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The Rochdale Poltergeist: A True Story
“Up to that point, I was quite happy to be interested in the paranormal because I really hadn’t experienced much. Until I did. And then I was thinking, ‘Oh God, do I really want to continue with this?’” - Steve Mera BSc., Director of the Scientific Establishment of Parapsychology Steve Mera had been investigating paranormal phenomena for many years, and had never seen anything that shook him to his very foundations. All that changed in 1996, when he was called in with his team to look into the bizarre occurrences taking place at a small bungalow in Rochdale, Manchester, England. Flying objects, disembodied voices, phantom smells and sounds, and strangest of all, copious falls of water seemingly coming from nowhere plagued the Gardner family for nearly a year. What Steve experienced during the investigation was enough to make him question his entire career path, and remains one of only a handful of cases that he is completely unable to rationally explain. This account, written by horror author Jenny Ashford from interviews conducted with Steve about the case, is a bone-chilling foray into the paranormal that will make even the most ardent skeptic sleep with the lights on.
- GenresParanormalNonfiction
82 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2015
55 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Ashford
27 books32 followersJenny Ashford is a horror, true crime, and paranormal writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. Her most recent books are a three-volume true crime compilation collectively known as The Faceless Villain: A Collection of the Eeriest Unsolved Murders of the Twentieth Century. Volume One was published in 2017, Volume Two in 2018, and Volume Three in 2019.
Her other books include four paranormal nonfiction books: The Unseen Hand: A New Exploration of Poltergeist Phenomena, The Mammoth Mountain Poltergeist (with Tom Ross), House of Fire and Whispers: Investigating the Seattle Demon House, and The Rochdale Poltergeist (both with Steve Mera); as well as three horror novels, Red Menace, Bellwether, and The Five Poisons; two short story collections, Hopeful Monsters and The Associated Villainies; and a graphic novel, The Tenebrist. A second edition of The Associated Villainies was published in 2019, featuring four new stories, an enhanced print layout, and an audio book version.
Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Nightmare Collective, History Is Dead, 2012AD, ChimeraWorld #3, and ChimeraWorld #4. Her horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire, contains writing news, short stories and articles, and her reviews and opinions on horror films and books.
She also co-hosts a podcast with Tom Ross called 13 O'Clock, on which they discuss paranormal weirdness, true crime, unexplained mysteries, and other fun, creepy topics.
Her other books include four paranormal nonfiction books: The Unseen Hand: A New Exploration of Poltergeist Phenomena, The Mammoth Mountain Poltergeist (with Tom Ross), House of Fire and Whispers: Investigating the Seattle Demon House, and The Rochdale Poltergeist (both with Steve Mera); as well as three horror novels, Red Menace, Bellwether, and The Five Poisons; two short story collections, Hopeful Monsters and The Associated Villainies; and a graphic novel, The Tenebrist. A second edition of The Associated Villainies was published in 2019, featuring four new stories, an enhanced print layout, and an audio book version.
Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Nightmare Collective, History Is Dead, 2012AD, ChimeraWorld #3, and ChimeraWorld #4. Her horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire, contains writing news, short stories and articles, and her reviews and opinions on horror films and books.
She also co-hosts a podcast with Tom Ross called 13 O'Clock, on which they discuss paranormal weirdness, true crime, unexplained mysteries, and other fun, creepy topics.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 3, 2023
Unexplained Manifestations
Small backstory:
The Gardner family are having some unexplained things happening in their house which makes their ceiling drip water even to the point of it actually raining in the house and then the water disappears from the ceiling leaving it dry but leaving a water mess on the floor.
The Gardner's reach out though to paranormal investigators who come to witness their claims of the mysterious water. The paranormal investigators lead by Steve Mera really do not think at first that the water is for real - they go into the home with a scientific theory that something other than the paranormal is at work but they soon get a rude awakening when they witness the paranormal event along with a more sinister presence that makes itself known to the team!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory so if you are intrigued then go read this book!
Thoughts:
This was a different type of paranormal haunting with the water and rain manifestations. There was another type of presence that was mentioned in the story suggesting that either a ghost was present or some type of entity.
The story was not overall spooky and I didn't feel that scary feeling I usually get when reading true paranormal books but I found the book to be more informative with how the rain water was appearing in the home.
The authors get right to the point in this book as there are no drawn out long explanation with any slow crawl to the storyline. They drew me right into the storyline and kept me hooked into what was happening with this true paranormal story. Giving this book four "Creepy Paranormal" stars!
Small backstory:
The Gardner family are having some unexplained things happening in their house which makes their ceiling drip water even to the point of it actually raining in the house and then the water disappears from the ceiling leaving it dry but leaving a water mess on the floor.
The Gardner's reach out though to paranormal investigators who come to witness their claims of the mysterious water. The paranormal investigators lead by Steve Mera really do not think at first that the water is for real - they go into the home with a scientific theory that something other than the paranormal is at work but they soon get a rude awakening when they witness the paranormal event along with a more sinister presence that makes itself known to the team!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory so if you are intrigued then go read this book!
Thoughts:
This was a different type of paranormal haunting with the water and rain manifestations. There was another type of presence that was mentioned in the story suggesting that either a ghost was present or some type of entity.
The story was not overall spooky and I didn't feel that scary feeling I usually get when reading true paranormal books but I found the book to be more informative with how the rain water was appearing in the home.
