It’s Advent Sunday no. 2 and time for one of the titans of East Anglian folklore - Black Shuck himself! The phantom devil hound bounds about the countryside, terrifying all who see him with his slavering jaws and blazing eyes. And what of Shuck’s smaller and more mournful relative, the Shug Monkey? We shall hear about him too.
Read MoreThe first of our Sunday advent episodes is here! And what better way to count down to Christmas than to hear about a grisly explosion that happened in the middle of the summer. In July 1943, the town of Rayleigh in Essex was shocked when a loud kaboom! broke the peace of the day. At the source of the explosion, all that could be seen was a mangled pile of metal and flesh. What on earth had happened?
Read More27th October heralded our third live show at the Museum of Cambridge. The topic was a short history of Cambridge Castle, Castle Mound, and the Cambridge gaol that stood on the site for many years. Discussion ranged all over the place: Cromwell, pease pudding, long drop vs short drop hangings, masonry, and much more.
Read MoreA ghost that is also a witch? It must be Hallowe’en! October 1944 brought a cluster of strange goings on to the Essex village of Great Leighs. Clocks losing time, rabbits with eggs, and all sorts of troublesome behaviour in the guest bedroom of the St Anne’s Castle pub on Scrapfaggot Green.
Read MoreIn 1835 the folk of North Norfolk village Burnham Market were shocked by a series of mysterious deaths. Was it cholera, or something more sinister? Spoiler: it wasn’t cholera.
Read MoreWhat happens when a Norfolk doctor of coarse manner and peculiar habits ends up hobnobbing with the society types of 18th century London? Find out in this mini episode as we hear the story of Dr Messenger Monsey.
Read MoreIt’s part 2 of our smuggling double! Listen up for the story of a most ill-fated smuggling operation involving a muck heap, an incriminating beer bung, and a whole bunch of inns and drunken dragoons.
Read MoreHow do you enjoy your tea, gin, and tobacco? In 18th century England the answer was simple: smuggled into the country without paying due taxes please!
Read MoreThe Foyster family are about to arrive at the infamous Borley Rectory and encounter for themselves the disruptions and peculiarities of this creaking old pile. Marianne receives messages from beyond the grave (or does she?), family intrigues abound, and Harry Price continues to investigate.
Read MoreIt’s time for the most haunted house not just in East Anglia, but in all of England! Welcome to the first of our two part series about Borley Rectory. This creaking old Victorian pile became infamous for multiple ghost sightings, poltergeist activity, and bad plumbing.
Read MoreThis episode the story begins, as it so often does, with a gruesome East Anglian murder and a sentence of death by hanging. But who will carry out that sentence? Whose shoulders must carry the fullest and harshest weight of the British law? That’s where the Pierrepoints come in. Henry, Thomas, and Albert, executioners all!
Read MoreCurses! Lice! Urine! Witch balls! A special episode recorded at our second live event, held at the Museum of Cambridge on 28th October 2022. We explore beliefs about witchcraft and the kinds of protective magic that the people of East Anglia used to guard against curses and the evil eye.
Read MoreIt’s the first Mini Stranger of 2023 - the story of a strange spirit who haunted Dagworth Hall in Suffolk many years ago. ‘Play again! Play again!’ cries the tiny voice of little Malekin. Is he a run of the mill ghost? A changeling infant from the fairy realm? Or Britain’s first recorded poltergeist?
Read MorePart 2 of our enquiry into the Peasenhall mystery brings us to the trial of alleged smooth caramel man (and alleged murderer!), William Gardiner. But was it William who killed Rose Harsent on that stormy, fateful night?
Read MoreMay 31st, 1902 in the small village of Peasenhall, Suffolk. By the end of this dark and stormy night servant girl Rose Harsent would be dead in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor. Suspicion turned to local foreman, religious enthusiast, and proud beard-wearer William Gardiner - but were the accusations based in firm evidence, or unfounded local gossip?
Read MoreThe golden hare has been discovered and the story of Masquerade seems to be over - but is it? First up, we hear about the legacy of Masquerade and the rise in popularity of armchair treasure hunts. Then, scandal unfolds after the precious hare comes to light at a Sotheby’s auction in 1988…
Read MoreIn 1979 a storybook was published that took the UK by storm. The pages of Masquerade by Kit Williams gave clues to the secret location of a hidden treasure: a beautiful bejewelled hare crafted from gold. It’s a world of mystery and wonder in Part 1. Who will unravel the puzzle and claim the prize?
Read MoreGeldeston, Norfolk! One of the more haunted villages in the region. Tune in and listen for supernatural scares with the Bigod Barons (aka ghosts on wheels), the skeleton of the horse pond, and the horribly named the Hateful Thing. Don’t go down that lover’s lane!
Read MoreOn May 23rd 2022 we were honoured to present a special live event at the Museum of Cambridge. Listen now for an introduction to the Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1888 to use scientific methods to investigate such strange goings on as telepathy, ghostly occurrences, spiritualism, and ectoplasmic manifestations.
Read MoreIt’s time for Part 2 of our investigation into the rotters Hopkins and Sterne. Heady from their victory at Manningtree, the witchfinding duo turn their sights on the rest of East Anglia. Oh, poor East Anglia! In this concluding part, we hear about an unusual burning, the persecution of clergyman John Lowes, and the ultimate demise of horrible Hopkins.
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