This short video gives you all the background you need.

In Pure Spirit

Did you think Coca-Cola helped create the Santa Claus myth? This video seems to suggest they only helped establish the current appearance.

What about making a return of some of the elder Santa myths? Fancy some Christmas gnomes popping down your chimney on the solstice?

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In fact, for Christmas Mottisfont is doing something rather special. Angels are coming to the historic gardens.

The Angel Garden is inspired by the original human-sized angel at Mottisfont which was created by Boris Anrep back in 1947 with the face of Maud Russell. Maud Russell was not only the love of Anrep’s life but the owner Mottisfont.

For this year’s Angel Garden a total of nine different arists have created angel sculptures to join the original. One of the artists, Ed Elliott, told the National Trust;

This work questions the deeper psychological concept of the angel; the paradox between power and beauty, solidity and weightlessness, and the burden of existing as an immortal being.

In Pure Spirit

Will you be heading up to Mottisfont before the end of the year to see the angels? Or have you been already to see the original angel with the face of Maud Russell? What did you think?

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It’s a little hard to spot at first but there are a series of strange lights in the sky. At one point around the 3 second mark there are a series of smokey trails. However, at the time of posting at least one comment suggests this just may be smart after effects.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Anything odd about these strange lights over Tottenham? Or is this a just a clever fake?

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The pub is not very old and was built as recently as 1932, however it is believed that the building stands on ground used for hangings in the 17th century. Lillian Campbell, pub manager, moved into the Court Oak in 2000 and now believes in ghosts. Current pub manager Anne Tyler also made the news this week by talking to the press about the local ghosts. In a further twist, one of the suggested spirits is most active around Halloween.

The Mirror reveals The Court Oak’s problem with a ghost called “Corky”. According to Nuala Gallagher, who works for Sizzling Pubs, Corky smashes wine bottles unless they’re of good quality.

“It isn’t so much things that go bump in the night as things going smash in the night at the Court Oak.

“People have spotted the figure of a man, aged about 60, behind the bar and the staff have felt his presence numerous times over the years.

“But it is Corky’s insistence on certain wines that set him apart as a spirit.

“It only ever happens at this time of year when Halloween is in sight. If the pub has a house wine that is not to his liking, he makes his feelings known by smashing bottle after bottle of it in the cellar until it is changed for a wine he approves of.”

Before this week’s story, Lillian Campbell had given permission to paranormal investigators to examine the pub. The group looked into the legend that a woman was tried and executed on the harge of infanticide. It is believed the woman was hanged even though she was innocent.

In Pure Spirit

Do you believe in a Halloween ghost that appears just in time to ensure customers of the pub get good wine?

Have you been to the Court Oak pub in Harborne? Did you sense anything odd about the building while you stayed there?

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It is believed that the de Lathom family occupied Turton Tower around the year 1200 – when it was part of the barony of Manchester. The famous pele tower was rebuilt by the Orrells in 1420. In 1628 Humphrey Chetham bought the tower. A few years later (1642) the Civil War broke out; Chetham sided with the Roundheads and allowed troops to be garrisoned inside the estate. The Orrells, however, were Cavaliers.

It is now owned by the Blackburn with Darwen Council.

In November and December of this year small groups of visitors will be given ghost tours. The tours range from 3am and 4am visits and are for 18+ only.

Hauntings at Turton Tower

It is said that two skulls are kept in the Towers that have been linked to previous hauntings elsewhere – in particular the appearance of two ghostly men who appear to be duelling.

A woman dressed for mourning is said to stalk the staircase of the tower, sobbing and shuffling slowly. A security guard is reported to have gone to the aid of a woman leaning against a fence – only for her to disappear as he got close.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to Turton Tower? Do you think it’s haunted? Do you think the council are doing the right thing, raising money for its keep by letting ghost hunting tours inside?

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Local legend has it that inn was haunted and so a group of staff decided to raise money for the charity North West Ambulance Service by staging a sleep over.

Jenny Barnsley, who works behind the bar, explains what happened;

“We decided to have a sleepover and seance to find out for ourselves if the pub really is haunted as everyone says. First, we lit candles and asked if anyone was present and we immediately heard scratching and banging noises coming from upstairs.”

Barnsley goes on to explain the first sighting of a ghost;

“Chloé then saw a man in the doorway of the front bar and shortly afterwards, we took a picture as the room had gone cold. We were amazed to see what looked like separate images of a man and a girl in two different pictures.”

The photograph taken by the group has been released to press. Here it is.

