Llanelli, Wales Most Haunted Town?

By Jonathan Williams

In the third part our feature on Llanelli Ghosts (second part The Haunting of Miss X), I wanted to speak to a Ghost expert and find out what paranormal activity there is around Llanelli.

 

Therefore I took my trusty recorder and arranged a meeting with Geraint Hopkins. Geraint, who is more commonly known as Geraint the Snakeman has been investigating ghosts and paranormal activity since 1989 through Ghost Watch Wales.

He was also a consultant on the successful Living TV Series Most Haunted when it came to the area and has had strange experiences throughout his life.   .

I asked him about the famous buildings and places around Llanelli and was fascinated to discover a lot of stories that I hadn’t heard before and which are not in print. There were also a few stories that we deemed unsuitable for publishing for a variety of reasons.

We start with Llanelli House, and Geraint tells me that the ghost of Mira Turner is not the only inhabitant!

Llanelli House

I first investigated it back in the 90s when it was Easy way.  The gentleman who ran the place was having strange ‘goings on’ in there, so we stayed the night!

Whilst we were there, the alarms started going off in the middle of the night.  I remember being drawn to the downstairs fireplace and I had a strange feeling that someone was looking down on me.  Though when I looked up there was nothing there!

I went back about a year ago to do a proper investigation with Most Haunted and we picked up a lot of activity. However, Mira Turner did not fall down the stairs, she went through the window in the back of the house.

Mira still haunts then house and she’s not the only one. There’s a lot of spirit children there, playing like back in the time when the house was used. It’s not malevolent, it’s a happy place.

We’ve also discovered the spirit of a man named Wilfred. He’s a former butler, is happy to stay there but isn’t too happy with the current state of the house. 

There have been stories of people being pushed down the stair of the main staircase. I don’t think they are being pushed, it’s just like a woman’s dress is brushing past you.  We’re not sure which one of the spirits it is.

When we were filming there we blacked out all the windows with plastic sheeting, it was summer and we needed it darker. When we finished filming and were outside, we noticed a man’s face looking back at us. There was no one in there, I locked the house!

There’s also the story that at 12 midnight on New Years Eve that a phantom stagecoach comes rushing down past the old church. It starts off in Parc Howard and it is supposed to be Thomas Stepney’s funeral coach.

I did speak to a gentleman, who’s a reporter and he told me that back in the 60s he was riding a moped past Parc Howard and heard noises behind him.  He looked around and saw the coach and horses and it went straight through him!!

There’s a lot of spirits there but we can’t tell who they are but people have seen faces in the windows.

Parc Howard

I’ve been in there all night without Most Haunted and I can tell you that there’s definitely two spirits there. They are a nurse and First World War soldier.

In fact, I think it was about 6 months ago and I just happened to be there and bumped into a group of school children and their teacher.  The school children said we’ve just seen a ghost in the window!

I asked the teacher and they finally relented and confirmed what the children had seen!  The windows that they saw them in have been boarded off!

Numerous people have said when they’ve passed Parc Howard they have seen a soldier in the grounds, a stage coach which is not Lady Stepney’s but I’m not sure whose it is and also the nurse!

On investigations with EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) on the tape recorder, we have picked up voices from the past. We contacted the ghosts and they are happy to be there.

There’s also something strange in the tower. I had a feeling that someone was painting. I later found out that an artist used to use it and still walks around the stairs.

The staff have never felt anything but one cleaner did refuse to clean there. There are little children walking around and a lot of residual energy.

Old Hospital

Inside the old hospital, things were seen. One night a sister went to sleep in the old casualty unit. Somebody came up and touched her and when she looked up, she saw a man in Victorian clothing. Some of the nurses I know have seen figures which are not there and heard noises.

Cilymaenllwyd

There’s supposed to be a curse there!  One of the children drowned in a pond out the front and two drowned down the beach and people have actually seen children walking around there.

A gentleman who worked there came to see me and said that the servant bells would ring in the cellar but they weren’t connected.

On the very top floor it is haunted by the ghost of a woman and child.  I would reckon that it is one of the most haunted houses in Llanelli and would like to to carry out a proper investigations. 

Pembrey Country Park

The man in brown overalls is in one of the bunkers. I have personally seen him and so have some of the staff in the country park. He worked there when it was a munitions factory.

I’ve also seen the ghost of a man without a face.  He came at us really close and made me jump!  He is the spirit of one of the ammunition’s workers who was killed in an explosion.

