The Wem Town Hall Ghost Photograph
A photograph taken during a fire at an English town hall appeared to show a ghostly girl watching from the flames, sparking debate about the tragic death of a child in a fire centuries earlier.
The Wem Town Hall Ghost Photograph
On November 19, 1995, as fire consumed the historic Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England, an amateur photographer captured what appeared to be the image of a young girl standing in the flames. The photograph became one of the most famous ghost images of the 20th century, linked to a tragic fire from 1677.
The Fire
Wem Town Hall, a handsome timber-framed building dating to the 17th century, caught fire in the early evening of November 19, 1995. The blaze quickly engulfed the historic structure as firefighters battled to save it.
Local resident Tony O’Rahilly, 90 years old at the time, stood across the street photographing the fire for posterity. He shot a roll of black-and-white film as flames consumed the building.
The Discovery
When O’Rahilly developed his photographs, he was startled to discover something extraordinary in one frame. In a doorway or window opening, surrounded by flames, stood what appeared to be:
- A young girl in light-colored clothing
- Arms at her sides
- Facial features clearly visible
- Apparently unconcerned by the fire around her
O’Rahilly insisted he had seen nothing unusual while taking the photograph. The figure only appeared when the film was developed.
The Legend of Jane Churm
The photograph immediately sparked connections to a local tragedy from 1677. According to Wem’s historical records:
In 1677, a young girl named Jane Churm accidentally started a fire that destroyed many of the town’s thatched buildings. The blaze was catastrophic, leaving much of Wem in ruins.
Jane reportedly died in the fire she had inadvertently caused. Local legend held that her guilt-stricken spirit remained tied to Wem.
When the Town Hall - built after the 1677 fire - burned in 1995, many believed Jane Churm had finally manifested, watching as flames once again consumed Wem’s buildings.
Expert Analysis
The photograph was examined by multiple experts:
Dr. Vernon Harrison
A photographic expert and former president of the Royal Photographic Society analyzed the image. He concluded:
- No evidence of double exposure
- No signs of manipulation
- The figure appeared to be genuinely present in the scene
- The negative showed no tampering
Harrison pronounced the photograph authentic, though he could not explain what the figure was.
Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena
ASSAP researchers also examined the photograph and deemed it credible, noting the difficulty of faking such an image using 1995 technology, especially for a 90-year-old amateur photographer.
The Debunking
In 2010, fifteen years after the photograph was taken, Wem resident Brian Lear made a startling discovery. While browsing through old postcards, he found a 1922 postcard of Wem High Street.
In the postcard stood a young girl in light-colored clothing, her pose and appearance strikingly similar to the figure in the fire photograph. The resemblance was too close to be coincidence.
Analysis suggested the ghost figure had been copied from the vintage postcard and superimposed onto the fire photograph. The revelation implied the image was a deliberate hoax.
Controversy Remains
Despite the apparent debunking, questions persist:
O’Rahilly’s Character Tony O’Rahilly was a respected member of the community with no history of hoaxing. He maintained until his death (in 2005, before the postcard was discovered) that the photograph was genuine. Did someone else manipulate his film?
Technical Questions For a 90-year-old amateur photographer to create a convincing composite image in 1995, without digital tools, would have required considerable skill.
The Timing The postcard girl matches the figure so closely that deliberate fakery seems the only explanation - but who created it, and why, remains uncertain.
Legacy
The Wem Town Hall ghost photograph illustrates the lifecycle of paranormal evidence:
- Initial excitement and apparent expert validation
- Years of acceptance as genuine
- Eventual discovery of a mundane explanation
- Lingering questions about specific details
The photograph remains famous as both a compelling ghost image and a cautionary tale about the difficulty of authenticating paranormal photographs. Whether O’Rahilly was the hoaxer, the victim of a hoax, or an innocent photographer whose genuine photograph coincidentally resembled an old postcard may never be determined.
Jane Churm’s restless spirit, if it exists, keeps its secrets still.