featherstone ghost walks 2008

FEATHERSTONE GHOSTS AND HAUNTINGS

1. THE HISTORY OF THE LAST RIOT ACT.

2.   THE RAILWAY HOTEL (NOW LAST ORDERS).
The railway hotel is one of the oldest buildings in Featherstone. It’s most famous part in local history was its location on the door step of 1893 riot. After the riot and shootings a miner’s inquest was held in the hotel. The chairman of the inquest was a tall man in a suit with a tall top hat. His name was Mr. Arundel. In later years a street was named after him. The street is no longer there but was just down the lane from the railway, at the top of Allison Street.
In later years this person has been seen many times in the building still dressed as he was in 1893. He is said to walk around the upper floors. A previous landlord around 1982 is said to have locked up one night and gone upstairs only to see the figure on the landing. The man walked through the door and disappeared. Upon looking in the room the landlord could find no trace of the man. He dismissed it as his imagination, but a few days later he was informed by his children that they had seen the man with a tall hat in their room, stood at the end of the bed.
Why is the man in a tall hat still there? Was the truth not told?

3.   MYSTERY MINER.( below old side entrance to pit now c.m.s. medical)
The pit was a busy place even up to its closure. Most maintenance was carried out on a Sunday morning. Around 1962 one Sunday morning a minor called Peter Bates went to work to repair a door just beyond the bottom of the shaft. He went down alone with two deputies operating the cage from above. He walked towards the door and set about his repairs. A short time after, as he was working away he saw coming towards him the light on a pit helmet. At first he did not suspect anything and carried on as he did not realize he was the only man down the pit. The light came nearer to Peter. He could see the figure of what he thought was just another miner. As the figure walked past Peter looked up and said “hey-up”. He got no reply. Peter saw that the other minor seemed real but dressed in a style that was out dated. The lamp on his hat looked about 20 years old. He thought no more of it and carried on and finished his repairs.
Upon going back up the shaft to the surface he asked his deputies who else was down. They replied “no one but you has been down the shaft today.” The miner explained what he had seen. The two deputies confirmed he had been alone. At that point the miners face turned drip white. Who had he seen?

4.   THE WALKING MINER.
The original main entrance to Featherstone colliery was just off Green lane. Again one Sunday morning a foreman maintenance fitter went to work. He went down with two others to make checks on a pump just off the shaft. This was just under your feet. While working he noticed a light shining at the end of a back road. A back road is an underground road. To keep the coal dust down and prevent flashback from any fire, these roads were normally covered with a fine white stone dust on the floor. He walked away from his colleagues to investigate the source of the light. As he walked he soon noticed foot prints were appearing in the dust next to him, as if someone was walking with him. He looked around. There was no one there.
He ran and left the pit looking as if he had seen a ghost!

5.   THE MARCHERS CRIES.
The original pit entrance was the scene of the Featherstone massacre. From here a road used to run parallel to station lane, over the railway line, down towards Lister close. It is said you can hear the cries of the wounded. No apparitions have been reported, but many claim to have heard the cries.

6.   THE NO1 CLUB (for a short time The Progressive).
The no1 club as it is known now was originally built on the present pubs car park. It was knocked down and rebuilt in its present position. Around 1984 the new pub had many alterations by its new landlord (remember the rotating hotdog oven?). From here the trouble started.
In 1985 a female customer went to the toilet and as she was about to enter a cubicle a man appeared in front of her. He just stood and stared. He was tall, dark hair and dressed casual. The lady was terrified and ran to the bar. She curled up in a ball on the floor and could not be consoled from her freight for many minutes. No man matching the description had been seen in the club.
The club also had a famous picture on the wall. The picture was of a country scene of a river and trees. It was said that if you looked at the picture at 10 p.m. you could see the face of the man. Many people said they had seen the man.
In 1987 one afternoon an electrician was working alone in what was the disco room. The club was closed and all doors were locked. He came downstairs from the flat above after talking to the landlord. He came through the cellar and entered the club from behind the bar. He went left towards the pool room to walk from behind the bar. As he walked into the pool room he saw in front of him at the other side of the pool table a tall well built man with dark hair. The electrician froze and stared at the man. He plucked up courage and asked can I help you? The tall dark man then began to walk, and walked through the pool table towards the electrician. The electrician ran back upstairs. He explained what he saw and asked if all the doors were locked. The landlord said they were. The two men then walked downstairs and looked all around the club. No one was there and the building was secure.
Who is the no 1 club ghost???

