Ghostly Tales Of The Hanwell Community Centre
Big Dave told me about some ghostly experiences he had at the Hanwell Community Centre many years ago and whilst researching its history, I came across a very brief mention of another paranormal occurrence there on a website that recorded: ‘The phantom sounds of youngsters laughing and crying can be heard from time to time, but only by other children.’ -Thanks to Dave for sending me the following account
Steve Russell
When I was a kid growing up on the Cuckoo Estate in Hanwell, there were many stories going around about ghost sightings at the Community Centre but as a ten year old it didn’t really mean very much to us lads until we reached the grand old age of thirteen. It was mid-November, nine o’clock on a Sunday night and pitch black. Myself and two other lads, Tony Paine and Del Scott, were hanging around the entrance of the Community Centre when we decided to go up to the building and saw a light shining through the window of the Spartan Youth Club. There seemed to be a figure leaning forward writing. The light from the window looked as if it was coming from a candle or an open flame. Being brave, we shouted at the figure but it never responded. We then threw stones at the window which had wire mesh over it. As the stones hit the mesh, the figure turned towards us and then disappeared as did the light. Well we crapped ourselves and ran like hell !!! We couldn’t go near the place for the next few months.
The second incident happened a year or so later. We were leaving through the front doors around closing time, which was 10pm then, Joe Baxter the Caretaker, Mr Pryor, Tony Paine and myself. After locking up, we started to walk away when Mr Pryor looked back and said that we had left the light on in the Boys Club. He told us that he would go back and turn it off. He went inside and as he made his way up the stairs, the light suddenly went out. A few minutes later, he looked out of the window and shouted down to us that there were no lights on in there. He added that as it was the snooker room, the only light would be the one that covered the table and he had just switched it on. Guess what, we couldn’t see it from the front of the building !!! Once again we crapped ourselves and departed at the double.
Joe Baxter wouldn’t stay on site after that incident. In fact, he would wait at the front door and leave it to others to clear the building before quickly heading off. There was another occasion on a Sunday night when we had a five-a-side football training session. There were about fifteen of us but nobody else was in the building. I remember smelling something like cooked onions, so strong it had us choking. I have been told that this is a sign of the Spirit World ? There have been other sightings. One person has seen the figure of a woman gliding down the stairs moaning before disappearing. If you ever get the chance to visit the Hanwell Community Centre, do so as you might have a strange sense of something that happened there many years ago.
Big Dave
I imagine as a young lad, you’d be scared out of your brain, and no doubt the memory stays with you forever, yet it wouldn’t deter you from going back for more of the same!!
Nice one Dave.
Thanks jj. When you are inside the building you have a strange sense that somthing has happened there.
The worse part is in what we called the dungeons but were in fact the stables under the building.
It makes me cringe to this day !
One other thing to older guys that worked there, had the plans to the building and the measurments.
There was one room that was 3 ft smaller on one side.
The wall had a void behind it, you could tell by tapping it but we was all too scared to get in behind it to this day.
We don’t know if anyone else has realised its there or what its there for ? I can tell you lots more on different accounts in parks/ buildings as I worked for Ealing Leisure Services for 36 years with some strange going’s on !!!
nice spooky story for a cold winter night!
Good read….I married a girl from the Cookoo Est….I played a few times in the CC…..jnew plenty of geezers from the estate as well(Les Ware, Drakes, Paul Murray)….played against Hanwell Boys Club(1970′s) and played for Hanwell Town(1970′s)…..and I knew Derek Scott, a good mate, who sadly died about 2 years ago – probably knew you as well Big Dave. Thanks for the memories.
gazza new all of these lads did not no about del scott sad mate
i used to go cubs their with my freind patrick mithall who lived on westcot cresent,,rumor has it that charlie chaplin haunts it as well as many others,,and yes it has a strange smell,people used to tell me that the knives and forks used to shake in the draws of the canteen,,i can you now this place is haunted,it never scard me though,the other rumor is that,,phantom bomber planes can be seen and heard flying over the back field at the dead of night,,me and patrick used to go ghost hunting all over west london on our bmxs,when we was kids,, leemarktransit@googlemail.com for more info
Check out the Cuckooites website it is filled with stories of us kids who grew up on the Cuckoo estate we have spread our wings far and have found Cuckooites from all over the world visit us at Cuckooites.org Cuckoo Estate Hanwell W.7.
Tommy Higginbottom Editor.
lol worked at hcc for three years never seen any spooky goings on before.and before anybody asks no its not haunted and no charlie chaplin didnt kill himself jumping from the clock tower lol…..k
Thanks for your comment mate.
There are others that would disagree with you.
When did you work there ?
kat you may have worked there for three years would you spend the night there by yer self and i bet you would not if you say yes i have contacts there and it can be arranged ??????