If you’re curious about the inn itself, here’s a creative commons picture of the outside. You can also check out the Inn’s website.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think the charity sleep over actually encountered a ghost? Did they get spooked, encounter a common camera defect and now think it was a ghost? Or is this all part of a PR stunt?

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The witch was to live in Wookey Hole Caves and entertain tourists. The legend of the Wookey Witch states that she lived in the naturally formed caverns, terrorised the locals but was the turned to stone by the Abbot of Glastonbury. Rumours suggest that the caves may now be haunted.

This year Wookey Hole are looking to repeat their time in the headlines. They are offering £60,000 for a live-in wizard. That’s £10,000 more than they paid to Carole Bohanan to do a similar job. Carole, a former estate agent, beat 300 other finalists, drawn for some 3,000 applications, in a talent contest style audition.

It is likely that the replacement wizard will live in a house for most of the year, moving to the cave during the busy season. He’ll be expected to work with animals and entertain visitors.

In Pure Spirit

Would you live in a cave and entertain tourists for £60,000 a year?

This blogger has not contacted Wookey Hole to find out why they’re willing to pay the wizard £10,000 more than the witch?

Another question is they they’re seeking a wizard when the legend of Wookey Hole is of a witch. Are they trying to ride the Harry Potter fan wagon? What do you think?

Image credit: Travis Isaacs.

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It costs Cornwall Council around £150 to deal with each FoI question. The BBC published three sample “odd” questions that Cornwall Council had to deal with. Here are two of them.

• How many complaints has your organisation received from either your employees or members of the public about haunted buildings, ghosts or other paranormal phenomena? Please break down these complaints year by year and give details of actions taken to address these complaints.
• Please give a breakdown for each event/call-out showing the cost, details of the individual or organisation that was involved and the amount paid for dealing with, exorcisms, investigations, prayers, incantations, blessings, surveillance, counselling and seances.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Should local paranormal investigators be more careful with how they make use of council time? Are these perfectly acceptable questions to ask a local council?

Picture Credit: Iain Alexander Martin

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There’s more. The family have managed to film what appears to be paranormal activity going on in their Coventry house. Their local newspaper has the exclusive but we’re allowed to share it here.

It seems that the visiting medium and the priest are willing to believe that something is wrong with the house. Whitefriars Housing, a social housing unit in Coventry, is also taking the family’s concerns very serious. Speaking to the Coventry Telegraph, the service manager for the area – David Round – said;

“We first met with Miss Manning in January and our staff have listened to her concerns in a sensitive manner.

“In February, after detailed discussions between Miss Manning and our staff, we agreed to arrange for a priest to attend the property, at her request.

“We have offered advice and support to Miss Manning on the options available to her for applying to move home and we are happy to continue to do this.”

I want to go back to the poor dog. Lisa found the injured dog at the bottom of their steps, took it to the vet but unfortunately the pet died later. The vet believes the dog’s injures show it had been shoved.

Someone shoved the dog down the stairs and it died. That’s horrible.

I wonder if it’s horrible enough to make up a story of a ghost and a haunting? Could you fake the video? Sure. We never see the bottom of the chair that moves. The chair moves in the same direction as the cupboard door opens as well. There will certainly be sceptics watching the video who will believe there’s someone to the right of the camera pulling an unseen string.

The end-terrace building looks relatively new. Too new for a ghost? The area the terrace is built in is interesting. It’s right beside Foleshill Park.

About 20 minutes walk from Lillely Close, on Foleshill Road there’s a pub called the Prince William Henry. There’s been reports of phantom music, a shadowy figure and unexplained laughter coming from the the basement there.

In Pure Spirit

What’s your view? Did one of people in the house push the dog down the stairs, create the ghost story and watch as the whole thing got out of hand? Or do you think the video shows something that can’t be so easily explained?

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What was Madam Morgana’s response? She told local press;

I haven’t got time to die yet myself. As they say, ‘this lady’s not for burning’

Madam Morgana has been practising paganism as a white witch for decades. Even while she was in hospital she ran a clairvoyance session for other patients. While she recovered she wrote a book of spells called “Grimoirs of Madam Morgana” and the white witch is now looking to publish them.

Dot Griffith is a Stantonbury parish councillor but that does not stop her finding the time to organise psychic fayres in the UK. Currently she is planning her first ever craft and psychic fayre for Risley Village Hall in Bedfordshire for April 9th.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think the doctors simply got it wrong and under estimated the 74 year old’s ability to recover from serious cancer? Or do you think Dot’s outlook played a significant part in her recovery?

Picture credit: Milton Keynes Citizen.

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