With Halloween just a few days away, today’s Object of the Week features an item with links to the supernatural.

ON display at Preston Park Museum is a curious and rather elegant green glass bottle. It has an elongated neck, silver stopper and a painted decoration of Stockton’s Crest, a Castle and Anchor. It also has the following inscription on the back: "This Bottle was found on the cupola of the Towns House Stockton upon Tees Repaired July 84."

The bottle is likely to date from either 18th or 19th century.

You would be forgiven for thinking it was simply a decorative object, however, its story is far more mysterious, with links to a paranormal past.

The bottle was found in the "cupola" (dome) of the Town Hall in Stockton during some repair work in the 1840s. It is believed that it could have been placed there during construction of the hall as a charm or witch bottle, intended to keep away evil and protect the Stockton borough.

Stockton Town Hall or "Town House" was built in about 1735; a time when many had strong beliefs in local folklore and the supernatural. One way to ward off evil was to fill a bottle with quite gruesome things such as human urine, hair and nail clippings, as well as iron nails pins and jagged objects.

Bottles such as this would have been made by folk healers, witches and other mystics, but it is believed they were only effective when hidden and sealed.

With Stockton being on the River Tees there are many stories of evil spirits emanating from the depths, including water wraiths such as Peg Powler. This evil spirit was meant to lure people into the river to be drowned or devoured due to her "insatiable desire for human life". Perhaps these witches’ bottles were a way to conquer such fears of a dark force lurking so nearby.

The bottle has since been cleaned and can now be found on display in Preston Park Museum.

Are you interested in learning more about local myths and legends? Join Christopher Young, from Preston Park Museum, to discover more about mysterious knights, strange tales and hidden treasure from Tees Valley.

The talk will take place at Preston Park Museum on Tuesday, November 5, at 10.30am. Refreshments are served from 10am. Admission is £2 per person and is drop-in on the day.