The Saturday Strangeness

By NeilA Last edited 190 months ago

Last Updated 14 February 2009

The Saturday Strangeness

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95. The Haunted Tree

It is said that St James's Hospital for Leprous Women, used the site, now known as Green Park, as a burial ground for victims. Little do we realise just how many bones have been eaten by the soil of the capital, and how much blood has soaked into the earth.

A strange legend centres upon the park. Not only does the area have several eerie hauntings but much of its weirdness revolves around a particular tree in the vicinity. It has become known as the 'tree of death', and no bird is said to perch on its branches, let alone sing in its shadow. Dog-walkers claim that their pets avoid the tree and those who have experienced its sinister aura state that whilst in the shade of the tree, they are overcome by a feeling of overwhelming sadness.

The most peculiar quality of the tree, or whatever lurks within its aged bark, is its ability to omit an eerie gurgling sound, as if someone is trapped within the tree and gasping for air. Could these bizarre noises be connected to the sinister black figure said to have been sighted beside the tree? This malevolent apparition exudes menace and many witnesses to the form have often commented that the figure points at them and then vanishes into thin air.

Is there any truth in the belief that many have been found hanging from the tree in the past, and could such tragedy be locked within the tree as some kind of dormant energy? Whatever the truth behind this tree, one thing is sure, unless someone stays the night under its creaking bows, the legend will remain until proven otherwise.

Photo by philtr on flickr