April 10th 2015

We have just this minute been informed that - interestingly - the 'Shropshire Star' newspaper has, just today, repeated their Madam Pigott related article from their Wednesday (Apr. 8th) edition!?  The only difference, it seems, is the fact that they've included a couple more photographs..... including an old pic of the W.M. Ghost Club itself!? 

April 10th 2015

A big thank you to our friend Fran Norton for supplying us with a scan of her recent 'Shropshire Star' article, which appeared on Wednesday the 8th of April.  

As mentioned on this blog recently, Fran has just released a 'family history' of the Pigott family, associated with the Chetwynd region of Shropshire.....  Madam Pigott is the infamous ghost that has supposedly haunted the region concerned for literally centuries now...... 

Please click on pic above for readable sized version of piece concerned.

April 9th 2015

Another fascinating account received by John Conway in recent days concerns the Great Barr area, in Walsall - a region of great interest to the group for many years now!

The correspondent says that he and a friend were driving down a particular lane at approx. 10.30pm, a few weeks ago, when they both saw what they could only describe as a small, 'magic-carpet-like-object' - around a foot in length - float over the road, around 10 feet off the ground.....  As they watched, it  then disappeared into the trees and hedge rows.....

They described the item as 'misty white in appearance'.  The man concerned was so intrigued by his experience that he even looked around the region the next morning, in an endeavour to explain the incident.  However, there was nothing obvious to account for the sighting..... though he thought a rational explanation unlikely, as the object had simply 'vanished in front of them'!?  

April 8th 2015

W.M.G.C. member, John Conway, recently received a spooky story concerning a particular property that he happens to be very well acquainted with....... 

The correspondent concerned told him that, while working in a particular part of the site involved, they always had the sensation of being watched....  One day, however, they actually saw the figure of an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair and leaning on his walking stick.  Upon later speaking with a colleague, they explained what had occurred and  the friend produced a photograph which showed the very man that she had seen!  Apparently, the man was a past resident of the site and - even more incredibly - it transpired that he was also once the owner of the house that the witness was currently living in!!

After this initial sighting, he was seen numerous times in the same position and a friendly presence could always be detected there.  She says that she often spoke to the man, but he never once replied.....

No one else ever reported having seen the man, but other peculiar happenings were said to have occurred at the property.  Other staff members frequently seemed disturbed by these incidents, but she never, personally felt scared.  Our correspondent believed that he had shown himself to her because of their property / house connection.... and she believed she often felt his presence in her home.     

Tuesday 7th April 2015

Last night, John Chance of the 'Ghostcallers UK' (visit website HERE) paranormal investigations group kindly invited one of our group members to visit an intriguing, local site that he has recently secured.  The sizeable property concerned - which has served a variety of purposes over its considerable history - will remain unnamed in our report here, for obvious reasons.

Suffice it to say, however, that the building has been 'known to be haunted' for some decades now, with different people responsible for the concerns housed in the site reporting activity.  Not only have members of staff at the building stressed that they were too afraid to be on-site alone, at least two people have actually 'walked out of their job' there in the past.  

Objects have been found scattered around the floor in certain regions of the site...... areas that were clean and tidy when the place was vacated the previous evening!  

Noises have been heard on the upper floors of the building when no one was up there and nothing could be found to account for the sounds.  One former manager there reported hearing the sound of someone 'hoovering' upstairs when he spent the night there..... despite the fact that he was alone in the building and there was no hoover in the property at the time!!  Cold feelings were frequently reported and a peculiar, sweet-smelling perfume also detected......... 

The group would just like to say a very big THANK YOU to John, for being so kind as to include us in his overnight visit to the site concerned.....  In the paranormal field that we regularly see and have to deal with today, it's thoroughly refreshing to still find someone so openly friendly and genuinely dedicated to the subject as John Chance.......!!          

Tuesday April 7th 2015

Group Notices Update:

Since our last but one update, the West Midlands Ghost Club have been engaged in a number of research related activities.

