Haunted Locations

Reports from visits to reputedly haunted sites.

A Paranormal Night of Discovery at The Mount Without, Bristol

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Earlier this year I was lucky enough to secure tickets to a paranormal night of discovery event being held in the atmospheric venue that is ‘The Mount Without’. This was a two-part event hosted by the marvellous Dr Kate Cherrell. The first part of the event was an introduction to Victorian Spiritualism introduced by Kate and the second part of the event was a paranormal investigation, co-hosted by Kate and Jamaica Inn paranormal investigator Karin Beasant, giving attendees the chance to try their hand at experiments and contacting spirits from beyond the veil.

The Mount Without

Saint Michael the Archangel on the Mount Without is an impressive church standing proud on St Michael’s Hill, looking over the city of Bristol. The first church on this site was likely Norman and built in 1147 by Robert Fitzhamon, who is famed for also building Tewksbury Abbey. The church was originally built outside the city walls and was therefore known as “The Mount Without”. The original church was then rebuilt in 1460 and the clock tower you see now is from that period.

Over the years the city of Bristol slowly grew up and around the church, as St Michael’s Hill became more populated with merchants and other residents. By 1775-1777 the church became too small to take the growing congregation and so the main body of the church was demolished and rebuilt by local builder, Thomas Paty. Around this time new graves were also created in the crypt and tombstones reused as ‘under slabs’ for the new graves. As the living population of Bristol grew, so did the population of the dead interred at the Church.

During the second world war, the church was damaged twice during the Bristol Blitz. In 1940 a 1000lbs bomb fell within feet of the Church and in 1941 an incendiary device set the roof alight destroying it. The church was repaired and in use until 1999 but the congregation dwindled over the years and was finally closed by the diocese.

The church lay empty, until squatters moved in and set it ablaze in October 2016. The dramatic blaze took at least 15 fire engines and many firefighters to extinguish. I could see the smoke from the blaze billowing in the sky near my home not too far away.

In 2017 the diocese wanted to find a new use for the building and asked for design bids from businesses, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. The church was finally reclaimed as the creative venue and events space that we see now, where it hosts artists, music and holistic events. This wonderful gothic revival church has been a gathering place for the people of Bristol for over 900 years and looks set to continue with that legacy.

An Introduction to Victorian Spiritualism

The evening kicked off with the introduction to Victorian spiritualism talk by Dr Kate Cherrell. This was a fascinating, informative and entertaining talk introducing us to the strange world of Victorian spiritualism including its history and types of spirit contact made in the 19th century. This was brought to life with a slide show, props and Kate’s sharp humour. I personally enjoyed hearing about spirit trumpets, the Fox sisters of Hydesville and witnessing Kate’s ectoplasm demonstration.

Spirit trumpets for example, or ‘séance trumpets’, were metal cones placed in the centre of a table during a séance to amplify any sounds issuing forth from the spirit realm. Sometimes a spirit would speak through a medium, who would bring the trumpet to their mouth to speak through. What larks!

The Paranormal Investigation

The second half of the night was the paranormal investigation; a chance to have hands on experience of communing with the spirit world. This started off with investigator Karin explaining the various gadgets, devises and paraphernalia used in investigation; from EMF readers, spirit boxes and motion sensors to planchettes and Ouija boards.

We split up into two groups and my group started off in the crypt with some table tipping. I’d never tried table tipping before, so this was all new to me. Table tipping is a form of psychic phenomenon in which a table can tilt, rise, wobble or rotate by the contact of the fingertips of individuals. It is a form of séance where sitters place their fingertips on the table and the table move without conscious muscular force. By relating the tilts to the alphabet or yes/no directions it is said to become possible to receive messages from beyond the veil.

We stood around a tall thin table with our finger tips gently rested on the top while Kate called out questions. It appeared that a religious man took a particular interest in talking to me and Kate asked him questions about his life before death. The table tilted and wobbled in answer to her queries, indicating he was originally from the north, had come to Bristol and stayed her while his family went to the New World. It was unclear if he had worked at the church or had just been a member of the congregation.

After the table tipping, we moved on to conduct a séance. For this we sat around a table with a spirit box and EMF readers on top, with shadow sensors dotted around the room near us. A bible was placed on the table also and we linked hands as a member of the group read a passage out from Corinthians. The hope was that we could invoke the spirits of this holy building by reading passages from the bible, triggering one of the various sensors. There were some beeps and possible triggering of sensors, but nothing too striking for me to note during this séance.

