1 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,159 Speaker 1: Tales of haunted roads and vanishing hitchhikers are among the 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,120 Speaker 1: more ubiquitous of ghost story tropes to be found throughout 3 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: the world. In a classic sense, the notion might bring 4 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: to mind Washington Irving's headless horsemen from his gothic and 5 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: satirical masterpiece The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and although not 6 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: a ghost in the regular sense, you'd be hard pushed 7 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: to find a more iconic incarnation of the mysterious roadside 8 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: wanderer than the eponymous hitchhiker from HBO's Darkened Trashy anthology series. 9 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: The prevalence of such stories has been clearly aided by 10 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: the growth of the automobile industry and the frequency with 11 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: which people might, as a result, find themselves driving alone 12 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: through eerie nights on deserted roads, miles from familiar surroundings, 13 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: in other words, the perfect environment for a spectral encounter. 14 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: And it is this the basic utility of the humble road, 15 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: or any other thoroughfare for that matter, that for me 16 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: makes it in many ways the most apt location for 17 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: a haunting. Not only is the path a metaphor with 18 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: multiple applications, but also literally, it is the pathway's basic 19 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: function to deliver you from one place to another, a 20 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: journey that often involves traveling through the unfamiliar places rarely 21 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: experienced only glimpsed in passing, and often at speed from 22 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: inside the relative comfort of a moving vehicle. On the 23 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: fifteenth of May two thousand and nine, in London, work 24 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: began on a major transport project to construct to high 25 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,559 Speaker 1: speed rail link traveling east and west through the heart 26 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: of the city. In March two thirteen, construction workers tunneling 27 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: deep below the ground found the remains of twenty five 28 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: skeletons in a small five meter wide shaft. The remains, 29 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: found to be almost seven hundred years old, were later 30 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: discovered to have been victims of the Black Death, a 31 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: plague that swept through Europe in the fourteenth century. The 32 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: discovery is one of many extraordinary archeological finds uncovered by 33 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: excavations for the New Line, including a number of similar 34 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: burial sites with some dating as far back as seven 35 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: thousand to BC, as well as the discovery of over 36 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: ten thousand artifacts spanning across thirty different sites throughout the city. 37 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: Not only does the revelation of the burial site bring 38 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: to mind Nigel Neels wonderful Sci Fi Cereal, Quatermat and 39 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: the Pit. But it also serves as a gruesome reminder 40 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: of those that have walked the paths before, and perhaps 41 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: in some ways still do. It certainly begs the question that, 42 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: even when traveling the most seemingly deserted of roads, are 43 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 1: we ever truly alone? You're listening to Unexplained and I'm 44 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: Richard McClean smith. The A six one six is a 45 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: road that begins just to the north of the town 46 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: of Newark on Trent in the county of Nottinghamshire in 47 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the East Midlands. Tracing a path northwest through the country. 48 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: The road bends round Sherwood Forest, crossing the border into 49 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: Derbyshire at the town of Cresswell, before disappearing into the 50 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: concrete vortex of the M one motorway, and then, as 51 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: if by some mysterious process of refractive urban planning, it 52 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: appears again some fifty miles further up, now in Yorkshire, 53 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: sprouting westward from junction thirty five just above the city 54 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:25,280 Speaker 1: of Sheffield. Prior to nineteen eighty eight, the road continued 55 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: on through the town of Stocksbridge at the northern fringe 56 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: of the Peak District, before eventually coming to an end 57 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: at the city of Huddersfield. In nineteen eighty seven. However, 58 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: building began on a small stretch of the road that 59 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: would later become known as the Stocksbridge Bypass, a stretch 60 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: of road now generally regarded as one of the most 61 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: haunted in the whole of the UK. The years since 62 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: the construction of the bypass have seen a highly unusual 63 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: amount of strange sightings and sounds that remained to this 64 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: day unexplained. It began on a warm September evening in 65 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty seven when two security guards, Stephen Brooks and 66 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: David Goldthorpe, were patrolling the building site of the unfinished bypass. 