Shrewsbury's spooky stories

Shrewsbury Castle is rumoured to play host to 'Bloudie Jack' - a 12th century serial killer and castle keeper who was hung drawn and quartered with his head displayed on a pole at Wyle Cop - but not before he had murdered eight young women. He would lure them to the castle with the promises of marriage, keeping their fingers and toes as souvenirs.

Rowley's House has a whole cast of spectres - from the lady in period costume who rests on a bed upstairs, to the ghost of a man who passes her by without comment (perhaps they had fallen out?!)

The ghost of George (or Jack?!) Archer, a steeplejack in the late 1700s still climbs St Alkmund's Church spire. He lost a bet to remove the weather-vane from the top, after 16 pints of mead!

In Barracks Passage linger the ghosts of Henry Tudor's soldiers, killed at the Battle of Bosworth. They stayed in Shrewsbury on the way to battle in 1485. You might see their ghostly faces staring out from Henry Tudor House!

St Julian's churchyard - beware the sound of moaning here - a former guest of The Lion Hotel is said to have been buried alive, with scratch marks found on his coffin lid. The poor fellow suffered from sleeping sickness! Did you know some Victorians had bells attached to the inside of their coffins, just in case this happened to them?

Even Shrewsbury Railway Station has its own ghost. A Shrewsbury councilor William Heath was killed by a falling roof here in 1887.

The ghost of Mrs Foxhall is said to haunt Shrewsbury's Dingle where she was burned at the stake for poisoning her husband!