Next up, we headed upstairs in to the Nave of the church where we tried the planchette without much activity. The hope was that we would see some automatic writing. We all placed our fingers on the planchette and asked the spirits to move the planchette across the board, bringing messages from the other side. There was a small amount of movement, but not much unfortunately.

Following this we tried the “Estes Method”. The Estes method is where an investigator wears a blind fold to limit visual stimulation and also wears noise cancelling headphones connected to a sprit box; a device that is used to scan through radio frequencies and it is believed to be a communication tool between the spirit realm and the world of the living.  While the investigator is listening to the spirit box, other members of the group call out to the spirits with questions. The blindfolded investigator will call out any ‘answers’ coming through the headphones from the spirit box.  The idea is that the sensory deprivation eliminates any stimuli that could influence the blindfolded investigator.

In our experiment we sat in a circle near the alter, all wearing blind folds. One person had the spirit box and headphones. One person sat in the centre of the room dressed in an old-fashioned dress near the shadow sensors. We called out questions and for the spirts to touch someone.  After this some other ladies took it in turns to wear the old-fashioned dresses and sit in the centre of the room with the spirit box and a pal of mine in vintage style clothes also took his turn. We called out questions and even religious phrases in Latin to try to call for messages from the spirits. A few words were called out by the person with the spirit box including “like music” and other refences to music a few times.

To finish off we all sat in a circle where the chairs were positioned with one seat inside the circle and the next out.  One person sat at the altar, while other members called out to the spirits to approach and communicate.  The lady at the alter felt a cold spot next to her and a shadow sensor went off ahead of it. She said she felt like a hand was resting on her head at one point. Was this the spirits coming close to her or psychological suggestion?

I noted that the questions asked to the spirits often led to the Reverend William Knight. The Reverend Knight was a long serving rector of the parish, serving for almost sixty years before retiring in 1875. He died 3 years later and was buried in the church crypt. Could this have been him placing reassuring hand on the young lady’s head? There is also the story that a male figure has been seen looking out of the door near nave in past. Could this be the Reverend keeping a watchful eye over his beloved church even after death?

All in all, this was a fascinating and enjoyable night; from the whistle stop introductory talk based around Victorian spiritualism, to the hands-on experience of trying out paranormal investigation techniques. For me there was not enough activity to indicate that the spirits of the dead lurk in ‘The Mount’, waiting to communicate with the living. However, this location is steeped in history and atmosphere, so no doubt further investigation could prove me wrong. Perhaps on a late-night walk home past the Mount, I too one day will spot a dark figure looking out from the nave as I pass by.

With thanks to The Mount, Dr Kate Cherrell and Karin Beasant.

References:

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Victim Support Sponsored Ghost Hunt, January 2014- The Ancient Ram Inn, Gloucestershire

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On 11th January 2014 members of Victim Support’s South West Victim Care Unit held a sponsored ‘ghost hunt’ at the Ancient Ram Inn in Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire.

The Ancient Ram Inn is considered one of Britain’s most haunted B&Bs and is reputedly haunted by at least twenty ghosts. It is claimed that it is so haunted it can no longer be used as a functioning B&B and instead opens its doors to budding ghost hunters.

Members of the South West Victim Care Unit challenged themselves to see how long they could last out in this creepy building. A Ouija Board was used in “the bar” and several vigils were conducted in “the bishop’s room”. There were a few strange occurrences in the bishop’s room, such as a candle stick falling over, tapping noises coming from the fireplace, a brass bed warmer swinging and banging over the fireplace, a door knob rattling when nobody was at the door and long scratching noises coming from the door.

Were these down to a pranksters or spirits of the dead? You can find out for yourself if you spend a night at the Ancient Ram Inn.

Despite finding no concrete evidence of the afterlife, all members of the South West Victim Care Unit enjoyed their spooky experience, which raised £775 for Victim Support.

An more detailed write up of this investigation with additional photos will follow shortly.

