WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.719 Have you ever had a moment that made your skin crawl, 2 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.039 a shadow where there shouldn't be one, a whisper in 3 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:12.359 an empty room, or something you simply can't explain. If so, 4 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.160 we want to hear from you here at the Haunted 5 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.800 UK Podcast. We're always on the lookout for spine tingling 6 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.199 stories to feature in our end of season listener episodes 7 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:27.559 and our short Haunts series. Whether it's a chilling encounter, 8 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:31.519 a mysterious experience, or something that's haunted you for years, 9 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:36.119 we want your tale. Send your story to contact us 10 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.119 at Haunted UK podcast dot com, and don't forget to 11 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:45.200 follow us on social media Facebook, x at Haunted Ukpod, 12 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:50.039 TikTok and Instagram at Haunted UK podcast, or visit our 13 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:56.560 website www dot hauntedukpodcast dot com. Now, if you love 14 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:59.759 what we do and want even more Haunted goodies, then 15 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:03.359 you can support the show on Patreon and Coffee. We've 16 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:07.560 got two brilliant tears, Possessed and Spooked, both packed with 17 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:12.239 bonus content, exclusive episodes and extra material that'll keep you 18 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:16.079 up all night. But that's not all. We've launched a 19 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:20.920 brand new sister podcast, Haunted UK Fiction, and we're calling 20 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:25.439 all storytellers, whether you're a published author, an aspiring writer, 21 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:28.719 or someone with a natural gift for spinning ear retails. 22 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.920 We're looking for original fictional short stories and novellas with 23 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:39.879 strong paranormal or supernatural themes. Think suspenseful, mysterious, atmospheric, terrifying, 24 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:44.719 thought provoking, even darkly magical. If your story is selected, 25 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.799 we'll professionally narrate, record, mix and master it into an 26 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:52.799 audiobook style format, then feature it on the show. You'll 27 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:55.519 get a copy of the finished production to use however 28 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.079 you like, and you'll retain full ownership of your work. 29 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:03.760 So admit your story to Haunted Ukfiction at hotmail dot 30 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:08.560 com and follow us on Instagram at Haunted UK fiction. So, 31 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.520 whether it's truth or fiction, if it's Haunted, we want it. Now, 32 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:31.039 sit back and enjoy the episode. Once there, they locked 33 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:33.800 themselves in, and even though it was the early hours, 34 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:37.439 they called the managing director of the security company again 35 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:41.080 and again until he answered and agreed to come down 36 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:45.280 to their office. Mick Lee got to the security office 37 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:48.159 and walked inside and was shocked by what he saw. 38 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:52.120 Two experienced security guards who had been part of his 39 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:55.039 team for quite a while. In a state of complete 40 00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:50.840 terror and panic. This is episode sixty two of the 41 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:54.159 Haunted UK podcast, and it's time to take a look 42 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.599 at one of the most haunted stretches of road in 43 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:20.399 the UK, the Stocksbridge Bypass. In the early nineteen eighties, 44 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:25.120 a huge construction development was announced and approved, a development 45 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.120 that was a long time coming, but one that wouldn't 46 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.600 be easy. Huge amounts of rock had to be cut 47 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.120 through to make way for a road that would finally 48 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:38.360 bring some relief to the town of Stocksbridge. Were, of 49 00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:42.279 course talking about the Stocksbridge Bypass, one of the most 50 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.680 haunted locations in the UK. You'd have to go all 51 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.879 the way back to season two in episode three Phantom 52 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:53.759 Hitchhikers to find tales of ghosts haunting stretches of roads. 53 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.759 But this five mile stretch of tarmac has much more 54 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:02.959 to offer than just phantom hitchhikers. After planning was approved, 55 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:05.920 work began in nineteen eighty seven at a cost of 56 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:10.279 fourteen million pounds, finishing in May nineteen eighty eight when 57 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:15.319 the bypass was officially opened. Congestion was choking the town 58 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:20.639 of Stocksbridge and a bypass was way past due. Large 59 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.560 trucks were finding it difficult to navigate through the narrow 60 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:27.040 lanes of the steel making town, and this was causing 61 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:30.519 huge problems. But a lot of that changed when the 62 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:34.360 bypass opened. It was seen as somewhat of a triumph 63 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:37.720 for the town and its surrounding areas. But the Stocksbridge 64 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.839 Bypass soon began to get the reputation of being a 65 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:45.279 terrible accident black spot. Within only the first decade of 66 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:49.959 it being open, around fourteen fatalities were reported due to accidents, 67 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:55.319 with hundreds more suffering injuries. Police would put this unusually 68 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:58.319 high number of accidents down to common mistakes that the 69 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:02.000 public were making whilst driving on the bypass, not knowing 70 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:06.720 the road, taking unnecessary risks such as overtaking in bad conditions, 71 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:12.199 speeding and loss of concentration. And with accidents and fatalities 72 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:21.120 come stories, ghost stories, sightings, strange experiences. Yet paranormal phenomena 73 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:24.560 had been reported way before even one car had traveled 74 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:30.639 along the bypass. During its initial construction, the Stocksbridge Bypass 75 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:34.519 carved through land which had a rich and sometimes bloody history. 76 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:39.199 As with many cases of large scale construction projects such 77 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:42.639 as the London Underground and the current huge undertaking of 78 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:47.600 HS two, the building of the Stocksbridge bypass did disturb things. 79 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:52.360 Consideration and thought have to be given to the thousands 80 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:57.360 of years of history on our small island, ancient burial grounds, graves, 81 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:01.800 plague pits. The living are definitely outnumbered by the dead, 82 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:06.279 and because of this obvious fact are we unknowingly unleashing 83 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.560 the spirits of those who were rested, causing them to 84 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:13.959 roam the land which they once called home. The stories 85 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:16.399 that will go through in this episode have a wide 86 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:20.120 range of paranormal phenomena attached to them, and this in 87 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:23.959 itself is incredible considering that it's only roughly a five 88 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:28.439 mile stretch of road. You'd normally associate these types of 89 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:33.240 hauntings with this much varying activity with castles or stately homes. 90 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:38.160 So let's go back to nineteen eighty seven. When construction began. 91 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:42.680 A private security company had been hired to help not 92 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.199 only protect the expensive equipment and stock of materials on site, 93 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:50.319 but to also keep children and teenagers away from a 94 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:54.560 potentially dangerous area. There were a number of small security 95 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:57.920 offices which were dotted along the site, and it was 96 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:03.160 from these that the various teams worked from. On the 97 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:07.439 seventh of September nineteen eighty seven, security guards Stan and 98 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:10.759 Jeff were on patrol in their land rover, driving towards 99 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.480 a bridge which was still under construction. Near to this 100 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:17.879 bridge was an electricity pylon, and it was here that 101 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.959 both men saw something truly odd, a group of children 102 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:26.240 who appeared to be playing. As Stan and Jeff got 103 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:28.959 closer to the bridge, they could clearly see that these 104 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:33.200 children were dancing and skipping around very close to the pilon. 105 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:38.120 They decided to get a closer look and pulled their 106 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:42.799 vehicle over, both grabbing torches as they made their way 107 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:47.159 towards the pylon. Both men said that it appeared that 108 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:50.840 these children were playing ring a ringer roses, and they 109 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:55.639 could hear them singing, laughing, and talking. But what they 110 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:59.080 thought was stranger. Even stranger than the fact that these 111 00:08:59.159 --> 00:09:01.759 children were out at such a late hour, was what 112 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:05.480 they were all wearing. All of them were dressed in 113 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:09.279 very old fashioned clothing, which was completely out of place 114 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:12.799 in the current time. The security guards looked at each 115 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:17.039 other confused, but began to walk towards the children, who 116 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:20.919 they could still see very clearly, until they faded away 117 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:25.600 right in front of them. Completely shocked, both Stan and 118 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.639 Jeff ran towards the area of land by the pylon 119 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.759 where they'd seen the children, and even though the ground 120 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.840 was soft and muddy because of previous wet weather, there 121 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:39.759 were no footprints at all, no evidence or trace whatsoever 122 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:42.480 that anyone had been there. Oh, come on, let's go 123 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:46.360 out here. Yeah, that was bloody weird. They both quickly 124 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:49.440 made their way back to the land rover and then 125 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:53.799 backed the security office. The following day, they made a 126 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:57.279 point of asking several construction workers on site if they'd 127 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:01.559 experienced anything out of the ordinary. To their surprise, they 128 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:06.360 were told yes, many others had heard strange voices, laughter 129 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:10.279 and singing, as if made by children when they were 130 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:13.080 non in sight. But it was on their evening shift 131 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.159 