of the city of Peterborough and its surrounding areas is second to none, and I for one am pleased that we now all have the chance to read about this city’s ghostly side, thanks to this very book.

Stuart Orme takes us on a revealing journey, recounting a plethora of ghostly and paranormal encounters at such diverse places as the Peterborough Museum – a place I can personally vouch for as being haunted – and Peterborough’s cathedral precincts, complete with ghostly monks, amongst other ethereal beings.

The variety of locations and stories that Stuart covers in Haunted Peterborough are pleasantly surprising; I was most interested to find chapters covering military ghosts ranging from Roman soldiers to Napoleonic prisoners-of-war and more, as well as hauntings associated with Peterborough’s city centre buildings; how many of you have raised a glass or two within a haunted pub, or done your shopping at a place frequented by spectral inhabitants?

There is even a section containing information about the paranormal goings-on connected to everyday houses, as well as the far more grandiose stately homes which can be found in the region.

In his Haunted Peterborough publication, Stuart Orme has put together a fine collection which features accounts and stories of the strange and mysterious … and the thought-provoking.

Enjoy it. I certainly did!

Phil Whyman

Paranormal Investigator on TV’s Most Haunted

Dead Haunted Nights Ghost Hunts

Introduction

‘SURELY there aren’t any ghosts in Peterborough? After all, it’s only a new town …’ This quote was from one incredulous visitor to Peterborough on being told that we ran a ghost walk in the city – and indeed, many people would be forgiven for thinking the same. The common perception by people who aren’t well acquainted with the city is that it is somewhere they go through on a train, or that perhaps it is one of the artificial commuter towns north of London, like Welwyn Garden City or Milton Keynes. At best, people have heard of the cathedral.

Postcard view of the cathedral and market place, c. 1920.

This is unfair and inaccurate. Whilst Peterborough has greatly expanded since the Second World War and does have a high population of commuters, it also has a very rich heritage. The area has produced some of the richest marine fossils in the world, many of which are now on display in the city’s museum. At Flag Fen, on the eastern side of the city, the finest Bronze Age archaeological remains have been uncovered, and are preserved and displayed to visitors. The Romans built a fortress and town here – the centre of Roman Britain’s pottery industry – and many examples of these pots are again displayed at the city’s museum. It was only with the Anglo-Saxon occupation of the area that an abbey was founded, around which a market town sprang up. Today, these are Peterborough Cathedral and the city centre respectively. There is, of course, much more to the city and its surrounding villages than this, some of which will be revealed later in the book. For a more detailed look please visit the many fine attractions in the area, particularly the museum.

Church Street, c. 1900.

With this long history, it is perhaps not surprising that Peterborough should also have its own folklore, traditions and, above all, ghost stories. When initially conducting research for the Peterborough Ghost Walk in 2001, we uncovered some thirty different ghost stories within the area; that has now swelled as a result of ongoing research, people coming forward with their own stories, and, of course, a stream of new sightings, to number over 100 different ghostly happenings.

The ghost walk has proved to be so popular that it has attracted (at the time of writing) over 30,000 people onto it and is still going strong! This has been an excellent vehicle for entertaining and educating people about the rich history of this oft-overlooked city. If you happen to be in Peterborough and want to know more about some of these stories, you’d be advised to join one of the walks.

This book is also a way of publishing and highlighting many of the fascinating and unique ghostly experiences of the Peterborough area. Many of these tales have sadly, until now, been misreported or entirely neglected in print. This book represents just a sample of our local sightings; my choice of which to include has been capricious. I’ve picked out our most historic or public buildings, our best-documented hauntings, or simply those that provide the best stories. The accounts are not just concerned with the city centre, but with the suburbs, villages and countryside that make up the greater Peterborough area – the old ‘Soke of Peterborough’. A substantial chapter has been dedicated to the museum alone, to try to record fully in print, for the first time, the range of paranormal activity that has been reported inside this remarkable building.

In writing this book I am indebted to all the people who have helped over the years in my researches – above all my colleagues and friends at Peterborough Museum over the last decade, who have supported my ghostly endeavours with interest, good humour and occasional long-suffering. I am grateful to Richard Hillier, Local Studies Librarian; Ben Robinson and Rebecca Casa-Hatton, past and present city archaeologists; and Gwen Beatty, Stephen Perry, Neil Mitchell and Steve Williams, all local historians, for providing the answers to some often very odd requests for information. I am also grateful to the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire for their help with public appeals for ghost stories, and for stimulating local interest over the years. Special mention goes to Brian Jones, fellow ghost-walk guide, for his input and additional stories; Nina Fereday for acting as chauffeur; and to Don Chiswell, Joe Chiswell and Chris Carr for proofing and commenting on the text.