67 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: The men employed by the reputable ratherum based firm Constant Securities, 68 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: were both well experienced and would often work the night 69 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 1: shift together. Just to the south of the bypass lay 70 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: the white, low rise hangars and dusty roads of the 71 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 1: Stocksbridge Steelworks, and to the north, stretching for miles nothing 72 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: but open fields and farm land. It is hard to 73 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: resist the strange energy of such places. The concrete byway 74 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: separate from the town but not fully removed, forming an 75 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 1: unnatural threshold between the urban and the pastoral. It is 76 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: in such locations we often find those most peculiar of places, 77 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: the siding, unfrequented, almost forbidden, pockets of land where wild 78 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: flowers and grass compete with the cast off detritus of 79 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: modern life. Running almost parallel to the road was the 80 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: usual chain of electricity pylons, their spindly metal arms and 81 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: drooping cables, just visible in the moonlight as they stretched 82 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: off towards the dark moors of the Peak District. Cruising 83 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: round the site in their van, on the night of 84 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: Tuesday eighth, Stephen and David were nearing the newly constructed 85 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: p Roid Bridge when they spotted something peculiar. It was 86 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: Stephen who noticed it first, some sort of movement at 87 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 1: the base of a pylon near to the approach road 88 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: to the bridge. As they got closer, Stephen couldn't quite 89 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: believe what he was seeing. The movement appeared to be 90 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: a group of young children playing and dancing at the 91 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: base of the pylon. It was odd, to say the least. 92 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: Not only had it gone past midnight, but there were 93 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: no houses anywhere nearby. And then David noticed something strange 94 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: about the children's clothes, how old fashioned they were, but 95 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: before they could get a closer look, the children completely vanished. 96 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: The two guards immediately pulled up and got out of 97 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: the van. More than a little unsettled, they made their 98 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: way to where the children had been dancing only moments before, 99 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: but found no footprints or any other sign that anyone 100 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: had been there at all, and all around the air 101 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: was still save for the quiet hum of the electricity 102 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: pylon overhead. Confused, the men returned to the van and 103 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: continued their patrol, but no sooner had they reached the 104 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: bottom of the bridge, Stephen caught sight of something else peculiar. 105 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: Look there, he said, pointing to the top of the bridge. 106 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: What on earth is that? David pulled up the van 107 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: and looked out at the windscreen. It appeared to be 108 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: the silhouette of a man wearing a hooded cloak. Together 109 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: they called out to the man to leave the site, 110 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: but the figure did not reply and remained frozen on 111 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: the bridge. Assuming they were the victims of a practical joke, 112 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 1: Stephen got out of the van, keeping an eye on 113 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: the figure as David drove the van to the opposite 114 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: side of the bridge and switched the lights on. Too 115 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: full beam Stephen watched in horror from the other side 116 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: as the light shone straight through the body the figure. 117 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: But what was more terrifying was that whatever it was 118 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: appeared to be missing its head. Moments later, the figure disappeared. 119 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: Constant security director Mike Lee had been sound asleep when 120 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:23,599 Speaker 1: he received a panicked call at four thirty am requesting 121 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:28,439 Speaker 1: he head out immediately to the building site. When he arrived, 122 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: he found both Stephen and David waiting for him in 123 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: a state of abject fear. The guards proceeded to describe 124 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,719 Speaker 1: to Mike what they had seen that night, and from 125 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: the tone of their voices, it was clear to Mike 126 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: that this was no joke. Mike knew the men as 127 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: two down to earth, tough South Yorkshire lads, a rugby 128 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: player and weightlifter, but now what he saw in front 129 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: of him were two frightened boys shaking with shock, with 130 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: Stephen even being reduced to tears as he recounted the 131 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: knight's events. Are you always taking care of your family? 132 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: Do you often take care of others and not yourself? 133 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make 134 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: time for you. You deserve it. Teledoc gives you access 135 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: to a licensed therapist to help you get back to 136 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,960 Speaker 1: feeling your best, to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc, 137 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: you can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video. 138 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: Therapy appointments are available seven days a week from seven 139 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,719 Speaker 1: am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed 140 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, 141 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: or you might be struggling with a personal or family issue, 142 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, 143 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: so they make it easy to change counselors if needed. 144 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:01,359 Speaker 1: For free, teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. 145 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 1: Download the app or visittelldoc dot com forward slash Unexplained 146 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: podcast today to get started. That's t e ladoc dot 147 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: com slash Unexplained podcast. The following afternoon, a call came 148 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 1: in to nearby Deep Car Police Station. Police Constable Dick 149 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: Ellis answered the phone to find a trembling voice on 150 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: the other end of the line. It was Stephen calling 151 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 1: from home, desperate for any kind of help, but there 152 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: was little that Pcllis could do other than to suggest 153 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: that Stephen tried contacting his local church, and so it 154 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: was with some surprise that the next day Dick received 155 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: another phone call about the same matter, only this time 156 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: it was from a priest. He said that he was 157 