later that day that events took a truly terrifying turn. 132 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.080 Stan and Jeff had both left their security office to 133 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.279 begin their patrol and were once again driving up towards 134 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.759 the construction site and the bridge where the previous night's 135 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:32.799 events had taken place. As they approached the bridge, they 136 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.399 were shocked to see a figure standing on it. But 137 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:37.679 this figure appeared to be dressed in some type of 138 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:42.600 hooded cloak. Jeff asked Stan to stop the vehicle, and 139 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:44.960 for a brief moment they both stared at the mystery 140 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:48.440 figure until Jeff got out of the car and told 141 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:50.679 Stan to drive back around to the top of the 142 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:54.320 bridge while he stayed below, making sure that whoever it 143 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:58.039 was didn't make a run for it. As Jeff kept 144 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.600 an eye on the figure, he could also see Stan 145 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:04.519 as he made his way up the hill to the bridge. 146 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:07.039 Inside the land rover, Stan had made it up to 147 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:09.320 the top of the bridge, and as he drove closer 148 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:11.960 to the figure, he could now clearly see that with 149 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.799 the cloak and the hood, it looked more like a monk. 150 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.799 But what both he and Jeff had thought was a 151 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:23.159 real solid person was now exhibiting a disturbing phenomenon. The 152 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:27.279 land rover's lights were shining right through it. Then, in 153 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:31.039 the terrifying blink of an eye, the figure vanished, and 154 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:37.080 this was seen by both men at the same time. Now, 155 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.840 what we have to understand here is that the security 156 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.399 guards weren't novices, as were about to find out, and 157 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:46.279 they also knew how to handle themselves, and they weren't 158 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:50.320 exactly small either. In a blind panic, Stan put the 159 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:54.679 landrover into reverse, and quickly drove down to pick Jeff up. 160 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:55.759 Did you see that? 161 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:56.559 Yep? 162 00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:00.840 Quit get it, Let's just go. Then they both abandoned 163 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:04.919 the bridge, the whole construction site, and their shift and 164 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:10.120 went back to their security office. Once there, they locked 165 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:12.759 themselves in, and even though it was the early hours, 166 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:16.279 they called the managing director of the security company again 167 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.600 and again until he answered and agreed to come down 168 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:23.440 to their office. Mick Lee got to the security office 169 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:25.879 and walked inside and was shocked by what he saw 170 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:30.080 two experienced security guards who had been part of his 171 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:33.159 team for quite a while in a state of complete 172 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:38.600 terror and panic. Something has scared these men very deeply. 173 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:42.600 Mick listened as Stan and Jeff recounted the events of 174 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:46.039 their two terrifying experiences, and, seeing that they were in 175 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:49.200 no fit state to continue working that night, he sent 176 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.159 them both home. The next evening, at around eight pm, 177 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:57.399 Mickley welcomed both Stan and Jeff back into their security office, 178 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:00.840 fully expecting them to start their shift, but there was 179 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:03.159 no way they were going back on to the construction 180 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:07.679 side that night. Once again, mick felt that he had 181 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:10.879 no choice but to send both men home. Yet what 182 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.559 he wasn't expecting was what happened next. The following morning, 183 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.279 the doors to Stocksbridge Police station opened and in walked 184 00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:23.080 both Stan and Jeff, and they wanted to file a report. 185 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:27.639 They sat down with Police Constable Richard Ellis, who could 186 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:32.080 clearly see that something had deeply disturbed them. He listened 187 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:35.159 intently as the men, who he knew quite well, gave 188 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:38.960 a detailed account of what they'd experienced, including the children 189 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:42.600 by the pylon and obviously the dark monk like figure 190 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:44.080 on the bridge. 191 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:44.519 P c. 192 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.279 Ellis had never been in a situation where a member 193 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:51.320 of the public had reported seeing ghosts, but here sat 194 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:56.159 in front of him were two at a loss to 195 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.159 know what to do. He advised the men that it 196 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.000 was probably a better idea that they seek advice from 197 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:05.039 the church rather than from the police, and that is 198 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:09.200 exactly what they did. After leaving the police station, they 199 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:11.919 went straight to the local church to speak with the vicar. 