The London Underground is a much older system than we often give it credit for. As Peter Ackroyd points out, it’s old enough that it’s congruent with figures we consider ‘historical’ like Jack the Ripper (2012: 112). Given it’s such an old system, burrowing through the very clay on which London stands, it’s hardly surprising […]
ghost stories
All Aboard the Phantom Coaches of Folklore and Legend
Nowadays, we have a plethora of transportation types at our disposal. In earlier centuries, choices were far less plentiful, with your options limited by your class and income. Experts date the arrival of the coach in England to anywhere between 1555 and 1580 (Encyclopedia Britannica 2013). It certainly wasn’t available to everyone and it still […]
Meet the Grey Lady ghosts of Newcastle upon Tyne
Lots of locations around the UK boast a Grey Lady, a White Lady, or even a Green Lady. Such spectres are usually attached to sad tales of loss and a lot of them are nameless. When I visited Bamburgh Castle some years ago, one of the guides told me they have a Pink Lady. As […]
Time Slips: Urban Legend, Ghost Story, or Utter Nonsense?
Time slips may feel like a product of science fiction. But they bear similarities with folklore. A person journeys to a strange place, sees odd things, and is not always believed upon their return. Sounds a lot like the tale of Thomas the Rhymer and his trip to Fairyland. Time slips also have things in […]
3 Classic Ghost Stories Perfect For Halloween
Ghost stories have quietly sneaked into the 21st century. They made their presence felt as the Woman in Black stalked Daniel Radcliffe around a peeling Edwardian pile back in the 2012 movie by Hammer Films. I’m not talking about the Paranormal Activity model of low-budget demonic visitations dressed up to look like ghosts. I’m talking about supernatural spectres capable of […]
4 Weird Ghost Stories Direct From Real Life
Halloween is a perfect time of year to tell ghost stories. Lord knows I have enough weird ghost stories among my free short stories. But I ran a poll on Facebook and Twitter, and a whopping 93% of the respondents on Twitter wanted me to talk about my own weird experiences, rather than post yet […]
