Author Topic: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW  (Read 2093 times)

Offline KANACKI

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St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« on: January 24, 2022, 10:58:43 AM »
Driving west on the Great Western Highway at night there is this old haunted church that sits lonely on a hill that chills the bones. It is nowadays lit up at night by lights making it less haunting than years gone by. St Bartholomew’s sits on the highest point in Blacktown surrounded by an old cemetery with worn tombstones cascading all the way down the hill. Locals simply refer to it as ‘the haunted church’.

Without even knowing its name or anything else about it, most locals will tell you immediately that its haunted even those who have lived in Blacktown most of their lives many have never been onto its grounds.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2022, 11:00:55 AM »
There are claims of a women while they were alone inside the church who felt someone approach her from behind, she turned around & was frightened by a priest who was standing a few metres away in the middle pew, amongst the rows of seats, silently staring back at her. She shrieked as women do when surprised she said. Completely caught by surprise she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment but when looked back up to apologise there was just an empty space. My friend said she hesitantly walked outside to try & call out to him but there was no one around, no cars parked & nobody else in the building.

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2022, 11:02:16 AM »
It was years later that she read that the church’s last mass was held in the 1960’s & St Bartholomew’s hadn’t had a resident priest for almost 40 years. The local Anglican churches didn’t have any priests matching her verbal description & none of the local records available to the public have any photographs matching the image of an old bearded priest with deep eyes & greying brown hair amongst some of her descriptions. Whenever she retells this story her face goes pale & the hairs on her arms stand up, she believes the old church is haunted & that she stood in the presence of a priestly ghost. Looking at her arm & that cold sweat I’m convinced she believes this.


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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2022, 11:04:49 AM »
St Bart’s is the oldest surviving non-residential building in the Blacktown area, consecrated 1841. Located in between the M4 Motorway & Great Western Highway it cuts a lonely but significant presence on that hill which according to the local council stands at 91 metres high.

Buried on the grounds of this creepy cemetery is William Lawson, who took part in an expedition to find a path through the Blue Mountains. He befriended a local Aboriginal hunter who took Lawson along a well-known Aboriginal trail which is today known as Bells Line of Road.

Apparently the local Blacktown Council purchased the church & cemetery a few years ago & restored it after some idiots vandalized it & set it on fire destroying much of the original pews & woodwork. Today you can join a local ghost tour to explore the graves or hire the church for a wedding, whatever you do look out for the ghostly priest & don’t let him haunt your dreams like my friend.

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2022, 11:06:00 AM »
But its not the only ghost that has been allegedly sited at the old church.

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2022, 11:18:24 AM »
USING a high spectrum camera, paranormal investigators have captured what they believe is an ‘anomaly’ at St Bartholomew’s Cemetery in Sydney’s west and it’s an image that will undoubtedly have sceptics scoffing and believers transfixed.

Fuelling a sceptic’s cynicism, the image was captured on Halloween night when one of the regular tours was held at the Prospect cemetery — known to locals as “St Bart’s”.

The anomaly was snapped at the burial place of explorer William Lawson and other early settlers. Many believe the cemetery and church, opened in 1841 and destroyed by fire in 1989, is haunted.

In the photograph below show a ghost like figure between the head stones. For those guests who cannot see the pictures I suggest signing up to this forum to get a deep insight into Australia's haunted past.

to be continued....

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2022, 11:20:50 AM »
Here is the ghost pictures taken at night below....

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2022, 11:24:29 AM »
Four members of Sydney South West Paranormal Investigators team were near the grave when they heard a whining sound.

As they often do on the tours across Sydney, the team took about 300 photos. The unusual image was captured on the 209th frame. But it was not until film was developed that “a very large anomaly’’ was captured.

“We think it’s moving towards us. It has legs, arms. We think it’s a male,’’ lead investigator Kelly Ryan says.

“We’re not claiming this is the spirit of a human being, we’re just saying this is an anomaly.

“The reason we know that is that there were only four of us there, it was quite a controlled environment.

“It’s opened more questions. There has been sightings there before.’’

Tour guide and local historian Hazel Magann is unsure of whose image it is but she is adamant about her aversion to that section of the gravesite.

“I close down. I kept having horrendous feelings near where that photo was taken,’’ Magann says.

She says a scout group once saw her being followed by a short man as she walked in the direction of the M4 motorway.

Her research revealed Thomas James Willis, aka the Penrith Jockey, born in 1834 in Middlesex England, could haunt the site.

Willis’ mother Mary is buried under the tree where the anomaly was captured. But Magann believes his spirit is there because of his daughter Emily, who died in 1863. She was just three years old.

Many have also spotted a girl who appears to be the same age darting towards the M4 motorway.

“She’s a very naughty girl, very much a prankster,’’ Magann says.

“She can never leave the site. I can tell you that.’’

to be continued....

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2022, 11:26:25 AM »
Members of the paranormal team, which has ventured out to St Bart’s since August, also say they spotted a girl with a similar description running around only to see her disappear shortly afterwards.

“I think with that place, the more we investigate the more questions we ask,’’ Ryan says.
“We’ve had some interesting encounters there.“This one, we would say, this is not actually haunted but intelligently haunted. They know you’re there. Our team members have had visual sightings.

“We get regular battery drains when I put out my equipment.’’

St Bartholomew’s is a very interesting place.

To be continued.....

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2022, 11:31:54 AM »
Still the ghost sightings continued....

The following picture of a man peering out the window of the church has allegedly been identified as the former grave digger caretaker....Now still care taking the place in the afterlife....

Once again those guest who cannot see the picture I suggest you sign up to the forums to see amazing pictures of haunted places in Australia.

Kanacki

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2022, 11:35:48 AM »
The ghost peering out of the window is believed to be....

JOHN POND 1858-1951

A friendlier spirit, Pond has left his mark on St Bart’s beyond the street named in his honour. His connection to the site was deep. A Parramatta born lad, Pond married Isabella Newis at St Bart’s on November 1, 1882. He also taught there, was a grave digger, a church warden on the site and lived nearby. He died in March 1951 aged 92.

Here is a picture of him and his wife below.

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2022, 12:36:12 PM »
Another ghosts that haunts the old cemetery is BENJAMIN HALLEN — 1800-1843

Much of the paranormal activity recorded at St Bartholomew’s is around the gravesite of former sea captain Hallen.He was baptised at St Bartholomew, Staffordshire Shire, England but he did not have a connection to the Prospect parish apart from the fact he was buried there because his cousins were in-laws of William Lawson.

St Bart’s has been Hallen’s resting place since 1846 (three years after his death when he was 43).

About 15 years ago, a man became unconscious just minutes after dancing on top of the vault. Only this year, a man was rushed to hospital after passing out near the vault. It’s the fifth time Magann has had to call the ambulance during a ghost tour.

“We don’t know what happens, they just pass out,’’ Magann says.“He literally does not like people trespassing where they shouldn’t be.“I would say he was a very determined man.’’

Magann believes she has seen Hallen’s spirit. “I believe it’s this man because he walks in a very, very particular way and you will know if you’re looking at Ben Hallen.

There is a photograph of Ben Hallens grave below.

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Re: St Bartholomew’s Church of the Damned: Blacktown: NSW
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2022, 01:35:24 PM »
i suspect there are many stories out there relating to the church and graveyard?

Kanacki

 


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