Local author Anthony Poulton-Smith takes the reader on a fascinating A—Z tour of the haunted places of the Black Country. Contained within the pages of this book are strange tales of spectral sightings, active poltergeists and restless spirits appearing in streets, inns, churches, estates, public buildings and private homes across the area. They include the ghost of a murdered woman in Dudley's Station Hotel cellar, the tragic lovers of Cradley Heath's Haden Estate, Walsall's notorious Hand of Glory and Coseley's enormous black dog forecasting death. This new collection of stories, a product of both historical accounts and numerous interviews conducted with local witnesses, is sure to appeal to all those intrigued by the Black Country's haunted heritage.

Black Country Ghosts and Hauntings is a ghostly gazetteer guide to over 150 spooky locations from in and around this area of the West Midlands. The Black Country has never been a clearly defined area and so whilst most of these haunted locations are most definitely 'Black Country' also included are some ghostly tales from a little further afield such as the haunted Drakelow Tunnels in Wolverley and some stories from the east of Shropshire where the county borders with the Wolverhampton area. Within these pages you will find haunted houses, castles, pubs, hotels and a host of other locations carefully researched and mapped by the author over many years. Where known, buildings which no longer exist at the time of publication are noted in the text. Similarly, photographs taken at the time the stories were collected may not necessarily reflect buildings and locations as they appear now. This is particularly true of public houses. Do take care if you are planning to visit any of these haunted locations in person and please be respectful of both people and places. Very few are private homes but those that are would probably not welcome unwanted intrusion. The vast majority can be visited if you have the nerve but bear in mind some may charge an admission fee if the hauntings are based on a castle or museum site for example. Haunted hostelries of course may be visited during opening hours for nothing more than just the price of a drink.

Beer and Spirits offers a fascinating insight into the stories behind some of Central England's most haunted pubs. With over 50,000 public houses in the United Kingdom, the local pub has become an essential part of British culture. Samuel Pepys described the inn as the heart of England. Pubs have been an integral part of British culture since Roman times. The lives and dramas, intrigues and mysteries of the people who visited them form the rich tapestry of any local pub. As a result there are often many stories and histories that are inherently part of the place, and naturally ghost stories and haunted reputations form a dynamic feature of many local pubs. From spectral monks and phantom coaches, to ghostly highwaymen and supernatural hounds, the authors examine some well known and not so well known aspects of Black Country pub history and folklore. While the stories and accounts in this book are not meant to offer any proof or conclusive evidence of ghosts, they do offer a fresh look at new and more traditional accounts of haunted pubs in the Black Country and the surrounding area.

Dimos Horacki is a Borolian journalist and a cynical patriot, his muckraking days behind him. But when his newspaper ships him to the front, he’s embedded in the Imperial Army and the reality of colonial expansion is laid bare before him. His adventures take him from villages and homesteads to the great refugee city of Hronople, built of glass, steel, and stone, all while a war rages around him. The empire fights for coal and iron, but the anarchists of Hron fight for their way of life. A Country of Ghosts is a novel of utopia besieged and a tale that challenges every premise of contemporary society.

From Brierley Hill to Walsall, Netherton to Darlaston and Dudley, this chilling collection of true-life tales covers the whole of the Black Country. Many of these tales have never before appeared in print. Compiled by the Wolverhampton Express & Star's own psychic agony uncle, Philip Solomon, it contains a terrifying range of apparitions, from poltergeists and ghosts to ancient spirits, silent specters, haunted buildings, and historical horrors. This comprehensive collection will delight anyone with an interest in the darker side of the area's history.

Dan Chiponda earns a scholarship to study in China and reluctantly leaves his native Zimbabwe for an uncertain future. Learning to take racial abuse in his stride, he dates a fellow student, Lai Ying, who is attracted to his easy-going manner. He remains haunted by the weight of his mother’s expectations, encapsulated by the image of the African fish eagle. Things take a dramatic turn when Chinese students pour into the streets in an orgy of violence to drive Africans out of town. The situation in Nanjing only stabilises when attention turns to the mayhem that is unraveling in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. But that is only the beginning of Dan’s troubles with the ‘Campus Gestapo’, loan sharks in Hong Kong, and the shock of his family getting caught up in the violence by Mugabe’s war vets. Black Ghosts was inspired by stories of Africans living in China in the 1980s and, in particular, by the little known incident in Nanjing, where African and Chinese students engaged each other in a violent battle just months before the Tiananmen Square massacre.

An illustrated history of one of Britain's most fascinating regions - the Black Country in the West Midlands. Using photographs taken from the unique Historic England Archive.