In this episode we explore the history and haunting of St Stephen's church in central Norwich. Expect dramatic music, Siofra saying "like" a lot (sorry about that) and what appears to be a pretty rare type of haunting.
Good morning from the Norfolk Folklore Society! This month, we’re handing the microphone over to you—our lovely loyal followers! That’s right, our latest podcast is dedicated entirely to your questions, and you had so many that we’ve had to split them into two – or maybe even three! - episodes. Your curiosity knows no bounds, and we love you for it. In this first part, we tackle some truly excellent queries, including: What is the spookiest place we’ve ever been, and was it too spooky to return?...
Today’s podcast stars FAN OF THE PODCAST author Rob Parker, who has written an astonishing 25 books and has just released the first in a new series of crime novels set right here in Shuck’s Own County. If you buy The Troubled Deep, we suggest you head to the very end of the book, not to solve the mystery, but to read the effusive credit to the Norfolk Folklore Society. Rob contacted us several years ago to ask if we minded him taking the concept of our podcast, changing it and creating brand new...
This month we have a good old chat about Twelfth Night and the Whittlesey Straw Bear. Mainly because they are both nice events coming up which we think you might like to go to. Stacia manages to make Siofra laugh at a joke and Siofra says "interesting" a lot.
Good morning from the Norfolk Folklore Society! Today we are (b)ringing you a feast of folklore all about BELLS. From the ghostly chime of drowned bells beneath the sea to the eerie toll of phantom bells in Norfolk bogs, we’ve jingled and jangled through history to unearth the most enchanting bell lore (basically, Siofra bought a book on bells and they appear to be folklore MAGNETS). It’s an ap-peal-ing episode. Sorry. Bells have long been a part of Norfolk’s cultural landscape, from church towe...
Today we are talking about a particularly sinister apparition that stalks the Norfolk countryside, namely the Old Man of Hopton, who haunts a section of road close to the coast. In the Winter edition of Lantern (the wonderful publication from the brilliant Lowestoft- based Borderline Science Investigation Group) in 1980, the tale of a Lowestoft man on the new A12 Hopton Bypass was reported.
In this episode we collect more accounts of Black Shuck encounters in Norfolk and Suffolk. The episode was recorded as part of Charlie Cooper's Myth Country, so welcome if you came across us from the Black Shuck episode. We hope you all enjoy this behind the scenes recording. We wanted to add a special thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us. We loved having you on the show.
Today’s podcast is the NFS’s own version of the General Election and, as such, we get to the heart of a very pressing issue: whether a dog-headed monk or a monk-headed dog would be more terrifying to meet down a dark alley? For many years, the dog-headed monk/monk-headed dog conundrum has been our very own personal litmus test…but for the first time ever, our conviction that we knew the correct answer has been rocked. So, this episode is all about putting this issue to bed for once and all. Let ...
In the atmospheric setting of England’s largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall, wonderful tales were woven about Norwich’s dark past. We joined forces with performer Laura Cannell to create a magical night filled with tales of ghosts and witchcraft, secret tunnels and dreadful murders linked to this distinctive building in the heart of Norwich. We had a lot of fun that night and we hope you enjoy listening to the show!
In this episode Siofra and Stacia explore the tale of Melvena Spinks, and alleged witch from East Dereham.
Join the Norfolk Folklore Society as we introduce author, illustrator and folklorist Helen JR Bruce who will be diving into the rich folklore and mythology surrounding Black Dogs. Cover illustration - Shuck Zine / Matt Willis
This month we have a chat about a very haunted house in Thorpe Marriott. Inspired by the new BBC documentary about the Amityville Horror house, we searched our archives and dug out one of our creepiest stories to discuss.
We were absolutely delighted to welcome Lucy Spirit and Rachel Duffield as our January speakers the Norfolk Heritage Centre at the Norwich Millennium Library. Rachel, who is an artist and costume marker, a historical reenactor and an incredible painter who spent years working for Norfolk Museums Service will be presenting the talk written by Lucy, a researcher, writer, open-minded sceptic and spooky expert. Those attending will discover a brief history of Raynham Hall and the life of its infamou...
Today’s podcast is about the Magical Sword of Winfarthing, the Excalibur of Norfolk which helped women rid themselves of terrible husbands (and find their lost horses) from the safety of their village church. We have plenty of sword play with a range of topics which see us discuss witchcraft, famous magical swords and why we can’t pronounce most of them, why the sword is associated with supernatural and magical powers and why making swords was so revered. (Something I forgot to mention in the po...
Our December 2023 talk was given by the wonderful Val Thomas. Val, a good friend of the Norfolk Folklore Society (she was the first ever speaker the NFS had at our monthly talks!), shared some recommendations for a magical Yule or Christmas dinner with our guests. About Val: Val Thomas is a witch, a craftsperson, herbalist and a teacher. For more than a quarter of a century she has lived in Norwich, working with the magic of the land – its plants and creatures, its gods and its spirits – and exp...
