Haunted Magazine Issue 31 - 2:22 A Ghost Story

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CONTENTS

CHILL OUT: What are ‘Cold Spots’?

Sarah Streamer puts her thermals on and investigates why certain places in a location could be colder

EDITORIAL The Pockets of the Paranormal

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SUPERNATURAL SHOPPING: Did the foundations of a new retail outlet disturb a poltergeist?

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CASHING IN ON THE PARANORMAL: Can haunted buildings and paranormal investigators work together for the greater good?

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For every haunted story we know of, I reckon that there’s probably another unknown haunted story hidden, hiding, just waiting to be discovered. For every haunted house, there’s one yet to be mentioned and for every poltergeist we love to read and hear about there’s probably another noisy ghost that we are yet to hear about. I always say we are just scratching the surface of the iceberg with the paranormal stories, legends, and cases.

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Everyone at #teamHaunted brings their own paranormal ideas & writings to Haunted Magazine, it is a real pleasure to be part of people’s supernatural journey. Andy & I love putting the magazine together, yes it involves lots of late nights, but it is always a real pleasure to bring to you Haunted Magazine. It is something we love doing.

As editor of Haunted Magazine and a ghost hunter, you’d have thought that I would be used to late nights. To be honest, I am normally, but for the last few nights I have woke up, looked at the clock, and it is the same time, 2:22am. I even tried something different yesterday when I woke up, I stopped myself from looking at the clock straight away, I must have faced the other way for at least four-five minutes (it’s hard to tell when you don’t look at a clock), anyway I turned around after some time and there it was in bright red digital numbering 2:22 AGAIN. I must have something on my mind, can’t think what….#PARANORMAL!!

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IT’S ABOUT THYME: Kate Ray offers sage advice and countdowns her top 20 herbs in the garden of the paranormal; thistle go down well

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THE DAMNED DEMAND FOR ONDEMAND: Danny Robins dissects, debates, dismembers and discusses if we are living in the golden age of entertaining Paranormal Drama

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THE STEP BY E-STEP GUIDE: Richard Estep investigates the historic Beattie NOBODY LYING AROUND: Were the Death Masks of the Old Melbourne Gaol Mansion in Missouri known by many as the House on the Hill used for science or scaremongering?

The beauty of the paranormal is that you can pick-pocket various parts of spooky history and rifle through the paranormal handbag for something of interest and worth. You don’t have to look too hard for a story as the stories are already there, they just need to be shared and heard.

A location creates “new” fragments of history every time it is investigated, the irony is that there is more of the paranormal past to be found in our paranormal future. The more we dig and research the more we find. There is no Groundhog Day in the paranormal.

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“TAKING THE MICKEY, NICKY”: Nicky Alan writes about the time an angry entity gate-crashed a private event, but who was at fault?

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THE “ALEXANDRA” HOLZER FILES: Alexandra investigates three marine themed mysteries; a ghost ship, a haunted ship & a harbour, maybe harbouring Canada’s THE CHURCH OF THE POISONED MIND: very own Roswell Has the paranormal past blemished THE TALE OF JANE & A GHOST (OR the search for truth or fuelled the flames for TWO): A holiday adventure turns into wanting and needing to know more? a haunting one when medium Jane Rowley A QUANTUM OF SPOOKYNESS: Morgan visits the old home of Beatrix Potter Knudsen takes a quantum leap of faith and delves into the science behind THE DIARIES OF A GHOST WRITER: Danny Robins, writer of 2:22, reflects precognition, psychokinesis and ESP on his haunted journey, from belief to doubt BRASSED OFF: Kate Cherrell and her and back again, from Battersea to the West blow-by-blow account of the spirit trumpet, was this Early Voice Phenomena?

End and many more stops in between

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THE PARAPOD: A VERY BRITISH GHOST HUNT An exclusive interview with the stars & the producer of the new ghost movie including an in-depth review Extra content from 2:22 featuring Ciaran O’Keeffe’s spoiler free review and an EXCLUSIVE interview with Jake Wood.

Extra content from Help! My House is Haunted featuring Barri Ghai & Jayne Harris giving their advice on gadgets, gizmos and top research tips for budding paranormal historians

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HOORAY FOR HOLYROOD: Evelyn Hollow recounts the tale of 17 miniature coffins found near an extinct volcano, a prehistoric fort and a site that, some say, is the true location of Camelot

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ALL ABOUT MONSTERS: Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it has brought the monsters back to life in Usborne’s World of the Unknown trilogy; mega fan Robin Ince tells us all about it

THINGS THAT GO TRUMP IN THE NIGHT: Imagine if 2:22 was a card game with a spooky twist, you get dealt one card only, but who gets to call out first?

THE QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE: We ask a paranormal related question; you tell us your answers. Are we prepared for your no holds barred uncensored comments?

HELP! THESE INTERVIEWS ARE HAUNTED: Exclusive interviews with the cast and producer of the UK paranormal TV show, Help! My House is Haunted

JAILHOUSE SHOCK: Do the spirits of dead prisoners’ still haunt Derby Gaol?

Lorien Jones takes a look

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NOT SO ‘ORRIBLE ‘ISTORIES: Historian Penny Griffiths-Morgan was itching to go back to school, so much so she wrote a book about a very British school goes back to school SUPERNATURAL SHROPSHIRE: Amy Boucher takes us on a terrifying tour of spooky Salop that you won’t get to read about in the “normal” guidebooks

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DEAD FUNNY: BBC’s Ghosts is back; we take a look at the myriad of ghosts and find out what’s going down at Button Hall

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THE WASHINGTON STATE POLTERGEIST: Keith Linder tells us why this poltergeist case has been acknowledged as one of America’s most controversial paranormal cases H A U N T E D M A G A Z I N E

HUBBLE, COVELL, TOIL & TROUBLE: Yorkshire historian Mike Covell steps out of his countywide comfort zone to investigate some strangeness in deepest, darkest Lincolnshire.

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THE PARANORMAL WANDERER: The wanderings, wonderings and ponderings of our very own paranormal rambler, 3 Hubert Hobux.

BABY, IT'S COLD INSIDE !

An Essay on Cold Spots by Sarah Streamer

T “I have encountered cold spots frequently over my time as an investigator, but only a couple of experiences were completely unexplainable.”

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he world of the paranormal is strange. The very word means beyond or apart from normal. As a paranormal investigator and researcher, I have spent many hours in dark hallways by myself contemplating the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of different phenomena. This curiosity has driven me to research the science behind why these phenomena happen. In some cases, the science doesn’t do a very good job of explaining why things happen, but it helps to have a basic understanding of what is happening during these events to become a better investigator.

Cold spots are something almost every investigator has experienced. They show up unexpectedly and sometimes are unexplainable. I have encountered cold spots frequently over my time as an investigator, but only a couple of experiences were completely unexplainable. If you talk to investigators from around the globe, they hypothesize that cold spots are an unexplained, localized drop in temperature. The thought is that spirits are able to use the energy from the heat in the surrounding atmosphere to potentially communicate with us or manifest themselves, creating a cold spot.

The most profound cold spot I have experienced happened fairly early in my HAUNTED MAGAZINE

career as a paranormal investigator. I was investigating in a location that I have lovingly come to call ‘home.’ Malvern Manor, located in Iowa, began its life in the late 1800s as a hotel for the small railroad town of Malvern. Over the years, the building transitioned into a nursing home and finally, into a group home. The Manor housed residents that were afflicted with range of conditions, from alcoholism to severe dissociative identity disorder (DID) or multiple personalities. The residents of Malvern Manor even included a convicted murderer. This location, it seems, has become the place that many of the former residents still roam.

I was investigating Malvern Manor with a small group of friends on a very cold night in March. With temperatures dropping into the low thirties and the Manor having heat to only part of the building, we were all bundled up for the investigation. We had decided to investigate the nursing home wing of the Manor and I had volunteered to be bait for the infamous Shadow Man that was known to chase people down the hallway. I sat on the floor outside of Door 2 as five other investigators stood about 50 feet away, at the end of the hallway and watched me.

The session started out very quiet, but as we sat in the dark and listened to the building, we began to hear knocks and noises.

After what seemed like ages, and many noises from other rooms, I heard something move from the other side of door 2. At first, it sounded like some of the contents of the room may have been settling. That particular room is locked to investigators as it has been rented out as storage… for the local funeral home. Then, another sound. A footstep? Then a loud knock on the door that was just inches from where I was sitting. Suddenly, I felt my stomach drop to the floor and could feel a cold mass at my back, which is interesting as the air temperature was in the 30’s. How cold did the mass have to be for me to feel colder than I already was? It felt as if someone was standing directly behind me, waiting for me to run.

I knew my fellow investigators had a FLIR thermal camera with them, so I had one of them come down to capture what I was feeling. It turns out, there were footprints on the floor directly behind me that were picked up on the FLIR thermal camera

“Something had been standing there and I could feel the cold, relative to my own ambient temperature.”

This experience has stayed with me and has made me question why cold spots happen. The best part of being science minded is coming up with questions about something. Are spirits able to use heat energy to communicate? Do they just exist at a certain temperature, and we identify it as cold relative to our surroundings? If this is the case, is there a certain temperature at which best to detect them? Are they composed of something that absorbs heat without their effort, effectively making them a walking (or floating) cold spot? While science as we know it will not answer the questions I have, it can tell us about the laws of heat, how it is transformed and explainable, natural ways that a cold spot could form. These explainable phenomena surrounding heat energy do not discount the idea that unexplainable paranormal cold spots happen, but they can help us understand the nature of heat energy, giving us a tool to help debunk a cold spot if it is naturally occurring and not paranormal in nature.

Heat, or the lack thereof (cold), is created by movement. The kinetic energy of atoms vibrating and rubbing up against each other is what creates heat. It’s like that time you forgot your gloves when you had to clean the snow off your car. After scraping ice and flinging a large chunk down your shirt, you sit in the driver’s seat shivering and rubbing your hands together like mad to prevent your fingers from falling off due to frostbite.

Eventually, the friction from rubbing your hands will begin to warm your hands up.

Because of the excessive movement and friction of atoms, heat is very difficult to control or direct. It is also very easily dispersed. In fact, heat is the least efficient form of energy that is available for use.

Logically, if I were a spirit, I would go after a more reliable form of energy, like a battery, because heat is sketchy as an energy source at best.

Another thing to consider are the Laws of Thermodynamics. The first, and most famous fundamental law states that the total energy of a system must remain constant. This means that energy can be

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transformed from one type to another, but it can’t be created or destroyed. All the energy we encounter, heat, electricity, light, has come from somewhere else. All that energy can become another type of energy, but it can never be totally destroyed.

The second and third law have to do with entropy, which is the degree of chaos in a system. They basically say that a system wants to normalize and reach a constant state. With heat, this means that if you have a hot and cold area, they will eventually become warm as things normalize. So, you can’t create energy from nothing, it won’t disappear and hot and cold want to become a weird warm mass.

With the understanding of how energy is transformed and behaves, it’s time to dig into the different causes of an explainable, natural cold spot. Air movement is the main culprit, and this can happen in many ways.

The most obvious way is a draft coming from an external source.

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It is easy to overlook a crack in a window or air moving under a door when you’re in the throes of a paranormal investigation, but it is worth the time to identify drafts. Air movement from convection and humidity differences can also happen. Warm air rises will cool and fall back down. A simple temperature difference of a few degrees in a room can cause enough air movement for you to feel a cool area. Humidity differences can cause the same effect with humid air being lighter (less dense) than dry air, rising and falling to create air movement that can be felt. Any sort of air movement can be easily detected with the finger test. If you lick your finger (with clean hands, of course), you can easily feel if the air is moving in a directional flow.

Other causes of detecting a cold spot have to do with your relative heat as a human. We are all giving off heat and our bodies have a way to cope with overheating and heat loss.

One of those biological functions is sweating.

Even the slightest bit of moisture on your skin can evaporate, causing you to feel a relative cold area. Unlike drafts, convection, and humidity, these are the types of cold spots that bear no evidence on the thermometer.

They are simply relative to your body heat.

Similar to this, you can experience radiative heat loss. This has to do with the Second and Third Law of Thermodynamics that we discussed above. Systems want to become a constant temperature so if you are close to

a cold surface, your body heat wants to normalize with the cold surface making you feel a cold area. The next time it’s cold out, put your hand close to a window. You can feel the cold because it wants to suck your body heat away from you to perform a fundamental Law of Thermodynamics. The world around us is so cool! Literally.

The last, and I think the most often overlooked cause for a cold spot, is psychological suggestion. As soon as you tell someone you feel a cold spot, they tend to feel it as well.

In the world of the paranormal, this is not specific to cold spots. When you see or hear something, the people around you will begin too as well. When you hear a specific word in an EVP and announce it or label it, it is hard for others to hear anything different. Operate carefully in this regard if you are trying to collect valid evidence. It’s always a good idea to not announce what you’re feeling, seeing, or hearing in order to validate your experience with others. I tend to ask other investigators to stand next to me and tell me what they are experiencing in that area, so I don’t give them any hint of my own observations. I don’t say things like ‘What do you feel?’ or ‘Can you hear that?’ Just the use of these sense verbs when investigating can trigger another person to unconsciously feel or hear something.

While the science surrounding cold spots doesn’t give us a good idea of why they

happen, it helps us understand our world to become better investigators. Having a healthy sense of scepticism as an investigator is a good thing. Learning to debunk and not assume everything that happens is paranormal is an important part of conducting sound, scientific research. I am always of the mindset that science is ever evolving and just around the corner could be the next big discovery to help us explain the unexplainable. While we’re waiting for that to happen, don’t forget to wear your gloves to clean the snow off your car so you don’t have to rely on friction to prevent frostbitten phalanges. Oh, and keep researching and investigating the unexplained, the world needs more weirdos committed to advancing the field of the paranormal.

Sarah x

Sarah Streamer has been active in the paranormal community since 2016. She has been researching and photographing haunted locations to help bring awareness to the paranormal and the historical preservation of the locations. She is co-founder of the paranormal investigative team, Paranormania.

Her passion is to be able to conduct valid research and data analysis in the paranormal field to help advance the science surrounding the currently unexplainable phenomena that we encounter.

FLYING OFF THE SHELVES

THE EAGLE CENTRE POLTERGEIST BY ELI LYCETT

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t’s early December 1983 and in the basement of a building in Derby city centre, an extraordinary meeting is taking place. Huddled together in the dimly lit room around stacked boxes of stock, packing materials and cleaning equipment, stand a group of local business owners, council representatives and a collection of Church clergymen that include the Bishop of Derby himself. None of them can quite believe it has come to this, gathered as they are beneath the city’s new shopping centre, debating a resolution to a problem that is proving so increasingly disturbing that any sense of ridicule or fantasy has long since left the conversation. They need a solution; a solution to the Eagle Centre poltergeist.

no less than seven clergymen were called in to exercise this “spirit of the Moors.”

Amongst the complex range of shapes and sizes that spectral hauntings can take, the poltergeist is the one form of paranormal phenomena that has the power to unite viewpoints and beliefs no matter how diverse. The noisy ghost is present in virtually every culture the world over, and whilst attributable names and theories may differ, the unique nature of the poltergeist at large means that it’s power of persuasion is constant. No matter what a person may believe, it’s hard to ignore the one form of haunting that can be objectively viewed and measured.

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There are stories found of such phenomena throughout history, the most curious to me being those cases which took place in an environment where the notion of a-typical poltergeist activity was an unknown quantity to those witnessing the events; and local folklore and legend is a great place to spot them.

One such case comes records of a haunting which took place in the Staffordshire Moorlands during the late 1800’s. Published in October 1880 by local newspaper The Sentinel as part of an article entitled Up and Down the County, William Hambleton, stated to be a member of Butterton Village Parish Council, recounts an event at a farm on Douse Lane in the nearby village of Onecote.

For several weeks, strange knockings and noises had been heard in the farmhouse, before events seemed to reach a peak with the farmers cart seen to be veering around the farmyard, night after night, by means of “unseen propulsion.” In the end, a local Reverend and no less than seven clergymen were called in to exercise this “spirit of the Moors.”

It would seem the situation in Derby’s Eagle Centre around 100 years later evolved along eerily similar lines.

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“Builders were said to have heard all manner of noises and screams on the site when they were alone and often found tools going missing before reappearing in impossible locations.”

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t started during the shopping mall’s construction in 1975, when the eastend slums of the city centre had been cleared to make space for the new building. Builders were said to have heard all manner of noises and screams on the site when they were alone and often found tools going missing before reappearing in impossible locations. Once completed, the activity would only increase, with dozens of business owners reporting strange occurrences during their first few months of trade. For the local papers, the spooky stories coming out of the new shopping centre were a goldmine, and such was the concern of the Eagle Centre’s management that a court injunction was taken out to stop the press from printing the tales they were told for fear of the poltergeist seriously impacting trade.

Besides the usual bangs, crashes, and object teleportations, there were other, far more visual phenomena on display across the site. Shadowy figures were spotted in storerooms by at least 6 separate shop managers, and shawled, crouched spectres walking through walls is said to have been a regular occurrence. In one particularly illuminating encounter, site security guards spent over an hour searching the premises after one of their number had spotted a young girl, long after closing, wandering through a clothes store clutching a cuddly toy. They had feared the child had somehow become locked in. Alas, upon investigation, no child was to be found.

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Now, it is easy to imagine how such stories build locally, taking on a life of their own and giving us cause to question their provenance.

At the Eagle Centre however, far from becoming a hub of outlandish claims and fantasy, things took a decidedly practical turn following a spate of flying shoes in a branch of Freeman, Hardy and Willis that had been witnessed by half a dozen people at the same time including a local council leader.

Guarding against the rumours that many businesses in the new £7 Million shopping centre were considering leaving, they took the extraordinary step of issuing an advice pamphlet concerning the phenomena. It was entitled (I jest not) Your Poltergeist and How to Deal with It. In the document, a brief history of the phenomena was shared in a bid to show how “natural” it was, alongside advice on how to placate it; once the pressures that produce the poltergeist are understood, it stated, the activity will begin to fade. It would appear however that the activity continued for at least 8 years; and come that night in the basement, the Bishop and his helpers took a drastic decision.

They would perform an exorcism.

It didn’t work at first, and reports of activity continued before a second session took place in early 1984. This time, it seemed to do the trick, and reports became rarer and rarer until the shopping centre eventually closed in 1990.

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The Eagle Centre may no longer be with us, but the Eagle Market is still very much alive and well on its former site, now part of Intu Shopping Derby, where market traders do business with shoppers every day of the week.

As to what may have caused the activity at the Eagle Centre during the late 70’s and early 80’s, there are a couple of competing theories. One, and perhaps the most plausible as such theories go, is that the poltergeist activity itself came as part and parcel of a much wider explosion of hauntings which emerged following the clearance of the old neighbourhood before the centre was built.

Another suggestion lies in the fact that the building was erected in an area of the city said to have born witness to a violent battle way back in the year 917 between the forces of Anglo-Saxon warrior queen Aethelflead and the Vikings of the Dane Law; the idea being that the slaughter had somehow had a metaphysical impact on the land that was later released into the atmosphere when the ground was broken to lay foundations.

Whatever the origin of the phenomena, it’s clear that the area of the city in which the Eagle Centre was erected had played host to a long history of human occupation. That the memories of the land may have somehow become switched on and replayed during the building work would dovetail neatly with many popular theories regarding hauntings but the origin of the poltergeist itself is even more complex; it’s range of activity suggests an intelligent control, inherent in the location.

SCARE IN THE COMMUNITY

As with many such cases, investigation leads to more questions than answers, but nonetheless, whatever was happening back then in Derby city centre was very real to those who witnessed it. Yet it is precisely this lack of definitive answers that means such stories pass from person to person in a form that is open to interpretation, embellishment, and subtle change.

This is no bad thing. Rather, it is the evolutionary mechanism by which events such as the Eagle Centre poltergeist pass into folklore, enabling them to survive across the years, changing shape into legend along the way and ensuring that such incredible examples of the supernatural, so unlikely to be committed to official records, are not lost to us. Their unfathomable truths persevered in oral tradition, just like the legends of old, courtesy of the stories they inspire.

El i Ly c e t t

CHECK OUT ELI’S “LOCAL MYTHSTORIAN” PAGE: https:// thelocalmythstorian. com/

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aranormal events companies are often criticised for bulk booking haunted venues at inflated prices, which prices-out smaller independent teams who would like the chance to investigate the property. While this might be true in some cases, especially at some of the more opportunistic properties, there is another side to this debate.

Michael Packer is the chair of a voluntary association which looks after a 250-year-old former brass works on the outskirts of Bristol. He says that the income from hosting paranormal events has become vital to their funding raising efforts, which support local community projects and the upkeep and restoration of the building.

Warmley Clocktower was built in 1743 and despite its name is as much an old factory building as an actual clocktower. Michael says, “the brass industry was a big business in the early stage of the Industrial Revolution.” The three-storey clocktower building was once part of a much larger early industrial estate built by William Champion, but after a long and successful period of operation, the site eventually closed down, and the building was put to a new use.

“The Clocktower Association was formed in 1968, and ever since we have been providing services specifically for the tenants of the council estate, the young people in particular.”

Over the years the association adapted to reflect changes in society. Michael explained, “we’ve always reacted to what the current issues were and HAUNTED MAGAZINE

provided the services. And in that type of work, you have to survive off a grant income from a national charity, which supports the type of work you’re doing. Later, we were getting contracts from the council to deliver services for young people from the building.”

In 2013, the council chose not to renew their contract, opting to fund another organisation that was better placed to provide services for the community, but again the Clocktower adapted.

Michael says, “consequently, we effectively became a space basically, for community use. And we offer the building up on the ethos of making it an affordable rate that voluntary groups and others can afford.”

Realising that in order to serve the community, they needed to bring in some additional income, the historic venue offered itself up to paranormal teams for the first time. It is the perfect solution as paranormal events take place at times of the day when the building is not earning in other ways.

As Michael explains, this is often a weekend, “they come along at something like nine o’clock and they’re there until three in the morning. And that’s their evening, basically.”

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He adds, “they come from miles away these event organisers, they pick up local people too, people from South Wales and roundabout Bristol.”

“There are a number of different locations across the UK that rely heavily on income generated from hosting paranormal events. Some of these places are run by charities or trusts and benefit from group bookings to firstly raise their profile, but to bring in much needed funding that in many cases is vital to enable them to grow, develop and in some cases remain open. I’m all for supporting these locations which provide us with local history and offer a community spirit” Barri Ghai The events have been more successful than the Clocktower Association could have ever imagined.

Michael explained, “when we got to the end of the last financial year, the year before we were put into lockdown, what we found was that the amount of money the paranormal contributed towards the overhead costs was something like 42%.” Then the pandemic hit and although much of 2020 and 2021 so far has been a write-off for ghost hunting events, the Clocktower found that paranormal events provided a vital lifeline.

“When they relaxed the rules, the paranormal came back in again and quite honestly, that income was quite a major contribution, because we were down.”

One argument against venues hiring themselves out to paranormal events companies is that charging a premium to use the location means that smaller teams and independent researchers don’t have a chance to investigate the location, especially when companies book nights in bulk. This shouldn’t be seen as a negative against the paranormal events company, as this really comes down to how greedy a location is.

Michael has a less exclusive approach, “there are people out there, smaller groups, that I would welcome down in Warmley. And if they say, ‘well, we can’t

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afford it, we’re only a group of four’, well, why not?

The priority isn’t to make as much money as possible.