200 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:16.919 The Reverend Stewart Brindley welcomed both men into the church 201 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.240 and had no idea that he was about to be 202 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:22.440 told in great detail about the sightings of ghosts up 203 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:26.919 at the bypassed security site. Although he listened and tried 204 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.679 to calm the men down. They refused to leave until 205 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:31.799 the vicar agreed to go up to the bridge where 206 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:33.840 both Stan and Jeff had seen the ghost of the 207 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:38.759 Monk and perform an exorcism. The Reverend Brindley had no 208 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:43.320 choice but to call the police, As it had been P. C. 209 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.519 Richard Ellis who'd taken the statements from the security guards 210 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:49.399 earlier that day, he was given the task of going 211 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.799 to the church to sort the issue out. Along with 212 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:56.200 Reverend Brindley. Pc Ellis began to talk the men down 213 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:59.519 to a more civilized tone, and after a while they 214 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:04.120 agreed to leave. Pc Ellis assured Reverend Brindley that Stan 215 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.559 and Jeff meant no harm whatsoever, something that Brindley already knew. 216 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:12.279 He was fully aware that this was a very strange 217 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:15.240 but delicate situation and could see that the men were 218 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:20.799 genuinely disturbed by what they'd experienced. Stan and Jeff never 219 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:24.480 returned to work, quitting their jobs just a few short 220 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:29.240 weeks after their encounter. Security company managing director Mick Lee, 221 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:33.600 PC Richard Ellis, and even the Reverend Stewart Brindley felt 222 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:37.159 that these men were telling the absolute truth. They were 223 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:41.279 genuine witnesses who'd seen something that they could not explain, 224 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:45.320 something that was completely out of the ordinary, something that 225 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:49.279 had scared them so much that they actually quit their jobs. 226 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.679 Because statements have been taken by PC Ellis and an 227 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:57.159 official report had been filed, his superiors told him to 228 00:15:57.240 --> 00:15:59.960 investigate the matter further and to take down as man 229 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:05.159 much detail as possible if anything happened that night. P 230 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:08.360 c Ellis and his partner, PC John Beat took a 231 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:10.960 patrol car and made their way up to the bridge 232 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:15.600 at the construction site. They parked up just below and 233 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.600 to the side of the partly finished bridge, giving them 234 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.919 a good field of vision all round, and sat there 235 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:27.639 in silence, waiting to see if anything would happen. After 236 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.879 about twenty five minutes, both officers had got used to 237 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:33.240 the dark, and it was a clear night with a 238 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:39.159 star filled sky. PC Ellis's attention was suddenly drawn to 239 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:42.080 the bridge and to the sight of something moving around. 240 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:46.960 Saying nothing, Ellis turned to PC John Beat to see 241 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.440 if he was aware of the movement as well, and, 242 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:54.120 to his relief, he was. They both quickly exchanged a 243 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:56.879 few words and decided to walk up to the bridge 244 00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:01.320 to see who or what was up there. As both 245 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:04.359 officers stood on the bridge searching for any movement, they 246 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.640 saw nothing so made their way back to the patrol car. 247 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:13.000 Upon opening the door, the interior light came on again, 248 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:17.720 temporarily robbing them of their adjusted vision, but this soon returned. 249 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:21.920 As they sat there once again in the dark, both 250 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:24.640 Ellis and Bete were sharing a few jokes about the 251 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:28.640 whole situation when once again they could see movement on 252 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:32.759 the bridge. Pclis said that he would go up alone 253 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:36.640 this time to investigate, so he grabbed a torch, opened 254 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:40.559 the car door, and walked back up to the bridge. 255 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:44.680 As he stared across the bridge into the darkness, he 256 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.079 could see something moving from side to side, but he 257 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:52.240 could also hear a flapping type of noise. As he 258 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:55.000 continued to walk across the bridge, he saw a number 259 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:59.440 of pallets of concrete blocks wrapped in polythene sheeting, and 260 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.480 it was the show sheeting on one of these pallettes 261 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:05.480 that had worked its way loose. Shouting down to PC 262 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:09.119 John beat Ellis informed him that it was just polythene 263 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:12.559 sheeting which was moving around in the wind. He went 264 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.480 up to the pallet, tied it up. The polythene and 265 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.839 then secured it down with a few stray blocks. He 266 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:21.319 then made his way back to the patrol car and 267 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:27.119 