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Crewe

Crewe isn't really part of Cheshire though.

Few Crewe residents are descended from Cheshire people - their recent ancestors came from all over, mainly in the mid to late nineteenth century.
Lots came from Ireland and kindly built the place for us.

My mother's father's family were agricultural labourers from Shropshire. My father's lot were from North Wales, with an Anglesey branch, and the former Mr Snail's paternal grandfather was also Welsh. His mother's family came from Hindley in Lancashire.

More typical Cheshire towns are the three 'Wiches' - Nantwich, Northwich and Middlewich. History, salt, black and white houses, rural.

Crewe's a bit of a vulgar upstart. ;)
 
Yup, I've met quite a few Juggers called Salt, it must be a Staffordshire name.

I've just bought 'Cheshire's Execution Files' by Derek Yarwood. Looks exciting! :D
Only one fleeting mention of Crewe though. Obviously it's always been a law-abiding town. 8)

From Norman times to the late 19th century, Cheshire had its own unique way of disposing of the criminals condemned at its assizes.

For more than 500 years the county’s rulers simply handed the miscreants over to the Chester city fathers, who, due to an obscure mediaeval tradition, were duty bound to execute them.

Ever since the Emperor Vespasian’s Second Legion encamped beside the River Dee, Chester has always been a magnet for visitors. Its once thriving port and, in more recent years, its importance as a tourist, commercial and administrative centre have maintained its popular attraction.

Today, people come from all over the world to discover its Roman origins, to admire its halftimbered buildings and to stroll along the city walls and the famous Rows shopping arcades.

Up until 1866, however, there was a less savoury – though, it seems, equally compelling – reason why people in their thousands flocked to Chester. They came to gawp at public hangings. In his new true-crime anthology, former punishment through a fascinating collection of 18th and 19th century cases.

Authenticated by original court documents wherever possible, the crimes, trials and executions detailed here, while all sensational events in their own right, also bear witness to the public’s unfading enthusiasm for watching a fellow creature being strangled to death on the gallows.
 
Hmm, the Facebook entry mentions Dogheaded Men in Crewe. I wonder where he's got that from?

;)
 
Well, Hello there...

I got it from here

http://www.beckjord.com/bigfoottribephotos

If you want a direct link to the blog, see www.theministryofweirdness.org.uk , or alternatively there is another URL to take you straight to the business side of things. I'm not sure what's OK by way of advertising, but it involves Crewe Tours and a .com

Cheers

Tim

(Simultaneous tip offs from snail, and a directional mail from gyrtrash helped out here)
 
No, we were all suddenly swept up in real life, whatever that is.

We really should get going on it.

I could show you the site of an Obiwanghost story. In Crewe. :shock:
 
Anyone up for this? :D
I'm game.

Crewe Heritage Centre Vigils - Friday 31st October, Saturdays 1st and 8th November, 9pm to 3am

Advance notice to the Facebook Group before these are pushed on my website and elsewhere! First come, first served, places limited to 12 per vigil, £20 each.

The vigil on Halloween will be for charity, with proceeds going to Crewe Heritage Centre. The other two vigils will be giving 1/4 to Crewe Heritage Centre.

These are exploratory vigils - there is a mysterious older gentleman in the North Box who has been seen on occasion, and on a trial vigil earlier in the year, there were some phenomena in the Travelling Post Office and anomalous bleeping on the EMF reader in the Exhibition Hall...

Please arrive by 8:45pm; secure parking will be available within the premises. Gates unlocked 8:45pm to 9pm.

If you arrive earlier, there is limited parking in a bay outside Crewe Heritage Centre, and further parking for Tesco nextdoor.

Do not leave you car parked in Tesco’s car park during the vigil.

Any transport problems on the night please telephone the mobile number to arrange to be let in if arriving later.

No admittance to anyone under the influence of alcohol or substances. Do not drink alcohol beforehand.

Anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or acting in any way detrimental to health and safety, or detracting from others’ enjoyment of the evening will leave the premises.

No smoking in any of the buildings or trains. There will be regular intervals through the night to facilitate toilet and smoking breaks. Please dispose of cigarette ends safely and tidily.

Walking around in the dark and poor light will either not happen or will be minimised until the lights are switched back on during particular vigil phases.

If you have a health condition or take medication which you know someone else ought to know about, please inform one of your group, or the organiser. Details are kept confidential.

Most of the site is accessible to wheelchairs, though the upper part of the North Box has steep stairs, and the Travelling Post Office and APT have some steps.

No one under 18 years of age on the vigils.

There will be no solitary vigils simply due to health and safety issues which will be pointed out on the night.

If you need to leave the premises before the event concludes, please arrange to do so within one the of the breaks.

