MYTHSTORIC JOURNEYS PAPERBACK! Should anyone fancy a cheeky mythstoric stocking filler, my collection Mythstoric Journeys is available via Amazon in the UK and US as a paperback for a limited time only! Its £9.99 in the UK - link here - shorturl.at/0GQKd (also in US store too) #mythstoricjourneys

Gun Hill in the Staffordshire Moorlands today. The ancient packhorse routes, standing stones, and the sundial from St Matthews in Meerbrook as mentioned in episode 1 of Tales From Antiquaria...a real collection to be enjoyed across the moor. #staffordshiremoorlands #Gunhill #Meerbrook

At Vale Royal Abbey today, I was reminded of how local lore has lingered here for 700 years. I gave a talk on it last year and an elderly lady came up to me at the end and asked if I ever walked in the woods where the abbot was murdered in the 1330s. There, she said, 'the birds never sing'.

Giants & Witchcraft! The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is 1/2 on 'A Sheaf of Gleanings' from 1883. Some of the tales in this offer real insight into the magical thinking of the Shropshire folks in centuries past! talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #folklorepodcast #shropshirefolklore

West Wales - one of my very favourite places; and Manorbier always blows me away. The landscape around the bay, the castle and St James the Great (with its medieval ceiling paintings) is just something else. If you ever get chance to go, dive into it headfirst! An absolute trove of history and lore!

The natural wonder of countryside where I live always inspires my thoughts to folklore and history, and every season it points me in a different direction. It’s a magical place, it really is. #valeroyal #cheshire #davenham #moulton

The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria takes us to Derbyshire and William Andrews' 1892 collection 'Bygone Derbyshire'. Some real gems in this concerning Sir George Vernon not to mention all manner of local lore! #derbyshirefolklore #bygonederbyshire #derbyshirehistory

Few pics from Jenkin Chapel and Erwin Lane this morning - still one of the most enthralling mysteries of local history in the peak borders of Cheshire for me. Wrote a piece on it a few years ago: thelocalmythstorian.com/death-of-the... #johnturner #jagger #jenkinchapel

Happy Halloween Guys! The latest episode of Tales From Antiquaria is out today, featuring the 1890 collection 'Cornish Feasts and Folklore'. There's sea-spirits, sand-claimed churches and a whole swathe of spooky Cornish ghost-lore! On all providers and at talesfromantiquaria.com/episodes #folklore

Really happy to let folks know I’m being featured on the BBC across the next few days! 6PM Tonight BBC Hereford & Worcester 6PM Tonight BBC Shropshire 6PM Saturday BBC Stoke 6PM Saturday BBC West Midlands 6PM Saturday BBC Coventry & Warwickshire #BBCRADIO #FOLKLORE #BBCSOUNDS

The headless horseman of the moors was featured in Ep 1 of Tales From Antiquaria - this image was sent to me a while back; locals out 'hunting' the horseman back in May 1933! If you've not heard it yet, it's on all platforms and the website too: talesfromantiquaria.com Ep 2 out on Friday!

Ghosts at Chester Castle eh? There really is a special place in British culture for our love of a spooky tale...from late 19C writers to the BBC at Christmas. And, it's a genuine gateway into history; a ghost story can do more for a site than any trad marketing! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Just wanted to let folks know that episode 1 of my new podcast series Tales From Antiquaria is our today! Let's journey back to the folklore of the Staffordshire Moorlands collected by John Sleigh in 1862 and his 'A History of the Ancient Parish of Leek'. #folklore #talesfromantiquaria #antiquarian

Folklore conservation in action! Absolutely loved learning about this campaign! www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Hi all! It's almost time for the launch of my new podcast Tales From Antiquaria. If you get chance, please pop over to the new BlueSky page for the project and follow - its where all the news will be posted once it starts. Thanks folks! The link is here: bsky.app/profile/anti...

