Spirited visitors drive couple out… and bring vicar in.
Plague of nasties that made life real hell.
By Marcus Day.
Jittery Alan and Annette Guest fled from their Polesworth home… after being beseiged by a horde of mischievous gremlins. And this week they called in the local vicar to rid them of their horrid tormentors. The couple’s sufferings began in earnest about two months ago – but took a nasty turn recently as the bumps in the night grew bumpier. Eventually they could take no more, and at the week-end they sought refuge at the vicarage and with some relatives.
Monday, however, brought hope of relief. For the Rev. David Byford was called in to conduct a special Holy Communion Service at the couple’s 14-year-old council home in Abbey View. Alan Guest said the vicar blessed the house in a bid to drive out the plague of nasties.
The couple’s tale of torment has become the talk of the neighbourhood, following a catalogue of mysterious happenings. These include: spectral hands appearing through the kitchen window, white faces looming above doorways, strange smells filling the rooms, digital clocks moving suddenly forward, screwdrivers disappearing, vases sliding, and footsteps on the landing.
“It is quite inexplicable,” said unemployed Alan (24) who is studying robotics and automation at Nuneaton College. “They could be gremlins, poltergeist, or anything – you tell me. It has got particularly bad over the last two months, and at the week-end it was just too much. We phoned up the vicar in desperation. It’s really weird. Just the other day, my wife was in the bath when a beaker slid across the cabinet and nearly struck her on the head. I measured the cabinet afterwards with a spirit level and it was dead even.”
Alan, who moved into the house with Annette two years ago, said he would now be exploring the parish records to find out the history of the house. “There may have been some murder or something on the site,” he said. “We’ve spoken to the previous owners and they hadn’t experienced anything – although their seven–year-old son said he never felt comfortable.”
Neighbours, whom the Guests visited on Saturday night after fleeing in fright from their house, have managed to see the funny side of the affair. One of them, Janet Campbell, said: “About six of us went round there after Alan Guest complained of a musty graveyard smell. It was hilarious. We were all creeping round the house sniffing the air, although we couldn’t really smell anything. We haven’t had a better laugh since Comic Relief was on telly.” She added: “It’s a funny old area around here. In one house, there is a poltergeist, and down the road there’s a man who swings from trees thinking he’s a monkey!”
Mr Byford declined to comment on the strange episode.
The haunted house… It’s all quiet as the Rev Byford tries to exorcise the tormenting spirits who have plagued Alan and Annette Guest.
Tamworth Herald, 27th February 1987.
Relief… as ghostly guest is spirited away.
By Marcus Day.
Peace has descended on Alan and Annette Guest’s Polesworth home. And for the first time in two years the couple are feeling “really at ease.” Only one nagging doubt remains: has the ‘thing’ really gone, or is it just in hiding? The ‘thing’ in question is the spritely spirit which has led the couple a merry dance since they moved into the house. Screwdrivers disappearing, strange smells in the living room, white hands appearing at the kitchen window… just some of the strange things that have happened at 17 Abbey View.
Salvation, however, came last week in the form of local vicar the Rev. David Byford who conducted a Holy Communion service at the couple’s 14-year-old council home. Since he blessed the building the ‘spirit’ has vanished. “It’s difficult to explain, but both of us feel it has gone,” said Alan, 24. “We feel really at ease now.”
The curious couple are now ploughing through piles of historic records and books to get to the bottom of the riddle. They have already uncovered many ghostly tales about Polesworth. One theory is the Romans or Ancient Britons encamped on the site of their house in the first century. Anyone who can help the couple in their quest for information – perhaps who has lived in the area or moved away – is urged to write to the couple.
Tamworth Herald, 6th March 1987.