Preston Hall Museum
22 February 2008
Team: Lee and Wayne
Medium: Val
Group 5 of 7
Guests per group:
16
I was a bit nervous when I found out that Northern Ghost Investigations would be leading a ‘ghost hunt’ at Preston Hall Museum, Stockton, as a fundraising event for the Butterwick Hospice. This was especially so when there would be over 100 guests as well as Richard Felix who used to be part of the Most Haunted TV show.
I met up with the team at 5.30 pm. We had a quick look about the museum to orientate ourselves with this complex location of rooms, corridors, staircases and outside streets. I’d been here before as a day visitor and I found it to be quite a nice, peaceful place. At the time I was not aware of its ghostly history, but tonight I hoped I’d experience anything to sway my sceptical mind.
At 6.30 pm Richard Felix arrived to give a presentation on ghosts and what they may be. He said 8 out of 10 ghosts could be explained, the remaining 2 is what interested him the most. He talked about the Stone and Water tape theories which may be one solution to ghosts who appear as a recording rather than interactive spirits. The audience appeared pretty perplexed by the end but it seemed that didn’t matter as they were in the presence of a TV personality!
At 7.30 pm we endured a horrendously boring and incredibly overrated 10-minute DVD by Darren Ritson and Michael J Hallowell from Wraithscape about the South Shields poltergeist. The build up the audience was given prior to our viewing was that it put the Amityville Horror to shame - in reality it left us slack jawed at the effects laden and poorly edited film with completely unnecessary pixilation and voice distortion to provide the participants complete anonymity. Even Richard Felix said what the f*** was all that about. We learned there was another 30 hours of this and we were the first people to see it outside of the Society for Psychical Research. I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall that day. There is also a book available about it. Anyway, with that over it was time to get into groups and begin the investigation.
The Hunt Begins!
8.50 pm. Location 1 - The Street Area
Val was our group’s medium for the night. Straight away Val said she could sense a vibration and another guest claimed that their head was thumping. Val suggested there were strong energies about.
Further along the street Val sensed sickness and disease. She picked up on the name Charles. In the main street, near a lamp the EMF registered 2. Val said a man came into her aura with the surname Dickens (surely not THE Charles Dickens). There was also another man present called Derek or Eric who wore a butcher’s apron. Wayne said he could see a man with a blue and white apron tied at the front. Val said that was the same man she could see, sadly none of the 16 guests or I could share this image.
Also in the street Val felt that the scenery was different and that an archway that once spanned the street was missing. Wayne tried calling out and asked for people to be affected or items to be thrown to indicate spirit presence.
Val asked if the guests would like her to try transfiguration and the response was yes. Val wanted the environment to be as dark as possible for this to work so further along the street we found a bench near the blacksmiths shop which was very shaded. Val sat quietly while everyone stood around. I watched through the night vision camera. While we waited everyone noticed how cold it was and were keen to move onto the indoor locations.
Val then said that she could sense the spirit of a man called Arthur. She asked if her face had transfigured as she was finding it difficult to make a connection. Everyone said they’d noticed nothing unusual happen. Val said it was probably too light. I thought to myself if it was any darker we’d not be able to see anything never mind her face transfiguring, but, hey ho and away we go.
We moved to the end of the street. While everyone stood around in a group waiting for something to happen a guest said something touched her arm. Val said she could sense a girl near by. One of the guests began to look vague and confused. Wayne took out his EMF meter and placed it near her, it made a rhythmic clicking sound. He asked the woman who she was and in a young girls she replied, Amanda. Other guests near her asked what was going on? I heard some say she was possessed while others watched in silent amusement. Further questions revealed she was 9, had died locally and was quite happy here. Then the guest suddenly shook her head asked what had happened? Wayne enlightened her. The guest also happened to be called Amanda!
Our time was up in this location so we moved onto the Toy Room.
9.15pm. Location 2 - Toy Room
Val’s first comment in here was that there had been a fire at sometime. Wayne called out for something to happen. A number of guests claimed that they felt as though they had been pushed backwards. In the main Toy Room there were large pipes that ran the length of the room that had water flowing through them and made a loud dripping sound. In a smaller room next door is a large floor puzzle that everyone stood on while they waited for Val to enlighten the group. She then said she could sense a female presence in the room. This lady had long curly hair and had been badly burned. Some of the group said they felt light headed and others said they felt as though they were pushed. I had neither experience.
Val decided to try transfiguration again. The room we were in was near to total darkness but Val claimed it was still too light but would try it anyway. She sat on the floor, placed two glow sticks under her chin to provide up lighting – this instantly created new shadows on her face. She then appeared to go into a calm and relaxed pose, all her facial features were relaxed. I turned on the infrared camera again. Val said she was not used to being seen in this way and was not comfortable with it. I continued to record because I could clearly see her face devoid of all shadows and light effects.
Wayne then asked who she was. In a deeper voice Val replied, “I’m Tommy.” Wayne asked further questions that revealed he was born in 1752 and had lost his left leg. He had a moustache, was happy to be here and enjoyed observing the ghost hunt. There was also a hint of burnt wood that flavoured the air.