 

Using the Ouija Board at the Ram Inn

Using the Ouija Board at the Ram Inn

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please ask permission first

The Whispering Mummies of St Michan’s Church, Dublin

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In 2010 I took my mother on a visit to an unusual and macabre attraction in Dublin: the mummies of St Michan’s church. Located near Dublin’s Four Courts, St Michan’s church is Dublin’s oldest parish church north of the River Liffey. Founded in 1095 and named after a Danish Bishop and built on the site of an ancient oak grove, the present church dates from 1685. Until the 16th century monks from Christchurch Cathedral the church congregation and from 1547 it was part of Christchurch Cathedral parish. Restored in 1998, St. Michan’s now belongs to the Protestant Church of Ireland. The church retains many of its original features such as the galleried interior and organ. The organ dates from 1724 and is one of the oldest in Ireland that is still in use. It is claimed that Handel practised for the first performance of ‘Messiah’ on this very organ.

Beneath the church lay the vaults, which are the main attraction to the church. Here many of Dublin’s most influential families from the 17th-19th centuries were interred. The Shears brothers, who were executed by the British following the Rising of 1798 and a copy of the execution warrant is also on display in the crypt, where it instructs the condemned men to be hung, drawn and quartered. Also interred in the vault are the Earl’s of Leitrim who lay in highly decorated coffins. Many of the bodies deposited in the vault are in such an excellent state of preservation that their features are discernible and they bones and skin intact. The conditions for mummification are caused by a combination of the dry atmosphere of the vaults, methane gas emanating from the ground and the limestone walls which are resistant to moisture acting together to dry out the bodies. The most famous mummies in the vault are those of the alleged crusader, the thief and the nun. The crusader, mummy believed to have been a soldier returned from the Crusades, has had his legs broken and crossed, in order for it to fit the coffin. He lies with one of his hands is lifted slightly in the air and legend has it that those who touch his finger will have good fortune. The mummy known as the thief has had his feet cut off and his right forearm is missing, some say as punishment for his crime. Recent scientific and historical research however, has disputed the validity of the stories surrounding the crusader and the thief.

Our visit to the church was on a wet and dismal day in June. After looking around the church our tour guide and 6 other people entered the underground vaults through a metal door and clambered down some very wet steps. There was a passage in front of us and in the dim light, alcove areas could be seen which contained the ornate coffins of the well to do departed. The tour guide explained who the coffins belonged to, what the family names and crests were and then we moved on toward the end of the passage, where we saw the open coffins and the mummified bodies. Towards the end of the tour my mother wandered to the end of the passage where there was a part that had not been excavated. She told me that while she was peering into this area she became aware of voices around her, “a sort of whispering, murmuring noise” and felt it was rather oppressive in the passage. She said she began to sense that there were many people around her, pressing close, which was not the case. She remembers “I did not feel frightened, just aware of this whispering and I could not make out any words, but I felt as if I was in a press of people. There was no wind entering the passage the metal door had been firmly shut behind us and I could not account for the noises.”

It is interesting to note that there have been previous reports of strange whisperings and voices heard within the vaults, as well as reports of being touched by unseen hands. Could it be that the vaults contain the restless spirits of the dead, or is it more likely that visitors to the vaults experience movements and sounds caused by ‘infrasound’? Infrasound refers to extreme bass waves or vibrations with a frequency below the audibility range of the human ear. Although these waves cannot be heard by the human ear, they can be felt and have been shown to produce a range of effects in some people including anxiety, extreme sorrow, and chills. Perhaps this would account for my mother’s feeling of oppressiveness in the passageway, the feeling of being in a press of people and hearing ghostly whispers.

Haunted vaults or not, my mother is undeterred: “I very much enjoyed it. I would not mind going again, but I certainly would not want to be there on my own….”

Visitor Information

Address: Church Street, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Public transport: Bus: 134 from Abbey St.

Tours: Mon-Fri 10-12:45, 2-4:45, Sat 10-12:45

Admission Prices:
Adults €4.00
Children €3.00
Students and Seniors €3.50
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children) €12.00

References

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please credit this site.

Ross Castle Investigation November 2010

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This investigation followed the regular format of walk arounds and vigils in individual rooms. However, this investigation was different in that the focus was on experimenting on a séance in the lower tower room.  The purpose was to communicate with spirits and a planchette and alphabet cards laid out on the table were used.

One concern of individuals taking part in this séance was that of safety. Therefore the member of the team; who had tried some controlled experiences or instructions in what it feels for spirits to come close; was chosen to lead the proceedings. The member of the team who has had experience of working in spiritual development circles explained that, just as with living people, not all spirits are friendly. Also, if the spirit in contact was murdered this may create strong unpleasant feelings among those who have not had such experiences with communicating with in the past. Therefore, those who were prepared to be ‘touched by spirit’ were chosen to take part in the séance.

