I visited ‘phantom stretch’ of M5 where drivers see the ‘ghost monks’ near monastery

Stepping out of my car, I was immediately greeted by the loud roar of the M5. I was surrounded by trees and fields, but make no mistake, this was not the countryside. I'd travelled to Sandwell[1] Valley Country Park, a hidden slice of greenery situated in the heart of the Black Country.

For a 1.5 mile stretch, the M5 passes through this green corridor, leaving behind the masses of towering buildings, factories and housing estates that make up the West Midlands conurbation. Near this small section of motorway, hidden from view by the line of trees, are the remains of a Christian monastery built 900 years ago. But you won't be able to see Sandwell Priory from your car window; it's located a five-minute walk into Priory Woods in West Bromwich.

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp[3], click the link to join If you do manage to find it, all that remains of the monastery, which was founded in 1190AD by a man named William Fitz Guy, are several feet of stonework. The bricks appear in rectangular shapes on the ground, the foundations of where the ancient buildings once stood.

But while only a relic of the Sandwell[4] Priory monastery remains today, there's been rumours that the monks who once resided there still haunt the land. Drivers claim to have witnessed such figures as far as the M5 - even being forced to swerve around them on the carriageway.

With such strange reports occurring in the area, I decided to set out and explore further. From where I'd parked up at Sandwell Valley, the ruins were only a 10-minute walk away via a small, green footbridge over the M5.

The only unusual thing I'd spotted so far was a woman walking three-legged across the car park. There were also a number of peculiar 'MJ' graffiti tags. But alas, the area seemed quiet and untroubled.

Turning left from my car, I embarked on a narrow footpath into a set of woods, with the footbridge just up ahead. On the other side, a shower of golden leaves were floating to the ground from the towering trees. It was a picturesque autumn scene.

Save for a man who came speeding past on an electric bike, there was no one about. Then a little robin came to say hello, flitting through the trees as I walked along the path next to a pristine-looking golf course. Further down the path, a man was perched on a mobility scooter with a long camera lens fixed up on the tree canopies above.

Finally, just beyond him emerged the old ruins.

There wasn't much to them. A number of information boards stood overlooking the medieval site, informing passers-by of its history. But there was a touching little memorial placed in the corner of the brickwork in memory of someone's mother.

It was hard to fathom how old the priory ruins actually were, standing amongst the stones. This dates back to the medieval period, not long after the Norman conquest of England. Having taken in all that I could, I started heading back to my car.

As I passed the man with the camera again, I asked: "Have you ever seen anything spooky around here?"

"No," he laughed. "I don't believe in anything like that. But I hope I don't see anything out here," he added in a more stern tone. Just like Cannock[5] Chase, this was another wooded area seeped in mystery.

And I could see why it attracted wonder and intrigue. Past research by the paranormal group West Midlands Ghost Club had gathered together accounts of sightings believed to have been connected to the priory ruins. One motorist reported seeing a 'monk-like' figure walking along an unnamed road in the area before the entity simply 'vanished'.

"The person concerned was not alone but they happened to have been in the car with three other family members, with everyone sharing in the encounter," a spokesperson for the ghost club said. On other occasions, motorists had even reported their experiences to the police, such was their level of concern. The paranormal group's spokesperson added: "It seems, and usually entails people - using the section of motorway nearest to the priory ruins - either seeing monk-like figures in the cutting or sometimes having to swerve to avoid such phantoms.

It is frequently claimed that the people concerned are not locals - and do not know of any spooky reputation to the area - and that a number of these experiences are reported to the police."

References

1. ^ Sandwell (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ New 455-mile train service will link Wales, England and Scotland direct - and it stops in Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^ BirminghamLive WhatsApp (chat.whatsapp.com)
4. ^ Sandwell (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
5. ^ Cannock (www.birminghammail.co.uk)