2020-02-01_Fortean_Times

44 FT389

usedmytried-and-testedmethod of asking

local newspaperstoincludeashort article

outliningthe experience inquestionand

invitingreaders to getintouch withmeif

theyhad related informationtooffer.^2 This

exerciseyieldedone experiencerelating

to aghostlybride (see below). It should be

notedthat no newspapercould tracean

article from itsback-issuerecordsfromthe

early1980s(where they existed)reporting

on abride called‘Sarah’ whodrownedby

falling offabridge on herweddingday.I

feelcertain suchanoccurrencewould have

definitelyappeared in thelocalpress, if not

thenationalpapers.

THE BRIDE ON THE HEATH

Ionlyreceivedone responsetomycall

forinformationthroughlocalnewspapers.

This wasfromMrG,who is nowretiredand

wasbornand bredin theSandbachareaof

Cheshire.Heremembersthe storythat his

grandmothertoldhim in the1940s about a

localchurch thatishauntedby theghost of

abride.Thestorygoes that thereisawhite

apparitionthat hasbeenseen crossing

theroad from theoppositeside to the

church,throu h thelych ate andintothe

churchyard.Thisissupposedto be theghost

of abride whodied justbeforeher wedding

dayand wasburied in herweddingdress in

thechurchyard.

MrGsaysthatthestory is well known

locally.Hethinkshis grandmotherwasborn

in the 1880s, andtold the storyasifitwere

bothwell-known andhad beenaroundfor

along time,which suggeststhatit could

possiblypre-dateWorldWarI.The church is

St John theEvangelistChurch at Sandbach

Heath,whichissometimesreferredto

simplyas‘TheHeath’.Thebuildingwas

designedby GeorgeGilbert Scott,and is

situated inacomparatively isolated position

onChurchLane,whichrunssouthoffthe

CongletonRoad(A534),justeastofjunction

17 of theM6.Alittlewaytothe north of the

church,beforethe A534,thereisavalley

withasmallbridgeoverabrook that is a

tributaryofthe RiverWheelock.

MrGhas neverseentheapparition

himself,but recalls thatduringthe1980s

he wasattending an educationalcourse

as partofhis work on therailways when

he wasapproachedby acolleague(he can

onlyremember the man’s nickname of

‘Garth’)whotoldhim astory. Garthand

hiswife hadbeenwalkinginthe area

aroundTheHeathwithagroup of friends

the previousweekend.Itwas dusk as they

walked upthelane onwhichStJohn the

Evangelist Churchstands; theweatherwas

dry. Garth andhis wife haddropped back

somedistancefromthemaingroup,and

their friendshad all gonepast thechurch

entrance. Itwasatthispoint that the twoof

themsaw aperson-shaped whitemistcross

theroad in front ofthemand go through the

lychgate.Terrified, they quicklycaught up

withthe maingroup.Garth hadsought Mr

G’sconfirmationaboutthe reputed haunting

becauseofhis knowledgeofthe local area.

Neither Garthnorhis wife knewof it before

theeventtookplace and so there canbeno

question of prior suggestion.

IcontactedSt John theEvangelist Church

and spoketothe current warden, whowas

bornlocallyand haslived in the area all

hislife,some60years.Hewasawareof the

story of aghost inawhitegownbut neither

he noranyone else thatheknows hasever

actuallyseenanything;and he hasspent

agreat deal of timeoverthe years,in the

dayand at night, undertakingdutiesin

thechurch andchurchyard.Heconsidersit

simplyanold talepassed downovertime.

Iaskedwhether there mightbeawoman

who hadbeen buried in herwedding dress,

but hewasnot aware of anyevidence

thatsuchanevent hadoccurred; the only

optionwouldbetogothroughtheDiocese

recordsinChester. Idid not feel thatIcould

justifiablyask anyone to dothis, particularly

as anyrecordswere unlikelytonotethe

apparel of thedeceased, whoofcourse

would have arrived at thechurch in aclosed

coffin.Itherefore thanked thewarden for

histime andadvice, and drewalineunder

thisavenueofresearch.

ABOVE:The lychgate ofSt Jo hn th eEvangelist, Sandbach Heath,wher e‘Garth ’saw amisty ,whitefigure.

ROBG GANDY

Aperson-shaped

white mist crossed

the road and went

throughthe gate