Here it was attempted to make direct communication with spirit through the participants’ psyches or ‘higher selves’. Instead of deciphering feelings from spirit, questions were asked.  A protection ritual was led by the team leader, which sought to protect the participants with a white light. This meditation was used more to get the participants into the correct mindset for connecting with spirit, though it also sought to create a psychic protection barrier.

The participants were asked to keep an open stance, with legs uncrossed, feet on the floor and a finger always on the planchette. This was done in order to keep spirit energy flowing and to align chakras. Crossing legs or arms would create interference and disrupt energy flow.

According to the leader of the séance, spirit does not move the planchette, but communicates with the participants’ psyche or energy field to make them move the planchette where it wants it to go. Here spirit works with the participants’ spirits in order to physically move the planchette, as the spirit communicating has no physicality in order to do this itself.

The séance leader called for any spirit to come to the table. This could have been any spirit whatsoever, not necessarily a spirit attached to the location. It could have been a spirit connected to an individual in the room or any spirit that wished to communicate. Those spirits who did not wish to communicate were not forced to.

The details of the séance will be kept confidential at this time in order to allow further unbiased investigation. However, one event of interest occurred while speaking to a mischievous spirit. Here one member of the group had chosen to remain in the living room below. However, the mischievous spirit announced that it wished to play a game with this member of the group. A loud bang was heard from downstairs and upon checking it was found that a change in air pressure in the living room, due to the heat from the log fire, had caused a door to slam loudly on its own. Could this have been due to a mischievous spirit playing a prank on the individual in the room, or merely natural causes?

Those individuals who participated in the séance had minimal experience of using a planchette and were sceptical of such methods. It was clear that quietly all individuals at the table had been conducting their own experiments to catch out fakery. However, all individuals came away from the séance saying that if someone was controlling the planchette it was very cleverly done as it was almost impossible to push the planchette in a controlled way. Seemingly the planchette moved where the spirit in communication desired it. All in all it was a very interesting experience, worthy of further experimentation and research.

 

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please ask permission first

Charleville Castle Investigation, January 2010

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Charleville Castle

Charleville Castle is an impressive Gothic revival style castle located near Tullamore, Co. Offally.  The castle is situated in Ireland’s most ancient primordial oak woods, believed once to be the ritual grounds of Ireland’s druids. The land on which Charleville Castle stands was part of the ancient monastic site of Lynally during the 6th century. Later, in the early days of Ireland’s colonization the lands became the focal point for the first Stuart, and later more violent Elizabethan, plantations. The lands, which were originally ruled by the O’Moore clan, were securely planted by the mid-fifteen hundreds and a dynasty was established which lasted into the late nineteenth century.

The castle itself was built by Charles William Bury, Earl of Charleville and was designed by Francis Johnston, one of the most esteemed architects of the day. It took fourteen years to complete this gothic fantasy fortress, whose outside appearance was designed as a celebration of victory over the third French revolutionary expedition to Ireland.

The castle had to be closed temporarily at times due to the owners living far beyond their means. However, upon each re-opening, new features were added in flamboyant celebration such as the ceiling within the dining room designed by William Morris. The castle owner was known as an eccentric character who hosted lavish parties. The castle played host to Lord Byron, who held many parties here, attracted to the castle due to the owner’s eccentricity.

The castle remained uninhabited from 1912 due to the economic hardship of these troubling times and by 1968 the roof had been removed. However, restoration was commenced by Michael McMullen in 1971 and later by Constance Heavey Seaquist and Bonnie Vance, the current owner.

Charleville Castle is said to be haunted and it has been visited by numerous paranormal investigators and psychics. Guests of the castle have reported unusual goings on at the castle as well. Reports have been made of clocks chiming where there are none; chairs rocking with no occupants; a child crying where there is no child; disembodied voices, footsteps heard in the dead of night and glowing fogs floating past. The dungeon is said to be the haunted by the entity of a sadistic torturer and the spirit of a child who slid to her death from the banister of a staircase is said to haunt the stairwell.