7.   NELLY WOOD THE FEATHERSTONE WITCH.
Behind the old post office at the top of station lane, next to the railway crossings, you will find a small car park. This was once a yard. In the corner towards the railway banking stood an oak tree. Under this tree was a grave stone. The grave was that of the witch Nelly Wood. Not much is known about her. The grave must have been so old that only our senior citizens have been able to recall seeing it as a child. It is believed that she was hung from the tree and buried where she fell.

8.   THE RAILWAY GHOST.
One of the oldest and most heard stories about ghosts on the railway lines is that of a young girl. It is said that the cries of a teenage girl can be heard at midnight on 31st October. The story has two versions. The first goes that the girl was stuck on the lines by her clothes. Her cries were not heard and see was killed by a passing coal train. The second is that she committed suicide after loosing her love in a pit accident. What ever version you believe you cannot mistake the desperate cries that so many have heard.

9. FEATHERSTONE ROVERS CAR PARK (The Posh Penguin Club)
Where the Rovers car park meets Post Office road, a pub used to stand known locally as the Posh Penguin. The pub caught fire and burnt to the ground in 1985. From that time on, people have heard the cries of a desperate woman searching for her child in the area where the pub once stood.

10. CHESNEYS BELL.
Where the new community centre stands you will see between it and post office road a grassed area. This is where the original building once stood. The old building had a large brass bell hung outside at one end of the building. The bell is well known for its strange happenings. It could often be heard ringing once at 1 minute to 1 a.m. the bell was removed before the demolition and is now on display inside the new building. I wonder if it still rings at 1 minute to 1.

11. VICTORIA STREET, PASSAGE.
Along side St Thomas church runs a passage between Victoria Street and St Thomas road. A terrifying faceless woman haunts the passage. She wears a bonnet but it is completely empty and no head or face can be seen. Anyone who gets in her way is swept into a whirl wind that passes behind her. As quick as she appears she then just disappears. It is if she needs to walk by you.

12. STRANGE EXPERIENCES.
No. 6 station lane, like many buildings had not changed in a 100 years. When it was purchased in 2001 by Mr. G. Yates he found firstly a large attic over flowing with books, diaries, old watches, toys and shop merchandise dating to 1920. Not wishing to just skip the items he began to go through them. As he read the books and slowly cleared the attic he began to work out that someone had once lived in the attic. In fact as the rubbish was removed you could see a small room had been built at one end and that at sometime someone had lived in it. As he worked in the attic one night clearing the last of the items he felt a sudden drop in temperature. As he looked towards the window he noticed something in the corner. His eyes strained to make out what it was. He stood up to go and look closer. As he did so from nowhere a strong wind began to blow on his face. He took 3 steps forward and bent down to look in the corner. As his eyes focused he could see the shape of a young boy curled up. He was naked apart from only a rag as pair of shorts. The boy uncurled himself and lifted his head revealing a ghostly face. Mr. Yates turned and ran. He jumped down the attic trap door and ran to find another worker. The two retuned and searched the attic. No one was there? Who was the boy?
Another incident shortly after involved a joiner. The joiner was fitting a door frame on the landing. While he was working he felt someone tug his coat from behind. He turned around to find no one there. He dismissed it as his imagination and carried on. However five minutes later, again he felt someone tug at his coat. Again as looked around no one was there. That was enough for him. He picked up his tools and left, never to be seen again.
Late one night, A few months later, on the same landing, Mr Yates was painting. The area where he was stood was where a stair case had once been. As he worked he heard below him footsteps. The footsteps were loud as if made by a large person in hard bottom shoes like clogs. As he listened he realized that they were getting nearer. In fact they were climbing up a stair case that was not there. He was stood where the top of these stairs used to be. He didn’t wait to see who was coming and ran, not going back until the following day.

These accounts and stories have been given by local people. They are what they have seen or been told about over the years.
I would like to thank the following for their contributions.

Local people for coming forward.
Mr Tony Lumb for his local knowledge.

Written by Mr. Gareth Yates, on behalf of the Featherstone and community events association.

Copy right by permission

my reason for this post is for all to add any stories they know that could be used in this years event.