S.C. Skillman's Blog, page 7

Book Review: ‘The Little Stranger’ by Sarah Waters

It’s not often I come across a novel so strong that it reaches out into my thoughts and life while I’m reading it so that I can’t wait to get back to it. Sarah Waters, however, is one novelist who does indeed write stories like this.

In The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, the central paranormal premise is one that I haven’t come across before, in all my research: and even I found it difficult to take on board alongside all the other theories I’ve considered: but in this unsettling weirdness lies its power.

Book cover image The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The author’s slow build-up of fear, grief and madness among the family is extraordinary. The quality of her narrative does find a resonance within the classic tales of the macabre: the first person narrator, a correct, professional man, often seems rather tedious, conventional and pedestrian in his way of expressing himself, and in his attitudes and opinions; and yet his stolid painstaking description of events makes the whole story even more gripping.

The story centres upon the kind of 17th century mansion which we may see quietly and mournfully disintegrating behind locked gates and weed-infested drives, because the last of the family have died and no-one else wants to buy the sinister premises. This Warwickshire mansion, however, is now seeing the final weeks and months of its life as a barely living home, in the years following the Second World War. The owners have been reduced to a vulnerable trio: Mrs Ayres, a widow whose little daughter met tragic death years before; Roderick, her thin, nervous, touchy son who is trying to manage the estate whilst suffering shellshock from his war service; and her daughter Caroline, who appears competent and resilient but who will soon prove herself as vulnerable as the others.

Alongside them, Betty, the young maidservant, is also a very significant character. She is the first to notice and to articulate the invisible ‘something bad’ in the house that is affecting them all; and at that time a character of her gender and social status would of course have been the easiest to deride or to ignore. Yet we the readers know better; she is correct in her observations, and she should have been taken seriously from the very first.

 I love to find myself so captivated by a story that I have to get back to it at every opportunity, and the characters and their situation haunts me, and I wake up thinking about them and wondering what is going to happen to them. It’s actually quite a rare experience to come across a novel like this.

As the story progressed the feeling grew on me more and more that Dr Faraday, the narrator, is controlling and manipulating the family under the guise of offering support. I did, also, feel that Mrs Ayres, Rod and Caroline were too passive and compliant in their response, and later in the novel I found myself willing them on to be much more assertive with him, in particular, his insistence on minimising and trivialising their growing terror of ‘the thing’ in the house, and constantly trying to rationalise it.  This is a general attitude mirrored later in the novel by other members of the community: once again, they could not be more wrong.

The author has said that sometimes she feels she has not fully met the challenge of writing a story centred upon this kind of paranormal activity, as quite a lot of readers have asked for somebody to ‘explain’ the ending to them. However, I found the ending perfect: it tells me everything the reader wants and needs to know. It is indeed a huge challenge for a modern gothic fiction writer to handle this kind of subject, which is on one hand so vaporous, and on the other hand so terrifyingly real for those who experience it, and provide a satisfying conclusion without falling into the trap of over-explaining.

This is clearly a five-star book, and in my eyes, the best Sarah Waters novel that I have read.

Join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries along with news and insights of the publishing and writing worlds. Also you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out. For those regular readers of my blog posts who would like to support my writing journey you can do so here at Buy Me a Coffee and I’d be very grateful.

How I Came to Write ‘Paranormal Warwickshire’

I have often been asked how I came to write Paranormal Warwickshire.

Front cover of Paranormal Warwickshire by SC Skillman pub Amberley 2020

It began soon after my arrival in Warwickshire twenty eight years ago, through the experience of visiting many of Warwickshire’s iconic locations. A fellow writer, Sue Vincent, a great traveller throughout our country and its historic, sacred and mysterious sites, who has now sadly passed on, describes ruined historic sites in these terms: the essence is to be found not in the walls but in the space within where we live and have our being… it is not the vessel but the space within that holds the wine.  This wine she describes as the indefinable spark of animating life.

My book Paranormal Warwickshire emerged from just this kind of experience, which is what I originally describe as spiritual resonance.  These great buildings, now in a ruinous state, are not simply piles of stone, but animated by that indefinable spark.

I began by frequently visiting several places in Warwickshire, which I loved more each time I visited. Subsequently, I wrote blog posts about them in my occasional series Places of Inspiration. Two of these, Kenilworth Castle, and Guy’s Cliffe House in Warwick, are in ruins, and somehow they are the richer for that, feeding the imagination of visitors. 

