Ghost stories

[The Johnster]

Yes , I know.  I’ve been shown the spot from a passing train but was unable to make them out.  The accident resulted in the tunnel being slued to the northeast to avoid the collapse, resulting in the curve at the Cefn Onn end. 

[billy_anorak59]

15 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 but have had a couple of feelings I didn't much like. 

 

I have only had one such experience. I was in a run-of-the-mill, mundane meeting at work, it was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

Suddenly, and for no reason at all, I had an overwhelming sense of doom, a really black feeling came over me. I immediately thought to myself, "something really bad has happened", and then - the feeling had gone, I was back to the normality of the meeting.

 

The date?

11th September 2001.

 

Disturbance in the 'force'? Don't know, but the feeling was real enough.

 

[Keith J]

Up until my mid teens I used to spend quite a lot of the summer holidays staying with my Grandmother in rural Cumbria (or Cumberland as it was back then). One summer afternoon when I was probably 13 or 14 I was feeling particularly bored so I decided to take myself off for a walk across the fields behind her house. On my walk I came across this very well kept farm and looking out through one of the windows of the farmhouse was a very pretty girl, who looked about my age, wearing a red sweater. I waved at her and she waved back, I then carried on with my walk and took a different route back to my Grandmothers so didn’t pass the farm again.

 

That evening I was thinking about the girl in the red sweater and thought it would be good to try and speak to her. So the following day I decided to re trace my steps and head back to the farm. When I reached the farm it was derelict and clearly had been for some time. The farmhouse itself was in a terrible state of disrepair with all the windows broken and most of the roof tiles missing I had no doubt that it was the same farm as I had followed the exact same route as the previous day.

I went straight back to my Grandmothers and asked her if she knew anything about the farm. She told me it had been abandoned about 25 to 30 years ago. Apparently the farmer’s teenage daughter was tragically killed by some farm machinery and the family could no longer face living there so simply walked away and left the farm to rot.

 

Why I saw what I saw on that particular day I have no idea but the memory of it has stayed with me ever since.

[AndrewC]

In true AndrewC fashion I have a reverse ghost story. I'm not a believer nor have I ever had anything go bump in the night that couldn't be explained. 

 

About 20 years ago we stayed in a hotel in Dorset. The owners were proud of the fact it was haunted and they pretty much guaranteed that something would happen. We ended up in one of the dormer bedrooms that was supposedly the most haunted room in the place. They were convinced of the haunting as every night something moved in the bar. Every night there were noises from the empty rooms and hallways. Every night there were shadows and unexplained things happening.

Well after 4 nights, we heard nothing, and saw nothing. On the last morning we overheard the owners chatting and saying how quiet it had been for the past few days and nothing in the bar had moved and no noises at all. They were really disappointed. I guess that makes me a Ghostbuster. 

 

Who you gonna call? 

[jonny777]

There are some excellent accounts here, and my minor one pales almost into insignificance by comparison. 

 

I too used to spend time at my grandmother's house during school holidays in the mid-1960s; usually a week at a time. It gave her some company as my grandad had died a couple of years earlier, and she used to spoil me rotten. 

 

It was a typical terraced house from the turn of the 19th/20th century with two large bedrooms and a box room above the kitchen. The bedroom I slept in had a double bed with a feather mattress that I just sank into and used to have great nights sleep. 

 

However one night I woke up as the bedroom door handle turned, and someone switched on the bedroom light (which was right next to the door). My grandad's head and shoulders appeared around the door and said 'are you alright?' I replied 'Yes, thanks' and he shut the door again. I fell asleep, but when I woke up in the morning the light was off, and I thought to myself that I had had a particularly vivid dream. 

 

I had more or less consigned my dream to the 'unimportant' bin in my head as I went downstairs where my grandma was preparing breakfast. When she saw me she asked if I had had a problem in bed? I must have looked a bit puzzled, because she explained further that when she had gone upstairs to bed a couple of hours after me she could see my bedroom light was on, so she had a look into the room and I was fast asleep so she had turned it off. 

 

I suddenly found my dream theory to be completely shattered, but I didn't dare say anything to her as I was not sure how she might react, so I said I must have left the light on.  

[John M Upton]

A railway based ghostly experience happened to me about eight or nine years ago now.  I was booked a special turn late on a Sunday night, run an extra train set down only from Brighton along the coast to Chichester due to engineering works.

 

Prior to this train which was due to set off at something like 23:45, I had a two hour break in the Train Crew Mess Room at Brighton which is based on the first floor of the original station building that dominates the front of the station and was built with the original opening of the line.

 

It is a bit of a strange building, lots of corridors, doors and twisty narrow staircases that seem to lead to long forgotten rooms and basements.  By half eleven there was only a few of us left in the building, myself, my driver, the Brighton Cover Man and the Production Manager and with an hour or so job to Chichester probably with no working toilet I decided to visit the Gents...

