Did the world's richest man go ghost hunting in Cardiff? Who is the mysterious figure said to wander between Cardiff Castle's chapel and library after dark? And what does a phantom horse and carriage have to do with death in the Bute family?

For this Halloween special, we're heading to Cardiff Castle - Castell Caerdydd - to explore some of the ghosts said to haunt one of Wales's most famous - and most haunted? - historic buildings.

We'll meet the 3rd Marquess of Bute, an extraordinarily wealthy aristocrat with a fascination for the supernatural, discover his connection to the Society for Psychical Research, and delve into the ghost stories surrounding his family and their Gothic Revival castle in the heart of Cardiff.

Tune in for: Victorian ghost hunting, Welsh folklore, strange apparitions, and a good old death omen in the form of a phantom carriage, that is lot more than an uninvited guest crashing in after the shades of night have fallen...

Happy Halloween / Nos Calan Gaeaf hapus! 👻🎃

Until next time, nos da...

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is a monthly podcast exploring Welsh ghost stories, folklore, strange history and forgotten accounts drawn from books, newspapers, archives and personal experiences.

Hosted by Mark Rees, a Welsh journalist and author of books including Ghosts of Wales and Paranormal Wales, each episode looks at the uncanny stories people recorded across Wales and beyond - from rural legends and Victorian sightings to odd reports that never quite settled into explanation.

New episodes four weeks.

If you’d like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/markrees

Or buy a book, full list here: https://markreesonline.com/books/

YouTube Cultural Adventures:

https://www.youtube.com/@markrees

Website: https://markreesonline.com

Get in touch: https://markreesonline.com/contact/

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Powis Castle is one of Wales’s great medieval-castles-turned-fancy-mansion-house – and it also has a rather impressive collection of ghosts.

For this Halloween special, I’m heading to Welshpool to explore the stories of the ghosts and strange happenings said to haunt Powis Castle, from a mysterious man in a gold-laced suit who appeared to a poor woman in 1780, to a lady in black, a ghostly piano that plays when the room is empty, and reports of invisible hands and other strange happenings.

There’s even a ghostly headless horseman said to patrol the gardens – a rather appropriate visitor for Halloween if you're a fan of Sleepy Hollow.

Along the way, we’ll look at the castle’s long and complicated history and the folklore surrounding its gardens.

Happy Halloween/ Nos Calan Gaeaf hapus – and keep an eye out for anything headless on horseback... 👻

Until next time, nos da!

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is a monthly podcast exploring Welsh ghost stories, folklore, strange history and forgotten accounts drawn from books, newspapers, archives and personal experiences.

Hosted by Mark Rees, a Welsh journalist and author of books including Ghosts of Wales and Paranormal Wales, each episode looks at the uncanny stories people recorded across Wales and beyond - from rural legends and Victorian sightings to odd reports that never quite settled into explanation.

New episodes four weeks.

If you’d like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/markrees

Or buy a book, full list here: https://markreesonline.com/books/

YouTube Cultural Adventures:

https://www.youtube.com/@markrees

Website: https://markreesonline.com

Get in touch: https://markreesonline.com/contact/

Social media:

• Facebook
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• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Threads
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Mastodon

Enjoyed the episode? Follow the podcast so you don’t miss the next Welsh ghost story and sign up to the newsletter.

Did the dead ironworkers return to work after dark? Can an ironworks itself be haunted? And what would you make of the sound of machinery coming to life when the works should have been silent?

In this episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, we travel back to Victorian Merthyr Tydfil and one of the strangest industrial ghost stories.

In 1881, a "remarkable account" emerged from Cyfarthfa, once one of the great industrial powerhouses of Wales. A witness claimed that, after the works had fallen silent, the huge wheels began to turn, the machinery sprang into motion and the sounds of production filled the darkness.

There were no workers. No obvious source of power. Just the sounds of a working ironworks where the machinery should have been still.

And the story doesn't end there. Another local witness claimed to have heard the same mysterious sounds, while an elderly woman offered her own explanation involving the Crawshay family and their deep attachment to the works.

Was this a supernatural haunting, an echo of Cyfarthfa's industrial past, or something more easily explained? And what does it mean for a place to become haunted not by a ghostly figure, but by the work itself?

Expect Victorian ghost stories, industrial folklore, Cyfarthfa Ironworks, Merthyr Tydfil, supernatural encounters, the Crawshay dynasty and one very strange tale of machinery that seemingly refused to stay silent.

Tune in now... if you dare. 👻

Until next time, nos da!

Ghosts and Folklore of Wales is a monthly podcast exploring Welsh ghost stories, folklore, strange history and forgotten accounts drawn from books, newspapers, archives and personal experiences.

Hosted by Mark Rees, a Welsh journalist and author of books including Ghosts of Wales and Paranormal Wales, each episode looks at the uncanny stories people recorded across Wales and beyond - from rural legends and Victorian sightings to odd reports that never quite settled into explanation.

New episodes four weeks.

If you’d like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/markrees

Or buy a book, full list here: https://markreesonline.com/books/

YouTube Cultural Adventures:

https://www.youtube.com/@markrees

Website: https://markreesonline.com

Get in touch: https://markreesonline.com/contact/

Social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter X
• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Threads
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Mastodon

Enjoyed the episode? Follow the podcast so you don’t miss the next Welsh ghost story and sign up to the newsletter.