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Archive for the ‘Event Showcase’ Category

Whitstable Castle

Saturday, March 11th, 2023

Whitstable Castle

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/whitstable-castle.php

History of Whitstable Castle

Whitstable Castle, Whitstable, Kent was built from copperas works in 1790 and this formed the Octagonal Tower. The black tar of the works can still be seen on the walls. The Pearson’s home was known as The Manor House and little is known about its layout except that in 1798 the chimney to the tower was taken down and a staircase put in its place.

The family spent every summer at the house, from their Greenwich based home. Charles Pearson died in 1828. His son Charles Pearson Junior, born in 1786, inherited the estate and carried on using the house as a summer residence. The Tower fell into neglect and he sold it to his cousin by marriage Wynn Ellis.

Wynn Ellis had the most significant impact and made the greatest contribution towards shaping the building and its grounds. In 1897 Tankerton Castle, as it was now known, was sold to Thomas Adams. He added a billiard room to the North of the original tower. This provided a good room with feature fireplace on the ground floor with servants’ quarters upstairs but obstructed the fine sea views of Whitstable Bay. Later this became the Council Chamber.

In 1921 the Castle passed into the hands of Mr Albert Mallandain. A paper manufacturer, he and his wife used it as a summer residence. Changes were made in the building, with a fine new staircase and extensive additional oak panelling to match original designs. The Whitstable Urban District Council, despite some some opposition, bought the Castle for the town in 1935.

Following the local government re-organisation in 1972, the Castle remained empty until 1975 when at the instigation of The Whitstable Society the “Castle Centre Association” was created with the aim of using The Castle for the benefit of the people of Whitstable. In 2004 a new committee with its first Castle Co-ordinator began a complete interior upgrade and Weddings and Civil Ceremonies could commence. This brought in much needed income to regenerate the Castle and enable it to return to its original role as a venue for family celebrations, major local events and community activities. A heritage Lottery Grant enabled a new Trust to be formed in 2008 to take over the running of the Castle and Gardens.

Ghosts of Whitstable Castle

Footsteps, laughter and slamming doors have all been heard by staff and visitors to the building

 

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Deal Castle

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Deal Castle

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/deal-castle.php

History of Deal Castle
Deal Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Deal, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It protected against invasion from France. The Castle comprises of a keep with six inner and outer bastions, the moated stone castle and had sixty-six firing positions for artillery.

During the Second English Civil War of 1648–49, Deal was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months of fighting.

Although it remained armed, Deal Castle was adapted by Sir John Norris and Lord Carrington during the 18th and 19th centuries to form a more suitable private house for the castle’s captain, which was an honorary position.

In 1904, the War Office concluded that the castle no longer had any value either as a defensive site or as a barracks and it was opened to the public when the captain was not in residence. Early in the Second World War, the captain’s quarters were destroyed by German bombing and the castle became a Battery Operating Post (one of the first-floor rooms in the keep became the Battery Office) for an artillery battery placed along the shoreline. The castle was not brought back into use as a residence and was restored by the government during the 1950s to form a tourist attraction.

Ghosts of Deal Castle
From our visits we have discovered that there are many areas of this castle which can be called haunted! Some of the rooms on the first floor have been amazing with Ouija board and Table tilting activity. The lower levels have proved interesting with various activities especially using our tech equipment and séances. On this floor people have become disorientated and “lost” because the tunnel is circular, and every bastion looks the same.

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Tide Mill

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Tide Mill

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/tide-mill.php

History of the Tide Mill
Woodbridge Tide Mill in Suffolk was one of the first tide mills in the country and was unquestionably the last one working – operating for well over 800 years.

The earliest record of a tide mill on this site by the River Deben is in 1170.

In 1793 the present mill was built on the site of earlier ones. By the 1950s it had become the last working tide mill in the country, but in 1957 finally closed. It was saved in 1968, restored and opened to the public in 1973.

Ghosts of the Tide Mill
William, a mill worker, died one night by suffocation after falling into one of the flour vats.

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Merley House

Monday, December 5th, 2022

Merley House

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/merley-house.php

History of Merley House
Merley House in Wimborne, Dorset was built in 1756. In 1875 the whole estate was sold by auction but there is little information as to whom it was sold until it was bought by Ivor Guest, 1st Lord of Wimborne. In 1927, the MP for South Dorset, Angus Valdemar Hambro purchased the estate in a dilapidated condition, spending two years renovating it.
In 1939 the outbreak of war meant that the house was requisitioned by the War office. When they left in 1946 the house was again sold at auction. The house was converted into flats.
During the 1960s a holiday park was started, by the present owners, to help finance the restoration of the house. The ground floor was opened to the public and contained a collection of model cars, lorries, airplanes, ships and train sets. Most recently the downstairs was restored again to create spacious and elegant areas.

Ghosts of Merley House
From our investigations we have found that the most active areas are in the cellar, although upstairs activity still happens, especially on the first floor with disembodied voices being heard as well as laughter and the sound of children running around.

Evidence

Watch our evidence at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqWQMrZeI7VSD0kz4FI5qdu28EyyN2RA0

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The Keep

Monday, December 5th, 2022

The Keep

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/the-keep.php

History of The Keep
The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester. Dorset was completed in 1879, it was designed to resemble a Norman Castle, and is built of Portland stone which gives it a white appearance.

The Keep was originally the gatehouse for the Depot Barracks of the Dorsetshire Regiment as well as the County Armoury.
The Depot Barracks were the administrative centre for the Dorsetshire Regiment and its centre for recruitment and training. The Depot carried out this function between 1879 and 1958 with only one break. This was during World War Two when the barracks was used by the 701st Ordnance Light Maintenance Company and the 1st Quartermaster Company of the American Armed Forces.

