With Hallowe’en on the way we thought we’d pass on some of
the spooky experiences some of our friends have had around the Three
Shires. Hand on heart, Mike told us
something that happened to him in a
Macclesfield chapel ...
‘When I worked as a decorator, years ago, the boss
told me to go and paint three radiators at a local chapel. As I went up the steps I could hear a piano
playing inside. The moment I opened the doors it stopped. There was no one
inside at all and nowhere anyone could have gone in that short a time. It was
weird but I assumed it had just been coming from a nearby house. It wasn’t
until I left that I realised there weren’t any houses close enough for me to hear
it that loud. So, later I said to the boss, half-jokingly, “What d’ you think
you’re doing sending me to a haunted church?”
I told him about the piano-playing and he said: “You want to talk to Paul!”
So next time I saw Paul, who worked with us, I told him what had happened. It
turned out I’d been sent to do the radiators because Paul, who had been working
there, refused to set foot in the place ever again. Apparently, he’d been working near the organ,
which was between two small flights of stairs going up the sides of the chapel.
He’d watched, petrified as a small “cloud” of white mist travelled slowly from
behind the organ down the stairs, growing larger as it got to the top of the
aisle. It then came down the aisle towards Paul, and seemed to be gradually
taking on the shape of a person. Needless to say, Paul didn’t hang around to
find out, he got out of there fast and by all accounts was still shaking an
hour later. The chapel’s been turned
into flats now, and I often wonder if any of the inhabitants has seen anything
unusual ...’
‘travelling down the M53 towards Chester in the
car; my dad was driving. Then I saw, in
a field next to the motorway, a ball of pale green light, just hovering
there. It wasn’t way up in the sky but
about 15 feet off the ground. I know
most people would say it was some sort of gas that had somehow floated over from the
oil refinery nearby, but it wasn’t, it was a light. Then it suddenly rose up
and shot across the front of the car, to the other side of the motorway, where
I lost track of it. There was a stunned
silence and my dad said: “Did you see that too?” I did but to this day I have
absolutely no idea what it was.’
Then there’s Hannah’s story, when she went to visit a friend who’d just moved to
‘a beautiful house near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. I’d
seen photos of the place and it looked great so I couldn’t wait to visit. From
outside, it lived up to all expectations but as soon as I set foot inside, the
hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I thought the place had a really creepy
atmosphere and I spent the whole day feeling as though someone was watching me.
My friend was really happy though, settling in, so I didn’t say anything. I
slept in the guest room (with the light on!) but woke up at four in the
morning. I could hear a soft clicking sound. At first I put it down to the
heating but then my eye was drawn to one of those small revolving bookcases
that was in the corner of the room. It was turning round and round, completely
on its own. I didn’t know what to do so I pulled the covers over my head and
stayed there until it was light! My
friend’s been in the house a few years now and has never had anything strange
happen – so maybe whatever is in that house just didn’t like me!’
Finally, Nick told us something really spine-tingling:
‘A couple of days after my father died I came
downstairs in the morning to find a plant that, the night before, had been in
its usual place on top of a high unit. It was standing on the floor at the
bottom of the unit, all in one piece, with not a drop of soil or a fallen leaf
anywhere ...’
Do you have a story?
Let us know if you’ve had any weird experiences around the
Shires ...
