If you’re wandering the Lancashire moors towards the end of Lent, look out for the ghost of Wigan Liz. You’ll recognise her by her flowing black hair and her deathly hollow eyes framed by thick black eyebrows. Her black dress and cape and old-fashioned bonnet complete the picture. Some say the spectre carries a cigarContinue reading “Wigan Liz – the Lenten Ghost”
Author Archives: Paul Weatherhead
Bristol Needle Spiking: Getting to the Point
The needle spiking social panic has reared its pointy head again, this time in the nightclubs of Bristol. ITV news reported recently that Bristol University students Ella and Sophie (not their real names) had a ‘drink or two’ in their flat before heading to a nightclub.[i] The practice of having a few drinks before goingContinue reading “Bristol Needle Spiking: Getting to the Point”
Halifax Death Flu Mystery
In 1918, Dr Andrew Garvie arrived at a one room cottage in Halifax to treat a woman suffering from the potentially deadly Spanish flu. The room was stiflingly hot and stuffy as he tended his patient. She had severe bronchial symptoms, and one of her two children was also ill. The room was so stuffyContinue reading “Halifax Death Flu Mystery”
The Headless Bear from Hell: England’s Forgotten Phantom
You’ve heard of phantom black dogs haunting the moors. You’ve heard tales of grey ladies, howling werewolves, wailing banshees and headless horsemen. Perhaps you’ve read about fairies, elves and boggarts. But surely the strangest entity ever to haunt this land was the demonic headless bear from hell. This strange monster is nowadays forgotten, but heContinue reading “The Headless Bear from Hell: England’s Forgotten Phantom”
Bleeding-Heart Warmongers: Make Peace You Fools
Towards the end of World War Two Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt realised the Nazis had no path to victory. He knew the war was lost. Asked by his superior what they should do, his reply was as exasperated as it was pithy: Make peace, you fools. They didn’t listen. And who are the foolsContinue reading “Bleeding-Heart Warmongers: Make Peace You Fools”
The Valentine’s Day Slash Hook Murder
It was 80 years ago today that one of the country’s most sensational unsolved murders occurred. The violent slaying of Charles Walton in the tiny Warwickshire village of Lower Quinton spawned dark rumours of witchcraft and revealed a bizarre network of deadly apparent coincidences involving murder, black magic and ghostly black dogs… On Valentine’s DayContinue reading “The Valentine’s Day Slash Hook Murder”
Ghost Versus Demon!
In late August 1884, two pale and trembling strangers entered the White Lion Inn in the Midlands village of Ivy Church Green. They both sank a pint of ale to steady their clearly frayed nerves, and the landlord and the regulars looked on with interest. What had terrified the two men so? Eventually, one ofContinue reading “Ghost Versus Demon!”
Old Mother Damnable: A Christmas Witch Story from 1734
All About our Coal Fire: Christmas Entertainments (1734) is an influential and charming comic portrayal of all the customs of Christmas. The book describes feasts, silly games, drinking and scary stories around the hearth. It was popular for many years and probably influenced Dickens. The stories and legends in the book (such as the oneContinue reading “Old Mother Damnable: A Christmas Witch Story from 1734”
Mystery Christmas Drones: Ghost Riders in the Sky
Sinister mystery drones are haunting American air bases in the UK. Swarms of similar drones have been flitting around military bases in New Jersey and other parts of the USA. Some say the drones are spying on sensitive areas, others say they are testing air defences. Some think it’s preparation for an all out attackContinue reading “Mystery Christmas Drones: Ghost Riders in the Sky”
The First UFOs over Todmorden
Todmorden has a reputation as a UFO hotspot largely due to the UFO sighting of PC Alan Godfrey in November 1980. The story has everything – a mysterious death, teleporting cows, a flying saucer, a scoundrel hypnotist, alien abduction and a space dog. For the full story, see my book Weird Calderdale. However, I thinkContinue reading “The First UFOs over Todmorden”
Paul Weatherhead 