Post by theshee on Mar 15, 2014 9:07:44 GMT 10
THE landlords of a Merseyside pub which was almost destroyed by a fire believe a mysterious curse is to blame.
THE landlords of a Merseyside pub which was almost destroyed by a fire believe a mysterious curse is to blame.
The blaze at the 250-year-old Magazine Hotel in Wallasey caused £200,000 worth of damage and left managers Linda and Les Baxendale living in a caravan for three months.
A small fabric witch figure which hung from the ceiling of the main bar was stolen two nights before the fire.
And with a history of accidents befalling those who dared to touch it, the couple are convinced the two are connected.
The official cause was a power surge which blew up the pub's fuse box, starting a fire.
Linda, 59, said: “Part of the history of the pub is the two witches and a little devil, all made from brown felt, which were hanging by the bar.
“No-one knows exactly how long they were there and we don't know who gave them to the pub but we think they were there for at least 100 years.
“They were covered in cobwebs and dust because we were told that if anyone touched them bad things would happen to them.”
The Baxendales have managed the Magazine Hotel, known locally as the Mags, since 2000 and Linda also ran the pub between 1980 and 1993 with late partner Phil.
When they first moved in they received an anonymous phone call warning them not to touch the witches.
She said: “We found out that a decorator took them down while he was working here in the 1970s and then was involved in a serious car accident at the top of the road.
“Phil once happened to touch the witch by accident and the following day he fell through a trapdoor leading to the cellar and broke his collarbone.
“Someone else fell over the following week and broke both his knees. It's spooky.”
Linda says she was convinced something terrible would happen after she learned about the theft.
She said: “One of my bar staff, Charlie, saw a man take the witch from the ceiling on the Friday night and run out. He wasn't a regular because they all know the story.
“I suppose I am superstitious because I used to say to the witches 'I tell people not to touch you so look after me' but when I found out one had gone I said ‘oh God something bad’s going to happen now.
“We live above the pub and on Sunday we woke up about 7.45am to the sound of smashing downstairs.
“I thought someone had broken in and was using a baseball bat until Les went downstairs and found it was a fire.
“It was terrifying. If it wasn't for the prompt response of the fire service the Mags might have burned to the ground.”
The remaining witch and devil were found in the scorched remains of the bar after the fire on April 18 but Linda says they have since vanished.
A friend bought the couple a replacement witch from Pendle which now hangs in their place.
They are celebrating the pub's re-opening with a beer and cider festival next week which will include a special brew, Witches Revenge.
Linda said: “What happened was so strange that I thought I'd better put the new witch up – just in case.”link