Haunted Isle of Sheppey

by Neil Arnold

  Beware of the gatehouse ghouls!

  Mr Slade, after extensive research, revealed a trio of wells in the surrounding area of the gatehouse. The area was believed to have sat on a ley line (ley lines are rumoured to be ancient trackways which run across the landscape joining certain sites of historical and geographical interest), with Slade’s research based on theories made in the 1950s by author Robert Goodsall, who published details of the Minster Abbey ley line, said to stretch across Kent, ending its course in the neighbouring county of Sussex. The ley line was said to have passed right through three ancient wells on the island and end at Minster. According to Slade, there may have been an ancient stone structure similar to Stonehenge, but this was destroyed by St Sexburgha’s husband and the stones were used to build the current building. According to Eason, ‘The large boulder at the Abbey entrance, embedded in the wall of the King’s Arms public house in Minster, is said to be all that remains of the ancient temple.’

  Brian Slade excavated the three wells of Minster, and at the first, the Well of the Triple Goddess, he discovered ‘an image that may date back to pre-Celtic times’. According to rumour this image was handled by an archaeologist whose wife had struggled to conceive a child resulting in several miscarriages; nine months later, however, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Eason adds that, ‘Five other “miracle” babies have been born to parents who were experiencing fertility or pregnancy difficulties and who have handled the image.’

  In the second well an emblem representing Diana Triformis was unearthed. Diana was known as the triple goddess, represented by a young woman (maiden), a birth-giving matron (mother) and an elderly woman (crone). These three variants were said to represent three differing phases of the moon with the maiden signifying the new moon, the matron characterising the full moon and the crone as a sign of the waning moon.

  In the third well a bronze ritual object was discovered, and was believed to have given the waters of the well curative properties.

  ‘But what has all of this got to do with the woman in white?’ I hear you ask.

  Well, in 1996 Mr Slade had a peculiar encounter whilst sitting up in bed. Mr Slade’s home at the time was situated close to the ley line, and he had been pondering a summary he had written for a book in regards to an ancient Celtic goddess when his attention was suddenly drawn to a woman standing at the foot of his bed. The figure was glowing in white, dressed in white robes and yet vanished before his eyes. He recalled, ‘I have seen the White Lady before several times out of the corner of my eye and beyond the field of vision, an indistinct shape beyond my bedroom door.’

  Brian wondered if his archaeological forays at the wells had somehow triggered this motherly goddess. However, whilst some could argue that maybe, just maybe, Brian was actually asleep and dreaming, there are others who’ve seen the woman in white in the area. Those who have observed the woman describe her as ‘like a bride on her wedding day’ who always disappears when witnesses approach her. According to Cassandra Eason others have experienced ‘a strong scent of flowers or perfume’ whilst some witnesses have even seen the woman in white hovering over the fertility image as if she is some sort of guardian. It seems, however, that the excavations of the wells have done more than simply uncover one spirit. The well known as Abbess’ Well, which sits close by to the Triple Goddess Well, has also been known to have medicinal powers. It now sits in someone’s back garden, but those who once wished to see it could book an appointment. The well may be named after a nun of superiority who was transferred from Newington to Sheppey. No one is quite sure how this nun died but some believe that her body was found down in the well.

  It’s no surprise that the house which harbours the well is reputedly haunted. Items have flown off walls of their own accord in the past, whilst ghostly footsteps have also been heard. Psychic mediums who have visited the premises claim to have seen nuns within the vicinity, walking around the well. One witness to a ghostly nun was of the opinion that the reason the apparition had appeared was simply due to the fact that it wasn’t happy with the water from the well having been scooped up and stored in an old whiskey bottle.

  It’s no real surprise either that ghostly monks have also been seen around Minster. One such figure has been seen to be reading a book whilst resting under a tree near the church. According to Eason, ‘Two monks were said to officiate at Minster in the reign of Henry I, one as curate and one as confessor to the nuns.’ This brings us to another ghostly episode which took place in the 1950s and involved a young girl named Barbara Woods. She had visited the abbey and seen phantom monks which she recorded in the visitor’s book. Many years later as a young, engaged woman, Barbara revisited the abbey with her fiancé and was given a guided tour by Brian Slade. Barbara’s partner mentioned to Brian that Miss Woods had seen monks quite regularly, to which Mr Slade replied that there had been no monks in the area in her lifetime. Barbara was adamant that as a child she’d seen the monks assembled near a gate leading to the garden area of Minster Vicarage. Brian added, ‘… this is interesting, because the small door leading into the oldest part of the abbey church and known as the priests’ or monks’ door, is right alongside the garden gate’.

  Minster Abbey church – the haunt of phantom monks.

  As with the case of many alleged spirits, many sightings are down to interpretation and possibly moulded by the belief system that the witness holds. For instance, as Cassandra Eason adds in regards to the ghostly woman in white, ‘It does add some weight to the argument made previously that ley lines provide a psychic energy which is shaped to the viewers’ expectations, so that Christians see the White Lady as the Virgin Mary while pagans view her as a White Goddess.’ And there are those of course who simply see the spectre as a nun, or more prosaically as just a ghostly woman in white. Even so, witnesses are clearly seeing something around the gatehouse but that’s not where the mystery ends. Brian Slade had another unusual episode whilst waiting to take a photograph of the third well, situated at what was Minster Garden Centre. A skull had been unearthed and Brian placed the object on a set of steps in order to photograph it but his expensive camera failed to work on every occasion – and yet every other item Brian had captured had come out just fine. Eventually the skull was interred at its original resting place. It seems though that the reputed spectres of the gatehouse are in fact guardians, of a sort. In 1974 a Mrs Sylvia Brooke visited the abbey gatehouse with her small dog, but as she was about to enter the building her pet pulled her away, as if sensing something wasn’t right. Sylvia attempted once again to enter the building but again her dog wrenched her away. Seconds later an old drainpipe dislodged from the wall, bringing down rubble, moss and bird faeces on the exact spot where Sylvia had been standing but moved away, thanks to her dog. Had the dog sensed this imminent disaster or were there unseen spirits at work?

  Rear view of the Gatehouse Museum.

  Is it also possible that one or even a few of the spirits said to haunt the nearby site of old Sheppey General Hospital are also connected to the ley line theory? Although the hospital was demolished decades ago and replaced by flats, when it was an infirmary a woman in pale attire was once thought to roam the Upper B section, known as the De Shurland ward. Nurses who observed the wraith claimed that the figure drifted from bed to bed as if searching for someone, but no one found out who the ghost could have been. The hospital had been built on ground that was once occupied by an old workhouse that burnt down. According to Sheila M. Judge, one particular nurse whilst on night duty in the maternity unit had a peculiar encounter. The nurse had heard footsteps in the below corridor, suggesting that a patient or member of staff was about to enter the unit – and this was confirmed when she heard the resounding click of the door, but when she found nobody present she called the night security, believing that the hospital may have had an intruder. Bizarrely, the same episode was experienced on two further occasions by the nurse, and the final time she boldly rushed to the doors, throwing them open, only
to be greeted by the silence of an empty corridor. After this eerie night, every time the footsteps were heard, the nurse chose to ignore them until one evening, when she felt a firm hand upon her shoulder. Although startled, the nurse turned around to face the person, only to find no one in sight. Some believe the ghostly figure is one Helena Winter, a nurse who worked at the Sheppey Workhouse Infirmary. She died in 1893 of an infection after treating a seriously ill patient.