Advance payment and booking required.

Please supply a list of party members.

If you have never participated in a vigil before, please make it known in advance for organisational purposes.

If you are experienced with vigils, or consider yourself a medium, please make it known in advance for organisational purposes.

There will be no provision of Ouija Boards during the vigils.

Paranormal activity is NOT guaranteed
You need to bring:

A torch
Any paranormal investigation equipment (please advise if you need to set up in advance so arrangements can be made)
Spare batteries
Cameras
Flasks and your own hot drinks
Refreshments and food
Sensible warm clothing
Sturdy footwear and definitely no heels!
You may wish to bring a sleeping bag and pillow if you run out of steam.
 
escargot1 said:
Anyone up for this? :D
I'm game.

I'm up fer it snaily. ...If only I knew where Crewe was, like. :-(
 
Just get on a train. You'll arrive there sooner or later. :lol:
 
I fancy Saturday too. Halloween's already booked up with the inflatable skeletons. :lol:
 
It's about time we arranged a proper spooky meet/ale-up. :D
 
:D Take your camera EVERY day!

I too considered volunteering there but was a bit put off by the noise and dirt. The smell of diesel on a hot day, blue overalls tied casually round hips, a grease-smeared white teeshirt, muscles, a cheeky grin... mmm.

What was the number again? :lol:
 
Oi! Fifties isn't old! :evil:


Well, early fifties isn't anyway. ;)
 
The original Crewe 'Corporation' houses were built with mortar containing sand from the local railway foundry. As a child I'd notice the shiny metallic spots in the mortar between the bricks and was told 'it's specks of iron.' :D

It's still there in houses near the station. 8)
 
A new Facebook message:
The Crewe Station Ghost Tour

Later in January a brand new ghost tour - all new content - will be launching at Crewe Train Station. Online booking for this, and the Nantwich and Crewe town centre walks will soon be available too. A dedicated page for the new tour is here.

Please visit and 'like' - much more information to follow end of this week!

I'm certainly up for the Station ghost tour. Crewe Station is one of the coldest, creepiest places I've ever known. I've worked there in various capacities over the years and the parts that the public don't see, such as the underground mail tunnels, are especially unnerving. :D
 
Can't believe I've somehow missed this thread.

Back in 2001(?) I got stuck at Crewe station and had missed my connection to the South, and take it from me, Crewe isn't a pretty little country type station with a log fire burning in the waiting room. Me and a student mate slept on a bench just off the platform. I say slept, we ate chocolate to keep us warm all night and chatted until the first train back to Cardiff at around 6-7am.

As per usual though (it's becoming a sad trend) I failed to witness anything remotely paranormal, I also wasn't aware it had any ghostly connections.
 
What a shame you couldn't give me a bell. I'd have whisked you off for a nice pint'n'pie supper and stuck you on my sofa for the night. :D
 
escargot1 said:
What a shame you couldn't give me a bell. I'd have whisked you off for a nice pint'n'pie supper and stuck you on my sofa for the night. :D

;) eh? eh? :D
 
Heckler20 said:

Heckler, escargot was merely saying she would have offered a fellow fortean a sofa for the night. Lucky for her she didn't know me then; I was a stinky student!
 
I had a houseful of stinky students back then. A couple more wouldn;t have hurt. :lol:
 
Um, are we talking about "a houseful of stinky students" in a Jeffrey Dahmer/Dennis Nilsen etc etc kinda way?

Sounds like a lucky escape to me.

;)
 
Cheeky. :evil:

I'm not common. I have a patio. :lol:
 
Curses. Yer got me bang ter rights there, guv'nor! :lol:
 
Depends on the time of year. I have been known to force-feed students pie'n'mash, in the run-up to xmas. Gives a pleasant foie gras touch to the Yuletide board. :twisted:
 
LordRsmacker said:
Um, are we talking about "a houseful of stinky students" in a Jeffrey Dahmer/Dennis Nilsen etc etc kinda way?

Sounds like a lucky escape to me.

;)

Yeah, when she says "stuck you on my sofa" I think we're talking "stuck like a pig".
 
There're several service tunnels under Crewe station leading from platform to platform, for moving goods and post smoothly between trains.

When I worked on the Post Office there 30-odd years ago I got to know them quite well. There was a well-lit main one from the main Royal Mail sorting office next door and a couple of platform-to-platform ones.

One led off into darkness and I was told that it wasn't used any more. Nobody seemed interested in where it went.
As I remember, it was at right angles to the 'platform' tunnels and was at the top end of the station opposite the Arms so I wonder if that was the hotel one?

It'd make sense to have a tunnel between the station and hotel for the posher guests, such as Queen Victoria.
 
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