Things that go bump in the night

FOR EDDIE Martin, things have a habit of going bump in the night. "I hear all sorts of strange noises in my home, and to this day I'm none the wiser as to what makes them," he says.

The 18th century weaver's cottage in Union Yard, Idle, yields creaks, groans and bangs that puzzle not only Eddie but his three dogs. The property - in a terraced row - has a strange flight of three stone steps that do not lead anywhere, and don't appear to have been connected historically to any other part of the building. Says Eddie: "We hear odd noises from up there, and the dogs sit and look up the steps. The dogs regularly sit and stare up at the top of the steps as if they can sense something up there."

He adds: "We get a lot of banging, and I was particularly intrigued by loud banging from next door which was empty at the time."

The previous tenant at the property, where Eddie has lived for 15 years, said he often used to smell pipe tobacco in the box room. Says Eddie: "His daughter said that objects moved around in the kitchen, seemingly by themselves."

He adds: "When I'm in the bathroom I often hear banging, and have traced the sound to the banister rail - but you have to be putting quite a bit of pressure on it to make any noise."

But far from being terrified, Eddie is quite happy to share his life with a ghostly presence. "I'm not worried by it - if anything I'm really interested in it, but I don't know what the dogs make of it."

Spirits in the bar - but not of the drinking kind!

Spirits are not only served at the bar at Steeton Hall Hotel - but, despite the tragic circumstances surrounding the ghostly goings-on, owner Sally Kellett and her family are sure their resident ghosts are friendly.

Once a boy's school, the building, in Station Road, Steeton, caught fire and claimed the life of a 12-year-old pupil. The tragic episode took place back in the 1700s, but to this day those staying in or near the young boy's room have heard children's voices, screaming and crying.

Says Sally: "We recently had a group of management trainees staying and they were woken in the early hours by the sound of smashing glass and cries of 'Help me, help me!" They thought it was someone climbing over some derelict buildings and they immediately told us about it - but suddenly everything just stopped and went very quiet and still."

Other guests have also heard what they believed to be children's cries coming from an area which was once used as the school playing field, and the room itself is noticeably colder than adjoining bedrooms. But Sally, 40, who lives close by with her husband, Alan, 43, and children Vicky, 13, and nine-year-old Gary, says she is sure the ghost is harmless. "It does not worry us, a child would not do you any harm."

Sally says she does tell some guests about the room's history "I judge their reaction first. A lot of people are really interested, particularly the Americans."

The hotel has also been plagued with spooky occurrences in the public bar. Pictures have flown off the walls and glasses have toppled without explanation. Says Sally: "One night we'd had a late finish and the glasses on the bar fell off and broke. Another night the barman let out a yelp and said some cups and saucers had fallen off a shelf and smashed."

It is believed the spirit responsible is a previous owner - a teetotaller who refused to have drink on the premises

"People say she's sounding us out to make sure we don't abuse her home. I think she must approve, because she seems to have quietened down." says Sally.

As if these spooky spectacles are not enough, the hotel has a pair of goat's horns above the bar . "We looked into the history of the building and there's a legend that says if the horns leave the site the spirits of former occupants will come to haunt the place."

She adds: "There has been a building here since 1150, and there has been four suicides that we know of on the site, so the horns are staying where they are. We don't even want to risk moving them for dusting - we just blow on them a bit."

A chilly trip to fetch the ice!

Paul Rowntree has been down into the cellar at his dad's pub hundreds of times. But there is one trip down the short flight of stone steps that he will never forget. His eyes widen as he recalls what happened. "I had gone to get some ice and was just about to come back up the stairs. I switched off the light and as I turned around I felt a breeze at the back of me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw what appeared to be a sort of torch light pass behind me with a whoosh. It suddenly went cold and the hairs on the back of my neck pricked up with the sensation. I dropped the ice bucket and flew up the stairs."

Since Paul, 31, had the ghostly encounter three years ago at the White Swan in Idle village, others have had similar experiences. And some claim to have seen the ghost, whom landlord Ron has nicknamed Martha.

One of the regulars, Tony, once saw what he thought was a woman standing next to his mate Bob, who was behind the bar cashing up. Says Paul: "Tony asked Bob who she was, yet Bob didn't know what he was talking about. He hadn't seen any woman. And he swears blind he wasn't drunk!"

The image Tony had seen was that of a female wearing a long black dress and dark veil - the same figure spotted in summer this year by barmaid Jackie Oliver. Says Paul: " I'd taken the till upstairs and left Jackie down in the bar. When I went back down she was shaking. She had seen the woman standing beside the cellar doors."

And another regular was returning to an upstairs disco from the toilet when he spotted the woman in black standing near the dimly-lit bar. Says Paul: "Things also get moved around. I've put buckets down in the cellar and the next day they have been at the other side of the room. There is also a slight odour when she's about, sort of musty, like a dirt small."

Intrigued, Ron delved into the history of the stone-built pub, which is believed to be about 250 years old, but failed to unearth anything which pointed towards the source of the apparition.

Despite Paul's shock, the family remain unperturbed by their lady in black. Says Paul: "It doesn't bother me now. I can go down into the cellar without thinking, in fact although it would shake me up, I'd like to see the woman myself."

He adds: "We did have a bet last year with regulars to see who would sleep in the cellar on Hallowe'en night, but no-one took it up."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.