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The Ghosts Of King's Lynn & West Norfolk

DrPaulLee

DrPaulLee

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
2,185
I've finally completed it, after two years research, comprising 306 pages. I guarantee most of the nearly 200 stories you will not have heard of before!

There's a link to the Amazon page here: www.paullee.com/gbook

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Well done Paul, it's a great achievement. If I can avoid any major outgoings next month I'll order a copy.
 
You know, moving to Scotland really appeals. I've only ever been to Edinburgh and Glasgow, but the thing that stands out is just how friendly and open the people are!
(eg I went for a job interview at Glasgow Uni - which I didn't get - but because of the distance I decided to stay overnight. I was walking down Byers (?) Road to see the police box when a man struggling with heavy shopping asked me if I'd help him to get to a nearby pub. I said yes and he thanked me by buying me beer all night long!)
 
I don't really know Glasgow, but I'm utterly in love with Edinburgh, and the Highlands. I'm sure there's many a ghost tale waiting to be told in Scotland.
 
Frideswide said:
I demand you move to Scotland and start on us!
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Before going all the way up to Scotland, can I ask you @DrPaulLee why you focused on West Norfolk? I know the Broads much better, and the last book we bought about the ghosts of the Broads was, funnily enough, 'Ghosts of the Broads' by Charles Sampson, which enthralled me at the time but which I've since found out is fictitious.
 
I live in King's Lynn and a librarian here produced a booklet in 1986 which is fun, but now out of date. In the run up to Halloween 2019 a charity ghost hunt produced a huge discussion on a facebook group about people's personal experiences in Lynn. There was a lot that was new and I started doing virtual interviews with people. Soon afterwards, a trip to the library produced a thick folder full of "folklore" newspaper clippings. I realised that the town really did deserve a thorough "going over" as many of the items, again, were new. I took photos of just about all the clippings, fortunately so as lock down came a few weeks later and the library closed and it wasn't until August this year that facilities returned to near normality.
At some point when going through my clippings, I came across RAF Bircham Newton. The case absolutely fascinated me and I wanted to include it but then I looked on a map and saw how far it was away. I thought either I omit it, or I'd have to expand my boundaries to include it. So, I shrugged my shoulders and opted for the latter. And I'm glad that I did, even though my boundaries kept getting extended, well past Swaffham to the east.

West Norfolk is very poorly presented in ghost literature. Frank Meeres book is very Norwich and east Norfolk centric - that's where he worked (at the Norwich Records Office) - and there's hardly anything for West Norfolk. Lynn had next to nothing on it. It's the same with other books - Sandringham, Castle Rising, Snettisham, Syderstone and maybe a few others. I resolved to redress this balance!
 
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These are all the locations covered in my book, with the numerals indicating page numbers. I've omitted the exact locations sometimes. For instance, care homes are omitted as I think the residents are suffering enough without ghost hunters turning up on their door step. Two of those care homes my wife worked in - and she experienced phenomena in one of them (last Christmas)
 

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By the way, the 1986 booklet is still available - "Ghosts and Legends of Lynn" by Alison Gifford. It can be obtained from True's Yard museum in Lynn if you email them for further details. I've recommended in my introduction that people might want a copy - and it supports a very worthwhile cause, the museum itself.
 
DrPaulLee said:
I was walking down Byers (?) Road to see the police box when a man struggling with heavy shopping asked me if I'd help him to get to a nearby pub. I said yes and he thanked me by buying me beer all night long!)
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It wasnae me! :twothumbs: and yes, north end of Byres Road just by the Botanics. Another one is in the city centre.

Mythopoeika said:
They've always got a smile for you in Glasgow.
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and a kiss? :rofl:
 
DrPaulLee said:
These are all the locations covered in my book, with the numerals indicating page numbers. I've omitted the exact locations sometimes. For instance, care homes are omitted as I think the residents are suffering enough without ghost hunters turning up on their door step. Two of those care homes my wife worked in - and she experienced phenomena in one of them (last Christmas)
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When I worked in care homes there were always ghost stories to hear.

At more than one place the staff'd scare themselves so badly just by telling me about the spookiness I'd have to do two-person jobs on my own because nobody'd go with me.
Totally illegal and sackable. Nobody'd make all that up and take such a risk just to pull my leg.
 
@escargot while researching the book, I was told of another care home outside Lynn. The girl had been put on the front desk and met an old lady that she didn't recognize and whom later couldn't be found. The girl was so frightened that the nurse in charge (this being the early hours of the morning) was sent home. Both of them were disciplined for leaving the care home short staffed.
 
DrPaulLee said:
@escargot while researching the book, I was told of another care home outside Lynn. The girl had been put on the front desk and met an old lady that she didn't recognize and whom later couldn't be found. The girl was so frightened that the nurse in charge (this being the early hours of the morning) was sent home. Both of them were disciplined for leaving the care home short staffed.
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Reminds me of the care home where I worked, where after a resident died her room was found set up how she liked it at night (all the lights on, doors open etc) when it had been only just been checked by a night carer.
The carer had reached the far end of the corridor, turned round and seen the lights etc and had hysterics. She had to be more or less physically restrained from scarpering and leaving the place in breach of staffing regulations.
 
DrPaulLee said:
I don't mind!
But you must have picked up a ton of new stories and folklore from your cycling trips!
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From now on I will report everything to you. :cool:

ETA - Well I do anyway!
Recently someone walked past us as we lounged on a rural bench and mentioned the local haunted bridge to their companion.
I just HAD to beat the story out of him and arrange to visit.

Anyway, I've just looked at that post and remembered that immediately before the bridge conversation I heard military-sounding marching feet approaching from behind me. I looked all around but saw no pedestrians or vehicles, and about a minute later the two hikers appeared i distant view. I have quoted myself (ooer) and paged you on the thread.
 
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