Once again the Victorian detectives Inspector Meadowbank and Sergeant Huggins are drawn into a dark tale set in and around Preston and the Lancashire Fells. Wolf Fell, one of the high fells bordering Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire was part of the huge estate inherited by Ralph Blackhurst, 3rd Baron of Blackhurst. He had fulfilled his dream of creating a reserve on these bleak moorland slopes, a sanctuary for his pack of canis lupus after their extinction more than 500 years ago. There was much local resentment towards the reintroduction of the wolves. The death of Allan Quartermai ..read more

They’re back! The Victorian crime fighters, Inspector Meadowbank and Sergeant Huggins have barely had time to catch their breath after their encounter with Vena Demdike, The Last of the Lancashire Witches, when an even greater supernatural horror stalks the cobbled streets of Preston. But who is hunting who? Find out in Chingle Hall. Chingle Hall is the third stand alone novel in the ‘Inspector Meadowbank Investigates’ series, following on from Priest Town and Last of the Lancashire Witches, all available on Amazon as paperback or ebook editions ..read more

Dunkenhalgh Hall. The name Dunkenhalgh comes from Roger de Dunkenhalgh who built the manor house at the end of the 12th century. Much has happened to the Tudor house in its 700 year history and of course many people, good and bad have died there during that time. Dunkenhalgh Hall is on the outskirts of Clayton le Moors and the River Hyndburn runs through the extensive grounds a few hundred yards away. The Petre Family. Lord Robert Edward Petre, 9th Baron, was a British peer and member of the English Catholic nobility. He inherited exceptional wealth and was one of the richest men in the Kin ..read more

A horror bound novel. In 1612, nine witches from the Forest of Pendle where hung at Gallows Hill near Lancaster Castle. The location of the nine unmarked graves remained a secret and there the witches lay for century after century like dormant seeds waiting to flourish. A child of one of these sorceresses survived the witch-hunt, and now the time is right for revenge, to put things right. The Last of the Lancashire Witches, the latest novel by Steve Woods and published under the Horror Bound Books banner, is available as paperback or ebook edition direct from Amazon. Five star reviews on Amaz ..read more

Bashall Eaves March 1934. Five miles north-west of Clitheroe stands the village of Bashall Eaves, traditionally associated with King Arthur, who is said to have fought a battle here. Beyond the village lies the ancient Forest of Bowland and the Bowland Fells, separating Lancashire from Yorkshire. Edisford Bridge over the River Ribble. Jim Dawson. Jim Dawson lived at Bashall Hall Farm with his sister, Polly Pickles. The farmhouse was a short walk from The Edisford Bridge pub. On a rain sodden Sunday evening on 18th March 1934, Jim Dawson, a 46 year old farmer and bachelor was walking home, al ..read more

Buck Ruxton. Buck Ruxton was born Bukhtyar Rustomji Hakim in Bombay, India on the 21st March 1899. He qualified as a doctor before emigrating to Edinburgh in 1927, where he took a post graduate course in medicine and while in Edinburgh met Isabella Kerr. They moved in together and went on to have three children.  Number 2, Dalton Square. In 1930 he set up practice as a GP at 2, Dalton Square, Lancaster and changed his name by deed poll to Buck Ruxton. The couple employed a live in maid, 20 year old Mary Jane Rogerson. Even though he was a popular local doctor he had a dark temper, was in ..read more

  ‘There are only two ways to kill a witch: decapitation or incineration’. There has been volumes written about The Lancashire Witches, and their legacy and folklore is still evident today, not just in the Pendle area. Detective Inspector Meadowbank and Sergeant Huggins follow on from their success in tracking down Jack the Ripper in Priest Town. They now face a far deadlier threat than the Whitechapel Murderer in The Last of the Lancashire Witches. In 1612, nine witches from the Forest of Pendle were hung at Gallows Hill near Lancaster Castle. The location of the nine unmarked grav ..read more

Heskin Hall, a Tudor manor house, built in 1545  near to the village of Eccleston in the borough of Chorley in Lancashire, is a Grade 1 listed building of exceptional historic interest. The Ghosts. There are numerous reported hauntings throughout the house, but two apparitions in particular wander the three floors of the hall, their presence dating back nearly four hundred years to the English Civil War. Heskin Hall was a Royalist and Catholic stronghold during the war, where Holy Mass was held in secret and priests given sanctuary.  One fateful day Cromwell’s forces arrived at th ..read more

Tony Wiseman and Kenneth Dwyer, both firefighters in the North Yorkshire town of Skipton, were lifelong friends. They went to the same primary and secondary schools, grew up together, played football together and eventually they both joined North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. They were ‘best man’ at one another’s wedding and went on to holiday together with their wives and families. These two best friends had made a promise to each other that in the event of either of them losing their life, during the course of their duty, the other would make sure that their children were looked after ..read more

How It Began. In September 1939 the Clitheroe Territorials had received orders to join their battalion, the East Lancashire Regiment in northern France.  Nineteen year old Lance Corporal Billy Lakin and his mates were excited to be leaving their jobs in the cotton mills to reinforce the Maginot Line. In May the following year, Germany invaded France, forcing the allied positions to retreat to the Dunkirk beaches for evacuation.  Lance Corporal Billy Lakin and his regiment,  walked across France  pursued by the Nazi advance, only to find themselves trapped on the beaches of ..read more