Thanks to John W. for this postcard showing Brookfold Farm Godley, I know little of this farm or the family/families who worked it... any information would be much appreciated.
Here is how it looked in 2007 http://hydedailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/05/brookfold-farm.html The view above is taken where the footpath to Green Lane turns off. It was very overgrown when I was up there. I don't think those gate posts are there now either.
This farm is on Brookfold Lane, the lane to the left of the farm goes to Mottram Rd and to the right it leads to Green Lane.The Tym family have owned this farm for quite a long time. The eldest child of the family is called Pauline and still lives there. Pauline was in my class at chool and I went home with her one day and sampled my first jam & cream scone. Her dad Jack Tym used to come round our estate with the milk churns on the horse & cart and we went out with our jug to get the milk. Pauline also had a brother called William and a sister called Margary.
Thank you Ceecee.... I recall the surname now... and I'm sure 'Jack Tym' as been mentioned on the blog before.... would I be right in thinking there is a pond nearby called Tymie's Pond? I have heard mention of this all my life and wondered where it was...
Hi everybody I went to school with william tym (billy) we used to camp out on the farm quite alot seeing if we could see the famous ghost dog? we were in the same class at leigh st then greenfield good old times, and yes we used to have milk delivered by horse and cart by billy's mother sometimes we go on the back delivering milk with her,also helping to milk the cows remember drinking warm milk straight from the cows.barry
Fast forward to the early 80s and Jack Tym use to come round the Mansfield Road area selling eggs, he rode a butchers bike and carried the eggs in the basket.
The History of Hyde has a story about an old farmhouse in Godley 'on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common' which was haunted by the ghost of a woman who was the last survivor of a family which had occupied it. The book continues: 'A few hundred yards away from the haunted farm of Godley Green, there once stood another old and picturesque farm which was pulled down towards the end of the nineteenth century. There is a curious legend told of this old building. The legend runs that some persons were done to death in the house; and that ever since an evil spirit in the shape of a great yellow hound has haunted the neighbourhood. Many persons claim to have seen the spectre hound. Old occupants of the adjoining farms have assured the present writer that they have been awakened from their sleep in the dead of night by noises in the fields, and on looking through the windows have seen the terrified cattle dashing wildly across the fields, chased by the horrible form of the great ghost-hound.
In the presence of witnesses I interviewed several persons who claimed to have seen the spectre-hound. One of these, a well-known tradesman of Hyde, thus relates his experience: "I was walking down the lane when suddenly I saw the thing beside me. I was not more than a yard from the hedge, and the ghost was between me and the hedge, I struck at it, but my hand went clean through it, and my knuckles were scratched by the hedge. My blood ran cold, and I was terribly frightened. It ran in front of me, and then came back; it did not turn round to do this, but strange to say its head was in front when it returned. As soon as it vanished I took to my heels as fast as I could run and it was a long time before I ventured in that lane again."'
Page 522 of The History of Hyde, Tom. I'll send you a couple of photos of Brookfold Farm which I've taken recently.
Excellent... I recall the story now... quite similar to the Ghost Dog of Haughton Green... this would have been around the mid 1970s... I saw this myself... at the time was quite scared by it... I was out shooting on the river with my mate.... the story had been in the North Cheshire Herald... and we saw what looked like a big Labrador but longer and a bigger head... both me and my friend shot at it across the river and it did not flinch but carried on walking towards the waterfall at the Gib.... it went into the trees where the path climbs and goes narrow just before the bridge and it didn't reappear.. All I know was it did not seem aware of us at all.... At that time I had never seen a Mastiff... and it could have been a cross breed but it was weird... It was seen around there for a while then nothing else was heard of it.
I can recall being told a tale of a ghostly figure of a lady who was suppose to haunt the bottom part of Green Lane. Many years ago I use to cut through Bears Woods and surrounding fields to get to Green Lane to visit my best friend from primary school.. I've since learnt that the area of the woods and farm land is known as Godley Green on historical maps could this be the ... 'on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common' bit referred to in Dave Williams ghostly tale from The History of Hyde??... I thought my mum made it up to stop me going off for hours too... spooky!!
