Haunted Scotland.

Scotland’s specters: Haunted castles, part 1

 

Scotland, a land steeped in mystery with a bloody history to match. One of the many things that attract people to Scotland is its vast amounts of castles and the dark and sinister past they goes with them.

Scotland is famous the world over for its castles - the fortified homes of the great (but not necessarily good) of times gone by - and each one of them has at least one ghostly story to tell.

Here we begin a new series on these old castles and the mysterious ghosts which reportedly frequent them.

Abergeldie Castle

The 16th century Abergeldie Castle, which stands barely two miles from the royal family’s country home at Balmoral, has had its fair share of visiting guests over the years. But it also has an extra, uninvited ‘guest’, known as French Kate or Kitty Rankie. She was apparently a French woman who was employed in the castle at one time and was suspected of witchcraft. After being confined in the castle she was taken to a nearby hill and burned at the stake. So it’s perhaps no surprise that her angry spirit returned to the castle after her death.

Balgonie Castle

Balgonie Castle in Fife is open to the public again after falling into disrepair in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ghost for which the castle is most famous, Green Jeannie, has been seen by the laird, members of his family, and visitors. She usually makes an appearance at night, in a particular part of the castle. As well as Jeannie, there have been reports of strange noises and shadowy figures at Balgonie.

Ballindalloch Castle

This Banffshire castle has not one but four well documented apparitions. In the Pink Room, a bedroom, several visitors have reported a beautiful lady dressed in crinoline; she is a benign presence who means no harm. The Green Lady, meanwhile, is a mystery figure but has been seen on more than one occasion in the dining room. There is also a male ghost who is thought to be General James Grant of the American Wars of Independence, who died in 1806 and is buried close to the estate. The fourth ghost is a sad young woman who fell passionately in love, only to be rejected. She used to be seen crossing the old Bridge of Avon on her way to post another letter to her beloved.

Barcaldine Castle  

Situated near Loch Creran in Argyll, Barcaldine Castle is haunted by a pair of Campbell brothers. In the 18th century the laird of Barcaldine was Donald Campbell, who had been involved in a bitter feud with Stewart of Appin. Stewart killed Campbell with his sword and then sought refuge at the home of the victim’s brother Duncan, who had not heard about the murder. Duncan was haunted by visions of his brother, but by the time he realised what they meant, Stewart was gone.

Bedlay Castle 

This castle dates from the 12th century and was first built as a palace for the Bishops of Glasgow. One day, around the year 1350, a certain Bishop Cameron was found dead, face down in the waters of a nearby loch. His ghost caused considerable torment to the castle’s inhabitants for centuries to come, and there was even reported to have been an unsuccessful attempt at an exorcism in the 18th century. There have been reports of the Bishop’s large figure appearing spontaneously, and the sound of him pacing relentlessly in neighbouring rooms. 


 Article http://www.scotsman.com

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London Underground Ghosts - Part Three.

The London Underground  - Part Three.

Bank Station.

Nestling in the heart of London's financial district is one of the oldest stations on the underground network, Bank Station.

The ticket hall of Bank Station is built under the site of old burial grounds belonging to St Mary Woolnoth Church, this site has been used as a site of worship for approximately 2000 years and traces of Roman and Pagan religious buildings have been found under the foundations of the present church. 

In the late 19th and early 20th century the church underwent some major changes and was marked for demolition on a number of different occasions but managed to be saved this fate every time.

Between 1897 and 1900 the City and South London Railway built Bank Station beneath the church, they were in fact given permission to demolish the church but there was so much public outcry about this that the decision was made to let the church building remain. However the crypt was sold to the railway company and the bones were removed to be reburied in Ilford. The subsoil from this area was used in the building of the station. 

On January 11th, 1941, during the blitz, over 50 people were killed and nearly 70 people were injured when the Central Line ticket hall took a direct hit from a German bomb. The resulting crater measured 120ft long and 100ft wide and it had to be covered with a bailey-bridge for traffic to pass over. The station was put out of action for 2 months.