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: calling on behalf of two men security guards from the 158 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 1: Stocksbridge Bypass construction site. He explained that they had come 159 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: to see him in a state of deep distress. The 160 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: men had requested an exorcism of the road, worried that 161 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: perhaps a graveyard had been disturbed in the construction of it. 162 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,719 Speaker 1: So convinced of the men's stories, or at the very 163 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: least convinced of their fear, the priest asked PC Ellis 164 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: if he could investigate the site before he started making 165 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 1: any cause to the Vatican. The following day, on the 166 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: evening of Friday, September the eleventh, PC Dick Ellis and 167 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: Special Constable John beat got into their regulation Fiat Panda 168 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: patrol car and made their way towards the construction site. 169 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: Before long, they passed the quiet and deserted steelworks on 170 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,960 Speaker 1: the edge of town and pulled into the building site 171 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: just at the foot of Proid Bridge. A short time later, 172 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: the men were sat with the engine and lights turned off, 173 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,599 Speaker 1: admiring the bright full moon hanging in the sky above them, 174 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: while the radio crackled intermittently in the background. The men 175 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: agreed to give it a few more minutes before calling 176 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: it a night and heading back to the station. But 177 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:32,319 Speaker 1: then something caught the eye of pc Ellis. Turn off 178 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: the radio, he said to John, what is that up 179 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: there on the bridge. John could see it too, some 180 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: sort of shadow moving about in front of a set 181 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: of large palletts. John tried flashing the car lights to 182 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: get a better sense of it, but the angle wasn't 183 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: quite right. Stay here, said Dick, as he got out 184 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: of the car made his way over to the boxes 185 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:08,079 Speaker 1: to investigate. Despite all his experience and training, a peculiar 186 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: feeling had begun to settle over PC Ellis, a feeling 187 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: of dread that seemed to wrap itself around him, tightening 188 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: as he drew nearer to the pallets. And there it 189 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: was again, the shadow, moving quickly in front of him. 190 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: He called out, but there was no reply. Slowly he 191 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: continued forward until finally he could see it clearly, just 192 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: a loose sheet of polythene partially ripped from the pallet 193 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: and flapping about in the wind. With some relief, Ellis 194 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: returned to the vehicle and relayed the news to John. 195 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: The two men couldn't help but laugh and decided to 196 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: call it a night. But something wasn't quite right. Despite 197 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: uncovering the true cause of the mysterio his figure on 198 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: the bridge, Ellis couldn't quite shake that lingering feeling of dread. 199 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: Now back in the car, it seemed to be intensifying. 200 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: It wasn't a fear as such, but more of a 201 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: sudden sense of impending and inevitable doom. Ellis wound down 202 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: the window to get a little air and looked out 203 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: again across the deserted site, and then Ellis noticed something else. 204 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: Despite the warmth of the night, the temperature in the 205 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: car had dropped dramatically, and now Ellis had the distinct, 206 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: unmistakable feeling that he was being watched. But what was 207 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: really terrifying was the dark shape that had just then 208 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: appeared standing right outside his open window. Ellis froze and 209 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: slowly turned his head head to face the figure, but 210 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: when he looked out of the window, it had gone. 211 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: John screamed as there now standing on John's side of 212 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: the car was the same shadowy figure, but this time 213 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: John could see it clearly. At first he saw an 214 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: old fashioned waistcoat and some sort of cravat, and then 215 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: he lifted his eyes for a moment he caught a 216 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: glimpse of a face, its blank eyes staring directly at him, 217 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: before it vanished again. The men leapt immediately from the vehicle, 218 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: convinced someone was messing with them, But as they looked 219 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: frantically around the car, there was little to be seen 220 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: save for the soft yellow lights of nearby Stocksbridge and 221 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: the bright full moon hanging high above them in the sky. 222 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: After a quick search of the surrounding bankside, the pair, 223 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: now deeply rattled, returned to the car to mount a 224 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: proper search of the area. Unable to find any one, 225 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,399 Speaker 1: they returned to the bottom of the bridge, pulled up 226 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: the car and attempted to radio back to base, only 227 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: the radio wouldn't turn on. Suddenly, two loud bangs rang 228 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: out from the back of the car, as if something 229 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,920 Speaker 1: was pounding on the roof with all its might. John, 230 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: now shaking, turned the ignition, but the engine refused to start. 