23/05/2026
Any recent sightings?
Mystery Church Photograph Released in 1980, Newcastle under Lyme
A dramatic photograph, released publicly in 1980 but originally taken five years earlier, had become the focus of renewed interest in an unexplained incident at a Newcastle church.
The image was captured by amateur photographer Raymond Hawthorne, a retired headmaster from Clayton, during a visit to St Michael’s Church, Cross Heath. The photographs were taken while he was preparing to document floral arrangements for the church’s centenary flower festival.
Mr Hawthorne took three photographs in quick succession inside the empty building. However, when the images were later developed, one of the prints appeared to show a white-cloaked figure standing near the pulpit. The figure, seemingly with hands clasped in prayer, did not appear in the other two photographs.
Although the photograph was taken in the mid-1970s, it was not publicly released until 1980, when renewed attention was drawn to the unexplained image.
Mr Hawthorne, aged 63 at the time of the release, insisted that the photograph could not be explained as a technical fault. He stated that the negative showed no signs of damage or emulsion issues, and that the figure became clearer when enlarged.
He maintained that the church had been completely empty at the time the photographs were taken:
“I made sure the church was empty when I took the photographs, because the whole point was to highlight the floral arrangements.”
The image has since been examined by Rev. Peter Travis, an expert on a wide range of paranormal phenomena, who carried out an extensive investigation into the photograph. Despite this, he was unable to provide a definitive explanation.
He ruled out the possibility of a simple light reflection, noting that the figure appeared too solid in form. While he suggested it could theoretically be a person who briefly passed through the camera’s field of vision, he acknowledged this was highly unlikely given the circumstances described.
Rev. Travis estimated the figure to be approximately 5ft 4in in height, but stressed that no firm conclusion could be reached.
“It could either be a genuine ghost, or possibly a person who walked into the camera’s field of vision. But this is extremely unlikely, and I am keeping an open mind as to what it could be.”
Parish clergy, including Father Anthony Davies, also expressed uncertainty about the image. Some parishioners suggested the figure may represent a vision of the Virgin Mary, though officials made clear that no interpretation had been confirmed.
Despite investigation, the photograph remains unexplained