In 1982 Andy Harkness an underground employee of  35 years was working the night shift at Bank, the last train had left the station and it was Andy's job to ensure that there was nobody left in the station and that it was safe to lock up. Part of this routine is to check that the 4 lifts were empty and clean, Andy checked all lifts including lift one that had not been operating that day, his inspection of lift one showed nothing, it was empty and clean he closed the doors and started to walk away, as he got about  6 feet away from the lift he heard a "Knock, Knock, Knock"  coming from the other side of lift  1 door. Andy knew there was nobody in the lift as he had just checked it and the lift had been shut down, there was no wind around the station to rattle the doors either, Andy was alone on the station he was the only person who was doing the rounds on this station. Andy thought that he must have been hearing things so he decided to carry on with his inspection of the station.

His next stop for inspection was the switch room, he says that he opened the door to the switch room and wedged it open, he then turned off the lights in this room just leaving the emergency lights on, he then left the switch room leaving the its door wedged open as was the customer at night, as he walked away the door to the switch room slammed shut with an almighty force making Andy jump to afraid to even look back.

Andy made a hasty retreat from Bank Station and never worked on that side of the station again.

Another report of ghostly sightings happened at Bank, an employee was working the late shift and was monitoring the CCTV cameras around the station, he noticed on one of them that there was an old lady standing in a corridor , she was not moving around and looked as if she were confused or lost, he said to his colleagues in the control room that he would go and investigate.

He made his way to the corridor where he had seen the lady standing and as he rounded the corner he could see her still standing there, he made his way over to where she was standing and asked the lady what she was doing there and if he could help her in any way, she turned to look at him but then just turned away and started to walk away from him, puzzled he watched her for a short while but then decided to go after her, he made his way around the corner of the corridor but the lady was nowhere to be seen, there was no where for her to have gone as there were no doors or corridors off this one, and he doubted she could have run to the end of the corridor in the time it took him to go after her.

Although not directly associated with Bank Station but more the building the station is named after and its location is a well known haunting known as the  Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, Bank Station is located at the end of this street.

The story goes that in 1811 a clerk at the bank of England named Philip Whitehead was accused of forgery, he was arrested and tried and found guilty, in early1812 he was duly hung for the crime. Philip had a sister named Sarah, they were very close and friends of Sarah decided to keep the news of Philips crime and death from her as long as they possible could. 

They removed Sarah to a house in Wine Office Court off Fleet Street. However it was inevitable that Sarah would get concerned about the lack of visits and correspondence from her brother and one day took it upon herself to visit the bank to visit her brother, a clerk on duty at the counter told Sarah the whole story of  Philips crime and subsequent death.

Sarah was devastated by the news she had heard, for a short while she locked herself away, slowly going crazy with grief, she took to wearing all black, she wore a black dress and a black cape with a hood and a black veil , this attire made her look like a nun and then she started turning up at the bank everyday asking the whereabouts of her brother. 

The grief had turned the poor woman's mind, it had driven her crazy, she thought her beloved brother was still alive and still working at the bank. Staff at the bank started to refer to her as the Black Nun.

Upon her death she was buried at St Christopher le Stocks church which was located to the rear of the bank, (the bank has now been extended over this land).

Over the years there have been many people who have reported whilst making way along Threadneedle Street encountering an old lady dressed all in black and resembling a nun, who has walked up to them and with downcast eyes has asked them "have you seen my brother", before disappearing in front of them.

Could it be that Sarah is the old lady that was seen in the corridor of the underground?

Not so much a ghost story but an interesting tale non the less. A bank clerk who died in 1798 was worried that his body would be stolen by body snatchers (who supplied London’s surgeons with corpses for dissections) as at 6ft 7½inches tall he was considered a giant. The bank’s directors agreed to allow him to be buried in the bank garden, and the coffin was discovered during the rebuilding works in 1933 and safely removed to Nunhead cemetery.

Ghostwatch : The show that terrified a nation

On 31st October 1992 the BBC broadcast a programme called Ghostwatch, as part
of their Halloween schedule. Ghostwatch was  advertised as a "live investigation
of a haunted house in Northolt, Greater London".

Once aired the programme caused a frenzy of calls to the BBC from irate and
frightened viewers, it is estimated that the BBC received around 30,000 calls
about the Ghostwatch programme, People were reported to be traumatised by
what they had witnessed happen on the screen and there were even reports of
people suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the show had been aired.
The British tabloids had headlines about the programme for days after it had
been shown and Ghostwatch has never been aired on British television since.

"So what was all the fuss about?"  Well. although advertised as a live on air
investigation of   haunted location that had poltergeist activity, it had actually
been recorded months before it was due to be aired on Halloween 1992. The
story was based on the Enfield Poltergeist and was written by Stephen Volk.
The programme had been advertised in the BBC's Radio Times listings
magazine with the list of actors and at the start of the programme there
was a "written by"credit. However many people across the UK still believed
this investigation to live and the paranormal activity taking place on the screen
to be real..

It was hosted by the very popular chat show host Michael Parkinson with co
presenters Sarah Green (children's presenter on Going Live) reporting live
from the house with Craig Charles while Mike Smith back in the studio
with Michael Parkinson.

I wonder if this would cause the same amount of uproar now if it was aired
for the first time?

Here is the link to Ghostwatch as aired back in 1992. Enjoy.

© UK Paranormal Events
www.ukparanormalevents.com

Another haunted pub in Birmingham.

More spirits than usual at haunted Birmingham pub.



JENNY Lavender awoke with a start, snapped from a deep sleep by someone, or
something, pressing hard on her legs.

She looked down, her breath turning to smoke in the icy room, and saw the covers
move, as if a child was silently walking over the bed.

The click of footsteps on the wooden floor made the 27-year-old sit upright, fear
etched on her face.

The giggles and whispers of children filled the air, causing Jenny to leap from
her bed. She clearly heard a lisping command of ‘hide’ before racing for the door.

Jenny, for better or worse, had made contact with one of the many ghosts that go
bump in the night at Hockley’s Red Lion pub.

“She was absolutely terrified,” said landlord, and Jenny’s partner, Dave Lewis,
“and convinced there was no logical explanation. She’s never been in the pub since”.

“Plenty have had very strange encounters at our pub,” added the 32-year-old, “but
Jenny’s was something else. I’ve never seen anything during my two years here.
Perhaps the spirits don’t like me.”

There’s a resident ghostly centurion soldier, who possibly wandered from nearby
Icknield Street Roman road, and an elegant lady in long gown and high collar
who strolls from kitchen to staff bedroom.

Regular Terry Oliver has had more than his share of spooky encounters at the
100-year-old watering hole.

Electrician Terry vividly remembers the moment he and two colleagues were working
to re-wire the pub cellar.

They downed tools when the apparition of a man in brown work coat and cloth cap
appeared in a corner.

They later learnt a drayman had been crushed on the exact spot, an 108 gallon barrel
pinning him to the floor.

The pub, which has more spirits than most, is featured in city ghost walks organised
by Michael Reddy and Ian Braisby.

Michael said there’s a good reason why the Red Lion has so many dead regulars.

“I think it’s down to work practises in the Jewellery Quarter going back in time,
” he said.

“Health and Safety was never a big thing, so, for example, you have the story of the
drayman squashed in the cellar. We talk about binge drinking today, but the
Victorians were quite partial to a tipple.”

Evidence of ghostly goings-on at the pub are compelling, added Michael.

“With the cellar incident, you have three people who stopped at the same time and
said, ‘did you see him?’.

Why would those three people all give exactly the same account – they had nothing to
gain from it?

Herne Bay Pier Ghost?