All we want to do is to make money to secure the building and to generate extra income, which we will be investing in the community.”

But what’s it like having paranormal teams investigating your property after dark?

Although the building is used as an events space and has resident organisations based there, the events haven’t interfered with the day-to-day running of the building. Michael even went as far as to say, “the teams that come along are very responsible people, but we had to be very mindful that people that use the space and we think they’ve all cooperated so far.”

With all the Clocktower Association working on a voluntary basis, funds are tight and very much needed.

The association have used their money from ghost hunts to improve the building and ensure its continued availability for the community. “Obviously over the years, we have saved the building, we’ve protected the building,” says Michael, “we also have done some fundraising where we’ve done a certain amount of work on the building.”

But he says the work never ends, “we do have a planning application we put in too to present the site with landscaping and all the other things that go with it. What we need to do is to get the investment now to do the building up and to look at the landscaping, to make sure the building is here for the future and we’re safeguarding the community use of the building.”

While some venues and haunted locations might seem greedy, others like the Clocktower are doing their best to make their spaces available for all and opening their building to further a non-profit initiative that will benefit the wider community. So rather than complaining that a haunted venue is cashing in, maybe next time be more selective about the type of locations you book and ensure the money you spend is going to a good cause rather than just lining someone’s pocket.

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Higgypop

By Our Wizardess of Oz - Sarah Chumacero

Death Masks of the Old Melbourne Gaol

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hen roaming the halls of what was once a gaol, it is not uncommon for there to be displays and stories of former inmates. What is particularly unnerving, is when they have on display a death mask.

The Old Melbourne Gaol in Melbourne Victoria is full of them. Built in the mid 1800’s 133 hangings took place within its walls. The most infamous hanging was that of famous bush-ranger Ned Kelly. The gaol closed in in 1924 and was decommissioned in 1929. It sits today as a museum displaying one of the largest collections of death masks in all of Australia. So, what is a death mask and why would you cast a mask of someone who was executed?

In some ancient cultures, they used what were called funeral masks as a part of the rituals they would perform when burying a body. In Ancient Egypt, they would mummify the body HAUNTED MAGAZINE

and put it into a sarcophagus decorated with various jewels. The finishing touch was to put a sculpted mask on the face of the deceased. This was was considered to be a very important sacred element to the ritual. It was believed that the mask would strengthen the spirit of the mummy and guard it against evil on its way to the after world.

In the late 1880s, the process of casting death masks was used as a way to help identify the body of a missing person. If an unidentified body presented, a mask was cast so that family members looking for missing loved ones could identify the body. Remember this is long before the technology we have today. There is, in particular, one mask which is known as L’Inconnue de la Seine. It was the face of an unidentified young woman who was found drowned at the Seine River in Paris sometime in the 1880s. She was believed to be around 16 years old. The morgue worker who cast the mask was bewitched by her beauty. The mask became quite popular and considered almost of a work of art. If the face looks familiar, that is because the world’s first CPR mannequin was modelled after this very mask.

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In the 19th Century and early 20th Century, the process of death masks was used widely on inmates in prisons after they were executed.

After they were hung, their head was shaved, and a cast would be taken. The intention of this was not solely to display the masks in a museum (even though that is what they are doing today).

They were to be unknowing participants in a study called Phrenology.

Emma Williams Death Mask

Fatta Chand Death Mask

George Melville Death Mask

Ned Kelly Death Mask

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Phrenology

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hrenology is considered to be a pseudomedicine that is no longer practiced as it has since been scientifically discredited. It was developed in 1796 by German physician Franz Joseph Gall. In 1820, the Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established. The process behind Phrenology involves feeling and observing the measurements of a human skull. The belief was that certain behaviours and traits were confined to different sections of the brain. It was believed there were around 27 different sections to the brain. A phrenologist would run their fingertips and palms over a person’s skull to see if they could feel any enlargements or indentations or in simple terms - feel the bumps. They would also measure the head. From these findings, a Phrenologist would assess the character and the temperament of the patient. There were considered to be 5 fundamental points to phrenology: 1.

The brain is the organ of the mind.

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The mind is composed of multiple, distinct, innate faculties.

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Because they are distinct, each faculty must have a separate seat or “organ” in the brain.

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The size of an organ, other things being equal, is a measure of its power.

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The shape of the brain is determined by the development of the various organs.

6.

As the skull takes its shape from the brain, the surface of the skull can be read as an accurate index of psychological aptitudes and tendencies.

Even though in 1840s, Phrenology had been discredited as Scientific Theory based on a large amount of evidence against it, the concept became popular again in the early 20th century.

It was during this resurgence that it was thought criminals could be rehabilitated. The thinking was that a diagnosis could be made, and a plan put in place to help to rehabilitate the criminal. For example, a criminal with homicidal tendencies would be rehabilitated to work as a butcher in order to control his impulses.

Somewhere along the way in this study, prisons would start to cast death masks of inmates who had been executed. They were not only used for the study of phrenology but also appeared in museums and material for prison authorities HAUNTED MAGAZINE

to use at lectures and even displayed as a deterrent for people – if you do the crime, this is what could happen to you.

Old Melbourne Gaol’s Death Masks

F

amous Australian Bushranger Ned Kelly’s death mask is one of the most famous masks on display here, at the very place he was executed. In November of 1880, Kelly was hung for 3 counts of wilful murder and is said to have spoken his final famous words “Such is life” moments before his death. His is not however the original death mask, it is a copy. It was not uncommon for copies to be made as they are quite fragile. In addition to Kelly, there is an extensive collection of original death masks on display of executed inmates throughout the gaol.

Bushranger George ‘Frenchy’ Melville was executed in 1853 for the McIvor Gold Robbery.

Fatta Chand was also hung at the gaol in 1891 for the murder of his Hindoo partner Juggo Mull, even though he claimed his innocence.

Emma Williams was the only woman in Victoria who was executed for the murder of her own child in 1895. All others convicted of the same crime were charged but not executed.

What is eerie about these masks is the expression on the faces of the subjects.

Some seem at peace. Others have a look of distress. One even seems to have a smirking smile. In some cases, you can actually see the contortion in the neck from where they were hung. Strands of facial hair are even sticking out from the plaster on others. I have to wonder if the energy of the person and the trauma associated with their death are embedded within the masks? While they are displayed behind solid Perspex, the energy of the deceased remains in the very place they met their demise. Is this why so many people feel ill and uneasy in their presence?

This is just another example of how our strange past and intrigue with the macabre fascinates us still to this day. I know I can’t be around a death mask for long. Whether I am feeling the energy of the mask or if maybe I am just a little bit creeped out, either way it doesn’t sit well with me.

Photo credits:

Sarah

L’Inconnue de la Seine: Public Domain Making Death Mask Circa 1908: Public Domain Photos by Sarah LLIFS, George Melville, Fatta Chand, Emma Williams, Ned Kelly Phrenology Display

A NASTY PIECE OF WORK...

When the wine and nibbles become malign and niggles

By Nicky Alan

I

t was 2007 and I had decided to do a mini tour of East Anglia. I was going to various halls and theatres demonstrating mediumship and going to private events where I would give readings to people in a group setting. They were lovely evenings and exceptionally popular, where most people had wine and nibbles as I brought them messages from the Spirit World and my friend Vicky would do one to one readings in another room.

To be honest I should have realised as we were driving to this one house that there was going to be a disastrous evening that would unfold. I was getting really snappy with my friend and feeling quite angry for no reason whatsoever. The closer we got to the house the more I became agitated.

We were in the middle of nowhere deep in the Norfolk countryside looking for a farmhouse. We eventually found it. I had the right hump when we pulled on the drive and again should have looked at myself to see why I felt so miserable, angry and volatile.

I could see through the vast kitchen windows on arrival that many people were mingling, holding glasses of wine and munching through the morsels on offer. I knocked on the kitchen door and as I opened the door I had an instant wave of nausea hit me. Rather than give a lively and polite hello, I under racing breath asked where the toilet was. In the toilet I promptly puked up and wondered why this luxurious house stank of old drains. I was thinking perhaps I was going down with something as I joined the expectant group shaking inside and feeling that anything remotely dodgy would send me running to the toilet again. I asked Vicky is she could smell the drains to which she looked at me as if I was mad.

I gulped down loads of water and directed the crowd in to one of the drawing rooms where I would do my demonstration of mediumship. As the group of about thirty people all seated themselves a hum of excitement reverberated across the room.

I normally pick up on this vibe which helps me get the spirit people in but all this energy did was make me shake even more.

I started to do an introduction to who I was and how it all worked when my granddad HAUNTED MAGAZINE

Fred came straight in. Now he is like my doorman, if there is anything off, negative or dodgy he is in there like a shot to help me out.

“They have used a Ouija board Nick and they took the mickey, no one kept it safe.”

‘F**k me,’ I thought, this is all I need, some drunken get together, Ouija board in tow.

Don’t get me wrong I find communication boards an excellent tool IN THE RIGHT HANDS but played with during a p**s up is really not a good idea.

I think however, ‘It might not be that bad, just carry on.’ But as soon as I open up my energy, the stench of the drains got so bad that the lump on my throat threatened further puking sessions!

I was forced to say, “Have you got a problem with your drains?”

I think the owner was a little confused as to whether this was a psychic or normal observation!

“No not at all”, he replied perplexed, turns out no one can smell what I am smelling.

I then blurt out, “You have used a Ouija board here haven’t you, and you were all drunk?”

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Initially the owner and some of friends denied it. Eventually they admitted after my granddad insisted he was right, that yes they had quite a few times after a good old drink at the local country pub had a play on the Ouija board. They had started playing on it a few months ago.

I had the feeling that they had opened up some sort of doorway that had inadvertently let someone not too pleasant in.

I asked to speak to the owners on their own. They said yes to all the following standard questions: Have you had random bad smells?

Have you had more arguments than usual?

Have there been more electric/ physical accidents more than usual?

Was there anyone suffering with depression?

Were they or the kids having restless/interrupted sleep every night or having nightmares?

Were there unexplained noises/ bangs in the house?

Did the house feel dreary?

Did they feel exhausted more than usual?

Had they felt unwelcome in their own house?

Had they seen things that were unexplainable?

The questions go on, but you get the picture, signs of a negative entity in the house.

I really didn’t need this at all. I had driven miles from our hotel to get here and now I had to find out who was in the bloody house as all my spirit messages were being blocked. As soon as I tried to link up I felt sick and smelled the most disgusting smell. Put it this way when I was a copper I smelled many dead bodies. This was that smell with a bit of ammonia chucked in for good measure.

I told the owners to go and serve some more drinks as I had to locate this spirit and do a clearing. I warned that if I couldn’t clear the place, the evening couldn’t go ahead.

I sat in one of the bedrooms where they said the children refused to sleep in. It took a while but then I could feel and smell a rancid breath on my face. I could make out the face of a very slim older man with a grey short beard and fine grey hair. My God was he angry. Crashes

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and bangs started up in the room. My granddad came to my side and my main guide Julianus. After what seemed like an eternity I could see him in my mind’s eye standing there holding a shotgun. I ascertained after a while that he was a farmer that lived in a neighbouring farm house. During his life he had had a huge breakdown resulting in him shooting his wife, kids then himself at their farmhouse.

Bloody brilliant! This is all I needed an angry spirit full of guilt roaming around this house when I was supposed to be bringing nice cuddly nanas and aunties through!

He had been attracted to their energy, the Ouija board gang, and had attached himself to the house as it apparently beat roaming around grounded at his place due to what he had done to his family. His guilt had stopped him going over. It took an hour all in all to ask him to leave the place. As the fragrant rush of fresh flowers hit my nostrils I knew that I had cleared the energy from the house.

I explained to the owners what I had experienced. As they sat mouths wide open, they confirmed that they knew of the story of the neighbouring farm massacre from many years ago. I stated quite clearly that if they wanted him back all they had to do was get drunk and play with the Ouija board, yes, I was being exceptionally sarcastic! It is one of my pet hates, people messing around with something they have no idea how to control or respect.

The evening from then on went swimmingly. The long awaited cuddly nans, aunts and all manner of happy spirit people came in with their messages of comfort and support. This is what should happen when I connect to the Spirit World, not having to evict haunted souls that can’t get over murdering their family!

Word to the wise, if you don’t know enough about it, don’t play with it!

Nicky x

Psychic Medium, Tutor & Magazine Columnist

Author of M.E Myself & I: Diary of a Psychic

Twitter @NickyAlan07

Instagram @nickyalan333 HAUNTED MAGAZINE

FRIEND OR FAUX

Lying for the Good of the Paranormal?

By A m a n d a R . Wo o m e r (S p o o k- E at s)

T

he history of the paranormal has been an arduous (ongoing) journey. The “olden days” were filled with superstitions, lore, and a deep connection to the spirit world that was nearly wiped out as the world became “enlightened.” Science explained mysteries like thunder and eclipses, and the invention of the lightbulb chased away the monsters of the night. There was no room for ghosts and goblins in the modern world, no reason to believe in childish stories of fairies and ghouls… and yet, we have never stopped wanting to believe.

Some are lucky enough to bridge the gap between the modern and the ancient, what is known and what is unknown, and they come back touched by what they cannot understand, let alone explain.

Maybe you felt an unseen hand tug on your shirt. You know you were alone, but when you tell someone else, they laugh it off and say you imagined it.

“Perhaps you heard the voice of your grandmother calling out your name in the night, even though she has been dead for years.”

Or maybe you caught a glimpse of your mother, clear as day, standing in the kitchen smiling at you even though she just passed away a few months ago. You open yourself up to the possibility that you somehow connected to the “other side,” but when you nervously share your encounter with your siblings, they just say, “Pics or it didn’t happen.”

Could these experiences with the paranormal that leave us feeling isolated (and sometimes questioning our sanity) lead to a habit of embellishing the truth and possibly even fabricating experiences just in the hope of making someone believe us?

A glance at the paranormal history over the last 200 years would suggest a resounding yes.

Take a look at the most polarizing ladies in the paranormal: the Fox Sisters. Some see them as gifted mediums who founded the modern-day Church of Spiritualism. Others see them as nothing more than charlatans, making money off grieving families desperate to find ways to communicate with the other side.

But is there more than meets the eye when it comes to Kate, Maggie, and Leah Fox? Maybe they really were sensitive to the spirits living in their childhood home (after all, it was known throughout town to be haunted). It could be possible that they were gifted mediums, but, like so many things in the paranormal, unexplained phenomena did not just happen on command. And so, they were forced to come up with a way to embellish on the reports that they could communicate with spirits. It was revealed by family members (and even one of the Fox Sisters) that the girls had faked the “rappings” they used to communicate with the spirits. But was it 100% fake?

It’s doubtful that there wouldn’t be some shred of truth—especially now that the Church of Spiritualism has not only survived over 100 years, but it is still thriving today. Perhaps Kate and Maggie were gifted psychic mediums, but to perform on command as their sister, Leah, demanded, they needed to get… creative.

Fabricating evidence to prove something HAUNTED MAGAZINE

exists doesn’t end there. Just look at spirit photography from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries!

The very first spirit photo was snapped by W. Campbell [pictured centre left] who was trying to take a picture of a chair in his studio and ended up capturing the ghostly image of a boy. He was never able to recreate this phenomenon, so many believe the photo is authentic.

And then there’s William Mumler [pictured bottom left]. Possibly the most (in)famous spirit photographer, Mumler made a career taking photos of ghosts and was eventually charged with fraud.

But was there any truth to what he did?

Take Mumler’s most famous client, Mrs. Tyndall.

Mrs. Tyndall showed up at Mumler’s studio unannounced, dressed in mourning attire, complete with a veil covering her face.

Mumler took the photo and, after the plate developed, realized that the subject of his shot was none other than Mary Todd Lincoln. In the photo, the spirit of her husband, Abraham Lincoln, is hovering behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

By today’s standards, this photo looks fake. In fact, most of them do. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever being fooled by Mumler’s work. But would Mumler track down pictures of his client’s dead relatives to sneak their images onto a bit of glass to imprint on the image? And what about Mary Todd Lincoln? Supposedly she showed up without an appointment, so Mumler wouldn’t have had time to prepare the image.

There may have been photographers who did manage to capture spirits in photos…

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DO YOU BELIEVE IN PSYCHOKINESIS?

and there were definitely some who did not (and some that didn’t even try to do a halfway decent job at making them look legit).

Even though we laugh at these photos now, aren’t we still doing the same thing? Aren’t we trying to catch that perfect ghost photo to prove once and for all that the paranormal is real? Some photos are less than impressive, like orbs (I assure you: 99.99% of the time, its dust, moisture, or a bug), while others, like the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, are a bit more thought-provoking. We have not stopped trying to photograph ghosts even 150 years since the first spirit photo was snapped.

RAISE OUR HANDS IF YOU DO!!

Precognition: A Quantum Breakthrough in Understanding the Paranormal

And it’s not just ghosts people try to photograph to prove existence: Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monsters, and (my personal favourite) the Cottingley Fairies.

By Morgan Knudsen, Entityseeker Research & Teachings

The photos snapped by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths are yet another perfect example of someone fabricating something to try to shed some light on the truth.

W

Elsie and Frances would play in the Wright family’s garden.

When they told their parents that they were playing with the fairies that lived along the stream, the adults laughed at them and didn’t believe the girls—no doubt it was their overactive imaginations. To prove that they were telling the truth, the girls snapped a photo of Frances with four fairies, and it took the world by storm.

It didn’t matter how blatantly staged that first photo was—photographic evidence of fairies was all that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle needed to hear. When four more photos came about, he was swept away in fairy mania, even while expert photographers and companies such as Kodak questioned the authenticity.

Not surprisingly, it was revealed that the two girls had faked the images (though they only admitted it in the 1980s). But Elsie and Frances stuck to their story: there really were fairies by the stream, and they faked the photos to prove that they weren’t lying.

While forgery has become a major problem in the paranormal world with photoshop and special effects, it certainly isn’t new. It is something that researchers, investigators, and sceptics have had to sift through over the centuries. As we move forward (hopefully focusing on facts rather than hoaxes), let us not hold a grudge against our predecessors: Many were desperate to find a way to connect with friends and family that had passed on—proof that a piece of their love survived somewhere. Surely grief transcends time, and the thought of a loved one still being nearby (albeit unseen) is just as comforting in 2021 as it was in 1861.

Read more about the paranormal and its History of Hoaxes in The Feminine Macabre Vol. II

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A manda

X

Psychokinesis. Precognition. ESP.

hat do these three things have in common, if anything?

Why should we, as paranormal researchers, even begin to care? Because the explanation for all of them has not only likely been discovered, but it also has one common and important thread: Quantum particle physics and neuroscience.

Now most people hear those words and immediately shut down. Rocket science stuff, right? Well, sometimes. But I want to introduce you to the man who figured this all out: Dr. William Roll (1926-2012). We, as students of the paranormal, must take a huge pause in what we’re doing in order to understand what he has published. And I mean a huge pause: Drop everything you thought you knew, turn off the TV shows, and start listening. Right now.

In the final years of his life, William G Roll spent most of the last years of his life making sense of psi phenomena, narrowing it down to two areas of interconnectedness which he felt was particularly relevant: Quantum physics and neuroscience. Roll’s thinking had much to do with the late Michael Persinger who passed in 2018, so anyone familiar with his work will recognize it. But I hope that within the next few paragraphs, I can explain this in a way that will change how you look at psi forever. And yes, I am quite serious, and no, that is not an exaggeration.

Let’s start here: In parapsychology there are two basic types of psi.

The first is Receptive Psi, better known as Extrasensory Perception or ESP. It comes in several forms: telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychometry, etc. The second is Expressive Psi, also known as PK or psychokinesis, and can be described in terms of macroscopic and microscopic PK (affecting the world we see, and the world we see under a microscope).

Now Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961) proposed in 1935 that, according to quantum theory, if a subatomic particle is split in half, the two resulting particles will be forever connected or entangled. So, no matter where one goes, no matter the distance, those two halves will always be responsive to the other.

Think of it like identical twins: One always is tied to the other, no matter where they are in the world. He proposed this theory in response to an article written by the great Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen which described a thought experiment, originally designed to refute the idea of quantum physics (now known as the EPR Experiment).

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The basic idea behind EPR was this: Those twins we just discussed aren’t dependent on what the other twin is doing. Instead, the actions of the second twin are dependent upon what your observation expects.

Confused yet? Don’t worry, I’ll explain.

Think of each twin, each half of the particle, as spinning coins. You have already observed the first one, which has landed on heads. You can only observe one at a time, so the other coin is still spinning. Only your focus will make it stop. This spinning is called being in superposition: It is neither on heads nor tails.

The coin will spin until your attention to it causes it to stop. Which SIDE it will land on depends on something very specific: Your observation, not random chance.

The realization that mere observation can bring about the collapse of a superposed system seems pretty weird. How can observation do that? The observer’s gaze shouldn’t affect the object, right?

Well, in EPR, it’s the other way around and it absolutely can.

The physicist Pascual Jordan (1902-1980) described it as such: “Observations not only disturb what has to be measured, they produce it...

We compel the photon to assume a definite position... We, ourselves, produce the result of the measurement.”

This is also known as the Observer Effect, and it is a persistent issue in these experiments. Oh, and one more thing about the EPR experiment before we go further: It is a conscious human being that makes this work; a machine can’t do the EPR job by itself. Now, hackles tend to get raised when we bring up the word consciousness, but a straightforward explanation of all this is that it requires conscious observation in order for this to work. Jordan later added the following statement:

“I close these expositions... concerning the interpretation of quantum theory with the reproduction of a brief conversation I had with an important theoretical physicist. He: ‘I am inclined to believe in telepathy.’ I: ‘This has probably more to do with physics than with psychology.’”

It seems Einstein kept an open mind after all.

So what does this mean for the paranormal? Well, everything.

T

hink of a hotel. See it in your head? Good.

You walk into the lobby, and you can only pick one room, right? Now, imagine every single hotel room is a different probability... and there are infinite numbers of them. It’s a big hotel. They are all versions of the thing you are focusing on. They have different layouts, different furniture, different pictures on the walls... but they are all versions of the room you want. The more you focus on one room (or one probability/ decision/prediction, etc), the other rooms begin to collapse. Those other rooms disappear until you are left standing in ONE room. Your observation of that room makes it real. Until you decide on it or observe it, it remains like all the others: Spinning in superposition, waiting for observation.

So, what does this have to do with psychokinesis and ESP?

T

o understand that we must take this one step further into something called Josephson’s version of quantum theory, named from a concept developed by Josephson and Pallikari-Viras (1991), where they proposed that life itself has its own way of acting and observing, known as ESP and psychokinesis. Can nature decide? The parallels between quantum and biosystems are there and understanding how this can occur in nature comes down to understanding the Observer.

You, as the observer, can choose whether you want to put your attention on one hotel room or another. You are free to enter one and leave another. When you choose one course of action over another, you thereby collapse the wave function of the physical things in the environment (it’s spinning again). Except that in the case of physical objects, what is collapsed is “matter waves”. It is the same with PK, the psi equivalent of action.

So, let’s jump back to EPR for a second and rope in precognition here. In EPR, the observer looks at the other half of the particle (the other twin) and thereby stops it spinning in superposition. To put this in context with precognition, any event can be composed of these same two halves: The physical event, and the perception of the event. These two halves make up what we know as present time.

The event in the ‘future’ is, of course, still spinning in superposition until it is decided on or ‘recognized’ by the observer (you).

In other words, the percipient would not inspect a pre-existing physical event, as it appears psychics are doing. Instead, they would observe one of the ‘hotel room probabilities’ that are spinning in superposition. That recognition and observation, makes it real.

