If you read this blog or follow me on social media you may be familiar with my love for the weird, paranormal and supernatural. From Coast To Coast AM and Last Podcast On The Last to I Survived and The Dead Files: I am all about it. So, I was pretty pleased when I was sent an article from The Huffington Post entitled ‘8ft Tall Werewolf ‘Old Stinker’ Prowling In Hull Industrial Estate‘ as I live in Hull and I love the bizarre. So, I thought I’d give this story a look as I am extremely excited to explore the bonkers story of the werewolf of Hull!

In fact, I was so excited that I dragged April out to Fountain Road so we could see some of the drain for ourselves. Really, the only worrying feature of this part of the waterway is how much it smells of weed and Strongbow so I’m assuming the sightings are occurring elsewhere.

The Beast of Barmston Drains

The 23-mile long waterway that is Barmston Drain was built in 1798 in an attempt to drain the marshes surrounding the area. Hull historian Mike Covell has spent a lot of time studying Barmston Drain, and has recently began receiving reports describing a “half-man, half-dog” hybrid creature on it’s banks.

Mr Covell told the Hull Daily Mail: “I was asked to research a werewolf sighting by a couple who had seen something that was tall and hairy, and was eating a German Shepherd dog by the side of the drain. They stopped to get a closer look and witnessed it jump 8ft over a fence, vanishing into the night, still carrying its prey.”

The historian then went on to describe another encounter in which a woman told The Daily Express she saw the beast running on all four before standing tall on its hind legs. The beast then bounded down the embankment and jumped the drain before it “vaulted 30ft over to the other side and vanished up the embankment and over a wall into some allotments.”

Later, yet another woman described an encounter with a “half-man, half-dog” creature. “She was terrified,” Mr Covell said. “And her dog, which she was walking at the time, began shaking and would not go any further.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this beast is not the first supernatural being to be sighted on the drain. One of my favourite paranormal phenomena Black-Eyed Children have been seen there, possibly due to the numerous deaths that have occurred along the drain. Mr Covell has also investigated these claims and has recorded over one hundred deaths on the drains, the first of which was 19-year-old Master Teesdale who drowned in July 1824.

“Master Teesdale was the first,” Mr Covell explained, “but then men, women and children followed almost at a rate of one a year. The summer months were the worst, when children would swim in ‘Barmy Drain’ and it got so bad that Hull Corporation openly discussed paying for lifeguards to be stationed along the drain during the hotter months.”

Some recorded deaths include the suicides of two lovers who tied their hands together before jumping in, an unknown boy who drowned in May 1892 and two children aged four and six who were drowned by their father George Sowen later that same year. The most recent death associated with the Barmston Drain is that of Steven Wallace just a few months ago in February 2016. Specialist Underwater Search Units were sent to search the drain and discovered 25-year-old Mr Wallace who had been missing for over two weeks.

Alas, although these deaths are tragic and frightening it appears they have little connection to the werewolf creature.

Old Stinker

Apparently, locals believe that the creature resembles the legend of Old Stinker, who may have claimed Barmston Drain as it’s new territory. Stories and sightings of Old Stinker go back centuries as it was said to wander The Wold Newton Triangle.

Charles Christian, Norfolk-based barrister and author of A Travel Guide To Yorkshire’s Weird Wolds, described the beast as “a great hairy beast with red eyes, who was so-called because he had bad breath.”

However, regarding the origins of the legend he explained that The Yorkshire Wolds were one of the last parts of England where wild wolves lived. “It was known for the wolves to dig up the corpses from graveyards,” he told The Hull Daily Mail. “From that sprung the idea that they are supernatural beings, who took the form of werewolves. When people would glimpse what they thought was the rear lights of a car in front, it would instead reveal itself to be the red eyes of a wolf.”

The Werewolf of Hull: Real or Ridiculous?

Upon visiting the Barmston Drain myself, it was easy to understand why locals would be wary of the waters. They are murky, they smell horrendous, litter and wild weeds coat the banks, and so just the thought of wading into the water sends a shiver down my spine. As for the werewolf reports, they are far more difficult to decipher.

Christian says: “When you get multiple sightings combined with a tradition of stories going back centuries, it is hard to ignore the possibility something might be there.” He later told The Huffington Post UK: “the animal is more likely to be some feral creature living there that has got large and shaggy – like a big dog.”

“There has been a fashion for Huskies as pets and they grow enormous. The area where this animal is being sighted is semi-derelict and filled with abandoned warehouses and factories – an idea shelter for it,” he continued. “By their very nature, old industrial areas offer plenty of places to hide and if there is something there it will know its way around. It would be the perfect habitat for a predator.”

“I wouldn’t advise stocking up silver bullets just yet. But I would advise against going out in the area by yourself without a big stick.”

Meanwhile, Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley told Huffington Post UK: “It’s a case I’m following closely, and it certainly raises many issues relating to the existence of werewolves in the UK. For the time being, I’d like to see more evidence and reports from locals.”

Mr Covell appears to be a little more convinced, having organised a hunt for May 21 under the next full moon. “It has a very dark history but walking along it during the day, it is a peaceful oasis surrounded by heavy industry,” Mr Covell told reporters. “The idea is to visit the drain and walk along it armed with recording equipment. It has attracted a lot of interest and although people are taking it with a pinch of salt, they are fascinated by the reports.”

On whether he believed the reports, Mr Covell said: “I was sceptical at first, but then more and more people contacted me saying they had seen the same thing. No one really knows what to do. You can hardly pop down the local council office or police station and say you’d like to report a werewolf.”

That said Steve Wilson, a local Labour councillor, has agreed to make a log of the sightings, stating: “I am happy to keep a diary of sightings by people around here and report them to Hull Council.”