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Brummie Ghosts

Hi Big Gee - I think a lot of these stories / names just get carried from place to place, don't they..... and these 'cock-eyed' associations crop up regularly? I know the Shire Oak region was WELL-KNOWN for being a bit dodgy, where highwaymen were concerned, in the past and, needless to say, Stonnall is just a stones throw away?

Re. the 'Burned in Sutton Park' story, I think this was mentioned in one of the Barrie Roberts / Anne Bradford collaborations (published by Quercus books), a couple of decades or so ago, so that info would just probably have been copied from some other source (such as the book by Betty Smith)
 
Hi Big Gee - I think a lot of these stories / names just get carried from place to place, don't they..... and these 'cock-eyed' associations crop up regularly? I know the Shire Oak region was WELL-KNOWN for being a bit dodgy, where highwaymen were concerned, in the past and, needless to say, Stonnall is just a stones throw away?

Re. the 'Burned in Sutton Park' story, I think this was mentioned in one of the Barrie Roberts / Anne Bradford collaborations (published by Quercus books), a couple of decades or so ago, so that info would just probably have been copied from some other source (such as the book by Betty Smith)
We didn`t burn to death highway robbers. They were hung drawn & quartered, much more civilised!
 
This is the matter I mentioned Ray T....

Almost 20 years ago now, a Birmingham household hit the National press with tales of 'ghostly goings on' in their, otherwise typical, Council home. It seems that the 'activity' concerned had initially started up some 5 or 6 months before media sources caught on to the story; that, in itself, something of a mistake, following the head of the household contacting a member of the local press - asking if they might suggest someone to help - and the reporter concerned allegedly 'ran an article' on the matter without permission!? (*The W.M.G.C. have also had this happen on a couple of occasions at least in the past, it has to be mentioned). In this instance, the 'interest' generated numerous press-related responses, TV requests and 'glossy' magazine appeals, etc.

Initial activity at the house - beginning in the July of the year in question, without any obvious stimuli(?) - seemed typically 'poltergeist' in fashion, consisting mainly of the, sometimes 'threatening', movement of objects, inexplicable messages being left and so on. In this particular case, events only really seemed to happen at night - seldom during the day - and ONLY occurred when the family head was around. Phenomena apparently travelled to the homes of other family members if he visited and mainly seems to have been restricted to the downstairs portion of their house....

Coincidentally - some 5 months after the activity began - an Aunt of the family involved saw one of our appeals in the local press for 'ghostly experiences' and the like and passed our contact details on. We received a phone call from the family, who filled us in on some of their experiences....

With regards to the movement of objects, it seems that - as in a lot of such cases - certain items seemed infinitely more 'popular' than others. In this case, one particular knife seemed a VERY active item indeed and was said to have always 'found its way out of places' where it had been purposefully hidden! Somewhat worryingly, this knife was sometimes discovered sticking out of a wall, or kitchen cupboard door on occasion! Other objects had regularly been found moved, smashed and stacked up in piles around the home. Paintings fell off walls, scissors, remote controls and other utensils thrown around..... and a spoon hit a family member hard in the shoulder!!

Quite typically, for some cases, 'strange messages' are said to have been left around the house at times, being discovered on mirrors and walls. The name of the family head had been discovered, written in washing up liquid in the bath! A visitor to the house has apparently left a piece of paper lying around and 'something' had 'written on it', while they weren't looking....!!

We were told that NUMEROUS sources had been approached for help with the matter.... everything from the local Council, to the clergy. The former had been asked for somewhere else to stay, until the problem could be sorted out..... so the family sought alternative intervention. A variety of local churches were called upon; self-styled 'exorcists' spoken to... and even the Mormons were asked for help! (The latter are said to have 'chanted' and just made the matter even worse!!) One local clergyman, who visited the property, advised the family to leave their home and no go back....

