Riddle of city haunted houses.
Three terrified Birmingham families who fear they are being plagued by poltergeists have called in a priest to unravel the mystery of their haunted houses. All the homes are built on the site of what is believed to be an ancient graveyard, in Northfield. The Vicar of St Bartholomew’s Father Eric Foskett, has agreed to investigate claims of ornaments crashing to the floor and furniture moving of its own accord.
Amanda Godden and her boyfriend Simon Burke, both aged 18, of Taysfield Road, said they had three supernatural scares this week – each in a different house. In the most frightening incident, a large cabinet fell over, narrowly missing Simon and a neighbour he had called in. Amanda and Simon were staying with Amanda’s grandmother, Mrs Dora Brown, in Holloway, Northfield, when they were awoken by strange noises. “It was about 12.30pm and we were in bed when I heard something. I turned on the light and saw ornaments rise up from the fireplace and smash on the floor,” said Amanda.
They fled and woke neighbours Paul and Tracey Lawrence, who confirmed their story. Tracey said: “Paul is the most level-headed person you could ever meet, but when he went back into the house with Simon and saw that cabinet fall, he was really shocked. We called the police, who said the leg of the cabinet had broken. But when Paul checked, he found the 4in screw holding the leg in place had mysteriously come undone.”
Although initially sceptical about occult forces being at work, Father Eric has not ruled them out. “I always start by asking what is the most obvious explanation. But I also do ask whether they have been dabbling in the occult, like playing with ouija boards,” he said. Both Amanda and Simon strenuously denied ever tampering with the occult.
Father Eric said: “Often these happenings may be brought about by personality problems, but if not, then I start to think in terms of things that go bump in the night. In this particular case, I simply don’t know.” The houses involved are near Ley Hill, thought to be an old burial ground.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “Police treated it as an genuine poltergeist incident and advised the couple to see a vicar.”
Victims: Simon Burke and Amanda Godden, badly scared at Mrs Dora Brown’s home (below).
Exorcists may investigate houses.
Vicar Eric Foskett may eventually have to call church exorcists into Northfield, he said today. He is investigating three separate claims of poltergeists in his parish, by people who said they saw furniture and ornaments crashing inexplicably to the floor. So far he is keeping an open mind, but a decision to call in an official exorcist would only be made after other investigations had proved fruitless.
He said he would first seek an explanation such as draughts and unusual air pressures. Then he would look for personality problems in the families. “That is not to deny these things happen – they do. But they can be a projection of resentment, aggression or anger,” he said. The final stage is more sinister: “Then I start to think of things that go bump in the night.” A cautious man, the vicar admitted: “It frightens me to death. I’m scared stiff when it gets beyond the personality and suggests something more evil. I believe there are genuine cases of evil and the occult and I think people can be drawn into these things.”
The church also treats the occult seriously. Father Eric, who heads the St Bartholomew parish, said: “As parish priests we are told only to go so far. Beyond that, if we are faced with things we do not understand or which frighten us, the bishop has appointed individuals who really know what they are doing in exorcism.”
He said dabbling in the occult, such as with ouija boards, risked unknown dangers which might only show up years later. “There are real dangers and people can get hooked. Some are more vulnerable than others and likely to get sucked in. But there could be a time lapse between dabbling and being affected. Some people would not immediately associate the two. I could not warn people too strongly against it. The occult is not fun or glamorous – it can lead to terrible problems.”
The Rev Eric Foskett, who is investigating.
Birmingham Mail, 23 August 1990.
Riddle of the haunted houses.
Exclusive by Nicola Ibison.
Three terrified Midland families who fear they are being plagued by poltergeists have called in a priest to unravel the mystery of their haunted houses. All the homes are built on the site of what is believed to be an ancient graveyard in Northfield, Birmingham. The vicar, Father Eric Foskett, has agreed to investigate claims of ornaments crashing to the floor and furniture moving of its own accord.
Amanda Godden and her boyfriend Simon Burke, both aged 18, of Taysfield Road, said they had three supernatural scares this week – each in a different house. In the most frightening, a large cabinet fell over, narrowly missing Simon and a neighbour. Amanda and Simon were staying with Amanda’s grandmother, Mrs Dora Brown, in Holloway, Northfield, when they were awoken by strange noises.
“I turned on the light and saw ornaments rise up from the fireplace and smash on the floor,” said Amanda. They fled and woke neighbours Paul and Tracey Lawrence. Tracey said: “Paul is the most level-headed person, but when he went back into the house with Simon and saw that cabinet fall, he was really shocked. We called the police, who said the leg of the cabinet had broken. But when Paul checked, he found the 4in screw holding the leg in place had mysteriously come undone.”
The houses involved are near Ley Hill, thought to be an old burial ground.
Sandwell Evening Mail, 23rd August 1990.
‘Frightened’ vicar probes parish poltergeist theory.
Exorcists on call to solve mystery.
By Nicola Ibison.
Vicar Eric Foskett may eventually have to call church exorcists into Northfield, he said today. He is investigating three separate claims of poltergeists in his parish, by people who said they saw furniture and ornaments crashing inexplicably to the floor. So far he is keeping an open mind but a decision to call in an official exorcist would only be made after other investigations had proved fruitless. He said he would first seek an obvious explanation such as draughts and unusual air pressures. Then he would look for personality problems in the three families: “That is not to deny these things happen – they do. But they can be a projection of resentment, aggression or anger,” he said. The final stage is more sinister: “Then I start to think in terms of things that go bump in the night.”
A naturally cautious man, the vicar admitted: “It frightens me to death. I’m scared stiff when it gets beyond the personality and suggests something more evil.”
“I believe there are genuine cases of evil and the occult and I think people can be drawn into these things,” he said. The church also treats the occult seriously. Father Eric, who heads the St Bartholomew’s parish, said: “As parish priests, we are told only to go so far. Beyond that, if we are faced with things we do not understand or which frighten us, the bishop has appointed individuals who really know what they are doing in exorcism.” He warned that dabbling in the occult, such as with ouija boards, risked unknown dangers – which might only show up years later. “There are real dangers and people can get hooked. Some are more vulnerable than others and likely to get sucked in. But there could be a time lapse between dabbling and being affected. Some people would not immediately associate the two. I could not warn people too strongly against it. The occult is not fun or glamorous – it can lead to terrible problems.”
The vicar is still examining the personalities involved with all three Northfield families. But he was visiting Amanda Godden’s grandmother today to see for himself the chest which mysteriously crashed to the floor. “If I come into a situation when things like legs are becoming unscrewed, I would seriously consider calling in the heavy brigade.”
Victim: Mrs Dora Brown and her china cabinet, which fell over after strange noises were heard.
Sandwell Evening Mail, 23rd August 1990.