The authors get right to the point in this book as there are no drawn out long explanation with any slow crawl to the storyline. They drew me right into the storyline and kept me hooked into what was happening with this true paranormal story. Giving this book four "Creepy Paranormal" stars!
September 1, 2023
I am extremely tickled by the image of this poor guy keeping an umbrella in his kitchen because the poltergeist is always making it rain indoors.
March 30, 2016
Too short and too cold to be scary. Interesting tale though of family plagued by strange activity. The book also shows pictures of mysterious rainfall in house and once analysed in the lab the water had 100 times the electrical charge of normal tap water. Worth a read if you have a few hours to kill
August 12, 2021
Having already read a handful of true paranormal books and truly and deeply looking over my shoulder after every page, this one didn’t fill me with the adrenaline the others did.
I did enjoy it none the less though and read until the end. There were some astonishing things that went on under this tiny roof of Fox Close and my heart went out to the poor family experiencing this fear on a daily basis.
A lot more was also learnt on my favourite new subject of “noisy ghosts”
Well worth a read if you are into this sort of thing. 3 stars given only because I had read the iconic “black monk” story before this.
Roll on our visit to 30 East Drive!!
I did enjoy it none the less though and read until the end. There were some astonishing things that went on under this tiny roof of Fox Close and my heart went out to the poor family experiencing this fear on a daily basis.
A lot more was also learnt on my favourite new subject of “noisy ghosts”
Well worth a read if you are into this sort of thing. 3 stars given only because I had read the iconic “black monk” story before this.
Roll on our visit to 30 East Drive!!
November 30, 2023
A fascinating glimpse into the investigation of poltergeist activity that plagued a small elderly couple and their mentally challenged adult daughter. One of the more interesting details includes rain fall from their home’s interior, which is apparently a rare form of activity albeit not previously unheard of. The book is straightforward, details the facts and doesn’t bore the reader with unnecessary fluff. Although not an overly spooky read, it definitely held my attention and had me enthusiastically turning pages to learn more about the family’s experiences. A wonderfully fun, and quick, read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 👍🏻
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 👍🏻
January 29, 2018
Likeable read
This book is very easy to read and is captivating in its account of the Rochdale poltergeist. Has photo evidence towards the end to back up the story and gives brief accounts of other occasions when this has happened. It's not at all scary which makes it an interesting book to read as it doesn't try to over dramatise events.
This book is very easy to read and is captivating in its account of the Rochdale poltergeist. Has photo evidence towards the end to back up the story and gives brief accounts of other occasions when this has happened. It's not at all scary which makes it an interesting book to read as it doesn't try to over dramatise events.
June 13, 2019
A Real Poltergeist Happening
Well-paced and fast moving journal about the para scientific Investigation of The Rochdale Poltergeist. The story is complete with facts, witness accounts, photos and even diagrammed reports made by the long experienced team of parapsychologists and others. Even the British Housing Authorities conceded that this was NOT a hoax! Read all about it!
Well-paced and fast moving journal about the para scientific Investigation of The Rochdale Poltergeist. The story is complete with facts, witness accounts, photos and even diagrammed reports made by the long experienced team of parapsychologists and others. Even the British Housing Authorities conceded that this was NOT a hoax! Read all about it!
January 14, 2021
Very informative
I was impressed by the evidence collected by the team. Having photographic evidence at the end of the book helped my brain visualise the events better.
A really good and quick read.
I was impressed by the evidence collected by the team. Having photographic evidence at the end of the book helped my brain visualise the events better.
A really good and quick read.
March 26, 2023
Well written and very interesting.
Absorbing account of poltergeist activity. Interesting insight into some paranormal research techniques. Would highly recommend as I thoroughly enjoyed the account.
Absorbing account of poltergeist activity. Interesting insight into some paranormal research techniques. Would highly recommend as I thoroughly enjoyed the account.
January 14, 2018
Love it
I like the scientific approach annotated in this book. It lends more credence and better understanding, even if the cause re!aims unknown.
I like the scientific approach annotated in this book. It lends more credence and better understanding, even if the cause re!aims unknown.
November 12, 2018
A good little book
I found this book interesting and nothing at all seemed over exaggerated.
I like the pictures of the correspondence from north west water
I found this book interesting and nothing at all seemed over exaggerated.
I like the pictures of the correspondence from north west water
March 16, 2020
Eh!
I stuck with the book just to see where it ended up but I wasn’t that impressed. I just think it wasn’t an expert I write about.
I stuck with the book just to see where it ended up but I wasn’t that impressed. I just think it wasn’t an expert I write about.
May 3, 2021
Really interesting and objective account of poltergeist activity in the UK. It's presented in a very straightforward and nonsensationalist manner - and is all the more thought provoking for it.
March 19, 2024
Not a bad read. Found the afterword interesting.
July 14, 2024
This ain't a scary story like I was expecting in fact it was pretty tame, plus it's to short a story to be anything else. I've been more scared of my own shadow and I don't scare easily either
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
Absorbing account of poltergeist activity. Interesting insight into some paranormal research techniques including photographs and letters etc. Great read for anyone interested in the paranormal.
April 14, 2017
Great ghost story,spooky at times.
February 23, 2016
Wonderfully told.
Recommended especially if interested in the paranormal. An easy read, and fascinating! An incredible case of poltergeist activity. A+ in my opinion.
Recommended especially if interested in the paranormal. An easy read, and fascinating! An incredible case of poltergeist activity. A+ in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews