SPOOKY SHROPSHIRE

SHROPSHIRE

RAF Cosford

This week we visited RAF Cosford in Shropshire, in this photo that I took is the Avro Lincoln B2 RF398. Many people have witnessed odd things around this aircraft including myself. I was taking a photo of the plane when I heard clear footsteps behind me, not thinking too much about it as there were a few people milling about; I turned around and no one was there! I mentioned this to my other half. But, I was well aware of the stories I just put it down to suggestion or misinterpretation, but I did hear someone walking right behind me. Initially the haunting of the Lincoln was a hoax, but after, strange things did happen. 

Brian Redfern is one of many visitors to wonder if they’d seen a ghost in the Avro Lincoln After all, it wasn't merely the insistence of ghost hunters that suggested the aeroplane is haunted. Many staff have experienced strange goings on near and in the aircraft. In 1991, the BBC’s Gwyn Richards investigated the bomber aided by paranormal investigator Ivan Spenceley. As well as listening to archived audio recordings and some of the first hand stories, the pair spent a couple of nights inside the aircraft, armed with recording equipment. They captured a number of mechanical sounds… sounds (it was claimed) that were difficult to attribute to either the building cooling down or the aircraft settling.

In trying to identify some of the strange sounds, Gwyn and Ivan took an ex Lincoln air crew to visit the infamous aircraft and introduced them to a few of the recorded noises. Phil Pritchett, Gareth Lewis and Peter Palma even claimed to be able to identify a few of the individual sounds – attributing them to actions that would be typically carried out by a pilot and his crew in preparation for (and during) flight.

The first known incident involving the plane occurred when, in 1980, a member of the museum’s staff was locking the hangar for the night. Looking back he believed that he saw someone move in the old aircraft and so he switched the lights back on. Having searched all the corners of the aircraft he turned to switch the lights off again when a “cloudy thing” appeared. Later that week a mechanic was working alone on the Lincoln. He felt around in the dark for a spanner which had just fallen, when it felt as if it was thrust into his hand.

Could it be the ghost of ‘Master Pilot’ Hiller who loved the aircraft and was at the controls for its last ever flight in 1963. It’s said that Hiller promised to “haunt his baby”. Hiller was killed near Cosford in an air crash not long after the Lincoln’s last flight. More recently the secretary to the museum society was busy preparing a notice board about the Lincoln when she heard her name being called. Thinking it was one of the museum staff calling her for a cup of tea she looked toward the Lincoln, then towards the door but saw no one. To this day she will not enter the hangar alone.

The story is also told about an electrician working 15 feet above the ground when he suddenly fell. He remembers thinking “this is it” because he had already injured his spine in a similar fall from another aeroplane. But instead of hitting the concrete floor with expected force, he floated to a stop “as if”, he said, “some invisible force had prevented his fall from being fatal”. Very few claim to have seen the ghost, and those who have, say he is in the gun-turret at the rear, or in the navigator’s seat in the cockpit.

Source

© WizzyTours

MUCH WENLOCK 

For Sale - Haunted house

 Raynalds Mansion, High Street, Much Wenlock, Shropshire

 Raynalds Mansion - 1682

© WizzyTours

Raynalds Mansion is now for sale, but there is a hefty price tag. This property can be purchased via Rightmove.co.uk for £795.000

Much Wenlock is a beautiful, quaint, stereotypical English country village, with some right eye-candy at your every turn and I mean the historical buildings ;) I snapped this house in particular with its original timbers, I have never seen a house so old.

Image courtesy rightmove.co.uk 

Raynalds house is Much Wenlock's most important historic residency, it dates back to the 15th century, all the timbers are original, it also has a priest hole. There is a stone extension at the back of the property, it is believed that the stone was added around the 16th century and that the stone was used from Wenlock Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.

People claim that faces appear at the windows and children in Victorian outfits have been seen playing with spinning tops on the balcony.

The Haunted Spar Shop - Much Wenlock

More recently there were reports of a haunted supermarket in Much Wenlock.And when workers began carrying out improvements to the Spar shop, just off The Square in Much Wenlock, things started happening.

"Shopping trolleys began moving on their own, heavy breathing was heard and there were even apparitions.The problems started after the builders dug up ancient pottery and old bones underneath the building.In early 2002,trainee manager Michelle Willis told BBC Midlands Today: "I was sitting over by the computer."I could hear breathing. I opened the door but nobody was there."What's been going on at the moment is enough. It's enough and I'm frightened of it."Trolleys in the storeroom appeared to have moved on their own and one member of staff felt a hand on their shoulder.Shop supervisor Jody Anderson also witnessed an unexplained event: "I was going out to the back to wash some cups, when I saw something appear."It stayed for something like 15 seconds and then it disappeared, totally," he said.The shop is on the site of a medieval alehouse in the historic town.But when they were digging down, the builders found unexpected remains."Items of crockery, lots of bones, definitely human bones," said builder John Todd."The abbey cemetery was moved here in the 12th Century and we came across all these human bones," he said.

