Our House Is Haunted – Moston family.
A frightened family believe their home in Winton Avenue, Moston, is haunted. Other people in the area have reported strange goings-on at night. Mrs Grace Kyte of Winton Avenue told a Guardian reporter of the unusual noises she and her five children hear and of the terrifying “ghost” seen by her eldest son. She claims that since the incidents began three years ago bad luck has hit the family and people visiting their four-bedroomed, semi-detached house. Mrs Kyte (50) believes the whole district is ill-fated and governed by some evil force. She points to several tragic incidents in recent years which she believes are more than just coincidence.
Her worries began when Kevin (19) her eldest boy claimed he had seen a dark, headless figure, bending over at the bedside of his 16-year-old brother Peter. The figure walked through a wall and disappeared. The following evening Kevin had been out with his friends and returned in a terrified state, said his mother. “He ran in and made us lock all the doors and windows. He said the figure had followed him home. He was so frightened he became hysterical and had to go to hospital where he was given sedatives.”
After that the family started hearing a clapping noise and a steady ticking sound in the hall and upstairs. Said Mrs Kyte: “My children were terrified. The youngest Alan, aged nine, still refuses to go upstairs alone and we have to sleep with the light on on the landing.” Alan is so afraid he sleeps downstairs with his mother. The other children, Michael (15) and Susan (14) have also heard the noises and are scared even though their mother has tried to pass the matter off as “air in the pipes.”
Two married daughters now living away from home, have both heard the noises when staying with their mother. Valerie (25) lives in Scotland and Christine (22) in Winnie Street, Moston. Within a short time three incidents occurred that convinced Mrs Kyte that the house had a “hex” on it. First a friend of her son-in-law visited the house once and shortly afterwards he was accidentally shot dead by a friend as they examined a shotgun. Then the son-in-law, Johnny Owen, should have called for Christine or Kevin on his motor cycle. He didn’t and almost died in a road accident that left him paralysed in one arm. Another friend who visited the house only once was also involved in an accident and he almost lost his ears when he went through the windscreen of his car. “People who come to this house or live in the area seem to be unluckier than most. A man in Anfield Road fell downstairs and broke his neck. A woman in our street lost a leg in a road accident and another man was killed crossing Broadway,” said Mrs Kyte.
Mrs Kyte, a divorcee, also claims to have heard her next door neighbour’s daughter calling for her mother one night. The girl was in hospital seriously ill at the time, unknown to her, says Mrs Kyte. She died on the same night. The neighbour, Mrs Gillan, and her daughter, say they too have heard the ticking noise in their own home, where, it is said, a man hanged himself years ago.
Mrs Kyte claims that new household goods are also ill fated. “Everything new we buy gets broken quickly or just stops working. We had a new kettle that was working fine. Then one night it kept switching on and off on its own and the next day it wouldn’t work.” When the noises start at night the family try to ignore them or sometimes, says Mrs Kyte, Peter will shout “shut up” and the ticking and clapping will stop temporarily.
The houses are close to the main railway lines and one explanation put forward about the noises is they are caused by vibrations from passing trains. But Mrs Kyte says: “I am sure there is something evil in this house.” Mrs Kyte says her grandmother and three aunties were keen spiritualists and believes there are such things as ghosts. Another neighbour, Mrs Fallon, and her daughter, Sheila, say they have heard footsteps upstairs and claim to have seen the figure of a small boy walking through the house. Said Miss Fallon: “My mother is Catholic so she doesn’t take any notice of these incidents.” Rumour has it that a boy died in the house many years ago.
Mrs Kyte has asked local councillor Ted Bowden if he can suggest a way of stopping the eerie happenings. He said he will ask the Rev. A. Toombes from St Mary’s Church, to exorcise the “evil spirit.” Mr Toombes said he would be visiting the house this week to see just what was happening and would then decide what steps to take.
Middleton Guardian, 8th March 1974.