I was born and breed in Hanwell and as a 13 year old girl who against her parents will statrted smoking !! Me and my friends would walk up though the field. One night at about 10ish we walked up to the community centre turned to go into the playing fields we look into the coummuniy centre and to left of the main building on the second floor there was a light on and it was the only light on and it was not coming from the celing where the lights were but coming from half way down the wall. It was not tillon of the lads said sure the community centre is closed we looked again and then we ran……
I know that in the 80′s a TV company did a documentary and asked few youngsters from the youth club to stay all night in the HCC. This was in order to record any strange going ons. This was organised via the youth leaders, one of the young volunteers happened to be my brother, who had said he thought it was a load of rubbish and that nothing would happen. The next day when he came home he had a very different story to tell. They had to stay at different parts of the building during the night. When at the 5 a side football hall they could hear children singing and laughing. When upstairs in the Gym the punch bags started swinging and the doors slammed shut. My brother said all the girls there were screaming and crying so it was called to a halt and they were taken home. My brother said he had never been so relieved to leave a place. Im not sure he ever went there again… well not alone anyway.
nice one deb, there are more than just me that believes, good one, the main doubter never did come back to me about staying the night there.
dave
I live around the corner from the centre and my little boy went to judo there for a while and I remember having to wait in a corridor up the first flight of stairs on his first evening. It felt very eerie and everytime I went in there I couldn’t wait to get out. going up to the very top to where they hold the judo and boxing up that spiral stairway felt really odd too. My old art teacher is the judo teacher there and has his art studio at the top too. All I can say is rather him than me cos sod being alone in that building at night haha
I’ve lived in Hanwell all my life, as a kid we would do p.e in the CC. I can also relate to comments above about it having a realty strange atmosphere and the feeling of wanting to get out of there as soon as possible!
I have also heard the stories of the children laughing and crying, jet planes, and doors banging.
Does anyone know who I could contact and wether they think we would be able to carry out a paranormal investigation?
This place fascinates me.
I lived on the Cuckoo Estate from birth until 1977. When I was a kid my friends and I would often sit on the walls by the main gates and I would often see a figure coming out of the front door and going down to the left of the building. We use to call it the dungeon but it was probably just a basement. The basement door was bricked off many years later, but I would still see the figure going down there. It was a mans figure and he was quite tall and thin. When I pointed it out to my friends that couldn’t see him.
In time I thought it was me just seeing things, but at the time he was very real. Why could no else see him.
In 1983 I got into a spot of bother with the police and had to do community service at the Hanwell Community Centre. I was about 16 and had never actually been to the place before. I remember going up to the top floor to a small room with a fire and lots of tools and machinery for us to make wooden toys for children. It was winter and we all huddled close to the fire whilst painting, varnishing and sanding bits of wood. One day we went around the building with one of the men who supervised us. I remember a room full of old clothes and painted scenery for an acting group. I remember the snooker room where with the full sized table too. The corridors echoed as we walked along and chatted and it felt very eerie. Then I remember being downstairs and the badminton courts. Finally we went into the huge basement and I can recall different areas being used by different groups, most memorably of all was the aeroplane which was being built. Anyway, the supervisor told us a story and we had no reason to doubt him. He said that some months previously one of the cleaners had gone on holiday for two weeks. When she returned she carried on with her work as usual. On her first evening back the caretaker approached her and asked her to take some keys back to the reception for him as he had to go and do something and they would need the keys. So, she did as she was asked and took the keys back to the reception and handed them in. The person she gave them to aske her where she got them from. When she said they were given to her by the caretaker the person let out a gasp and went white. She explained that whilst the cleaner was away on holiday the caretaker had suddenly died and so it couldn’t have been him. The supervisor swore this story was true and even said we could talk to the cleaner involved if we wanted to. Nobody took up the offer. It certainly is a very imposing building and has an atmosphere to match. I haven’t been there since that time, but would love to go back and have a look around one day.
The aeroplane was made by my dad. He was also in charge of the centre for many years and lived on the estate most of his life. My mum has worked there for over 30 years and h is still there today. I have never heard of a caretaker dying in the 1980s but there are lots of stories about ghostly happenings in the building. I did stay there overnight in the early 80s with the youth club but nothing happened. However dad use to take our dog into the building when the alarms went off late at night/early morning and the dog would not go into certain areas. Animals are supposed to know when ghosts are around!! Mum (Margaret) is always happy to show people around if they have a connection to the Centre or estate.
Hi BigDave,
Not sure if you still read this thread! I hope so:-)
Do you still have contacts for the HANWELL COMMUNITY CENTRE. I am part of a local paranormal group and we would love to be able to spend the night in the building recording any paranormal activity through the night.
Drive past it regularly as I have family in Harp Road and from the outside it gives off a spooky vibe.
You’ll need to essentially seem into the brand new upgrades offered for BE blogs. I believe yours might actually profit from it.
I live on the cuckoo ave road and underneath the statue of charlie chaplin is a WW2 fighter jet which is supposed to be connected to the hauntings. There are 3 confirmed ghosts in the community centre, a lady dressed in white, the barrel boy and the pilot. A few investigations have taken place and the electric field in the community center
has been compared to the house that the Black Dhalia died in (the readings hit around 9.5 which can make you see and smell things that arent there but what is making the readings so high is it the ghosts?
Many thanks for the additional information Ellie. Are you arranging anything in the near future ?
i have been in contact with Ealing Council that now runs the community centre and I have had a response. Looks like they might be giving me the chance to spend the night there. They needed a few more bits of info but it’s looking promising.