This account is attributed to Wayne Anthony’s book Haunted Nottinghamshire, coming from Jason in West Bridgeford. I have heard a remarkably similar story from Strelley Village—perhaps the same account giver.
Jason’s new home stood on the grounds of a former manor in West Bridgford, a well-to-do area with grand houses and sprawling gardens south of the city. His bedroom window overlooked an old cottage garden, its centerpiece an ancient well encircled by a worn stone wall, once a vital water source for the land and still functional today.
One night, while his wife worked a night shift as a nurse, Jason awoke suddenly, wide-eyed. Moonlight streamed in, filling the room with a cold, radiant glow that made it impossible to sleep. Assuming the brightness had disturbed his rest, he rose to close the curtains. But as he glanced into the garden below, something caught his eye—several dark moving shapes in the moonlit shadows.
Intrigued and uneasy, he stepped back slightly, barely daring to breathe. Below, six or seven large, hooded figures were gathering around the old well. They moved strangely—creeping, crawling up from the depths of the well like creatures born from shadow. Their limbs were unnaturally wiry and insect-like, spider-like extensions that seemed to bend at impossible angles. The tallest figure, looming over the others, appeared to be waiting, watching as more dark shapes clawed their way out, some with faintly glowing eyes that pierced the night.
A wave of dread washed over Jason, unlike anything he’d ever felt. In terror, he hurriedly flicked on every light in the house, flooding the rooms with brightness, and activated the garden’s fluorescent lights, casting away the moonlit shadows. For the rest of the night, every light inside and out blazed, warding off the night’s horrors.
“A feeling of total dread that accompanied the experience”.
Source: Haunted Nottinghamshire – Wayne Anthony
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