Hi Folks! Ahead of the first episode later this month, Tales From Antiquaria is now live on podcast platforms! This means you can now subscribe to the feed - which would be ace! Just click on this link to pick your preferred platform. Can't wait to get started!!! talesfromantiquaria.com/subscribe

Hi Folks! Should you wish to stay informed about the new podcast, Tales From Antiquaria, you can follow the BlueSky page on this link - would be great to keep in touch! bsky.app/profile/anti...

Hi all! Just to let folks know my new project, Tales From Antiquaria, a podcast dedicated to the legacy of folklore writing published during the 1800s, is set to launch! So should you receive a follow etc from antiquariapodcast, its me! Really looking forward to getting this out there! Best, Eli.

Very proud to learn that @inspectrepodcast.bsky.social has been nominated for the Independent Podcast Awards 2025 down in that there London!

Had cause to spend a bit of time around Stoke recently and grabbed some photos to refresh the website. The famed 'Templar' graves at St. Lawrences in Biddulph, and of course, the table tomb of Molly Leigh. Never noticed that medieval coffin at St. John's before - believe it came from Hulton Abbey.

Not a historical post, but thought a few folks might appreciate it: a sun halo I caught on camera on my holiday break. No wonder the ancients were so enchanted with natural phenomena!

As a history nerd, to find this chap being my direct ancestor has been a real trip! Looks like my Staffordshire roots are truly inbedded!

Great sights walking Chester walls this morning; makes a nice change to see an English Civil War history being respected and promoted! #chester #civilwar #chesterwalls

Continuing the recent witchy theme - I cover the history behind the tale of the Bakewell Witches in the new issue of Haunted Magazine. Available across the UK and US from May 30th! www.haunteddigitalmagazine.com/2025/05/haun...

Morning folks! Got this out much quicker than I thought I would - It will be the final episode of the podcast series, as I really need to get stuck into a new project: The History of Witchcraft In Cheshire, Live from The Grange Theatre: thelocalmythstorian.com/podcast #WITCHES #THELOCALMYTHSTORIAN

Great night at The Grange Theatre last night, so good to see so many people turn out for the witches! Podcast ETA is mid-tune. And thanks to Northwich & District Heritage Society for inviting me over. I've now sold out of books too! Better re-stock! #witchcraft #Cheshire #thelocalmythstorian

Just over a week until we go full on witchy at The Grange Theatre! Talk at 8pm - from the Roman roots of the 'witch' stereotype to the Cheshire trials, with all manner of devils, imps & magical motives. Mythstoric Journeys hardback just £10 on the night! #grangetheatre #cheshirehistory #witchcraze

Absolute find whilst walking the streets of Knutsford today!

VE DAY SPECIAL - ahead of next weeks 80th anniversary, I am releasing my grandfathers memoir in PDF. A Sgt in the Royal Engineers I had long assumed the document lost following his passing 20 years ago, but found it earlier this year! You can download it here: thelocalmythstorian.com/albert-s-war

The Saxon crosses of Sandbach fuse pagan and Christian symbols in stone. Nearly lost to Civil War zealotry, they were restored in 1816. A timeless reminder: cultures can clash, yet still create something enduring and beautiful! #sandbach #anglosaxon #celticchristianity

Hugh Raven led the infamous Meg Lane Farm Gang across 18C Cheshire. As Macclesfield's industrial boom reshaped the land, he turned to highway robbery striking fear across the countryside. Charismatic, ruthless, and cunning, he evaded capture until, legend says, he met a bloody end near Buxton.

Chester’s amphitheatre, the largest in Roman Britain, once echoed with chants for Mirex, a local gladiator whose name reached Rome itself. Artefacts from Ostia featuring his image label him 'Champion of Deva' - the Roman name for Chester. Maybe Mirex was Cheshire's earliest sports star?

