Ghost Tales by the Fireside - True Ghost Stories Podcast

Blackness Castle has stood on the Firth of Forth for nearly 600 years. Known as “The Ship That Never Sailed,” this extraordinary Scottish castle has been a royal stronghold, artillery fortress and state prison. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we uncover the real history behind Blackness Castle — from its medieval origins and Cromwell’s devastating siege to the Covenanters and political prisoners confined within its walls. We also explore the archaeology still hidden beneath the castle, the legend of a secret underground tunnel and the paranormal stories that followed — including unexplained noises in empty rooms and the woman who claimed she was chased from the Prison Tower by the ghost of an armoured knight. Is Blackness Castle really haunted, or have nearly six centuries of history created one of Scotland’s most atmospheric ghost stories? Ghost Tales by the Fireside True ghost stories, haunted places, folklore and the history behind the legends. Website: https://ghosttales.co.uk Support Ghost Tales on Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales

In early 1975, a signalman working at OA&GB Junction near Ashton Moss heard footsteps climbing the stairs to his signal box. He saw an unfamiliar man carrying a bag reach the top — but when he opened the door, nobody was there. One week later, a mysterious figure appeared beside the railway. This time, two signalmen saw him from separate locations and approached from opposite directions. The man should have been trapped between them. Instead, he vanished. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the history of the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway and one of Greater Manchester's quietly disturbing railway ghost stories. Was the mysterious visitor simply a trespasser who somehow escaped unnoticed, or had an old railwayman returned to a place he once knew?

Battle Abbey stands on the site of one of the most famous battles in English history, where King Harold fell and William the Conqueror defeated the English army in 1066. But the ghosts said to haunt Battle Abbey are not only the dead of the Battle of Hastings. There are sightings of mysterious monks wandering the medieval ruins, a silent horseman crossing the battlefield, unexplained sounds from empty rooms and the unidentified Woman in Red. In 2002, a teacher and two pupils reportedly saw a monk they believed was a costumed interpreter — only to discover that nobody was dressed as a monk that day. There is also the extraordinary curse supposedly placed upon Sir Anthony Browne after the Dissolution of the Monasteries: a warning that his family would perish by fire and water. And after heavy rain, the battlefield itself can appear to bleed. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the history, folklore, ghost stories and reported paranormal encounters surrounding Battle Abbey and the battlefield of 1066.

Everyone knows the nursery rhyme. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after. But in the Somerset village of Kilmersdon, an old local legend gives those familiar words a much darker meaning. Here, Jack and Jill are remembered not as children, but as young lovers. The story tells of a secret pregnancy, a fatal falling stone, a child left behind and a local surname supposedly born from the tragedy. And Kilmersdon has something else. A real Jack and Jill Hill — and at the top of it, a genuine medieval well. So could one of Britain's best-known nursery rhymes preserve the memory of a real Somerset tragedy? In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside: Dark Folklore, we follow the old path through Kilmersdon and discover where history ends and one of Somerset's strangest legends begins. Website: www.ghosttales.co.uk Support Ghost Tales by the Fireside on Buy Me a Coffee.

In August 1977, strange events began inside an ordinary council house at 284 Green Street, Enfield. Peggy Hodgson's children claimed their beds were moving. Knocking sounds came from the walls. Furniture appeared to move by itself. Neighbours were called into the house, followed by the police and WPC Carolyn Heeps later reported seeing an armchair move across the living-room floor. What followed became one of Britain's most famous and controversial paranormal cases. Investigators Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair spent months at Green Street, witnessing and recording extraordinary phenomena. Objects were reportedly thrown, furniture moved, and eleven-year-old Janet Hodgson began producing a strange, deep voice that claimed to belong to a former resident named Bill Wilkins. But there is another side to the story. Janet and her sister were caught faking some incidents, and several famous pieces of evidence have much simpler possible explanations. Sceptics have argued that the entire case can be explained by tricks, exaggeration and credulous investigators. Yet some incidents were reportedly witnessed by neighbours, journalists, police officers and others outside the Hodgson family. So what really happened at 284 Green Street? This episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside goes back to the original Enfield Poltergeist case, separating the documented events from the mythology that has grown around them and asking the question that still hangs over Green Street nearly fifty years later: If some of it was faked… was all of it?

