Haunted Isle Of Sheppey

Although only 30 or so square miles in size, the Isle of Sheppey, situated off the coast of Kent, is one of the most atmospheric locations in Britain. Its windswept marshes and rugged coastlines provide the ideal habitat for a diversity of wildlife and the island boasts some very old buildings. But these fog-enshrouded marshes and ancient structures also harbour several unnerving ghost stories. All manner of apparitions have been sighted or rumoured here – from spectral smugglers and ghostly animals to phantom monks, as well as a wealth of other spine-tingling phenomena. Folklorist Neil Arnold takes to the eerie fields and darkest corners of the Isle of Sheppey to unravel just who and what haunts this mystical island.

Although only some thirty square miles in size, the Isle of Sheppey, which is situated off the coast of Kent, is one of the oldest and most atmospheric locations in Britain. Its windswept marshes and rugged coastlines provide ideal habitat for a diversity of wildlife, and the island boasts some very old buildings. But these fog-enshrouded marshes and ancient structures also harbor several unnerving ghost stories; all manner of apparitions have been sighted or rumored here—from spectral smugglers and ghostly animals to phantom ladies and apes, and a wealth of other spine-tingling phenomena. Folklorist Neil Arnold takes to the eerie fields and darkest corners of the Isle of Sheppey to unravel just who and what haunts this mystical island.

Nicola Barker's exuberant novels here receive the scholarly attention they deserve in a collection of essays which moves chronologically through her oeuvre. The chapters are broad-ranging, placing Barker's work in its contemporary context and collectively making a convincing case for her importance as one of our most inventive novelists. Contents Foreword Nicola Barker The Barkeresque Mode: An Introduction Berthold Schoene Indie Style: Reversed Forecast and a Turn-of-the-Century Aesthetic Ben Masters 'Temporary People': Wide Open as an Island Narrative Daniel Marc Janes 'You grew up in this shithole, then?': Literary Geographics and the Thames Gateway Series Len Platt 'The Pair of Opposites Paradox': Ambivalence, Destabilization and Resistance in Five Miles from Outer Hope Ginette Carpenter 'Woah there a moment. Time out!': Slowing Down in Clear: A Transparent Novel Beccy Kennedy Beneath the Thin Veneer of the Modern: Medievalism in Darkmans Christopher Vardy Burley Cross Postbox Theft as Comedy Huw Marsh 'Tuning into My "Awareness Continuum"': Optimized Attention in The Yips Alice Bennett Exuberant Narration as Metaphysical Currency in In the Approaches Berthold Schoene The Pursuit of Happiness in H(A)PPY, or What a Difference an (A) Makes Eleanor Byrne Notes on Contributors Index

Drawing on a broad range of cultural materials including novels, film, theatre and tourist literature, Writing London and the Thames Estuary by Len Platt traces the making of the Thames estuary as margin by the London metropolis.

A case-centred study of Phantom Hitch-Hikers & Phantom Jaywalkers in Folklore and Fact. Tales of Phantom Hitch-Hikers are found the world over. But is there anything more to them than the staple of contemporary folklore they appear to be? Cases like Blue Bell Hill suggest there is. Here, and in numerous other modern cases, witnesses report vivid and terrifying encounters with solid-looking figures that step into the paths of their vehicles. These events show an affinity with the legendary Phantom Hitch-Hiker, suggesting that far from being mere vestiges of a superstitious folk tradition, they may reflect a genuine but complex phenomenon that continues to manifest in modern times and settings, and challenges our very notions of reality. This book traces Blue Bell Hill's ghost from its roots in folklore to compelling fact, with nearly 50 witness accounts attesting to it as an important modern example of haunting on record, and arguably the foremost case of its kind in the world today.

The first expert exploration of the haunted houses and authentic ghosts of Kent, this volume is filled with fascinating true ghost stories from times past. Read about the curious case of Anne West of Old Bayhall Manor, who ‘was always worried that she might be buried while yet alive’, or the ‘ghostly old gentleman’ of Cleve Court in Minster, who, when he turns up, is treated ‘more as a guest than a ghost’ - because ‘the dear old thing means no harm’. And there is Lympne Castle, where Underwood once took a party of Ghost Club members: ‘I had just obtained a description of the room, when one of the Club members rushed into the kitchen begging me to accompany her to one of the towers where “something horrible had once taken place”…’.

Sink into the depths... The great oceans of the world have long been considered alien environments said to harbor strange creatures and unfathomable mysteries. This new book from full-time monster hunter Neil Arnold examines the maritime-rich heritage surrounding the coastline of Britain and the mysterious activity said to take place there. Shadows on the Sea explores eerie stories of phantom ships upon frothing waves, sailor's stories, fishermen's tales and impossible monsters said to hide within the inky depths, not forgetting weird tales of USOs – unidentified submarine-type objects – and other mysterious lights witnessed out at sea. Compiling hundreds of stories and many eyewitness accounts, from the spine-chilling to the utterly bizarre, this volume is an exploration of the unknown that takes the reader on a voyage through strange tales and roaring seas.

Peter Underwood has personally visited the historic buildings and sites of Britain, and here presents a wealth of intriguing legends and new stories of ghostly encounters from more than a hundred such throughout the United Kingdom.From Abbey House in Cambridge to Zennor in Cornwall, this is an A to Z of the haunted houses of Britain. At Bramshill in Hampshire - now a police training college - there have been so many sightings that even sceptical police officers have had to admit that the place is haunted. Beautiful Leeds Castle in Kent has a large, phantom black dog; there is an Elizabethan gentleman (seen by a Canon of the Church of England!) at Croft Castle; a Pink Lady at Coughton Court; a prancing ghost jester at Gawsworth; a spectre in green velvet at Hoghton Tower; six ghosts at East Riddlesden Hall; a headless apparition at Westwood Manor; and then there are some little-known ghosts in Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London, and the strange ghosts of Chingle Hall, perhaps the most haunted house in England.These are just a few of the extraordinary stories the author has gathered in his researches around the country, in the course of travels that took him from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, through Northumberland and Yorkshire, to East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall.Many first-hand accounts are presented here for the first time in a comprehensive, up-to-date survey of Britain's haunted historic properties and scenes; an illustrated guide with a difference, that will bring a new and absorbing interest to visitors to these great houses that are our national heritage.Perhaps you will be one of the fortunate (or unfortunate!) visitors who encounters a ghost as you wander through these wonderful houses, castles and mansions, where the atmosphere takes us back in time....