The black and white photograph was taken by Farndon resident, Grant Scott during a visit to Chirk Castle last week.

When he downloaded the picture, taken in the courtyard of Chirk Castle on a digital camera, Grant was very surprised to find what appears to be a female figure dressed in clothes from the early 1900s standing in the background of the shot.

Grant, an environmental planner who enjoys photography as a hobby, explained that he had been to Chirk Castle on a day out and cannot recall seeing a woman standing there at any point.

He said: "It was late morning, getting on for lunchtime. I'd been on a photography course so I was fiddling about with shutter speeds. It didn't really work but I kept a couple on the camera to see if I could rescue them when I got home. I was looking at this particular one and I noticed this figure in the background."

Puzzled by the photograph, Grant took it to show his course tutor to see if he could shed any light on it.

Grant said: "It's strange because in all the others anyone who was moving has come out blurred or if they were standing still, they were clear like the man in the photo.

"At no time do I remember seeing a woman dressed like that."

Grant mentioned the photo to a friend who took a copy to show a clairvoyant he knows who apparently had some success.

The clairvoyant suggested a name, date and profession for the woman – Martha Bell, 1880-1900, schoolmistress or nanny.

Evening Leader picture editor Rick Matthews gave his professional opinion on the snap and agreed that the appearance of the figure is odd. He said: "It's unusual. If he was experimenting with shutter speeds in a long exposure anyone standing still would come out clear but anyone moving would be blurred. This figure still has some translucency which is hard to explain."

Howard Hughes, director of Wrexham-based paranormal group Spiritquest UK, said: "I think it warrants further investigation for a real conclusion and given time I could examine it in more detail, but in my opinion I would say that it is genuine.

"It appears to be a long exposure photograph. If you look at the figure, you can clearly see a white streak which runs from the figure of the woman to the doorway. It does not seem to pass in front of the man which suggests that the woman moved from the doorway, behind the man to where she is standing during the exposure.

"This I think discounts the possibility of digital fakery. I think this also eliminates the possibility of a double exposure and of course the woman definitely has a different visual quality and dimension to the man and indeed the rest of the picture.

Jill Burton, education officer at the castle, also admitted that the photo is strange but offered an explanation that the figure does bear a resemblance to a woman who often attends lectures at the castle.

She said: "The door on the left is the entrance to the chapel, the door on the right is the disabled toilet – the woman looks like she is queuing for the toilet.

She continued: "The castle has been lived in for 700 years so, like any building of that age, there are noises, creaks and shadows. For those of us who live there we believe that if there are any impressions of the past then they are friendly ones."

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