A History of hauntings

Cryptozoology is the search for and study of mythical and legendary creatures. The UK has a number of very famous cases. I cram a brief overview of some of the most notorious and a few lesser known cases in to the half hour of this podcast. Undoubtedly, the most case is that of the Loch Ness Monster. Did you know that sighting have been reported for over 1500 years? The UK is also famous for it's legendary and elusive bug cats. I take a look at the Beasts of Bodmin and Exmoor and ask the question - are these two big cats linked by a single incident? As well as Big Cats there is a famous case of a big dog - possibly the inspiration for the Hound of the Baskervilles - Black Shuck. I also take a look at the case of the Ainsdale anomoly, a 15ft creature that has washed up on our shores in the year 2020.

https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/loch-ness-monster

https://www.bodminjail.org/blog/historical-tales/beast-of-bodmin/

https://www.exmoorzoo.co.uk/animals/exmoor-beast

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/beast-exmoor-caught-video-one-5399825

https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/03/move-over-nessie-five-mythical-british-beasts/

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/bizarre-15-foot-long-sea-22453303

https://allthatsinteresting.com/black-shuck

Crewe's Lyceum theatre has sat on Heath Street in one form or another for over 130 years. In the last 50 years it has been haunted by the ghost of a ballerina. Some see a woman in white, most see her in vintage tutu and costume and more often than not she is accompanied by the strong smell of lavender. Given that for 50 years before it was a theatre, it was a Roman Catholic church, we shouldn't be too surprised to hear that this is not the only ghost sighting recorded in this building. Do any of them hark back to a time it was a church? Are any linked to the devastating fire that occurred there in 1910? I look at all of these and try and establish, which if any of these stories are to be believed... and I make a promise to you to revisit this place for second podcast and talk to - hopefully - some of the people that have had paranormal experiences there. As always, here are the list of websites I researched for this episode:

https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/cheshire-staffordshires-most-haunted-locations-19059407

https://crewelyceum.co.uk/Online/tickets-ghost-hunts-crewe-june-2019

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5824544/

https://www.cheshireredhead.co.uk/446719295

https://www.higgypop.com/hauntings/crewe-lyceum-theatre/

https://crewelyceum.co.uk/Online/history

https://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/news/crewe-south-cheshire-news/devastating-crewe-theatre-fire-remembered--10688990

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_Theatre,_Crewe

https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/reports/theatredata.php?pageNum_paradata=1

The Tower of London is notorious for it's hauntings and more to the point, the number of ghosts that inhabit the place. I take a look at the most commonly reported hauntings and the stories behind them. Many of the hauntings involve historical figures that you'll know from your history lessons however some are a little more obscure. As always I give my verdict on the likelihood that they are genuine and as always, I'd love to hear your opinions too. Here are the main websites that i researched for this podcast:-

https://www.exploring-castles.com/uk/england/tower_london_ghosts/

https://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/free-tours/tower-of-london-ghosts.htm

https://londonist.com/2016/10/who-exactly-are-the-ghosts-of-london

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/tower-of-london-hidden-secrets

https://www.standard.co.uk/reveller/attractions/seven-fascinating-things-you-never-knew-about-the-tower-of-london-a3737951.html

As a point of fact, I have to state that I did not visit Borley in Essex for the making of this podcast. Being a UK based podcast that centres around the Unexplained, I simply had to include an episode about Borley rectory. Anyone who has an interest in the paranormal knows the tales of Borley rectory - the subject of Harry Price's book "The most haunted house in England". As a young man intrigued by the paranormal and the occult, pawing through books in my local library I was fascinated with tales of writings appearing scrawled on the walls and I hope you too will find them fascinating. I take a look at the history of hauntings in Borley rectory and at the same time - as promised - take an honest look at the claims that these accounts were falsified. I am still fascinated by the story of Borley rectory. Here are 5 articles that I found useful whilst creating this podcast:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley_Rectory

https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/borley-rectory-most-haunted-house

https://burialsandbeyond.com/2021/01/15/the-most-haunted-house-in-england-borley-rectory/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/dec/31/books.booksnews

https://u-p-o.com/index.php/2020/07/20/borley-rectory-the-haunted-house-in-essex-where-the-creepy-ghost-of-a-victorian-boy-was-spotted-essex-live/

In this episode I play devil's advocate. I look at the possible scientific explanations as to what experiences with ghosts actually are. I examine what science has to say a ghost actually is. If we are to examine the unknown and the paranormal, then we have to examine both sides of the coin. It's all well and good to call our experiences paranormal but we have to acknowledge the possibility that they are just "normal". I take a look at a number of explanations and try to decipher how feasible they are. I took mu information from the following articles: -

https://theconversation.com/the-top-three-scientific-explanations-for-ghost-sightings-58259

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/science-ghosts

https://www.livescience.com/26697-are-ghosts-real.html

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/science/6-possible-scientific-reasons-for-ghosts#:~:text=%206%20Possible%20Scientific%20Reasons%20for%20Ghosts%20,in%20a%20paranormal%20experience%20if%20someone...%20More%20

I hope the believers and not just the non-believers will listen to this episode.