The Woolley Bridge Inn, Glossop

According to spooky reports in The Glossop Chronicle (March 11 1999), The Woolley Bridge Inn, which is now a private house, was home to the ghost of a young girl called Clarissa McDonough, who was brought to Glossop from Ireland, aged 4. Not long after they moved in, publicans Vic and Rita Gerrard began hearing a child's voice, noises upstairs and belongings appeared to move around for no apparent reason. The pub cat also appeared disturbed on occasions. Then Vic reported seeing the girl standing on the landing. He told The Chronicle "She told me her name and that she was 12 years old and was upset because someone had drowned her kitten which was called Toby." After further conversation, in which the girl asked for Vic's help, she melted away. "I seem to sense she was strangled." said Vic. Reports of the phantom girl apparently came as news to regulars in the Woolley Bridge who have not seen the spectre, however there have been occasional reports of a 'dark shadow' in the lounge. There the report in The Chronicle ends, however a later roumour was that the 'dark shadow' was being attributed to the spirit of a malicious man who is trying to get to the little girl.  

In a later report in the Glossop Chronicle the licencees, Vic and Rita Gerrard were adamant that they were experiencing paranormal occurrences of the most frightening kind and kept a diary. Reports suggest that the happenings occurred after psychics visited and sensed the spirit of a man in a black frock coat (presumably thereby identifying the 'dark shadow' occasionally spotted by regulars). Since then the Gerrards reported cans mysteriously falling from rubbish bags and tingling sensations in the arms and legs, and the sense of an evil presence. Rita reported seeing the man changing into a lady in a wheelchair, or into an old lady, then a dog, snake and lizard. Scarey stuff indeed, although the paper also reports that a recent overnight vigil on the premises produced no evidence at that time of any activity.