#Paranormal Wednesday - Pickwick Poltergeist

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

The “Pickwick Poltergeist” house in the Toxteth neighborhood in Liverpool, England is up for sale. The three-bedroom terraced house is currently for rent at £91 a week, and is said to be haunted by a violent ghost, known as the Pickwick poltergeist.

Significant paranormal activity situated around the house goes back as far as the 1800's. The poltergeist not only haunts this particular property, but various houses on the street. Decades of reports, accompanied by the often violent nature of the poltergeist, have been documented.

In one instance, a landlady was reportedly lifted out of her bed by an unseen force, while the house of her neighbor was shaken by violent vibrations. Other incidents include doors slamming and objects flying across the room. Tenants report "feeling uneasy" and that the house is constantly cold.

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I tried to find historical information on the area to see if something out of the ordinary had happened, which might explain the haunting. I couldn't find a specific event, but I was able to find Toxteth Park Cemetery's death records of people who lived on Pickwick Street from 1870 to 2000. There were a lot of deaths. It made me wonder if the "poltergeist" activity was a collective energy, or one death in particular. Here's what I found: 

Keep in mind, these are the deaths of people who lived at what is basically a 2 block area of terraced homes.

1870-1879 26 deaths

1880-1889 51 deaths  

1890-1899 54 deaths 

1900-1909 33 deaths 

1910-1919 44 deaths 

1920-1929 16 deaths

1930-1939 17 deaths

1940-1949 6 deaths 

1950-1959 7 deaths

1960-1969 2 deaths

1970-1979 3 deaths

1980-1989 1 death

1990-1999 1 death

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*Total: 261 deaths within a 130 year period

           109 of those were an infant or child

Of note: On Dombey Street, which is one street over (a similar 2 block stretch, and also worker housing at the time) there were 162 deaths during the same 130 year period. Significantly lower, and no reports of poltergeist activity on that street. Makes you wonder.

*The first death reported on Pickwick Street was on April 13, 1871. Catherine Newton was listed as a 56 year old "wife." Her husband, Thos Newton, died on February 10, 1880.

*The first death recorded at 62 Pickwick Street (the place up for sale) was on December 16, 1897. Eliza Ann Watts was 18 years old and listed as a "spinster." Her parents, Ellen and George, died at the same location in 1916 and 1926.

#Frightening Friday-What's Under the Bed

Scene from The Unborn also known as The Mother (2003)

You're trying to sleep, when suddenly you have the feeling that someone...or something is under the bed. Have you experienced that? Try as you might, the feeling won't go away. Your heart pounds in your chest and sweat breaks across your brow. That's silly, you tell yourself. You're a grown-up after all. Only children are afraid of what's under the bed. You close your eyes and try to block out the uncomfortable feeling.
But it lingers. And lingers.
Wait! Did the bed just shake? Was that a whisper? Did something just tug on the corner of the sheet? You can't sleep until you check of course. You sit up and quietly swing your feet over the edge, drop to the floor...and you look.

Movies such as Mama, Ju-on: The Grudge, and even Poltergeist (clowns, why does it always have to be clowns?) all indulge our "what's under the bed?" fears. When I was a kid, I remember stuffing as much junk as I possibly could under my bed, just so there would be no room for anything to hide. Did it work? No, I was still scared. Because, as you know, monsters can fit into very small spaces.

For your viewing pleasure on Frightening Friday, I thought I'd share some movie scenes with you.
Enjoy, and sleep well tonight. 

Mama (2013)

Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) Technically, this takes place "over" the bed, but it still applies

and Poltergeist (1982) Though the movie is a bit dated, this is still a great scene.