Hello Internet - it’s me, your host - Jack Finch - bringing you some of the scariest
British urban legends, right here on Most Amazing Top 5.
Now, we all love a good urban legend - and being a British person myself, I can safely
say that the entire country is *rife* with them.
From the Midlands, to the coastal ports of Devon and Cornwall - and the great Northern
Moors of Yorkshire.
As you know, the British Isles have been established for a /pretty/ long period - and it’s given
the British population enough time to explore all of the creepy corners and corridors - of
stuff that should, generally - be left *well* alone.
Before we get started guys - make sure to hit that subscribe button, and leave a comment
in the box down below - to let us know what you’d like to see more of.
Starting us off at Number 5 - we have the /terrifying/ series of tales from Newsham
Park Hospital, in Liverpool.
Now - I actually lived in Liverpool for quite a number of years - and believe it or not,
I’ve /visited/ Newsham Park Hospital.
Why?
Well, I was young and stupid - and I’ve since learned better.
Originally built as a chapel in 1873, Newsham Park Hospital saw a series of incarnations
during its construction.
Firstly it was an orphanage for sailor’s children - but then in 1879, it was converted
into a sanitorium - an asylum for the clinically insane.
Finally - after the fallout of two world wars - the site became Newsham Park Hospital - and
the infamous location of hundreds of reported ghost sightings.
Now, if you ask any of the Liverpudlian locals what the most haunted building in town is
- they’ll all point you to Newsham Park Hospital.
The most commonly reported legend, is that of the ghost of a small female child who roams
around a particular top floor corridor.
Some believe that she was spotted in this very photograph - and if that is indeed the
case, then I won’t be going back to Liverpool - /any/ time - soon.
Bringing it in at Number 4, we have the Beast of Bodmin Moor.
Hey, that rhymed.
The Beast of Bodmin Moor has been driving the population of Cornwall up the wall, ever
since the first purported sightings in 1978.
The tale began with the occasional reports of mutilated and slain livestock found by
Cornish farmers.
Perplexed at the fact that their cattle were dropping like flies, the locals started to
look for answers.
The wounds inflicted to the livestock appeared to be too deep and wide for any local wildlife
- like foxes and badgers - and the signs began to point towards the actions of a big cat.
Particularly, a panther-like cat.
Rumours began to surface of the incredibly likely possibility of alien big-cats finding
their way into the British Isles.
People began hypothesising that wealthy collectors had imported leopards, panthers and jaguars
as part of their private zoo collections - which had later either escaped or been set free.
The idea being that, well - if you illegally owned a giant leopard, you wouldn’t exactly
inform the police about it.
In 1995, an official investigation reported that there was “no verifiable evidence”
of any exotic felines on the loose in Britain, and that the slain farm animals were more
than likely attacked by a local species.
But, well - less than a week after the report was released, a small boy discovered a large
cat’s skull lying about a river.
It measured around 4 inches long and 7 inches wide - and possessed two incredibly sharp
canines.
Now - the authenticity of this has later been disputed,
But now, it has the Cornish locals convinced that the legend of the Bodmin Beast is very
much still alive.
Right up at Number 3, we have the unusual story of the Birmingham Vampire.
Now, take this one with a pinch of salt - or garlic - because it’s equal parts absurd
- but also terrifying.
In 2005, reports of a vampire on the loose in Birmingham hit the press, after a man had
gone on a rampage around Glen Park Road in Ward End.
Described as a young looking man in his 20s, this attacker had reportedly bitten a male
pedestrian, and then continued to bite people who had come to the man’s aid.
One woman was said to have had an entire chunk of flesh bitten clean out of her hand.
Over the following weeks, police and the media were contacted by a number of people from
all across Birmingham, claiming that they had been similarly attacked.
Some residents claimed that they had unsuspectingly opened the door - and were outright bitten
by a strange, ravenous man.
Some believe that the “vampire” had himself been bitten by a rabid animal, with others
believing that he was willfully spreading rabies before he croaked.
Whatever he was - he definitely left a terrifying impression on the good people of Birmingham.
Wrapping it up at Number 2 - we have The Crying Girl of King’s Cross Station.
Heading over to the Big Smoke of London - the urban legend of a young woman who roams the
corridors of King’s Cross /tube station/ - has been actively reported since the late
80s.
She is described as a modern looking young woman, with long brown hair and dressed in
jeans and a t-shirt.
People have reported hearing her sobbing uncontrollably - weeping with her arms outstretched, and
screaming at passers by.
An inconceivable number of people have seen the crying girl - but whenever they have tried
to comfort her, she disappears completely into the crowd and vanishes.
Now - this urban legend is tied to a tragic event that happened in 1987 - where a pedestrian
had carelessly dropped a lit match whilst riding the escalator.
The resulting fire was devastating - spreading rapidly through the station, and killing 31
people - as well as trapping hundreds of others underground.
Some say that the Crying Girl is a cautionary tale - harking back to the tragic fire at
the result of one careless person - while others say that she is definitive proof of
the spiritual world,
and a mortal reminder of those innocent lives that were tragically lost.
AND FINALLY - coming in at Number 1 - we have …
The Enfield Poltergeist.
In August 1977 - a strange series of disturbances at a council house in Enfield, London - held
the nation spellbound for over a year.
Sisters Margaret, 14 - and Janet, 11 - claimed that they were being possessed by an evil
spirit, a poltergeist that would physically attack them - throwing rocks, toys and furniture
about the house.
The girls mum, Peggy, called the police after she witnessed her children levitating out
of their beds.
On arrival, the police constable wrote /himself/ that he had seen a table and chair smash against
a wall - seemingly out of nowhere.
Over a period of 18 months - more than 30 people had witnessed paranormal events at
the house, including police officials, neighbours, psychic researchers and journalists.
They reported strange, disembodied voices, guttural chanting, flying furniture and heavy
objects being thrown around the house.
The Enfield haunting left experts on both side of the spectrum - completely perplexed.
With famed paranormal investigator, Ed Warren, convinced that the events were proof of the
demonic realm.
Whatever happened - the story of the Enfield Poltergeist remains an urban legend lodged
deep in the psyche of British society - and a reminder that even your own home can hold
a haunting.
That’s all we’ve got time for today guys - we hope you’ve enjoyed the video, make
sure to leave a comment in the box down below - if you were as scared as I was.
I’ve been your host Jack Finch, right here on Most Amazing Top 5 - and until next time,
take it easy.