A real-life Stranger Things? Yorkshire village has 'portal to the other side'

From a girl "possessed be an evil spirit", to a cigar-smoking ghost, a tiny Yorkshire village is said to have not one, but two, "portals" to the other side.

It may sound like something straight out of fiction – a Yorkshire take on Stranger Things, perhaps – but at Hooton Roberts, locals tell first-hand tales of strange goings-on. The compact community of a little over 200 people has several ancient buildings, including a 12th-century church and a manor house which is now home to the Earl of Strafford pub. Do they house a chilling secret?

One man, who lives in an 18th-century house, says matter-of-factly, that the home is haunted and he had to have it blessed. Campsite owner Charlie Schofield told our sister site Yorkshire Live in 2022 that a girl had been "possessed" after an "imaginary friend" turned out to be a malevolent "male spirit".

"I have had stuff happen and had to have it blessed. The woman (who blessed it) said there were two portals to the other side. She closed the bad one and left the other open," he added.

He had invested £500,000 in the Hooton Lodge Farm campsite since taking over in 2012. It boasts a huge camping field, children's play area, an outdoor bar, and even fairground rides.

Since being blessed, the strange happenings have died down. "When I first bought it (the house) I used to smell cigar smoke. A spiritual woman said there was a man sitting there smoking a cigar. I hadn't told her anything. I believe in it," he said.

For Charlie, one of the most frightening episodes was when a hand mirror was 'thrown' at him inside the house when nobody else was present. "I found the mirror on the floor so put it on a worktop. I turned my back and it flew across and skimmed past me. We moved in on Friday the 13th of 2016. Sometimes I am a bit freaked out."

Pat Eames, another resident of the village, close to Rotherham, tells a tale of a woman whose ghost is said to haunt The Earl of Strafford pub. "She hanged herself after she was crossed in love. The pub used to be a house and has been a pub for 20 odd years. It has been closed for a couple of weeks."

Read more: I live in an axe murderer's house haunted by two ghosts

She says, however, that the characterful village is a lovely place to live. Conisborough Castle and Thrybergh Country Park are on the doorstep and the only downside is the busy Doncaster Road, which cuts the village in two.

Jayden Barnes, who is working on the renovation of the Earl of Strafford had not heard the ghost stories, but said he felt uneasy while carrying out the refurbishment. The 23-year-old added: "I felt like there was somebody watching me. I turned around and had to do a double look. It felt like there was something near the door."

Whether or not it is "haunted", the village is a hidden gem in the heart of Yorkshire. Wayne Hargate, 55, described it as "just a quiet village" with useful links to the A1, M18 and Doncaster Airport. "I have lived in Rotherham all my life. We knew it (Hooton Roberts) existed but didn't really know it until we got off the beaten track. It's a small, historic hamlet."