This is the tenth and final post in a series of ten posts which will take us up to the date of publication of my new book Paranormal Warwickshire, out from Amberley Publishing on 15th November. This richly illustrated compilation of strange tales from Shakespeare’s county can be pre-ordered now from all online bookstores, and from Warwick Books and Kenilworth Books.
The town of Royal Leamington Spa underwent a dramatic transformation beginning from the early 1700s when the 4th Earl of Aylesford discovered a mineral spring on his land. Subsequently, a few further twists and turns of the story raised the fortunes of this sleepy little village called Leamington Priors, until it had attained the highest reputation with The Beau Monde, and re-invented itself as a desirable Regency health resort. Aristocrats and the wealthiest members of society would flock here, to take the waters. The town met with the approval of Queen Victoria, which is why she’s celebrated with a statue in front of the Town Hall.
I found several curious anecdotes and strange tales in Leamington Spa; these surround the railway station, which plays a significant role in Leamington Spa’s history from the 19th century on; the elegant building, formerly known as the Masonic Halls, now known as Victoria House; and a certain residential property in Leam Terrace which was proving difficult to sell.
Here’s an extract from Paranormal Warwickshire:
Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, you could only reach Leamington Spa by Crown Prince stagecoach, and the journey from London took nine hours. But in 1844 everything changed with the formal opening of the Warwick and Leamington Branch Railway, and the first railway station in the town. This brought Leamington Spa within four hours journey of London. That station building was replaced in 1852. Posters advertised the town as a “Modern Holiday and Cure” resort. In 1939, despite initial negative reaction stirred up by the local press, the Great Western Railway opened an Art Deco station to replace the original building of 1852. The building is listed Grade II.
Both passengers and station staff report paranormal occurrences. Stephen worked there from 2012 to 2016.
“My job was night-time security officer,” he says……
Stephen has several stories to tell of strange events in the station at night, when the station is closed to passengers, and no trains run.
“Once, at about three or four in the morning, across the tracks I saw a lady on Platform 2. I challenged her. ‘Excuse me, what are you doing in the station? How did you get in here?’ She looked at me as if she’d heard me, turned away and carried on walking. I ran down underneath and up the stairs to find her, and she had gone. So I got onto the CCTV and there was nothing there. But I had seen her clearly. I had to make a phone call to report her so as to make sure there was no danger of someone being on the track. We have to cover ourselves.
“Another time, I was walking around when I saw that a door I had previously locked was standing open. So I went to check the door. It was on Platform 1. The door slammed on me as I went to it. I thought it must have been the wind, and locked it.
“A lot of paranormal activity takes place in the offices upstairs. I went upstairs to check the place out and the door was open. I went back, and the door was closed.”
This is corroborated by other members of staff who regularly see and hear things including doors slamming and electrical equipment turning on and off.
One staff member said, “When we first moved into the top floor offices the people who had been there previously had obviously left in a hurry. I regularly have paperwork thrown about. Doors are left open and I hear footsteps. I find it is often a quick way to end a meeting having a door slam for no logical reason. I’ve now learned to live in harmony with the ghosts.”
from Paranormal Warwickshire by SC Skillman
To find out more, do order your copy of Paranormal Warwickshire.
scskillman.com 