It stops the spinning and actualizes that HAUNTED MAGAZINE

probability, making it a reality. Which event and probability you get depends on a few things, but it all comes back to the observer.

So, your biases, expectations, wants, dislikes, likes, everything... it will all fill in the gaps to create your probability and therefore your upcoming reality. As soon as you or the psychic “sees” that reality, guess what?

Unless you shift your attention and create something new by focusing on something else, you might just get what’s predicted.

If this brings about the collapse of a wave function and the object of attention becomes a part of present reality as we’re suggesting, precognition brings about the collapse of a potential event in the future, which will turn a future event into an event in the present. In other words, it is the precognitive experience that makes the event occur at all.

To say that precognition makes something in the future happen, doesn’t necessarily mean anything in the future can happen. Nancy Sondow (1988) introduced a brilliant analogy after having a series of precognitive dreams herself, and it went like this: The trunk of the tree represents the present and all the branches represent possible futures. When the tree bifurcates into a bunch of branches, one branch represents the possible future, the others a probability. Assuming the branches are evenly divided, at each division there is a 50/50 split as to which one might occur. The farther up the tree the vision, the less likely it is to happen. However, on a rare occasion that one of those distant and tall branches is indeed reached, the vision would or can be as detailed at the branch right next to you and close to the trunk.

This breakthrough in the understanding of precognition and ESP is absolutely huge. It also translates into the realm of paranormal investigation, as current notions of prediction and experimentation are now called into question. We must begin to re-examine how we are progressing as researchers and begin to shed many old notions about how we view paranormal activity. We are inexplicably connected to all we are experiencing, and we cannot remove ourselves from that equation.

As long as you are an observer, which you will always be, you will influence your reality and results. So, the next time you step out into a haunted place or sit down with a psychic, keep in mind: You get what you ask for, even when it’s unconscious.

References:

Morgan

X

Roll, Alexander, Williams, Persinger, (2021) “Parapsychology, Quantum Theory, and Neuroscience”, Advances in Parapsychological Research 10

17

EVP – Early Voice Phenomena

W

hen considering séance methods, the images conjured up from years of Spiritualist development, horror films and high-budget shows like Penny Dreadful are of crystal balls, ectoplasm, and ghostly apparitions from the ether. However, the realities of Victorian séance were very different. While planchettes, talking boards and good oldfashioned tambourines were hurled across darkened rooms at the hands of spirits, or opportunistic fraudulent mediums, several other popular tools have faded into obscurity.

One such long-forgotten method of spirit contact, and a mediumistic tool, was that of the spirit trumpet.

Despite what the name might suggest, this was no ghostly ‘Brassed Off’ with a spectral colliery band smashing its way through the séance room. Instead, trumpets were primarily tapered metal tubes, made from lightweight aluminium, and assembled from removable or collapsible segments. These trumpets, despite the musical connotations, were akin to old listening horns, the type of which you often see in old films as elderly men strain to hear news of their wayward daughter’s activities.

Spirit trumpets were one of the most widely used apparatuses in late modern spiritualism, but are rarely discussed or represented, primarily owing to their less-than-spooky appearance. The basic method of employing a trumpet isn’t an especially logical one.

Instead of playing, or even shouting into a trumpet, the object is either placed on a surface or held by the medium. In some instances, such as dark seances, the trumpet is placed on a table, the lights extinguished, then – aided by luminous paint, or glowing attachments – the trumpet rises into the air and spectral voices emanate from the end. In other seances, one end of the trumpet is placed to the medium’s ear, and the other end close to the sitters. Through the medium’s spiritual powers, voices once again emanate from inside the trumpet and can answer questions or impart information from the great beyond.

Harrison. These Middlesbrough seances occurred weekly from 1946 to the mid1950s and focused heavily around trumpet phenomena, particularly accompanied by the presence of ectoplasm. Explained by her son, a fellow spiritualist (who passed away in 2010), the Middlesbrough circle experienced rather more dramatic demonstrations, aided by their ‘spirit guide’.

In more extravagant seances, ectoplasm could emanate from the end of the trumpet, spiralling its spectral fabric and gloop above the séance table. Trumpets enjoyed great popularity at the turn of the century and were produced and employed in spiritualist groups well into the 20th century. The book ‘Visits by Our Friends from The Other Side’ (1989) collects stories of seances from the home circle of medium Minnie

Following further development of the circle, their active spirits played a far greater part in using the trumpet as a method of basic, physical communication.

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‘During the trumpet phenomena, an ectoplasmic rod is connected from the medium to the smaller end of the trumpet.

This enables the Spirit helpers to move the trumpet around the room as well as being the ‘telephone line’ along which the Spirit voices are transmitted for everyone in the room to hear. In effect the trumpet is an amplifying megaphone.’

‘By our tenth sitting we had developed sufficiently for our Spirit helpers to tell us we could have luminous spots on the bell-end so that we were then able to clearly see its movement around the

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room. (…) When the trumpet phenomena began…Spirit friends would indicate their presence with different movements of the trumpet. Then Sunrise [their spirit guide] would indicate his presence and control by rapidly moving the bell-end in circles.’

And I make no apologies for the liberal and sincere use of the phrase ‘bell end.’ Many of us reached emotional maturity aged 12.

In 1908, writer and magician David Abbott studied several mediums who used trumpets in their seances and collected the experiences in a slim volume called ‘The History of a Strange Case.’ He recounts an experience with an elderly female medium in Ohio, explaining the exact nature of these strange trumpets: ‘She uses two tin horns or trumpets, each fourteen inches long, and two one-half inches in diameter at the large ends, tapering to one each at the smaller ends.

The large end or bell of one horn is made as to slip tightly into the large end of the other.

On the smaller or outer ends of this double trumpet are soldered saucer-shaped pieces large enough to cover a person’s ear.’

Later, he explains the basic method of the trumpet’s use: ‘The sitter takes one end of this trumpet and places it to his ear, while the lady does the same with the other end, placing it to her ear.

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At once the sitter plainly hears whispers in the trumpet. These purport to be the voices of the spirits of his dead friends and relatives.

They reply to any questions which he speaks out loud.’

Despite the visual absurdity of spirit trumpets, they enjoyed far greater longevity at the séance table than most of the spirit apparatus of the 19 th century heyday of Spiritualism. While they appear to have finally fallen out of favour by the mid-1950s, they languish in obscurity today, with modern spirit circles eschewing them and contemporary media preferring the easy shorthand of a Ouija board or dramatic regurgitating of ectoplasm. I for one, would love to see a return of a trumpet or two in modern spirituality, even if it’s just a matter of hurling a tin tube through the darkness.

Works Referenced ‘Visits By Our Friends From the “Other Side”’: From the weekly diaries and recorded notes of her son Tom Harrison. Saturday Night Press Publications. 2011 (1989) ‘The History of a Strange Case’, David P. Abbott.

1908. Orig. The Open Court Publishing Company.

Amazon reprint on demand.

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Kate Cherrell is a writer, public speaker, and creator of BurialsAndBeyond.com, a site exploring the stranger side of life, death, and the weird bits in between.

An enthusiast of cemeteries, death history and ‘miserable Victorians’, she is also a specialist in 19th century Spiritualism. Her Patreon features new light-hearted videos, podcasts, and articles every week, all relating to the paranormal, dodgy mediums, death history and the occasional spectral mongoose. www.burialsandbeyond.com

Check out Kate’s fantastic Patreon page for more amazing articles: www.patreon.com/ burialsandbeyond

DO YOU BAY-LEAF In the Paranormal?

Kate Ray offers some sage advice & wisdom on the connection between herbs and hauntings, we hope you can spare the thyme to read it.

O

ur relationship with herbs for culinary, medicinal, and magical uses predate written history. Many of their uses were passed down through the generation through oral traditions. With the opening of global trades here in the UK we have access to herbs from around the world.

The uses of such herbs far exceed the kitchen, many herbs in the UK are known and scientifically documented for the medicinal properties and have been develop by the pharmaceutical industries to aid modern medicines. With the boom of modern science many of the everyday healing properties of native and global herbs have been lost in the mists of time.

Where once we would forage for wild lettuce for headaches we now reach for a paracetamol.

Beyond the obvious uses, herbs have been used in spiritual, religious, and magical practices, some for the altering effects on the human body and others for their apparent use in changing the environment to the benefit of the user.

As a child, a now “snow white-esque” memory I hold is a gypsy encounter, and this will demonstrate the power of herbs on our psyche.

Back in the 1980s it wasn’t uncommon to get a knock on the door from a cold caller, usually a pushy vacuum salesman, but on one summer evening a knock on the door revealed a wizened gypsy lady. I watch from the hem of my mum’s skirt as this old woman began sweet enough with foretelling of some glorious fortune to come, and after presenting her real purpose she became agitated and aggressive, she was selling sprigs of heather. At first my mum politely refused but as the women became more animated and it became a battle of wills, my mum vs the decrepit crone. I cannot clearly recall if my mum bought the heather spring or not, but I remember the general gist of the gypsy’s words. She said that great evil would come to the family if her palm were not crossed with silver and the heather was the only thing that would save us from that fate. It terrified me! I overheard my mum talking to a neighbour about the encounter a day or two later and the notions of belief in the power of the old women and her heather were obvious.

This is the power of herbs.

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How is it then that a common plant such as a sprig of heather could keep evil from entering the home? On a psychological level, the power of the herb partly lays in the lap of the believer. If there is a strong enough acceptance in something, it empowers that thing to do the job, whether it is to attract love, ward evil or bring money it, that thing becomes a focus. There is the sceptical point of view that if someone is cursed then they will surely enough look at all the negative things in their life as part of that curse.

But there is much, much, more to the potency of the magical side of herbs, and this lays in the plant itself.

There are numerous great books and internet access to the complexities of the magical properties of herbs, many cover things such as the planetary attachments to the structure of the plant as well as the chemical components and it is well worth familiarising yourself with these. Dates, days of the week, even the hours of the day can all influence the optimal picking time for herbs, its not just a case of see the plant and harvest it.

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Here, I want to give you a simple insight into herbs that can be used in haunting situations, an overview of identification and how they can be used, with two caveats. The first is extremely important, when identifying herbs, you must be 100% sure that it is the herbs you think it is, this can take years of study and even then, mistakes are made. There are thousands of plants that can look remarkably similar, but their properties are wildly different and miss identification can and does lead to problems.

Even when picking herbs for magical uses, and not for ingestion, you can run into problems.

Different plants hold different properties and if you pick the wrong plant, it won’t have the same magical vibration as the correct one.

Many plants have a toxic value and even picking them can cause physical issues, skin rashes and burns are common.

20 Garlic Yes, we all know this culinary bulb as a ward against vampires, but equally this supermarket availed plant is used in the general protection of the home. It can be strung either in singles or as a garland above doors to prevent evil of both living and spirit energy entering your home.

The second aspect to consider is having a healthy respect for the plant. Understanding the legalities of picking wild is a must, you do not want to get a police record and a fine for digging up a dandelion root (and yes this can happen!) Picking and harvesting responsibly means that the plant is sustainable, and you will be able to go back to it time and time again, if you rip up a plant from the ground whole it potentially won’t grow there again. A nice practice and one in which I often engage in is the collection and distribution of seeds (and fungi spores) If I take from a plant I will help to spread or grow myself. I know through doing this that I will have more than enough for myself as well as leaving enough for the bees to enjoy. It is also said that if you ask a plant permission to take apart from it, it makes it more potent in its use.

It makes the top twenty due to its easy identification and ease of access to all. Please note that there is wild garlic available in spring in most woodlands it is against the law to pick the bulbs.

However, the leaves and capers are not only delicious they can be picked and used in the same way as a bulb of garlic.

19 Vervain This versatile herb has made it in at number 19 as it is one of the herbs used in the rights of exorcism. Used in dried form and sprinkled around the home or outside of the property is creates a protective barrier against evil spirits. It has other helpful properties when it comes to haunting as it promotes peace and tranquillity within the home. It is a common plant that grows on wasteland and verges. It is recognised by its broad leaves and spikes of pinkish flowers. It is best picked on midsummer when it is in full flower.

If you don’t wish to pick or grow your own, then the is a world of choices to buy them from humble supermarket and garden centre “live plants” to dried and prepared plants be bought inexpensively. It is as I have said worth understanding that picking and processing of herbs really does add to their potency though.

I have been working with herbs on a medicinal and magical level for many years, and I am constantly learning about historic purposing and modern insights.

17 Plantain 18 Sandalwood

In choosing herbs to make it into my top 20 I have taken into consideration personal experience of use, historical research as well as ease of access and sustainability of the plant.

It has been hard to narrow down as every time I think of a prospective herb, I exclaim that it is one of my favourites. The list of herbs is intended to be a starting point, and I am sure some will disagree with my choices, as we all have our ways of working which makes for a rich melting pot of knowledge.

Here are my top twenty herbs that may help in keeping at bay evil spirits, curses, and malevolent energies, particularly focusing on haunted homes.

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Oh, the beautiful aroma of sandalwood is enough to bring this herb into the top 20 of protectives. It has a great way of impregnating its surroundings with its aromatic woody comforting blanket of smoke.

It is however in its unburnt form that it is used as it bests, it can be sprinkled around a home to cleanse it of negative energies.

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These common weeds will spring up in most places and has a way of camouflaging its growth until it shows the world its lovely chunky flowering heads. It is a herb that you may have passed by on many occasions and is so much a part of boarders, hedgerows, and wastelands you probably wouldn’t have given it much thought.

I now transplant them into special areas as they have great medicinal properties as well as being magic. For the fact that plantain is so easy to collect, forage for and use it has made the list.

It can be worn on the body, in the pockets of clothes to protect the wearer, it doesn’t mind being transported around as its protective property is quite moveable, it doesn’t lose any charge.

16 Eucalyptus A word of warning, if you want to grow your own eucalyptus tree they grow at an alarming rate, you blink, and they are as tall as a house. There is nothing like fresh leaves from this tree, they have an already dry, but packed with oils, quality to the leaves and can easily be dried naturally within a couple of weeks.

This isn’t the easiest herb to forage for, but if you find someone who has a tree, they are happy for you to help in pruning it and a branch harbours a pile of leaves to use.

A branch in the bathroom will help cleanse the bather and warding off illness. The leaves can be added to sachets to increase the shielding properties.

15 Bay Bay leaves have many magical properties and uses and are available in the supermarkets in the dried herb section. Good quality, unbroken leaves are best to be used and this is a herb used in exorcism. It is hung around the home, worn on the body, burnt as a cleansing smoke. Bay leaf infused oils and waters can be used to mark places that need extra protection. It is favoured by many over white sage in dealing with troublesome ghosts, but for me it works the best when combined with other herbs, so stays a little lower down my list.

14 Palo Santo

13 White Sage

I hesitate to add Palo Santo to the list at all simply because of the call to stop the use of it as the trees in which it is harvested are in massive depletion. It has become such a popular wood used in the smoke cleansing of the home in recent years that has put a huge strain on the sustainability of its future. Please use this sparingly or find a suitable alternative. I have an exceedingly small stock that I only fire up in extreme cases and because of its reputation as a great ward against evil energies I felt I had to include it.

As with Palo Santo Californian White Sage is becoming increasingly depleted. It is difficult to germinate and grown in the UK (I know I am nurturing two plants to maturity which can take 3-4 years before they are harvestable) and use of it should be kept to extreme circumstances. I know it is a favourite go to plant, and its properties are some of the best known for cleansing and it is a shame that the long-term sustainability of such plants isn’t better managed, but there are many native, abundantly growing alternatives that we should give the white sage a little rest for a while

It is traditional burnt as a “smudging stick”, but I would suggest using a small number of shavings from the wood in protective pouches with other herbs

12 Frankincense

10 Heather

Frankincense has been used for thousands of years in religious practices and is favoured by the catholic church to raise the chemical levels of the brain into a state of happiness and euphoria. That state is part of the reason that the resin from the tree works so well in haunted properties. When the occupants are in a strong and positive state of mind it is difficult for negative energies to exist in that vibration. Again, this is another herb that is used in exorcise and denotes its power. The resin is burnt on charcoal disks to create a heavy smoke this drives the spirits away.

Again, this is another abundant herb, when the environment is right there is no stopping this squat shrub from becoming a sea of colour.

Often found with white or purple, pink flowers it has long been associated with breaking curses. Beware though, used in the wrong way, it is said that heather can attract spirits. It is a herb that is complex in its ritual use and research is defiantly needed to avoid conjuring. I would recommend further research before using in any spiritual practice.

11 Hazel Hazel trees are fairly easy to identify as they are often coppiced and have many shoots off the main trunking body, they also give us the hazel nut.

I have a string of hazel nuts in the home for luck and protection. I also use hazel rods to hang herbs from to dry in the belief that this protects them in the process.

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As well as its use as a smoke cleanser, it can be used in pouches, and hung around the home.

9 Mallow Mallow is a beautiful blousy cottage garden flower that is happy to make its home just about anywhere and unfortunately because of its growing success it has been labelled a weed. This spiring plant shows off its pink trumpet flower in the summer months. An ointment can be made from the leaves of mallow and applied to the body and is said to drive out the devil himself. The dried leaves can be added to herbal pouches and carried on the person or hidden in the home.

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7 Rosemary

8 Nettle Nettle makes it high in the list because this prolific plant grows anywhere, everywhere and is so easily identifiable, just stick your hand out and you will soon be able to recognise it. Nettle has so many uses and is often overlooked for its cuisine qualities, as a fibre for clothing and for its diverse magical assets. I have in recent years earned a new love with this extraordinary ordinary plant and I am continually finding new uses for it.

A herb that can be bought already dried from the supermarket, or if you have herb loving green fingered friends it is pretty much guaranteed that they have a rosemary bush that you could obtain a sprig or two.

Rosemary is highly aromatic and can be burnt, hung, or carried as a ward against dark forces.

As a protective herb hung or sprinkled around the house will not only keep spooks at bay but will also send existing ones packing their spotty hankies.

It can be used dried in protective sachets and worn or sewn into clothing.

6 Mullein Another overlooked weed, mullein is an impressive plant, often growing half a metre or so at its base spring up to a metre and a half tipped with delicate yellow trumpets. Its soft and fuzzy leaves are its signature, and these have been used as toilet paper in the past.

5. Sage (garden) Let us give the California white sage a break and start using the magical properties of easily grown sage.

Garden sages, in the UK, are so easy to grow, they are admirably adapted to a range of weather, and will happily grow and spread without any problems. A dried preparation can be found in the supermarket and on occasion I have seen living plants there too. It’s a herb that many people have in their garden so I would suggest asking around to see if you could harvest some from a friend if you don’t grow your own I use sage to make cleansing sticks as well as using the dried herb in teas and pouches. All round I have found it an adequate substitute to white sage, not as potent, but good enough. By using sage to bulk out other protective plants to increase their assets, and as a great herb in its own right, its higher on the list than expected.

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It is said that the leaves can be used fresh or dried to banish demons, and so mullein makes it in at number 6.

4 Mandrake Every witches favourite little herb. The original European voodoo doll (poppet) the root of this squat broad leaf plant has been used to represent the human body.

Ok, I admit, its neither easy to grow or obtain mandrake, but I have snook it in partly to see if you are still awake reading this, but mostly because I love it. It is iconic as a magical herb, and one that really captures the imagination. Being

iconic can really add to the power of any herb and just one look at the mandrake root can transport you into believing in its energy.

From Cunningham’s “Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs” (A highly recommended read) “Where there is mandrake, demons cannot reside, and so the root is used in exorcism” The whole root can be used or as a powder.

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3 Lavender Now we are getting to my old favourites! Lavenders smell alone is so distinct that it is hard to mistake this herb for any other.

It is a squat shrub with staves of often purple but sometimes blues, whites, and pinkish tiny flowers.

Lavender has a spectrum of uses, it can be cooked with, bathed in, smoked, burnt, made into teas, tinctures, creams, and

tonic for a wide variety of uses.

In terms of its shielding aspects, it can be hung in sprigs around the home, doing this alongside rosemary increases the positive vibration in the home and wards of evil. It has a long and varied history, and I would encourage further reading on lavender as it could not only conjure up spirits but to also invite the fae into the home.

2 Mugwort Magical master mugwort grows wherever it pleases and grow it does. It seems that one day its not there and the next day, hey presto, it has appeared overnight. Mugwort is a tall leafy plant, and one identifying factor is that the underside of each leaf has a silver tinge. Its mature stalks have a reddish stripe that makes it distinguished.

Easily harvested, even the most heavy-handed forager cannot stop this beast from springing back to life after the hardest prune. It is easily accessible, believe me once

you introduce yourself to this plant, by midsummer you will be seeing it everywhere. It likes to grow in troops of multiple plants and can cover a lot of ground.

In amongst its wide ranging uses it is most notable for psychic development. However, garlands of mugwort can be placed around the house to confuse and rid it of evil spirits. It protects against the “evil eye” so a great herb when going out spook hunting and a small amount in your pocket it powerful.

The list for proactive herbs is vast and its worth mentioning others such as hazel nuts, rowan berries, pine needles, oak, ash, birch, acorns, parsley, bergamot, cinnamon, St. john’s wort, rose, onions, chilli peppers, holly, and thistle.

1 Salt Not a herb, I know, but as a protective ingredient, the ease of identification and accessibility there is nothing that beats this mineral. It for me can and does replace white sage and salo panto as a remedy against dark spirits and that allows it to take the number one spot amongst the herbs.

By adding herbs to salt you can increase its effects. You can sit garlic in a jar of salt to really pack a punch and use this around the home.

It is traditionally used sprinkled over doorways and windowsills, or even circles around a bed to create and energic barrier to stop foul spirits in their track.

I understand I have been biased in my opinions of these herbs, and unashamedly so! I have a passion for the power of these giving plants and as such I do have favourites that probably would not have made it so far up a top 20 list if it had been written by anyone else.

(If you pardon the pun) take these recommendations with a pinch of salt and have some fun immersing yourselves in the wonderful world of herbs and their magical properties. It is well worth looking into this world, whether you believe in the power of herbs or not, it does no harm to have some to hand if you work in the other realms.

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Kate Ray x 25

IS THIS THE GOLDEN AGE OF PARANORMAL DRAMA? As his play 2:22 – A Ghost Story hits London’s West End, Danny Robins asks if we are living through a new golden age for paranormal drama.

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started writing 2:22 – A Ghost Story several years ago, but now, as it hits the West End stage in 2021, it feels part of a new wave of ghost-themed horror that is captivating audiences across TV, film, and audio.

A brief scan of Netflix will show you the resurgent popularity of the genre – shows like The Haunting of Hill House and its sequel, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the recent trilogy of Fear Street films. In late July, there was the news that Hollywood producers Blumhouse had agreed an eyewatering $400 million deal with Universal for a new series of films based on The Exorcist. Blumhouse are also the people who bought the TV rights for my BBC Radio 4/BBC Sounds docu-drama podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, which has been one of a new crop of audio series both in Britain and the US that have embraced horror. Other notable examples are writer Julian Simpson’s thrilling The Lovecraft Investigations, based on the stories of HP Lovecraft, also on BBC Sounds; Storyglass’s The Harrowing; and Archive 81, which is being turned into a Netflix series, starring Julia Chan, one of our 2:22 cast.

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It feels like an exciting time to be writing within this genre. There’s a definite appetite from programme commissioners and audiences, and it seems our ghostly fascination spreads into real-life too – apparently there’s a boom in exorcisms in both the Christian and Islamic communities.

