Traditionally, crossroads were known as a kind of no-mans land, neither here nor there, a place beyond the real world, a liminal space where normal physical laws did not apply. At such places it was possible to make contact with the spirit world.

Wayside shrines and common crosses are a common feature of crossroads in Europe, and suicides and murderers were frequently buried at such places as it was seen as unconsecrated ground, set apart from the everyday world. Such outcasts were not for heaven and were buried in a place where their spirits would be forced to wander indecisively for eternity. Burial in these places was a safeguard, but the reasons for this are unclear. Perhaps the shape of the traditional crossroads created the impression of consecrated ground, as suicides were denied a normal Christian burial; perhaps it was believed that the mailigned spirits of the dead would disperse along the roads leading from the crossroads and not be concentrated in one spot. As a consequence ghostly legends became attached to crossroads and they have become widely associated with magic and activities of Demons, the Devil, Witches, Fairies, Ghosts, Spirits and other paranormal phenomena.

The Black crossroads on Alderley Edge. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

The traditional associations of the crossroads with spirits and ghosts can be found all over Europe and the British Isles, as well as in Greece, India, Japan and amongst Native Americans and Mongols, which suggests that the origin of these beliefs must have had some basis in real human experience. Crossroads were believed to be haunted by various entities that took delight in leading travellers astray. All Hallows Eve is a favourite time for spirits to gather at crossroads, a time when the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld are most likely to be breached. Welsh folklore attests to this annual gathering at every crossroads. In European lore the gathering Halloween spirits walk in procession to the homes of their relatives. These ghostly processions are it is claimed able to be seen if you stand at a crossroads and rest you chin on a forked stick. Other stories tell of how to gain access to spirits, ghosts and witches at crossroads by performing elaborate rituals.

Danish lore instructs those who wish to contact the Otherworld to stand at a crossroads within a rectangle formed by a carts tracks and call out the name of the ghost you wish to speak with.

In Britain, folk memory still records the belief in spirits and the method of protection against them. Spirit “sweeping” was practised in the Isle of Man; Bernadette Thomas in the Ley Hunter claimed that as a child she was told that evil spirits could be dispersed if she went to a crossroads at midnight and swept the intersection clean with a broom.

The Black Crossroads on Alderley Edge as well as the Edge itself has always had a connection with Witches and Black Magic, this maybe the reason that along with suicide victims and murderers being buried at the crossroads, Witches are also said to be buried here as well. This is a place where Phantom Black dogs seem to be drawn to and are seen on occasion, also they can often be seen where a murder has been committed. The Black Crossroads is a place where few animals will linger, and anyone who is slightly sensitive to atmospheres will feel uncomfortable. Along with the uncomfortable atmosphere that can be felt here, it is said that a black energy can be detected if you dowse at this location.

Another Black Crossroads next to the Hill known as the Cloud, this is haunted by a soldier, the spot is known as Drummers Knoll. Photo by Gary Tacagni.