Woman cheats death after 20kg castle wall falls 30ft and smashes on her head

A woman danced with death after she survived a 20kg slab of castle wall which plummeted 30ft and smashed onto her head.

Esther Clyne was enjoying a friend’s 70th birthday party at Featherstone Castle in Northumberland when she was hit by the stray slab. The mum-of-two thought she’d died when the stone square tumbled from a doorway and shattered on her.

The 54-year-old, from Manchester, said she was lucky to be alive, but the near fatal incident has caused long lasting side effects. Four years on from the incident, she insists she still suffers from bouts of dizziness, memory loss and lack of balance.

Esther, who works in a school and helps run a charity, said: “It felt like a slab fell on my head. My head was just ringing and it was really loud. It was a few minutes before I realised and then the blood started rushing. This slab had slid off and hit me directly on my head.