The History of Hyde says this about the ghost of the old lady:
"In the township of Godley, on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common, stands an old farmhouse. Tradition says that the farm is haunted. In former times it was occupied by a family, the last survivor of which was an old dame, who is said to have been the very picture of a witch. After her death, her spirit, unable to rest in the grave, commenced to wander through the farm at night. Various persons who have at different times resided in the farm, have related strange stories of their experiences of the ghostly visitant. In the dead of night, the doors - even those that were locked - have suddenly opened, footsteps have been heard as though some unseen being walked through the rooms and up the stairs, and then the doors have closed and locked themselves as mysteriously as they opened. Sleepers have been awakened by the beds on which they lay suddenly commencing to rock violently; and at times the bedclothes have been snatched away, and deposited in a heap upon the floor. The ghostly figure of an old woman has been seen moving about from room to room, and then has vanished. Fire-irons have been moved, and have tumbled and danced about mysteriously; pots and pans have rattled, and tumbled to the floor; and there has been heard a strange noise as though someone invisible was sweeping the floor.
So recently as 1890 (the book was published in 1932) the occupants were startled by hearing a loud noise in the upper rooms. When they entered the room from which the noise came they beheld the curious sight of an old rocking chair, violently rocking itself as though some person might have been seated in it, and the rocking continued unabated for a considerable time. It is said that the old dame, whose ghost haunts the place, died in her rocking chair in that very room; and the belief was that it was her spirit, invisible to the inhabitants of the farm, which set the chair rocking so mysteriously.
To add to the mystery and the uncanny character of the place, there is a certain part of the garden of the farm on which nothing will grow. Some time ago human bones were dug up, and it is said a murdered man was once buried there, and that the place is accursed. Several tenants of the farm have assured the writer that they have again and again tried to bring that spot to the same state of fruitfulness as the rest of the garden, but all to no purpose."
I bet if you'd known this story you wouldn't have taken that short cut all those years ago, Karen!
Just discovered this blog tonight - I've been researching my family tree and can tell you that several descendents of mine lived in Brookfold Farm from (the earliest I can find) around 1860 until at least 1881 :) I'm still trying to find more details, but in the 1881 census there was a John Marsland that lived and worked there as a farmer of 31 acres. Though in 1881 he was 70, so potentially didn't live there much longer. Hope that helps! Would love to know if anyone else has any more history of the place that is earlier than the 1900s :)
Just discovered this blog tonight - I've been researching my family tree and can tell you that several descendents of mine lived in Brookfold Farm from (the earliest I can find) around 1860 until at least 1881 :) I'm still trying to find more details, but in the 1881 census there was a John Marsland that lived and worked there as a farmer of 31 acres. Though in 1881 he was 70, so potentially didn't live there much longer. Hope that helps! Would love to know if anyone else has any more history of the place that is earlier than the 1900s :)
Hi this is a very interesting page i use to live near by and spent many afternoons walking near green lane very beautiful farm houses I was wondering if the farm house is still haunted and if so me and a team of paranormal investigators could go there and do an investigation there
When I was a teenager at my friend's farm, Billy and I were out in the night and it was a full moon. The lane was in darkness between the barn and the cottage. The moonlight didn't illuminate it. Everything was very quiet. Suddenly we heard a dog lolloping towards us and we thought it was the station master's dog. But then the sound stopped. So we shone our torches expecting to see the dog. But there was no dog there. When we told Jack (Billy's father, the farmer) he said that was the ghost dog and told us tales about it. If you Google Brookfold Farm, Godley, Hyde, Cheshire you will see pictures of it. Billy still lives there more than 50 years later. Pauline is no longer alive. Margery and Des still live there.
24 comments:
Here is how it looked in 2007 http://hydedailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/05/brookfold-farm.html The view above is taken where the footpath to Green Lane turns off. It was very overgrown when I was up there. I don't think those gate posts are there now either.
