Shop staff spooked by spirit.
‘Ghostbusters’ called in to put a stop to pesky poltergeist.
By Beverley Hawes.
Staff at a West shop are calling in a priest to exorcise a mischievous poltergeist responsible for some ghostly goings-on. They hope it will bring an end to the spooky happenings at the Anglian Windows shop in Gloucester’s historic Westgate Street. It all began when cavassers were sitting around a room and watched in disbelief as the centre of the carpet suddenly bubbled up. Windows which are firmly shut mysteriously fly open, lights flicker on and off and a toilet flushes by itself. “We have also heard a wardrobe being dragged across the floor.”
Mr Cardwell said that one of the flats had been let but the tenant quit within a week because he was scared by the strange happenings. “There is definitely something here but we don’t know what,” said Jean Brown. “In the past we have not minded because usually the things that have happened have been non-violent.” She said an approach had been made to the Gloucester Cathedral authorities who own the premises to see if an exorcism can take place.
Receptionist Jean Brown went into the toilet to investigate and the door slammed shut and she could not open it until it was forced. But the strangest incident happened when a sink which had been left propped against a door moved by itself around a corner, across a landing and crashed down two flights of stairs. “You would not believe some of the things that have happened here,” said sales consultant Mr Simon Cardwell yesterday. “There are two empty flats above our premises. Sometimes when I have been working late I have heard footsteps above. When I have gone to investigate there is no one there.”
Western Daily Press, 16th August 1988.
Ghost havoc in shop.
Gloucester employees of a double glazing firm have been working under considerable strain recently – and all because of a ghost. The staff are so convinced that their old shop in Gloucester’s historic Westgate Street is haunted that they have called in a priest to exorcise the spooky spirit once and for all. The mischievous poltergeist is wreaking havoc at the Anglian Windows’ shop near Gloucester Cathedral.
It all began when a group of the staff watched in amazement as the centre of the carpet suddenly bubbled up. Other mysterious occurrences are windows opening as if by magic, lights flickering on and off, and a toilet flushing.
Sales consultant Mr Simon Cardwell told of a tenant of one of the flats above the shop who left after a month because of strange happenings. “You would not believe some of the things that have happened here,” he said.
And once the receptionist, Jean Brown, was trapped in the toilet after she had dared to investigate one of the strange noises. And the strangest incident occurred when a sink that had been left propped against a door moved by itself around a corner, across a landing and crashed down two flights of stairs.
The staff have approached the owners of the building, Gloucester Cathedral authorities, to request that an exorcism takes place. “There is definitely something here but we don’t know what,” said Mrs Brown. “In the past we have not minded because the things that have happened have been non-violent.”
Gloucester News, 25th August 1988.
More bumps in the night.
Anglian Windows in Westgate Street may have called in help with their tame ghost but some members of staff are still hearing noises. Staff at the 100-year-old building have been disturbed by eerie goings on at the shop, with windows opening by themselves, strange footsteps, and finally a sink hurling itself down the stairs.
The manager called in medium Phillip Steff who preaches in Spiritualist churches throughout the West Country to communicate with the spirit. Mr Steff confirmed that the building did have a poltergeist and claims to have seen a stocky man dressed in light coloured robes tied with a sash with long grey hair and rugged features. Mr Steff said: “He had jumped off the building and was trapped in the building because he had shortened his own life.”
Mr Steff was confident that his reassurances to the ghost had done the trick but Mr Toby Buckler, who is a new manager for Anglian says that he has heard more noises when working late upstairs. This is a new twist because Mr Buckler had not heard anything unusual before.
But receptionist Jean Brown says that things are now quiet at the shop. She said: “It didn’t bother me before when I heard strange noises, but now I am nervous about going upstairs. It’s absolutely stupid, but I now feel less secure.”
Only time will tell if the spirit has found a new resting place.
Gloucester News, 8th September 1988.