 

To get to the toilets involved going up one floor where the train crew locker rooms are as well, by way of one of the narrow winding internal staircases and as often happened as I reached the bottom, I could hear someone coming down so as per standard practice, I waited for the downward heading person to reach the bottom.

 

He duly appeared, a driver in an old style 1970's/1980's BR uniform, the classic leather drivers bag, etc.  He said thanks, we exchanged the usual brief train crew pleasantries, 'you off home then' etc and he duly departed, I headed upstairs, went to the loo and was back downstairs in the mess room in a matter of a couple of minutes.

 

When I got back I asked if anyone knew who the driver was who still wears the old BR uniform to which I got looks of the 'what the blazes is he talking about' type so I told them I had just seen him coming down the stairs and that he must have passed through here or past the PM's desk in the last minute or two.

 

They had seen nobody come or go other than myself and no one had left the building....

 

It was only later that it occured to me that the driver I met might just have been ghostly....

[Nearholmer]

On 29/04/2020 at 22:45, APOLLO said:

In my career I have been to many strange places at strange times - but I only ever got the shivers at this bridge - and to this day I know  not why.

 

I'm a pretty firm disbeliever of the supernatural, but I understand exactly the sensation that you mean. There is a particular place that gives me the sensation of a cold electric shock for reasons that I really cannot understand, in broad daylight, in the countryside .......... whatever is there feels very, very ancient, almost animal, and connected with or too the earth.

[Coldgunner]

Its interesting how many people I know who are believers but are not spiritual in a religous sense. I do think there is some science to it, but its a science that we are yet to understand. The TV charlatans and fairground fortune tellers do nothing but cheapen what may have some genuine science to it. There's certainly a more about our universe we don't understand to that what we do know.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Next installment of my stories.  We didn't know much history about my wife's father other than he had left his family home and moved away, never to go back. After he died a few things started to come to light, not relevant to the ghost part of the story. We and my Sil both had regular visitations with a particular odour which was only to be found in one spot on each occasion it appeared.  It was the same odour in both houses about 10 miles apart.

After we moved to our present house about 100 miles away we still got the same occasional 'visitor' usually in the conservatory. On some occasions I got up in the morning to find the reading lamp in there switched on although it had been off when I locked up the previous evening. 

Finally our son cracked the mysteries of what happened during his family history research and neither we nor SiL have had a visit since.

[Happy Hippo]

I once went around Belsen after dark.

 

Never again.

[Big James]

My own ghost story involves my parents house. For years growing up me and my sisters would report hearing footsteps in the loft shadows moving about upstairs when no one was up their. Even had teddies thrown down the stairs in the middle of family time so we know for a fact there wasn’t anyone up stairs. This went on for years off foot steps, cold spots and even the odd shadow. The weirdest thing was that the model railway in the loft used to get moved around. 
 

When I was about 18 my sisters had long since moved out and my parents was on holiday. To make sure I could hear anything downstairs I left my bedroom door open. As I was reading my book I felt a sudden drop of temperature and in the corner of my room a girl suddenly appeared and proceeded to walk through the room shut the door and heard her foot steps disappear down the stairs. To this day I can still describe her she had a white dress, with a pinafore tied up at the back, blond hair and must’ve been about 10 or 11. When my parents returned from holiday I told my mum who told me I must’ve been dreaming and told me not to worry about it, due to this I never told as anyone as I didn’t believe anyone would believe me.  A few months later she was at my sisters house and the subject of ghosts come up as my sisters house was haunted to. That’s when my sister told my mum that she had seen a girl skipping down the garden a couple of times. She described the girl exactly as I had to my mum. I had never told my sister about the girl. 
 

Last year the neighbours father died and she got a medium round to talk to and see if she could speak to him. The medium then proceeded to knock on my parents door and ask to come in. My dad being a Uber skeptic only let her in because he’s good friends with the neighbour. She then went round the house identifying that there was a vortex in the corner of my old bedroom. That the spirits in the house was a girl and her brother. I moved out at the beginning of last year but my parents still tell us about hearing footsteps in empty rooms and only the other day my dad told me about hearing them conversing in my old room. Due to what’s going on in the house at the moment the only people in the house are my parents and their two dogs in the house. 
 

Thank you for taking the time to read this

 

Big James

[stewartingram]

Well, they say you learn something every day, I certainly have about an hour ago.

Before I retired, I spent some time working as a contractor on the Underground, on the communication systems. I had 3 incidents at Embankment station, all related, but which at the time, I really glossed over them.

