|
Kempston
Contents -- Click to go to item |
|
General
|
A brief note about the area
The sound of ghostly bells The Green lady who jumped out and frightened children Freezing rooms and the sound of footsteps The screams of a young boy killed by a carriage The ghosts of at least four different women |
|
Kempston lies to the south-east of Bedford town centre to which it is now effectively joined, though it is still a town in its own right. It is the site of the Bedfordshire Police headquarters. The present day population stands at 18,520.
At Bell End, Kempston ghostly bells have been heard. They are said to ring in honour of a murdered sexton who was hanged by a bell rope then thrown in the river.
To view a map of the area click on the button below
Unusually a ‘Green Lady’ haunts a path in Kempston which starts at the end of Water Lane and runs past the River Great Ouse to All Saints Church. In 1968 a newspaper article told of how the ghost would jump out at children from behind the trees that lined the path or sometimes she would be seen gliding in ‘a sinister fashion’ through the mist that was rising from the river. It became so bad that bell-ringers and Cub Scouts stopped going to their evening meetings at the church for fear of meeting her.
To view a map of the area click on the button below
In the area off Hillgrounds Road lie the ruins of Kempston manor and a boathouse belonging to Kempston Youth Club/Outdoor Activity Centre. Whilst working at the site back in the 1980’s Clem Tite, a storeman/technician, had several ghostly experiences. “Almost every afternoon in the Summer I used to hear footsteps in the building. I used to search the place, but there was never anybody there. Other people also heard footsteps: on one occasion one of the youth workers bought her dog in. She went down the passage to a room at the end of the corridor where she was hit by an absolutely freezing sensation as if she had walked into some giant fridge. It spooked the dog. It howled, its hair stood on end and it ran off with its tail between its legs.”
To view a map of the area click on the button below
One evening the owners of nineteenth century Kempston Manor were returning home after attending a Christmas Eve Ball. As they approached the house their young son heard the sounds of the carriage and ran out to greet them. Unfortunately this resulted in his being trampled to death under the horses’ hooves. Now on Christmas Eve can occasionally be heard the sounds of the carriage, the neighing of the horses and the screams of the boy.
To view a map of the area click on the button below
An area in Kempston known as Ladies’ Walk is said to be haunted by numerous female spirits. Two are those of girls named Sophia and Frances who used to walk the area hand-in-hand and still do so after death. Other ghosts include Lady Snagge (see the entry under Cranfield: Wood End Lane) who is heard calling for her lost son, and another girl mourning the death of her Cavalier lover.
To view a map of the area click on the button below
|
