Canadian historian Chris Laursen looks at the circumstances behind a famous photograph in which a ghostly girl appears in the doorway of the Wem Town Hall as it was burning down in November 1995.

In the doorway of a burning building
by Chris Laursen

A few weeks ago, the North Shropshire Chronicle reported on the controversies surrounding the closure of the municipal hall in Wem, a market town located near the Welsh border 100 kilometres southwest of Manchester, England. The century-old building was destroyed by a fire on November 19, 1995, but was later rebuilt for £1.8 million ($3.6 million US). The local councils decided to move out of the building two years ago, much to the despair of local residents who watched as the vacant building fell into disrepair which, as one local resident put it, made it “look like a dustbin with windows.” For the local councils, the closure was a decision between keeping the town hall or the local swimming pool open, and via a questionnaire, North Shropshire residents favoured the recreational facility.