Leicester’s Building at Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire – photo credit SC Skillman Book cover Collected Ghost Stories bv M.R. James

As a person who has long loved classic ghost stories and reading about all things paranormal, I was happy to draw together some of my experiences and insights into a book.

Later, I re-visited all the locations, joined town ghost tours, listened to stories, gathered new ones, and amassed a good selection of photos, many of which are in the book.

My view of the paranormal may be summed up in the words of ghost story writer M.R. James who said, I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.  I have listened to many stories of others’ curious experiences and as a consequence I have developed an inner sense of veracity. That is, certain criteria are applied to a story and to its teller, and if those criteria are met, then I am prepared to give weight to the story.

This process takes place in the unconscious. But whenever I contacted people to ask them further questions about their stories, I had the following series of questions in mind:

Can you tell me how you first became aware this was more than a mundane incident?Did any other explanations come to mind?What conclusion did you reach as you thought through these possibilities?Did you take any action based on this?How did it affect you from then on?Do you have any background, cultural or historical, that sheds light on this?

When I came across a story I found particularly convincing, it would be because the narrator had satisfied all the above queries in their account.

Writer Stuart Carrol, quoted in the Fortean Times, Sep 2020 edition, gave this description of ‘a haunting’: time momentarily flickering… presents us with a projection of a person from another age going about their business.

I like this description, and I do feel that if all the places of which I write had no such qualities of animating life, arousing an emotional response in contemporary visitors, they would be of far less interest to us all. I believe that applies to us whether we claim to believe in the paranormal or not.

In my book, the curious anecdotes told of these buildings acknowledge the life that fills the spaces between the stones. I include stories of everyday places as well: shops, railway stations, houses, pubs and churchyards, not just castles, abbeys and manor houses.

When I hear stories, I listen respectfully, even if I feel some may be conjured up by the imagination. I also ask why several different people, independently of each other and unknown to each other, should have the same experience in the same place over a long period of time. There have been many recorded cases of which this is true. Then, if you think it was “all their imagination”, you have to ask. “what is it about this particular place that makes so many different people imagine the same thing there?”

The most compelling ghost stories are not about famous historical characters. A lot of them turn out, after research, to have emerged from the lives and deaths of people who never made their mark on history: people about whom we would have known nothing if the paranormal event had not alerted our attention and prompted research.

Join me on my writing journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox . I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Plus you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

For those regular readers of my blog, I now post an article here on Thursday each week. If you’d like to support my writing journey you can do so at Buy me a coffee and I’d be very grateful.

Book Review: ‘Murder Before Evensong’ by Revd. Richard Coles

I knew I had to read this novel as I have so enjoyed listening to The Reverend Richard Coles on the BBC Radio 4 programme Saturday Live and seeing him on his many TV appearances. I also follow him on Twitter and find his tweets very amusing. So I was expecting great things of this, the start of a new cosy crime series starring a country vicar.

When I read it I was quite surprised as the cosy crime title and light-hearted cover design both raise expectations it will be much funnier, all the way through. And indeed parts of it were funny with some laugh-out-loud moments of pure recognition, as I’m knowledgeable about church life and some of the things that go on. I’m also much in sympathy with vicars about the challenges they face. They try to be all things to all people and can’t easily tell annoying members of the flock what a pain they are (or if they do, they have to tread so softly that I’m sure it takes all the enjoyment out of giving certain individuals any kind of come-uppance). For all have sinned… and for some of the characters in this novel, a few have sinned more dramatically and unexpectedly than others!

Richard Coles’ novel then becomes a fascinating kaleidoscope of parish life in the village of Champton St Mary, with many different characters interacting with each other and the local scene. Finally, it becomes a murder mystery. As I loved the TV sitcom ‘Rev’ (largely inspired by Richard Coles’ own real-life stories, I understand) I recognised several incidents in the life of the well-meaning, gentle, and forbearing vicar, Canon Daniel Clement.  The novel certainly has a strong flavour of that sitcom, which was often sad and poignant, as is this book.

I was intrigued by the murder mystery itself, and I did like Daniel’s formidable mother Audrey. Another favourite character was Daniel’s rather irritating and interfering brother Theo, the actor, who made me think a little of ‘the media vicar’ in ‘Rev’ – the irony being that it’s Richard Coles himself, the author, who is truly the media vicar. He certainly must know what it’s like being shadowed and interrogated by an actor in his daily parish life!

