‘Truth’ About Top 5 Preston Haunted Houses
In the dead of night, lights flicker in the old houses. You know, you’re ready for this weird thing.
Before exploring, you need to know about the existence of ghosts, which will be answered at the end of the story. Of course, in your mind , you can think about this question: what is the existence of ghosts and their meaning.
Welcome to Preston. Let’s enjoy the story of Top 5 haunted house and another truth behind the ghosts!
NO.5 Chingle Hall
Address:
Haighton, Preston, PR2 5, United Kingdom
DON’T STAY!
Chingle Hall is reputed to be one of the most haunted houses in Lancashire and has certainly been investigated and written about as such. And yet, its recorded catalogue of ghosts may not be quite complete.
Mysterious smoke from Chingle Hall’s chapel ceiling
When owner Mrs Howarth saw smoke coming from the chapel ceiling, she summoned the fire brigade who discovered the smoke originated from the unknown chimney hide, within which a log was burning from the inside out.
Was this example of internal spontaneous combustion or a supernatural agency at work?
Masked ghost
But the most famous ghost is that of Blessed John Wall who was born in the Hall in 1620. In 1641 he went to France and became a Franciscan priest. In 1678 he was back in England visiting a friend when he was arrested at Rushock Court near Bromsgrove and convicted of being a Catholic priest.
Taken to Worcester jail, he was offered his life if he would forsake his religion, which he refused. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Redhill on August 22, 1679, and his remains buried in St Oswald’s churchyard, Worcester. Having died a martyr, Ward was finally canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970. It is believed John Ward’s head was acquired and treasured by the friars at Worcester.
Following the dissolution of the house during the French Revolution, a group of nuns were said to have brought his head back to Chingle and buried it somewhere within its boundaries.
Since then he has been seen walking the grounds and even allegedly photographed.
NO.4 THE WELLINGTON INN
Address:
40 Glover’s Ct, Preston PR1 3LS
STILL OPEN!
The Wellington Hotel has won a reputation for being one of Preston’s most haunted bars. Over the past few years, Wellington Hotel customers and employees have reported several unexplained events that are classified as supernatural. There is no reason for the failure of electrical equipment, and the bed shakes violently at night.
NO.3 LANCASHIRE INFANTRY MUSEUM
Address:
Fulwood Barracks, Fulwood, Preston PR2 8AA
A ‘Fearful Tragedy’ — and McCaffery’s Ghost
Perhaps the single most noteworthy incident in the long history of Fulwood Barracks occurred in 1861 when 19-year-old Private Patrick McCaffery murdered the Commanding Officer and his Adjutant with a single shot from his musket.
His trial and subsequent public execution before a vast Liverpool crowd resulted in a mildly subversive penny ballad which found a sympathetic ear within the large Irish Catholic population of North West England. Despite — or perhaps because — it was rumoured to have been banned within the Army, it continued to be sung by folk singers for over 100 years, and can still be heard occasionally in Folk Clubs.
And just to complete the legend, McCaffery’s ghost is said to haunt the old Officer’s Mess.
NO.2 HOGHTON TOWER
Address:
Hoghton, Preston PR5 0SH
A 400-year-old ‘haunted house’
It is known as the three most famous haunted houses in Britain. In its 400-year history, Hoghton Tower has been associated with famous guests including Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and even King James I. It is one of the most magnificent buildings in Lancashire with a wealth of antiques and fascinating heritage, as well as several mysterious residents.
Paranormal activity in Hoghton Tower is so frequent that workers document these unusual events. These ghosts include a Tudor woman who walks around in the courtyard, a little girl in various locations around the house, a ghostly monk at the North entrance, a spirit that frequents the good house and also a Green Lady who is often spotted by people taking part in tours of the house.
NO.1 SAMLESBURY HALL
Address:
Preston New Road, Samlesbury, Preston, PR5 0UP
Ghosts: White Lady Dorothy Southworth
Samlesbury Hall is renowned as one of the most haunted locations in Britain. Resident spirits include the legendary White Lady, Dorothy Southworth who died of a broken heart and has since been seen on many occasions within the Hall and grounds.
The story is set in the 17th century, Dorothy decided to elope with her lover because of different beliefs. But the young man was killed by Dorothy’s brother, and she was sent abroad to a monastery where she died of a broken heart.
Trial of the Samlesbury Witches:
Four hundred years ago, during the witch trials, countless innocent women were accused of innocent crimes. One of those things happened in Samlesbury Hall.
A priest has instructed a 14-year-old girl to accuse her grandmother and aunt of witchcraft.
Now……
One particular spot in the Great Hall is the place where strange things regularly happen — a slap to the back of the head, uncomfortable feelings by wedding guests and a shadow passing have all been reported.
Many TV programmes and magazines have attempted to record the ghostly activity at Samlesbury. Visitors have included UKTV’s ‘Most Haunted’ team with Yvette Fielding and Derek Acorah, historian and ghost-hunter Richard Felix, Radio One DJ Edith Bowman and numerous international media teams.
Ghosts We See: Is real or Not?
Is paranormal activity real? These include hearing unusual sounds and seeing unusual shadows, sometimes resembling humans. People don’t know what it means to be in these things for a short time. So people believe that the supernatural is real, not their illusions.
A majority (up to 65 percent) of Americans believe in paranormal/supernatural phenomena that include spiritual energy, ghostly encounters, premonitions and connecting with the dead. Moreover, a 2017 Chapman University survey found that a whopping 75 percent of Americans hold at least one paranormal belief, the most common beliefs being that ancient civilizations such as Atlantis once existed or that ghosts are real.
But from a scientific point of view, it’s not just ghosts, but aliens and lost continents that need science to prove they exist.
Eric Haseltine, is a former intelligence officer and entertainment executive who was formally trained as a neuroscientist, said in his article The Paranormal: Can New Science Explain Old Phenomena?: “But, although I see little hard evidence for paranormal or supernatural phenomena, I also believe that conscientious scientists need to keep an open mind, and be very careful not to label things as ‘impossible’.”
Now that Halloween is around the corner, people are getting excited about exploring haunted houses. In such cases, some people are blindly afraid of ghosts appearing again, but this is not necessary.
It’s too early to define the existence of spirits and ghosts. But man’s journey into the unknown will never end. Don’t be afraid of ghosts. What we need is more reason.
Writer: He Jianglin(Freeze), Wang Mingqian(Ken)
29/10/2019
