Wilderhope Manor Picture Gallery (Click to Enlarge)
	GHOST HUNT AT WILDERHOPE MANOR AS SEEN ON LIVING TV'S 'MOST HAUNTED' Standing on the slopes of Wenlock Edge in the Welsh Marshes, Wilderhope Manor is a stunning example of an Elizabethan Manor House that looms on the horizon like something from a particularly classy horror film. Built in 1585 by Francis Smallman (whose initials can still be seen on one of the ceilings), it remained in the Smallman family until 1742. What makes Wilderhope Manor so unique is the fact that it is pretty much unaltered and looks the same today as it did when it was built, retaining many original features, not least the magnificent spiral staircase topped with a conical turret. It was given to the National Trust in 1932, when extensive repairs were carried out. Now, in it's 6th century, Wilderhope Manor functions as a youth hostel and a site of vast historical importance due to the unspoilt nature of its architecture, something that makes it one of only a few examples of its kind. Being several miles from its neighbours, situated in wild, Bronte-esque countryside and taking into account it's echoing, largely unfurnished rooms, a late night visitor to Wilderhope Manor would be forgiven for feeling somewhat ill at ease. If it was a particularly dark winter's night, with the wind howling and the windows rattling, they might start to wonder if the scenario had been dreamt up by Edgar Allan Poe himself. And, furthermore,  if they happened to hear some of the ghostly tales associated with the building, they wouldn't linger a moment longer than they had to. For Wilderhope Manor is haunted by some particularly chilling entities. During the English Civil War, Wilderhope Manor was owned by Thomas Smallman, a Major in the Royalist Army. Captured by Cromwell's troops he was imprisoned in his own building, but managed to escape on horseback. While being chased by his captors he plunged over Wenlock Edge. Although his horse was killed, Smallman was saved thanks to a crab apple tree which broke his fall. His pursuers gave him up for dead, and thereafter his escape to Shrewsbury was incident free. This area of Wenlock Edge is now known as Major's Leap, and many people have witnessed the apparition of a horse and his rider hurtling over it. Thomas Smallman is also thought to be one of the apparitions seen on a regular basis in the Manor itself, that of a gentleman in a long flowing cloak. A famous story associated with this ghost tells of the time a writer went to stay at Wilderhope Manor in hope of seeing this particular spirit. While helping to paint the ceiling one day during his stay, he looked down from the ladder and saw a gentleman in a long cloak wearing a large floppy hat and thigh length boots. Believing it to be the warden or a visitor in fancy dress, he shouted a greeting to them. The figure though, instead of replying, merely looked up slightly before walking through a solid wall. The writer is convinced to this day that it was the ghost of Thomas Smallman whom he met. The other frequently witnessed ghost at Wilderhope Manor is possibly the most terrifyingly chilling that you will ever hear of, and one that leaves even the most hardened of Eerie Evenings' staff rather apprehensive and excited at the prospect of encountering it. This particular spirit appears in the unassuming form of a little girl, who approaches visitors with a beaming smile. However, her smile suddenly disappears and she lets out a bloodcurdling scream, leaving those who have witnessed it completely petrified and clamouring to get as far away from the place as possible. Eerie Evenings have privileged access to the manor for the entire night, a night that will take you into the very realms of the supernatural, and one that promises to live in the memory for a very long time.   An Eerie Evening at Wilderhope Manor Can Include: ~ Welcome Drink ~ Three Course Meal by Candlelight ~ Talk by Local Historian and Ghostly Tales ~ Platform Readings by Spiritualist Mediums ~ Psychic Workshop with Experiments ~ Opportunity to use Ghost-Hunting Equipment ~ Late Night Ghost Hunt & Paranormal Investigation ~ Optional Dormitory-Style Accommodation ~ Light Breakfast & Refreshments Throughout To enquire about a private event at Wilderhope Manor: PLEASE CALL: 01543 278075 EMAIL: queries@eerie-evenings.com