Source 

© WizzyTours

Shrewsbury railway station was once the gateway to Wales and the North, with many routes on which VIP's would travel. One such VIP, a Shrewsbury Councillor, has made the same journey to platform three since 1887 when he was killed by a falling roof, which also crushed his carriage and injured his horse. The shadowy figure stands or sits near the ramp entrance from Castle St.

Source

Ironbridge Power Station ©WizzyTours

Buildwas Abbey above and below ©WizzyTours

Buildwas Abbey - English Heritage

It would seem that the power station cuts into the old boundaries of Buildwas Abbey - especially the station's coal bay, where a ghostly monk has been seen. Buildwas Power Station looks at odds with the surrounding countryside - even more so when you see the ruined abbey next door. The Black Monk is said to haunt the abbey ruins, but has more recently scared the pants off people in the power station itself. One worker was loading the great bucket upon his digger with coal when, in the space left by the bucket, he noticed a shape of what he thought was a woman. Thinking he'd stumbled across a murder victim, the worker got down from his cab. But before he even reached the ground, the figure floated toward him before it vanishing, just a few feet in front of him.

He broke all world records getting out of the building!

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The Muckleburgh Collection, Norfolk - Military museum

We arrived at The Muckleburgh Collection in Weybourne on a sunny afternoon, as we drove in the first object to catch our eye was a German V2 rocket nicknamed the ‘doodlebug’ a truly horrifying machine in it’s day; it stuck the fear of God into the British people in WW2 in the 1940’s, it flew over Britain at a speed of 400 mph then it would suddenly become silent mid air, this was when it exploded killing hundreds of people on the ground below.  Inside the building which was originally the old NAAFI was a plethora of exhibits and photographs.  I was taken aback at a life size horse called ’Copenhagen’ that was ridden by Duke of Wellington in the battle of Waterloo it was a mighty 17 hands or more. I walked round for a short time but found myself skipping impatiently into the artillery hall and then the Robert Curson tank hall where unexplained cold spots have been felt  also odd pinging sounds have been heard coming from the Russian T 34 tank like the engine has been running. I wrapped with my knuckles a couple of times on the Panzer tank and asked out for spirits, Richard was grinning at me from across the room keeping lookout for members of the public coming in. I announced to everyone including the spirits that this was a pointless exercise as I couldn’t hear a damn thing for the loud 1940’s music that was ringing in my ears. Whilst in another area of the building where the medical exhibits are I did hear a tapping sound on one of the glass panels, but it was rather breezy that day.  The only spirit I heard that day was our dog barking his head off in an even draftier kennel.  We then decided to go to the restaurant for a cup of tea, someone saw a part manifestation of a ghost in that room. Our pots of tea arrived and the largest chocolate cake I’d ever seen in my life appeared our of the chiller of which I had a slice... and the meal portions there were scary!

Other occurrences that have happened here are Spirit lights seen moving outside by a WW1 pill box, said to be the spirits of some military girls killed in action, strange movements have been heard in the artillery hall, an iron gate was heard slamming in the restaurant, people have heard footsteps walking down the long corridor. Groans and screams have been heard coming out of a military ambulance, people often see unexplained shadows, poltergeist activity has been witnessed in Berry Savoury’s office which is right at the end of the long corridor.
One other interesting note but not of the paranormal kind is that of an exhibit at Muckleburgh, is that of an 88mm flak gun that was actually used in the band of brother series.

R.A.F East Kirkby - military museum, airfield

Name: Control Tower, RAF Museum (Former RAF East Kirkby)
Locality:  East Kirkby, Lincolnshire PE23 4DA
Built: 1942
Owner: Air ministry
Grade: II

Website: Lincolnshire aviation centre

History:

RAF East Kirkby opened on the 20th August 1943 as a Bomber command Station. The station closed in 1958 and is now home to an air museum whose prize exhibit is the Lancaster Bomber "Just Jane". The aircraft was purchased by the Panton brothers from a museum in Blackpool where it had been a static exhibit. Now fully restored, in memory of their brother who was killed on a Bomber Command mission, the Lancaster has been given a taxi license and frequently makes runs for visitors. After the end of hostilities, East Kirby was home to 460 sqd. RAAF, until October, 1945. The number of servicemen and women stationed at East Kirkby was 2000. In April 1945, a Lancaster caught fire while being bombed up, resulting in a huge explosion which set off further bombs. Four people were killed, six Lancaster's totally destroyed, and a further fourteen damaged.




I was really looking forward to going back to RAF East Kirkby near Spilsby in Lincolnshire. We have been there before whilst on holiday a few years ago.

We began with looking around the hanger where the AVRO Just Jane Lancaster bomber is housed. We looked and the old spitfire wreckage and the plethora of old photos that would have taken hours to look at carefully. I then came across the photo of Norman Watt, the pilot who plunged to his death in a spitfire accident , all his things were laid out in glass covered cabinets along with bits of wreckage.

We then continued towards the famous control tower where a green light has been seen in the middle of the night. The windows had been blocked out, and the room was very dim and depressing. We listened to the simulations of 1940s RAF crews mapping flight paths, it was a creepy place during the day, let alone at night!

Many people believe the airfield to be haunted. 

Alleged ghostly manifestations: Apparitions of WW2 airmen.

Ghostly anomalies: Spectral green lights in and around the air base.