S.P. Oldham's Blog, page 11

Llancaiach Fawr

This past Thursday evening I went on a Ghost Tour of the beautiful sixteenth century Llancaiach Fawr Manor with my mother -in-law and daughter-in-law.

Llancaiach Fawr has been featured on television many times. It was used as a location for filming (I believe) ‘Dr. Who’ amongst other things and is well known for its beauty and intriguing history. Above all, it is famed for being ‘one of the most haunted houses in Wales.’ Taking the guided tour by torchlight, it is easy to believe that might be true.

Even the grounds leading up to the house are thought to be haunted, many people reporting seeing figures there. Various parts of the house are believed to be haunted, some areas more so than others. I am being deliberately vague just in case anyone plans to go there. I don’t want to give anything away.

Anyway, on the tour a few people reported being poked in the back, having their hair pulled and other similar things. Now, it might be that some of us are highly suggestible, especially in such an atmosphere of expectation. It might also be that these people were genuinely touched by spirits. Who am I to say one way or the other? However, there was one thing that gave us all pause, as a group. Only a very small thing, but it was odd.

We had all gathered in the final room of the tour. One of the guides was telling us about the ghosts that are said to haunt that particular area. We were having a moment of silence, listening for anything out of the ordinary, when a tiny stone rolled across the floor.

Big deal, you might think. Except I was sitting opposite the direction it came from. There was some muted torchlight on, allowing me to see the feet of the people opposite. They were leaning against a table, nothing behind it but a bare, whitewashed wall. I was looking at the ground, concentrating. I did not see the stone, but we all heard it rolling across the stone floor.

A few of us said, at the same time, “What was that?” One of the tour guides (there were two) switched on the big torch and began to search the ground. She found the tiny stone in the middle of the room. To demonstrate the noise, she threw it so that it rolled across the floor and sure enough, it was the same sound.

Nothing big. No apparitions or strange vapours. No moaning or rattling of chains. But something caused that stone to be thrown between the legs of those people standing opposite, to come to rest in the centre of the room. Strange.

I should also add that two of our group were given EMF metres to carry round. I am on the fence about whether these things work. I suspect that there might be natural electricity, so to speak, in certain areas, or electrical cables or whatever that we don’t know about that set the devices off. Regardless, one of the EMF metres flickered quite vigorously at certain points during the tour, mostly when the names of individuals who existed were spoken. Like I say, I am not entirely convinced, but it was interesting.

There were definitely parts of the house that made me uncomfortable to stand in, especially in the dark. Suggestibility, or genuine haunting? Who knows.

The house is most definitely creepy at night, as beautiful as it is. A family lived in it until fairly recently. They have reported all kinds of weird, unsettling events happening there.

All I know is, I would not sleep in it and I certainly wouldn’t stay there alone! Don’t listen to me though, go see for yourself.

They are about to run mock Witch Trials there, based on real-life trials that were held there. If I get a chance to visit when they are on, I will share the experience here.

Happy Halloween!

Put you in the mood to visit? Find out more here: Llancaiach Fawr -What's On

Have you been there? Experience anything? Feel free to share in the comments!

Witch’s Fingers…

Perfect for the time of year, for those of you who can bake! I am hopeless at baking generally speaking, will do you a good cooked dinner though. Anyway, if you have a go at this recipe, it would be fun to see the outcome (photos) in the thread below, with a word or two on how they tasted.

Credit: The Alamanac, A Seasonal Guide to 2022 by Lia Leendertz

Halloween 2022 Free Read is up!

Find my latest offering, a short story based on prison hulks, here:Halloween 2022 Free Read - The Convict

If you enjoy it please let me know. Feel free to share! Happy Halloween!

Halloween Giveaway Event

Only ten 'Mystery Bags' available! Also down to the last few copies of Wakeful Children. If you want one for Halloween or Christmas then get it while you can! Comment below if you are interested and I will pm you. Thank you. UK ONLY.

The Penniless Porch

I found this intriguing. The Penniless Porch, in Wells. As the plaque tells us, it was built to shelter the poor as they begged for alms, presumably from the Cathedral and perhaps from the Bishop himself. While we know that social welfare, for want of a better phrase, was not the best back in the day, isn't it interesting that in circa 1450 a place was built specifically to allow the neediest in society to plea for help?

Meanwhile, in modern Britain, some benches are made deliberately 'anti-homeless' so the poor souls in those areas don't even have a place to rest. In researching this little post I discovered that 'anti-homeless architecture' is a thing. Wow.

Just goes to prove that there is potential to learn from the past, in my view. I know modern problems are bigger, wider and perhaps more difficult to address, but when did society lose its compassion? Makes me sad.

Anyway, on an entirely different note, this is making me think that there might be a story here, somewhere...

Penniless Porch photos are mine (I know they are not very good!)

Spiked bench image: Image: Kent Williams / Flickr

Want to know more about anti-homeless architecture? Anti-Homeless Architecture

The Penniless Porch, Wells Cathedral

Built by Bishop Bekynton circa 1450

The modern way of helping the most vulnerable and needy in our society

Wickedly Witchy Wookey Hole Weekend…

Just had a lovely weekend away with Adam and mum, staying in Wookey and visiting Wells. We stayed opposite Wookey Hole, where the legend of the Witch of Wookey Hole not only persists today, but is a huge tourist attraction. The story began roughly one thousand years ago, when a woman living in the caves was blamed for everything that went wrong with the village. Long story short, she was turned to stone by a holy man. She can still be seen in the caves to this very day. More information here: https://www.wookey.co.uk/wookey-witch/ Even more interesting, the bones of a woman were found in a shallow grave by Herbert Balch. As I understand it, the bones are very old. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?...

FRIDAY OFFER! TODAY ONLY!

FRIDAY SPECIAL OFFER!

Buy a paperback edition of 'Wakeful Children: A Collection of Horror and Supernatural Tales' and get a free download of any of my other books! You must provide proof of purchase. Today only. (Friday 23rd September 2022) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C04VGUG

A rare author selfie

Beanie selfie! Hate pictures of myself. Had to be done to show off the new merch. Also some very smart navy gilets, nice and warm for winter. I have some competitions coming up so be sure to drop in now and then, to be in with a chance of winning.

Navy Gilet - logo spoldhamauthor.com

Check out the new logo!

New Merchandise - Quality Control Officer…

Ooh! New merch! Milo has appointed himself Quality Control Officer. He does like to give the boxes a good sniff! Might just be some competitions coming up then... Thank you Adam Oldham

My Limericks and Where to Find Them.

I have had a couple of comments from people enjoying my limericks. If you want to see some more just clink the link. I also post a limerick most Sundays on Written Undead. Hope you have some fun reading them. If you do, please let me know, either here or on my blog. Silly Sunday Zombie Limericks