231 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:40,880 Speaker 1: The thumps came again. John hurriedly tried the key once more, 232 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: and this time the engine sputtered into life. He shifted 233 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: the car into gear, turned it around and sped off 234 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: back to the safety of Stocksbridge. The following day, both men, 235 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: despite the obvious potential for ridicule, reluctantly reported their accounts 236 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: of the previous night, with Ellis putting the incident down 237 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:15,479 Speaker 1: to inexplicable phenomena. Unsurprisingly, the two officers were roundly mocked 238 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:19,440 Speaker 1: by many of their colleagues, and the story inevitably found 239 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: its way to the local paper, The Sheffield Evening Star. Incredibly, 240 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: as writer Dave Clark noted having investigated the story years later, 241 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 1: both the officers stuck rigidly to their story, with Ellis 242 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:39,120 Speaker 1: maintaining there was definitely something there, but I can't explain it. 243 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: I might have dismissed it as my imagination, but my 244 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: partner saw it and had the identical eerie feeling at 245 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:51,120 Speaker 1: the same time. It was definitely unnerving, and it wasn't 246 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: a publicity stunt, as was claimed at the time. We 247 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: don't do that sort of thing in the police force. 248 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: As for the security guards, Stephen Brooks and David Goldthorpe, 249 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: neither stepped foot on the site again, and one of 250 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: the men is believed to have since moved to Canada 251 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: partly due to the stress caused by the event, and 252 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: it was only the beginning. Soon many more sightings and 253 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 1: strange occurrences would come to light. John Holmes, a lorry 254 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 1: driver from Hillsborough, reported pulling into a depot close to 255 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: the bypass late one evening when he became aware of 256 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: childish voices. After a moment, he realized they were singing, 257 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:41,160 Speaker 1: but there was no sign of children anywhere. The voices 258 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: seemed to be emanating from a nearby wood. Sometime later 259 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: in the autumn of that year, Graham Brooke and his 260 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: fourteen year old son Nigel were running close to the 261 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: bypass construction site when they too saw something strange. Graham, 262 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: a seasoned runner training for the London Marathon, had a 263 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 1: regular route running from his home in northwest of Sheffield 264 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: up to the village of Wortley, located close to where 265 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: the bypass would eventually be built. After roughly forty five 266 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: minutes of running, with dusk quickly descending, Graham, who was 267 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,200 Speaker 1: a short distance ahead of his son, was approaching a 268 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: lay by on his way into the village when he 269 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: caught sight of something unusual. It was the figure of 270 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: a man who appeared to be walking with his back 271 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: towards the oncoming traffic. When Nigel finally caught up with 272 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: his dad, he too saw the reckless man wandering along 273 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 1: the road. The figure, who was no more than fifty 274 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: yards away, appeared to be dressed in some sort of 275 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:49,359 Speaker 1: cloak with a dark brown hood. They noticed too that 276 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: it was dragging some kind of bag attached to a 277 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: chain along the ground. But what was most peculiar was 278 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,719 Speaker 1: that the legs of the figure looked as though there 279 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: were sunk into the road. As they stared in disbelief, 280 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: they moved along the road to get a look at 281 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: the man's face. It seemed to be covered in soot, 282 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 1: with two dark sockets where the eyes should be. The 283 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: figure drew nearer and nearer until a huge lorry swept past, 284 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: right into the path of the man. As the lorry 285 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: continued down the road, the figure had completely disappeared. The 286 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: bypass would eventually be opened the following year, on Friday 287 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: the thirteenth in May of nineteen eighty eight, and the 288 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: sightings would keep coming. In July nineteen ninety, Judy Simpson 289 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 1: and her husband David were driving close to the village 290 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,920 Speaker 1: of Wartley alongside the bypass when they both caught sight 291 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: of someone jogging in the middle of the field to 292 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 1: the left of the road, but looking closer. Although the 293 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: jogger had the shape of a David and Judy realized 294 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,639 Speaker 1: with amusement that the figure appeared to be more like 295 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: an outline of a person. What's more, it was moving 296 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: about three feet above the ground. Suddenly, the figure leapt 297 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: from the field over an embankment up ahead and landed 298 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: straight in the middle of the road. Judy and David 299 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: both braced for an impact, but there was nothing. It 300 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: was as if the figure had melted into the vehicle. 301 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: The car skidded to a halt, clambering out to search 302 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: for whatever it was that they hit, there was nothing 303 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:45,360 Speaker 1: to be seen. Seven years later, on New Year's Eve, 304 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,959 Speaker 1: twenty eight year old Paul Ford and his wife Jane 305 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 1: drove to Jane's sisters home in Stocksbridge to attend a party. 