Horror stories from Oswestry to share on Hallowe'en

Ahead of Hallowe'en we share some of the scariest ghostly tales courtesy of Amy Boucher.

The Old Cottage Hospital, Oswestry

The old Cottage hospital is haunted by the ghost of a nurse with a tragic story.

She is said to wander around the rooms, acting much as she did in life.

Other reports suggest that she is seen to be searching for something. All suggest that she is a melancholy spirit.

She had been a good nurse, and had loved her profession, but a tragic mistake put an end to her career.

One evening, she was overworked and tired, and she accidently sent a body down to the morgue of a man who hadn’t died.

When the patient woke up on the cold mortuary slab, he was so frightened by his situation that he died of fright.

The guilt gnawed at the nurse, and sadly she couldn’t live with herself, taking her life on November 11th, which is now the day she is most active.

Oswestry's old cottage hospital.

The phantom cleaners, Oswestry

Charlotte Burne recounts the following story in her book on Shropshire folklore.

A notable couple were on their way to Wales, when they stopped on the way, for some days in Oswestry.

They established themselves at a lodging of a local woman of some prominence, who lived alone with her two maids.

The couple soon noticed the general neglect of the building, and that the dusty rooms were never swept or cleaned.

This confused them as they were kept awake all night by the ceaseless sound of furniture being moved, sweeping, dusting, and cleaning.

When they asked the servants why they cleaned at night they informed them it was not them, as they had to sit up all night with their mistress, due to her being so frightened.

When the couple enquired around the neighbourhood, it was rumoured that the mistress was being haunted by the spirit of a girl she murdered.

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The Fox Inn, Oswestry

The building has its origins in the late 15th century and due to this is one of Oswestry’s oldest inns.

Staff have reported feeling a ‘presence’ in the kitchen and the back room and reported feeling as if they are being watched or followed.

They have also reported seeing mist and strange shapes in the bar area, as well as feeling very uneasy in the cellar.

Oswestry's Fox Inn. Picture: Geograph.

The phantom soldier, Weston Rhyn

Roads into the village are haunted by a restless unnamed young soldier.

Sadly, it is not known who the man was in life, for history has claimed that secret- however it is established that he was a young man from the village, who had served in the army during World War One.

While serving on the Western front, he had experienced a gas attack, which gravely wounded him, burning his lungs and leaving him with great difficulty breathing.

Understandably, after this attack he was deemed unfit for service, and sent home to recuperate. 

Like so many young men, ill equipped for the horrors of war, he found his return hard to adjust to mentally, and still suffered with difficulty breathing. Alas, a mere two months later, he succumbed to his injuries.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of the poor man’s suffering- for he has not been able to rest easy.

He haunts the roads into the village and the village itself, a tragic lost soul.

He can be heard and seen gasping for air and walking slowly as if with some unknown purpose. He isn’t a frequent apparition but when he is seen he is still in uniform and has terribly unhappy eyes.

He is accompanied by a deep feeling of melancholy and an overwhelming sense of darkness.

I find everything about this story incredibly sad, and often wonder how many other villages are haunted by similar spectres, men who were swallowed by the unstoppable tides of war.

War Memorial and Institute. Picture: Geograph.

The Floppy-hatted ghost, Weston Rhyn

While exploring the British Newspaper archives, I stumbled across the following account from August 1929.

What fascinates me most about the article is the matter-of-fact tone in which it was written, without sensationalism or melodrama- which seems to amplify the sense of isolation and dread associated with paranormal experiences.

Though only a small article, it clearly demonstrated the impact this encounter had on all those involved. It was by all accounts a lifechanging event.  

The event in question takes place in one of Shropshire’s quiet corners – Weston Rhyn and definitely demonstrates just how frightening an unexpected face to face with a ghost can truly be.

The story is reported by ‘The Brisbane Telegraph’ on the 14th of August 1929, It is a story of fear and the unexpected- with a woman being terrorised by what is referred to as a ‘midsummer ghost’.

The woman (who is only referred to as Mrs Price) had only moved to Weston Rhyn just days before with her husband Edward Price.

They were originally from Whittington but had taken the plunge and rented a cottage near an old watermill, which was by all accounts a lovely little spot.

We are provided with a description of Edward, who was a ‘young and enterprising farm worker, who wished to improve his position’. 

The move to Weston Rhyn had been spurred on by a desire to better himself, creating a small holding next to the watermill, with both livestock and crops. This would allow them to live comfortably.

One can imagine they were excited for their new life, in their own personal Arcady by the water. Though this was soon to change.

On the day of the encounter, Mrs Price had risen early - just before sunrise in fact.

She’d intended to put her house in order, so she wandered downstairs, mind filled with the businesses of the day.

She began by lighting the fire, which was taking some time to get started.

Suddenly, the dog gave a savage growl, uncharacteristic for the usually gentle thing and began barking loudly.

Mrs Price quickly turned around, to be greeted by the great ghost of a tall man in a slouched hat, who was grinning at her, with a wide, toothy, almost inhuman grin.

Understandably, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, and fled upstairs to rouse her husband.

The little rough haired terrier trailed behind her, and although he was shaking with fear, he walked backwards up the stairs, barking and ‘facing the foe’ who had slowly turned to follow.

The little fellow did his best to scare the spectral intruder away, barking and growling with bared teeth.

When his owner was safely upstairs with her husband, the poor dog collapsed, as did Mrs Price, not long after telling her husband about the stranger downstairs.

Edward left his wife unconscious wife upstairs, hoping to catch the intruder in the act, perhaps he’d broke in to steal from them, having off with their possessions.

However, having descended the stairs, he was greeted by an empty room. The door was locked, and the windows were as secure as they’d been the day previously when he’d shut them.

The house was eerily quiet, their belongings were untouched, and there was no evidence of anyone lurking around.

However, the news didn’t settle his wife, for the image of the grinning man in the hat was burned into her mind, haunting her.  

She was justifiably terrified and refused to spend any longer in the property, packing a small bag and leaving.

Our brave little terrier eventually came round from passing out but was so traumatised by the events that he had to be carried down the stairs. He too refused to re-enter the home.

Mrs Price left for Whittington, and at the time of the newspaper report, was receiving care from her doctor, as it was said she was ‘seriously ill’.

One can only assume that following her encounter her mental health took a turn for the worst.  She was however accompanied by her champion- the brave little terrier, who proved a loving companion, as he refused to leave her side.

As for Edward, he too returned to Whittington, and rented another cottage, probably keen to forget the whole saga. I hope he was able to use his enterprising nature to improve his situation- just as he’d planned to in Weston Rhyn.

The newspaper ends with a note from a local miller who lived nearby.

He states rather plainly that he’d never seen any ghosts, hatted or otherwise in the whole area, and that he didn’t believe in such nonsense. Rather, he believed the cottage was perfectly habitable and wouldn’t be took in by such rubbish.