Ghostly Figure On Clevedon Pier

[pipling]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Angler-t ... story.html

"FISHERMEN casting off from Clevedon Pier have found their lonely vigils interrupted by a ghostly figure who appears in the mist.

Anglers who use the historic pier regularly say they have caught glimpses of an apparition staring out to sea. The ghostly figure has walked through locked gates, and been seen talking to itself in the corner of the pavilion building.

One of the first to see something spooky was Clevedon Angling Club member Jack Hulbert.

Mr Hulbert a retired antiques dealer of Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, said: "It happened a few weeks ago.

"I had come on the pier early in the morning – it must have been about 4.30am – there wasn't anyone else I could see. I got towards the end and I saw a figure of a person leaning on the railings looking out to sea."

Mr Hulbert, 72, shouted across to what he thought was a fellow fisherman then put down his rods while walking across for a chat.

But when he got to the other side of the pier the person he had spied had disappeared.

Mr Hulbert decided someone was "having a laugh" as his friends on the pier are notorious for playing practical jokes.

He said: "I thought I'll double check and I walked all around to see if it was shadows or the light playing tricks but I knew what it was.

"It was definitely the definition of a person wearing dark clothes but I couldn't see whether it was a man or a woman."

Two of Mr Hulbert's aunts are mediums but he said he had never seen "an apparition" before in his life.

The "ghost" – which can walk through the locked pier gate without triggering off the security light – has been seen by other fishermen.

Sometimes it is seen halfway down sitting on the side benches or standing mumbling incoherently in the corner of the pavilion.


Sometimes it is seen halfway down sitting on the side benches or standing mumbling incoherently in the corner of the pavilion.

Pier mistress Linda Strong, aged 56, was told the area is dubbed as the "ghost coast" because of the number of unexplained strange sightings.

Mrs Strong said: "There have been a few different stories. A young man called Chris Buxton used to come on here at night and fish quite a lot and he swears he saw something as well.

"It hasn't come from one or two sources, it has come from several people now and you start to think there must be something happening on the pier."

There are theories it could be the ghost of an old fisherman or the spirits of the departed whose loved ones have thrown their ashes off the pier but no one really knows, said Mrs Strong.

Mr Hulbert added: "The figure I saw took a human form I am 99 per cent sure of that."

Mrs Strong added: "Clevedon Pier is quite an eerie place to be when you are on your own you get a sense of a presence. There is something about this area which is known as the ghost coast but it doesn't feel scary."

The Somerset – Paranormal Database Records show Brockley Church and Brockley Court as the spookiest place in North Somerset but other manifestations have been recorded in Clevedon.

Some date back to the turn-of-the-century when a man rowing from Clevedon to Portishead claimed he was attacked by a large serpent which pulled him overboard. He fought back and escaped with his life.

The old Clevedon Mercury offices at Elton Road were said to be haunted by a grey lady and more recently tenants of a property in Old Street told Clevedon Town Council of a spiritual presence.

This was in October last year and the council asked to be notified when the apparition appeared again so it could arrange for a psychic evaluation.

Clevedon Town Council property committee chairman David Shopland said: "We were told the tenant had seen an aged gentleman in semi-clerical garb sitting in the corner of the room.

"This was at the former council offices which previously had been the home of the school mistress.

"Some thought it could be one of the original vicars of All Saints' Church who used to visit to teach Bible lessons there.

"I wouldn't say there is no such thing as ghosts as my Victorian grandfather swore he saw one on the coastal road towards Portishead.

 

[Myrtlee]

My mother used to work at Portishead Primary School in the kitchen and she saw a ghost there. She said she felt it was protective towards the place, so she reassured her (it was a grey lady) that everything was ok.

 

[Spookdaddy]

Clevedon Pier is just along the coast from the little know Babyface Cave at Ladye Bay.

For what is a bit of a mystery, Babyface Cave has a very low online presence - and is apparently not particularly well-known locally.

I first read about it in the late-lamented 3rd Stone magazine. That article doesn't seem to be available anywhere online - but there is another here, which may be of interest.

For what it's worth, I always found that stretch of coastline had a peculiar (although not unpleasant) atmosphere. Of course, that could just be me.

