The Living Ghosts of Prudhoe Castle: A True Short Story

Built soon after the Norman conquest of 1066, Prudhoe was continuously occupied for nine centuries. Following the First World War, it fell in to ruin until it eventually ended up in the hands of a landowner during the 1940s.

When the same wealthy property owner decided to buy up some of the land near the coast of Tynemouth, Elizabeth Rogers and her mother, who rented a cottage on the land, were told they would have to leave their home.

The landowner told them they would be given accommodation, at a very nominal weekly rent, at Prudhoe Castle in Northumberland, and since the only other option open to the Rogers was to be made homeless they accepted the offer.

"Living in a castle has its problems," Elizabeth told me. "The old steps, having to carry pails of water from outside when you want to wash or drink, and there were no toilet facilities, of course. Also, the only cooking facility was a primus stove or the fire. But the most frightening thing about living in Prudhoe Castle was the ghosts!"

©2017 Matthew Hutton (P)2018 Matthew Hutton