Scary goings-on for adults at Ironbridge Valley of Invention this Halloween

The (frightening!) fun begins with two nights of Victorian-inspired horror, hauntings and nightmarish goings-on at Blists Hill Victorian Town. Halloween event Ghostly Gaslight will see Blists Hill transformed into a Victorian ghost town, with creepy costumed characters roaming the streets and scary and horrifying goings-on in the town’s exhibits. Visitors will come across bloody murder scenes and might not be able to shake off that feeling they’re being watched… Visitors are encouraged to come in Halloween costume.

Kay Whitehouse, Events Officer at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “This year’s Halloween event at Blists Hill Victorian Town is going to be scarier than ever! Visitors will come face to face with some frightening characters and be surprised by some scary scenes. Recommended for ages 13+, it is not for the faint-hearted.”

Nick Ralls, Chief Executive Officer of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “Our annual Halloween events, this year Ghostly Gaslight, are highlights for our visitors and our staff. As a heritage conservation and education charity, the income from events like these is essential to fund our work preserving historic buildings, providing educational school trips for children and telling the stories of the rich history of the Ironbridge Gorge in our museums and displays. There is always a brilliant atmosphere at our seasonal events and we look forward to welcoming visitors to join in the fun.”

On consecutive evenings from Monday 28 to Thursday 31 October the Trust is hosting a series of four Twilight Tales exploring spooky subjects and the darker sides of history, in the Glass Classroom in Coalbrookdale. Staff from the museums’ Collections and Learning team will talk about topics including witchcraft in Shropshire and the Victorians’ passion for seances.

In Rhymes and Reasons on Monday 28 October, Amanda Phillipson, Lifelong Learning Manager, will explore the chilling truths about the gruesome origins of the seemingly sweet verses sung to generations of children in nursery rhymes, including sinister stories of plague and execution.

On Tuesday 29 October the subject of Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, with Collections Curator, Kate Cadman, will be mourning rituals and the role played by ceramics, from tiled tombstones to bone china caskets.

In Beyond the Veil, on Wednesday 30 October, Kyla Hislop, Interpretation Curator, will explore the Victorians’ fascination with ghosts and the supernatural, in particular looking at the practice of séances.

In Witches of Wenlock, the final talk in the series on Halloween night itself, Lauren Collier, Head of Interpretation, will explore witchcraft and folklore in the East Shropshire Coalfield, demonstrating how magic and the supernatural were woven into the daily life of local people, providing answers for life’s mysteries and tragedies.

Finally, on the afternoon of Saturday 2 November, the Trust is hosting a ghost story writing workshop. After a tour of Coalbrookdale taking in the Old Furnace and the Darby Houses, led by Interpretation Curator Kyla Hislop, participants will be guided by published author and supernatural story expert Danny Rhodes, also Senior Lecturer and Course Director in the BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing course at Canterbury Christ Church University, to develop their own ghost story ideas and hone their creative writing skills.

Lauren Collier, Head of Interpretation at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We’re always looking for new ways we can help people engage with the stories we tell at our museums, so we’re excited to launch this series of spooky talks and a ghost writing workshop for the first time this year. Our Twilight Tales will explore some of the stories we don’t currently tell in our museum displays, so are a rare opportunity for people interested in these subjects to learn more about them. We are sure that budding writers will find inspiration in the stories of two of our Coalbrookdale museums and the guidance of our guest tutor, Danny Rhodes, to create some terrific work that we will look forward to reading.”

For full details of events and tickets, visit ironbridge.org.uk/events/

By Sarah Watson - Contributor