Shadow Man of Crofton
- FATE Magazine
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
The story of the Shadow Man of Crofton, more people have spoken of their sightings of the dark, faceless figure. Danny Robins, who investigates real-life stories of seemingly paranormal encounters, was joined by Julian, a music teacher and session musician, for what was described as one of the scariest and most unsettling cases he’s ever investigated.
The story started in the 1990s when Julian’s family moved to a new house in Crofton following the death of his father in a freak accident. Staying at his grandparents’ house, Julian recalled seeing a very tall man wearing black with no features. Julian said his screams woke his mother, who also saw the figure and began to scream.
Asked if it could have been a dream – Julian was adamant it wasn't due to sightings and events for years afterwards, including as a teenager in the village when the figure again showed itself near the village graveyard - also seen by his friends.
He also recalled, as an adult in his 20s – in the early 2000s - how a cabinet door in the house would suddenly open at the exact same time, every time – 2.11am.
In the programme, Julian says it changed him as a person and how still today, it’s in his mind and how he is cautious of speaking about it because he’s ‘scared of it coming back’.
Half sceptic, half believer, Danny Robins, attempted to make sense of it by investigating the cultural history of shadowy figures, and asked others to get in touch if they themselves had come across the dark, faceless figure in the village.
Following the show being aired, more people came forward with possible explanations and stories of the faceless, shadowy figure.
Many people drew attention to the fact that Crofton is a former coal mining area and the network of tunnels underneath the village, some of which date back to medieval times.
One suggestion was the creaking noises Julian heard could be the subsidence caused by the mines leading to doors, that were no longer aligned, opening up by themselves.
But, as presenter Danny asked, why would the door of the cabinet that Julian saw, open every time at the exact same time – 2.11am?
Other suggestions were Julian’s grief filled imagination – or a demonic entity.
But what wasn't expected was other people from Crofton believing they may also have seen the tall, shadow figure.
One man, called Andy, who no longer lives in the village, said he remembers living near to Julian and playing together when they were young but were no longer in touch.
It was watching the Uncanny Shadow Man episode that made Andy get in touch.
He said: “I’ve seen it too.
"At the back of the high school, there was a gravel path. Me and my friend were walking along, looked up and saw a tall, dark silhouette figure.
"It was solid black. It had distinct arms, legs and head, but no features.”
Andy said a moment later it just disappeared.
Could this link back to Julian as the two were friends?
Then, most eerie of all, a woman called Lauren got in touch.
Lauren grew up in Crofton and recalled a terrifying time when she was around 13 years old, in around 2002.
She said she’d hear someone walking on the stones in the garden of her family home when everyone was asleep.
She said: “I looked through the curtains and there was a tall, black figure, at least 7ft tall. No facial features. It was terrifying. It felt like it was stood there, just looking at me.”
Even more terrifying, Lauren recalled waking one night by a noise in her bedroom and saw the same figure stood at the side of her bed.
She said she continued to see the figure regularly for weeks.
The most eerie thing of all – although the name was not given during the programme – Danny revealed that both Julian and Lauren were talking about the sightings in houses on the same Crofton street.
Last week, Mark Vernon, who has been a paranormal investigator for more than 40 years, said after reading about the Julian’s story in the Express, he decided to check out the village’s graveyard with his camera.
He said: “Because the Shadow Man has been sighted numerous times in the graveyard by multiple people, I thought I would take a look around and I believe I have captured something special.
"I believe it to be an entity – it was very windy, but the force of the wind appeared not to interfere with the movement of whatever I captured.
"It appeared to be following me around the graveyard, taking a keen interest in what I was doing.”
As Danny asked at the end of the Uncanny episode, is the tall, dark figure connected to Julian, or Crofton itself?
Read the whole article right here https://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/people/the-shadow-man-of-crofton-more-people-recall-seeing-the-terrifying-faceless-figure-5006475
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