Few places in the West Midlands spark as much wonder as Cannock Chase. Aside from its natural beauty which 'influenced' the Lord Of The Ring's author JRR Tolkein, the sprawling forest is also supposedly home to a number of mythical and legendary inhabitants.

Roaming its thick woods are said to be ghostly and paranormal entities, some of which have allegedly been seen or heard by frightened walkers. They include The Black Eyed Child and Pig Man, their names conjuring up spooky images.

Others includes big cats and UFOs. But whether you are a firm believer or strict skeptic in this field, the tales associated with Cannock Chase never fail to create wonder and intrigue among the curious.

It dates back over 1,000 years, when it was used as royal hunting grounds. During the First World War, a German prisoner-of-war camp was housed there - and parts of it was used as training facilities during both world wars.

The Black Eyed Child
The most popular tale associated with Cannock Chase is The Black Eyed Child. This is supposedly the ghost of a girl, who has black, sunken eyes. Alleged sightings of her go back decades - and they still continue to this day.

One woman told paranormal investigator Lee Brickley she came across the spectre in the woods after 'hearing a young child screaming'. Upon running towards the sound in the woods, the woman turned around and saw a girl who had 'completely black eyes
Meanwhile, in 2014, a couple who were walking their dog heard 'giggling' before claiming a 'girl appeared out of nowhere up the path', which was reported in Lee's book The Black Eyed Child of Cannock Chase. The entity apparently tilted her head and then ran off into the words, according to the book.

Pig Man
Another entity sounding truly terrifying is that of Pig Man, a beast that is half-man and half-swine. His presence has supposedly been noted since the 1940s at the beauty spot.
A chilling rhyme about him was made up and recited by kids for 70 years. However, it is believed Pig Man was actually a lie, made up by military chiefs to keep people away from sensitive wartime installations in the forest.

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley was emailed by the grandson of a former soldier, offering insight. The whistleblower, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "He told me when he was stationed on Cannock Chase, he and some others had been tasked with spreading rumours around the local area about a human/pig hybrid on the loose in the woods.

"He said this was a known military tactic for keeping civilians away from army occupied areas."

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