Intervention from psychic / mediumistic types suggested that the culprit for these goings-on was a relative of the head of the family, called 'Thomas', who had only recently died.... Typically - and perhaps quite conveniently - it was suggested by the same sources that 'Thomas' was, unfortunately, a completely 'unknown' relative to the household head....!! ('Thomas' was apparently identified as the 'haunting element' by two, separate, psychic sources..... though, of course, the 2nd may well have been aware of what the previous one had suggested!? It was stated that the 2nd had basically 'confirmed' that the entity was 'Thomas'!?) The second psychic, using a pendulum, is said to have openly asked 'Thomas' if he would be willing to 'go away' and leave the family in peace..... but the response was a resounding 'NO!' The pendulum used apparently 'went absolutely wild' in the process!

This latter, seemingly determined, standpoint was revised immediately afterwards, however, when - in the same conversation - the 'spirit' then decided that he would probably 'go away' if the family might learn a particular 'secret' about him and discuss the matter....!? Needless to say, this kind of, wholly unreasonable, reasoning is quite typical of alleged 'conversations with spirit' at times!! Thomas was seemingly unprepared to budge if this matter couldn't be settled as he'd asked. (*It's often suggested by various sources that we should never really 'trust what a spirit might say', as they are frequently found to be 'liars'.... However, if they're not, it could be accurately said that they ARE often found to be a momentous 'pain in the backside' at the very least!?)

A colourful series of events, Nicholas. But in my opinion, when knives start embedding themselves in walls, and "strange messages" appear when nobody's looking, then the perpetrators are more human than spirit. The notorious Enfield Haunting comes to mind as another example.

Regards, Ray T
 
We didn`t burn to death highway robbers. They were hung drawn & quartered, much more civilised!

No..... I've never understood where the 'burning' idea came from at all, Smudger!? There was a 'Gibbet Hill' on the outskirts of Sutton - at Old Oscott - so he'd have been 'strung up there', if anywhere, I guess!? Laugh!!
 
A colourful series of events, Nicholas. But in my opinion, when knives start embedding themselves in walls, and "strange messages" appear when nobody's looking, then the perpetrators are more human than spirit. The notorious Enfield Haunting comes to mind as another example.

Regards, Ray T

Well Ray T..... I did have a knife seemingly 'thrown at me' during a poltergeist investigation a few year ago, I must admit, but I'm 100% certain the incident had nothing at all to do with genuine, ghostly activity....!! Laugh!! The offending projectile literally 'skimmed my ear' - I genuinely felt the wind from it, as it passed by - but, when I turned, I wasn't at all surprised to find myself looking at the very person I'd suspected of 'being the poltergeist' all along, I don't mind saying!! Rolls eyes!! Laugh!!
 
I must admit that I've always thought this is something that has greatly aided me in research / investigation, Steve.... While I've always 'fancied' having some form of paranormal experience myself - purely for novelty reasons, I guess - my lack of experience in that particular quarter has always helped me to stay grounded and objective when looking at the subject, peoples experiences and so on. I'm not at all sure whether I could remain so 'middle of the road' if I had experienced something off my own, if you get what I mean?



NO Steve - don't ever apologise for relating things in detail....!!! The more we can glean about a subject the better, in my eyes, and some of us absolutely thrive on the bigger picture!! Laugh!!



Thanks for sharing your experience so fully Steve!! With regards to Sheldon Hall, it is indeed known as something of a 'haunted' building and has cropped up from time to time - over the years - in the local press. I had phoned the site in the past - enquiring about investigations and the likes - but, whoever I happen to have spoken to, always seem uninterested in such things, so we've invariably been 'turned down', sadly!? I've seen the place a couple of times - just driving by - but have never actually been into the building as yet!! It certainly LOOKS the part when it comes to 'haunted houses', doesn't it!? (We did carry out an investigation at a nearby pub.... I think it was called The White Hart, possibly, but it's been quite a few years ago now?)