  There’s no doubt that hospitals – especially at night, when all is rather quiet – can be rather eerie places. Whether it’s the long, cold corridors or the deserted basement areas, they are the sort of places where the mind can run wild. A chap named Kevin who used to work at the hospital also experienced the reputed spirits. He worked for the hospital radio station, but one night whilst walking along a corridor away from the X-ray wing he felt a strong compulsion to turn around. When he did he saw a fleeting figure, dressed in black, rush across the passage. Kevin wasn’t frightened of the spectre and began to enquire about it to local staff who told him that he may have seen the phantom nun. On another occasion, again while working at night, Kevin noted how whilst in the radio studio, vinyl records began to fly off the shelves of their own accord.

  When I write about sites of old hospitals etc., people tend to ask as to whether anyone has experienced anything paranormal whilst living in or visiting newer buildings erected on these sites. Well, the answer to that is yes. I was told that the houses which now sit on the site of the old hospital have been plagued by weird occurrences. On one occasion, quite recently, a homeowner became rather spooked when they found that their fridge had been completely turned around in the kitchen. The person in question had gone out to work and upon returning home found the fridge facing the opposite way! In another building a young boy told his parents that in the night someone had entered his room and tickled his feet. The parents were rather spooked by this as they recalled hearing their son giggling in the night, but passed it off as a dream.

  Haunted Houses

  In May 2013 I was telephoned by a woman who told me of an incredible series of events that had plagued her and her family over the last few years. Originally from London, the woman in question had moved to Sheppey in 2006 to a house that was built in the 1990s. Although the area is off the beaten track, so to say, she didn’t expect to have to call in three sets of people to exorcise the house. It began just after she moved in, with strange sounds; her daughter reported that one night as she slept upstairs she could hear the sound of someone dragging a chain outside her window. However, most of the activity seemed to involve any pets the woman may have had, especially dogs. She told me:

  It’s as if the house or whatever haunts it doesn’t like animals – I’ve had several dogs, both small and large, and they’ve either vanished or been so spooked they’ve literally run away. Apart from the strange occurrences with the dogs the activity doesn’t really bother me, I laugh at it, but I’ve had the house up for sale on two occasions and no one takes an interest, it’s as if whatever is here wants me to stay here.

  Several ghost hunters and mediums were called to the house and each had differing opinions on what exactly was plaguing the property. The woman added:

  The first person to come and investigate the house said that an old woman was around, whilst the second group sensed a ghost in the bedroom. The third lot of people to visit the house said that the ghosts want to keep me here because I remind them of a family member, but I’ve also been told that ghostly animals lurk here, pigs, cats – and that maybe it used to be a farm or a slaughterhouse. Stranger still, I was told that the house sits on a pathway which acts as some type of portal for spirits and other shape-shifters.

  One particular haunted house has become embedded into Sheppey folklore. Tams cottages were said to have been built by a ship’s carpenter many years ago. Initially the man was not welcome on the island, as he had been part of the Dutch convoy that had visited England on one of their hostile expeditions. The Dutchman was left behind, but eventually became accepted by the islanders due to his construction skills. Tams cottages were a pair, one of which he occupied, renting out the other. However, after finally becoming settled on Sheppey, the carpenter became involved in a love triangle after meeting a local maiden. Tragically for the carpenter, the maiden was also being lusted after by a local man, and although the woman refused his advances, the islander took out his fury on the Dutchman and shortly afterwards the carpenter seemed to mysteriously vanish without trace. Although no one knew what exactly had happened to the carpenter, rumour was rife that he’d been murdered and so his ghost was said to stalk the premises of Tams cottages.

  Nowadays the cottages have been converted into one but whether the ghost of the carpenter is happy with this alteration, we’ll just have to wait and see!

  Several years ago a chap named Tim Wood visited a fourteenth-century house at Oak Lane which belonged to a friend of his. He had been accompanied by a few friends when they entered the old house, with Tim being the last to cross the threshold. However, upon entering he recalled how ‘I suddenly felt extremely cold even though the temperature outside was in the eighties’. When Tim mentioned this to his colleagues he was met with derision; after all, his friends were sweating due to the blistering heat. However, the chap who owned the house asked if Tim was feeling okay, to which Tim then asked if there used to be a staircase by the front door. The house owner gave Tim a quizzical look and enquired, ‘Are you psychic?’ to which Tim replied in the negative.

