Grove Mill (Bygone Times)

Whether you have an eye for antiques or just want a stroll down memory lane, I can heartily recommend a visit to Bygone Times at the Grove Mill in Eccleston. The 17th century mill also has a reputation of being haunted.

The site of Grove Mill has seen several industries since the 17th century including corn milling and wool processing. Parts of these earlier industrial buildings form part of the cotton Mill complex created when Grove Mill was built in 1845.

The following are extracts taken from Gordon McCully’s article in The Citizen, dated 20th August 2007 and entitled, ‘Ghostly goings on at old mill’

Ghostly goings on at Bygone Times are well known thanks to Jason Karl, former presenter of television’s Most Haunted, who included it in his book, Haunted Places of Lancashire.

There have always been ghost stories told from the time the site was Grove Mill.

Four mediums who visited the site and reported the same paranormal feelings and descriptions of spirits.

There are several ghost hotspots,’ in the mill where most sightings or unearthly sensations can be felt.

These include the place where an apparition of a man pacing up and down was seen; the face of a lady looking out of a window and ghostly outlines of small children running around.

It is well documented that small children who worked in the weaving sheds were often badly injured while climbing through machinery.

Grove Mill ceased production of textiles in the early 1980s and some older parts were demolished while others were let as industrial units.

In the late 1980s a business consortium, which included John Rigby and the present owner Tim Knowles, began to re-develop the mill into Bygone Times, the antiques and collectors centre we know it as today.

The investigation of Grove Mill is carried out by ‘The Jason Karl Ghost Research Foundation’  and the Grove Mill website gives the following quote by Jason (2007) “For mills of this size and age it would be unusual for paranormal activity not to occur – what is surprising is the level of paranormal activity present in these 2 mills.”

Amongst the experiences reported are a tablecloth bursting into flame, a woman using a Oui Ja board becoming possessed and an overwhelming feeling of sickness in the old penny arcade.