With regards to your stepdads house - had you ever heard of any 'strange goings on' there before or maybe after your own encounter?

As to your ability to 'fall asleep' after such an unnerving encounter.... I have to admit that this is something I've heard numerous times before, with no real explanation!? Needless to say, you would imagine that sleep would have been near-on impossible after such an encounter, eh!? A close friend of mine says that he saw a transparent, monk-like figure in his bedroom one night while he was reading..... He's discussed the incident a number of times with me in recent years and the fact that he 'fell asleep' almost straight after seems to baffle him even more than the sighting itself....!? Laugh!!

Nick

That was the first and last time I ever stayed there LOL the following times I visited the property I only ventured downstairs!! And yes the fact that humans seem to be able to fall to sleep after traumatic incidents is a little worrying to say the least. I cant imagine having a car crash and then getting my head down whilst still in the vehicle but it did/does happen for some reason.
 
And yes the fact that humans seem to be able to fall to sleep after traumatic incidents is a little worrying to say the least. I cant imagine having a car crash and then getting my head down whilst still in the vehicle but it did/does happen for some reason.

Having spoken to literally hundreds and hundreds of people about their encounters (over the years), it's often been stressed to me that the witnesses concerned were completely surprised by their own, 'mild' reactions to their experiences!? Personally speaking, I'm sure I'd do a fair bit of screaming, running, fainting and - most likely - 'pooping', if I saw anything strange..... but it does seem that a lot of people, somehow, don't feel even slightly inclined to indulge in any of the above, for whatever reason!?! Chuckle!!
 
well nick
its the same old stories that keep coming out time and time again ,
And hence what i say, seeing is beleiving and myself are a true beleiver in that saying
so unless i see it for myself ,i would not beleive it, and i personaly think that now in this moderen age
these spirits that excist which are far and in between with today moderen and fast living are far fewer
than our older years of yester years
also i believe its only a small percentage of the human race left now that have the gift of fore seeing them
Natuarly todays folk whom have not ever seen a ghost would think its cods wallop hence the lack of story experiences
one would say its left to ones imagination you are probaly tired and your eyes playing tricks or some think
the people whom never had the vision of experience would automaticicaly dismiss this
but i am a person with several expeirences of such visions in my life of spirits and that aint the drinking of them
you may also you may or not know of certain people like the media set these up and exploitation from other people whom are discourageing peoples mind by tricking people into thinking there is and there aint
there is a certain organisation in eversham whom does this sort of things
whom will convince you that you are seeing a spirit and i dont mean drinking spirits either
at the end of the day you beleive or you do not beleive
hence the saying if you have seen one your self you would probaly say yes i have seen one then you would question it
first then well yes its a ghost
i personally beleive so unless you have seen one a person would say yes they do
hence me saying seeing is beleiving Astonian,,,,,
 
Well, here's my one and only, totally unexpected experience.

I was in the Vesey in Boldmere some years ago enjoying a meal with three other people. The Vesey is a Wetherspoon's pub, I believe it was a feed and grain store in an earlier life. I went to the loo. It's right down the bottom of a corridor and has a shiny brass plate on the door. As I pushed the door open, it was heavier than I thought and stuck a little, I felt someone almost cannon into me from behind (sort of like a rush of air) and caught a glimpse of a figure in the plate. I turned to apologise and there was nobody there. I was a bit shaken but told myself I'd imagined it and that the figure was me, not anyone behind me. Just me being daft. I went back to my seat and tried to forget it but on the way home realised that the figure had been dressed in black and white and I was in bright pink.

Some days later I mentioned it in passing to my daughter who immediately said 'Have you told K.....? He had a funny experience there.' I hadn't told anyone else till then but immediately rang him up. He has been sitting in the pub a while back and felt someone try to squeeze past the back of his chair. He mumbled 'Sorry' and tried to pull his chair closer to the table. His wife was sitting opposite and asked him what he was doing. He said that he was trying to let that person get through. His wife immediately replied 'Which person?' When K...... looked round there was obviously nobody there as his chair was firmly up against the wall.