Herne Bay Pier Ghost?

Herne Bay Pier Ghost?

Ghost. Please watch all the way through ghostly figure starts moving at 1:02 Looking at the old derelict pier head 3/4 of a mile off Herne Bay Kent I noticed a dark human shape on the structure and was amazed when the figure started moving. This pier head is in a very dangerous condition and no one is allowed on it. The extremely derelict structure has signs all over it telling people to keep off. I looked all around the pier and filmed through the legs as you can see there is no boat moored to it.The pier head is all that is left of the country's third longest pier at over 3/4 mile long that was before the terrible storm of 1979 destroyed the middle section leaving the old paddle steamer docking station the only remaining section apart from the main pavilion area near the beach.Check out the piers history

© UK Paranormal Events

www.ukparanormalevents.com

Ghostly child seen on the A477

Spooky sighting sparks investigation

PARANORMAL investigators are to look into spooky sightings of a ghostly child
pulling a cartnear Carew.

The spooktacular sight was spotted on the A477. The witness told the Western
Telegraph: “Has anyone else seen a ghost of a young boy pulling a wooden cart
which is too large to be a toy?

“I saw him running across the road very quickly and when I arrived at the point
where he would have been, there was no sign of him.

“There were just very thick gorse bushes and there is no way he could have
disappeared intothese. I arrived there in seconds.

There was no sign of him.”

The sighting has now been passed on to Pembrokeshire Beyond, who investigate
ghostly going-on.

Co-founder Shaun Sables said: “Carew is a fascinating place. We have had many
reports of a variety of different sightings and experiences from people living and
visiting the area".

“From memory this is the first report of a boy pulling a cart that I have heard of".

“It’s hard for us to say what the cause of this is without more specifics and further
description ofthe sighting, though it may well be paranormal.”


Article Spooky sighting sparks investigation

Article courtesy of Western Telegraph

© UK Paranormal Events

www.ukparanormalevents.com 

Derek Acorah has rid a family of their terrifying ghosts.

TV psychic Derek Acorah banishes evil spooks for haunted mum-of-six.

Marie Williams, 34, and her six kids had been dogged by increasingly alarming incidents
since moving to their Victorian home in Sunderland last February.

The family were taunted with eerie sights and sounds and the spirits even ATTACKED
Marie and RANSACKED a bedroom.

Her kids were so scared that one slept in the living room while others would only go
upstairs in pairs.

A fed-up Marie appealed for help in The Sun last week — and ghost guru Derek, best
 known for telly's Most Haunted, stepped in.

I joined Derek as he performed an hour-long "invocation"
ceremony — and personally witnessed the inexplicable.

Marie explained that six weeks after moving in she
would hear someone climbing the stairs then
"thunder" back down them — but no one was there.

Then a man would appear in the hallway and a ghostly little girl would run towards the
stairs then disappear.

She says: "One night we were in the dining room and there was an almighty crash from
upstairs.

"My 18-month-old Harvey's room was turned completely upside down — chests of
drawers, wardrobe, things on the wall, everything was on the floor."

"On another occasion I felt this burning sensation and ran to the mirror." There was a
2in red scratch on her neck.

Derek, 62, revealed: "Someone on this street has used a ouija board-like instrument to
open the portal to the other side. That allows spirits to come to the house."

Derek sealed off the front and back doors plus a portal he located in the living room. He
sprinkled rock salt at each site, which he says spirits cannot cross, and crystals to bring
purity.

A candle was placed at each door as Derek and Marie joined hands to say the "prayer of
invocation".

But the spirits were not giving up easily. One nipped Marie's legs, while a candle at the
back door was inexplicably thrown into the garden, its glass holder smashed.

I witnessed this myself and cannot think of any rational explanation.

Afterwards, a relieved Marie said: "I feel like a weight has been lifted."

Article Ghosts-Busted

Courtesy of The Sun

© UK Paranormal Events 

www.ukparanormalevents.com