1. I had to visit Embankment one day, alone, to attend the older cctv cabinet in Embankment station; I only had a rough idea of its location so had to search a bit to find it. I duly signed in, with the Station Supervisor in the Control Room, and was issued with keys, and some very basic guidance of where to go. I went down the stairs to the n/b p5 on the Bakerloo, but instead of turning right, went through the (locked) door straight on, and up another flight of stairs. At this point, I will add that security is very strong on LUL, keys are only issued with regard to rules, and it is normal for doors to have automatic closure devices, which as their final movement close with a very definite force. 

The stairs I now climbed appeared to be a former public way that had been closed off. Today, Googling for info I found it closed over 100 years ago, and really is actually a place with quite a reputation for being haunted! 

At the top of the stairs, I went through a door on the right, into a long passage which had gained the name of Pages Walk (Google it, there are even some pics on an urban explorer site). The beginning of this passage, was quite narrow over the bridge, with another door on the right just over the bridge (which I initially missed, I'll return there later). Once over the bridge was another door in the passage, with a couple of light switches that I found before opening it. Once through, I needed to turn the lights on, and found the passage now was climbing quite steeply. The lighting was a couple of strings of builders lamps along the wall. These were fitted with (dirty) flourescent bulbs, which take a minute or two to gain full brilliance. Oh, and I forgot, the 2 switches turned on the2 strings such that the lamps in each string were alternate. So at first it was quite dim along there. I carried on along Pages Walk, past the radio cabinets, past a couple of cabins, which I checked for my cctv equipment but couldn't find. Further on, was another door on the right which I opened. Unusually there was no closure device on that one, so I left it wide open. Now, the air in the passage was so quiet, and still, very unusual. Past this door I could hear the rumble of trains, a little distant. Today's Google tells me that the vast cavern I was entering used to be a substation. I didn't go any further, suddenly realising I was alone, and if I tripped......., so I turned round to go back through the open door. I really had to tug it hard to close it, as though someone was holding it....strange. Back down Pages Walk, to the door I previously missed; when I went in there, there was my cabinet. Just past it, the old steps led down to the s/b p6, but the void had been filled in so was impassable.

I did my job, and left, & thought no more of what happened. 

More in part 2.

 

Stewart

Edited May 4, 2020 by stewartingram
typo

[Nearholmer]

10 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

Today's Google tells me that the vast cavern I was entering used to be a substation.

And it is again now.

 

I know exactly where you were: a sort of small balcony about 50ft up, looking over the cavern, which was, as you say, huge.

[stewartingram]

Pages Walk part 2. 

Some weeks later, I was on shift on a Sunday, & for some reason I was in the office at Park Royal. Usually, as I travelled on foot and the tube, I didn't get to the office much. Whilst there I had just been given a job at Finsbury Park, and was making my way to the door to leave when another engineer came in. I'll call him D. We exchanged greetings; the upshot was he said he'd give me a lift in his van to town as he had a job at Embankment. Now I happen to know that D, a lovely guy, did get a bit wound up in the presence of spiders, and didn't like ghost stories. On the way to Embankment he asked me to accompany him to site; I initially refused as I had my job to do, but as he was a good mate, I said I'd come in for a few minutes.

We signed in and D got the keys, with a bit of banter in the control room about minding the ghost in Pages Walk - actually the first I'd heard of it. I could see D was wary of being there alone; we really shot through the job because he wanted to get back upstairs!

This sowed the first seeds of the ghost in my mind, and I casually related it to my earlier experience with the door.

More in part 3.

 

Stewart

[stewartingram]

Pages Walk part 3.

A few more weeks, and on shift again. This time I've got another engineer with me, I'll call him T. We were usually the only 2 on shift, often worked together - very well, we got on - and sometimes alone. Today, we were both given the job at Pages Walk, to do a software update in the radio cabinets. On the way there we were chatting, and I mentioned the earlier visits to T. I wasn't concerned about them; my wife often relates things to me and says ghosts will never harm you. I have another story concerning her for another time. T responded by saying he wasn't scared and had no concerns about going down there. (yeah right!).

We signed in again, got the keys, and proceeded to Pages Walk, crossing the bridge. I'll add that we were on foot, heavily loaded. Each of us had a rucksack, and a quite heavy wheelie toolcase, and we also had a laptop bag, so manouverability was a slight issue. Having crossed the bridge, we got to the door. Struggling to open it, T turned the lights on, not realising he had only turned on 1 string. We got to the cabinets, and I unloaded the tools, unlocked the 1st cabinet, and wound up the laptop. There was a small striplight in the cabinet, but the corridor lights were dim, so I asked T to pop back and turn the 2nd string on. Off he went through the door, the lights came on, and I'll swear when he came back he made a deliberate effort to wedge the door right open.