This farm is on Brookfold Lane, the lane to the left of the farm goes to Mottram Rd and to the right it leads to Green Lane.The Tym family have owned this farm for quite a long time. The eldest child of the family is called Pauline and still lives there. Pauline was in my class at chool and I went home with her one day and sampled my first jam & cream scone. Her dad Jack Tym used to come round our estate with the milk churns on the horse & cart and we went out with our jug to get the milk. Pauline also had a brother called William and a sister called Margary.
Thank you Ceecee.... I recall the surname now... and I'm sure 'Jack Tym' as been mentioned on the blog before.... would I be right in thinking there is a pond nearby called Tymie's Pond? I have heard mention of this all my life and wondered where it was...
Hi Tom yes Tym's pond is near where the train turntable used to be near the end of the apethorn to godley track.
Hi everybody I went to school with william tym (billy) we used to camp out on the farm quite alot seeing if we could see the famous ghost dog?
we were in the same class at leigh st then greenfield good old times, and yes we used to have milk delivered by horse and cart by billy's mother sometimes we go on the back delivering milk with her,also helping to milk the cows remember drinking warm milk straight from the cows.barry
Great memories there Barry.... tell me more about 'The Ghost Dog', this seems to ring a bell with me.
The ghost hound of Godley Green Farm?
I've never heard of this.... the one I was thinking of was from around Haughton Green..
the ghost dog as stuck with me for 50 years and billy's parents at the farm mentioned this so this will be correct.barry
Fast forward to the early 80s and Jack Tym use to come round the Mansfield Road area selling eggs, he rode a butchers bike and carried the eggs in the basket.
JEAN
Jack used to deliver eggs to our house. He was a lovely man who liked a chat and told us great stories :)
It's mentioned in the History of Hyde ,Tom. I used to scare myself reading about it when I was young ..haha..!
The History of Hyde has a story about an old farmhouse in Godley 'on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common' which was haunted by the ghost of a woman who was the last survivor of a family which had occupied it. The book continues:
'A few hundred yards away from the haunted farm of Godley Green, there once stood another old and picturesque farm which was pulled down towards the end of the nineteenth century. There is a curious legend told of this old building. The legend runs that some persons were done to death in the house; and that ever since an evil spirit in the shape of a great yellow hound has haunted the neighbourhood. Many persons claim to have seen the spectre hound. Old occupants of the adjoining farms have assured the present writer that they have been awakened from their sleep in the dead of night by noises in the fields, and on looking through the windows have seen the terrified cattle dashing wildly across the fields, chased by the horrible form of the great ghost-hound.
In the presence of witnesses I interviewed several persons who claimed to have seen the spectre-hound. One of these, a well-known tradesman of Hyde, thus relates his experience:
"I was walking down the lane when suddenly I saw the thing beside me. I was not more than a yard from the hedge, and the ghost was between me and the hedge, I struck at it, but my hand went clean through it, and my knuckles were scratched by the hedge. My blood ran cold, and I was terribly frightened. It ran in front of me, and then came back; it did not turn round to do this, but strange to say its head was in front when it returned. As soon as it vanished I took to my heels as fast as I could run and it was a long time before I ventured in that lane again."'
Page 522 of The History of Hyde, Tom. I'll send you a couple of photos of Brookfold Farm which I've taken recently.
Excellent... I recall the story now... quite similar to the Ghost Dog of Haughton Green... this would have been around the mid 1970s... I saw this myself... at the time was quite scared by it... I was out shooting on the river with my mate.... the story had been in the North Cheshire Herald... and we saw what looked like a big Labrador but longer and a bigger head... both me and my friend shot at it across the river and it did not flinch but carried on walking towards the waterfall at the Gib.... it went into the trees where the path climbs and goes narrow just before the bridge and it didn't reappear.. All I know was it did not seem aware of us at all.... At that time I had never seen a Mastiff... and it could have been a cross breed but it was weird... It was seen around there for a while then nothing else was heard of it.
Thanks to Dave for the more recent pictures...
I can recall being told a tale of a ghostly figure of a lady who was suppose to haunt the bottom part of Green Lane. Many years ago I use to cut through Bears Woods and surrounding fields to get to Green Lane to visit my best friend from primary school.. I've since learnt that the area of the woods and farm land is known as Godley Green on historical maps could this be the ... 'on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common' bit referred to in Dave Williams ghostly tale from The History of Hyde??... I thought my mum made it up to stop me going off for hours too... spooky!!