continued to observe the surroundings. After a while, both officers 268 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:29.519 felt that they weren't going to see anything that night, 269 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:32.200 and if their friends and colleagues knew that they were 270 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:35.000 on a stake out looking for ghosts, they'd be thought 271 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:38.599 of as gullible and mad. They both decided to give 272 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:42.319 the cause another five minutes then leave, but their night 273 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:48.640 was just beginning. Pcllis said that the patrol car they 274 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.400 were in was a three door Vauxhall Astra, so the 275 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.759 driver and passenger doors were quite long. Both officers had 276 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.839 their windows down, and Ellis remarked that his arm was 277 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:05.279 resting half outside when suddenly the atmosphere completely changed. Ellis 278 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:08.880 said that he went deathly cold, so much so that 279 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.480 he commented that he found it hard to catch his breath. 280 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:17.160 PC John Beat also felt the change in the surrounding atmosphere, 281 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:19.839 and as he was trying to sense what was happening, 282 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.920 Ellis suddenly became frighteningly aware that there was someone pressed 283 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.920 up against the side of the car where his open 284 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:29.799 window was. But there was nobody there. 285 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:31.160 P C. 286 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:35.519 Ellis, an experienced officer and involved in many challenging and 287 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.039 dangerous situations, swore that he felt the same shot of 288 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:42.599 adrenaline and fear right on that bridge as he would 289 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:46.799 in any violent riot. Except in a riot or a fight, 290 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:50.200 he knew what he was dealing with, but he wasn't 291 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:54.559 so sure. Now. The intense and terrifying feeling of a 292 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:58.960 presence right next to Ellis's window became more and more overwhelming, 293 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.279 and he admitted that he wasn't able to do anything 294 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:06.160 about it, not even speak to make John Beat aware 295 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:13.920 he'd completely frozen. Ellis shrieked out in surprise. Christ He 296 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:16.119 could have sworn that there was nobody there at first, 297 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:18.880 So how had someone managed to get so close to 298 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:22.480 the car so quickly and silently? The vision of this 299 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:27.079 person disappeared instantly, and almost immediately for Richard Ellis, the 300 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:30.720 atmosphere returned to normal. He was about to tell John 301 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:34.160 Beat what he'd just experienced when he heard John scream 302 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:37.720 out loud what the hell, and witnessed him push himself 303 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.640 off the car seat and up towards the ceiling of 304 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:44.519 the vehicle. Ellis quickly opened the car door and ran 305 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:47.680 around to the opposite side, fully expecting to see the 306 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:50.799 person who he'd felt and now seen on his side 307 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:53.559 of the car, but now at John's side, but there 308 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:57.319 was nobody there. Ellis didn't say anything at first about 309 00:20:57.359 --> 00:20:59.680 what he'd seen, but it was obvious by John Beat's 310 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:04.400 reaction that he'd also experienced something. Ellis was stunned to 311 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:06.920 hear from his colleague that he'd seen the torso of 312 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:09.960 a man in a robe outfit standing right next to 313 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:15.119 the open window, then inexplicably disappearing. PC Ellis then told 314 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:17.319 John to stay in the car as he was going 315 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:22.400 to check around the immediate area. He grabbed his torch 316 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:26.240 and checked all around the car, underneath the car upon 317 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:30.200 the bridge, but found nothing. He mentions that at the 318 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.400 time the area around the bridge was just soft mud, 319 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.880 so surely there would be footprints, but the only prince 320 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.799 he could find in the mud were that of the 321 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:43.400 patrol car's tires, his boots, and John's boots. There was 322 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:46.440 no trace to even suggest that another person had been 323 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:52.200 anywhere near their vehicle. They decided to move location, but 324 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:54.599 as PC John Beat turned the key in the nition 325 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:57.680 of the car to switch it on. The car refused 326 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:01.440 to start up, instead just turn over and over, just 327 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:05.640 bloody start. Both officers admitted that they started to panic someone, 328 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:09.000 but were relieved when, after a second attempt, the engine 329 00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:14.359 sprang to life. They went back on themselves, then actually 330 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:17.400 drove up to the bridge, switched the engine off, and 331 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:23.160 again sat waiting watching. A few minutes went by. Then 332 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:25.480 a sudden and loud bang came from the rear of 333 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:29.920 the car, as if something had hit it hard, But 334 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.039 the strange thing was there was no feeling of impact. 