306 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: They had just moved on to the bypass when Paul 307 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: looked up to see a dark cloak clad figure standing 308 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: in the road right in front of him. He immediately 309 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: swerved and slammed on the brakes, wrestling with the steering 310 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: wheel as the car came to a judging halt by 311 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: the side of the road, but again when they looked 312 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,400 Speaker 1: for the figure afterwards, it was nowhere to be seen. 313 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: Since such sightings have been recorded throughout the world, often 314 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:39,159 Speaker 1: with surprisingly similar details, there is the temptation to label 315 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: such events as urban myths, and yet rarely does one 316 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 1: particular location garner such a collection of similar sightings, and 317 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 1: over time a number of suggestions have been put forward 318 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 1: to explain the strange events. During the Industrial Revolution, the 319 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,479 Speaker 1: area surrounding the Stocksbridge Bypass and the A six one 320 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: six road had flourished as a hub of the British 321 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: coal mining industry. Up until the mid nineteenth century. It 322 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: was common for children as young as five years old 323 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: to be sent down the coal pits to work. Jobs 324 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: undertaken by children included pulling the loaded carts along the 325 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: small tunnels of the mine, or if you were really lucky, 326 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: you might get a job as a trapper, opening small 327 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,719 Speaker 1: doors along the tunnels to let the air in. Often 328 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 1: trappers would work for up to eighteen hours at a time, 329 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,960 Speaker 1: sat alone in the dark, with only the flickering light 330 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:47,360 Speaker 1: of a solitary candle for company. Naturally, accidents and deaths 331 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: were a regular occurrence, perhaps, as some have suggested, one 332 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: such fatal accident occurred in the Stocksbridge region, giving rise 333 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: to the ghostly apparitions of the large and dancing children. 334 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: Another local tale of law details the story of a 335 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,440 Speaker 1: monk who had rejected his monastery and as a result, 336 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: after he passed away, had been buried in unconsecrated ground. 337 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,160 Speaker 1: Perhaps this was the very same ground that had been 338 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: so brutally disturbed by the construction of the bypass. However, 339 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: despite the local fondness for such explanations, no substantial evidence 340 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: has been found to corroborate either of these tantalizing stories, 341 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: and it is merely a coincidence, no doubt that the 342 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 1: number six one six is considered by many scholars to 343 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:58,719 Speaker 1: be the original number of the beast. Whatever you believe, 344 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: it is difficult not to at least think upon the 345 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,439 Speaker 1: possible traces and ghostly echoes that we traverse as we 346 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,479 Speaker 1: make our way from A to B to wonder whose 347 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 1: pasts and whose buried secrets do we callously smother with 348 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: our grit and tarmac. What ancient grounds, once considered consecrated, 349 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: are now to be ripped apart by diggers and drills 350 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: loud enough to wake the dead. Many years from now, 351 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,719 Speaker 1: a new generation of Planners will come across the remnants 352 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:37,439 Speaker 1: of an archaic pathway buried deep below the Earth, with 353 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: nothing to discern its purpose save for a rusted sign 354 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: buried near by, bearing a strange, cryptic alphanumeric code that 355 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: read simply A six one six. And what then if, 356 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,439 Speaker 1: in the words of the illustrious Douglas Adams, it is 357 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: decided one day that the entire planet is to make 358 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: way for a hyper space bypass. Perhaps future intergalactic travelers 359 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: will too feel that strange shiver as they make their 360 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: way between Venus and Mars, turning to each other to say, 361 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: I heard there were people here once, and sometimes you 362 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:29,919 Speaker 1: can almost feel them. This episode and episode five extra, 363 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,440 Speaker 1: due out in a couple of weeks, concludes season two 364 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: of Unexplained. So I just wanted to take a moment 365 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: to once again thank everyone for listening to the show 366 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: and for all your support. It's been incredible, And to 367 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: everybody that has made a donation, I really can't thank 368 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,879 Speaker 1: you enough, and I look forward to putting your donations 369 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: to good use on season three. For which I may 370 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: have a few changes in store, and I hope you 371 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: enjoy them. For anyone else who might like to do 372 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 1: to the show, you can find the support page on 373 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:09,280 Speaker 1: the website at Unexplained podcast dot com, forward slash Support. Finally, 374 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: I'd also just like to thank listener Emma Bruce for 375 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 1: bringing the story of the Stocksbridge Bypass to my attention. 376 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 1: All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard Acclaimed Smith. 377 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel 378 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas 379 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 1: regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you 380 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 1: have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. 381 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com 382 00:28:39,280 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: or on Twitter at Unexplained Pod. Now it's time to 383 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:09,320 Speaker 1: take care of yourself. To make time for you, teledoc 384 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you 385 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed 386 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 1: therapist by phone or video any time between seven am 387 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc 388 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the 389 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: app or visit teledoc dot com. Forward slash Unexplained Podcast 390 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: Today to get started. That's t E la d oc 391 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 1: dot com Slash Unexplained Podcast