As people appeared amazed by Val’s transfiguration, through the camera there was an entirely different story. As the shadows on her face stretched and shrank and appeared to create a masculine face – the camera revealed quite a relaxed female face going from a smile to a frown, nothing more. Is transfiguration a genuine phenomenon or a play on shadows and light? There’s my evidence, I’ll let you decide.
9.40 pm. Location 3 - Upper Gallery
Val said she had a pain in her head that consisted with the feeling of being shot at close range. I wondered if she had ever been shot in the head at close range to know that. But she had everyone’s attention so I just quietly participated in the observation. Wayne tried calling out. A guest claimed that she felt hot and had a pain. The EMF revealed nothing unusual. Val said a man had come forward, he was plump, had curly hair, sideboards and clean-shaven. He may have been the murderer who shot the man who Val first picked up on. A lady wearing a crinoline dress and her hair in a bun made an appearance according to Val too.
Val was going to try transfiguring again but said it was too light! Further down the corridor Wayne sensed a man who may have worked on ships at some time. He called out for some response to see if he wanted to communicate but nothing occurred.
At the bottom of the corridor is a large room with display cases. It was very dark. At the top of the stairs is a very large photo of all the occupants standing outside the Hall many years ago. One of the guests was drawn to a girl on the picture and said her name was Hannah. I looked at the key on the wall and there was no Hannah’s listed. Just as we were about to go down stairs Val said she could sense a tall man in a blue uniform with epaulettes.
10 pm. Location 4 - The Ballroom
We started the investigation in this location with a séance. Val said she experienced a burning sensation above her eyes and the colour purple in the fireplace on the wall opposite her. Wayne called out for a few minutes. The infrared security sensor kept clicking and people assumed it was paranormal. When I moved my chair from the area I was in it stopped! Val attempted transfiguration again but with no results – again the light was to blame. There is a pattern around light and transfiguration ability it seems.
Val described a man with a beard who had come forward. A guest sensed a finger in the back of her neck and her head being squeezed. Due to unforeseen circumstances Wayne had to leave but at this time the location was concluded. We’d have a quick break before going to the next location.
10.30 pm. Location 5 - Outside Front Doors and Building
Back outside in the cold, for this location we had the company of Ralph Keeton. He felt that major changes had occurred outside the house such as a missing fountain and gatehouse as well as the house being a lot bigger.
Ralph said that two dark figures regularly pass this area but are recordings not spirits. He sensed a traveling fair comes by as he can hear kids playing and screaming as well as carnival music. He said when the fair is here it stirs up the spirits as the noise irritates them. So that is the best time to come for an investigation.
Ralph said he sensed a man who was whipped across the back as a punishment by a group of people – this act was fairly recent. He also sensed that at some point a live tiger was kept here.
On a final note Ralph said he felt that a collision of two planes, many years ago, at a nearby airport was linked to one of the guests here. He also suggested that someone in the group would strike it lucky financially. At this point a guest said that she’d won £450 on the lottery the day before. Ralph said she’d have further luck.
As the location drew to an end, Richard Felix joined us and was pleased to know we were going back inside to attend the next indoor location as the outside temperature was freezing.
10.50 pm. Location 6 - The Armory
Underground in the Armory was interesting. All sorts of weapons were on display in vault like rooms that fed off a long, narrow corridor. A guide from the Hall said that it used to continue right along in the opposite direction but it was now bricked off.
Val said she sensed barrels being stored down here and was possibly a wine store. The guide said this was likely. She added a man was locked down here in the cold at one time. Richard Felix joined us and listened to Val. He made the comment that small, claustrophobic places like this room could lead people to believe paranormal stuff occurred. I said it reminded me of the Edinburgh Vaults and although it was cold, damp and creepy, it wasn’t at all scary or what I considered to be haunted. Richard agreed.
I asked the group to split up between the three little rooms to break up the crowd and hopefully open them up to something happening. I handed out the pendulums and people tried to get results. Some did and some didn’t, some were impressed and others weren’t. Val did some work with the pendulums too but her hand was responsible for a lot of the movement so I could not accept the results as genuine.
11.20 pm. Location 7 - Dice Players Room
In this final location I wanted to do something different. I found a table in another room and brought it in. Val and three guests kneeled around it and they tried table tipping. It was rocking back and forth but I felt this was the group pressing on it more than anything else. Val said she could sense the spirit of a baby but from a communication point of view noting happened.
Val ended the location with personal readings for people but her answers were so vague that a number of people were able to take them and even then they said everything else that followed didn’t connect with them.
12 Midnight - Investigation Over
We ended the investigation and headed back to meet everyone at the Ball Room. All of the guests received certificates and met Richard Felix to have it signed.
The organizer was very pleased with the outcome and said she’d like to work with NGI in the future. I was surprised myself that it went quite well considering the number of people who attended and that it was the team's first big investigation of this kind.
We all chatted about our experiences and swapped stories with Richard. Before we left we had our photos taken as a group. Yep that's us, and no comments please about our appearance or mental state!
I was disappointed with the lack of activity but was pleased to learn that Richard, after all of the Most Haunted shows he was part of, was just as sceptical as me!
Links
Butterwick Hospice
Photo Gallery Here