The Lion and Swan Picture Gallery (Click to Enlarge)
	GHOST HUNT AT THE LION AND SWAN HOTEL,  CONGLETON, CHESHIRE Built in the 16th Century, this half timbered Coaching Inn is at the heart of the historic market town of Congleton in Cheshire. It is thought that there was an earlier building on the site which could date as far back as 1496 and that functioned as a Licensed Inn, Alehouse or Traveller's Resting Place, much as the current building does today. During the 18th Century the newer building prospered as stagecoach and canal travel become more popular, and in the early 19th Century it became the penultimate stop in the new London to Manchester stagecoach service. Finally, with the coming of the railways, The Lion and Swan was developed and extended and the way it appears from the outside today is pretty much the same as it would have done at the end of the 19th Century. While 20th Century owners spent £2 million on modernising the interior of the hotel, it has not lost its original features or charm. One of the strangest and most talked about of these features is the main fireplace which features ornate and intricate carvings of strange, erotic symbols and demonic figures. It is believed that this wooden surround would have come from two ends of a bridal bed, or from another, non-Christian source - that of a fertility aid owned by a sorcerer which couples desperate to conceive would pay to spend the night in. To add to the weird and wonderful aura surrounding this fireplace it is also the focus for one of the most bizarre and risqué hauntings you are likely to encounter. For on many occasions, in the dead of night, the apparition of a young girl with dark flowing hair has appeared and been seen to be tending the fire. Not too strange in itself, except that she is wearing nothing but clogs and a winsome smile. Many people have associated her with a young woman who died during the middle ages after drinking a potion designed to help her conceive - tying her to the fireplace's theme of fertility. And while this apparition is only witnessed by the fireplace, it is thought that the same spirit appears elsewhere in the building in the form of a brown shadow, which has led to this particular entity being nicknamed 'The Brown Lady'. Perhaps the most haunted area in The Lion and Swan however is Room 20 (which can be seen at the top right of this page). Many guests have woken in the middle of the night to a room that is so cold they can reportedly  see their own breath, before fleeing downstairs to request a transfer due to the terrifying 'presence' in Room 20. On more than one occasion guests in the room next door have complained to staff about all of the banging and scratching sounds coming from 20. Each time that this has happened there has been no-one staying in that room and so the noises remain a complete mystery, convincing many people that there are otherworldly residents in Room 20. The same room is also home to a spirit dog which has been seen and heard by guests and staff alike for many years, and which may explain the odd scratching sounds emanating from the area. The other apparently paranormal activity in the room involves the door which frequently flies open of its own accord. The other area which our overnight investigation will focus on is the large cellar, which even long serving members of staff are reluctant to venture into. The sound of a child or a female (reports vary) crying and talking is heard on a regular basis and there is also a rather spooky painting which legend has it results in the death of those who touch it. It has been hanging there for as long as anyone can remember... Another part of the cellar used to function as a nightclub in the 1970's. It was closed after the manager was brutally murdered during a break-in and has remained pretty much untouched since that time. Unsurprisingly this area feels particularly unpleasant and is perhaps the reason why it has never been used for anything other than storage in the past 30 years. Eerie Evenings are lucky enough to be the only paranormal company offering the chance to investigate what is apparently an undiscovered treasure in the paranormal world!   An Eerie Evening at The Lion and Swan Can Include: ~ Overnight Hotel Accommodation ~ Welcome Drink of Traditional Mead ~ Three Course Meal ~ Talk by Local Historian and Ghostly Tales ~ Platform Readings by Spiritualist Mediums ~ Walk-Around with Spiritualist Mediums ~ Psychic Workshop with Experiments ~ Opportunity to use Ghost-Hunting Equipment ~ Late Night Ghost Hunt & Paranormal Investigation ~ Full Breakfast & Refreshments Throughout To enquire about a private event at The Lion and Swan: PLEASE CALL: 01543 278075 EMAIL: queries@eerie-evenings.com