Send a textAs the nights draw in and the cosy glow of a fire gets evermore inviting, it is the perfect time to share stories. It is not surprising that ghost stories have an enduring appeal. Many stories of the canal feature them. Ghosts like the canal networks themselves create a link between our worlds and the past. Tonight we enjoy the skill of Ian Douglas’ retelling of a ghostly encounter at Blisworth tunnel and why these stories are important. Journal entry:18th November, Friday.“Stainless steel An empty room....
Send a text
As the nights draw in and the cosy glow of a fire gets evermore inviting, it is the perfect time to share stories. It is not surprising that ghost stories have an enduring appeal. Many stories of the canal feature them. Ghosts like the canal networks themselves create a link between our worlds and the past. Tonight we enjoy the skill of Ian Douglas’ retelling of a ghostly encounter at Blisworth tunnel and why these stories are important.
Journal entry:
18th November, Friday.
“Stainless steel
An empty room.
The stark coldness of strip lighting.
The white skirting board is scuffed.
The head-swimming bite of the scent of
Eugenol and dentistry.
I look around for old copies of Giles cartoon annuals
And dog-eared editions of Punch,
But there are none.
Outside oak leaves shimmer
Against an ocean of sky blue.”
Episode Information:
In this episode I read Ian Douglas’ account of the ghostly encounter in Blisworth Tunnel (and his epilogue) as told in his (2021) Folk Tales from the Canal Side published by The History Press.
You can watch David Johns’ (Cruising the Cut) own ‘ghostly’ encounter at the tunnel here: Is this a ghostly encounter at the Blisworth tunnel?
I also read a short extract from Storm Dunlop’s (2021) Weather Almanac 2022 published by Harper Collins and make a reference to Allan Scott-Davies’ (2010) book Shadows on the Water: The Haunted Canals and Waterways of Britain also published by The History Press.
The earlier episode on the liminal nature of canals is: Ep 5 ‘Down the cut’.
The soundtrack for the tunnel story was recorded cruising through Shrewley Tunnel in August 2021.
General Details
In the intro and the outro, Saint-Saen's The Swan is performed by Karr and
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