Spectral coaches and phantom riders are a very common form of ghost, and they frequently manifest at Christmas time. For example, in South Tyneside is The Britannia Inn which is reputed to be one of the oldest drinking establishments in the area. The current building dates back to Victorian times but it was built on the site of an older coaching inn, and an ancient fireplace inside bears the date 1675. And this may explain why over the years on Christmas Eve, both staff and patrons have reported seeing a phantom coach and horses pull up outside.
However in other places, it said that spotting a spectral coach is a very bad omen indeed. Legendary Irish ghost hunter Elliott O’Donnell in his book The Midnight Hearse recounts the following tale -
"A family in Limerick have as their ghost a phantom carriage drawn by headless horses. One Christmas Eve when the family were gathered together in the sitting-room, sounds of a carriage were heard. As they were not expecting anyone and the hour was late they wondered who it could be. Nearer and nearer came the sound of wheels — they could even hear the cracking of the driver's whip. Right up the drive the carriage came at a fast rate, never pausing till it reached the front door. There was then a loud rapping. One of the girls went to the window, gave a cry and fainted.
The carriage drove away, and the girl on recovering told how she had seen at the door a coach with headless horses, a headless coachman and headless footmen. Within a few days the family heard that someone closely related to them had suddenly died.”
DIRECT DOWNLOAD - Door 18 - The Midnight Coach
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