Secret Lincolnshire: A tunnel, a hunt and the real Gate Carter

Does a ghost haunt a Skegness bingo hall, and how did a writer from Barton-upon-Humber blow up British crime writing?

The BBC’s Secret Lincolnshire podcast seeks to answer these questions and many more.

Topics covered in the series range from forgotten characters to interesting folk tales, such as the “lost” bugler of Kirkstead Abbey.

Here are three of the most interesting and lesser-known stories investigated over the past year. Can enjoy more from you Listen to podcasts on BBC Sounds.

Today, Kirkstead Abbey is a ruin, a victim of Henry VIII.

But legend has it that a secret tunnel leads from the Abbey to Tattersall Castle, and that a man disappeared while exploring it.

So is there any truth to this story, and what does it tell us about how folklore begins and spreads?

Dr. Rory Waterman, who leads it. Lincolnshire Folktales Projectsays that an underground canal once passed through this area. It is shown in 18th century plans.

According to tradition, several people went to the mouth of this tunnel and went down with a bugle and his dog.

“If he gets into trouble, he’ll blow the horn,” says Dr. Waterman.

After a long time, the horn sounded. Then the dog came running and disappeared across the fields in terror.

The bugle continued to fly but the people above did not dare to follow their friend.

“Eventually the bugle stopped flying and was never seen again,” Dr. Waterman added.

In the abbey’s heyday, it would have been a huge complex, teeming with life. But it was Destroyed after the Lincolnshire Rising. 1536, when the last abbot and three monks were executed.

“I don’t think there’s a body buried underground in a tunnel between here and Tattersall Castle,” says Dr. Waterman.

“I think what is true is that there was an underground passage. I would imagine there are a lot of stories around what it could be and how far it could go.”

The passing is no more and, over the years, the stories have “grown too long to tell”.

Dr. Waterman says that folktales began as ways to explain things, entertain people, and warn people about things.

“They’re not necessarily completely made up — they’re made up from real situations.

“It’s the gossip of the ages.”

Bingo players in Skegness claim their hall is haunted by a “naughty but friendly” presence.

The Roman Bank Bingo Hall was built in 1887 and was once a cinema.

It is claimed that one of the original flip-up seats moves of its own accord, as if a ghostly cinemagoer were sitting down to watch a film.

“Serial”, as he is known to some, is said to be a man with a very gruff voice.

Staff say he is “a bit of a joker”, who likes to move things around. Some claim to have seen his shadow walking up the balcony.

Jason Beauchamp-Hughes, the general manager, is told that Cyril was a projectionist and army volunteer, whose wife was an usher.

“My staff have told me they’ve tested things,” he says.

“I’ve never experienced it myself, but I find it interesting that every time I work in an old cinema-style building, there’s a ghost story.

“I think for a building that dates back to 1887, chances are there’s going to be something going on.”

Fancy checking it out for yourself? Cyril’s seat can be found in the balcony, “three rows down and four across”.

He has been described as “the godfather of Brit Noir” and “one of the most important writers you’ve never heard of.”

His credits range from working on a film for The Beatles to creating one of Michael Caine’s most famous characters.

Ted Lewis broke British crime writing in the 1960s. His most famous work, the novel Jack’s Return Home, was adapted into the film Get Carter.

Lewis spent his early years in Barton-upon-Humber, which had a major influence on his writing, according to his biographer Nick Triplow.

The end of the novel is set in a ruined brickworks on the shores of the Humber – a location transplanted to Hartlepool in the film.

“Lewis brings his life and his experiences into his writing,” says Mr. Triplow.

Some characters from Get Carter [are] Named after those who knew him at Barton at the time.”

Lewis studied at Hull College of Art and began traveling to London to see jazz gigs at Ronnie Scott’s.

He moved to the capital, where he finished his first novel and, in 1967, worked on animation for the Beatles film Yellow Submarine.

He eventually returned to his hometown to live an “obscure life,” according to Mr. Triplow.

“It was probably where he was happiest.

“You can imagine on a very windy day, it’s like the kind of place Mike Hodges would choose for the end of Get Carter.”

Lewis died in 1980, aged just 42. In the same year, his novel GBH, considered by many critics to be his best work, was published.

A blue plaque marks his childhood home in Westfield Road. The house features prominently in many of his novels.

Meanwhile, the Ted Lewis Centre, in Ferriby Road, tells the story of the author’s life.

His work will be remembered, and enjoyed, for generations to come.

Enjoy more podcasts by visiting Confidential Lincolnshire page on BBC Sounds.

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