The Storyteller: A trip to Cheltenham

Every now and again, I’m encouraged to travel further afield, to spend a few days investigating other parts of the country, known for their haunted or unusual histories, in the company of good friends and members of my group, TIP.

These excursions I like to call TIPTRIPS, and the other weekend, I, and my partner Sarah, met up with our old friends, another Sarah and Steve, and Paul and Loretta, whose wedding we attended last year, to have a long overdue catch-up. Now that the newlyweds live further away, it was suggested we meet halfway, and as Steve spent most of his formative years in and around Cheltenham, which is full of quirky tales, he suggested this would serve our purposes admirably, being equidistant for travelling and worthy of investigation...and so it was that Cheltenham became our latest TIPTRIP...

When Adrian, Dave and I first set out on our journey of discovery, having formed Torbay Investigators of the Paranormal, we used to make regular forays across the border into Cornwall, where we discovered the delights of Boscastle, spending weekends at the Wellington Hotel and frequently visiting the Witchcraft Museum, which has an uncanny link to this latest expedition. In more recent times, we ventured as far as the New Forest, staying in the village of Burley, also with its witchy connections...so you can see a definite theme running through our TIPTRIPS over the years.

Reaching The Clarence Court Hotel on the Friday afternoon, we wasted no time in beginning our exploration of Cheltenham, but it was on the Saturday when things got spooky! After a pub lunch, we caught the bus to Prestbury, dubbed a “village”, even though it’s on the outskirts of the town, which has claims that rival those of Pluckley, in Kent. Steve had lived around here, so he shared his insider knowledge, highlighting its spooky history.

Starting at the war memorial, Steve pointed out the haunted butchers across the road, where poltergeist activity, whistling, and shadowy figures have been experienced over the years. Moving on down the road, we came to a beautifully thatched building, now a convenience store but once a post office, which also boasts poltergeist activity, but what’s more interesting are the number of reported sightings of a jockey carrying his saddle crossing the road at this spot. A jockey isn’t an unusual sight in the land of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but you’d be forgiven for not realising that this particular one has been a long time dead!

On the subject of riders, there are a couple of phantom messengers, complete with their mounts, seen galloping through the streets. One dates from mediaeval times and was stopped by an arrow in his chest. Recently, workmen repairing the roads dug up a skeleton with an arrow in its ribs...whilst another is from my favourite period of history, which has spawned many of my Dartmoor ghosts, the English Civil War. This one is a Cavalier, cruelly unhorsed by a rope strung across the road by local Roundheads, who executed him on the spot.

Other manifestations include various monks, funeral processions, and the sound of a spinet being played in one of the quaint cottages.

All this ghost hunting is thirsty work, so we retired to The Plough Inn for a few drinks and a bite to eat. Here it’s also said that the sound of horses’ hooves can be heard, and animals often refuse to pass, obviously aware of something otherworldly that we humans aren’t.

On the Sunday, we had a very packed itinerary, starting with a dash to Wickhamford, another important location in Steve’s formative years, where we met the current lord of the manor before heading to the church next door, where the congregation were just leaving the early morning service, many of whom were known to Steve.

As he chatted to some, others gave us a guided tour of their beloved place of worship, which has many points of interest, the most notable being the memorial to Penelope Washington, a distant relative of the first American president, George Washington, which includes the coat of arms of that family, the stars and stripes, which provided the inspiration for the future flag of that new nation.

Moving on, we headed for Broadway station, where we had an appointment with a magnificent steam engine, on board which we paid our own little tribute to VE Day and had a bit of a singsong as we travelled to Cheltenham Spa and back again. Once back, we had to make a mad dash to nearby Snowshill Manor to get there in time for the last admission of the day, and I’m so glad we made it, for this was one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

Fans of Bridget Jones will know the property from the films. It was actually rebuilt, to his own design, by one Charles Wade, after purchasing it as a near ruin. He then used it as a place to display his many collections, illustrating his very eclectic tastes and interests that he liked to show off to his visiting friends, before handing over the running of the property to the National Trust. Then he became a frequent visitor himself. It reminded me of another property, closer to home, also owned by the National Trust, called Overbecks, at Salcombe. We investigated that many years ago, but Snowshill has something more to offer.

Yes, it has ghosts...potentially one that recently took a picture of St George and the Dragon off its hook, without breaking the hanging wire, and dashed it to the ground, feet away from the wall, where it had hung for many years. It has recently been returned, after being repaired, but hasn’t yet been put back on display...but it also has a secret stash of esoteric memorabilia, potentially used in witchcraft, that Charles would have used to unnerve his visitors. It was probably more for show than for actual use, for he was no Alistair Crowley, just very eccentric.

When it was discovered that this collection was in the attic space, no one really knew what to do with it. Some of it remains in insitu, away from public gaze; some has been incorporated into other displays around the house, whilst the majority of it was entrusted to Cecil Williamson, the founder of the witchcraft museum now in Boscastle, somewhere I visit frequently. As I’ve browsed the exhibits many times, I do recall the name Snowshill cropping up, but I can’t remember what it refers to... Next time I’m there, I must pay closer attention!

We then left the manor, having visited the nearby church, where Charles and members of his family are buried, and went for a meal at The Fleece Inn, in Bretforton, another village vying for the title of most haunted.

Bretforton Manor is said to have several deceased residents, including a young man, who lounges around various rooms; an elderly woman, seemingly in search of something; a butler, going about his duties; and the obligatory, black-robed monk. Phantom airmen frequent a derelict airfield and its newly built industrial park, whilst the local church has a few spooks in its vicinity, but it was the pub that was our main focus of attention.

The Fleece is a converted longhouse, dating back to the 15th century, and its resident ghost is a former landlady, Lola Taplin, who was a bit of an eccentric, insisting on protecting her pub from local witches by drawing “witch circles” around the hearths, some of which can still be seen today, along with some pairs of her old shoes...if you ask nicely!

So as you can see, belief in witches and ghosts is rife in the Cotswolds, making it an ideal destination for a TIPTRIP, and with the upcoming holiday season, it might be somewhere you might like to visit too. Don’t forget: if you come across anything spooky or unusual, make sure you share it with me first...