I’d also like to say a big thank you to the numerous teams of ghost-hunters who have allowed me to tag along on their investigations over the years – including the Cambridge Paranormal Society, Dead Haunted, Fright Nights, the Most Haunted TV crew and too many others to list (sorry!) – on their visits to the museum. I’m particularly grateful to Phil Whyman for kindly agreeing to write the foreword. Above all, I’d like to thank all the people who have come forward and shared their ghostly experiences with me; it often requires more than a little courage to stand up and say ‘this has happened to me’. Without them this book would not exist and it is therefore dedicated to those people.

Stuart Orme, 2012

Author’s Note: Unless otherwise stated, all images are photographs taken by the author, or are original postcards or pictures from the author’s collection. All other images are used with permission.

Peterborough city centre (haunted buildings marked in black).

1

Peterborough Museum

– Our Most Haunted Building

TUCKED at the end of Priestgate – a quiet street of Georgian buildings in the city centre, inhabited by firms of solicitors and accountants – is a grand stone building which houses the city’s museum. Today the museum houses some 227,000 objects, covering all aspects of the city’s history – from prehistoric marine reptiles to Britain’s oldest murder victim; from manuscripts by the Romantic poet John Clare to craftwork by Napoleonic prisoners-of-war. Several of these collections are of national and international importance.

The building has a more sinister reputation; it is Peterborough’s most haunted building and has at least eight different reported ghosts, with sightings or other phenomena reported regularly. As to why it is so haunted? Given the history of this remarkable building, it is perhaps not surprising …

The History of the Museum Building

The earliest known building on the site of the current museum dates back to the sixteenth century, when the property was acquired and a grand house built for the Orme family (whether or not they are ancestors to the author is unknown!). Humphrey Orme, Groom of the Bedchamber to Henry VIII, leased land in the manor of West Deeping in 1536 and sometime after this built a house, later known as Neville Place, in the nearby town of Peterborough in the affluent street of Priestgate. A grand house is marked on the spot in John Speed’s map of 1611, and is shown clearly in the Prospect of Peterborough of 1731. The Orme family was one of the dominant families in the city; the empty tomb of Sir Humphrey Orme can be seen today in the cathedral, vandalised by Cromwell’s soldiers during the Civil War. His grandson, also called Humphrey, was MP for Peterborough during the 1650s and 1660s, and was responsible for the construction of the Guildhall on Cathedral Square; the Orme coat of arms can be seen displayed on the side of the building today.

Peterborough Museum.

In 1815 the Orme family had left and the property was initially leased, then sold, to one Thomas Cooke. Cooke, a businessman from Wortley in Manchester, had moved south and by 1815 was a city magistrate looking for a grand house to reflect his new status. The Orme house was substantially demolished and rebuilt in a grand Georgian style: this is the central part of the building which can be seen today. However, some of the original walls survived and were incorporated into the current building, most notably in the cellar. Features of the Georgian house also survive, including columns and a pediment over a doorway in the main reception area, and shuttered windows on the ground floor.

Upon Cooke’s death in 1854 the building became vacant and was acquired by the second Earl Fitzwilliam on behalf of the Infirmary Trust, of which he was president. It was converted to become the Peterborough Infirmary, the city’s first hospital, which was run on a charitable basis in the building until 1928. Various changes were made to the building during this period, particularly after a fire which severely damaged much of the upper floors in 1884. These alterations included a brick extension on the side of the building, with a kitchen, store-room and purpose-built operating theatre; a mortuary and bathhouse to the rear; and the wings, which can be seen today on either side of the main block (added in 1897 and 1902 respectively), to service the needs of the growing hospital.

Eventually the hospital, in this growing city, outgrew the Priestgate building. A new hospital was constructed on Thorpe Road, paid for by subscriptions as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War; this Memorial Hospital (until recently the Memorial Wing of the District Hospital) was opened in 1928. With patients transferred to the new facility, the Priestgate building again became vacant.

The building was bought by Percy Malcolm Stewart, Chairman of the London Brick Company, and donated to the Peterborough Museum Society as a permanent home for their collections. The society, originally called the Peterborough Natural History and Field Club, had been founded in 1871 by a group of like-minded individuals who were interested in local flora, fauna and history. Members included Dr Thomas Walker, surgeon at the Infirmary, and local chemist Mr Bodger. Collections of natural history, archaeology and general interest were acquired, and a permanent home sought. Previous venues for the museum included Becket’s Chapel in the cathedral precincts and a house on Park Road.

The foundation stone laid by Thomas Cooke in 1816.

The new museum was opened to the public in 1931, and originally occupied the ground floor and first floor of the building – the top floor being rented out to a local potato merchant, with the rent helping to pay for the running of the museum and the one paid member of staff, a caretaker. The museum continued to be run in this way until 1968, when the building and collections were given over to the care of Peterborough City Council. Since May 2010 the museum has been run by Vivacity, the Culture Trust for the city, and underwent a major refurbishment in 2011. Today the museum continues to fascinate and enthral visitors of all ages with a wide range of objects, from prehistoric monsters to the fine pieces of craftwork produced by Napoleonic prisoners-of-war at Norman Cross.