 

[Mythopoeika]

For what it's worth, I always found that stretch of coastline had a peculiar (although not unpleasant) atmosphere. Of course, that could just be me.

It's those pickled onions you ate. 8)

 

[stu neville]

Clevedon Pier is just along the coast from the little know Babyface Cave at Ladye Bay.

A friend and I walked that very stretch of coast-path about two weeks ago! Have been there several times, but never once heard of Babyface Cave. Will investigate.. thanks for heads-up .

For what it's worth, I always found that stretch of coastline had a peculiar (although not unpleasant) atmosphere. Of course, that could just be me.

No, it is very atmospheric - rugged and bleak, especially this time of year. Even in summer it has a sort of wild undercurrent. As you say, not oppressive, but worthy of respect.

 

[Spookdaddy]

...I first read about it in the late-lamented 3rd Stone magazine. That article doesn't seem to be available anywhere online - but there is another here, which may be of interest...

After digging out the relevant box of magazines I find, slightly embarrassingly, that the article I linked to is the article that appeared in 3rd Stone (but with fewer pictures).

Well, it was 1997.

 

[pipling]

Update...

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/vanishin ... story.html

"Could vanishing figure on Clevedon Pier be a ghost?

A STUDENT photographer believes he has inadvertently captured a ghostly figure on Clevedon Pier.

Matthew Hales, 17, took an early-morning trip to Clevedon to take pictures of the incoming tide for his A-level coursework

He was using a time-lapse technique which captures pictures over a 30-second time frame.

But it was not until the teenager, from Yate, checked the individual frames from his Nikon D3000 camera that he spotted the male figure staring back at him from the pier.

Matthew, who was taking photographs with two classmates, had arrived in Clevedon at 6.30am and captured the photo around 15 minutes later.

But as the pier was closed and not due to open until 10am, questions are being asked about who the shadowy lone figure on the Victorian landmark was.

Matthew, who studies at Brimpton Green and Chipping Sodbury Link Sixth Form, said: "When I went through the pictures I was surprised to see the figure of a man standing on the pier – it was almost like he was looking straight at me.

"The technique I was using captures everything which happens for 30 seconds, so he must have been stood there for at least that long to appear in the picture.

"However when I checked the frames before and after there was no sign of him or of the figure walking to or away from the location where I seen him."

The picture continued to puzzle Matthew until he saw a story in the Evening Post about ghosts being spotted on the pier by early morning anglers.

A mystery figure has been appearing in the early morning mists as anglers cast off from the end of the pier.

The suspected ghost has been seen by other fishermen.

Sometimes it is seen halfway down sitting on the side benches or standing mumbling incoherently in the corner of the pavilion.

Matthew added: "It did freak me out a bit when I saw the figure appear on the pictures.

"I then checked the pier opening times and saw that it wasn't due to open until 10am so there would have been no one on the pier at that time in the morning.

"It was only when I saw the story in the newspaper that I thought I may have caught the ghost on camera."

The area of the estuary around Clevedon has been dubbed the 'ghost coast' because of the number of unexplained sightings.

Fishermen are allowed on the pier on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week and often fish early in the morning.

But Clevedon piermistress, Linda Strong, is unconvinced the mystery figure is a fisherman. Mrs Strong, 56, said: "Looking at the pictures there is no evidence that this is a fisherman and the figure seems to have appeared from nowhere.

"Having zoomed in on the photograph there are clearly no fishing rods out to sea. Generally if there were anglers on the pier in the morning, there were would be more than one and the rods would be visible.

"This could very well be the ghost which everyone is talking about.

"There have been a few different stories which have come from several people now and you start to think there must be something happening on the pier. A lot of the recent sightings took place in November."

Matthew and his classmates are heading back to Clevedon to take more photographs around the town for an architecture section of his course. He added: "I am not sure whether I will catch any more ghosts on camera, but I will certainly keep my eye out."

 

[pipling]

Clevedon Pier is just along the coast from the little know Babyface Cave at Ladye Bay.

For what is a bit of a mystery, Babyface Cave has a very low online presence - and is apparently not particularly well-known locally.

