Chester's a beautiful historic town. Never saw any ghosts, though. Bummer.
Posted on 12/15/2004 8:53:32 PM PST by the lone highschooler
GHOSTS, SPIRITS AND POLTERGEISTS haunt the narrow streets, crypts and alleyways of Chester in such numbers, according to new research, that paranormal experts are giving it the spine chilling title of ‘England’s most haunted city’.
The ancient walled city of Chester, in north-west Britain, was founded by the Romans some 2,000 years ago as one of the three main legionary fortresses controlling the province of Britannia. When the Romans left, the fortress was fought over by successive waves of Vikings, Danes and Welshmen.
Even today, Chester is a compact and picturesque place, full of Roman remains and black-and-white medieval houses and inns.
Over the centuries, Chester has witnessed every high and low of human existence: from joy and jubilation to slaughter, famine, plague and war. It's no surprise then, that Chester boasts ghosts, hauntings and apparitions from every age of Britain's history.
Chester’s Roman ghosts are among the earliest in Britain. The best known is the phantom legionary who paces between the Roman fortress walls and the nearby ruined amphitheatre. Although apparitions typically become fainter over the centuries, this spectre remains so clear that experts have identified him by his armour. He seems to be a Decurion (an officer in charge of ten men) of the Second Legion Adiutrix, stationed at Chester in the AD 70s.
Not far from Chester’s half excavated Roman amphitheatre are the atmospheric ruins of St John’s church and priory. Peer up through the skeletal arches here, and you’ll see the curious ‘coffin in the wall’. Written inside it are the ominous words ‘Dust to Dust’. A spectral nun in a ‘bluish habit’ haunts the abandoned churchyard; witty guides and locals say she was originally buried in the 13th century oak casket to be ‘closer to heaven’.
During the brutal English Civil War, loyalist Chester was besieged by parliamentarian troops between 1643-46. Tudor House, on Lower Bridge Street, is one of Chester’s oldest domestic buildings and is still haunted by the headless spectre of a Royalist gentleman who was cruelly decapitated by a stray cannon ball.
Chester has more than its fair share of haunted inns and pubs, too. Ye Olde Kings Head is haunted; objects move inexplicably or disappear in Room 4, and messages appear on the mirror in Room 6. The lovingly restored black-and-white Falcon Inn has a resident poltergeist, while a phantom sailor occasionally drifts through the medieval stone crypt of Watergates bar with a seaman’s typical rolling gait.
Chester is truly a city of ghosts. Dave Sadler, of Liverpool’s paranormal investigators Parascience, says ‘My belief is that Chester, for its size, has the most haunted activity in the country. Some say it's York or Derby, but I disagree. The amount of ghosts per street in Chester is phenomenal.’
ping your list...if you want to...
Ping for tomorrow!
Never mind...
I believe in an everlasting life, but I sure hope this ain't it.
It could be worse. They are talking Chester, U.K. here, not Chester, Pa.
I've seen some amazing things late at night in pubs, too!
It's Christmas, not Halloween.
(wink)
That is a pretty cool story. Thanks for posting!
Believe it or not, Christmas used to be a time for ghost stories as well. Many of the older, English stories from Dicken's time reference telling "ghost stories" as a staple of Christmas gatherings.
Just a little tidbit for an English treat...
It's a cool article and thank you for posting it.
I've been to Chester, and it's a fascinating place, haunted or not!
Hell, it could be even worse than Chester, Pa. It could be Chester, Va. Where I think there are 1.5 Dollar General Stores per citizen.
Chester's a beautiful historic town. Never saw any ghosts, though. Bummer.
Yep. Seen it. Takes a little time. But then, there it is.
The only spirits I saw were the kind you find in a pub!
:-)
As a direct decendant of the Earl of Chester I wonder what would happen were I to walk those streets. lol
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.