Pelsall Common Bridge Ghost!
Pelsall Common Bridge - Have you had a Ghostly experience?
I have recently taken a few Sunday walks in the Pelsall Common area and the canal (Wyrley & Essington). On my walk last week… I felt a strange sensation as I approached the bridge in the photograph above. It’s called the Pelsall Common Bridge and is one of several spanning the Cannock Extension part of the canal. I can only describe the strange feeling as eerie but surreal too. I would say the atmospherics were absolutely calm. Absolutely no sound, no wind… just nothing at all. This feeling that I experienced only occurred in the area surrounding the bridge and about 30 feet either side of it.
When I left the area and proceeded along the towpath, I could hear the birds and feel the wind again. It was as if time had stopped for a few moments during my passage by the bridge. I don’t normally have any view of the supernatural as I have never had any personal experience. I believe my experience on this occasion may have just been down to natural coincidences. Or was it??? I decided to Google the bridge for any other experiences like mine and to my surprise… I found the excerpt below from the Pelsall History Website.
The Pelsall Common Bridge Mystery
This strange experience takes place some twenty three years ago in 1985 but has a twist in the tale which brings it right up to date. It is related as follows:-
‘After working an early morning shift I returned home and at about two o’clock set out with my dog for an afternoon walk along the canal. We crossed the Iron Bridge walked under Friar Bridge, heading towards Little Wyrley. About forty yards away from Pelsall Common Bridge someone looked out at me from under the bridge and then instantly ducked back in again and out of sight. I was startled and a little alarmed as the appearance of the person seemed odd and out of date with the present time period. After the initial shock I reasoned that it must be someone up to mischief and I prepared myself for some sort of prank. Seconds later when I reached the bridge there was no sign of anyone, not under the bridge , on it, or anywhere near to it, or in the distance in any direction. I listened for sounds but heard nothing, it was as if the person had vanished into thin air. The dog I had with me had a habit of standing still and looking in a certain direction if anyone was approaching, sometimes it could be five minutes or more before someone came into sight, but the dog always knew when someone was about, yet on this occasion she showed no such awareness as if no one was anywhere around. I abandoned the walk and returned home, telling my wife of the experience. I reasoned that it must have been someone gaming about but deep down I had an uneasy feeling knowing I had seen something very strange.
Some twenty three years passed after this event and in January of 2008 I was talking to an elderly man from Pelsall who knows the canal area very well, we got talking about the old Ironworks and the Cracker. I mentioned how as a young boy I had heard several Ghost Stories about the Cracker which I no longer remembered and asked him if he remembered any , he replied that he didn’t but said that something very strange had happened to him a couple of years ago which he could not explain. Imagine my surprise when he then went on to relate how he had been walking towards Pelsall Common Bridge and someone had looked at him and then quickly ducked back under the bridge again out of sight. When he got to the bridge there was no one to be seen anywhere, he too had his dog with him and the dog showed no signs of being aware of anyone around.The experience had left him feeling shocked
Both of us have walked that stretch of canal many times over the years yet only once have each of us seen this unexplained sight. Does it only happen once a year or once every so many years? It would be interesting to know if anyone else has had this experience’
The Pelsall History Website is a very detailed site for anyone who lives in Pelsall or has an interest in the history of the area. There is even a dedicated page to Ghosts in Pelsall. Here are the list of Ghostly experiences on the website; The Nest Common Spectre, A Mischievous Presence, Norbury Avenue Mystery, The Grey Lady, The Old Miner. I would suggest that you take a look if you are interested in Pelsall and the supernatural.
OS Map - Location of Pelsall Common Bridge.
As a result of discovering the ghostly past experiences involving the bridge, I decided to return to the location and capture a few images (See below) of the bridge for this post. I was a little apprehensive about returning to the bridge after reading the above experience of the two gentlemen. I was half expecting someone to jump out on me as a prank or even worse, see the ghostly figure as I approached the bridge! Sadly none of the above happened. I didn’t even experience the same feeling as I did a few weeks ago. It was just the same bridge as the several others that I had gone underneath to reach this one.