As far as spectres are generally concerned I'm firmly on the fence. However, there are certain roads I hate driving
down (much to my family's amusement) not that I have ever had any experiences there - just don't like the atmosphere!
 
Hi Astonian,

These days matey, I think it's a matter of people just 'moving too quickly throughout life' to give time towards dwelling on anything too 'phantasmal', if I'm honest.....!? Still - the supernatural (whatever that might actually be?) clearly comes forward and breaks through into our hectic, self-obsessed existence at times and give folk a good, old shake-up, eh!?! Laugh!!

What we DO actually see people getting involved with along these lines currently - stuff like the dreaded 'Most Haunted', the myriad, other TV offerings and commercial ghost hunting concerns, etc - is the 'silly' end of the overall spectrum....... so there's certainly no joy, from a serious / research point of view, there either....!? Rolls eyes!!
 
Well, here's my one and only, totally unexpected experience.

I was in the Vesey in Boldmere some years ago enjoying a meal with three other people. The Vesey is a Wetherspoon's pub, I believe it was a feed and grain store in an earlier life. I went to the loo. It's right down the bottom of a corridor and has a shiny brass plate on the door. As I pushed the door open, it was heavier than I thought and stuck a little, I felt someone almost cannon into me from behind (sort of like a rush of air) and caught a glimpse of a figure in the plate. I turned to apologise and there was nobody there. I was a bit shaken but told myself I'd imagined it and that the figure was me, not anyone behind me. Just me being daft. I went back to my seat and tried to forget it but on the way home realised that the figure had been dressed in black and white and I was in bright pink.

Some days later I mentioned it in passing to my daughter who immediately said 'Have you told K.....? He had a funny experience there.' I hadn't told anyone else till then but immediately rang him up. He has been sitting in the pub a while back and felt someone try to squeeze past the back of his chair. He mumbled 'Sorry' and tried to pull his chair closer to the table. His wife was sitting opposite and asked him what he was doing. He said that he was trying to let that person get through. His wife immediately replied 'Which person?' When K...... looked round there was obviously nobody there as his chair was firmly up against the wall.

As far as spectres are generally concerned I'm firmly on the fence. However, there are certain roads I hate driving
down (much to my family's amusement) not that I have ever had any experiences there - just don't like the atmosphere!

Thank you very much for sharing your experience Lady Penelope!! I'm afraid I don't really know the place you refer to at all (despite having carried out some investigations in Boldmere, over the years), but would certainly like to try and 'check it out' with a view to finding if the site has a history of weird happenings, perhaps?
 
