Craig and Andy dive deep into the chilling four-decade history of the Penhill Poltergeist in Swindon. From post-war council housing built over ancient, capped brewery springs to an official authority spokesman going on record to confirm a haunted house, the Wyrdos unpack how a modest 1950s estate became Wiltshire's epicentre for high strangeness.

The Wyrdos pull back the curtain on the bizarre and terrifying events on Westbury Road and Melksham Close—where heavy cassette players levitated, doors snapped off their hinges, children were pinned to walls by invisible forces, and a BBC camera crew captured drastic temperature drops during a 1973 exorcism.

They trace the legacy of Swindon's professional ghost-hunting priest Canon Christopher Harmon, examine the tragic history and dark trauma of the land beneath the concrete, and debate whether psychokinesis, sleep deprivation, or underground water tables were to blame.

Finally, Craig and Andy share their own unnerving experiences with things that go thud in the night.

Stay Wyrd.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map

Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories

Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Or email us directly: wyrdwessex@pm.me

Join the Wyrdo Community

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Huge thanks to our current supporters: Steve, Emma, Jen, Dan, Vicki, Steph, Gabby, Andrew, John, Rosie, Nick, Simon, and Terry!

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix

Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy and Craig dive deep into the explosive history of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. From the religious turmoil of the English Reformation to a secret cellar beneath Parliament packed with 36 barrels of gunpowder, we unpack how a Protestant lawyer's son from York became "Guido" Fawkes—a mercenary, explosives expert, and the most infamous figure in British history.

The Wyrdos pull back the curtain on the tragic local story of Margaret Clitherow and her brutal crushing in York, tracing how her death became the catalyst for Fawkes's radicalisation. They also unravel the mysterious warning letter delivered to Lord Monteagle, the undercover guise of "John Johnson," the tense search of the vault, the horrific tortures of the Rack and the Little Ease in the Tower of London, the final shootout at Holbech House, the gruesome executions, and how a failed 17th-century coup birthed modern traditions from "Penny for the Guy" to V for Vendetta.

Stay Wyrd.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map: Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories: Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community: Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode—exploring the crossover between ancient divining practices and modern technology—Craig and Andy tackle the history, pseudoscience, and dark real-world fallout of dowsing and quantum-generated coordinates.

From 16th-century German mining texts, Martin Luther’s warnings of demonic witchcraft, and modern UK water utilities using hazel twigs to the rise of Randonautica during lockdown, we dive into how intention, mind-matter interaction, and confirmation bias shape our search for the unexplained. We discuss the terrifying true cases linked to the app—including the Seattle Alki Beach suitcase murders—before heading out into the field. Armed with the app and an intention set strictly for "beer", Craig and Andy venture into the darkening woods near Ashurst in the New Forest, navigating sketchy log crossings, abandoned woodland camps, and a race against the clock to catch a train.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map: Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories: Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community: Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Stay Wyrd!

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Halloween special and anniversary episode of Wyrd Wessex, Craig and Andy dive deep into a chilling collection of spooky listener-submitted stories.

The wyrdos tackle everything from terrifying childhood hauntings and mystery man voices to self-knocking doors and the delicate line between real-world truth and individual perception.

The conversation expands into high-strangeness territory with a detailed submission from Dr. P, exploring potential abduction events in North Wales, surreal owl encounters, and the deep-rooted UFO lore surrounding Pembrokeshire, Stacks Rocks, the Coombs family farm, and the famous Welsh Triangle.

Moving closer to home, Craig reads a local Devizes story set in Albion Place, cross-referencing the location with rare ghost tour guidebooks by local historian John Gervin. To top it all off, Andy sneaks in a private last-minute submission about late-night supermarket apparitions, nun-like Bluecoat robes, local convents, and a quick nod to the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's death

Timestamps:

00:00 - Halloween Anniversary Intro & Smoke Machine Scares

01:04 - Story 1: Abandoned to a Poltergeist

03:20 - Story 2: Squirrel Halloween cross

05:55 - Story 3 The old women's feet above the floor

08:35 - Story 4: Dr. P's Abduction Event & The Staring Barn Owl

15:24 - Story 5: The Albion Place Haunting (Devizes)

19:53 - Story 6: Hostile Household Spirit & Escalating Activity

30:00 - Story 7: The Supermarket Nun

38:14 - Wrap Up, Houdini Centenary & Happy Halloween

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map: Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories: Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community: Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Stay Wyrd!

Written and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Wyrd Wessex, Andy and Craig head to Lyndhurst in the heart of the New Forest to sit down with author, folklorist, and storyteller Brice Stratford. Over a series of pints at historic local spots, the conversation dives deep into what it truly means for folklore to be anchored to a specific landscape, contrasting genuine rooted community traditions with modern "fake lore" and commercialised New Age myths.

Brice pulls back the curtain on why he takes issue with the ubiquitous New Forest witch Sybil Leek, championing instead real historical figures like Mary Dore—an 18th-century woman whose legacy of shape-shifting, stick-gathering, and feuding with the Duke of Montague remains etched into local memory. The trio also unpacks the oral endurance of the William Rufus legend, the legendary Cobb's arrows, the mechanics of dragon-slaying motifs, the fiery ghost stories of the Fox and Hounds, the whispered panels of St. Michael and All Angels Church, the shadowy history of the Hawkhurst smuggling gang at the Crown Hotel, and local cryptids like the Stratford Lion.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map:Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories: Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community: Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Stay Wyrd!

Written and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode—part two of our deep dive into Borley Rectory—Craig and Andy pick up the story as the chaos enters its most turbulent and heavily documented chapters. Moving past the early years, we tackle both the infamous Marianne Foyster residency and the dramatic 1937 investigation scheme led by Harry Price.

From violent poltergeist phenomena, wall scrawlings, and flying objects to Price's ambitious recruitment of independent observers to spend time in the haunted ruins, we explore how the legend cemented its place in history. We break down the accounts, the investigators, and the lingering mysteries of Britain's most notorious rectory.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map:

Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories:

Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community:

Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Stay Wyrd!

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Craig and Andy dive into the early, creeping hauntings of Borley Rectory—a location once dubbed "the most haunted house in England." Before the infamous Marianne Foyster era brought absolute chaos to the blue room, the Rectory spent decades quietly accumulating strangeness under the Bull family and the brief, chaotic tenure of Eric Smith.

We explore how Britain's premier ghost hunter, Harry Price, first arrived at the scene with his kit of fingerprint powder and mercury gauges, and we chat about how our modern fear of ghosts compares to historical perspectives on the paranormal.

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map:

Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. Head to our Instagram bio or join our Discord to explore the locations!

Send Us Your Stories:

Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10MVzaWqJXVbLonxf1WiwM4n41-R2fiDMqDN3WKQzYMA/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=100798326189189740063

Join the Wyrdo Community:

Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Shop our merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Stay Wyrd!

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy and Craig return for a special edition of AfterWyrd to dissect a major development in one of the Isle of Wight’s most bizarre modern legends: Sam the Sandown Clown.

Following up on their previous discussions and their recent interview with folklorist Paul A. T. Wilson at the Strange Days Festival, the Wyrdo co-hosts dive into new research sent in by a listener.

They explore the findings from the debut episode of the Cease to Exist podcast, which uses newspaper archives, ancestry records, and investigation trails connected to BBC’s Uncanny to track down the real "Faye." Is Sam the Sandown Clown an elaborate hoax, a misremembered childhood event, or living folklore in action? Craig and Andy examine the paper trail, discuss whether the story holds up, and ask the lingering question: why has nobody ever tracked down the second child from the 1973 encounter?

Explore the Wyrd Wessex Map: Every local UFO encounter, ghost story, cryptid sighting, and ancient earthwork featured on the show is plotted directly onto our custom interactive Google Map. HERE

Send Us Your Stories: Have you experienced high-strangeness, seen something unexplained in the skies, or have local folklore to share? Fill out our form HERE

Join the Wyrdo Community: Buy Me a Coffee (Ad-Free Episodes, Discord & Bonus Shows): HERE

Instagram: @Wyrd_Wessex (Make sure to include the underscore!)

Don't blame the Owls!

Website: www.wyrdwessex.co.uk

Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/explore

Hosted by: Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens

Edited by: Craig Brooks

Intro music by: Universfield Dark 80s Sci-Fi Atmosphere

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.