Myself and the Bumpz In The Nite team awaited the investigation with great anticipation and opened the investigation out to the public. After setting up equipment, such as a monitoring bay in the library and CCTV cameras in various places of interest, two groups were formed to investigate differing areas of the castle. One team began on the top floor, where the nursery was situated and the other began in the dungeon area. Both groups also contained ‘sensitives’.

staircase

My group first investigated the nursery, staircase and surrounding rooms. We experienced cold spots, but nothing more of interest. Another sensitive in the group did not pick up on anything, however I felt that something was ‘playing hide and seek’. On playing back a digital recording taken of me asking if any spirits were playing hide and seek an audible groan could be heard which was not heard by our group at the time. However, there were many cats loose in the building, so the sound of a cat cannot be discounted, although the EVP did not sound particularly feline. To me it seemed to be confirmation that a playful spirit had in fact been present.

The group in the basement and dungeon area reported unpleasant feelings and the sensitives in the group picked up on an unpleasant male entity which did not want them there.

The ballroom provided much more interesting results. One group experienced noticeable drops in temperature and cold spots. The room itself was not heated and extremely cold, but the drops in

ballroom

temperature were extreme enough for the us to notice them despite this. The cold spots also seemed to move around the chairs we were sitting in. When I and the other sensitive called out we heard a few taps upon request. The other sensitive also picked up on several spirits in the room including a rather insistent female spirit who kept whispering a name and date. I myself felt that the spirits in the room were playful; giving us some signs of their presence initially and then ignoring the group for their own amusement. A later play back of digital recordings taken during the EVP session here yielded some remarkable results. Several times when I was calling out for signs of presence, such as knocks on walls and furniture, I was replied to by an unknown male voice answering in the affirmative.

The group who had previously been in the basement moved on to the staircase and nursery where the sensitives of the group picked up on the spirits of children. An individual who was manning the monitors also had an interesting experience to report as they saw a bright light pass by the door when they could clearly see that the teams were in rooms far away from the library. They also reported a large amount of orb phenomenon in the area of the corridor and stairway leading to the nursery when the groups had been gone from the area a long time.

Next we investigated the dungeon and basement which provided many knocks, bangs and moving of shadows which seemed to follow the us around. The area felt quite unpleasant, but this may have been more to do with its appearance rather than any unpleasant entities. The other sensitive in our group picked up on a man here who may have worked in the kitchen.

dungeon

After each group had investigated all areas of the castle once, they once again separated off to investigate the places they wished most to return to. These were the ballroom and the dungeon. Following this it was decided to hold a séance in the library. This was decided as myself and two others who had been chatting and laughing in there during the break time had heard many taps and knocks, as if the energy of their laughter had drawn some spirits attention.

I led the séance which I found very difficult having only ever joined in a séance once as a spectator before. It felt like a baptism of fire somewhat. I was assisted by the other sensitive. Upon calling out there were several taps felt on the table, between my fingers and that of the person next to me. This alarmed us both, as the vibrations could be felt and yet there was nothing under the table that could have caused them. When asked to move to the other side of the table, the tapping sound complied. Eventually the tapping lessoned and petered out as if the spirits energy or attention had run out.

library

Following the investigation we found several interesting pieces of evidence such as strange voices on EVPs and also a photo which contained an unusual figure. The photo has been sent for further analysis. These pieces of evidence will be put up on the Bumpz In the Nite website in the future (http://www.bumpzinthenite.com/) Myself, the team and members of the public thoroughly enjoyed investigating this location and most who had attended were in agreement that this castle is most probably haunted and worthy of further investigation.

Ghosts of the Airfields

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Airfields are often believed to be haunted perhaps because of the volume of tragedy and activity that passed through them during the wars. In East Anglia, where there was a saturation of airbases, these haunted sites include RAF West Raynham, RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk and RAF Tibenham in Norfolk among others.

RAF Bircham Newton has reports of an apparition of a man in RAF uniform haunting the squash court and ghostly footsteps have been heard. EVPs have recorded the sounds of an active airfield, such as voices, engines and the clank of machinery. The sounds of a phantom aircraft flying overhead has also been heard.

RAF Bircham Newton today

RAF West Raynham, which was recently used as a location for a Most Haunted Live week-long special, is believed to be haunted by several ghosts. There are reported sightings of a Polish pilot, who was shot down during WW2,  haunting the officer’s mess, the apparition of a suicidal mechanic hanging from the rafters of the armoury, and a particularly angry and bitter ghost of a high-ranking airman has been experienced in the chapel. The control tower here has also had reports of poltergeist activity and the Station Medical Centre has reports of the eerie sounds of otherworldly sobbing and screams.