I first read about it in the late-lamented 3rd Stone magazine. That article doesn't seem to be available anywhere online - but there is another here, which may be of interest.

For what it's worth, I always found that stretch of coastline had a peculiar (although not unpleasant) atmosphere. Of course, that could just be me.

I spent many a summers day around Clevedon and Portishead when I was growing up, but I have never heard of Babyface Cave, I will have to take a look next time I am down there.

I have always found Clevedon Pier very eerie myself, as well as the "Old" Weston-Super-Mare Pier (Birnbeck Pier).
It always seems to be grey and cold there, no matter how sunny a day it is.

 

[stu neville]

Re: Update...

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/vanishing-figure-Clevedon-Pier-ghost/story-15241829-detail/story.html

"Could vanishing figure on Clevedon Pier be a ghost?

A STUDENT photographer believes he has inadvertently captured a ghostly figure on Clevedon Pier.

Matthew Hales, 17, took an early-morning trip to Clevedon to take pictures of the incoming tide for his A-level coursework

He was using a time-lapse technique which captures pictures over a 30-second time frame...

Well, I've seen some spectacularly unconvincing ghost photos in my time, and this is one of them . As most of the commenters on that story have pointed out, it's quite clearly a bloke in a red anorak looking over the railings, captured on one frame of a time-lapse sequence.

Ignore all the "nobody there at that time of the morning" line, by the way - the angling club has keys and can access it 24/7. I've been there myself in the small hours. The pier-mistress is probably (quite understandably) trying to drum up some foot-fall...

And yes, def agree about Birnbeck Pier. Scooby Island, innit ?

 

[stu neville]

The saga continues...

A PROFESSIONAL ghost hunter says he has captured evidence on camera which he says could be ghosts haunting Clevedon Pier.

Ghost hunter Richard Case has been investigating paranormal activities on the seaside landmark over the past few weeks following numerous reports that ghosts had been seen lingering in the mists.

Most of his visits to the pier have been late at night or during the early hours – including when he says a ghostly mist started to appear.

Richard, a former special policeman who runs Ghostchallengers, (God help us - Stu) said it was a clear night on the pier and therefore believes it could not have been sea mist or smoke.

He also has reported hearing whispering on the pier during the early hours – when he and two members of his team were the only people on the landmark.

He added: "I was on the pier with a couple of my team and I heard what sounded like a person whispering. Both members of the team also heard it."

Richard has been using a range of equipment, including a night vision camera, while carrying out his investigations.

And although he has made some progress on assessing the paranormal activity on the landmark, he says so far his investigations have proved inconclusive.

Richard intends to continue to visit the pier over the next few months as well as making a visit in November – a month when the ghostly activities are usually at their busiest.

Richard, 45, said: "When I checked the pictures I saw this wispy smoke which looked like it was starting to form into an apparition. When I checked the following frames from the camera, it was gone.

"People could argue that it was sea mist or smoke, but it was a clear night and there was no one else on the pier but me.

"The next day I checked with some of the fisherman and they too agreed it wasn't sea mist and the pictures were very strange."

Pictures of a coloured orb inside the pergola at the top of the pier have also been caught on film.

A number of people, including fishermen, have reported seeing ghostly figures on the landmark while piermistress Linda Strong has often noticed a strong smell of burnt toast lingering in the air.

Mr Case intents to continue to interview fishermen that regularly use the pier – some of whom have reported seeing ghostly figures lingering in the mist.

Linda Strong said: "When I saw the recent pictures, they did spook me out.

"I believe this is evidence that there are paranormal activities going on at the pier and I am looking forward to seeing what further investigations reveal."

..and how many other tourists we can attract...

I feel I don't need to comment any further on the actual story as is - it's no different in many respects from any number we've seen on here in the past - but I would say there's some very interesting social stuff going on there. Note the comments at the bottom of each story - the site uses red / green "karma" arrows to gauge popularity of opinion. Now until recently on most threads, even quite contentious ones, the total number (positive or negative) rarely exceeded ten or fifteen. However, have a look at the numbers on the resulting thread for this story and the previous one linked re the student's photograph. Anyone with a vaguely sceptical view gets anything up to a stonking -66! This has started to happen on some other threads too, and often the totals hit high numbers in a very short period of time.