The Lonely ANZAC

The museum’s most famous (or should that be infamous?) ghost is the figure of a man in grey, seen on the main staircase. This apparition is reputed to be the restless spirit of Australian soldier Sergeant Thomas Hunter, known to many as ‘the lonely ANZAC’.

Thomas Hunter was actually born in England, in County Durham in 1880, but as a young man he emigrated to Australia, as many people did at that time. He eventually settled in the town of Kurri Kurri in New South Wales, where he worked as a coal miner. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he enlisted with the Australian army and served with the 10th battalion of the 10th division, ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) forces. As part of this unit he fought at Gallipoli, then in the misery of the trenches of France and Belgium. It was here, during the Somme offensive of the summer of 1916, that Sergeant Hunter was seriously wounded. Taken to a field hospital, his condition was judged to be such that more advanced medical facilities would be needed in order to operate and remove the bullets lodged in his body. So, he was shipped back to England for surgery.

On arrival in Portsmouth, Hunter was placed on a hospital train bound for Halifax in Yorkshire, with other wounded men. As the journey went on his condition worsened, leading to the nurses on the train taking the unusual step of asking the driver if he would stop the train at the next available station, so that Sergeant Hunter could be rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. The next such station happened to be Peterborough. The train was stopped and Hunter was rushed to the nearby Infirmary (today the museum), where sadly it was too late. He died in the building on 31 July 1916.

News of the story and death of Sergeant Hunter touched the hearts of Peterborians, who were perhaps moved by his plight because, in a sense, he represented all their own young men who were away fighting in the war. A public subscription fund was set up to pay for a memorial to Sergeant Hunter. A public funeral was held, in which the Mayor and civic dignitaries led the funeral cortège from the Infirmary to his final resting place at the Broadway Cemetery, during which virtually the entire city came to a stop and paid their respects. A 2m-tall granite cross was placed as a monument on Sergeant Hunter’s grave, and a brass plaque to his memory mounted in the military chapel in the cathedral. Even today he is still commemorated in Peterborough, with an annual civic ceremony held at his graveside on 25 April, international ANZAC Day. The ceremony is always attended by the Mayor, civic dignitaries and a representative from the Australian High Commission. It is said, though, that his spirit does not lie easily in that grave.

Account of Mrs Yarrow’s sighting of the ghost, Peterborough Citizen, 3 May 1932.

There have been many sightings of a mysterious grey apparition around the building, most commonly gliding up the main staircase. It is said that this figure is the restless spirit of Sergeant Thomas Hunter.

The first documented sighting was in 1931, barely weeks after the museum was first opened to the public. At that time there was only one paid employee at the museum, by the name of Mr Yarrow, who acted as the caretaker. He lived on the premises, in a flat on the first floor, with his wife and two children. One afternoon he went out and left his wife alone in the building, to deal with the last few visitors and lock up at the end of the day. Mrs Yarrow duly locked up and returned to the flat in order to start preparing the evening meal, ready for when the family came home. After about half an hour she heard a noise echoing down the corridor from the main stairs and, assuming it was her husband returning home, went out to greet him. Coming out onto the corridor to collect some crockery from a cupboard, she observed through the glass panels in the doors leading out onto the main staircase that there was a figure coming up the stairs; not her husband but a man she said was about thirty years of age, dressed in a grey suit and with a slight ‘phosphorescent glow’. To her astonishment, the figure vanished into thin air. Over the following months she saw him five times more; her daughter also witnessed him on a number of occasions.

These sightings were reported in the local newspaper, the Peterborough Citizen, in May 1932, and aroused a deal of local interest, prompting local children to regularly come into the museum at the end of the day in order to say goodnight to the ghost! According to the article, the ghost was known as Thomas because he was first seen on St Thomas’ Day. The author has interviewed a former nurse from the days of the hospital, who maintained that the ghost had been seen before the hospital left the Priestgate building and that he had been positively identified as the spectre of Thomas Hunter. Interestingly, the ghost has always been seen in a grey suit – something which British and Australian wounded were issued with as a hospital uniform during the Great War.

Thomas Hunter’s ghost has been seen on many occasions since then, usually at least once a year and most commonly around July and August, around the anniversary of his death. A few years ago he was seen by the young daughter of a member of staff in the museum staffroom, just off the main staircase. Having lunch with her father and mother in the room one Saturday, the little girl casually remarked to her astonished parents, ‘Can I give a bit of my sandwich to the man in grey in the corner?’ She then described the man; her account tallied exactly with that of the ghost, a description which she knew nothing about as her father had never told her, not wishing to frighten her or put her off coming into the museum.