Urban Fantasist
Menu

THE URBAN FANTASIST
Follow @urbanfantasist

A Christmas Mystery: The Strange Case of the Car Park that Never Froze

19/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I don't normally bang on about the day-job but here's a Christmas Mystery from my tech world about The Car Park That Was Never Frozen. Not quite a ghost story although it does involve mysterious energies from beneath the ground...

A few years ago there was a UK software vendor that moved to new offices on an industrial estate just outside Grantham. When the company enjoyed its first winter there, they were pleasantly surprised to see that despite its location (on the side of a steep and windswept hill) and the fact the winter was unusually harsh and snowy, the company’s outdoor car park remained free of ice and snow.

However while that was an unexpected bonus, the enormous electricity bill that arrived the following spring was anything but welcome. What worried the management was they knew the bill was impossibly large, not least because the offices were still relatively under-occupied – and they kept a tight ship on expenditure, in terms not wasting electricity on unnecessary lighting and heating.

More digging into the mystery of the large power bills followed, including contacting the previous owners to see what their experience had been. Then the proverbial penny dropped!

The previous owners had been the regional electricity generating company and, having effectively unlimited free electricity at their disposal, they had installed underground heating beneath the car park to keep it ice free in winter.

So the company switched off the outdoor heating – and the size of the electricity bills immediately plummeted. That’s the good news. The bad news is now the car park suffers from the ice and snow just like all the other car parks on the estate.


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Curated by English barrister and Reuters correspondent turned editor, author, award-winning tech journalist, storyteller, and sometime werewolf hunter Charles Christian. He writes, he drinks tea, he knows things. This site also has links to Charles' books and the Weird Tales Show videos and podcasts.

    Descended from a motley crew of smugglers and witches, Christian was born a chime-child with a caul and grew up in a haunted medieval house by the harbourside in the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough.

    ​According to folklore a caul-shrouded chime-child can't drown at sea but can see and talk to faerie folk and also has protection against spells cast by malevolent sorcerers. And yes, he was once commissioned to go on a werewolf hunt on the night of a full moon by a newspaper. Spoiler alert: he didn't find one. (Or it didn't find him.)

    Latest Weird Tales Show


    Latest book: Shuckland

    Picture

    shuckland

    Join us on a journey exploring the weird wonders of the Waveney valley. Behind the ruined castles, soaring church towers and attractive market towns lie ancient legends and folklore. Ghosts of avenging kings, highwaymen, headless queens, ancient buried treasures, demonic entities, notorious villains, treacherous barons, murderous earls, ley-lines, paganism, yew-shrouded churchyards, old ivy-covered houses, witchcraft, strange fearsome beasts - including the notorious Black Shuck who gives his name to Shuckland.


    Tweets by urbanfantasist

    Virtual Tip Jar

    You can now support Urban Fantasist, its podcasts and its new video channel through our Virtual Tip Jars on PayPal and Patreon, giving you a choice of ad hoc or regular payments.
    Picture
    Picture

    Contact Details

    Email: urbanfantasist@icloud.com
    ​Tel: +44(0)1986 788666
    Tel/Txt: +44(0)7786 738172
    WhatsApp etc: +44(0)7786 738172

    ​Skype: ChristianUncut
    Twitter: @urbanfantasist

    Quote, Unquote

    "The only way to keep folklore alive is to share it" ...comment from viewer on YouTube channel
    ​
    "Charles Christian... a man of paranormality" ...Howard Hughes, Talk Radio UK

    "A great witty intelligence in the world. We need more CC and less monkey-brained politicians" ...Julia Bohanna

    ​"I love your posts, always something interesting to read and often funny" ...Karen Morton


    "You are a great and generous host" ...Patti Negri, The Hollywood Psychic

    "I host a daily morning show in Las Vegas and I like your shows very much. I love the way you pace your voice and thoughts is fantastic and you have a way of making your guest interviews sound more like conversations. Just wanted to let you know" ...Clay Baker

    ​"The ever wonderful Charles Christian and his Weird Tales Show"...Into The Portal Podcast 

    ​"The Master of Mysteries & Folklore" ...Fantasy Radio UK

    "The witty and knowledgeable Charles Christian." 

    ​"We poled our fans on their favorite podcasts and that's how I heard of Weird Tales Show. You are well loved by the geekiverse, and fans of folklore history and monsters!"

    "Charles Christian is really out there cool."
    ​
    ​"Charles Christian defiantly makes my world a brighter, funnier place."

    "The legendary Charles Christian at his eclectic best..."

    "Charles Christian is my inner spirit animal, thank you for making me laugh."

    ​"You always make me laugh! Thank you for brightening my day with your dark humour."

    ​"the funny, wonderful and slightly cantankerous Charles Christian"

    Charles Christian's Books

    Picture
    www.urbanfantasist.com/shucklandbook.html

    AND ON AMAZON IN PRINT, KINDLE & KDP
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087N3NB7M
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087N3NB7M
    Picture
    ​https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MELTC84
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MELTC84
    Picture
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DKCKPT
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCKPT

    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Picture
Copyright © Charles Christian 
& Urbanfantasist Limited 2022


Tel: +44 (0)1986 788666
Tel/Txt: +44 (0)7786 738172
urbanfantasist@icloud.com
Contact Address: Oak Lodge, Darrow Green Road, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0AY, United Kingdom

Fuelled by Green Tea & Rosé Wine

  • Home
  • Weird Tales Show
  • * Latest book *
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Manifestations
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Nonfiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Donations
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel
  • Home
  • Weird Tales Show
  • * Latest book *
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Manifestations
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Nonfiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Donations
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel