(Ghost Story) Hawley Bank Foundry by L T C Rolt, and read by Christopher Halton

"Hawley Bank Foundry", was first published in `Sleep No More` (Constable & Co., London, 1948). Set amid the soot-blackened valleys of England’s industrial heartland, “Hawley Bank Foundry” tells of an engineer who takes over a decaying ironworks with grand plans to revive its former glory. But beneath the clang of the forges and the molten light of the furnaces, something older and malignant stirs — a force tied to the foundry’s violent past and the mysterious fate of a previous owner. As the machinery roars back to life, echoes of the dead seem to rise with it, and the engineer finds that progress itself may awaken powers best left buried in slag and shadow. Rolt’s tale blends technical realism with the chill of the supernatural — an industrial ghost story in which steel, steam, and spirit become fatally entwined. L. T. C. Rolt (Lionel Thomas Caswall Rolt, 1910 – 1974) was an English mechanical engineer turned author whose passion for Britain’s industrial past helped launch the modern movements to preserve canals, heritage railways and historic motor-cars. Born in Chester on 11 February 1910, he trained at locomotive builder Kerr Stuart before moving between engineering jobs and vintage car racing. His breakthrough came with Narrow Boat (1944), a lyrical diary of a honeymoon voyage that reignited public interest in the derelict inland waterways and led him, with Robert Aickman, to found the Inland Waterways Association in 1946. Rolt went on to publish more than forty books. His biographies of giants such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Thomas Telford, the Stephenson family, and James Watt set a new standard for readable engineering history. At the same time, his three-volume autobiography, Landscape with Machines / with Canals / with Figures (1971–79), evokes a vanishing rural England. Beyond canals, he was a prime mover in the world’s first heritage-railway rescue (the Talyllyn Railway, 1951) and helped create the Vintage Sports-Car Club. A versatile stylist, Rolt also wrote atmospheric ghost stories—including “The Shouting” (1975)—and essays warning against unchecked industrial growth. He died at home in Stanley Pontlarge, Gloucestershire, on 9 May 1974, but anniversaries of his birth and death continue to be marked by new studies and reprints of his work. This version is read by Chris Halton. Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed listening to this eerie tale and its haunting details, please like the video, share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more literary explorations. Share this video with friends who love a good ghost story. Stay tuned for more spine-tingling content! Don't forget to subscribe to this channel for more updates. Subscribe now (Haunted Tales of Darkness):    / @hauntedtalesofdarkness   Why not buy me a coffee if you enjoy my work to keep me going? https://www.ko-fi.com/chrishalton Why not support my work on Patreon for a mere USD 5 per month or GBP 4. Visit:   / chrishalton   📱Follow Our Socials! Twitter / X: https://x.com/HTOFDARK Haunted Tales of Darkness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Thank you for watching our video. AdKey:EB2_jDeekW6eQw #horrorstories #audiobook #ghoststories #ghoststory #horrorshortstory Don't forget to subscribe to this channel for more updates. Subscribe now (Haunted Tales of Darkness):    / @hauntedtalesofdarkness   Why not buy me a coffee if you enjoy my work to keep me going? https://www.ko-fi.com/chrishalton Why not support my work on Patreon for a mere USD 5 per month or GBP 4. Visit:   / chrishalton   📱Follow Our Socials! Twitter / X: https://x.com/HTOFDARK Haunted Tales of Darkness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...