One of the most active parts are the woods.  Walking in the woods we saw little lights from lanterns. They are the type of lanterns that the Gwyr Y Bwelli Bach (the wreckers who used to lure ships onto the beach during the 1700s) would have used and we’ve seen them flickering as if they were waving in the ships.

A lot of people have said that they seen them. Another time in the woods we saw a figure of a man, we tried catching up but whenever we got closer he got further away until he disappeared.

We were down the beach walking one night when we saw what we thought was a fisherman.  When we went closer, it simply vanished.

Fisherman have told me that they’ve seen things on the beach and legged it, the coast is allegedly haunted by the ghosts of those killed by the Gwyr Y Bwelli Bach.

I don’t advise the public to go down there ghost hunting in the night. It is dangerous!

Cwrt Farm

I’ve never done a proper investigation there but stayed the night and we did see the figure of a woman walk straight into a wall and vanish.

RAF Pembrey

I haven’t spent the night there but I have been told by a chap that he and his grandson both saw an airman. People have also heard aircraft in the night when none have been talking off and strange lights have been seen in the sky.

I heard of the story of the old lookout tower. There’s was a gentleman up the tower, there was only one way up. He turned around and saw a face looking at him which was impossible as it was about 60 feet up!

Kidwelly Castle

I picked up what could only be described as a preacher coming out of the church and I also saw up on the battlements a shimmering person holding a spear in his hand walking from one battlement to another.  This has been witnessed by other people too.

I went down in the oubliette, that’s where they used to throw the prisoners in the old days.  I had quite a bad feeling in there, as if I had been scratching and clawing to try and get out.

Trimsaran

There’s stagecoach that goes through Trimsaran and goes down past the Farriers.  A gentleman once told me that he was driving in Carway at around 12 midnight on a certain date and a stagecoach came towards him and forced him off the road.

Llangennech

The Plas in Llangennech which is now a derelict building.  My auntie used to live not far from there and she told me that she saw a figure in white walking through the grounds.

I’ve also heard of a story about the rich woman who used to own the Plas who passed away.  The maid was in bed one night and the woman came back as a ghost.  She beckoned the maid follow and took her to a secret hoard of jewels under the floorboards.

However, the maid sadly passed away as she had such a fright through shock!

There have been figures seen walking round the grounds.

The old church on the marsh. Some kids went camping and saw a giant figure of man standing in church doorway.  The church isn’t here now, it has been moved to St Fagans.

Miscellaneous

Strange things have been reported in Llanelli market, I’ve seen a woman with a parasol walking through there and people have heard their names being called out. I’m hoping to put a camera up in there.

Just outside Llannon, there is a phantom horseman.

In the old Stepney Hotel, one of rooms was haunted and footsteps have been heard in the corridor.

There’s apparently a ghost in the cellar of Trostre Works.

There’s been seen a young girl with a lamp down Machynys and I remember a gentleman telling me about the time he was walking his dog there one night and he saw the figure of a monk in a habit.

I’ve been down there but never seen anything there but felt a strange presence.

Where is the most haunted place in Llanelli?

I’d say Llanelli House, though there is a lot of activity in Pembrey but that is over a wider area.

What would you say to anyone thinking of going ghost hunting?

Don’t! Also don’t ever mess with Ouija Boards or do seances in your house as you could bring in a malevolent spirit.  Don’t go into old buildings as they are dangerous.  Young people are very impressionable but never try to do experiments in your house or your friends.

If you want to get into ghost hunting or the paranormal, watch the programmes on Tv, read books, look at the internet or go with a group that know what they are doing.

My thoughts

It was quite chilling listening to Geraint list the number of places around Llanelli that are rumoured to be haunted.  As I stated in the beginning, there were a few alleged hauntings or paranormal activities that I am unable to tell but which over time I guarantee will be added to the local folklore.

Do I believe in Ghosts?

I don’t know yet, but something strange has happened already. I was finalising this interview and going through the recording (it was a digital recorder) and listening to it when I heard a strange noise.

It sounds like someone shouting and is louder than Geraint and myself talking.  The strange thing is that we were the only ones in the room and the recorder was between the both of us on a cushion. You can also hear the both of us talking oblivious to the shout. I’ve checked the recording further and found another strange noise.

What is it?

I don’t know but we will investigate it further and let you know.

In the meantime, is Llanelli, Wales Most Haunted Town?  What do you think?

For those of you intending to go Ghost Hunting, please take Geraint’s advice and leave it to the experts.  I intend to!

Have you seen any of the ghosts mentioned here, or have you seen anything strange?  If so, let us know by emailing jonathan@llanellitown.com.