Lighthouses, especially abandoned ones, are often cited as
buildings that are subject to ghostly goings-on. This is hardly surprising
given that they stand as isolated towers in remote locations where they are
battered by waves and winds. There are many stories of lighthouse keepers who
have disappeared without trace, or been murdered by colleagues who had lost
their minds as a result of having to live in a virtual prison for months on end.
The Point of Ayr lighthouse, in North Wales, is reputed to be one such haunted
lighthouse.
Point of Ayr
This is the most north-easterly point of Wales, on the
western side of the Dee Estuary. The lighthouse was built in 1776 to warn ships
approaching and leaving the port of Liverpool not to stray on to the sandbanks
that stretch for miles into Liverpool Bay. It stands on the beach at Talacre
and can be reached on foot at low tide. The building has not been used as a
lighthouse since 1883 but the structure has been kept in good repair down to
the present day.
Many people have reported odd sensations and sightings in
the vicinity of the lighthouse, with some complaining of feeling unwell but
recovering when they have left the area. There have also been sightings of a
keeper on the walkway round the top of the tower. There is a story that a man
named Raymond died there of a broken heart and that it is his sprit that troubles
visitors.
There has been a “keeper” permanently on duty at the top of
the lighthouse since 2010. This is a 7-foot-high metal sculpture created by
Angela Smith, a local artist. She used many pieces of high-grade polished steel
to build the figure, thus allowing the wind the whistle through his ribs and
create all the eerie sounds one might want to hear!
© John Welford
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