We were delighted to welcome the wonderful Laura Cannell to our November at The Louis Marchesi in the pub’s 15th century undercroft. Laura spoke about her new project, MARSHLORE , which has so far seen the publication of two zines, each of which include a miscellany of stories, original artwork, folklore and more, inspired by the East Anglian marshes, ancient folklore and living traditions. She calls it: “A mix of thoroughly researched folklore and thoroughly made-up stories.”...
This month’s podcast is all about ghosts – or rather, the ghosts we’d all draw if anyone asked us to mock up a quick doodle. You know the one: looks like a floating bedsheet with eyes. Round on top, wiggly on the bottom, with a couple of eyes holes – it’s the image that always pops to mind when thinking of ghosts: but why? This very specific image of ghosts as white sheets has been engrained in our culture for centuries and, until fairly recently, was considered genuinely terrifying. We look int...
On October 24 Christian Hudson from Norfolk Ghost Hunters came to speak to us at the Norfolk Folklore Society’s monthly meeting. Christian works within a team of five, each of whom specialise in different fields, and is a paranormal investigator and demonologist. He works in tandem with the Church of England and the Catholic church and he and his team have been involved with hundreds of paranormal investigations at venues across the UK, from big venues to private houses. Christian will be shared...
Today’s podcast was recorded on Gressenhall Farm and workhouse’s Apple Day, which we were delighted to be part of, representing Norfolk Folklore Society in the farmhouse kitchen. From the kitchen table we offered people a host of apple folklore and it was lovely to welcome so many people and to hear their own folklore and ghost stories.
Simply because they are not expected, ghosts that appear in modern surroundings and with no warning often feel like the most terrifying of all. Today’s ghost is absolutely terrifying. Our witness tells us: “ It was like a damp sheet of very black space wrapping itself around me…” And where was this horrific patch of dark matter? In the very middle of Norwich city centre, in buildings which have part of an old church incorporated into their walls and which stand close to where one of the city’s m...
This episode takes us back to the Black Shuck Festival on August 5. Thank you to everyone who attended and to the festival for having us: we had such a magical time and hope to be involved with next year’s Shuck shenanigans. We hope you enjoy Shuck Storytime!
We were delighted to welcome the wonderful Alice Crick as our next speaker on July 26 at Arboretum on St Benedict’s Street. Alice’s talk was called Faunus: Landscape, Memory, and Folk Practice. Here, she explains what she spoke about: “The great god Faunus has haunted the wildwoods of Norfolk for aeons, leaping across heathlands and fens into other counties whilst also keeping his fluid limbs ready to change names and forms. This will be an exploration of his titles, found in the great Thetford ...
We’ve got a very special podcast for you today: we travelled across the border to Bungay to speak to two eye witnesses who have seen – or heard – everyone’s favourite cryptid canine, Black Shuck. Another eye witness account from Bacton is also shared. This episode's cover image is by the very talented Matt Willis and taken from Shuck Zine. TheFolkLoreBox - Etsy UK...
We were honoured to interview the legendary Black Shuck at our June 2023 at Arboretum and what an evening it was! Black Shuck was absoultly charming, James Mayhew performed and illustrated a wonderful poem and Stephanie Timberlake shared detail of what we have to look forward to at the festival in August. Just a little warning that this is a live recording so has some background noise. Also, it probably isn't safe for listening to at work or around young ears. Black Shuck is a demon dog from hel...
Today’s podcast is all about the slightly unusual story of time travelling…in an abandoned Norwich underground toilet which has now been demolished. So this isn’t one you can try at home… This curious tale is courtesy of Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe.
Last week Stacia and I shared some of our favourite stones in Norfolk with the Norfolk Folklore Society. We told tales of stones said to increase fertility, stones with curses attached to them, stones where offerings are left, stones that induce orgies, haunted stones and even a mysterious Druid’s stone in the centre of Norwich. Thanks as always to Arboretum for being such lovely hosts.
Today’s podcast is a classic bit of Norfolk folklore that takes us along the country roads near Cantley, past dykes and low-lying marshland, fields and hedgerows, ancient villages and hidden treasure. We are talking about Callow Pit, a tree-shrouded pond at a crossroads said to have been a hiding place for outlaws, smugglers…and the Devil.
In April we looked outside of our magical county to virtually visit the ancient ritualistic landscape of the South Dorset Ridgeway with Alex aka Stone Wizard.
Today’s podcast is a brand-new story (for us!) about a well-documented haunting close to Fakenham in the 1970s in two flats built on the site of a village lost to time many centuries earlier. Ghosts seen included a figure wearing white, a teenage girl and a man: residents reported feeling “a terrible sense of evil” and dreadful things have happened to these buildings over the decades.
We had the privilege of welcoming Chris Spalton to our March 2023 Norfolk Folklore Society talk at Arboretum in Norwich. Chris shared tales from his childhood in the Fens as well as some of his favourite folklore stories from his book. This is an unedited recording of the talk, so there is a little bit of swearing.
