Ghosts and ghouls
As tonight is Halloween we thought we’d delve headfirst
through the dust and dirt to find tales of some ghostly visits from the
archive...
In 1920 the Together Trust purchased 22 acres of land in
Cheadle, Cheshire in order to take children out
of the slums of Manchester
into the cleaner air of the countryside. With the land came Belmont House which
was formally the residence of the Milne family. The Milne’s were well known in
Manchester due to their Department Store, which was set up on Deansgate and
known to many as Kendal Milne (now House of Frasier) since 1836. Belmont itself was built around the 1800s and adapted by
Alfred Waterhouse in 1864, a famous architect best known for his design of the Natural History Museum in London and Manchester Town Hall.
Belmont House, Cheadle |
When the Together Trust took over the building it adapted it
so it could be used to house around 40 girls. Here they would attend local
schools and church in Cheadle during the day. The charity made use of the house
for 63 years until it was sold in 1983. The building is now used as a Nursing
Home.
It is reputed that the sound of a girl’s laughter can often
be heard at night down the long corridors, despite the fact that no young
people have lived there for around 30 years. From the records it is known that
at least one girl died at the house, around the time of the Manchester Blitz,
after an incident whilst lighting the boiler house fire. Maybe she’s never left
Belmont...
Crossley Gaddum, Cheadle |
One of the charity’s other homes on the site is also said to
contain ‘friendly’ ghosts. Crossley Home, now Inscape House School, housed
children for around 58 years until 1981. The teachers working there today have
spoken of things that go bump in the night. A resident of the home, from the
1960s to 1970s, talks of various objects that have gone missing and then
suddenly fallen from mid air in front of its owner. The charity is still
resident on this Cheadle site but no staff member stays too long after dark!
On a final note, in the 1890s one small boy around 8 years
old was taken into the Children’s Shelter on Chatham Street, after being found wandering the
streets. On being presented with his bed for the night the small child turned
round to the Matron and said, "Please, how do you get in?"
Not a ghost story but scary nonetheless!
Not a ghost story but scary nonetheless!
Happy Halloween!
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