The History of Hyde says this about the ghost of the old lady:
"In the township of Godley, on the fringe of what was formerly an unenclosed Common, stands an old farmhouse. Tradition says that the farm is haunted. In former times it was occupied by a family, the last survivor of which was an old dame, who is said to have been the very picture of a witch. After her death, her spirit, unable to rest in the grave, commenced to wander through the farm at night. Various persons who have at different times resided in the farm, have related strange stories of their experiences of the ghostly visitant. In the dead of night, the doors - even those that were locked - have suddenly opened, footsteps have been heard as though some unseen being walked through the rooms and up the stairs, and then the doors have closed and locked themselves as mysteriously as they opened. Sleepers have been awakened by the beds on which they lay suddenly commencing to rock violently; and at times the bedclothes have been snatched away, and deposited in a heap upon the floor. The ghostly figure of an old woman has been seen moving about from room to room, and then has vanished. Fire-irons have been moved, and have tumbled and danced about mysteriously; pots and pans have rattled, and tumbled to the floor; and there has been heard a strange noise as though someone invisible was sweeping the floor.
So recently as 1890 (the book was published in 1932) the occupants were startled by hearing a loud noise in the upper rooms. When they entered the room from which the noise came they beheld the curious sight of an old rocking chair, violently rocking itself as though some person might have been seated in it, and the rocking continued unabated for a considerable time. It is said that the old dame, whose ghost haunts the place, died in her rocking chair in that very room; and the belief was that it was her spirit, invisible to the inhabitants of the farm, which set the chair rocking so mysteriously.
To add to the mystery and the uncanny character of the place, there is a certain part of the garden of the farm on which nothing will grow. Some time ago human bones were dug up, and it is said a murdered man was once buried there, and that the place is accursed. Several tenants of the farm have assured the writer that they have again and again tried to bring that spot to the same state of fruitfulness as the rest of the garden, but all to no purpose."
I bet if you'd known this story you wouldn't have taken that short cut all those years ago, Karen!
That deserves it's very own post Dave...... but you will have to get your own pictures for this one... ha!
Just discovered this blog tonight - I've been researching my family tree and can tell you that several descendents of mine lived in Brookfold Farm from (the earliest I can find) around 1860 until at least 1881 :) I'm still trying to find more details, but in the 1881 census there was a John Marsland that lived and worked there as a farmer of 31 acres. Though in 1881 he was 70, so potentially didn't live there much longer. Hope that helps! Would love to know if anyone else has any more history of the place that is earlier than the 1900s :)
Just discovered this blog tonight - I've been researching my family tree and can tell you that several descendents of mine lived in Brookfold Farm from (the earliest I can find) around 1860 until at least 1881 :) I'm still trying to find more details, but in the 1881 census there was a John Marsland that lived and worked there as a farmer of 31 acres. Though in 1881 he was 70, so potentially didn't live there much longer. Hope that helps! Would love to know if anyone else has any more history of the place that is earlier than the 1900s :)
Hi this is a very interesting page i use to live near by and spent many afternoons walking near green lane very beautiful farm houses I was wondering if the farm house is still haunted and if so me and a team of paranormal investigators could go there and do an investigation there
Many thanks
Christopher Burgess
When I was a teenager at my friend's farm, Billy and I were out in the night and it was a full moon. The lane was in darkness between the barn and the cottage. The moonlight didn't illuminate it. Everything was very quiet. Suddenly we heard a dog lolloping towards us and we thought it was the station master's dog. But then the sound stopped. So we shone our torches expecting to see the dog. But there was no dog there. When we told Jack (Billy's father, the farmer) he said that was the ghost dog and told us tales about it. If you Google Brookfold Farm, Godley, Hyde, Cheshire you will see pictures of it. Billy still lives there more than 50 years later. Pauline is no longer alive. Margery and Des still live there.
Robert Howes
seen it
I live at the farm, and have seen the dog under the railway bridge, weird the dog was the size of the wall
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