I know the heading is "Brummie ghosts"but would a Brummie in a mid-Wales mill house qualify?
Back in '95, we were renovating a cottage and managed to rent the mill house which was just a stones throw away, from the local farmer.
Myself and three builders were doing the work and while we were on the scaffolding my wife shouted that she was locked out of the mill.Two of us went down and true enough you couldn't open the door.Strangely enough you could just make out something against it through the frosted glass and after walking round to the kitchen window the setee was up against it.
The two of us managed to force the door,but when we came to put the setee back in the living room we had to remove the castors to get it through the door.
During our stay there we had electrical items switch themselves on at random,the favourite being the CD player.
My wife at the time was pregnant with our first son and one night went to bed early.I remember watching the TV and our cat was sitting in the middle of the room minding her own business when suddenly she started staring into the kitchen.
I was sitting two doorways away from the kitchen entrance and when she started hissing and spitting I must admit I was to say, concerned to put it politely.This turned to relief when she started to calm down.
We mentioned our experiences to our friends Pete and Jill who lived across the river and Pete had this idea of leaving a pack of cards on a shelf in the corridor behind the kitchen.
I didn't know why and didn't ask him either why he wanted to do this.
What happened next was incredible.The following morning cards were laid out onto the shelf spelling out "Pergyl" and "Babon" meaning baby and danger.
He took the cards away and I banned any more from being left.
One Sunday morning a man,woman and a lad around 12 years old were at the door and the man said that he had grown up in the village and this was his first visit back there in years.He said that he and our neighbour used to play in the house as children.I never thought it at the time but the neighbour was nearing eighty but this bloke looked in his forties????
Anyway,just to sum up,the CD player always used to play "Don't sit under the apple tree"(two in the garden).This disc never played again after leaving the mill just displayed two dashes on the player.
The letters torn from the card turned up in a cap off an aerosol can of all places and were promptly put on the fire.
Research of the village at a later date showed a number of children from the village school died from TB,was this the card warning.
I never mentioned May's childhood friend to her and I didn't tell the landlord farmer who I believe is living there now,but his sister asked us if we had experienced anything after she found out about us staying there,we said no.
Our son was born two months after we had moved out fit and well and one last thing which even my wife doesn't know because I never told her.
Why did my wife wake me up speaking fluent welsh whilst still asleep in the morning of our final day at the mill.
 
Hi Nicholas, since posting my experience I spoke to a friend and she told me that there have been other unexplained happenings at the Vesey. Cutlery used to be 'mixed up' even though it had been sorted the night before among other things. Nothing mega, just little things like that. This was some time ago so I doubt if any of the same staff are still there now.
 
I know the heading is "Brummie ghosts"but would a Brummie in a mid-Wales mill house qualify?

"All (stories) are welcome davesd1....... All (stories) are welcome.......!!!" Laugh!!

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences Davesd1....!! I do think that, sometimes, these older, more historic, properties should probably come with some sort of warning, eh!?

I've only ever investigated one historic mill, over the years..... a water mill.... coincidentally only a stones throw from the area being mentioned here by Lady Penelope!! Interestingly, most of the experiences there would seem to have been on a 'negative' nature too...... being mainly put down to a thoroughly nasty, old bloke that used to be one of the (more recent) resident millers!? While visiting the site one night, we were standing on the top floor of the mill when an acquaintance of mine said: 'Don't turn around... but there's an old chap sitting on the grain bins, watching us......' My friend was literally viewing the silent figure over my left shoulder, as I was facing him. We all stood stock-still for a while, my not wanting to move and potentially 'dissolve the scenario'....... but when I did eventually, tentatively, turn..... the old man had vanished!! (Typically!!) My friend described him as looking exactly like 'Fred Dibnah'...... overalls, flat cap and slightly 'rotund' appearance!! Laugh!!
 
I think the shop I work in is haunted, I've often felt as if someone was putting their hand on my back but I turn around and nobody is there. It only happens when I'm at work
 
Hi Nicholas are you familiar with the couple whom run the spiritualist shop down on the high street Evesham
Or have you heard of Nicola Overton they do the ghost haunting they reckon they are good they reckon she is rated for her spiritulist as well
she as done Warwick castle as well and she produced photograhic pics of a little boy scurrying down on some steps going down below she sent them to Warick castle owners whom was impressed best wishes Astonian,,,
 
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I think the shop I work in is haunted, I've often felt as if someone was putting their hand on my back but I turn around and nobody is there. It only happens when I'm at work

Hi Patricia - I do apologise for the delay in responding!! In my teens, I was told by the father of a friend that he had been suffering similar 'experiences' to those that you describe here...... only he kept feeling as if someone were 'tugging' at the back of his clothing!?! I believe this had been going on for some time - perhaps years - when he told me. He said that he'd had the same feelings at home and at work. There was never anything else (spooky / strange) associated with these sensations, it seems, but they were weird enough for him to mention them to me when he learned of my interest in the paranormal.......
 