Another element of the book I greatly enjoyed was the depiction of the life of the great house at Champton, with the Lord, Bernard, and his family, and the wonderful descriptions of hospitality flowing at the manor in the true noblesse oblige tradition.

With many colourful characters and a hugely observant take on village and parish life, Richard Coles has created a most beguiling novel.

Sign up here to join me on my writing journey. You’ll receive a monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, news and insights from the publishing and writing worlds, and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

And for those regular readers of my blog if you’d like to support my writing journey you can do so here on buy me a coffee and I’d be very grateful.

A Visit to Warwick Castle 1st April 2023

Today I share a few photos from Warwick Castle which I visited again the other day to see the new trebuchet being fired, and to update some of the information I give in my chapter on the Trebuchet in my forthcoming book A-Z of Warwick.

A-Z of Warwick will be published on 15th November 2023 by Amberley and is on pre-order now.

Medieval ladies at Warwick Castle – photo credit SC SkillmanMagnolia tree outside mill and engine house at Warwick Castle – photo credit SC SkillmanTrebuchet in action on the island at Warwick Castle – photo credit SC SkillmanMill and engine house at Warwick Castle – photo credit SC SkillmanGuy’s Tower, Warwick Castle 1 April 2023 – photo credit SC Skillman

Warwick Castle 1 April 2023 when the river Avon was very high – photo credit SC Skillman

The previous trebuchet was getting worn out, and there was, at one point, an accident with the projectile the trebuchet master fired. It hit the boathouse, which was burned to the ground. I’m glad to report that no such accident happened when the new trebuchet fired for the first time at a public performance on 1st April 2023, as the replacement boathouse is still intact!

As you approach the castle courtyard along a path between towering rockfaces, you can see some of the trees which would have inspired JRR Tolkien for his Ents in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. He loved trees all his life, and in his own artwork, he often drew trees with complex and delicate networks of roots. It is also known he was inspired by the trees of Warwick, and by the location of the castle on the clifftop.

The approach to Warwick Castle from the entrance next to Mill Street, Warwick – photo credit SC Skillman

Finally, here’s a video of the river Avon taken at the castle Mill and Engine House. This shows how high the water levels were that day.

The river Avon and the Mill Garden, Warwick, as seen from the castle Mill and Engine House on 1st April 2023 – video credit SC Skillman

Why not sign up on my mailing list and receive my monthly email straight to your inbox? I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. And you’ll be the first to hear when I have a new book coming out!

And for those regular readers of my blog posts and online articles who would like to support me, you can do so here at buy me a coffee, and I’d be very grateful!

Book Reviews: ‘Brother Cyril’s Book’ by Penelope Wilcock and ‘Winter People’ by Grainne Murphy

Today I’m pleased to bring you two reviews: one, a historical novel set in a medieval English monastery and the other, contemporary fiction set on the Irish coastline. Both books – Brother Cyril’s Book by Penelope Wilcock (published Feb 2023 by Humilis, Hastings) and Winter People by Grainne Murphy (published Oct 2022 by Legend Press) demonstrate an acute level of sensitivity and discernment about human feelings and behaviour, and both are equally relevant to those of us today who seek to understand the inner life more deeply.

WINTER PEOPLE by Grainne Murphy

Here is a very sensitive and discerning account of three people living near each other on the Irish coast, all in solitude, all haunted by broken relationships, grief and regret, all aware of each other but never fully interacting.

Sis Cotter’s husband Frank died of cancer, and her two daughters Doreen and Cathy have moved away and have little concern for their mother, while her son Mike is also estranged from her. In three days she will be evicted from her home. She only has her loving canine companion, the elderly Laddie, and her memories, and her love of the sea, to sustain her.

Lydia lives nearby in a big house and watches Sis walk past every day. She is separated from her husband Andrew; her mother plagues her with selfish, judgemental phone calls; and she is tormented by guilt over a tragic accident she caused, which devastated the lives of a mother and son.

Peter is a local Sheriff whose job it is to evict people from their homes. Yet his inner life too is explored, and his vulnerabilities and tragedies exposed, along with his past as a fostered child, painfully aware of how it feels to live an unsettled life, constantly on the move from house to house. So he has sympathy for the people his job forces him to evict; and he tries to do it with kindness.  Peter too is haunted by a tragic death; his boyhood friend Fintan who was so loyal and supportive, and who died of cancer, and whom Peter was afraid to visit in the hospice because he didn’t know what to say.

For me, this author gives us an acutely-observed account of the elemental shifts in our inner and outer lives, harmonising with the rhythm and the moods of the sea. Having followed through the story with empathy for the characters, I was glad to see some kind of uplift and redemption at the end.

BROTHER CYRIL’S BOOK BY PENELOPE WILCOCK

I loved this account of how Brother Cyril, timid and insecure young medieval novice, decides to go round his community asking every monk the same four questions; he will then put their answers into a book.

The responses from all the different monks are so moving. Alongside this, the author’s voice itself is wise and discerning, and some of her descriptive passages exquisite.

One particularly outstanding example is this lyrical passage:

The soul and the voice of stone… has a resonance of light… it… encapsulates and holds… memory, the thoughts of the earth and the pictures she keeps in her heart.

I found the book beautiful and touching, funny, delicate and playful. It’s both spiritual and totally relatable, being full of characters doing all the things we recognise – being hurt by the words of others, over-personalising, catastrophising, and many other recognisable elements of human behaviour. The reader may find here a captivating experience of accompanying these characters on a familiar journey of setting out with a spring in our step, stumbling over snares in the path, finding ways through and beyond, gaining new knowledge and understanding on the way, as we learn to live with one another in any community – not just that of a medieval monastery!

Join me on my journey and sign up to receive my monthly email straight to your inbox. I share snippets and gems from my research discoveries and news and insights from the writing and publishing world. Also, you’ll be the first to hear when I have a new book coming out.

Do sign up here. And if you’re a regular reader of my blog posts and would like to support me, you can do so here at buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

The Power of a Writers’ Conference – Scottish Association of Writers Annual Conference 2023 in Cumbernauld near Glasgow

I’m just back from an amazing Writing Conference in the Hilton Hotel, Spa and Golf Course near Glasgow – and what a packed, exciting weekend it was!

Hilton Hotel, Spa, and Golf Course Cumbernauld near Glasgow.

I was invited to the conference by the Scottish Association of Writers, to judge the Nonfiction Writing Competition and to give a workshop on Writing Literary Nonfiction.

Literary Nonfiction Workshop led by SC Skillman at the Scottish Association of Writers Conference 2023

So many regions of Scotland were represented, as shown by the number of writers’ groups there; and English and US delegates were also in attendance. The conference offered opportunities for writers in many different kinds of genres to enter competitions. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with and comparing notes with fellow adjudicators after all the presentations had been made and the critiques given to the entrants.

The winners’ trophies for the competitions at the Scottish Association of Writers Conference 2023Writers Groups from Perthshire, Angus, Ayr, and Bearsden – just a few of the writing groups to be found in different Scottish regions

The hospitality of the hotel was exceptional; the food, service, and facilities were fantastic, and the wine flowed freely, especially at the wonderful Gala Dinner on Saturday night.

Writers’ Gala Dinner in the Carrick Suite on Saturday night 18 March 2023 at the Hilton Hotel, Cumbernauld near Glasgow

At the Gala Dinner, we heard a moving and inspirational Keynote Speech by historical murder mystery author Fiona Veitch Smith. She spoke about the vital role of writers in our society, and how we are in fact Key Workers. She urged us to hold onto our dreams and to never give up believing in ourselves and the high value of what we do. And she quoted from an unusual combination of sources including Stephen King’s ‘Misery’; and the poem ‘He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven’ by W.B Yeats.

Keynote Speaker & Historical Murder Mystery author Fiona Veitch Smith, who judged the general novel competition. With her is Stella Oni, who judged the crime novel competition

For the rest of the conference, I learned so much and discovered new opportunities everywhere. I pitched my latest novel to a US literary agent; pitched a scenario for a film or a TV drama mini series to a US film producer; created a plan for a Cosy Mystery; learned new tips for nonfiction research; discovered a brilliant poet whose areas of interest feed into my own latest ideas for a nonfiction book. The poet, A.C. Clarke, had judged the poetry competition and gave a poetry workshop.

‘A Troubling Woman’ by A.C. Clarke, a poetry collection in which the poet invites us into the loves and losses of the complex medieval mystic, Margaret Kempe.‘Wedding Grief’ by A.C. Clarke, a collection of poems in which the poet charts the course of the passionate and troubled relationship between surrealist poet Paul Eluard and his first love Elena ( later to become famous as Gala, the wife of Salvador Dali)Selection of books by writers at the Scottish Association of Writers Conference 2023

It has been a fertile, creative, and exciting time full of new and renewed relationships. The danger of weekends like this is always the ‘aftermath let-down’ as we return to normal life. I know many of us will be feeling like that over the next few days. Yet we will move beyond that and start nurturing the seedlings that will grow from all we have learned and discovered, which will in the future come to rich fruition.

Scottish Mist at the Hilton Hotel Spa and Golf Course, Cumbernauld, near Glasgow..

Join me on my journey and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter straight to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Also, you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

And if you’re a regular reader of my blog posts and would like to support me, you can now do so at buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

Booksigning at Vintage Crafts and Gift Fair in Dorridge Village Hall Saturday 11 March 2023

One of the good things for an author about hiring a stall at a craft fair is the company of fellow creatives. So many imaginative and beautiful crafts and gifts were on display at this fair, organised by Ultimate Girls Night Out, who run vintage-themed events, fairs and markets across the Midlands area. A bonus was the excellent singer who, dressed in a vintage ‘frock’, entertained shoppers and stallholders with popular songs and music from the 20th century. As you will see, there were also some keen dancers in vintage costume!

Creative Crafts on sale at the Vintage Craft and Gift Fair, Dorridge Village Hall, on Saturday, 11 March 2023Dancing couple at the Vintage Craft & Gift Fair, Dorridge Village Hall, near Birmingham, on Saturday 11 March 2023Join me on my journey and sign up to receive my monthly email directly to your inbox. I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Plus, you’ll be the first to know when I have a new book coming out.

Sign up here if you’d like to join me on my journey.

And for those regular readers of my blog posts here who would like to support my writing journey, why not buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

Strange Tales from Paranormal Warwickshire Part 3: Shakespeare’s Ghosts and Spirits

When it comes to William Shakespeare‘s own beliefs about ghosts and spirits, scholars and actors hold divergent views. ‘Did Shakespeare believe in ghosts and spirits?” said the actor who led the Stratford-upon-Avon town ghost tour. “One hundred per cent! Of course he did!” And the unspoken corollary to that was, of course, so do all those who tread the boards.

Ariel, the spirit servant of Prospero, in William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’

Actors have long been known for their strange rituals and curious beliefs. Many theatres throughout the UK have their ghost stories to tell. None more so than the Royal Shakespeare Theatre itself in Stratford-upon-Avon. There, you may hear of the Grey Lady, the Perfumed Lady, and numerous other spectral visitations. Unsettling and eerie things have also been experienced by builders working on the scaffolding around the Upper Circle during the renovations for “The Transformation Project.”

Sir Ian McKellan and may be numbered among those great actors who have experienced curious phenomena either on stage or in an otherwise empty auditorium at other notable theatres. When I researched ‘Paranormal Warwickshire‘ I included Rugby Theatre in my enquiries and, sure enough, discovered that this theatre too has several supernatural presences, in the auditorium, on the stairs, and in the dressing rooms.

However, on the other side of the debate, we may find Professor Sir Jonathan Bate, Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College, eminent scholar of Shakespeare, who tends to the view that the Bard himself probably agreed with Hamlet’s friend Horatio, that supernatural manifestations all “emanate from the mind.” Shakespeare, he argues, used ghosts and spirits as excellent dramatic devices, and in every instance where they appear in his plays, they emphasise the mental state of the living character on stage.

Decide for yourself. Watch my reading here on YouTube from my introduction to ‘Paranormal Warwickshire‘. And if you enjoy it, don’t forget to like and comment and subscribe to The SC Skillman Channel while you’re there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYp8JgcgGE&t=42s

Join me on my journey and sign up to receive my monthly email straight to your inbox. I share snippets and gems from my research discoveries and news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Plus, you’ll be the first to hear when I have a new book coming out!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog posts here and would like to support me, you may do so by clicking on buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

Strange Tales From Paranormal Warwickshire Part 2: Guy’s Cliffe

Today I continue my series with the second episode: the mysterious ruined manor house off the Coventry Road, Warwick. The land at Guy’s Cliffe has been a magnet for Celtic hermits, holy people, and legendary heroes since well before the Norman Conquest, and for medieval historians and the Warwick earls later.

Cover of Paranormal Warwickshire by SC Skillman pub Amberley 2020. Images from top left to right: Hermit’s Cave at Guy’s Cliffe; tower of Chapel of St Mary Magdalene at Guy’s Cliffe; Leicester’s Gatehouse at Kenilworth Castle; East window at Baddesley Clinton Church; Leamington Spa; St Mary’s Warwick; Kenilworth Castle; Thomas Oken’s House Warwick; & Warwick Castle.