Out on the lonely marshes near Faversham, Kent, stands the Shipwrights Arms — an isolated old pub with a ghost story that has lingered for generations. Local tradition tells of a sailor whose ship foundered in the Swale on a bitter winter night. Somehow he survived the wreck and struggled across the freezing mudflats towards the lights of the pub. He reached the door and knocked... but nobody let him in. By morning, he was dead on the doorstep. And according to the old story, he never really left. Landlords, landladies and customers have reportedly encountered a thickset, bearded sailor wearing a heavy reefer jacket and peaked cap. Sometimes his arrival is announced only by a sudden chill — and the unmistakable smell of rum, tar and tobacco. This is the strange story of the ghost of the Shipwrights Arms near Faversham.

Tintagel Castle rises above the Cornish coast, forever connected with King Arthur, Merlin and one of Britain’s greatest legends. But beyond the familiar Arthurian stories, Tintagel has acquired ghost stories and strange traditions of its own. Medieval writers claimed this was the place where Arthur was conceived, while centuries later the great sea cave beneath the cliffs became known as Merlin’s Cave — and eventually gained a tradition that Merlin’s spirit remained within its darkness. Then there is the mysterious ghostly horseman reportedly seen among Tintagel’s ruins. The surviving account gives frustratingly little detail about the encounter, except for the identity the witness gave the rider: King Arthur. And in 1998, archaeology added another extraordinary chapter when a piece of sixth-century slate bearing the name Artognou was discovered at Tintagel. It wasn't evidence for Arthur, but it revealed something almost as intriguing: during the period in which a historical Arthur might have lived, Tintagel really was occupied by powerful people whose identities have been lost. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we travel to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall to explore the real history behind the ruins, the legend of Arthur’s conception, Merlin’s Cave, the Artognou Stone and the ghost stories that have grown around one of Britain’s most mysterious landscapes.

On the ancient downs of Dorset, near Sixpenny Handley, a series of prehistoric burial mounds have gathered some extraordinary stories. Old local folklore claimed that strange music could sometimes be heard coming from beneath the barrows. Another story tells of a clergyman who rested upon one of the mounds and saw a crowd of little people, dressed in leather jerkins, dancing around him. But Bottlebush Down is best known for something even stranger. During the winter of 1927 or 1928, Dr R. C. C. Clay was driving home through the Dorset countryside when he noticed a horseman galloping across the downs beside his car. The rider was bare-legged, dressed in a long loose garment and appeared to be riding without bridle or stirrups. He waved a strange object above his head as he kept pace with Clay's car. Then horse and rider vanished. When Clay returned the following day, he discovered an ancient round barrow at the place where the apparition had disappeared. Clay was not the only person said to have encountered the rider. Two women returning from a dance reportedly found themselves followed by a mysterious horseman, while an old shepherd apparently knew him simply as "the man on the horse that comes out of the opening in the pine wood." In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside: Dark Folklore, we travel to Bottlebush Down to explore its ancient barrows, fairy traditions, dancing little people and one of Britain's most remarkable stories of a possible prehistoric ghost. Could an image from thousands of years ago still be riding across the Dorset downs?

Evesham may be famous for its abbey and the bloody Battle of Evesham, but some of the town's strangest stories are found behind closed doors. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the ghosts and hauntings of Evesham and the surrounding Vale. There is a mysterious little boy sitting beside a fireplace who nobody else remembers seeing, a shadowy monk that walks straight through a wall, unexplained footsteps heard in an apparently empty building, and a presence in a pub cellar that seems to follow a passage that no longer exists. We also visit the Spirit House and its much darker paranormal reputation, look at strange activity associated with Evesham's old Quaker prison, and venture beyond the town into the older folklore of the Vale, where phantom coaches, headless figures and other strange traditions have survived. Some of these stories are centuries old. Others were experienced by people in comparatively recent times. And perhaps that is what makes Evesham so interesting. The town has changed. Its ghosts apparently haven't. Ghost Tales by the Fireside explores Britain's haunted places through true ghost stories, history, folklore and local legend.