  ‘Well,’ replied Tim’s friend, ‘there did indeed used to be a staircase by the door, but that was a century ago,’ to which Tim responded, ‘There’s something really weird about your house. I can’t stay in here, I’m really freezing.’

  The fellow who owned the property immediately returned that the house most certainly had a supernatural presence, adding, ‘The dog won’t stay downstairs at night and we find things have been moved around.’

  Before he left the house Tim rather sceptically suggested that maybe the man’s children had been responsible for moving the household items around but this was met with dismissal: ‘My wife has actually seen it … she was sitting in bed one night reading when she looked up and saw a little old lady sitting on the bottom of the bed wearing a smocked top and a poke bonnet.’ According to the man’s wife the ghostly old woman kept muttering words to the effect of ‘Oh dear! Oh dear!’ and then disappeared the moment Tim’s friend entered the bedroom. Tim was rather perturbed by his experience at the house, and recalled that ‘I told my friend that I wouldn’t be visiting him again!’

  Another haunted house was once situated at Scocles Road in Minster. Over a decade ago, a chap who resided at the house decided to take a holiday abroad but decided that before leaving, as a safety precaution he would rig up a recording advice that would pick up any noises should anyone attempt to break into the property. When the man returned from his break and played the tape back he heard the usual sounds of the postman popping letters through the door but was then rather surprised to hear what sounded like monks chanting. A few days later the man decided to play the tape to his friends and asked them what they thought of the noises; they all agreed that it sounded like some type of chanting. Could such monks have been the same spirits often said to have frequented Minster Abbey in life and in death? When one considers that the abbey is a short distance from Scocles Road, it would be no surprise.

  A Haunted Pub and More …

  Many years ago it was reputed that the Prince of Waterloo public house – situated on Minster Road but now no longer in business – was haunted by a phantom nun. The ghostly woman was said to have been named Agatha who, unlike so many rumoured spooks, was far from being the troublesome spirit many would expect. In fact, the local customers of the pub had become so used to Agatha that on occasion it was said that the spectre was even known to sit down for a pint of Guinness or two – which gives a whole new meaning to the term spirits on tap! According to the Gazette & T
imes, Agatha was only mischievous at times, with the paper stating:

  The Prince of Waterloo pub was said to be haunted by a female spirit named Agatha.

  Doors were violently slammed or mysteriously opened and the lights flickered on and off. Family pets were not keen on going anywhere near the cellar and people had cold sensations while working on the books in the kitchen. Agatha’s favourite tricks with the pumps were on Friday nights when the pub was at its busiest. Sometimes the gas was turned off in the cellar five or six times a night, often so tightly it took a wrench to get the gas back on. One former customer reported seeing a glass flying off the bar in the pub – unaided by human hand. An empty bottle of Guinness was sometimes found in the middle of the cellar – although the cellar was always locked.

  The main legend concerning Agatha, however, was that she often appeared to guard a secret tunnel that ran beneath the public house. No one really knows what treasures – or horrors – lurk within that hidden tunnel but several psychic investigators have in the past warned that should anyone attempt to knock down the wall and enter the tunnel, then they shall suffer a terrible fate. Just behind the pub can be found what is known as Dancing Dolly Hill. This small alleyway has long been the haunted of a non-descript, shadowy figure – maybe the victim of one of those hangings said to have taken place many years ago. Rumour has it that the walkway got its morbid name due to the fact that bodies which were hung from gibbets would often twitch and spasm in the throes of death and then dangle limply, like ghastly dolls. However, there is a less macabre theory as to the name of the walkway; many years ago, according to historian Brian Slade, ‘… naval ratings were marched up there every Sunday to attend church parade at Minster Abbey. Tradition tells how the local lassies used to line the route, jumping excitedly, waving and making eyes at the sailors …’