THE STARTING GATE
The Starting Gate undoubtedly stands as one of Walsalls most haunted sites and details concerning the buildings considerable paranormal history have languished in the Ghost Clubs files for a number of years now.
In mid-June, 2002, a Club representative contacted the (then) licensee Mr. Steven Grigg in an endeavour to learn whether ghostly happenings did indeed still go on at the site.
Mr. Grigg told us that he only moved into the premises in October, 2001, but during those brief 9 months he claimed to have experienced a plethora of potential paranormal occurrences.
Steve instantly invited the Ghost Club to conduct an investigation at his pub with the strict understanding that we did nothing to harm his resident ghost(s)! and a visit date was set for the following week.
News of our impending activities at The Starting Gate subsequently aroused the interest of a number of newspapers, including the Express and Star, the Walsall Chronicle, the Walsall Observer, the AdNews and The Sun.
Reported Activity
Paranormal activity at this site has long been associated with the ghost of a former landlady, Mrs. Ethel Freeman, who is believed to have committed suicide in the cellar of the building during the late 40s / early 1950s.
Former licensees, Clive and Norma Stevenson, twice called in the Vicar of Walsall for advice on their resident ghost. The Prebendary John Jackson said that the Stevensons seemed certain of a presence in the building.