335 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:36.640 Both officers quickly got out of the car and ran 336 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:38.440 to the rear to check to see what had hit 337 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.920 them and if there was any damage, but they found nothing. 338 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:47.839 As they stood there, completely perplexed, another four loud bangs 339 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:51.519 rang out from the rear of the car. Both men 340 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:55.039 looked at each other. This was a situation which neither 341 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:59.079 of them had ever experienced, with Pclis commenting that the 342 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:01.359 feeling was at the same as when he felt the 343 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:05.400 presence at his window. This new feeling was pure terror. 344 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:10.599 They were genuinely scared. The bangs, which were heard clearly 345 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:14.079 by both officers, were described as being like someone hitting 346 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:16.359 the rear of the car with a bat or some 347 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:20.759 kind of club. After this, both John Beat and Richard 348 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:23.480 Ellis felt that they had experienced enough for one night, 349 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:26.640 quickly got back into the patrol car and left the 350 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:30.799 area to go back to the station. As with commercial 351 00:23:30.839 --> 00:23:34.960 airline pilots who report sightings of UFOs, police officers who 352 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:38.559 come forward and admit seeing a ghost or poltergeist activity 353 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:42.400 are somewhat of a rarity. You only have to go 354 00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:45.079 back to episodes forty four and forty eight of the 355 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:49.160 show Tales from the Emergency Services Parts one and two 356 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:52.079 to see just how guarded people who work for the 357 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:55.400 Emergency Services in the military are when it comes to 358 00:23:55.440 --> 00:24:01.799 submitting official reports concerning paranormal activity. But PC Richard Ellis 359 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:04.960 wasn't afraid to report what he and PC John Beat 360 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:09.799 had experienced and promptly submitted an official report, which in 361 00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:15.400 turn was entered into the official log. More experiences and 362 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:20.519 sightings were reported by construction workers, security offices, and delivery drivers, 363 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:23.920 and these were mainly centered around the monk like figure 364 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:29.200 seen by security guards Stan and Jeff. One sighting, in 365 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:33.200 particular happened to Melbourne, who was a haulage driver making 366 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:37.000 a delivery to a section of the construction site. It 367 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:40.480 was early evening, just beginning to get dark, and the 368 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:43.920 allotted parking and drop area was already pretty full of 369 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:49.400 trucks and trailers. Melbourne found a space and reversed his 370 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:52.480 vehicle into it, then got out of the cab to 371 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:55.240 begin taking the ropes off which were securing the load. 372 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:58.079 As he was working his way down the length of 373 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:02.200 the trailer, he said he suddenly went very cold, then 374 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:07.839 a musty smell quickly enveloped the area. He then caught 375 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:10.920 sight of movement towards the front of the truck and 376 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:14.400 saw a monklike figure glide through the headlights, which he'd 377 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:18.359 purposely left on. He watched it as it made its 378 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:21.599 way further along to the next truck, and then lost 379 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:25.319 sight of it. The smell then disappeared, as did the 380 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:29.519 cold atmosphere, and although Melbourne admitted that he wasn't particularly 381 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:32.319 scared at the time, he did find it a very 382 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:38.279 unnerving experience. After this, he would make deliveries and pick 383 00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:41.119 ups in the same area a few more times, and 384 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:43.160 even though he said he never saw the monk again, 385 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:48.359 the cold atmosphere a musty smell would always descend around him. 386 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:51.039 On the night of his sighting. After returning to the 387 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:53.680 depot where he worked, he even made a point of 388 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:57.160 telling his manager about the encounter, and was surprised to 389 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:00.400 hear that several other drivers had seen the same thing 390 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:05.640 in the same area. So was there any evidence of 391 00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.759 a monastery being in the area of the Stocksbridge Bypass 392 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:15.880 years ago? Well, the answer is yes. In fact, research 393 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:19.200 tells us that there were actually two monasteries. One of 394 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:22.839 them was a Cistercian whose monks lived by a very 395 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:28.680 strict code of practice and ethics. As with many sites 396 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:31.880 such as this, a local legend exists about a monk 397 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:35.359 from this very monastery, a monk who fell out of favor, 398 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:39.680 a monk with flaws, who floundered within that very strict 399 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:45.240 code of practice and ethics. Cast out, he found work 400 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:47.880 and a home at a local farm, but upon his 401 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:52.039