*In early February, contact from a member of the public alerted our attention to the potential sighting of a 'road ghost' in a rural area, just outside Wolverhampton Borough.  The witness concerned was driving along a particular lane one evening, when what he describes as a 'shadowy figure' floated out into the middle of the road.....  He admits that he was travelling at sufficient speed as to be unable to stop in time and expected to 'make contact with' the form......  Instead, his vehicle 'passed through' the figure - with no sign or sound of impact at all - leaving him to carry on with his journey in something of a state of shock.

Reaching his destination, only some 5 or so minutes after the encounter, he sent a txt message to his wife saying (words to the effect): 'I think I've just driven through a ghost....!?' without, it should be stressed, mentioning 'where' this experience had occurred.  In response, his wife txt back:  'On XXX Lane!?', correctly identifying the location, without the slightest hint having being given by him to prompt her.......?

Understandably perturbed by this subsequent turn of events (on top of his actual sighting, of course!!) he later saw his wife and asked how she could have possibly known 'where' he'd experienced this strange figure!?  She reported that the lane concerned was 'notoriously haunted' by a particular, local figure..... and was well known in the locality.  While our witness hadn't ever heard of the matter before, the subject - he was told - sometimes came up in conversation at her (local) place of work!?!

The entire matter - considerably more convoluted that the scant detail hinted at here - is currently being thrown into article form, in an endeavour to hopefully get published locally and appeal for further information on the subject / location involved.........

*In late February, the Black Country Bugle newspaper carried a letter about a Sedgley ghost - known locally as 'Top Hat Tonka' - as related to the group by local resident (and friend to the club), John Witton.  The piece concerned can be seen at this 'LINK'

*In media and publication related news, it was noticed that the West Mids Ghost Club have recently received mentions in a couple of publications (completely unknown to us!).  In the introduction to 'Extreme Hauntings:  Britains Most Terrifying Ghosts' by Paul Adams and Eddie Brazil - pulp author, Guy N. Smith mentions the group in conjunction with our dealings of some years ago at Hopwas Woods, near Tamworth.  We have also, apparently received mentions in 'Paranormal Leicester', written by Stephen Butt (re. out Belgrave Hall investigation);  'The Most Mysterious Places on Earth', by Nick Redfern (in connection with the 'Cannock Chase Werewolf');  'The Little Book of Ghosts', by Paul Adams (Hopwas Wood again) and in 'The White Devil: The Werewolf in European Culture' by Matthew Beresford (re. 'Chase Werewolf' yet again).

*In other media related news, a recent appeal via the Freedom Of Information Act, aimed at paranormal matters within the West Midlands region, revealed another rash of peculiar incidents being reported to our local constabulary.....  A group member was contacted by our old friend, Birmingham based journalist, Mike Lockley, resulting in the story being carried to a number of National / International sources:  'The Mail' HERE and 'The Mirror' HERE    

April 2nd 2015

The West Mids Ghost Club is rather excited to announce the recent release of an exciting, little booklet written by Fran Norton and Marie Williams, concerning a matter very close to our heart:  'The Mystery Of Madam Pigott', concerning the family history of one of Shropshires most infamous ghosts!!

Authors, Fran Norton and Marie Williams tell us:  "Well, we've always been intrigued by the Madam Pigott ghost story and, upon carrying out some research for the 'Chetwynd Medieval Fair' one year, we basically realised how little people actually knew about a prominent family who had lived at Chetwynd for almost 500 years.....  

As anyone who has ever undertaken any historical research would appreciate, it takes time to thread your way through reams of old documents and books, etc, to discover anything of real importance or interest...... like discovering that the date of Diana Pigott's death in the records was incorrect, as her hand written will was actually dated a month after her demise!! 

Over the years, there have been many reports of Madam Pigotts ghostly appearances.... and our idea was to endeavour to extract 'fact' from 'fiction' and try to possibly discover the identity of our unearthly visitor...!?"

The booklet is on sale at £4.50 and a percentage of the monies concerned will be donated to the 'Chetwynd Restoration Fund'.  Places that currently stock the publication (local to the Newport area) are: 'The Swan' at Forton, 'The Lion' at Edgmond and also the Edgmond Village Shop.  Copies can also be obtained via email - fvnorton2@gmail.com - but please be sure to add an extra £1.00 for postage and packing......