Shiverpool

Tonight was a fun and pretty scary Sunday evening. We did a street tour with the Shiverpool group for the first time. Luckily the weather was quite mild for the 3rd November – the kind of evening that has a wisp of smoke in the air and a backdrop of random explosive noises from the fireworks being set off early. It was also eerily light way into the evening as the pollution from the many street lights cast a soft glow over the streets.

We met with the rest of the people on the tour outside the Philharmonic Pub on Hope Street at 4.30, a group of around almost 40 folk. Immediately we were herded onto a tight group by the effervescent Victorian/Dickensian garbed duo, Indiana Bones and his ‘sister’ Chiller Black. This sinister pair shepherded us throughout the tour with great energy and panache. I can’t commend this pair of young actors highly enough and their sense of drama and story-telling made for an exciting and fun experience. Indiana never missed an opportunity to make us jump and he seemed to be everywhere at once.

As we set off on our tour, each road we crossed we were told by the manic duo to raise our hands and wiggle our fingers and shout ‘Green Demon’ at the unsuspecting traffic lights to encourage them to change colour. Otherwise we would need to sacrifice one of the child tour members or ‘goblins’ as the pair called them. Most people were giants or goblins – and sensibly, the smaller goblins were told to stand at the front and giants at the back during our huddled ghost stories.

We stopped at strategic points for some spooky tales while Cilla sometimes posed as a black robed phantom or Indiana lurked or leaned nonchalantly against a wall looking suitably menacing. We were enthralled by many ghostly tales, including the alleyway were ley lines caused people to feel strange and people were murdered. We visited the metropolitan Cathedral and heard tales of ghostly apparitions and attempted suicides. Then we were off to Rodney Street to William MacKenzie’s pyramid tomb and the story of how it came to be. Next, we were escorted to the steps outside of Blackburne House where we sat to listen to a gruesome tale body snatching, involving a house in Hope Street. Finally, we headed to the spookiest location of all; the atmospheric tunnels of St James Cemetery. We were chilled as we lined the tunnel while Mr Bone’s figure was eerily silhouetted in the lamplight. He enthralled us with more tales and sinister threats in his sing-song voice, reminiscent of Johnny Depp’s Sweeney Todd.

The tour ended here after running slightly late, and these fabulous street actors obligingly posed for photographs with individual groups, offering to answer any questions we may have. I would have no hesitation in recommending Shiverpool Tours and will definitely be booking some of the other tours on offer.