Ghostly goings-on.
Saturday morning customers at Ashbourne’s Green Dragon Shoppe certainly got more than they bargained for when they witnessed the antics of what has since been described as “a friendly, mischievous poltergeist.” Spoons, tiny pebbles and coins were said to have spiralled through the air, while sugar bowls overturned for no apparent reason. The activities were said to have taken place over an hour on Saturday morning. Yet none of the staff or customers in the 17th century building was frightened – in fact they ended up by willing more things to happen. But this was not the first time such unexplained happenings have taken place at the Green Dragon.
Owner Mr Paul Morton told the News Telegraph this week of a similar manifestation about six weeks ago. He was there when stones and coins seemed to fall from the ceiling, but when he looked both inside and outside the shop, there was no apparent reason. Mr Morton bought the Green Dragon Shoppe about 18 months ago and during that time has restored rooms on the first floor to use as offices in connection with his marketing business. He said there were many occasions when he thought someone was walking along the corridor towards his office, and staff in the shop below had reported hearing footsteps when there was no-one on that floor.
It was only recently that Mr Morton put the Green Dragon Shoppe up for sale, explaining that his marketing business had expanded to the point where he would need to open new offices elsewhere. He added that he had been trying to run the shop and cafe “by remote control” as a sideline, but it needed someone to take it over who could devote their full time to the enterprise. At first, he was a little reluctant to talk about the poltergeist, but then felt that as everyone agreed it was definitely a friendly one, no harm could be done.
It was about 10.30 on Saturday morning when staff, including Mrs Edna Johnson and 15-year-old Jenny Johnson, saw spoons spiralling through the air and small stones and coins also falling down. They tried to phone Mr Morton at home, but could not at first get through as the phone did not work for about half an hour. When they eventually did manage to contact him, he could hear much of what was happening over the phone and rushed to the shop. Sugar bowls were overturned and one customer reported that a small pebble had fallen into the middle of his poached egg.
Jenny said that staff and customers seemed to be waiting for something else to happen and it eventually reached a point where everyone moved outside, looking through the window to see the stones and coins. When Mr Morton arrived, three spoons had been collected and placed side by side on the top of the counter. He turned round to ask one of the staff a question and when he turned back again… they had disappeared. A small pile of tiny pebbly stones and a couple of new 5p pieces were also gathered up and put beside the shop till, but they too have since disappeared with no apparent explanation.
Mr Morton said he had been told the building dates back to 1605 and is perhaps the oldest in Ashbourne – apart from the Old Grammar School and the church of course. He can think of no logical explanations for what happened on Saturday or the other occasion, despite various people putting forward a number of theories.
The only part about the whole experience they did not like was having to clean up all the spilled sugar afterwards. One of the Saturday morning customers even returned from his Derby home on Monday afternoon, saying he hoped something would also happen on his second visit.
Previous owner Mr Robert Cundy said that nothing at all untoward had happened during the whole of the time he owned the Green Dragon Shoppe. He wondered if the incident could have anything to do with the extensive renovation work Mr Morton had carried out on the first floor.
While in Cornwall last year, Mr Morton bought a red dragon which is placed on an old fireplace in the shop. During the Saturday morning “incident” this began to move along the mantelpiece and Mrs Johnson removed it in case it should fall off completely. An almost new coffee machine also stopped working and coffee overflowed from it.
Mrs Johnson said that while she was walking along Upper St John Street early one Sunday morning, she happened to glance up at the first floor and saw a shadow cross the window – she knew that no-one could be there.
Ashbourne News Telegraph, 9th August 1990.