Tales from the North West. Yellow Eyed Beasts and Mrs, We just saw a Bear

More Tales from the North West of England.

A number of years ago whilst talking to the witnesses that I had found to the Salford Wildman. I was chatting with one of the witnesses relatives about anything strange they had noticed in the area of the Buile hill as he had lived and worked in the area of Buile Hill for many years. The witnesses name is C.J. Thomas and he lived very close to this area, one night in the very late hours after a lock in at the Ashfield Labour Club.

The witness was walking in the area between the Ashfield and the old 'Dog Entry' just off Sandy Lane, he was lighting his cigar and saw something that he can still remember to this day. He stated he could not put a name to what he saw but that it was dark, hairy and crouched over, as the witness backed off the almost 'doglike' thing growled at him, he described the eyes as yellowish and really scary and he made off before the animal approached him further.


He has owned dogs all his life, even racing and training greyhounds for a over two decades. He said "this was no dog, I have never seen anything like this thing before or since. They way it growled and the size of it was just unreal, I can still see it in my mind to this day. It was the same colour as a dark Alsatian Dog, but much bulkier.


Mrs, We just saw a Bear, It chased Us. June 2020

Frankie Booth's Bear Sighting: One local resident was driving home from a journey, he was driving into the estate next to the old water sewage station just off Avon Avenue. Earlier that day when walking his dog he realised as they entered the house the dog had dropped its expensive kong ball toy some where on the back fields. So he was delighted to see it lying in the road just outside his house, as he got out to retrieve the toy two young boys aged around 8 or 9 came running from the wood, excited and all talking at once. The gents wife who was with him asked what was wrong and the older boy said "Mrs we just got chased by a Bear in there, can you get your dog to get it" and pointed to the woods at the end of Avon drive.

Trying to calm down the boys the wife asked if they were sure it wasnt a big dog, or someone having them on. But they were insistent that they had heard growling noises, so being boys they threw stones in the direction of where the noise was coming from, they saw a large dark 'Bear' move slightly into the clearing on all fours, so they threw two more stones and this Bear set off after them. They were breathless and all over heated by the time they made it too the street. So what did they see out there close to Eleanor's brook?

Another report from the very same strip of woodland happend only a few years ago - The Stone Shed Woodknocks Sept 2014. I went to our local woods to do an urban art project for uni. I had to photograph my area close to home and collect items and make an art piece with them, then leave that art piece in the woods. I had done this for the last 6 weeks running and had some really strange experiences down there and one of the dog walkers who is a neighbour said the same thing. On this day I had two cameras and my sketch book and pens with me. My mum came in with me and helped me get into the woods themselves, we had to beat a path in as its really overgrown and nettles and brambles are everywhere. I walked around for while and collected sticks and pebbles for me to use in the project. As we got to a bit of the wood thats enclosed and quiet everything changed and there were sticks placed in the branches of the trees around us. I had an intense feeling of being watched and as I went to tell mum she nodded her head slightly in the direction I felt watched from. We both laughed nervously and right next to us was a really loud knock on a tree, not a tap, a huge whack!!! we were startled but mum clapped and the knock came again just nearer to us but to our left.

I was spooked but it went quiet again so I decided to stay and sketch. I sat and sketched and  I heard a quiet voice, a whisper and a reply whispered back, this went on for about 5/10 mins and I just tried to ignore it and sketch. But it kept happening, I was so shocked I said out loud, is it ok for us to be here, and I heard a whisper back,  but I could not make it out. When mum caught up I told her what happened and as I looked over her shoulder I knew there was something to the right of her in the shrubs, I couldn't see it but I knew it was there just watching her, we left slowly not scared just confused, and I felt compelled to say thank you as we left.

Two other people made strange reports when we asked around the neighbours, two young girls who were building grass dens on the field had stones thrown at them from the woods, first from the left and straight away from the right. At first they thought it was a local set of boys or kids playing tricks on them so they threw stone back to be confronted with a loud bang, so they ran off. One lady dog walker was visiting the woods with her large Husky dog, she said she knows the area very well and uses it to forage for mushrooms and wild foods, she has walked the fields and woods for years and knows them well. She explained there was one time when she visited a small copse called Eleanor's Wood, suddenly for no reason she felt sick and dizzy and confused, her dog seemed to transform into a wolf like beast and she felt as though they she had slipped through time or through a rip into another world. She had no idea where she was or how to get back home, when she came too she felt confused and shaken and did not visit the area for many months after wards.

Close by in Woodland is the lonely Turton Tower, this was investigated by Erica Gregory and other members of the Worsley Paranormal Group. They were investing the Turton Tower when she noticed something strange on the lawns outside the grade II listed 15th century building. “We went into the grounds to get some fresh air and were on the main lawn at the front of the house,” explained Erica, whose group has documented various unnerving phenomena throughout Bolton during their 12 year existence. “The full moon was out and it looked nice, so the group were just taking some pictures. I looked over towards the tree and saw a sort of grey mist, so I got my phone out and took a picture,”


The resulting image was almost completely pitch black, but when Erica back lit the photo using an infra-red filter, she was staggered to see what looked like the image of a woman in a long dress peeping out from behind the tree. “I just thought: ‘brilliant’. I knew I had captured something important. It’s rare to get something like this,” said Erica. Numerous people have reported experiencing bizarre phenomena at Turton Tower. One of the recurring stories is that of a lady dressed in a long mourning gown heard to shuffle among the rooms of the hall, sobbing.

The same figure has been seen on the lawn outside the house – but has Erica captured the first image of the Lady of Turton? “Who knows,” said Erica. “It may be that this is the same figure that others have reported seeing. Erica and her group are well known in the area and have visited many of the local hotspots.

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