Social media at work, perchance?

 

[drbastard]

I feel I don't need to comment any further on the actual story as is - it's no different in many respects from any number we've seen on here in the past - but I would say there's some very interesting social stuff going on there. Note the comments at the bottom of each story - the site uses red / green "karma" arrows to gauge popularity of opinion. Now until recently on most threads, even quite contentious ones, the total number (positive or negative) rarely exceeded ten or fifteen. However, have a look at the numbers on the resulting thread for this story and the previous one linked re the student's photograph. Anyone with a vaguely sceptical view gets anything up to a stonking -66! This has started to happen on some other threads too, and often the totals hit high numbers in a very short period of time.

Social media at work, perchance?

I post on there fairly regularly for a bit of a laugh. They have a fairly narrow mindset-if you post anything about hating Firstbus and cyclists and that you want to hang paedos you can get multiple green arrows fairly rapidly. Make a balanced comment and you get marked down.

 

[stu neville]

And there's more! More incisive, Pulitzer-standard journalism from the BEP..

There are spooky goings on at pier – investigators

MEMBERS of a supernatural investigation group say they are convinced there is paranormal activity on Clevedon's Victorian Pier after spending a night there.

Bristol and UK Supernatural (BUS), which was formed in August last year, carried out a number of experiments on the grade one listed pier on Thursday night.

Five of the members began a sweep of the site by using an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) that captures electronically generated noises and, after several minutes, the words "doctor", "Jimmy" and "balloon" emerged.

After studying the pier, investigators found a plaque underneath a balloon-shaped light which was in memory of a doctor named James.

Whether the find is linked to the noises has yet to be confirmed.

A spokesperson for BUS, said: "We can confirm there is a presence here, but I believe it to be residual and it is therefore not a haunting spirit."

To gain further evidence, the group used an EMF metre which measures electromagnetic fields to help identify the location of spiritual energy.

The group's equipment also included an ultra violet laser which illuminates spirits, a motion sensor which tracks unseen movements, four night vision cameras, a camcorder and an infra red filter.

The group's founder, who did not want to be named, decided to become a ghost hunter last summer after she captured a photograph of a ghostly figure at the gates in Redcliffe Hill.

She said: "Ghost hunting is simply luck and is dependent on the time and place; it's not about professionalism and high-tech gadgets."

According to the paranormal society, there are four levels of haunting; level one is residual, level two is an intelligent and mobile haunting, level three is a poltergeist and level four is an in-human or demonic haunting.

The group was unable to support its findings from the session with any physical evidence as it was unable to light up the pier with a motion sensor due to the presence of a number of fishermen.

The investigator added: "We didn't come here to catch sight of an apparition, we just wanted to investigate if the claims about spiritual activity here were true, and we can confirm that there is a spiritual entity here."

This has taken it to a whole new Scooby Doo level (I bet you someone will make that comment on there before long, but I got in first on here .)

Interesting points:
Nice to see someone still using EVP. Doctor Jimmy Balloon has been trying to get through for ages, I'm sure.

..To gain further evidence, the group used an EMF metre which measures electromagnetic fields to help identify the location of spiritual energy..

Well, it measures EMFs. Suppose it depends whether you think ghosts are on the EM spectrum or not... of course they also have:

...an ultra violet laser which illuminates spirits (what?? Stu) a motion sensor which tracks unseen movements, four night vision cameras, a camcorder and an infra red filter.

..however bear in mind that..

"Ghost hunting is .. not about professionalism and high-tech gadgets."

Meanwhile I'm intrigued about this UV laser that illuminates spirits. Anyone else heard of this?

Anyway, again, I'm not saying it isn't haunted. I'm just intrigued as to why the Bristol Evening Post is so obsessed with it, when there have been much more interesting local hauntings passim to which they've paid scant or no attention whatsoever.

 

[GNC]

"Doctor Jimmy Balloon" sounds kind of Scottish (if not very flattering - a Scots spook throwing insults?).

 

[Eponastill]

figure on the pier

To be honest, looking at the photo in this month's FT, I thought it looked like a big round red ring for throwing in the water after people who've fallen in.

whaddyathink.