Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Shute Shelve Hill

Shute Shelve Hill stands at 764ft overlooking the town of Axbridge. In the 17th century Shute Shelve was used as a site of public execution and is thought to be haunted a woman and two men that were hanged there for the murder of the womans husband.

Black Figures of Cwmorthin

The disused Cwmorthin Slate Quarry can be found on the shore of Llyn Cwmorthin above Blaenau Ffestiniog. The following description of a strange experience was e-mailed into Mysterious Britain early in 2013 and I would be very interested to hear from anybody who could add more. “Start from Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Black Abbey, Accrington

Three Cistercian monks were murdered by the inhabitants of Accrington in the late 13th century and according to tradition a local haunting dates back to this time. ‘A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6’ (1911) gives the following information about the historical events.

Mount Everest

The peak of Mount Everest stands at 8,848 metres (29,029 feet) above sea level, making it the tallest mountain on Earth*. Over the years it has claimed many lives as people have attempted to reach the summit and one of these climbers is thought to haunt the slopes after he died in 1924.

Whalley Abbey

In 1296, Cistercian monks moved from Stanlow Abbey and founded Whalley Abbey, with the first stone being laid by Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, Baron of Pontefract, 10th Baron of Halton, Lord of Denbigh and 7th Lord of Bowland (Born 1251 – Died February 1311). Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Whalley Abbey was closed in 1537 and now stands in ruins.

Kenilworth Castle

Dating from around 1120, Kenilworth Castle has been described as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship”. It may also be significant for its number of reputed ghosts.

The Siege of Lathom

Nothing now remains of the original Lathom House, the last Royalist stronghold in Lancashire, which was besieged by Parliamentarian forces for three months in 1644.

The Bull’s Head, Earlswood

Recently (April 2013) re-opened the The Bull’s Head on Limekiln Lane in Earlswood has been a public house since 1832, though the building dates back to 1740 when it was used by navies working on the Stratford Upon Avon canal. Their website states that it is rumored to be haunted by a ghost of a lime kiln worker.

A3400 Road Ghost

Reputedly a farmer who lost his life after hitting a branch during whilst racing between Atherstone on Stour and Alderminster haunts the A3400. Local tradition suggests that if he is seen once, he will appear on another two occasions.

Hitchhiker of Ragley Hall

Another Warwickshire road ghost has become known as the ‘Hitchhiker of Ragley Hall’. Drivers have apparently stopped and given an old lady described as wearing a shawl and bonnet a lift to Dunnington Cross only to have her disappear.