Hauntings

Conway Mill and the Legend of Helena Blunden

Conway Mill, Conway Street, Belfast

Reports from the 1980s and 1990s onwards

Part of Conway Mill dates to 1842, with a second block added in the early twentieth century, and it ran as a flax mill until 1976. In the 1980s it was reused as a base for small businesses. Workers reported a man in a green coat walking along a corridor towards a lift and then up a spiral staircase, and a man in black thought to be a supervisor. There were reports of growling noises in the corridors, a woman crying and sudden temperature drops.

The legend of Helena Blunden says that on 14 April 1912, the day the Titanic sank, a sixteen-year-old mill girl tripped over a mop after a long shift while rushing out to a concert, fell down the stairs and was fatally hurt. Her ghost is said to have been seen many times since, and in the 1990s sightings were so frequent that a live feed was set up so viewers could keep watch.

Spirited Isle says some writers place Helena at nearby Flax House, but the compiler could find no record of her and doubts she existed. The mill is now refurbished and open, and paranormal investigations take place there from time to time.

Evidence
Dubious
Access
Open ground
Location
54.600, -5.951 (Sited to the building or field)

Sources: Spirited Isle, "Conway Mill" [other]; Spirited Isle, "Flax House" [other]; Xyu and Beyond, "Most Haunted Places For Dark Tourism Across Northern Ireland" [other]

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