To celebrate Halloween, today's spooky tale comes from Shilo Hall, the rather grand name of a lonely and slightly Amityville-looking house that once stood by the canal north of Awsworth. The only trace left of it today is the official name of the Awsworth Bypass, Shilo Way....
The story could be called "Revenge of the dead man's shoes". Read on below...
MURDER AT SHILO HALL.
"Circa 1910 Awsworth had been the scene of several suicides, but a murder was unparalleled for its rarity and sensation. This particular one took place at Shilo Hall in October 1910.
The residents at the time were Mr. Jack Blount and his wife Maria. Following an extremely heated argument, Mr. Blount struck his wife a fatal blow to the head with a poker. Mr. Blount, then realising the full implications of his deed, proceeded to a well situated on the premises and threw himself down it. He was later found by a man out walking his dog.
Jack Blount was discreetly buried in the hedge-bottom in the south western corner of the churchyard.
Sometime after the incident, two men were returning from The Jolly Collier's on a Saturday evening and, being drunk, did not regard their position on the railway line as being dangerous. Unfortunately the 10 o'clock train cut them down, killing them instantly. They were buried not far from Mr. Blount. The odd connection here is that one of the accident victims was found to be wearing the shoes that were missing from Jack Blount's body."
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| Modern map showing Awsworth Bypass bottom right with Shilo Hall's location arrowed. |
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| Shilo Hall is on the far right beyond the railway |
Source: John Paxton, Awsworth Good Old Days FB group 2015
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