The control tower at RAF Tibenham was used until 1975 as a club house by the Gliding Club and it was reported that a person in flying uniform, similar to those worn by the USAAF combat crews, had been seen on several occasions wandering through the rooms of the tower.

Local to me while growing up was Ludham old airfield which was known to locals to be haunted. It is said that on a certain moonlit nights a large airplane can be heard and seen landing on what was once the runway before bursting into flames.

Reports of haunted airfields are not restricted to East Anglia with reports abounding in the rest of Britain.It seems that the brave martys of WW1 and WW2 still linger,  in the airbases and airfields where they once lived and worked to protect their country.

Richill Castle Investigation, Co. Armagh, January 2010

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The first paranormal investigation of the year, my first as an official team member of BumpzInTheNite, took place at Richill Castle  in County Armagh.

The land on which Richill Castle is built was part of the lands under the control of the chiefs of the clan O’Neill who were kings of Ulster and claimants to the high kingship of Ireland. In 1607 Earls Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell fled Ireland with a hundred or so lesser chiefs. The lands then became property of the English Crown.

Francis Sacheverell, the owner of lands in 1610, first built  a house here. In 1660 the then owner Major Edward Richardson, an English officer who was M.P for Armagh and also High Sheriff of the County who was married to a descendant of Francis Sacheverell, decided to build a larger house on the lands. He designed and built an elegant and comfortable unfortified manor house and the lands surrounding it developed into a thriving village known as Richardson’s Hill. Over time this became shortened to Richill.

Members of the Richardson family were very high-profile and held in great esteem in the area, serving as M.Ps, as magistrates and military commanders, contributing greatly to the commercial and social life of the area. The wife of William Richardson, ‘Dolly’ Monroe, was a famous Irish society beauty.

In 1906 Major Berry owned and lived in Richill Castle with his wife Blossom. When Blossom died she was buried in the grounds, but on Major Berry’s death she was re-interred in Kilmore graveyard. In 1925 the Ministry of Labour in the Northern Ireland government used the castle as an agricultural college. The castle and lands later passed hands several more times until the present owners, the Lyttle family, purchased it. The Lyttles have restored much of the main building and gardens to its present appearance, but there is much more work and maintenance to be done to restore the building to its original grandeur.

Richhill Castle is so well-known for its ghosts that the Ulster Paranormal Society meets there regularly to experience the hauntings. Dolly Monroe, who was married to William Richardson, is its most famous ghost. According to the current owner, Gordon Lyttle, who has not seen any of the ghosts of the castle himself; “My sister-in-laws relatives have though – one of her sisters chatted to the spirit of a lady on the stairs and reckons it was Dolly. “I tend to resent the fact that people can see things, while I live here and I can’t. If they prove there is a ghost here I will accept it.”

We conducted our investigation by first doing a walk around so that we could familiarize ourselves with the building. After setting up our equipment including video surveillance cameras and a monitoring station we began the investigation proper. We started off in a room upstairs with a table in the centre. Both I and others in the group took turns to call out but with no reaction. I did feel footsteps on the floor boards at one point, but this could be attributed to somebody in habitation next door moving around, as the part of the building next door was part of the Lyttle’s private residence.

Next we investigated the ‘death room’, the room people inhabited when they were sick or dying. We conducted a séance here but had no activity to report. We did however find an interesting light anomaly in a photo taken of somebody sitting on the bed that almost looked like a smoky halo above his head.

We later investigated one of the bedrooms on the ground floor. Here a sensitive picked up on a little girl in long white socks standing near the window. However, he felt it was residual haunting, similar to a playback of a past event and as such there would be no response to our calling out.

We continued our investigation, repeating in the upper floor, but our endeavours were fruitless. Those in the monitoring station did record an unusual bang from the ‘death room’ when we were all in the room with the table which could not be accounted for and there were a few interesting light anomalies on the video footage, but other than that there was little of interest.

Death Room

Throughout the investigation all members of the team spoke of feeling quite comfortable and at ease in the castle, nobody reporting any eerie presences.

On this occassion we had no activity of interest, but we will however return to Richill Castle to conduct further investigations. Spirits do not perform upon command, just as living people do not, so we hope to return to Richill Castle in the hope that they will one day be more cooperative with us.