If you’re looking for a scare as we approach the spooky season of Halloween you needn’t look far, as one of the borough’s most ‘haunted’ lanes is right on your doorstep.
Georges Lane is to commuters an asphalt lane running through the countryside taking them in an out of the large village of Calverton
Yet this country route can be found on the sat nav of the supernatural.
While Georges Lane and Georges Hill both may seem tranquil during the day, it transforms into a hotspot for paranormal activity once night falls.
Since the 1930s, there have been many sightings of a strange ghostly figure dressed in black and wearing a large broad-brimmed hat roaming about the hill.
As well as travelling on foot, this ghostly figure is also keen on hitching a ride with those driving alone on the lane at night. Many drivers have narrowly avoided crashing their vehicle after spotting they’ve picked up an unwanted passenger in the rear view mirror.
Many walkers venturing up the lane after midnight also claim to have been chased away by this menacing figure dressed all in black.
The first reported sighting was back in the 1930s when at around midnight, a young man by the name of Bardhill encountered what he described as a ‘strange and frightening entity’ whilst walking home from the Goose Fair.
It was when he reached the section of the lane at Dorket Head that he saw a dark mass emerge from the hedge-bottom on the left-hand side of the road.
Mr Bardhill continued walking and quickly realised that the mass was keeping pace with him. It then changed into the form of a tall man wearing a cloak and a broad-brimmed hat. The figure’s large hat covered all features except a large, hooked nose. Around its shoulders he could clearly see a large silver chain. The figure appeared to glide rather than walk and even when Mr Bardhill quickened his pace and crossed to the other side of the road it kept up with him. It was not until he neared the village and home that the phantom disappeared back into the hedge-bottom.
Legend has it that Taxi drivers are said to still avoid this route into Calverton after dark, preferring to go into the village via Woodborough instead because of the amount of reported sightings.
On the lane the figure takes the form of an old lady, and on the hill the figure wears a black hooded garment. Normally the witness only sees the entity in the rear-view mirror; when they turn around, the figure has vanished.
In 2016 a cowled figure was spotted in the car park on two separate occasions.
As with all ghost stories, the truth may be elusive, but the legends of Georges Lane continue to spark curiosity and imagination. Whether you’re a sceptic or a believer, the tales of this haunted lane reminds us that history and mystery often go hand in hand.