Hi Nicholas are you familiar with the couple whom run the spiritualist shop down on the high street Evesham
Or have you heard of Nicola Overton they do the ghost haunting they reckon they are good they reckon she is rated for her spiritulist as well
she as done Warwick castle as well and she produced photograhic pics of a little boy scurrying down on some steps going down below she sent them to Warick castle owners whom was impressed best wishes Astonian,,,

Hi Astonian,

I'm sorry matey, but I don't know any of the people that you mention, I'm afraid..... I don't 'do' spiritualists / mediums at all, I must admit, and we've pretty much never used them on our investigations........
 
Hi Nick

Thank you for your response and I am in complete agreement that until you have experienced something for yourself it is always best to stay “on the fence” as it were. But by all means I will share a few of the random things that have happened to myself and in the hope others may come forward and share in due course. Firstly I apologise if I go into too much detail in these experiences but as a budding writer and paranormal enthusiast I think it better to write more than less. When I was 15 my mother and future stepdad started dating, I at that time was playing football for Aston Villas Academy my stepdad who lived in Sheldon/Marston Green at that point, asked if I wanted to stay at his house with my mother and he would take me to football the following morning to save me catching the coach from South Birmingham (which was a bit of a ball ache). Anyhow on the Saturday evening the 3 of us went to a pub called Sheldon Hall (or it was at that time) on the way home from this pub my mother and stepdad were talking in the front of his car and he mentioned that it was a well known haunted location, I being a cocky 15 year old said something along the lines of “you don't believe in ghosts do you?” If I would've known what was coming later that evening I think I would've chosen my words a bit better. I was staying in my stepdads daughters old room. The room was basically empty, it had a single bed pushed up against the far right wall directly beneath the window (which didn't have curtains or blinds on it), at the foot of the bed there was a small wooden table with nothing on it, there was a couple of tupperware boxes on the floor in the middle of the room with bits and pieces in them and a Madonna poster on the wall at the foot of the bed. There were some glow in dark stars on the ceiling too, but that's basically everything. When I went up into the room I flung my kit bag down the left hand wall in the corner and hopped into bed. Some time past but couldn't have been any later than 3AM when I came around to my stepdads 2 cats scratching at the bedroom door and making weird shrieking noises but I was kind of in that in-between phase of awake and sleep so didn't take too much notice, I must add that I sleep with one leg out of the covers so the duvet is in between my legs, I have no idea why, just always have. I think due to the over load of coke and orangeade I needed the loo and I can remember lifting my head up and twisting my body slightly to get out of bed, then for some reason plonking myself back down again. Then I shot bolt upright. At the foot of the bed no more than an outstretched arms length from me was a Soldier! Stood staring out the window. It was carrying something in its right hand pressed against his body like a rifle. It was the strangest thing because although I could see detail and even bits of colour in him I could also see the Madonna poster through part of his body! Suddenly panic set in and I quickly jumped back under the covers and into what can only be described as a ball. I remember actually being able to hear my heart beating as I cowered under there. I was trying to scream for my mum or stepdad who were only in the next room but I couldn't even muster up a noise, just an inaudible whisper like someone whos lost their voice. I scratched my arm to death to prove to myself I wasn't dreaming. I remember sitting there terrified for hours and bear in mind I actually needed the toilet so it was double uncomfortable. I must've dropped back of too sleep after a while (which I find odd to this day as I don't think I would be able to sleep that terrified now) and when my mum opened the bedroom door at about 7 on that Sunday morning I literally sprinted out of that room, downstairs passed her, into my stepdads garden and urinated in a bush rather than go to the loo in that house. I made my mum go and fetch my bag from that bedroom and got changed downstairs. I never stayed in that house on the Radley's again lol. I did hear some year later that, that house backs onto Sheldon Country Park and a bomb had exploded directly behind it and is now known as Devils Hole or something to that effect? I hope I haven't nattered on too much and if you would like me to write another experience let me know. Thanks again. Steve
 
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