Ghosts of The Keep
Staff and Visitors to the building often feel nervous on the top floor and often feel that they are being followed or watched!

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Devizes Town Hall

Monday, December 5th, 2022

Devizes Town Hall

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/devizes-town-hall.php

History of Devizes Town Hall
The Town Hall in Devizes, Wiltshire was built in 1808, replacing a Yarn Hall built in 1575.

The lock-up is the oldest part of the building, dating back to around 1650, this is the dungeon below Devizes Town Hall and is where miscreants spent the night before being paraded in front of magistrates the following morning.

We have access to the Lock-Up, Council Chamber, Assembly Hall and Cheese Hall.

Ghosts of the Town Hall
The Town Hall is reputedly haunted by a ghostly lady who has been seen often on the stairwell. Visitors to the building and staff have complained of feeling uncomfortable in the lock up area (cells) and the sense of being watched.

 

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Warmley Clock Tower

Thursday, October 28th, 2021

Event Showcase: Warmley Clock Tower

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/warmley-clock-tower.php

History of Warmley Clock Tower
The Clock Tower, built in 1743, was part of the former pin factory making pins from brass wire. It was equipped with a clock tower to show workers the time for work purposes.

Ghost Hunting
Visitors to the building may see full bodied apparitions, hear the sound of children walking and talking as well as screams and dark shadows moving. The upper floor is an active space with some of the strangest activity seen here.

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Shire Hall Courthouse

Friday, May 7th, 2021

Event Showcase: Shire Hall Courthouse

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/shire-hall-courthouse.php

History of Shire Hall Courthouse
The Shire Hall Courthouse was Dorset’s courthouse from 1797 until 1955. Notable dates are the 1834 trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to the 1856 domestic abuse case that inspired Thomas Hardy to write ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’.

Ghost Hunting
We have finally investigated #ShireHallCourthouse several times since the end of Lockdown restrictions. On our site visit we had a real sense of being guilty ascending the staircase from the cells to the Courtroom! The cells and the holding pen just at the bottom of the staircase into the Court room was an unpleasant place. At night the cells too are an uncomfortable place and you get the sense that you wouldn’t want to be locked in them for any length of time!
The cells where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were held are a very foreboding place, which have proved good for a number of ghost hunting activities.

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Oxford Castle

Thursday, May 6th, 2021

Event Showcase: Oxford Castle

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/oxford-castle.php

History of Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle has history dating back nearly one thousand years. Experience the confines of the 18th-century Debtors Tower, long corridors of cells of the Prison D-wing, the dark 900 year old underground Crypt and the outdoor punishment cells.
There have been many reports of ghostly activity at Oxford Castle including; The Murderer Mary Blandy from 1752 walking the Castle Mound, a strange white mist has been witnessed rising up a flight of stairs only to disappear in front of witnesses, ghostly footsteps have been heard along the Prison Wing corridor and loud thumping sounds from within the Padded Cell, plus many people have experienced the feeling of being watched and followed.
Immediately upon entering the building the visitor is confronted with the original wooden floor of the treadmill. This is amazing to see what 1000’s of footsteps over a long period can do to the floor. Also as part of the prison there is a device that prisoners would have to crank/wind for no reason as part of their punishment. This is where the nickname “Screws” came from as the Prison guard would tighten the screw to make this pointless task harder for the prisoner.

  

Ghost Hunting
We investigated #OxfordCastle for the first time in 2018. On our site visit we encountered a sense of loneliness in the Debtors Tower and cells, plus some unusual feeling in the punishment cells.
During our first investigation in the Crypt some shadows and/or shadow people were seen. Several guests felt unwell and had to be removed from the room (they were fine after they left the Crypt).
We also had a lot of unexplained noises and voices heard in the Cells of D wing as well as the padded cell.
Our favourite areas were; The Crypt (good for seances and EVPs), the Punishment cells (good for tech, gadgets, EVP) in the exercise yard and the Cells (good for EVP, Tech, Gadgets and solo vigils) including the Padded cell. Human Pendulum and Table tilting including Ouija boards were good in the Debtors Tower and the area outside D Wing.
Currently we don’t have any video from Oxford Castle

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Shepton Mallet Prison

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Event Showcase: Shepton Mallet Prison

https://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/shepton-mallet-prison.php
History of Shepton Mallet Prison
HMP Shepton Mallet, located in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England.
The prison was opened before 1625. In 1843 the number of cells was increased by adding a second storey to each wing. The prison was damaged during a fire in 1904.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 the prison was reopened as a military prison. It was initially used by the British Army and later by American forces. It was also used for the storage of important historical documents from the Public Record Office in London, including Domesday Book.
Much of what has taken place here was brutal. In the 17th and 18th centuries men, women and children were kept in horrendous conditions, starving in packed, smallpox-infested cells. Former inmates lie in unmarked graves throughout the grounds.
Ghost Hunting
We have been investigating #SheptonMalletPrison since 2019. On our site visit during the daytime we didn’t like the atmosphere in A Wing as it had a bad feeling. We didn’t know at that time what A wing was used for. We found out after our site visit that this wing was used to house lifers and murderers! On our first #ghosthunt at this prison we had a group talking to our Medium Steve around the Hangman’s cell and the execution area. Everyone here heard a snap of a rope and the floor “bounced” as if someone had been hung.
Our favourite areas are; A Wing, this proved to be a great area for tech and gadgets, B wing was good for Ouija board and table tipping. C wing was good for solo vigils (C wing was where the Krays were held). The infirmary was good for séances and human pendulum. Not forgetting the small D wing where the hangman’s cell and execution area is, great for EVP, gadgets, solo vigils and séances.
Currently we don’t have any video from the Prison.
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