Pelsall Common Bridge - Old sign still in the centre of the structure.
Pelsall Common Bridge - No ghostly apperitions recorded... today!
Pelsall Common Bridge - View; direction of Wyrley Common & Green Bridge.
Pelsall Common Bridge - View; direction of Pelsall Junction.
I have thought about visiting the bridge during the darkest hours of the night, just to see if anything happens. But at the moment, I still have a few other topics to blog about first. When I do return to the bridge, I will keep you updated if I record anything or have another experience worth sharing. In the mean time, do you have any experiences of your own to share? Have you also encountered something strange that you cannot explain along the canal or common? Please contact me of you wish to share anything.
Barry.
wow – as I love anything paranormal I will go and investigate – watch this space! XX
Good for you Jayne. I’m glad I’ve directed you towards an investigation. Keep me updated with any findings or observations. 🙂
Very cool post. Thanks for visiting my blog (http://livingwithghosts.wordpress.com) and pointing me to this post. I love to hear other people’s paranormal experiences. That feeling you felt is really common when there is a paranormal presence – it may very well be increased static electricity. It’s thought that the electricity either causes apparitions or may be the result of them. Anyway, cool blog. I will be back. 😉
Oh right, well that is very interesting. I will be returning at night soon… so i’ll keep you posted if anything else happens.
I have had many an experience in my time, they seem to follow me around but I didn’t know this tale. I shall have to take a jaunt up there one day.
Nick
Nick,
Thank you for your post. I would be very interested to hear your many experiences. Do any of them involve Pelsall or Brownhills? Yes, you should take a still upto the bridge. Let me know if anything paranormal occurs.
Regards,
Barry.
Fab work, enjoying the analyses!
WS5 Blog,
Nice comment and thank you for taking the time to visit my blog & leave the comment.
Cheers,
Barry.
wasnt there sum 1 killed there about 7 or 8 years ago there dont no if its true but really interesting keep me posted
Hello Ben,
I wasn’t aware of anyone being killed there, but I will certainly research the topic and try to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings on at the location. Maybe a Halloween walk in the dark would get things moving and grooving.
Regards,
Barry.
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i walk my dog there everyday and at different times of day and often it seems to go quiet and the wind drops etc but i put this down to the fact that as you aproach the bridge the embankment on both side ride upwards towards the bridge creating a natural wind barrier, when the wind drops sudden especially if its been particularly blowy it can seem like you have temporary hearing loss..just my theory. That said, my dog has stopped on two occasions where he has stood barking, with his heckles up, in the direction of the bridge as weve approched it as though something he didnt like was there but as you can guess nothing was.
ps my dog isnt known for barking much especially for no reason.
Thank you Lenno for your interesting and very welcome outlook on the mystery. I will bear your thoughts in mind when I’m next passing through the vicinity of the bridge.
Cheers,
Barry.
never heard so much shit in all my life ive spent 100s of nights down the canal fishing unaware of this bullshit story and guess what ive seen fuck all or heard nothingliam
Ghosts need something interesting to jump out on.im living and I wouldnt entertain boring fishmen who stare at the water for hours on end.so a ghost definitely won’t.
“Seeing is believing!”
You haven’t seen me, but I’m still real.
Barry.
Lol Liam you ain’t spent 100s of nights lol also we fish 2 bridges down
Very strange experience yday at pelsall common bridge,a woman with long blonde curly hair & dressed in a 1970’s fashion appeared from nowhere & stood scowling at the bottom of the bridge.she was looking or waiting for someone.she went under the bridge as my friend & I approached with my dog.her eyes were like glass as we passed her and she grunted when I said hello.my dog didn’t even acknowledge that anyone was there.20 yards down the towpath 2 young lads on bikes were waiting for us & asked if we knew the strange lady as they felt she had followed them & had been watching them from the bridge.very large banging sounds started coming from the bridge.the 4 of us ran back & nobody was there.she had dissappeared into thin air.most disturbing afternoon of our lives.has anybody else seen this woman hanging around that bridge looking out of place & from a different era?