On the windswept Kent coast, the twin towers of Reculver stand above the remains of a place far older than the ruined church itself. Beneath them once stood Regulbium, a Roman fort, and with it survives a disturbing piece of folklore. An old story claims that when the Romans built the fort, a baby was buried beneath its foundations as a sacrifice to protect the walls. Then archaeologists began digging. Within the Roman site, the remains of infants were discovered. The archaeology does not prove that a sacrifice ever took place, but at Reculver the discovery became entwined with another story that had long haunted the ruins. On stormy nights, when the wind comes in from the sea, people have reported hearing the unmistakable sound of a baby crying. And the child is not the only presence associated with Reculver. Two mysterious hooded figures have reportedly been seen moving silently amongst the ruins, resembling monks from the religious community that once occupied the site. Those who have attempted to approach them say the figures simply disappear. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside: Dark Folklore, we travel to Reculver Towers to uncover a story where Roman Britain, archaeology, coastal folklore and centuries of ghost stories occupy the same lonely patch of ground. A short atmospheric tale of haunted Kent, British folklore, Roman ghosts and the strange history of Reculver Towers. Ghost Tales by the Fireside website: www.ghosttales.co.uk Buy Me a Coffee — support the podcast & download episodes: www.buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales

Glamis Castle is one of Scotland's most mysterious haunted castles — a place of hidden rooms, unexplained windows and ghost stories that have survived for centuries. According to legend, somewhere within Glamis, Earl Beardie is still playing cards with the Devil, condemned to continue a game that began on the Sabbath. Guests have told of frightening figures appearing beside their beds, while old stories speak of sealed chambers, concealed doorways and the terrible Room of Skulls. Then there is the Monster of Glamis — the legend of a hidden member of the Lyon family supposedly kept secret within inaccessible rooms of the castle. But Glamis's most famous apparition is quieter. Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, was executed in Edinburgh in 1537 after being accused of witchcraft. According to tradition, she returned to Glamis as the Grey Lady, where her figure is said to appear kneeling in prayer inside the castle chapel. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the ghosts, legends, hidden rooms and dark folklore of Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland.

On a quiet hillside in Worcestershire, an old farmhouse is connected with a strange story from the 1970s. A visitor wakes to see a dark human figure calmly walking across the foot of the bed. They assume it's the owner of the house. But the owner had left for work more than an hour earlier. Nearby, another tale tells of something even stranger — a farmhouse that no longer exists, yet is said to occasionally reappear on the hillside at dusk. No lights. No people. Just an old house standing where there should be nothing at all. In this Ghost Tales by the Fireside – Dark Folklore episode, we explore the strange stories surrounding Callow Hill, from shadow figures and phantom buildings to the ancient meaning hidden within the landscape itself. We also look at the work of Worcestershire author Hugh Williams, who has explored the possibility that the name Callow could carry echoes of an ancient sacred landscape — perhaps even the memory of a forgotten deity. Most place-name scholars offer a simpler explanation: Callow means "the bare hill". But Hugh's alternative theory gives this already strange landscape another fascinating layer. Discover the books of Hugh Williams, including his work exploring Mercia, folklore and Britain's ancient landscape: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/httpsrebrandlyppi9rsa/?fbclid=IwVERTSATQFt9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5T0oDe3vc9gI8KZL6LbqepNSHthoFb52qow1bhCrPsymqEVSf8WCRb2ZPUtA_aem_BYjYYuHZgjn_f-ceNwjTGA Ghost Tales by the Fireside True ghost stories, haunted history, British folklore and the strange tales hidden within the landscape.

Step inside one of Britain's most famous royal palaces, where five centuries of history meet some of the country's most enduring ghost stories. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we journey through the remarkable story of Hampton Court Palace. From Cardinal Wolsey's magnificent vision to Henry VIII's Tudor court, from the birth of Prince Edward to the tragic final days of Jane Seymour and the desperate flight of Catherine Howard, the palace has witnessed moments that changed English history forever. As darkness falls, another Hampton Court begins to emerge. Discover the legend of Catherine Howard's screams echoing through the Haunted Gallery, the ghostly figure of Jane Seymour carrying a candle on the Silverstick Stairs, the mysterious Grey Lady of Sybil Penn, the unexplained footsteps and voices reported by palace staff, and the famous CCTV footage that reignited worldwide interest in Hampton Court's haunted reputation. Join me as we explore the history, folklore and ghost stories that have made Hampton Court Palace one of the most haunted royal residences in Britain. Original music featured in this episode: The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/4MZXu2IK4koUe1L7nMDO8Q Among the Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/6rPZ5P5QW4nY5Lk9GmL8nP Website: https://ghosttales.co.uk Support the podcast and download MP3 episodes: https://buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales #HamptonCourt #HamptonCourtPalace #GhostTalesByTheFireside #GhostStories #HauntedHistory #HenryVIII #CatherineHoward #JaneSeymour #SybilPenn #HauntedGallery #TudorHistory #BritishHistory #EnglishHistory #RoyalHistory #HauntedPlaces #Paranormal #DarkHistory #Folklore #HistoryPodcast #GhostPodcast

