The Feytin’ Ape
Here’s a tall tale I collected from a local character when I was researching folklore in Oldham, Lancashire. While the tale is purely fictional it does include some half truths and was ‘doing the rounds’ of the local pubs.
The Old Original
Haunted by an amorphous shape, thought to be a woman called Eliza Jane MacKay who committed suicide by drowning herself in the well of New Inn Farm, which is situated nearby. She is said to have been an alcoholic who drank at the inn and was buried in the orchard at New Inn Farm.
Cairo Mill
A security guard at Cairo Mill In Waterhead Oldham witnessed a UFO lit with a blue light after hearing a humming noise outside the mill. It was described as 30 metres in diameter, saucer shaped with a large window. After about 5 minutes the UFO turned and shot away into the sky. The factory cat also disappeared at the same time. There have been other UFO sightings in the area.
Oldham Coliseum
The Oldham Coliseum was the scene of a tragic accident involving the play that raises the hackles of superstition in many actors: Macbeth.
Castleshaw Roman Camp (Rigodunum)
The original fort dates to the Flavian period, and was probably erected during the governship of Agricola (AD77 to AD83), when new Roman roads were being constructed in the Pennines as an aid to Roman expansion in the North. The larger fort became a smaller fortlet in the Trajanic era.
Greenacres Lodge
This building owned by the local authority is reputedly haunted by a white lady. A few former employees have mentioned to me experiences they have had in Greenacres Lodge.
Hannah Beswick of Birchen Bower, Hollinwood
There used to be a large manor house (now demolished) called Birchen Bower in Hollinwood in Oldham, which was famous for its alleged haunting by a Grey Lady called Hannah Beswick.
Pots and Pans
Pots and Pans above Greenfield, was once thought to have been a Druid place of worship, and old maps mark the site of a ‘Druid’s Altar’. Just where the Druid’s Altar was is unclear, but it is generaly believed to be the rounded depressions found on top of the giant boulders of Millstone grit (the actual pots and pans) on the crest of the hill.
Alderman Hill and Alphin Pike
In legend the rolling boulder-strewn hills of Alphin Pike and Alderman Hill were the abodes of the giants Alphin and Alderman, after whom the peaks were named. Alphin and Alderman were at first on friendly terms, until they both became enamoured with a beautiful water nymph called Rimmon, who lived in the valley below them in the bubbling waters of Chew Brook.
St Chad’s Church, Saddleworth
Saddleworth church – dedicated to St Chad – has a legend associated with its location. It is said that the original site for the church was on nearby Brown Hill, but every night the stones were mysteriously moved to their present position. Eventually the builders gave up moving the stones back to Brown Hill, and built it where the stones were placed each night.
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