The combination of wild clifftop location, a wooded area with caverns in it, a crystal river, and ‘an idyllic glade’ caught the imagination of many. It was one of the earls of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp, who first ordered that a chantry chapel be built here. Upon that spot, we now have the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, still in use by the Coventry Freemasons, who use the premises adjacent to the ruins. Within the chapel, a stone statue of Guy of Warwick may be seen: Guy has a strong connection with the story of this location.

Guy’s Cliffe was the first atmospheric, romantic place that attracted my eye when I arrived in Warwick. I saw it from the footpath on the opposite bank of the river Avon, as so many do, who pause to gaze as they are walking the dog around Milverton Hill, to wonder at the many stories those ruins hold: and sometimes, if they are sensitive, to witness a vision of a lady throwing herself from a high place. This vision has been experienced at different times by those standing on the bridge at the Saxon Mill, further upriver. I spoke to at least two people who gave first-person testimonies of seeing this ghostly figure at Guy’s Cliffe.

I have my own theories about the possible source of the vision. First built here by Samuel Greatheed, MP for Coventry, in 1751, the manor house gained its many gothic architectural flourishes when Samuel’s flambuoyant, idealistic playwright son Bertie, took over ownership. Bertie became a good friend of Sarah Siddons, the greatest tragic actress of the 1800s. (She was probably the equivalent of Dame Judi Dench in her time). Sarah often came here, and would do dramatic readings for Bertie and his family. She had played Shakespeare’s tragic heroines many times, including, of course, Lady Macbeth. Who knows if Sarah stood out on one of those high balconies and declaimed her tragic lines? Is it possible the energy from this magnificent actress has somehow been captured within the stones of those ruins and has transmitted itself to sensitive viewers?

Listen here to my reading from my chapter on Guy’s Cliffe in Paranormal Warwickshire.

Do sign up to my mailing list here. I’d love you to join me on my writing and publishing journey! I share gems and snippets from my research discoveries, along with news and insights from the writing and publishing worlds. Also you’ll be the first to hear when I have a new book coming out.

And for those regular readers of my articles and posts here who’d like to support me on my writing journey you can do so here at buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

Strange Tales From Paranormal Warwickshire part 1: Warwick Castle

Today, I begin the first episode in a series of strange tales from my book Paranormal Warwickshire.

Guy’s Tower, Warwick Castle (photo credit SC Skillman)

Warwick Castle is, of course, the first thing many people think of when Warwick comes to mind. And no wonder: when I researched for my forthcoming book ‘A-Z of Warwick‘ (due out in November 2023 and now on pre-order) I was constantly reminded that very little happened during Warwick’s rich history that didn’t have an Earl behind it.

From the earliest Norman earl, through to Richard Beauchamp (who commissioned the Beauchamp Chapel), and on to Richard Neville the Kingmaker, and later Ambrose Dudley (Sir Robert’s brother), and finally the extravagant Grevilles who magnificently improved the castle then had to sell up under mountains of debt… everything of historical interest in Warwick was financed or set in motion or driven by one of the Earls.

I love them all because their complex personalities are at the heart of so many Warwick stories – funny, scandalous, astonishing, shocking, tragic, ridiculous, brutal, calculating, brilliant, monstrous, far-reaching.

Only recently I met someone who added another strange story to my fund of tales. A friend of his had encountered a disturbing presence whilst staying overnight in Caesar’s Tower: by the morning he was bruised, and felt strongly he was being pushed by an invisible presence. Caesar’s Tower has quite a reputation for paranormal activity; local investigators carry out overnight vigils there and on one occasion reported that ‘the activity was so intense’ they had to leave. The other major tower of the castle, Guy’s Tower, also has its curious tales. One of them is an inscription found on the wall of a forgotten cell, believed to be the work of Walt Disney’s ancestor Edward Disney, imprisoned there during the English Civil War. The fact that Edward was eventually reprieved, and not executed, is all to the good for those who are fond of Walt Disney’s achievements; for he wouldn’t have existed if Edward his forebear had met his demise at the castle.

Here I read from my Warwick Castle chapter in ‘Paranormal Warwickshire’.

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

And if you’re a regular reader of my blog posts and articles and would like to show your support for my writing you can do so here at buy me a coffee. I’d be very grateful!

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sheila Robinson (@sheilarobinson700)