With the first cabinet done, we moved to the other one, and were chatting. T again said he was ok down there, and we both commented on the stillness and how quiet it was down there. I told him a little bit more about D from last time. I could see him getting a little tense, but when I happened to see the door was closed, I queried it with him. He said he was sure it was left open. I could see the hairs on the back of his neck were now standing up, and he was getting agitated, telling me to hurry up. I quickly finished and he rushed to pack things up. But the he just dashed off leaving me to lock the cabinet and gather my bags. I found him in the Supervisors office. He was visibly scared, in fact off he went to Park Royal and fired off emails to the managers, refusing to go back down there alone.

But it wasn't until this afternoon I actually read anything up about Pages Walk and its ghost.

 

Stewart

[stewartingram]

Actually I'd forgotten a bit of the story there.

T didn't dash off and leave me to lock the cabinets. We went to the door together, complete with our luggage. When we got through it, T pulled the door to close it. With it still open just a tad, there was an enormous moaning whistle, which I put down to air passing through the small gap. But, it wasn't the normal noise you often get like that anywhere - it was LOUD and, well, more a moan? Also, remember we said how still the air was? I can't explain it. T let go and left at this point. I was left to close the door. It took an effort to do it, just like the other door did in part 1. Not something mechanical like a door rubbing the frame though. I guess it was closed in just a few seconds but it felt a lot longer. 

I still have no explanation for it all. I'm not a believer or disbeliever, just recounting what happened. And I've been there a few times since without trepidation. To the best of my knowledge, T hasn't.

 

Stewart

Edited May 4, 2020 by stewartingram

[TheSignalEngineer]

Another couple of experiences from me tonight.

 

I won't go into detail on the first as it got quite personal and still gives me the shivers but suffice it to say that the night before Dad died six of us were gathered in the room, taking turns to go out for a rest at various times. He was mostly sleeping until he quietly passed away the following morning. Suffice it to say that the paranormal activity in the room that night would have had the crew of 'Most Haunted' running for cover. There were at least three active spirits, everyone experiencing at least two of them.

 

Fast forward five months. Daughter and her family had been on a day out. We were out bike riding when we had a call that they had been in an accident, were all unhurt but car written off. We raced back to our car and I dropped my wife and our gear at their house then went to rescue them. 

A large branch had fallen from an old oak tree and landed squarely across the car, right at the strongest part where the door pillars are. It had also hit a car on the other side of the road which helped to take some of the impact. Fortunately the only person in that car was also uninjured. 

I took SiL and the boys back home as they were going to a football match that evening. I went back and picked up daughter who had waited with her car for the recovery truck to come. On the way home she said that they saw the branch moving and accelerated which meant that it didn't hit the screen. She said that at the moment of impact she felt there was a fifth person in the car between the boys on the back seat.

Eventually we got home and cleared up our stuff. Just before Dad died I had been successful in a ballot for a special edition of his favourite malt. Unfortunately he never got to taste it, arriving three months after he died. That night I decided to open it and poured myself a large measure and as I took the first sip I said 'Thanks for looking after the family today, pity you aren't here to share this with me'. I had locked up and as I turned in the hall I hit a patch of cold air at the bottom of the stairs despite it being a warm night after a sunny day. There was an overwhelming smell of the incense Dad used to burn in his thurible during the Communion service. I was shaking like a leaf when I got to the bedroom.

[Trofimow]

12 hours ago, stewartingram said:

 my wife often relates things to me and says ghosts will never harm you.

 

A comforting thought, if not entirely accurate, as I will relate......

 

Firstly, let me say that in al the goings on that I talked about in my previous story, there was never anything hostile, we never felt threatened and it was never frightening, even when we were physically manipulated as in the leg raising incidents. Activity at home is quite high at the moment as we approach VE day and the anniversary of the crash, the favourite tricks at the moment being to turn on the bathroom light, and refuse to let it be turned off again, or to turn on the little fountain on the patio.

 

Going back to my childhood, when we lived in the "haunted" terrace of houses, my father's parents had the house next door and that also had its own quota of presences. One in particular that everybody experienced was definititely hostile and malevolent and made that very plain. Luckily, it was very tightly tied to a particular location and not able to physically manifest itself in any way.

 

My grandfather died when I was still a child, and grandmother continued to live in the house after we moved away when I was 14.

All these houses in the terrace were let by the same landlord, and when grandmother died, the opportunity arose to buy her house at a reduced rate. My younger brother did so and moved in with his new wife.

 

Although it was initially a happy marriage, it did not remain so and life became difficult for them. As with most things, there was fault on both sides, but she went out of her way to be unkind to him, the full extent of which only became apparent later.

 

As the marriage disintegrated, the activiy in the house ramped up, and she would regularly be "ambushed" on the stairs by an unseen presence that would repeatedly and forcefully punch her in the stomach, with the clear and successful intention of causing her pain.

 

We assumed it was grandmother demontrating her displeasure.

 

Personally, I have never been harmed by a ghost, but I have been threatened by one, but perhaps that is a story for another time.