High on the white cliffs of Flamborough Head lies a lonely hollow known as Jenny Gallows' Pit. At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a shallow depression in the earth. But for generations, local people believed it was haunted by the restless spirit of a young woman named Jenny Gallows. Children whispered that anyone who ran around the pit nine times would hear the fairies. Yet an older, darker legend warned that the real danger came long before the ninth circuit. On the eighth... Jenny herself was said to climb from the pit. In this Dark Folklore episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore one of Yorkshire's most unsettling forgotten legends, the chilling rhyme attributed to Jenny Gallows, and the terrifying story of the farmer who dared to mock the old superstition—only to discover that some legends are best left untested. Was it simply an old fireside tale... or did something truly haunt the lonely cliffs above the North Sea? If you enjoy Ghost Tales by the Fireside, please follow the podcast and leave a rating or review—it really helps others discover the show. More ghost stories, folklore and bonus content: https://www.ghosttales.co.uk #GhostTalesByTheFireside #JennyGallows #DarkFolklore #Flamborough #YorkshireFolklore #BritishFolklore #GhostStories #HauntedBritain #Paranormal #Folklore #HistoryPodcast #GhostPodcast #MythsAndLegends

Is Studley Castle one of Warwickshire's most haunted places? In Episode 100 of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we journey through almost 1,000 years of history to uncover the legends, folklore and ghost stories surrounding Studley Castle. Discover the forgotten Norman castle, the lost Benedictine priory, the tragic legend of the Grey Lady, mysterious footsteps, phantom figures, the scent of lavender and the unexplained experiences reported by visitors and staff over the years. Were these simple stories born from an ancient landscape... or does something still linger within the castle walls? Website https://www.ghosttales.co.uk Support the podcast & download MP3s https://buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Music by Clem Dallaway The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/58IwqgxMwiwedfWHF8wtyl?si=iKvHXEv_QSSrfGxj1TEy1Q&utm_source=copy-link Among The Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/4hvMSzbWhO5U7cB1SONmAU?si=chYAVWJRRI-DNfDRmLJCdA&utm_source=copy-link They Came Back by Stephen Coates: https://amzn.eu/d/0egavirP #GhostTales #GhostTalesByTheFireside #StudleyCastle #GreyLady #Warwickshire #GhostStories #TrueGhostStories #HauntedCastle #HauntedEngland #Paranormal #BritishFolklore #DarkHistory #HauntedPlaces #HistoryPodcast #GhostPodcast

High on Kinder Scout, hidden amongst the peat and heather of the Peak District, lies a lonely pool wrapped in centuries of folklore. On Easter Eve, it is said a mysterious mermaid rises from the dark water, offering the impossible to those who find her. But every gift comes with a price, and some who reached out to accept her invitation were never seen again. In this Dark Folklore episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we journey into one of Derbyshire's most enduring legends, exploring the haunting tale of Mermaid's Pool, its eerie links to Blake Mere, and the ancient belief that lonely waters should always be treated with respect. Support Ghost Tales by the Fireside and receive MP3 downloads, exclusive episodes and early access: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Listen to my music: The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/album/4N5vlSRoE9QW05LtzUCsB5?si=1etlelPKRiKxuFD8CggHqw&utm_source=copy-link Among The Graves https://open.spotify.com/album/0UDpIrJ9PjiKjIFWuxdZ2w?si=fPlgh8LCQNKvZGTLw603kA&utm_source=copy-link Visit the Ghost Tales by the Fireside website: https://ghosttales.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following, rating and sharing the show. Every review helps more people discover Britain's haunted history, forgotten folklore and ghost stories by the fireside.

