Rash of spooks.
A pair of friendly poltergeists have inhabited two newly renovated historic Chester buildings – the cellar at Abbey Green Scene in Northgate Street and La Belle Femme in Lower Bridge Street.
Steve New, owner of Sutherlands antique shop at Abbey Green Scene, said his ghost became active six weeks ago in the part Georgian, part roman cellar, which had previously been unused for 45 years. Said Steve, “There have always been peculiar noises down here, but the real problem started when three girls who work here came down to wait for me. They were in the middle of a conversation when a picture lifted itself off a chest of drawers and dropped on the floor five feet away. Then more and more things happened, usually when I have gone upstairs for a coffee. I always lock the shop up then so no-one has access to the cellar at all. One day a wine bottle came out of a locked studio upstairs and I found it down here smashed by the wall,” he added.
The mischievous spirit also moves a heavy oil fire around the room and Steve has found the door of the fire yards away on many occasions. Perhaps the eeriest story is that of the early Arabic sword… Steve explained. “The sword was hung on a pillar and somehow was taken out of the scabbard. A slice was taken out of the pillar and the sword ended up at the far end of the lower Roman cellar.”
Most of the incidents have happened between 4 and 5 pm, although a strong smell of Lily of the Valley perfume has been smelt around the whole building at different times of day.
Inexplicable as the incidents are, and Steve swears that absolutely nobody could have got down the stairs on any of the occasions as the room was locked and bolted, he says, “I am still not sure about it, but I can’t find a logical explanation for any of the incidents.” His theory is he has disturbed a spirit when he reopened the cellar and says “Whoever he or she is, I think are just curious to know what is happening to the place. no one is scared of it as it has done no real damage and not hurt anybody.”
Chester’s other poltergeist has taken up residence at La Belle Femme, at 13 Lower Bridge Street, again a newly renovated building with a Roman sandstone base and 17th and 18th century floors above. Proprietor, Mrs Audrey Heywood Haynes, says, “On one occasion two customers were walking past a dresser when for no reason two glass ornaments – both strenthened with iron and supposedly unbreakable – came off the dresser, hurtled full pelt across the passage, hit the wall and smashed into tiny pieces.”
“A member of my staff was a bit sceptical, but one day she and other employees were making coffee when the lid came off the kettle, whizzed around the room and dropped at her feet,” she added. She says she often comes into the shop in the morning to find cards strewn on the floor and ornaments completely rearranged, but says, “Everything was blocked off and boarded up when I opened the shop. I opened the building up and think whatever was there has been lying dormant until I gave it its freedom. It’s not frightening at all, we all think it’s exciting and fascinating.”
Both Audrey and Steve intend to look more closely into the history of the buildings, and would welcome any pictures or information readers may have about their premises.
Cheshire Observer, 27th May 1983.