Wem Town Hall
Encyclopedia
Wem Town Hall is a building in the market-town of Wem
in Shropshire
, England. It is currently used as a venue for music and dance concerts, films, stage shows and exhibitions.
The interior of the building was completely destroyed by fire on 19 November 1995. The incident became famous as a result of a black-and-white photo taken by amateur photographer Tony O'Rahilly, which appeared to depict the image of a young girl in the doorway of the burning building. Locals averred that this was the ghost of Jane Churn, a young girl who was accused (in 1677) of starting a fire in the same town. O'Rahilly later denied claims that he had used special effects to add the girl into the image.
facade.
In November 1995, a fire destroyed the building. Local residents watched as firefighters attempted to tackle the blaze. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
The structure was rebuilt through lottery funding to serve as a community arts centre. The architects retained the facade but replaced
the rest of the building. A plaque was placed on the building commemorating the fire.
. The image of a girl in the doorway of the burning building was not noticed by the photographer or the onlookers; it only appeared after the photo had been developed.
O'Rahilly sent the photo for analysis to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena
(ASSAP), which determined that a burning piece of wood lay on the railing where the image appears, rendering the image a simulacrum
. ASSAP forwarded the photo to the former Royal Photographic Society
president, Dr. Vernon Harrison
. Harrison concluded that the image did appear to be genuine, but he continued to be skeptical, believing it could have been the smoke or light playing tricks.
Blake Smith for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine writes "A later analysis by photographic officers of the National Media Museum concluded that the photograph was doctored. A negative made from the photograph (not the original negative) showed horizontal scan lines consistent with those of a television image across the image of the girl. The officers concluded that the girl's image was likely pasted into the photograph."
In 2010, five years after the death of the photographer, a 77-year-old local resident claimed to solve the mystery, citing a similarity between the girl in the photograph and the image of a girl printed on a postcard that appeared in the local paper Shropshire Star
. The postcard in question was taken in 1922 and shows a young girl who resembles the so-called "Wem Ghost".
Wem
Wem is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the northern area committee of Shropshire Council, which has its headquarters at Edinburgh House in the centre of Wem. Wem railway station is on the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England. It is currently used as a venue for music and dance concerts, films, stage shows and exhibitions.
The interior of the building was completely destroyed by fire on 19 November 1995. The incident became famous as a result of a black-and-white photo taken by amateur photographer Tony O'Rahilly, which appeared to depict the image of a young girl in the doorway of the burning building. Locals averred that this was the ghost of Jane Churn, a young girl who was accused (in 1677) of starting a fire in the same town. O'Rahilly later denied claims that he had used special effects to add the girl into the image.
Building history
Wem Town Hall was erected in 1905. It was a red brick structure with a VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
facade.
In November 1995, a fire destroyed the building. Local residents watched as firefighters attempted to tackle the blaze. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
The structure was rebuilt through lottery funding to serve as a community arts centre. The architects retained the facade but replaced
Facadism
Façadism is the practice of demolishing a building but leaving its facade intact for the purposes of building new structures in it or around it....
the rest of the building. A plaque was placed on the building commemorating the fire.
Mystery of Wem Town Hall Ghost
Tony O'Rahilly, a sewage farm worker who was also an amateur photographer, was originally stopped by police from approaching the burning building. He took a picture of the blaze from across the road with a 200mm lensZoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length lens...
. The image of a girl in the doorway of the burning building was not noticed by the photographer or the onlookers; it only appeared after the photo had been developed.
O'Rahilly sent the photo for analysis to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena
Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena
The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena is a United Kingdom-based education and research charity, and professional body whose mission is to scientifically investigate alleged paranormal and anomalous phenomena....
(ASSAP), which determined that a burning piece of wood lay on the railing where the image appears, rendering the image a simulacrum
Simulacrum
Simulacrum , from the Latin simulacrum which means "likeness, similarity", was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, used to describe a representation, such as a statue or a painting, especially of a god...
. ASSAP forwarded the photo to the former Royal Photographic Society
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography...
president, Dr. Vernon Harrison
Vernon Harrison
Dr. Vernon George Wentworth Harrison, PhD. is a former president of the Royal Photographic Society, and a professional "research worker of disputed documents".-Biography:...
. Harrison concluded that the image did appear to be genuine, but he continued to be skeptical, believing it could have been the smoke or light playing tricks.
Blake Smith for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine writes "A later analysis by photographic officers of the National Media Museum concluded that the photograph was doctored. A negative made from the photograph (not the original negative) showed horizontal scan lines consistent with those of a television image across the image of the girl. The officers concluded that the girl's image was likely pasted into the photograph."
In 2010, five years after the death of the photographer, a 77-year-old local resident claimed to solve the mystery, citing a similarity between the girl in the photograph and the image of a girl printed on a postcard that appeared in the local paper Shropshire Star
Shropshire Star
The Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper covering the whole of Shropshire, plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, the Llangollen area and northern Powys in the United Kingdom.-About:The editor is Keith Harrison....
. The postcard in question was taken in 1922 and shows a young girl who resembles the so-called "Wem Ghost".