Few places in Britain are surrounded by as much mystery as Rosslyn Chapel. Standing above the wooded gorge of the River North Esk near Edinburgh, this remarkable medieval chapel has inspired centuries of legends. Stories of hidden vaults, the Apprentice Pillar, spectral monks, the White Lady of Rosslyn Castle, the Black Knight of Roslin Glen and the eerie tale of the Burning Chapel have all become woven into the history of this extraordinary place. Join me as we explore the history, folklore and ghost stories of one of Scotland's most fascinating and haunted locations. ghosttales.co.uk Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Music by Clem Dallaway The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/1l8qDtm7xobSI1Xn9t0d4T Among The Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/4iFJ7YvRjQmJwA6VYx3f7x

King William II, better known as William Rufus, rode into the New Forest on a summer hunting trip in the year 1100. By the end of the day he was dead, struck by an arrow under circumstances that remain one of England's greatest unsolved historical mysteries. Was it a tragic hunting accident? An assassination disguised as misfortune? Or was his death linked to the curse that many medieval people believed hung over the New Forest? In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the history behind the Rufus Stone near Minstead, the death of the Red King, the rumours that followed, and the ghostly folklore that still surrounds this quiet corner of Hampshire nearly a thousand years later. From Norman kings and royal hunting forests to phantom riders, spectral legends and one of England's most enduring mysteries, join me as we step back into the shadows of medieval England. Website: www.ghosttales.co.uk Support the podcast and get MP3 downloads: www.buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Music by Clem Dallaway The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/2O9K4v4wze3JXkTzA7pLMV Among The Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/5SuRjWCCaRYJwUI7fX8e7L #GhostTalesByTheFireside #RufusStone #WilliamRufus #NewForest #NewForestHistory #EnglishFolklore #DarkFolklore #GhostStories #HauntedEngland #MedievalHistory #NormanEngland #HistoricalMystery #ParanormalPodcast #FolklorePodcast #HampshireHistory #BritishFolklore #TrueGhostStories #HistoryPodcast #GhostPodcast The New Forest is filled with ancient stories, but few are as mysterious as the death of King William Rufus. Discover the history, folklore and ghost stories surrounding the Rufus Stone and one of England's greatest unsolved medieval mysteries.

For more than four hundred years, the shadow of Pendle Hill has loomed over one of the most infamous episodes in British history. In 1612, a series of accusations led to the trial and execution of ten people accused of witchcraft. Their names became forever linked with Pendle, Lancaster Castle and the surrounding Lancashire countryside. Yet while the history is well documented, the stories did not end at the gallows. In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we explore the haunted legacy of the Pendle Witches, from the eerie churchyard of Newchurch and the mystery of the lost Malkin Tower, to reports of a ghostly woman wandering the slopes of Pendle Hill. We also journey inside Lancaster Castle, where visitors continue to report apparitions, strange voices, unexplained cold spots and encounters with figures said to walk the ancient prison cells. Are these simply legends that have grown around a tragic chapter of history, or has Pendle become one of Britain's truly haunted landscapes? Sit back, relax, and join me by the fireside as we explore the ghosts, folklore and history of Pendle Hill. Website: https://www.ghosttales.co.uk ☕ Support the Podcast & Get MP3s: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Music featured in this episode: The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/58IwqgxMwiwedfWHF8wtyl Among the Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/7FKo2HjnpUDSVWoYi19sNg

Hidden among the limestone cliffs of Beetham Fell lies one of Cumbria's most unusual folklore sites. The Fairy Steps are best known for an old legend claiming that anyone who can climb the narrow staircase without touching the rock walls will be granted a wish by the fairies. But beneath the famous tale lies a much darker history. For centuries, the Fairy Steps formed part of an ancient corpse road used to carry the dead from Arnside to St Michael and All Angels Church in Beetham. Funeral processions crossed the fell, navigating the narrow limestone passage with the aid of ropes and iron rings set into the rock. The area is also linked to the legend of the Cappel, a terrifying black dog said to haunt the lanes around Beetham. With blazing eyes and a reputation as an omen of death, the creature became one of Cumbria's most chilling pieces of folklore. Join me as we explore the history, folklore and ghostly traditions surrounding one of the Lake District's most fascinating hidden landmarks. Website: https://www.ghosttales.co.uk Support the podcast and access exclusive MP3s: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ghosttales Music featured: The Dark One https://open.spotify.com/track/4hvMSzbWhO5U7cB1SONmAU Among The Graves https://open.spotify.com/track/1MpkLPbmKqjHtQcUotH70A