Happy Saint George's Day! One of those fantastically confused historical reassignments. Synonymous with English pride, he was actually a Roman soldier born in modern-day Turkey in the 3rd century. A devout Christian, he refused to renounce his faith and was executed around 303 AD. #saintgeorge

SCHOLAR OF MAGIC - the latest in the podcast re-run, and one that got a bit missed first time around because of some crazy timings. It's still one of my favourites. Thought I'd pop a link up here in case you never heard it last year. #chestercathedral #ranulfhigden thelocalmythstorian.com/podcast

After the Harrying of the North (1069), Hugh d'Avranches founded the Barony of Shipbrook in Cheshire. Ralph de Vernon, 7th Baron, survived plague, reshaped the family crest, and reportedly lived to 150 - earning the nickname “The Long Liver.” Legend or truth, it was a life for the ages!

I take it all back about AI - this has blown my mind!!! Only joking, I find AI quite a scary concept overall. But it’s not half a laugh for this kind of stuff!

The amphitheatre in Side, Turkey, has its roots in the conquest of Alexander the Great in 333 BC. The whole town is packed with history - this will be the first year since 2018 that ive not visited. Cant recommend highly enough if you're planning your beach holiday and want a splash of history!

When you visit St Mary & All Saints in the village of Great Budworth, there are moments when you would be forgiven of thinking you really have stepped back in time. A 14th Century masterpiece and once home to Thomas Cooper, the infamous 'Vicar of Witches'. #greatbudworth #vicarofwitches #cheshire

The ‘castle’ in Macclesfield, Cheshire, was actually a fortified manor house, built 1398 by John de Macclesfield & marked out by his application to crenellate the building. In 1496 it would play host to Henry VII and his travelling court whilst visiting the Earls of Derby at Macclesfield Forrest.

Mythstoric Journeys, the hardback anthology collection is available should anyone want a real deep dive into the folklore and lost history of Cheshire/Staffs/Derbs. It's everything published by the project since inception in 2020! Available on Amazon amzn.eu/d/2hixPat #mythstoricjourneys

The Headless Lady of Tarvin. A Cheshire legend from the 17C of a young woman beheaded during a violent dispute and buried in an unmarked grave near St. Andrew’s Church. The figure has been reported to police (walking along the nearby bypass) no less than 8 times in the last 30 years!

Alderley Edge in Cheshire is shrouded in history and with the Alderley axes, we have a very tangible mystery. Discovered by detectorists, reports were made to the British Museum but they couldn’t attest to which period of history they belonged. Most likely they are prehistoric votive offerings.

St. Werburgh, the daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia rose to fame courtesy of her ability to resurrect birds from the dead! Her body being moved to Chester in 975 to keep it safe from Viking raids (the thought being she would protect Chester in return) she became the patron saint of the city.

‘You shall not pass!’ Gandalf, the river Heron taking on all comers in Vale Royal this morning!

Davenham, Cheshire…sometimes the track through the field is so much more; an ancient route way between 2 villages, leading to the parish church…in use for more than 800 years. SOUND ON IF YOU LIKE FOLKROCK TOO! #cheshirehistory #davenham #ancienttrackways

The Headless Horseman of the Staffordshire Moorlands is one of the best known pieces of folklore in the region, but where did it come from? Tracing the story of the horseman back through 650 years of local history, the Podcast is available below… podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

For those folks who like a bit of spookiness alongside their history, series 2 of Inspectre Paranormal begins today! Some cracking cases in the new run too, everything from ghosts to folklore! Available on all your chosen podcast platforms or here sites.libsyn.com/510723/s2-ep...

Richard of Evesham, 4th Abbot of Vale Royal earned a reputation as a kind of heavenly-beacon come exorcist, as the ghosts of departed monks vied for his attention; his skills as a ‘medium’ helping guide into the afterlife by taking confession of sins they had not had opportunity to confess in life.

Moston, Cheshire: folklore has it that the village was once renowned for its apple orchards. One harvest, a large winged shape swooped above in the Cheshire sky. It was a dragon, attracted by the orchards who terrorised locals until Sir Thomas Venables headed out to defeat the beast in combat!

The story of Samuel ‘Maggoty’ Johnson; the Cheshire polymath with 2 tombstones in Maggoty Woods, Gawsworth. Playwright..musician..possessed?!? #maggotyjohnson #cheshirefolklore podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...