Although, after restoration by the late Bob Freeman, the parade is whum (home) to a fine selection of independent shops but prior to closing in 1977 it was home to the Royal Salop Infirmary and that is where our visitors appear to have come frum, in fact there are nearly as many “visitors” as there are shops and screaming and crying can often be heard.
A member of our Memories of Shropshire Facebook group used to have a shop here and both he and his father regularly heard the eerie sounds of hospital trollies clattering over the tiles above. Other shop owners have found stock moved over night and being scared of “something” in the former mortuary.
A grey lady dressed like she is from the 1950’s was often seen in the medical ward of a private wing, she was only ever seen from the waist up and it is thought hat this was due to a change in the floor levels.
A shadow of a nurse is often sin going silently upstairs. A former nurse, Sister Edwards (Dutton) reported seeing so many strange going ons that she earnt the nickname of “Sister Spook”
Shrewsbury’s Town crier, author and tour guide, Martin Wood, used to work at the infirmary and he often saw ” Owd Fred” a rather scruffy mon who was seen standing in the area of a former soup kitchen afore fading away.
One “visitor” who nobody wanted to see is known as the lady in white (the old Copthorne hospital has the grey lady), she was often seen around the wards but if she was seen sitting on the edge of a particular bed the unfortunate patient was guaranteed to pass away in the night, hopefully she was a former nurse come back to ease the patient in their final hours.
The upper floors have been tastefully converted into apartments but some residents have reported hearing moans and groans on quiet nights.
Pop back in tomorrow if you can for a visit to the Drapers Hall, oh! and dunna have nightmares.