Clearly, a belief in, and perhaps fear of, the paranormal is on the rise too. Those new Exorcist movies are going to feel especially timely…

What’s driving this buoyant demand for spooks and scares? Well, looking back through history, it seems artists and audiences turn to horror and the paranormal for inspiration at times of upheaval, uncertainty, and conflict. One of the bloodiest, most ghost-filled eras of theatre was Jacobean times, when, after the relative calm of the Elizabethan age, King James I’s reign began with The Gunpowder Plot, witch trials, plague, and an intensified religious persecution, giving rise to dramas like The Duchess of Malfi, The Revenger’s Tragedy and, of course, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with one of the most memorable theatrical ghosts. These were the horror movies of their day.

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oth World War I and World War II understandably sparked huge booms in supernatural belief as people tried to process the chaos and mass death, and writers and directors reacted to this.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Caligari, described by film critic Roger Ebert as arguably “the first true horror film”, was released in 1920, two years after the end of the first world war, written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, two German pacifists scarred by their experiences of the war. The 1920s was also the era of horror great Lon Chaney, known as “the man with a thousand faces” for his range of scary portrayals in silent horror movies that made audiences scream. The 1930s, and the continued global uncertainty and threat of another world war, proved equally fertile ground for horror. That decade saw the rise of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, two titans of black and white horror.

More recently, the 1960s and early 70s also sparked a boom of interest in the paranormal, particularly in the occult. It became cool to dabble with black magic as The Rolling Stones recorded Sympathy for the Devil and Anton La Vey set up his Church of Satan that attracted trendy Californians and celebrities to worship the devil with an emphasis on free love.

The films of the period reflect this fascination with the demonic – 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, 1973s The Exorcist and 1976’s The Omen.

This was also the era of Hammer Horror films, with Christopher Lee and Vincent Price taking up the mantle of Lugosi and Karloff.

It’s worth noting that not only was the 1960s a time of great turmoil and unrest as the accepted repressive social order was challenged through civil rights marches and student protests, but it was also a time of armed conflict again as Americans faced the lengthy Vietnam War and the seemingly pointless loss of life. It was also an age where the concept of the serial killer was first acknowledged, with the most high-profile example being the notorious Son of Sam killings in New York, the subject of the new Netflix series Sons of Sam. The horror of life and art intertwined horribly, as Rosemary’s Baby director Roman Polanski’s wife, actress Sharon Tate was murdered by the notorious Manson Family cult, just a year after the film’s release.

“The “The conflict conflict in in society, society, played played out out on on TV TV news news and and the the battleground battleground of of social social media, media, finds finds its its scarier, scarier, spookier spookier reflection reflection in in the the horror horror that that is is being being produced produced for for TV, TV, film, film, and and audio. audio.

In In short, short, in in troubled troubled times, times, we we reach reach for ghosts.” for ghosts.”

Whilst the 60s and 70s felt full of contemporary real-life horror to inspire artists, it’s also probably relevant that many of the filmmakers and writers would have witnessed, either first-hand or through their parents, the trauma of the Second World War. It certainly wasn’t too far a leap to find stories of ghosts or evil forces.

But what about our current times?

Thankfully, we aren’t living through a world war, but it’s easy to see parallels between now and the periods I’ve mentioned. For the last few years, the whole world has been swept by political upheaval, an increasing polarisation between Right and Left, the rise of dictators, the ticking timebomb of climate change and, most recently, the new challenge of the pandemic, which suddenly makes us have to confront mortality in a way we hadn’t expected. I think a lot more people are searching for existential answers in a way they weren’t in more comfortable, settled times. The conflict in society, played out on TV news and the battleground of social media, finds its scarier, spookier reflection in the horror that is being produced for TV, film, and audio. In short, in troubled times, we reach for ghosts. Perhaps that’s because, for all the fear factor of horror, the paranormal also gives us some degree of security – the idea that there could be life beyond death; that this random, chaotic universe might actually be capable of delivering us answers to the greatest mysteries of existence.

Oddly, despite the recent scary renaissance on screen and in audio, there hasn’t been that much horror on stage. Ok, there hasn’t actually been anything on stage for the best part of two years, but even before then, paranormal stories were few and far between. You could argue they were actively avoided, being seen as risky or even cheesy, not ‘proper drama’. The Woman in Black, based on Susan Hill’s novel, has been a reliable West End stalwart since 1989, one of the longest running shows in London, and it returns to the stage later this year. In the late 90s, there was Conor McPherson’s excellently creepy, award-winning play The Weir, set over one night in a rural pub in Ireland – well worth reading if you didn’t get to see it. Ghost Stories

by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman proved a big hit, but that is over ten years ago now, though it’s returned for subsequent revivals and tours and, of course a film adaptation. Recently, Adam Z Robinson has been doing good work touring his collection of theatrical ghost stories, The Book of Darkness and Light, but that’s still less than a handful of great ghost plays over the last thirty years. Why is this? Is it because it feels harder to ‘lose ourselves’ at the theatre, we are more aware of our surroundings and our fellow audience members? It’s harder for us to suspend our disbelief and be truly scared? Maybe... but, there’s no doubt that theatre at its best can be truly magical and immersive. Anyone who’s sat through The Woman in Black will know there’s a special thrill to jumping out of your seat.

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ith all that in mind, it feels perhaps both brave and timely to be staging 2:22 right now. It’s undoubtedly the product of my own obsession with the horror genre and ghost stories over many years since childhood.

Lots of the films, plays and series I have mentioned above have fed in as both conscious and unconscious inspirations. I really hope that people will feel the play is a fitting addition to the genre and, if you can get to London to watch it, I hope it will leave you suitable spooked!!!

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“When a place is said to be haunted, the wise researcher pays careful attention to its history.

In the case of the Beattie Mansion, the jewel in the haunted crown of St. Joseph, Missouri, that history clearly shows why spirits might still walk its abandoned halls and rooms.”

THE STEP BY ESTEP GUIDE TO THE PARANORMAL

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rmstrong Beattie was one of St. Joseph’s most prominent and successful citizens, not to mention serving as its mayor on no less than five occasions. He made his money in the banking profession and used some of the fortune he accrued to build a grand home for himself and his wife, Eliza, in 1854, at 1120 Main Street. Mr. Beattie would die some 24 years later, in 1878, leaving the mansion to her, but Eliza joined him in death in 1880. (At least one contemporary newspaper account described Armstrong’s ghost being seen walking the streets of the city, and some believed this was due to the poor state in which his grave was maintained).

The Beatties had died childless, and so their former home passed to a succession of private owners over the following decades. It

WRITTEN BY RICHARD ESTEP was a homeless shelter at one point, and also a home for unwed mothers and their children. As time went on, the sprawling mansion would become a rehabilitation facility for those suffering drug and alcohol addiction; a home for the mentally disadvantaged; and a retirement facility for the aged.

Both happy and sad energies would have been created within its walls, and if some accounts are to be believed, echoes of those days gone by manifest today in the form of ghostly activity.

“The mansion’s owner kindly invited me to stay there for several nights, along with two fellow investigators, in order to carry out some research.

I had heard some interesting stories about the alleged haunting, but I have to admit that my expectations weren’t all that high (they usually aren’t). Fortunately, they were exceeded and then some.”

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The so-called “House on the Hill” certainly deserves its nickname. It sits at the top of a tall hill, with the front yard sloping at a steep angle toward the street below. Beyond the fringes of the neighborhood is the Missouri River. Beattie Mansion occupies a commanding view of the area, which was almost certainly the intent when it was first built, reflecting the high social standing of Mr. Beattie.

Walking the halls with my colleagues, Rob, and Sarah, it was easy to picture the grandeur and opulence of a bygone age. The bones of it are still there, evident in the tall double doors which open onto some of the rooms, and the elegance of the decor. Yet this is also a house that has plainly seen better days, although it has been kept clean and as well-maintained as the owner can manage.

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“When it comes to working with psychic mediums, I’ve always held the view that their ability to pick up on things varies.”

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Recently I’ve taken to working with MJ Dickson. Perhaps best known for her work in front of and behind the TV camera, MJ is also a talented medium, as she has proven to great effect on several of my investigations.

Still, I’m always concerned about whether any information presented is genuinely paranormal in origin, or could have been gleaned by other, more mundane means. That’s why I made a point of not posting my location on social media, or letting MJ know where I was going to be that week. If she was working on pure guesswork, then statistically, I could have been *anywhere* in the United States on the day she Skyped in via my iPad from her home in the United Kingdom. As things stood, she was completely in the dark as to my whereabouts — and that’s exactly the way we both wanted it. This was going to be a valid test of her remote mediumship capabilities, and I was intrigued to see how it would turn out.

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s we go from room to room, evidence of the former occupants can be found everywhere — photographs of family members, shoes that haven’t been worn in years, and closets full of clothing whose owners are long since gone.

Some rooms look as if the residents have simply popped out for a while. After dark, the place begins to seem a little more like Disney’s Haunted Mansion.

When it comes to working with psychic mediums, I’ve always held the view that their ability to pick up on things varies.

Many deliver only vague impressions, sometimes through no fault of their own (it’s not as if the ability can be switched on and off at will) and sometimes because they’re well-meaning but not as gifted as they like to think they are.

Some, however, manage to pick up on things that simply make the jaw drop.

Our standard operating procedure when working together like this is for me to keep the camera switched off and the microphone live, so that MJ can hear me talking but has no visual cues that might clue her in to the identity of the location. I walked from room to room with Rob and Sarah in tow, noting down and recording her impressions. She picked up on a woman who was grieving the death of a child, which fit with the mansion’s history as an orphanage and home for unwed mothers and said that one female spirit was desperate to talk with us. We were to try and make contact later that evening. There was also, she said, “something that looks like a little girl, but really isn’t,” and a “tall, Abraham Lincoln-like man, who’s taking a lot of interest in what you’re doing.” Perhaps this could have been Mr. Beattie?

So far, so good, but nothing specific enough to really impress us. There’s a male spirit down in the basement that

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likes to make his presence known by tapping people on the shoulder, MJ went on, and most precise of all, she was picking up on the image of a red ball sitting on a hardwood floor. *That* made my eyes widen. We ended our walkthrough where we had begun, in the front parlor, which was home to a piano, a very comfortable sofa which would end up being my bed…and a red ball, sitting right there on the hardwood floor.

“I tried my best to FIgure out how she could have known this. The nature of the object, the color, and the wooden FLoor were all very speciFIc hits. The likelihood of her simply having guessed all three things correctly seemed astronomical to me, and when I enabled the camera and pointed it at the ball, MJ was just as shocked as I was. This was a direct hit, and after I thanked her for her time and signed off, I was still turning it over and over in my mind, trying to figure out a non-paranormal explanation.”

Settling in for an overnight investigation, things were hindered by the fact that several of our brand-new batteries turned out to be dead. As every paranormal enthusiast knows, this is usually a reliable sign that strange things are afoot. More equipment failures happened that night than on any other investigation I can remember. This included a cellular uplink transmitter, three (count them, three!) Tascam microphones, and even Rob’s camera drone. All of them flatly refused to work.

We set up a Rem-Pod in the doorway to the dining area, and as darkness fell, it began to go berserk, squealing and flashing. Devices such as portable radios can trigger Rem-Pods, and we made sure that nothing of ours was transmitting.

There’s also no wi-fi network to set it off.

Every time the three of us walked away from the Rem-Pod, heading toward a different part of the mansion to explore it, the device went off.

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I know that this statement is biased, but it really did seem as if an invisible somebody didn’t want us to go, and was trying to attract our attention, wanting to keep us in that part of the building.

It seemed like a good idea to run an Estes Method spirit box session in that same doorway, to see if any voices would communicate with us. The voices came through thick and fast, including that of what sounded like a young girl (thanks for the warning, MJ!) and several adult males who seemed determined to intimidate, using words such as devil, death, dying, die, dead, and various other permutations. There seemed to be little that was warm and friendly coming through.

chance to step back and record everything that was going on, of which there was plenty. Late the following morning, I ran a Zoom hangout for my Patreon supporters, giving them a guided tour of the mansion, ably assisted by Rob and Sarah. One of them reported seeing a tall, skinny man standing just behind Rob. Yet again, my jaw dropped. Home run number three for MJ, who had described just such an Abraham Lincoln-esque male following us around the mansion the night before.

Afterward, we made our way down to the basement, in order to set up some camera equipment. Rob was given quite the start when an unseen hand suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

Sarah pointed out MJ’s comment about a male entity down here who liked to get people’s attention by doing exactly that — tapping them on the shoulder. Score another very specific hit for our remote medium from across the pond!

Our investigation was eventful and fascinating by equal measure. Rob, Sarah, and I plan to return and continue our research. Missouri has more than its fair share of haunted locations, and I have no hesitation in recommending the Beattie Mansion as being well worth a visit to experience it for yourself. So many questions remain to be answered that I cannot wait to go back. Perhaps I’ll see you there…

It had been a long day and we decided to call it a night before sunrise. Rob was rudely awakened by an invisible something sitting down on the bed next to him. He was getting all the attention, it seemed, which suited me just fine. It gave me the

Richard

Check out Richard’s Patreon page here

Warship s, they have been around for centurie s, crossing oceans all over the world, causing destruct ion and mayhem to other vessels, other machine s and people, the clue really is in the name, (WAR), often resulting in horrible situation s, often resulting in violent deaths for the crew.

There’s rumour of an ancient story of a schooner, the privateer Dash, which was lost in a gale in 1815 off the coast of Maine. Since her disappearance, she has been sighted multiple times — plain as day with her name visible on the hull. A 17-crew fishing vessel reported seeing her and the most recent sighting was during World War II. We all know that ghosts aren’t on the “clock” restricted to haunting the midnight shift, ghost warships are the same, sailing freely in death as in life, with all those aboard still part of her.

Dash, a topsail schooner built in Freeport by the Porter family.

The Dash was one of the most successful privateers that operated out of Casco Bay during the War of 1812, capturing 15 British vessels and their cargoes while prowling the Atlantic.

Ghost stories of the Dash started with the captain’s (John Porter) own wife, Lois, they were newlyweds, married only for a few months when he embarked on Dash in January of 1815. On the night of the gale after Porter embarked Lois heard a crashing sound from the parlour. A porcelain mantelpiece tile, decorated with scripture, had somehow fell and shattered on the floor. Lois, seeing the broken pieces, exclaimed “The Dash is gone”.

The first sighting of a ghost ship believed to be the Dash occurred several months after its disappearance in 1815. Simon Bibber was fishing off Pumpkin Knob when he saw a sailed ship approach, despite windless conditions. It came within 30ft, and he was able to read the ship’s nameplate: “Dash—Freeport”. He hurried to Freeport, but she was not there when he arrived. Another chap, Roscoe Moulton said he saw the same thing off Crab Island, again the ship coming close enough for the nameplate could be read. The ship continued to be sighted throughout Casco Bay. It was sighted by the crew of seventeen aboard the schooner Betty Macomber and again in the 1880s by a guest at the Harpswell Inn. It was seen again at the end of August 1915 by Miriam Fenney Fox, her brother Dudley, and their friends.

Over the years, seeing the Dash became associated with impending death as sightings occurred just before the witness received news of the passing of a loved one. Captain John Toothaker’s wife Polly saw the ship before her husband’s death; it is also said that Easter Toothaker saw the ghost ship before he jumped overboard to his death.

In August 1942, a craft appeared on Navy radar. Two ships were sent into the fog to investigate what they thought could be a German U-boat. Other witnesses on Pumpkin Knob saw the Navy ships pass, pursuing a wooden schooner whose nameplate read DASH and it was seen again one August morning in the early 1970s by a woman on Bailey Island, but disappeared in the short time it took the woman to call for her husband to come see.

A recurring element in stories of the Dash is that she is never able to complete her journey, always disappearing or even sailing back out to sea before she can reach Freeport. She usually seems to be spotted on foggy summer days, usually in August.

The Dash is just one of many famous ghost ships and spooky stories and I would like to mention one that my father, Dr. Hans Holzer, investigated long before the paranormal investigators of today, The Queen Mary.

Mysterious files, documents, and reports of all things spooky, alien, and supernatural, from the daughter of the renowned Hans Holzer

SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT, THE LIGHT & THE FRIGHT…

He said that there were “psychic imprints from the past,” which were not personalities but had unfinished business on their ‘minds.’ Two cases of authentic ghosts have never been laid to rest. In 1966, a young crewman named, John Pedder, was accidentally crushed to death in doorway #13 during a routine watertight door drill. His ghost has frequently been observed and described in detail by security guards and visitors.

The sightings of the late Mr. Pedder are consistent with one another; appearances are usually preceded by a loud sound, described by one night watchman as “metal rolling quickly toward me.”

Another ghost appears in blue-grey overalls in Shaft Alley, the hallway leading to the propeller shafts of the great ship. He has been sighted many times; always in overalls and sporting a long black beard.

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The swimming pool has also been the subject of mysterious accounts where many believe it is the ship’s most haunted area.

The sound of swimmers playing and splashing around has been heard on many occasions when the pool was empty. Sometimes wet footprints appear on the deck, where no-one has walked. The most interesting phenomenon is in the dressing “boxes” adjacent to the pool. One dressing room has been identified as a portal for psychic phenomena.

Today, many investigators for the Paranormal hear many disembodied voices in the pool, one of a little girl reminding us how precious life is. Helm your ship and hope to have smooth sailing into the afterlife.

So, remember, if you are ever on board a ship, or investigating a ship or even watching a ship sail by – there’s more to them than meets the eye, that’s for sure.

SHAG HARBOUR: CANADA’S ROSWELL? “To this day, I do not know what we saw, but it is clear that it was under intelligent control and coincided, as to time and place, with what was seen by 70 people on the ground, and neither of us knew that the other had seen this stuff for 50 odd years” says retired Pan American World Airways Pilot, Captain Ralph Loewinger. were on deck watching what became known as and referred to as ‘The Lights’. Both pilots went onto the control yokes to avoid collision. The lights hung at a 45-degree angle downslope left to right.

The pilots did not file a UFO report when asked if they had wanted to when talking with the Boston air traffic control centre. Even-though it was confirmed by the control centre that there was no traffic near the plane — the pilots decided to let this go to avoid filling out paperwork.

I interviewed Ralph a few years back and when I asked him if he believed in different levels and forms of the paranormal and the unknown he responded, “I am not sure at this point in my life. I will NOT discount it however.” On October 3rd, 1967, Ralph was the co-pilot of PAA Flight 160, a Boeing 707 cargo ship out of New York headed to London.

This is a first-hand, eyewitness account from the pilot himself who today feels that “no other pilots care, many strange things have been reported across the bar”.

They were approaching Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at approximately 33,000 feet when the strange occurrence had hit. The night was described by Ralph as “clear, moonless and the lights of the south coast were plainly in view.” He was the first to observe a formation of lights that sat at the eleven o’clock position and a bit high.

“It appeared to be another large transport, showing all lights, heading straight for us in a left bank which would take it across our bow. I announced to Captain Curt Olsen and flight engineer Mike Littlepage to ‘watch this guy!’”. All eyes

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Ralph says that they should have “been closing in on this strange target if it was standing still, and Mike remembers the lights getting closer.” He also recalls bringing the Navigator and Third Pilot up from the gallery to point this out. Over the past forty plus years, details become grained and blurred but one thing remains a constant which is that night over Nova Scotia, many people in flight and on ground witnessed ‘The Lights.’

Days later upon returning from his flight, Ralph was listening to a Canadian radio station while driving and the news announcer stated that “the RCMP had discontinued search operations for ‘strange light formations reported falling into the sea near Yarmouth”. What was certain was that this crew saw the light formation similarly reported at the same time on the ground at Shag Harbour.

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I asked Ralph what he was doing these days and he told me, “I am retired living in the world’s largest fly-in community near Daytona. I have a small airplane and ponder the heavens often — and yes, I still wonder about what I saw”.

the Shag Harbour UFO Site, was revealed.

This leaves us with somewhat of our own ‘impressions’ that either we can believe, sit on that fence, or completely disbelieve.

Incidentally, the History Channel did a one hour show on this back in 2006, it might be available somewhere in the deep bowels of the internet, it was called Deep Sea UFOs’ & it aired on January 23rd.

One thing, born from the incident was the creation of The Shag Harbour Museum or to give it its full title ‘Shag Harbour Incident Society UFO Interpretative Centre’.

It is a proudly independent organization embodied of individuals who believe that the local history, chiefly the 1967 UFO sighting, should be cherished and made available to the general public. It is supported by a group of dedicated volunteer workers and besides promoting the Shag Harbour Incident, the Society aims to increase tourism in the area to help ally the problems with a declining fishery.

Did ‘The Lights’ aka the UFO dive into the Harbour disappearing on that cold, confusing night back in October of 1967? Dives also have occurred to check the ocean floor bedding to see if anything was out of sorts. Unusual ‘Depressions on the Seabed, as if someone came in and swept up the floor neatly and smoothly at

You can check out the museum & more about the ‘incident’ at https://shagharbourincident.wordpress.com/museum/ So, remember, if you are ever on board an aeroplane, even piloting one, or witness strange lights in the sky before they drop into the sea – there’s more to them than meets the eye, that’s for sure.

Alexandra XX

The Tale of Jane & Beatrix

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Jane Rowley “potters” around a house, with a story or two (or 23)

n early April, whilst out walking with my 4-year Grandson, we saw a squirrel on a tree and that started a huge conversation all about grey squirrels and red squirrels, their history, their habits and what they do. Following his new love for this little creature he had just been introduced to, his fascination was inspiring and he talked about nothing but squirrels the entire duration of his visit. After he had gone home, I remembered the story book I used to have as a child called Squirrel Nutkin, written by Beatrix Potter. I took to the internet to see if I could find it and maybe purchase a copy of it for him, ready for his next visit. I was in luck!! I

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managed to find a set of 4 second hand books for £5 one of which was Squirrel Nutkin!

On his next visit, he was so excited about the book and we read it, over and over again and it has become his firm favourite. My other Grandson (aged 6) took a shine to the Tale of Peter Rabbit, and along with the 2 other stories (The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse and the Tale of Miss Moppet), they have become very attached to the little books. How was I to know this was going to be the start of a very special spiritual experience for myself……

After a long period of isolation and lockdown I was very excited when my daughter and her partner, Sara invited me on a break to the Lake District. It was going to be a ‘Birthday Get-a-way’ and as it was my daughters 30th she wanted to do something different. My daughter’s birthday the is the day after mine. When going into labour 30 years ago, I really thought that she would be sharing my birthday with me, but I think she had other ideas and wanting a day she could call her own, so she decided to arrive a day later!

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n May 17th (2021) we set of to the Lake District for a very much anticipated 5-day break. She had booked us a lodge on the edge of a small lake and the scenery was amazing. She had insisted on doing all the planning and arrangements and it was great to just be surprised everyday with the places and events she had planned. The first couple of days, the sun was shining and being out on these adventures after such a long time in isolation truly lifted the spirits.

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n the Thursday I was very excited to learn that our trip out was to visit Hill Top Farm, which was where Beatrix Potter wrote many of her famous children’s stories. As a child, I loved the Beatrix Potter books, collecting quite a few and reading them over and over again. Having younger siblings, the books became damaged and lost over the years but the stories still remain part of my childhood.

The weather was not kind to us on this last full day of our break. It was driving rain and we checked we had everything we needed for the day – pack-up, waterproofs and bottles of water etc, but these seemed trivial things to me as I was running on excitement and enthusiasm and was keen to get to the destination.

We arrived at the designated Car Park and went and purchased our tickets.

From the Ticket Office it was a short walk up the road to the gate of the house and we were already quite wet.

It wasn’t cold, but the torrential rain made it more difficult than it would normally be. Walking up the path towards the house I could see people standing outside waiting to go it. Due to the covid restrictions there were only allowed so many people in and of course, masks had to be worn. We had to wait several minutes to get to the door, then had to go through he covid related processes before being let in. By this time, we were extremely wet but none of that mattered as I walked in the door……

As a Medium, I had ensured I was fully switched on and ready to work. As soon as I walked in through the front door, I felt HAUNTED MAGAZINE

her energy. Warm and welcoming.

There were two National Trust Guides in that room and several other people walking about. I stood in the middle of the room and just closed my eyes, stopped all thoughts coming in and out and just breathed it all in. I turned round and I could see Beatrix sitting in one of the chairs. I said nothing at this point but started to look around the house taking photos. I was totally amazed by the environment I was in.

Nothing had been changed since the time she had lived there. I walked up the staircase to the upper floor.

Walking around upstairs, I went in all the rooms and sat in her writing room in the window looking out. I spoke out gently, “Will spirit talk to me and show me some things about this house?” After a little while, Spirit responded. I was walking back out of the writing room and back along the corridor to the landing when Spirit began to talk. “There is a little girl on the back stairs” I answered back “On the back stairs?” (I am then talking to myself…) Where are the back stairs??

Being on the landing I can only see the main stairs I came up. I cannot see any other stairs going down. This was very curious, and I did another round of visiting every bedroom to see if I had missed something, but I could not see another set of stairs.

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I

went back down the main stairs and stood looking in the main kitchen area again. I looked over to the window seat which was vacant. Perfect. I went and sat in the window seat and again closed my eyes. At this point I was totally oblivious to everyone around me and was not even sure about how long I had been in there, but it didn’t matter, back to work…... I needed to find some answers!

I felt the connection and opened my eyes and could clearly see Beatrix again sitting in the wooden rocking chair in front of me.I smiled at her and said ‘Hello’. She looked at me and smiled. She said “You can see me, can’t you?” I smiled and nodded. I said “Can I talk to you?” She looked at me for a few moments. I felt she was scanning me to see if my intentions were good and if I deserved the interaction.

She then replied” Of course dear” I said “You look very comfortable in that chair; do you stay here most of the time?” She replied “I adore this chair and I like to watch the people as they come into the house” I broke off from our conversation and got up and approached the National Trust Guide. I had to ask about her chair. I asked the guide, “Is this rocking chair original to the house? Has it always been here?”

The Guide replied “Yes, it was her favourite chair. It was a present from America and she very much cherished it” “Oh thank you” I replied. I went and sat back down in the window seat to continue my conversation. I said to Beatrix “My two little Grandsons have just started reading your books. They love them. Your books have made so many children happy over the years, including myself” She replied with a warm, contented smile and said, “I am so pleased”. I then said to her, “When I was upstairs, a voice told me there was a little girl on the

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back stairs. Do you know the little girl?” She replied “The little girl has been here a long time; she was here before me. I found it difficult to sleep here as she makes noises on the stairs” “Ah, ok”, I replied.

Again, I had to ask the Guide about the back stairs. “Excuse me” I said, “Are there a second set of stairs in the cottage? Some back stairs?”

She said “Yes, there is, but you cannot see them. They are in this cupboard. They are the old original wooden, narrow spiral stairs that were original to the cottage in the 16th Century. When the cottage was renovated in the 17th Century, they put the main stair case in that you see now. She opened the far cupboard door and I could see the underneath of the wooden stairs.

“Oh Wow” I said. A man who was observing this then asked me how I knew the stairs were there? I said I didn’t! He looked a me rather strangely but I didn’t want to start open conversation with him and I was in the middle of something…

I returned to the window seat and as I sat down, I looked out of the window and could see Rosie and Sara waiting for me outside in the pouring rain. I looked at Beatrix and smiled. I thanked her very much for talking with me and shared the HAUNTED MAGAZINE

gratitude in my energy. I got up and went outside. I met up with the girls and we walked down the grass to a tent serving refreshments. We all had a big hot chocolate with marsh mallows to warm up. I was truly blown away by what just happened and I spent the next couple of days just trying to process my experience.

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n my return home I bought the full collection of Beatrix Potter Books including the Fairy Caravan which now have pride of place in my book shelf. They have such a sentimental value which not only comes from my experience at Hill Top but from the lovely memories made when reading them to my Grandsons.

Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top farm in 1905 with royalties from her first children’s book – The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was written at her parent’s home in London and inspired by her visits to the Lake District. Her books are illustrated with pictures based on the stone cottage and garden. When she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter left her property to the National Trust. This included over four thousand acres of land, cottages, and fifteen farms.

Jane x

The Secret Diary of Danny Robins, Aged 44 and 3/4

2:22 - A Ghost Story Production Diary by the play’s writer Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist (and yes of course these were written at 2:22am or 2:22pm (or maybe somewhere in-between))

THURSDAY 1ST APRIL 2021 It’s before noon on April Fool’s Day and I’m being shown around a West End theatre that my play is going to be staged at. Perhaps understandably, I’m wondering if this is all a big practical joke… It certainly feels pretty surreal. For the last year, as the Covid-19 pandemic has raged, theatre has felt like a memory – an old-fashioned pursuit like hugging or seeing the lower half of people’s faces… and I’ve been keeping busy making my BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, most of which has been recorded in the shed at the bottom of my garden in Walthamstow, on the outskirts of London, a world away from the bright lights of the West End. Yet here I am at the Noel Coward Theatre, an exquisitely beautiful Victorian auditorium in the heart of Theatreland, talking about putting on MY PLAY… and, here’s where it gets interesting for you, Haunted readers, it’s a play about GHOSTS. Yes, you heard it right, London’s theatre district is going PARANORMAL!!! If you’re reading this and you’ve heard The Battersea Poltergeist or my other podcast series Haunted (no relation to this magazine!), you’re probably imagining I was inspired to write a play about ghosts as a result of making those, but actually it’s the other way round... 2:22 inspired them! One day, a few years ago, a close friend of mine told me she’d seen a ghost… Her story was compelling, credible and sent a shiver down my spine, but the rational part of my brain also told me it was seemingly impossible. I was intrigued by the possibilities that her story opened up, but I also knew that there’d be people in our social circle who wouldn’t be as sympathetic – sceptics who’d be angered by the very idea ghosts existed, or who’d laugh at her or even tell her she was attention-seeking or deluded. I imagined what it would be like if you had that situation within a couple – if one person believed they had seen a ghost and the person they loved did not believe them – what effect would that have on their relationship? The idea for the play was born…

FEBRUARY 2017 To help with my research for the play, I start to ask on social media if anybody I know has seen a ghost. I’m not sure if I’ll get any responses, but the stories soon start to come in and, as word spreads in the way it does on Twitter and Facebook, accounts of hauntings come not just from friends, but friends of friends and then, random strangers… I find myself collecting an amazing dossier of real-life ghost stories, many of them from people who’ve never told them before, because, like the character in my play, they’re worried about how they will be judged… I soon realise that whilst the stories are useful for my research, they’re also too good to be confined to the hard drive of my computer, so, I have the idea of making a podcast, interviewing some of the people who’ve sent me their stories, and that’s how Haunted comes about!

You can hear Haunted here: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/haunted

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Janua ry 2021 Haunted indirectly leads to The Battersea Poltergeist, as one of the experts I’d met, veteran ghost expert and leading SPR member Alan Murdie, tells me about a case he knows of that took place in Battersea in 1956, featuring a woman named Shirley Hitchings and the rest, as they say, is history!!

You can hear The Battersea Poltergeist here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0940193 As I unleash The Battersea Poltergeist on the world, I have no idea just what a global phenomenon it’s going to become. It blows me away when millions of people get obsessed with the case and become armchair supernatural sleuths, but it also occurs to me that I actually have 2:22 to thank for all this. I’ve been continuing to work on the play script over the last few years alongside my podcasts, and now it’s at a stage where I feel ready to share it with the world. Somebody once told me it takes on average three years from having an idea for a play to seeing it on stage. Add in a global pandemic and it takes even longer, so it’s more than five years from that first inspiration of my friend’s ghost story to standing in the theatre with the producers Runaway Entertainment, director Matthew Dunster and set designer Anna Fleischle, and deciding, yep, we are going to make this happen!!

Monday 28th June 2021

Friday 14th May 2021

We’re in a trendy studio in Hoxton, East London, surrounded by expensive hair salons and coffee shops that offer 15 different types of milk. It’s our first day of rehearsals and the first time we have our whole cast together in one place. There’s a lovely group photo of them adorning all the publicity materials for the show, but it was actually taken with them in three different countries and then photoshopped together.

The producers are taking a major risk leading the charge back into theatres – no one quite knows what the post-Covid West End will be like, so I’m hugely grateful to them for believing in the play! One thing is sure though, you can’t mount a West End production without a star, so casting is all important, and around the start of May, I get a very exciting phone call from producer Isobel David. Lily Allen has read the script and loves it and is interested in playing the character of Jenny, the woman who believes she has seen a ghost.

My instincts are simultaneously, “wow, that’s exciting, I think Lily Allen’s great” and “hold on, she’s a pop star” but over the next two weeks there are a lot of conversations and we learn Lily is really keen to open up a new aspect of her career and make her stage debut and she wants my play to be the one. It’s thrilling and, having chatted with her, I’m convinced she can be great. Not only is she a natural performer, but the role of Jenny suits Lily perfectly – she’s defiant, no pushover, someone who will fight for what they believe in and tell the truth even if it makes others uncomfortable. When Jenny’s husband refuses to believe she is being haunted, audiences will be rooting for her all the way! Now, finally, today, we have signed the contract, Lily is on board, Thunderbirds are go!

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Lily Allen looking pensive during rehearsals Photo credit: Helen Murray

Playing Lily’s character Jenny’s husband Sam –, a scientist and arch-sceptic – we have Hadley Fraser, one of the big stars of West End musicals, but also a damn fine dramatic actor who starred opposite Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus. Playing their friend Lauren – a psychotherapist and sceptic who nevertheless has her own ghostly secrets – we have the brilliant Julia Chan who has flown in from New York, hot off the heels of filming Archive 81, a new series for Netflix based on a popular horror podcast (sound familiar at all?). Playing Lauren’s boyfriend Ben, a builder who’s a definite paranormal believer with a ghost-hunting past, we have Jake Wood, a legend in his own right after 15 years of playing bad boy Max Branning on BBC TV soap opera EastEnders and competing in Strictly Come Dancing. Not many people know that Jake was also a very accomplished stage actor before that!

And, of course, we have Lily, who has also flown over from New York, something that’s required no little upheaval to her life. I am honoured and flattered to have this talented team on board and it’s time to read the script together for the first time! Eek!!! Will it still seem spooky in this brightly-lit room with its trendy white-washed walls?

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Friday 2nd July

arsing and, The end of our first week rehe is doing Lily ky. spoo feels phew, it still – and ral natu great – as I thought, she’s a me beco r acto each g chin it’s exciting wat ks left wee four e hav We er. ract their cha hankfully, before our first performance…T d director nate omi rd-n Awa we have Olivier of the best one – rge cha in ster Dun thew Mat – and we ness busi the West End directors in him, innd arou team tive crea t have a grea r Ian gne desi d cluding award-winning soun to ial cruc be to g goin is Dickinson. Sound spooky my all to been has it as , this play Battersea work such as Haunted and The all horror of true ’s that k thin Poltergeist. I e scary movurit favo r you of k thin – ly real ic and sound ie and imagine it without mus ar, sound icul part in 2:22 with effects! But stage… on er is almost like another charact ing to life, It’s exciting to see the play com but we all , long so d hea my in it had having Damocles of rd Swo know there’s a major the cast of any if – ds hea our hanging over d shut the coul that id Cov for tive posi test the current whole production down due to e are other ther – ns latio regu ent governm cancelled been e West End shows that hav adhere we so, , that of use or postponed beca tests, flow ral late of me regi us pulo to a scru ing keep and ble bub working and living in a ed in coat vily hea (and sed cros our fingers antibacterial gel!)

Left to Right Director Matthew Dunster, Danny Robins and Hadley Fraser (Sam) Photo credit: Helen Murray

Wednesday 7th July of wild The following week, I’m in the middle of nowhere – the wildest to The sequel the series, countryside – recording for my new BBC podcast news” “Bad me. calls r directo our w Matthe when Battersea Poltergeist, he says, “it’s not going to be able to rain.” not pouring This is bad news? I look up at the sky, I’m kind of glad it’s g on squattin ely effectiv is 2:22 stage. on rain means w down. But Matthe Anna r designe our – the set design for the musical Dear Evan Hansen they aren’t Fleischle is very cleverly building our set on top of theirs, as late Octountil Covid, by d curtaile was which run, their restart due to given been has 2:22 in ber. But now, our plan to have it rain onstage horror Any Boo!!! r. manage stage ’s Hansen Evan the thumbs down by r to set the fan worth their salt will know that a bit of inclement weathe ate fog! investig and take change to spooky scene is a must, so we decide fog… creepy of bit a love You’ve got to

Friday 30th July Fast forward a few weeks and I am back at the Noel Coward Theatre. It’s our first technical rehearsal – that’s the point where you’ve rehearsed all the acting bits and then you chuck lights and sounds and props and costumes at it and doors that actually open and real wine glasses and (in our case) some rather exciting special effects, and you hope for the best – by which I mean some very talented and clever people like Lighting Designer Lucy Carter programme things into computers to make sure everything happens at the right time whilst the actors say the same line again and again until everyone is sure that the fog machine is coming in on cue! (Yes, we sorted the fog, and it is creepy!)

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Tuesday 3rd August This is it… our first preview performance. It’s been an incredible journey. I loved theatre as a kid, spending every spare hour of my teen years at my local amateur theatre group in Newcastle upon Tyne, acting, directing, painting sets, stage managing, you name it… If you’d told me back then I’d have a play by me appearing in the West End, I’m not sure I’d have believed you.

In fact, if you’d told me that just a year ago when we were in the grip of lockdown, I wouldn’t have believed you. So, as I look up at the whopping great glittering sign advertising the show outside the theatre, I feel a little emotional. Now it’s time to throw open the doors and let the first punters in!

After all the hard work that’s been done, this is crunch time. The test of any play is the audience reaction, and when you’ve set out to make a show in the horror genre, you’re even more aware of that, because people have certain expectations. I want this play to make you jump, but I also want it to make you think – it’s a play about the very nature of ghosts, what they might be, why we see them, why we believe in them and whether or not they really exist. It’s therefore about the biggest things imaginable, life and death, and it’s told through the story of a very ordinary couple – people like you and me. I hope that you’ll watch it and be gripped and then after the show you’ll go and have your own debates over a drink or two in a nearby pub… If you do, I’d love to know what you think.

Do you believe?

Email me on danny@dannyrobins.com

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Photo credits: Helen Murray

Tickets for 2:22 – A Ghost Story are available to buy from www.222aghoststory.com. The show runs until October 16th.

The script of 2:22 – A Ghost Story is also available to buy. You can order it online: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/222-a-ghost-story

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THE PARAPOD: A VERY BRITISH

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ith armies of devoted listeners and over 3.5 million downloads, the wildly successful paranormal comedy podcast has taken the leap into the world of feature films. After years in the making, The ParaPod is primed to ride again in the form of a side-splitting, spooky theatrical release, The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt. But what was it like when two comedians, one a sceptic (Ian), the other a believer (Barry), travelled the UK in a souped-up hearse, looking for proof of the paranormal and the great beyond?

What ensues is a laugh-out-loud and genuinely gripping journey of personal discovery and challenging beliefs. Haunted Magazine sat down with stars Ian Boldsworth and Barry Dodds to chat about terrifying visions, ghostly wish-lists, existential dread and… bribing fishermen?

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INTERVIEW

HM: From podcast to full feature film seems like an enormous leap. How did The ParaPod: A Very British Ghost Hunt come about?

BARRY: We’d recorded the third series of the podcast and we were making a speculative pilot at East Drive. We had a small crew, and we were just going to make a half hour pilot and basically do the ParaPod on screen. About halfway through it, Ian said, “this should be a movie” and he was right. If this would be a TV show, you’d have 6 episodes of me finding nothing. I’d hope that would never be the case, but you’d never want to rely on the paranormal.

IAN: Barry initially laughed about making a film, and I said “Why can’t we? People make movies on iPhones and stuff, so why can’t we make our own?” I got kinda pregnant with the idea at that point; I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and I was determined. So, I think we announced it on the podcast the following week. We started immediately, and I didn’t know the journey I’d started on, but I didn’t stop at any point.

HM: Ian, you were one of the UK’s first podcast creators and have had great success with several different audio projects. How was it working so closely on one project for years, instead of the familiar self-contained podcast format?

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IAN: Well, I would have knocked this on the head by now under normal circumstances! (laughs). It’s been okay. It does make me slightly frustrated as my natural M.O. is to move onto the next thing as soon as I feel any sense of not enjoying something. So, it’s not a case of I wasn’t enjoying the ParaPod, but I think I was very ready to go “right, what am I doing next?” And I haven’t been able to do that as I’ve been held hostage by a movie, or the undertaking of it.

The more this has gone on, the more it feels like a completely separate project to the podcast itself. It’s certainly been a long-haul flight and has felt draining from time to time, but I think the conclusion of it all has come into view.

HM: While you approach the ParaPod from different viewpoints, you both know your spooky stuff! Where did this interest in ghosts and the paranormal originate from?

BARRY: When I was young, I used to go and stay at my Nanna’s house in Amble in Northumberland. My cousin Sarah used to tell me ghost stories and they really used to scare the life out of me. There was something about that fear and adrenaline rush that’s quite addictive. That’s why people go on rollercoasters and things like that, and I used to get a rush from these ghost stories. Most people grow out of it…I didn’t.

IAN: I was all in on this as a kid and believed it. But as I got older, and got to an age of cognitive maturity, I started to look at it differently and be open-minded to the idea that things might not be as clearcut as they were being portrayed to me. I’ve not just settled on one belief; I’ve been in both camps at different stages of my life, and my overview of it has been one of rejecting the paranormal as an actual thing,, but the interest has remained. I find it really fascinating when thing you come across someone who didn’t believe in it and then does. If they grab that as an adult, I find it utterly fascinating as to how that comes about. So really, my role in the movie is as much about what’s going on with Barry as it is about what’s going on in the afterlife or spirit world.

IAN: We had full access to East Drive as the producer owns it, so that was ticked off, and that was a big one. The Ancient Ram were exceptionally helpful. Pluckley, we didn’t pay…well, there’s no one to pay. Haunted Happenings were tremendously accommodating. When locations wanted to charge stupid money, there was no haggle there at all, it was just “ok fine, bye.” I think they expected a counteroffer, and I wasn’t having that. After all, you’re not going to run out of haunted places in the UK, are you?

HM: Paranormal road trip isn’t really an established genre, so what films or media did you look to for inspiration, or did you approach the film with a clean slate?

IAN: Exactly. Trailblazer. (laughs) From a director’s point of view, I just shot and trusted. So, I had a faith in myself that if we just point the camera and just do it, we’ll find a narrative. I knew it was going to be difficult, but we did find a story. There’s at least another 2 movies worth of footage that’s not been used as we just filmed everything.

In terms of inspiration, I got quite involved in making the opening titles like the Hammer films. So, the font is Hammer style with MCMX etc. at the bottom. The film doesn’t bear any resemblance to a Hammer film. So that was put in there because I thought “Ah, I’m making a film…I can do titles like those films I liked in the 70s!”

But I didn’t need to do certain shots or pull focus, it’s a documentary and I needed to put the story on the screen in as clear a way as possible. But there’s things like the Raiders of the Lost Ark-style maps, so when we’re travelling, there’s the map in the background and the dotted line of where we’re going. There’s drone footage too – it breathes. It’s sometimes a very claustrophobic film, so it was important to let the film breathe and open it up before we went back to these caverns, cellars, and houses.

HM: With so many places advertising themselves as haunted, how did you land on your final list for the film?

BARRY: It was mainly left up to me to pick the places. Obviously, there were restrictions, and some places just came back and said “yeah, that’s great, that’ll be £10,000!” (laughs) and we thought “we really can’t afford that.” Other places were really welcoming, very supportive and we’re still in touch, and have formed great relationships through them. So, it was a combination of who would have us, luck, and my wish-list.

“When locations wanted to charge stupid money, there was no haggle there at all, it was just “ok fine, bye.” I think they expected a counteroffer, and I wasn’t having that. After all, you’re not going to run out of haunted places in the UK, are you?”

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HM: Barry mentioned his paranormal wishlist. What would have been a dream location that simply couldn’t make it into the movie?

BARRY: Poveglia island. That’s – without a doubt – my number one place to go and probably Bobby Mackey’s. It would involve flights to Italy and America and also, you’re not allowed on the island, you’ve got to bribe fishermen to get there. I think it’d be too much of a gamble for us to go there and film. I think I’ll go and do it myself.

IAN: I think he’s misunderstood the British bit… My dream location is my bedroom with the front door locked and a sign saying, ‘I’m not in, Barry.’

HM: With so many places to visit, did everything go to plan with your schedule, or were there hiccups?

IAN: I’m reluctant to express anything about feeling, as I don’t want to spoil anything.

But what I can say is that no location disappointed me in how accommodating they were. We were at The Ancient Ram Inn the day that John Humphries (the owner) died; he died that morning. We spoke to his daughter saying, “of course we’re not going to come” and she said “No, you must come. John would want you to have a great night there.” So, by my standards, that night was quite tame as I didn’t feel like I could be running about, being stupid or a loudmouth. As the night went on, I did get more mischievous, but it was difficult that evening. But every last one went out of their way and were super welcoming to us.

I don’t consider these people as enemies!

Talking to Haunted Magazine isn’t me behind enemy lines! I’m a pretty accepting lad really.

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BARRY: The Ancient Ram Inn was the strangest thing; it was the time when the crew were all really scared and me and Ian weren’t; we didn’t get the fear factor at all! It was bizarre thing where the Inn wasn’t underwhelming because it wasn’t haunted, it was just underwhelming as we didn’t feel it like everybody else did, and I think there’s a reason for that, because we were aware of what’d happened that morning.

IAN: He says that, but he was too scared to go the toilet on his own there…

BARRY: Which was right, because he jumped out at me when I came out.

HM: With so many locations and so many stages of production, what aspects of filming did you enjoy the most?

IAN: I liked filming the most when it was truly in freefall. Ditto recording in a podcast. I like it when it goes somewhere you weren’t anticipating and you just keep going and shooting, you don’t shy away from that.

There’s a scene in the church that wasn’t even booked as a location. We got snowed off from another location which we didn’t go to; a pub in Wales. So, I found a church and knocked on the door of the vicarage, saying to the lady there “I’m meant to be filming, and I haven’t got a location. The church is beautiful, would we be able to shoot in there?” She was really accommodating, and the scene turned out brilliantly, which was just a discussion between me and Barry, like on the podcast. We just spoke and had a bit of a row, a bit of backward and forward about the nature of faith and it felt

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great. It was funny, interesting, it was going somewhere different. I gave some guidance to Barry as it was a conversation we’d already been having in real life, and I said “You want to talk to me about faith? Let’s have that discussion on film.” So, it was semi-guided, but the conversation itself just happened.

BARRY: I loved the chance to go into places I’d always wanted to visit. When you go on organised ghost hunts, you’ve always got somebody watching over you. Not having that was brilliant in places such as the Edinburgh vaults. Normally, you only get to go in for an hour or so and you walk around with a tour guide, but this was a case of them giving us the keys and us realising “oh wow, we can actually do what we want”, all without supervision. Not that we were doing anything bad! But to have access to places that I wouldn’t normally have? That was probably the thing I enjoyed the most.

HM: Ian, being on the sceptical side of things, but also a star of the film and the director, how hard was it to maintain that impartiality when filming?

IAN: It wasn’t hard at all. First and foremost, regardless of my personal beliefs, I’m looking to create the right finished product. The right finished product wouldn’t be The Ian Boldsworth Show. It’s the ParaPod, so it has to balance – therefore we brought in people from outside, because if it was just left to Dodds, I’ve got no choice in the matter! (laughs). This is the issue I have with some paranormal tv shows, I know they’re essentially entertainment programmes, and they might allude to scepticism from time to time

but it’s actual M.O. is to present ghosts as real, which is fine, that’s what the programme is. But there’s no actual balance there, not in reality. The producer, to his credit, said that at no point did he want me to fake anything. I had considered that at some point; something unexplained that had just been set up, but he said that he didn’t want me to do that, that everything had to be true. He said, if we get nothing, we get nothing, but we’re presenting this honestly. So, I was appreciative of that.

Considering that this film has been made in such a divisive time, I have such overarching pride. You only have to look at social media and see how people are at each other’s throats for their beliefs. I think this film shows that you can have two people with completely conflicting opinions, who will row about it, sometimes nearly come to blows about it, but ultimately there’s a friendship there and an underlying relationship that shows how you can coexist with people who have opposing views to you – when you’re not being violent with them.

Which neither of us are…yet.

HM: Are there any moments in particular that you were saddened to cut down in the final edit?

IAN: There’s a moment in the movie where Barry addresses a sceptics convention and its obviously chopped down, but one day I’ll release the full 20 minutes that he was on stage. You’ve never heard more garbled, nonsensical idiocy in your entire life. From beginning to end, nothing made sense. The editor once said to me “I don’t know how to edit this as I don’t know what he’s on about!” So, if he ever wants to say that he

can make decent points, I’ll happily counter with that footage! If anything, this film has been edited to make him look smarter, because I don’t think people would believe it!

HM: After finishing the film, did you find yourself with a renewed interest in the paranormal?

IAN: I think my interest will remain, the only thing that might waiver from time to time is my engagement and my engagement within discussions. I do feel slightly ghosted out at the moment. But on a base level, you can’t really alter something that you’ve found intriguing or worthy of scrutiny, either as a believer or a sceptic. But I think it’s important to come with an element of scrutiny. And as I’ve told him many times, that is really missing in Barry. He doesn’t have any interest in scrutinising what he’s told. As a mate, I flag it up to him as he’s got to be careful. He’s so vulnerable. Can you imagine Barry late at night on his computer and someone from ISIS starts talking to him?

He’d be on a plane in the morning (laughs).

HM: After the movie and all those intense experiences, are you still a believer in the paranormal?

BARRY: Certainly, I’m still a believer, but I’m struggling on different levels in terms of faith and I’m aware that a lot of my beliefs contradict themselves now, so I’m having an internal battle with that. I’d like to make peace spiritually, because some things that happened in the film have certainly made my beliefs more complicated.

There was one instance in the film that wasn’t pleasant. At all. I haven’t taken it

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away as being a good experience and it felt like “if you play with fires, you get burned.”

I got burned to the point of thinking “should you even be doing this?” It’s really made me scared and wary. Even when you’re on a ghost hunt, you’re aware of certain things that make you scared, like the dark, the location, the history and all the stuff that gets into your subconscious. But you still always have a doubt, like “well, it might all be rubbish, coincidence, money making things.”

But when something happens and you can’t explain it, it asks more questions than it answers.

HM: So, come on Ian, are you any closer to being a believer now?

IAN: (laughs) No, no I’m not, I’m afraid. But I’m not trying to be a believer. I had a psychic medium tell me in the film “If you don’t believe in any of this, why are you here now?”

And I said to her as I pointed to Barry, “Because I find him hilarious.” I’m not searching at all, I’m just along for the ride. I’m watching this daft lad go along to places where he thinks there are ghosts and am being royally entertained, shaking my head 5 foot behind him. I’m not trying to get proof; he’s trying to prove it to me. What I’ve learned from the ParaPod is that you can present any counterargument in the world, and it won’t make a blind bit of difference to someone who just has faith.

The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt is coming to cinemas this September and on VOD 27th September Interview by Kate Cherrell

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A VERY BRITISH FILM REVIEW ttttt

By Kate Cherrell - Burials and Beyond

The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt is in cinemas September and VOD September 27, 2021

Director: Ian Boldsworth Cast: Ian Boldsworth, Barry Dodds Producer: Bil Bungay Run Time: 108 mins Rating: 15

The ParaPod podcast has enjoyed over 3.5 million downloads and many sold-out live shows over the years, so no-one would have batted an eye if they had produced a short film as a half-hearted cash-in or piece of fan service; something thrown onto video sharing websites to promote a larger brand. Instead, in a fiercely ambitious decision, they spent years making The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt, filming hours of footage while travelling the length and breadth of the UK. It’s no overstatement to say that this dedication shows itself in every frame of this feature-length release.

What greets cinema-goers is a slick, heartwarming, frightening and hilarious release that will have sceptics and ghost-hunters alike rolling in the aisles from start to finish.

Documentary-filmed over a three-year period, the release sees comedians Ian Boldsworth and Barry Dodds visit a series of supposedly haunted locations across the UK (in a soupedup hearse, no less), as Barry attempts to argue the existence of ghosts to his increasingly exasperated friend. Paranormally-minded viewers will see a host of familiar locations, such as Pluckley – reportedly the world’s most haunted village, The Ancient Ram Inn and 30 East Drive, home of the infamous poltergeist, the Black Monk of Pontefract.

Even the most seasoned ghost hunter would see these places and the nature of paranormal investigation in a new way as Barry tries – and fails – to not only explain his own beliefs, but the

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basics of his ghost-hunting kit. While the Ovilus V is presented as a piece of detecting equipment by which spirits may communicate, through Barry’s boyish naivety, it swiftly becomes a means of having your password reset by a ghost.

Similarly, for all of Barry’s attempts to ‘seriously’ investigate a location, Ian’s razor-sharp wit and mischievousness is not far behind; we only need tease readers with the appearance of the notorious ‘Arse Grabber’ of the Niddry Vaults.

Ian is no overbearing sceptic but gives Barry just enough comedic rope to hang himself. Prefacing Barry’s speech at a sceptics’ conference in which he is visibly terrified, Ian’s introduction of ‘Barry Dodds who believes everything without question’ affords the scene the perfect diving board for cringeworthy, unbridled laughter, the likes of which scripted comedies could only dream. This familiarity of unshakable, blind belief should be no surprise to those within the paranormal community, as we so often need reminding of the flaws and hilarity that lie within such a mindset. Ian’s scepticism is never in the form of a vicious attack, but a reasoned and friendly jab in the ribs of left-field beliefs.

Combined with his occasional exasperated Eric Morecambe-style glances to camera, we find ourselves cheering on Barry’s conviction, but sitting back and laughing at Ian’s frustration, wholly invested in their journey and relationship.

For all of the insults levelled at the ‘gullible buffoon’, the dynamic between Boldsworth and Dodds is side-splittingly funny throughout.

"It's a rare thing to identify a cult classic as it emerges from the gates, but The ParaPod - A Very British Ghost Hunt is just that. From the first few minutes of the movie, it's clear that this release is something very special indeed"

At its heart, The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt is a story of friendship, the pliability of belief and the unreliability of one’s own perception. The ParaPod podcast was never as simple as two contrasting viewpoints, and the film is no different, digging deeper into notions of faith, friendship, and fear.

We may find ourselves wanting to be more rationally minded like Ian, but all too often relate to Barry who wears his paranormal giddiness on his sleeve. Watching The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt isn’t as simple as following a contrived narrative, but watching a genuine journey of selfdevelopment, personal change, and fierce friendship. When Ian sighs as Barry struggles to explain the necessity of a teddy bear in the woods, we laugh along with them, and when Barry’s experiences turn a little more towards the ghostly, we’re on the edge of our

seats. The pair’s interactions, particularly during Barry’s attempts at guiding Ian, will have you screaming laughing at the frustrated banter between them. Shot with a wartsand all approach, seeing Ian and Barry’s exhausted rows and their genuine moments of vulnerability afford The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt an ingrained authenticity and honesty that you can’t help but take to the heart.

Determined not to make a run-of-the-mill documentary or road trip film, Boldsworth’s directorial debut sees the pair’s physical and narrative journey disrupted by views from experts and moody shots of the pair debriefing in their studio. For a film so deliberately claustrophobic in its dealings with the paranormal, it knows exactly when to open up and let the tension within the hearse dissipate. The production of the film was a HAUNTED: THE DARK ARTS

journey of discovery and firsts for so many; not simply for Boldsworth and Dodds in their first film appearances, but as a directorial first for Boldsworth and a first for film scorer Thomas van der Ree, but to name a few. It is testament to all involved that the finished product stands head and shoulders above most theatrical releases, being so much larger than its component parts. For the first podcast to be made into a feature film, I wouldn’t envy the next one that comes along, as these are enormous shoes to fill.

It is no overstatement to say that this will be the best thing you’ll see all year. The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt is a film we all need to see, to remind us of what really matters – taking risks, reassessing our beliefs, grabbing life by the horns, and laughing with your mates till you cry. If there was ever a greater argument to support independent cinema, this is it.

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INTERVIEW with

BIL BUNGAY While The Parapod – A Very British Ghost Hunt prepares itself for launch, we grabbed five minutes with producer Bil Bungay. Not only is he the producer of the funniest film of the year, but the owner of 30 East Drive, one of the UK’s most popular haunted locations.

Whilst Pontefract’s poltergeist house excites and terrifies the steady stream of visiting paranormal enthusiasts, each expectantly awaiting an appearance from the Black Monk, it also features in The Parapod, with hilarious and terrifying results. So, what is it like being the custodian of such a famous location, and just how did Bil find himself involved with two comedians, a funky hearse, and the dimension-jumping ghosts?

HM: So how did you get involved with Ian and Barry of The ParaPod?

BIL: Well, Barry Dodds has been obsessively visiting haunted locations for decades. Needless to say, 30 East Drive came up on his radar.

He took a few of his mates there, had some interesting things happen, and I think it was him who coincidentally mentioned that he had this thing called The Parapod. Around the same time, another person said to me, “have you heard the ParaPod? It’s absolutely hilarious!” So, I put two and two together and started listening, and I would like to think I am their biggest fan. I’m a mega fan. If you haven’t listened to it, treat yourself. The movie is a reflection of all that – it is pant-wettingly funny.

HM: Did you have a pre-existing interest in the paranormal before your involvement with 30 East Drive and The ParaPod? BIL: Not really, I was most definitely a sceptic.

Maybe not quite as rabid a sceptic as Ian is, but I was a sceptic. I ended up being introduced to 30 East Drive by Pat Holden (director of When the Lights Went Out). His mother was connected to the Pritchard family who owned 30 East Drive; she used to regularly support Jean and witnessed lots of incredible things. I thought, “what a brilliant storyline – a poltergeist moves into a council house! Not a castle or mansion like you’d expect. We should turn that into a movie one day.” It was twenty years before I got it done and it was off the back of that that I came into contact with the actual house. I was working in Pontefract, so I thought, ‘I’ll go and visit this house I’m making a film about,’ and when I got there, it was for sale. We had the premiere there, but then we were stuck with it. However, soon people started saying “can I come and visit your

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house?” So, they did, and people started sending in their videos, photos, and reports. I opened the house up so people could visit more often, then I started to experience things. Completely inexplicably. But there is absolutely no doubt that something is in that house. So, I am now definitely not a sceptic but a full on, passionate and vocal believer in these things. You can’t not be once you’ve experienced these things. Your entire world view shifts. It flips on its head.

HM: Have you ever spent the night at East Drive?

BIL: (laughs) No, I’m absolutely terrified of what is in that house. I used to have a recurring nightmare for years that the same thing was in my house, and it terrified the bejeesus out of me. I think people who go and spend the night there are completely bonkers; we actively say that we don’t think you should visit. It’s probably the only attraction in the world where the owners actively discourage people from visiting!

I am profoundly serious with that house about the respect it should govern, and I don’t think anyone should treat it in a light-hearted way.

HM: Considering the film features two comedians setting up vigil in East Drive, how does this idea of seriousness at all times within the house play out?

BIL: It is the perfect relationship between my comparatively recent interest in the paranormal and my role as a filmmaker. East Drive is the one place that I know is active in a really interesting way. So, you have to throw open the doors and invite people in that will challenge you and broadcast the debate. In my experience, there can be no better voice for the debate than a movie. Particularly because of the documentary style and the way Ian and Barry work, it is a debate as much as it is pure entertainment. Call me a sucker for punishment though, because Ian’s brutal in his opinion of what is occurring!

But the counterpoint of Barry’s utter conviction in these things really helps to extend the debate.

HM: Do you feel that it’s a great responsibility to be the custodian of East Drive and its history, and what are your plans for the house in the future?

With talk of scientific tests, can you see East Drive having its own paranormal laboratory!?

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BIL: You’ve nailed it on the head. I don’t see East Drive as just a haunted house, but a place with the potential for us to reassess our whole existence; a study of it could rewrite our understanding of spirits and ghosts and so much more. I believe that religious groups should be all over the house; if they could prove the existence of an afterlife using 30 East Drive as a study, that would be massive. My suspicion is that whatever is in that house will lend itself to proving many mind-boggling theories within quantum physics too. It could be that 30 East Drive offers a shortcut in supporting ideas and theories of paranormal forces and alternate dimensions!

One thought is that whatever is at East Drive exists in a fourth dimension that occasionally slips into our own. So, a poltergeist that moves an object could be said to be removing it from our three-dimensional state temporarily, via its fourth dimension, then returning it elsewhere.

So, I am not sure whatever is at 30 East Drive is something dead but could be very much alive.

HM: We at Haunted Magazine adore the film.

How does it feel to finally see the project come to fruition?

BIL: First and foremost, I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. What Ian has done especially, is amazing. The brief itself was quite straightforward, which was “I don’t want a script.

You’re going to go on the road and do your own thing.” But what you also appreciate is that for a movie to work, you need a narrative, and to see that drop in as they travelled, especially with Barry’s soul searching, was very special. I want to stress that nothing in the film was engineered, so everything you see is very visceral and very real.

There really is nothing like it.

The ParaPod – A Very British Ghost Hunt is coming to cinemas this September and on VOD September 27, 2021.

Bil was chatting with Kate Cherrell

“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. I HEAR IT EVERY NIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME.”

A Ghost Story and a Spoiler-Free Review!

Parapsychologist and academic Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe is well known to Haunted Magazine readers, but it’s less well-known that he is also one of the behind-the-scenes inspirations for 2:22 – A Ghost Story. Danny Robins consulted Ciaran during his research for the play and learnt that certain details of arch-sceptic Ciaran’s relationship with his own believer wife Anna chimed with the characters in Danny’s play. What would Ciaran, who also appeared as one of the team of experts on Danny’s The Battersea Poltergeist, make of seeing something so close-to home acted out on stage?

We sent him to watch the opening night at the Noel Coward Theatre. Here’s his spoiler-free review!

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enny (Lily Allen) believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam (Hadley Fraser) isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Julia Chan) and new partner Ben (Jake Wood). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and then they’ll know.

Readers of Haunted Magazine will be very familiar with the writer of this West End play. Danny Robins enthralled us all with his retelling and re-investigation of The Battersea Poltergeist for BBC Radio 4 and perfectly captured people’s ghostly encounters in the Haunted podcast. In 2:22 A Ghost Story we see all of these elements, and more, as he brings together all his experiences and research with the paranormal and delightfully exposes them on stage in this supernatural thriller. It centres around four main characters brought together for a dinner party in which Jenny’s repeated haunting experiences quickly becomes the conversation focus for the evening and then the mission for the group waiting up ‘til 2:22am in the hope of witnessing the “ghost” or something natural which would explain it all. The acting is marvellous and Matthew Dunster’s direction has lifted the script and made it come alive on stage. It is a ghost story in which Jenny (played by Lily Allen) recounts her experiences with confidence and then ever-increasing tension and frustration at the largely dismissive responses.

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delivered by Jake Wood’s character. They were as enthralled as I was throughout and there were frequent moments where you could sense the collective holding of breath in expectation of another scare. The strength in the play, however, was not in scaring the audience, but in drawing them into the arguments, the building tension as each character reveals their true belief and perspective on the paranormal. The spectrum of belief is represented by Jenny at one end and Sam (her husband) on the other. The two dinner guests neatly fill the gap between the two earlier in the play but then Ben makes some startling confessions and takes over the believer end of the spectrum. Ghosthunters and paranormal enthusiasts (in fact all readers of Haunted Magazine) will take great delight in the frequent references to ghost hunting and sceptical arguments. The first time the word “vigil” is heard, I found it comfortably warming and delighted in the laughter around me. There are references to ghost hunting in stately homes, to spiritualism approaches, to staying up all night. You’ll hear sceptical points made, and the counter arguments and I felt we were hearing Danny’s voice from the characters as the arguments raged. The on-stage battles reflect his life journey and research attempting to understand what ghosts are.

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Danny Robins has stated in interviews that he has been fascinated by “the idea there might be some other layer of existence – life after death.” This play is more than a simple ghost story. It provides the layers inherent in ghost stories we have all come to take for granted.

Jenny even references “layers” at a number of key moments. With each telling of a ghostly encounter there is psychology, persuasion, conviction, belief, fear, disbelief, amazement.

We see these factors played out from each character on stage. But there are more layers.

The set design, wonderfully created by Anna Fleischle and her team, haunts with its layers that take the audience from the wallpaper and décor of the 1950s on stage right to the contemporary renovated kitchen and skylight on stage left. There are pivotal moments when characters stand on particular sides and either the scepticism or belief become the focus.

A particularly enthralling sequence has Sam delivering a series of sceptical questions (e.g., Why aren’t ghosts naked?) as he stands in the modern kitchen and the rebuttals come from Jenny sitting on the opposite side of the stage where the damaged wallpaper provides a wonderful backdrop to spiritual-type points.

I even saw elements of 63 Wycliffe Road shining through the set design. There were even moments where I wondered if Cindy Lin (the Costume Designer) had been working with subtle layers to reveal something deeper about the characters. Certainly, Chris Fisher provides the most hidden layer with his behind the scenes work on creating fantastic illusions.

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The layers also are exploited by the sound (Ian Dickinson) and lighting team (Lucy Carter) – we have overt shrill noises from wild foxes that stimulate the screams from the audience to the subtle underlying, almost infrasonichinting, undertones. The lighting is also used to wonderful effect as the layers between light and dark play throughout and provide deep and hidden clues to what people are saying.

The layers are also revealed in the central focus for the whole play – 2:22. This might seem like a random time, but it may also be playing with layers. Accuse me of being guilty of delving into numerology lore, but during the show I remember the words from the Bible, Daniel 2:22 – “He reveals the deep and hidden things”. With 2:22 and the play as a whole, Danny reveals the deep and hidden things of all the characters. He also reveals the multilayered deep arguments that often pepper the recounting of personal ghost stories.

Bear with me, then, for now entertaining the reader as I reveal a territory of layers of meaning in 2:22. In numerology, the number 2 is a number of yin and yang and balance. Given yin yang highlights the balance between two opposites it couldn’t be more appropriate to have 2:22 as the focus. In yin yang there are also opposite elements in each section and as the story develops, we see that in each of the characters, though Jenny remains steadfast pretty much most of the time. Ironically, however, 222 in numerology is frequently a reference to cooperation and being in harmony

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with yourself and others around you. Whilst there is little harmony on stage, there is an overriding cooperation as the four characters agree to stay up ‘til 2:22.

There is also the fantastic meaning to be found in Thomas Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception where he coined the term ‘Twin flame.’ A term that refers to the meeting of two souls in love, “the transcendental other.” The Twin Flame is a mythical phenomenon where two people that are meant to be with one another, find each other. Throughout the play, we witness Jenny and Sam argue. At times it reaches shrill shouting levels and initially we are fighting for a particular side, secretly hoping all will be revealed at 2:22 and one will be proven wrong. As the play progresses, however, I couldn’t help yearning for them to resolve their differences and find solace in each other’s arms, ultimately find each other.

If anything, my numerology delving above highlights the strength of the play. It keeps you thinking for days afterwards. It sticks with you and that is a wonderful testament to Danny and the rest of the team involved in producing this fabulous play. In Daniel 2:22, I stated the words – “He reveals the deep and hidden things.” The next line is “He knows what lies in darkness.” Danny Robins knows and reveals it layer upon scary layer…

Ciaran O’Keeffe August 2021, 2:22am (of course)…

JAKE WOOD TAKES GHOST HUNTING TO THE MAX Photo credit: Simon Turtle

We had the pleasure of speaking to Jake Wood from 2:22 A Ghost Story, days before the play opened. Zoom has become the norm for interviews these days, we recorded it too, but the internet signal kept zoning out (that’s ghosts for you), so we decided to transcript the interview for your reading pleasure.

HM: So, how did 2:22 come about?

JW: I got a phone call from Matthew Dunster, the director. I got sent the script and got asked if I wanted to do it. I think Matthew had seen some of my theatre work in the past, when I was younger and remembered me from there. I think it also helped that Matthew had acted in Coronation Street I in the past. There is sometimes a stigma when you’ve come out a TV show after a long time, that people are reluctant to give you opportunities in other areas but luckily Matthew had seen me in theatre previously, thought I’d be perfect for it and once I read the show it was a no brainer. I only said I would do it in theatre if it was a new play, if it was in the West End and if I loved the play and it ticked all those boxes.

Also, the casting was particularly important.

Lily Allen is making her professional acting debut, never acted before which, for me,

Photo credits: Helen Murray

I found extremely exciting. Also, Hadley Fraser, a West End superstar performer and Julia Chan, a Netflix star. The casting feels very fresh

HM: Had you known Lily, Hadley & Julia before? Was the chemistry between the four of you there from the start?

JW: No, I had never met them and yes pretty much re: the chemistry. I mean it’s not a pre-requisite in any environment, but everyone has been so lovely, and I think, again, it feels like we are all very privileged to be part of that first wave of actors and plays to be back in the theatre. We are also aware that this is Lily’s first time that she has ever acted so there’s lots of experience in the cast and I think it has been cast very cleverly, in that respect. Lily has got lots of support there, to offer advice and help, if needed. It has been a very productive rehearsal period and Matthew just sets a lovely tone in the rehearsal space. It has been a real breath of fresh air.

HM: And what is the premise behind 2:22?

JW: Essentially, it’s a ghost story. It’s a couple, played by Lily Allen and Hadley Fraser who have moved into a suburban house in London. They are in the process of doing it up, they have a new baby, Hadley has been away and had just returned HAUNTED: THE DARK ARTS

Photo credits: Helen Murray

that evening which coincided with his old university friend, played by Julia Chan and her new boyfriend, played by me, being invited to dinner for the night. Later in the evening, Lily Allen’s character reveals that whilst her husband has been away, she has been hearing footsteps on the baby monitor walking around the baby’s cot at the same time each evening, 2:22am and then she persuades her guests and her husband who doesn’t believe her to all stay up till 2:22am because she wants them all to hear it. So that’s the sort of premise.

The characters all have different belief systems and different individual experiences. The character I play has had some experiences, which people will find out exactly what, once the play is up and running. But all may not be as it first appears. Danny (Robins) has done brilliantly in the writing as the story sits, beautifully in that sort of area between things being easily explained or us there some sort of supernatural element to it. It’s like a lot of the paranormal and the supernatural, it depends on where you are coming from, what your beliefs and experiences are.

Through these characters, it is an exploration of belief and dependent on that belief you may interpret what you see completely different to the person sat in front of you.

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I hope that it gets people talking, I hope that people may change their minds before, during and after what they see. It will definitely open up conversations and I hope it’s a play that people want to come and see again, and it is talked about all the way home discussing the play and obviously their own ghost stories.

If you haven’t got a ghost story yourself, you know someone who has.

HM: I think you’re right. In the audience on any given night there will be people from all different backgrounds, all different mindsets, and all different beliefs.

JW: I don’t want to give too much away but we have had illusionists working with us and when I read the play a second time, there was a lot that I had missed and you can see that Danny has done a wonderful job on structuring the play, it has been a long time in the making and it is really very, very clever.

HM: You mentioned Danny, were you aware of Danny’s The Battersea Poltergeist that was aired on BBC Radio earlier in the year?

JW: Yeah, I think I had heard of it and once I got offered the play, I did some research and found out what Danny had done before, so I listened to the podcast. Yes, it’s wonderful, isn’t it? It is really well produced and in it there is some crossovers and it made me understand the play a little bit more. Danny wrote the play before the podcast and now the play is being performed for the first time.

I think for Danny it has been an interesting journey, especially with the play being written before the podcast I could hear lots of similarities and themes running throughout.

He is a great writer.

HM: Have you done much theatre before?

JW: I last did theatre about 18 years ago. Most people will know that I played Max Branning in EastEnders for 15 years, so it is great to be back on stage. I did a lot of theatre before that and I’d actually forgot how enjoyable an actor’s job is, you know, the discovery and the forensic studying of a script, talking it through.

So, it’s great to be back and I had genuinely forgot how delightful that process is. I have loved it.

HM: Is there a difference between rehearsing for TV as opposed to rehearsing for a stage play?

JW: Obviously on EastEnders, you don’t get any rehearsal. You get to set and then you do a line run, due to the volume of work.

They do about 30-35 pages of script a day.

There is literally no time to stand around and discuss anything. It’s literally “you stand there, you stand there, let’s shoot it.” It’s very exciting working that way, it’s very visceral and in some ways quite theatrical because in a way it’s quite old fashioned as they’ve got four cameras, not many dramas are shot

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that way now. If you had a 15-page scene you would shoot it in one go which is exciting but completely different from doing a play, discovering those characters, and putting it on its feet in rehearsals.

HM: It has been an awful time for the arts in the last 18 months or so, it must be good to know you’ll be on stage and there’s an audience in the seats watching you?

JW: Yes, it has been a really tough time in the theatre industry. Even filming too, it has been a kind of stop, start, stop, start scenario because of Covid and stuff. It is nice to be part of the first wave of plays opening in theatres and actors going back to the West End. I think it will be a shared experience with the actors on the stage and the people in the audience coming to see the show. I am aware that some of the audience will be people who’ve probably not seen a show for the best part of two years, and I feel privileged to be in a position to share it with them.

HM: Our spook friends tell us that you went on a ghost hunt (it was Danny actually). Tell us all about it please?

JW: It’s one of those things that as an actor you like to research things. I am playing a character that has had supernatural experiences so I wanted to see if I could find a ghost basically. I have never had experiences personally; I am sceptical but open minded.

So, I found a company on the internet that do ghost hunts, they’re quite a serious outfit, no jump scares, just a serious investigation. So, I found myself in Charlton House, in Greenwich, which apparently is the most haunted house in the area. We were there from 10pm till 2am and they gave us a talk before hand, about what to expect, they showed us all the various ghost hunting gadgetry they’ve got, stuff I had never seen before with flashing lights. We talked out to the spirits, called out to the spirts, asked them to join us. We went up to the loft which is the most haunted area in the building.

A lot of people who worked in the house wouldn’t go up there. It definitely had a feel to it, but you don’t know if that was because all the lights were out. You can’t deny that the location had a strange vibe to it. We didn’t see anything although some of the gadgets did light up but what that meant, I am not sure.

We went to the basement, where the mummified body of a baby was discovered and is believed to have been the child of a servant. Again, there was a definite vibe to it.

Nothing concrete happened but I am still open minded.

HM: Our spook friends (yes, it was Danny again) have asked us to ask you about the old house you live in.

JW: Ha-ha, Danny doesn’t miss a trick, does he? The house we live in is the old village school dated from 1850. When we moved in, we were given photos of the house going HAUNTED: THE DARK ARTS

back to Victorian times, showing the children of the time that used to school there. I always joke that apart from hearing the screams of children at night, the house isn’t haunted! But in truth I’ve never experienced anything at home, LONG MAY THAT CONTINUE!!

HM: I wanted to step away from 2:22 and talk about the Boxing podcast that you do, how did that come about?

JW: I am just a massive boxing fan and I used to box when I was younger, but the acting took off. Before that I had boxed at primary school and had boxed at Kings Cross and St. Pancras gym. A few years ago, I did a whitecollar event, as I wanted to put myself through the rigours and processes that a boxer goes through and that was absolutely terrifying.

It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

So, I teamed up with my mate Spencer Oliver, an ex-European Super Bantamweight Champion who during a fight got felled by a right hook and was counted out. He subsequently fell into a coma and woke up three weeks later and that was the end of his boxing career. Spencer now works at Sky TV as a pundit and we used to chat about boxing a lot, so we decided to do our own boxing podcast called Pound for Pound and using our contacts we got some amazing guests to come on, Gary Lineker, Ray Winstone, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury to name but four. It started out as a passion project, we love doing it and it has gone down really well.

Check out the POUND FOR https://podcasts.apple.com/ POUND podcast, (the one where gb/podcast/182-leigh-wood/ Jake is in his dressing room at id1331551486?i=1000530945396 the Noel Coward theatre, during rehearsals)

HM: During our research we googled Jake Wood and the “I’m a celebrity” jungle drums took up most of the first page. You can say no comment if you like but can you say anything about the rumours?

JW: I have made no secret of the fact that I love the show, my family love the show. I have had talks with them, I have put my hat in the ring and now it’s very much up to them, but I’ve made no secret of the fact that it is a show I would love to do. So, maybe it is an opportunity that will come round one day. It will be a great challenge and I love a challenge.

It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Jake, a genuinely nice guy. If the ‘I am a celebrity rumours’ are true, we reckon that having played Ben in 2:22 A Ghost Story, a man who has had supernatural experiences, he would be perfect for a stint at “haunted” Gwyrch Castle and maybe he can channel his “inner Ben” now and then.

Jake was talking to Paul Stevenson

Barri Ghai, Jayne Harris and Ian Lawman tackle 12 new haunted locations in the third series of ‘Help! My House Is Haunted’, which sees them experience everything from a house haunted by as many as 50 spirits, to a hotel where the ghost of a little girl name Gertie roams, plus plenty of phantom monks in between.

Episode 1: ‘A Sinister Attachment’

Joined by new investigator Ian, the team have been called to the historic town of Gorlestonon-Sea in Norfolk to investigate the mysterious goings on at Pier House, a 19th century property with links to the sea. A frosty welcome from the homeowners convinces Ian that the team are dealing with a persistent and negative attachment.

Episode 5: ‘Murder at The Museum’

Episode 9: ‘Ashes to Ashes’

Episode 6: ‘Theatre of Slums’

Episode 10: ‘Playing with The Devil’

Jayne’s research provides vital insights into the terrifying hauntings at the True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum in King’s Lynn. As the team lockdown for the night inside the historic Norfolk attraction, Ian uses his abilities to verify Jayne’s findings, while Barri becomes the victim of a mischievous spirit.

A 14th century hunting lodge in Staffordshire contains the team’s next mystery plus the ghosts of monks and murdered maids. Soon after arriving at Sinai Park House in Burton Upon Trent, which is reported to be home to 50 different spooks, Jayne uncovers a mind-blowing theory that potentially links the property to a legendary lost treasure.

Intelligent and responsive knocking sounds started the team’s investigation at the Groundlings Theatre in Portsmouth. Volunteers working at the 18th century building believe that multiple spirits are trapped there. With shadows moving across the stage caught on camera, a disembodied voice in an audio recording, and a strange series of photographs captured by the investigators, the theatre proved to be an active location.

Episode 3: ‘The Ghost of Gertie’

Episode 7: ‘Taking the Biscuit’

Episode 2: ‘The Grey Lady of Sinai’

The team check into the Bull Hotel in Ludlow where they hope to uncover evidence of a child spirit named Gertie. With lights turning on and off around them, unexplained cries coming through their walkie talkies and a terrifying experience for Barri who braved a night in the hotel alone, this is one of the most active investigations in the new series.

Episode 4: ‘Possessive Petts Lane’

The team discover that not every haunting is what it initially seems to be when they head to rural Lincolnshire to help Krissie, the owner of a 19th century farmhouse. Ian’s psychic abilities are put to the test as the team investigate the claim that a possessive spirit is responsible for the break-up of two of Krissie’s relationships.

Barri wasn’t prepared for what was lurking at Ryedale House, a vast 20-room property built by the sea in Hartlepool. The house was once home to a wealthy biscuit manufacturer, leading Jayne to investigate a possible link between the spooky goings on at the house and some of the former residents, members of the Foxton family.

Episode 8: ‘Looking for Lisa’

The team tackle strange noises and frightening shadows at a former doctor’s surgery in Rotherham that’s home to two paramedics. The team captured some strong and convincing audio responses using various methods throughout the episode, many of which contributed to uncovering the forgotten story of the house and the mystery of Lisa.

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The team head to Little Dean, a small village in Gloucestershire that’s famous for its historic jail. In a nearby cottage located on the edge of the Forest of Dean, Barri, Jayne and Ian follow a series of supernatural clues that help them identify the entities that are causing a young girl living there to experience disturbed night’s sleep.

Barri feels the full force of a demonic infestation while investigating a 17th century pub in Lincolnshire. With a history of black magic and necromancy, the team have their work cut out for them at the Black Dog in Grantham, especially on the abandoned upper floor, which no one has braved to live in for years because of its sinister and oppressive atmosphere.

Episode 11: ‘Never Dead & Buried’

After a ghostly apparition was photographed in the auditorium, the team head to the Trinity Arts Centre in Gainsborough, a location that makes for a challenging penultimate investigation of the series. Staff working at the former church in Lincolnshire refuse to go into certain rooms alone and the resident spooks have been blamed for turning on and off lights and other electrical equipment.

Episode 12: ‘Bargain to Burden’

In a former Welsh mining village in Pontypridd, the team try to identify and settle a menacing spirit that haunts a seemingly ordinary terraced house. The terrifying untapped location is a fitting end to the series, with the haunting backed up with news reports in the local press going back as far as the 1890s.

Help! My House Is Haunted series three is available to stream now exclusively on discovery+

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"There are so many different gadgets and gizmos used in paranormal investigation. As a team we try and experiment with as much as we can to help us obtain better and clearer evidence. However, I do have a regular kit and use some paranormal gadgets more than others" - BARRI GHAI

Barri Ghai's Guide to Gadgets & Gizmos My digital voice recorder is my go-to paranormal device! I use the Olympus VP10 and VP20 digital voice recorders to capture EVP’s or (Electronic Voice Phenomena).

EVPs are anomalous sounds and/or voices recorded that are often not heard at the time of the recording. They are in principle examples of disembodied voices and can prove vital in any investigation to understand what, who and why a spirit may be haunting a location. Some of my best and most compelling evidence has been through EVPs captured using this recorder.

Another gadget I commonly use during an investigation is the REM-Pod or similar device.

These amazing instruments produce their own Electromagnetic Field which if disturbed by an object, energy or presence will cause the device to light up and sound off. The REM-Pod is visually an excellent tool during investigation and helps to establish contact and corroborate results in real time.

EMF detectors come is all shapes and sizes.

EMF stands for Electromagnetic Field and these EMF devices measure changes in the AC/DC field. They are used to identify a possible spiritual presence when there are notable spikes or changes in the baseline EMF of an area. I mainly use three different models of the of the MEL Meter which were all designed and built by electrical engineer and inventor Gary Galka.

I use all three differently depending on the situation and purpose. For example, the

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standard model MEL-8704R simply measures the ambient air temperature and EMF range, but another model does this and has a REM function which replaces the need for the REM-Pod. The MEL-8704R-REM-ATDD also includes an Ambient Temperature Detection module which will alert the user to any sudden changes in air temperature that may be caused by a spirit. I also use the MEL-8704-TIR which uses a Thermal Infrared Recognition Sensor to detect EMF, Temperature and subtle Thermal Infrared variations within the environment using a special Infrared matrix sensor. Thermal anomaly position, location & gestures can also be monitored.

In addition to using the MEL Meters, I also like to use a Tri-Field Meter. The model I have is the TF2 which is the new digital version of the original 100Xe Trifield model. The Tf2 encompasses an AC Magnetic EMF meter, AC Electric EFM meter, Radio Power Density meter into one unit. The TF2 sounds an alert and shows movement on the digital scale when EMFs are present in the environment, indicating a possible spirit presence. It also has an adjustable backlight so that the unit can be seen in dark environments.

The XCAM SLS Camera is an amazing device.

Essentially this Structured Light Sensor Camera uses a variety of sensors to provide visual detection of a possible spirit. The SLS camera works by emitting an Infrared matrix grid of dots that are invisible to the naked eye. This grid maps the environment, and the sophisticated software translates HAUNTED: THE DARK ARTS

this accordingly. It uses ultrasonic distance detection, thermal temperature sensing, audio ranges and light frequency levels to identify the differences or changes in the room. It will then display any unidentified anomalies as stick figures on the screen.

Another commonly used device is the Full Spectrum Camera. This digital camera is modified to allow infrared and ultraviolet light into the processor. It can see in total darkness using IR light which is invisible to us. My camera has a built in Infrared flash and I use it to see within the spectrum of light that we cannot. It is another fantastic gadget used by many paranormal investigators and can potentially provide some amazing visual results.

The P-SB7 Spirit Box is one of the most amazing paranormal detection tools ever built.

Gary Galka and Chris Fleming are credited with its design and application. There are several versions of the P-SB7 Spirit Box, but I use the PSB7T which is the newest model. The device is an instrument of Trans Communication and is used to listen and converse with spirits through radio waves, part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Unlike the EVP digital voice recorder where you have to ask questions and play it back. The P-SB7T scans through radio stations at high speed which allows spirits use the device to speak back in real time.

Barri Ghai’s Ghostly Glossary Afterlife: Life after death.

Anomaly: Something that cannot be scientifically explained.

Apparition: Any ghost that seems to have a physical substance, whether visual, auditory, tactile, or olfactory.

Aura: A field of energy believed by some to surround living creatures. Certain clairvoyants claim to be able to see the aura (generally as a luminous, coloured halo) Baseline readings: The initial measurements of energy taken at a haunted location, used for establishing an investigation’s direction.

Jayne Harris’s Handy Hints for Haunted Historians • Prepare to be patient. It can take a lot of time to uncover the relevant information relating to a specific location, so don’t be disheartened if at first you feel like you’re getting nowhere.

• Learn about the various official records available - most people have heard of archives, but that’s a very general term.

In reality there are many different types of records, and all can potentially offer something. Land Registry for example can give you maps and detailed information about former buildings on a site and land ownership. The census can offer full names, ages and occupations of residents and obviously ‘Births, Deaths and Marriages’ can give you exactly that! Newspaper archives can be really useful if you’re looking into an alleged crime or well-known location. Then there’s the often-overlooked local parish records. These can be incredible! If you’re looking to research a particular person, head for the local church or historical society and ask to see the parish records. You. might just find something that unlocks your entire investigation.

• Learn some social history! The UK is an incredible place when it comes to folklore and traditions. Getting a feel for a particular area and their customs, beliefs and practises can really help give you some insight into why certain events may have taken place.

• Talk to local people. This is really important. The internet and record offices can offer a lot, but they can’t add the meat to the bones like local knowledge can. Some of my best leads have come from passers-by, curious about what we’re doing. You never know what’s been passed down through oral history from generation to generation so asks question and listen well.

Clearing: Getting rid of ghostly activity in a specific location.

Cold Spots: Areas of cooler air often found in haunted locations.

DVP: Direct Voice Phenomena - Hearing a disembodied voice or sound during an EVP experiment that emanates from the ether. This may be captured on a recording device and assumed an EVP. Ectoplasm: A viscous substance thought to be emitted by spirits and from mediums communicating with the spirit world.

EMF (Electromagnetic Field or Electromagnetic Frequency): A combination of electrical and magnetic fields. EMF fields are commonly measured as part of the ghost hunting process to detect spirits.

Empath: Someone who shows considerable empathy and a psychic sensitivity. They are able to feel and share the feelings or emotions of another.

Entity: Any being, including people and ghosts.

Epicentre: Person or persons that a poltergeist or haunting tends to focus on. Paranormal phenomena usually increases when the epicentre is present.

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena): The act of capturing and recording disembodied voices and sounds.

Exorcism: Ridding a person or a location of evil spirits or demonic entities by using religious rites.

Ghost: A sentient entity or spirit that visits or lingers in our world after death.

Ghost Hunters: People who investigate alleged hauntings to find explanations for possible paranormal phenomena involved.

Ghost Lights: Mysterious lights, seen at a distance, usually appearing as blue or yellow spheres, which can appear to blink.

Haunting/Haunted: Describes a location where there appears to be significant paranormal activity. Often includes a combination of cold spots, apparitions, missing objects, and other repeated phenomenon witnessed by several people which leads to the location getting a reputation for this activity.

ITC Instrumental Transcommunication: Use of electronic recording equipment to produce evidence interpreted as communication from spirits or other entities.

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Manifestation: The tactile, auditory, olfactory, and visual signs of a haunting.

Medium: Someone who communicates with spirits and the other side using their senses.

Orbs: Spheres of translucent light (often whitish or pastel coloured), usually appearing in photographs.

Many investigators believe they represent spirits or ghost, but in most cases these orbs are caused by dust or other small airborne particles.

Paranormal: Anything outside the realm and experiences we call normal. Often used to describe ghosts, UFO’s and other phenomena that defy traditional scientific explanations.

PK (Psychokinesis): Also known as Telekinesis which is the ability to move objects or physical matter with just the power of the mind.

Poltergeist: Considered by some to be a noisy spirit or entity responsible for manipulating inanimate objects or able to move, throw, or destroy items or furniture etc. Poltergeists are however often more commonly thought to actually centre around specific living individuals (such as teenagers) in the form of latent telekinetic ability rather than being caused by a spiritual entity.

Portal: A doorway through which spirits or other interdimensional beings enter and exit a location.

Possession: When a person, or even inanimate object, is taken over by a spirit.

Psi: Another term for “psychic phenomena.”

Psychic: Can relate to the spirit or mind, depending upon the context. Psychics are people who can see things outside physical laws and human perception.

Residual Energy or Haunting: When emotionally charged events leave an imprint or energy residue on nearby objects and locations. Residual energy or hauntings will often repeat a specific event from the past over and over again, as if on a loop, such as the same footsteps walking down a hallway or sound heard in a room.

Séance: A gathering of individuals to attempt to contact spirits (usually consisting of a medium and participants). Many séances were exposed as hoaxes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries during the spiritual movement.

Spirit: From Latin meaning “that which breathes,” it describes the consciousness or soul of an individual.

In the ghost hunting context, this refers to the soul of an individual who has passed on and continues to be observed in an area.

Spiritualism: A belief in the spirit world and/or the ability to communicate with spirits of the dead.

Telekinesis: The ability to control one’s physical environment without using physical manipulation or force (also known as psychokinesis, TK, or PK).

Telepathy: The process by which a mind can communicate directly with another without using normal, physical interaction or ordinary sensory perception.

Vortex: A centre of focused or concentrated spiritual energy.

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This FREE Dark Arts pull-out is a very wide range of paranormal creativity, spooky expression, and ghostly storytelling. It is diverse as it is dark containing features from the world of film, theatre, and television.

Call it paranormal entertainment, if you need to, but this platform can sometimes be a vehicle where we can identify with what we are seeing, they can transmit values, impressions, judgements, ideas, visions, spiritual meanings, and life experiences.

Some say that the paranormal needs educators, not entertainers. We firmly believe, at Haunted Magazine, that educators can entertain, and entertainers can educate.

This pull-out features the new paranormal movie, The Parapod – A Very British Ghost hunt and extra content from the spooky stage play 2:22 and the paranormal TV series, Help! My House is Haunted.

We hope you are as entertained as you are educated.

Edited & designed by Paul Stevenson & Andy Soar, Haunted Magazine Thanks to Barry Dodds, Ian Boldsworth, Bil Bungay, Kate Cherrell, Ciaran O’Keeffe, Jake Wood, Higgypop, Steve Higgins, Barri Ghai, Jayne Harris, Strike Media, Danny Robins & back2back productions Ltd

Haunted: The Dark Art is a Haunted Magazine Publication

*(Help! My Haunted Magazine is hijacked – by – Help! My House is Haunted) Some call it series 3, others call it season 3, whichever way you call it no one can deny that Help! My House is Haunted is back for a third slice of paranormal pie. Debuting on Discovery+ in the Summer of 2021, it continues to be streamed and watched by many paranormal fans, eager to see the latest series (or season), eager to see how the dynamics have changed with a new medium in situ and eager to see if they can really help people’s house that for some reason or another have stopped feeling like a home to them.

We caught up with our good friends, Barri Ghai (BG), Jayne Harris (JH) and Ian Lawman (IL) and asked the questions that matter (and some that didn’t matter, but we asked them anyway.)

HM: What’s it like to be back for a third series of HMHIH? And even weirder to be back with a new medium on board and during a pandemic, not many Paranormal TV series can say that?

BG: It’s simply amazing to be back for season 3 of Help! My House is BG: Haunted. The show is now firmly embedded in British Paranormal TV culture, and I’m thrilled to have been part of the journey since series 1.

The pandemic caused problems for everyone, and TV production was badly hit across the world. However, we have been fortunate that this show was still able to go ahead during a national lockdown, but it wasn’t easy. So many changes had to be made and we had strict rules to follow on and off camera.

Although many would consider it to be a risk working in these conditions, Back2Back productions and Discovery were brilliant at protecting us all. We had PPE, rapid COVID tests and daily temperature checks.

The whole crew were responsible and mindful of the risks, so together we worked sensibly to make another cracking series.

JH: It’s great to be back! We knew filming during the JH: pandemic would bring new challenges but Back2Back Productions and discovery+ were amazing!

They literally covered every tiny detail to make sure we were all safe. We all love making this series and knew there were more people out there in need of help, so everyone pulled out all the stops to make it happen.

HM: When it became clear that Chris couldn’t do the third series, was there panic, was postponement a consideration, was there a selection process or was it simple as “we’ll get Ian Lawman, he’s perfect for it?”

“The pandemic caused problems for everyone, and TV production was badly hit across the world.

However, we have been fortunate that this show was still able to go ahead during a national lockdown, but it wasn’t easy.”

JH: When we knew Chris couldn’t travel, we were all so disappointed and it was difficult to imagine how the show could work without him. We had several discussions and Barri and I were asked for our recommendations and a few names came up. It soon became clear however there was only 1 person who could take on the responsibility and that was Ian. Obviously change always comes with the question “are we doing the right thing?” but it didn’t take long to see that Ian was a perfect fit for the show. His intuition and approach add a different feel which works really well now we have the post watershed timeslot…we knew this series could go a little darker! I’m a great believer in everything happening for a reason and Chris has been incredibly busy in the U.S, but not too busy to keep in touch with us to offer support, especially to Ian…he even got in touch a few times while we were filming to give us some of his insight remotely! He’s a great Psychic Medium and friend. I know it’s natural for viewers to compare Psychics to each other, but Chris and Ian are both so unique, we knew it would work.

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BG: Chris and I spoke at length about the issues, and it soon became apparent that the pandemic and restrictions on travel would be a massive barrier to him returning to be part of season 3. I don’t think we panicked but we were sad and very frustrated by it all.

HM: How has filming been during all these new rules and regulation, has it felt different to last series? Has the show had to be adapted to accommodate the changes? Are there certain rules and guidelines that have to be observed?

So many considerations were thought about and Chris was determined to make it work. However, as rules tightened and time was running out, the executive decision was made to progress without him and look for a psychic medium based in the UK who would be up for the huge challenge. Chris and I are great friends and talk regularly about everything. I was quite upset and confused by the decision, but they were out my hands, and we had to move forward with production and potentially another new cast member.

BG: Filming was very different and yes there were so many challenges that we all faced. Just before filming started, I was actually recovering from COVID, and it was touch and go whether I would be deemed low enough risk and well enough to start filming.

Our series Producer Ben Cole was a real help and consulted with Jayne and I about who would be a suitable replacement for Chris. After much discussion and deliberation, eventually a pool of candidates was whittled down to around 3 hopefuls and the final selection process began. I personally put forward two individuals who I thought would be a brilliant replacement and Ian was one of them. It wasn’t long before our series producer Ben also felt that he was the right man for the job and the rest is history.

“Ian is not Chris, and both have their unique abilities and many talents. Ian is a dark arts specialist and as an ordained minister is able to carry out minor rites of exorcism and prayers of deliverance. I think he is a perfect fit and we all clicked instantly on camera.

It helped that I have known Ian for many years already, so it was just like working with a good friend.”

So many changes were implemented to ensure our safety and that of the crew and homeowners. We were all tested before filming, cleaning teams were contracted to enter properties before each lockdown and afterwards. We all had to wear face masks, clean our hands, sanitise continuously, and remained in our hotel rooms when not on location. All production meetings had to be carried out over Zoom and the whole crew were put into mini production bubbles.

On screen we (Jayne, Ian, and I) could remove our face coverings as we were considered in a bubble together, but social distance measures still had to be carefully maintained on and off screen. The three of us always remained at least 2 meters apart from each other even though on camera it looks like a lot less.

That’s because our brilliant Director of Photography Adrian Musto shot scenes in such a way, he was able to minimise the illusion of distance. Great camerawork, communication and co-ordination were therefore used to provide the audience with the same great level of entertainment and keep us all safe and healthy.

JH: LOADS! We were placed into bubbles so as the ‘Presenter Bubble’ we couldn’t socialise with crew bubbles (so no meals/drinks all together this time!). Once we’d finished a shoot, we all had to head straight back to our hotel rooms. It was all room service as no hotel restaurants were open…all very anti-social lol! We had to carry out rapid flow tests every 3 days and send photos of our results to the Production Manager; we all had our own individual hire cars so that we weren’t travelling together…there was a lot of additional expense for Back2Back, but

it was vital to keep everything safe and moving forward.

HM: Apart from hats and tattoos what does Ian Lawman bring to HMHIH, was it easy to recreate the chemistry and the dynamics you had with Chris?

BG: Ian is so cool. He has a very distinct look and although he may look like a hard man with all his tattoos, he’s actually a big softy lol. We had chemistry from the start.

I was lucky enough to have already forged a friendship with Ian before we went into production. Ian and I had been in contact for years before Help! even started.

Chris and Ian are two very different people with different abilities and skills. Ian may have had BIG boots to fill stepping into Chris’s iconic role, but he did it and did it so well. There were never any concerns about chemistry. We all got on from day one and our friendship developed as the weeks went on.

Ian is funny, insightful, caring, and professional. Honestly, he would send videos and funny memes to Jayne and me each day, and one occasion I laughed so hard I actually fell off my bed.

I think Ian brings a very grounded and subdued approach to his psychic work. He doesn’t always show his emotions as much as Chris, keeps things balanced and is very methodical. He is truly gifted though and able to tackle the darker side of investigation. His passion and experience shines through and Ian looked after us all.

JH: To be honest I don’t think we even thought about it! As soon as the 3 of us were together we just got on with it like we’d worked together for years. We all have a similar sense of humour which always helps, but we’re also all equally passionate about the help we offer. It has to be real, and we do whatever it takes to restore peace to people’s homes.

HM: For those of us that have been fortunate to binge watch it on Discovery+ what can you tell us about this series and the cases, has anything you’ve seen or heard had an impact on you at all? What can they expect in terms of activity?

JH: This series is a little darker that series 1 and 2 as we were able to gain the post watershed time slot. Previously the show had to be easily viewable at any time of day meaning some of the scarier experiences (and resulting swearing!) had to be held back. This time it’s no hole barred! Viewers get to see what we go through unfiltered. In addition

to that we’ve had some of our most challenging, heart wrenching and memorable cases to date so for me, and I know many viewers agree, this is the best series yet.

BG: The 12 locations in this new series of Help!

My House is Haunted are all incredible. We experienced everything from demonic oppression to genuine poltergeist activity. In a few of the episodes we caught things moving or being interacted on their own, including a lamp turning on and off on command, doors opening and more.

Jayne and I again recorded some brilliant grade A EVP’s which blew us all away. However, the most surprising thing for me was the evidence we captured using certain digital applications. Some of this evidence was absolutely astonishing, and I’m now a convert!

“Spirits were intelligently communicating with us and at this one location, the entity was able to say all our names, tell us what they wanted and scared me half to death!”

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The level of paranormal activity obviously varies case by case, but what we experienced and captured will potentially send ripples across the paranormal pond. I experienced being pushed over, saw an apparition with my own eyes which was caught on film, and even photographed a ghost using my full spectrum digital camera.

One of the most interesting things we all experienced was the level of disturbance and interaction via our radios. In several of the episodes we seemed to all at sperate times experience voices and static coming through radios, speakers, walky-talkies, and other audio devices. It’s almost like the spirits were really trying hard to use the electronic devices as a form of Instrumental Trans-Communication (ITC). One of the episodes was so dramatic it has left a lasting memory for us all.

HM: Which location was a) the most demanding b) the weirdest c) the scariest?

BG: All locations were very different and had their many challenges. The most demanding may have been The Black Dog in Grantham for several reasons. The weirdest was definitely the one we filmed in a property located in the Forest of Dean and the scariest was possibly the Bull Hotel in Ludlow where I spent the night alone in one of the haunted bedrooms.

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JH: a) I think the case of Captain Sutton was the most demanding, especially for Ian as it called upon his experience in Exorcism. We didn’t realise we would be dealing with such a powerful attachment alongside the residual energy of the captain so that was gruelling. b) The Bull Hotel in Ludlow 100%! - the sound of the little girl crying coming through the walkie talkie will stay with me forever. At the time I literally didn’t know what to do at that point. It took a while for us to refocus and move forward with the investigation. c) The Black Dog in Grantham - that upstairs flat had a bizarre energy all of its own. Not somewhere I felt at all comfortable.

HM: Are there any new gadgets and gizmos on the show this series?

BG: There aren’t that many new gadgets used in this series, but you will see that we used some applications for the first time with astonishing results. Andy at Infraready was also kind enough to provide me with some new bits of kit including the 360 REM Pod and X-Pod devices.

Both of these provided some excellent collaborative results. As usual I relied on my trusty voice recorders to record the voices of the dead. This time I used my Olympus VP10 and VP20 models. Both were instrumental in gathering first class paranormal evidence.

JH: Ask Barri lol! This series I bought along my SLS camera as we’d had issues with 2 previous models. I also bought my old valve radio to introduce a more traditional method of ITC and a couple of new REM devices including a motion activated toy train which child spirits really seem to love.

HM: One word to describe Ian? JH: Focused

BG: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious(!)

HM: In this series, there seems to be a lot more emotion involved in the cases, a lot of personal issues are solved, and problems resolved, did you fell that too?

JH: Absolutely! that’s why these cases are chosen - they are real people needing real help. It does have a profound effect on people when we’re able to hand them back their homes, safe in the knowledge that no harm will come to them. Sometimes of course homeowners are happy to co-exist with the spirits, and that’s great! It’s all about providing answers and clarity. If we can’t do that then we haven’t done our job.

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HM: Barri, how does it feel to be the only surviving ‘veteran’ from season 1? Jayne replaced Sandy in series 2, Ian has replaced Chris in series 3. Are you worried about Series 4? (Laughs) BG: When you say veteran it makes me sound like the old guy LOL. I am truly privileged and honoured to be the only one of the team to be part of all 3 seasons of Help! My house is Haunted. It’s a great achievement these days in the world of television to make a third season and I do believe that the popularity of the show will allow for us to make more Help! My House is Haunted very soon.

I don’t worry too much about being replaced, but these things do happen for so many reasons. However, I don’t think Help! My House is Haunted would ever be the same without my technical expertise, not to mention the jumping, screaming and occasionally running away from spirits lol.

Seriously though, the team need my knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and gadgetry to continue helping people and the spirits so I’m quietly confident that I won’t be shown the red card just yet.

(Unsure face emoji) HM: Jayne, does the paranormal in any way shape or form feel different to you since the pandemic started?

If the situation surrounding your visit remains unsolved, how do you leave it?

JH: I think the pandemic has highlighted those teams within the paranormal field who are not truly working in the name of research. Teams who have continued to investigate haunted locations during lockdown for example, simply to satisfy their social media followers is, to my mind, unacceptable. We all had a duty to do the right thing and I think those who did abide by the rules have felt a sense of unity with those who did the same. I don’t like the term para-unity, but I’d say that finding ourselves forced into isolation has definitely bought out the best in some people in terms of their passion for the unexplained.

So far, we have never walked away from a case leaving it unsolved. There is always a resolution. However long it takes!

Help! My House Is Haunted series three is available to stream now exclusively on discovery+ HAUNTED MAGAZINE

There is a huge team effort at HMHIH, we had the privilege of going on location to see this in action for ourselves. There’s a lot of dedicated crew, both on set crew and behind the scenes at back2back productions Ltd. We caught up with David Notman-Watt, Executive Producer of the series and Founder/MD of back2back productions Ltd. HM: Very well done on a fantastic series 3 of the show (on discovery+ UK at time of writing), we are very much hoping for a series 4 – hopefully free from filming restrictions. How has it been filming during this crazy period we have been living through? What changes, from a production point of view have you had to implement through filming on location?

DN: At the end of every series the back2back team have all discussed at length ways in which we can improve the series, what tech can be better utilised, how can the filming team support the presenters more efficiently…it’s a never-ending quest for perfection. The big question for series 3, however, was how to make this happen during a pandemic. As you can imagine it wasn’t easy. We had hugely complex Covid protocols the entire team had to follow, from filming in bubbles to self-isolation to the 2-metre rule… you name it, the team came up against it. But we were determined to get the third series on air and with a huge team effort we made it happen. Would I want to make a series based in family homes during a pandemic again? Ideally not…

HM: What’s the process for deciding on which locations to use? How much research goes into each location before choosing the locations to visit? After three series are surprised at how many locations need help?

DN: The team sift through a considerable number of potential houses as part of the pre-production for the series. As well as understanding the paranormal activity present in any potential house, there are also several considerations to be taken on board, from its location, building size, access…standard production work that is

INTERVIEW with DAVID NOTMAN-WATT

HELP! MY HOUSE IS HAUNTED EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND FOUNDER/MD of BACK2BACK PRODUCTIONS LTD essential when trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle for making twelve strong episodes that all fit together in a series within a limited timeframe.

The team interview the owners of each home at length, and over a few weeks we start to build up a shortlist of homes and their owners that work both editorially and practically. As for being surprised at how many locations need help in the UK? Er, yes! I honestly had no idea when we started producing ‘Help! My House is Haunted’ that this would be the case. Amazing.

HM: How is the footage used from each investigated decided upon and how much involvement do the team have in the final edit?

DN: We have a team of Edit Producers who look after the editing of episodes with Series Producer Ben Cole overseeing all of them. I sign off rough cuts which are then sent to Discovery for their input. Ben also oversees the location filming, so he knows exactly what footage is available from each home. As you can imagine there is a huge amount of material to work through and I have nothing but admiration for the editing team who are able to bring this footage to life in the way that they do.

HM: Will Chris Fleming be returning in the future or is Ian a permanent fixture now?

DN: Never say never! Obviously Covid had a huge impact on Series 3 and Chris was unable to travel. Ian lawman came on board with Chris’s full support and respect. Ian did an exceptional job in the series and the team are all delighted with what he brought to it, as are Discovery. When I am approached by Discovery about a possible next series (watch this space, there is something exciting coming your way….) then we will discuss how they want to develop it, but I can confidently say that Ian is most definitely now an established part of the family. All I know at present is that Series 3 has been a great success on d+ with impressive numbers of viewers and extremely positive reviews all round – that’s as good as it gets as far as I am concerned!

HM: If any of our UK readers are experiencing a haunting that the team could assist with, who should they get in touch with?

DN: We are always on the lookout for potential hauntings so please do email production@ back2back.tv in the first instance and a member of the team will get back in touch. All I ask is that you make it clear on the subject line that the email

refers to ‘Help! My House is Haunted’ – thank you.

HM: What makes HMHIH different from other paranormal TV shows?

DN: I think there have been lots of great paranormal shows over the years and the team all made sure we watched as many of them as we could in the early days of our series. For me the most important thing as a producer, no matter what type of series back2back is making, is story telling. Our three presenters, with their different specialisms, have a clear mission statement which is to get to the bottom of the paranormal activity that is happening in every house we go to. That might sound simple, but it’s not. The team are adamant at every location that we will not only understand the history of the paranormal activity that is happening but that we will also work out how to find a resolution for the owners of each home. In the early days we might not have pulled it off every time, but with the team and crew we have on the show now I think we have found a way to make this work consistently. And it goes without saying that Jayne, Ian and Barri are exceptional at what they do, and we are just trying to find ways of capturing it on film in such a way that viewers feel part of it.

HM: Ian, Jayne and Barri are embedded in the paranormal, it’s what they do, it’s their lives.

From a production company (and a personal) point of view what are your views on the paranormal, have they changed over the years?

DN: Without a doubt. I have seen and heard things in the raw footage from each location that I simply cannot explain rationally. To be honest I’m still trying to work out where I stand on all of this.

In series 3 there are moments that blow me away – the sound of the crying child, the Lord’s prayer, the head looking around the door...for once I am speechless. Trust me, that doesn’t happen often.

HM: Not many UK paranormal shows get to a third series, that must be testament to the success of the show, because when it comes down to it, as popular as it is in the paranormal world, how much do viewing figures impact on future series?

DN: This series has found its home on D+ and they are incredibly supportive of what we are doing. In the harsh, modern world of television D+, like all commercial channels, is driven by numbers. I would love to say that I know when back2back has produced a hit HAUNTED MAGAZINE

TV show, but I’d be lying if I said that. Until something that you have produced goes on air you have no idea how it’s going to be received. I’m just so happy for everyone involved in this series - at both back2back and Discovery - that ‘Help! My House is Haunted’ has been, and continues to be, so well received. The comments we are sent on social media are still so encouraging and supportive… its incredible really.

HM: In this series, there seems to be a lot more emotion involved in the cases, a lot of personal issues are solved, and problems resolved, did you feel that, whilst filming, too?

DN: Definitely. I think as a team we are learning not to hold back as much. I suppose it comes with all of us having growing confidence in each other and in what we are doing. Like everything in life, the more you do it the better you get at it, and there is no doubt that is the case here. This is work in progress. Most of the crew have been involved from the start so it’s very much a case of us all learning and working hard together to make the best series that we possibly can. We owe that commitment to the investigators, and we owe it to the loyal viewers as well.

HM: From the very beginning of HMHIH, it seems that the on-location crew, seemed to get affected at times, is it encouraged that the crew speak up and say if they see or hear something?

DN: To be honest we don’t set out to involve the crew. They obviously appear in much of the footage during the overnight investigations because of the nature of what is being filmed and how we film it. When crew members are affected, we just go with it. As your readers will undoubtedly know it’s not something you can really prepare for. As the crew become more confident and open to what is happening on location, I would like to think that we will continue to see more of their involvement if they see or hear anything that they feel could be important to the investigation in any way. None of us have come to this series as paranormal fans or believers, we have come to it as television producers. What’s interesting is that the things that we have seen and filmed over the past few years in making this series have turned us from television producers into paranormal believers.

Help! My House Is Haunted series three is available to stream now exclusively on discovery+

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THE RETURN OF THE LAWMAN Haunted Magazine last (officially) interviewed Ian Lawman back in 2011, we have spoken many times since & always wanted him back in the magazine, but the chance never arose.

Fast forward 10 years and it is our absolute pleasure to be speaking to Ian again.

HM: How time flies, can you first briefly describe what you have been up to in the last 10 years?

IL: Since my last interview with Haunted Magazine, I have been busy, I was buried alive in 2011, I then went to Australia to film an amazing show called Haunting Australia with some incredibly talented Cast members not forgetting the late Rev Gaurav Tiwari, after that I was asked to Be part of another amazing series Called Ghost Chasers. I’ve since met my new partner; make-up artist Nicola Kirk and I live on a houseboat.

HM: The new boy, how does that feel?

IL: It’s always daunting coming into an established show and not knowing the crew and never have worked with the other cast members before, and the unknown of how they feel about me coming on board.

HM: Can you tell us what happened when you got the call?

IL: I received a call from Ben, the Series Producer, explaining that Back2Back Productions were looking for a new cast member to replace the amazing Chris Fleming,

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who was unable to fly over to the UK due to COVID-19 restrictions. So, over the next few weeks we went back and forth with calls until I got the call saying that I was onboard for Series 3.

HM: Had you known Jayne and Barri before?

IL: I have known Barri for many years before the show and spoke many times but never met. I didn’t know Jayne, we’d never met, but I’d seen her work.

HM: Do you know Chris?

IL: I knew Chris from TV, and when he knew I was going to be his replacement, we have chatted a bit, he has wished me well and he has been incredibly supportive.

HM: You’re a veteran of Paranormal TV shows, having been on so many, what is different about HMHIH to all the other shows?

IL: Firstly, thanks for making me feel old! (Laughs) I think all my other shows have been very different apart from Living with The Dead, which fans loved, and it was also known for helping people in their homes. HMHIH is very fresh and delves deeper with Jayne looking at

the History of the local area and the property that we are at, while Barri gains first-hand information of the hauntings from the family involved, which makes this show vastly different.

HM: What can we look forward to in this series of HMHIH? IL: The hauntings are a lot darker, and some family members have attachments, which make this series stand out.

HM: You don’t give many interviews, unless contractually obliged or it is something you want to do, why is that?

IL: I now try and keep my personal and family life very private and away from the press, I am always happy to do interviews to help a show rather than just talk about myself.

HM: How do you think the paranormal has been affected by the pandemic?

IL: The last 18 months or so have been pretty weird for all of us, being locked down, losing friends and family and unable to spend time with them has been truly awful. Regarding the paranormal I really do feel it has done the industry good; I feel some locations have become over investigated and become flat, so the break has made them become more active.

HM: It may be a silly question (to some), but we have to ask: are spirits and the spooks aware of what has been happening re: the pandemic?

IL: Yes 100%, I feel loved ones we talk to definitely know what is going on, as for spirits years older, I am not so sure.

HM: You aren’t given any information on the location but do have an uncanny knack of ‘seeing’ what’s to come. How do these thoughts manifest themselves and does it ever distract you from driving?

IL: Sceptics will always say I have information, but I can honestly say I don’t, even my call sheet is hugely different from everyone else’s. All I have is call times and hotel information.

I have visions as well as hearing voices when I am driving, sometimes like a photo or video and other times like a voice just explaining. It is very strange when I come to a tight spot or junction or circle, they seem to stop.

HM: When did you first realise your mediumship ability?

IL: I was around three to four years old when I started talking to people.

HM: It was a sad day when Derek Acorah passed away in early 2020. We have always thought of Derek and yourselves as honest, genuine people with a great gift. What are your memories of Derek?

IL: Derek Acorah was such a talent and friend, 2020 was a massive loss to the Spiritualist World, but let us look at the positives he paved the way for many psychics like myself. From time to time, he would

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call & tell me I was going to do well.

We met many, many years ago on a show called Psychic Live time and years later our paths crossed again on Most Haunted. He was a true gent and very funny. When we were filming Psychic Live, he always said “keep true and you can never go wrong.” I still to this day ask if he’s doing ok, apparently him and Colin Fry are having a ball.

HM: How different is your investigation style to Chris’?

IL: I am very laid back and calm, but I am also an Exorcist as well.

HM: Which location was a) the most demanding b) the weirdest c) the scariest?

IL: all the locations are demanding; they all take energy. Wales for me was weird in the way that all the miners came back home shining lanterns which made me very emotional & will touch me for the rest of my life. The scariest, for me, was the Trinity Arts Centre for me, 100%, hearing the Lord’s Prayer and names being called out

HM: One word to describe: a) Jayne b) Barri?

IL: Jayne: “caring”, Barri: “funny”

Ian, it has been great chatting with you again, let’s not make it another 10 years before we get you in the magazine again.

Help! My House Is Haunted series three is available to stream now exclusively on discovery+

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BY

I

n the heart of England lies the in ancient city of Derby, steeped .A few a by only lled a history riva ly wise man once told me that near blue a rves dese every other building histoplaque. Yet, sadly, much of the king ry is falling by the wayside. Wal ce noti will you re, around the city cent and arity vulg ern mod of mix a jarring s ornate craftmanship lost to time s wall ent anci the gone by. Whilst lie that ies stor y man the , ious are obv is this And within them are not so. to a where I can help. Let me take you of the ies stor with ting burs ding buil gs to most gruesome kind , and hauntin d. bloo r chill you

LORIEN

JONES

W

e need to head out of the city centre, just short of a mile, along the impressive grandeur of Friar Gate. Despite there being no significant gates in sight, you will find the term used much throughout Derby. After the Vikings invaded in 917AD, they re-named the city and many of its streets. Gate comes from the Danish word ‘gata’ which simply translates to ‘street’.

Friar Gate is lined with elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings. In the early 1800s, Friar Gate became an affluent area of Derby and many of the gentry had their town houses built here. Nestled amongst these buildings is the place we have come to see today. The unassuming façade gives little away, you could pass by 50-51 Friar Gate with no idea of the lives taken right here on the doorstep. Let’s venture around to the back of the building, to the smaller and less impressive Agard Street.

Standing on the pavement, a wasteland car park stretches out in front of you, the grass grows tall and unkempt, and beyond this is the tall rear-side of our building. As the afternoon traffic passes HAUNTED MAGAZINE

busily behind, you walk through the car park to read the white lettering painted on a small, black gate; ‘Derby Gaol’. “Doesn’t look much like a gaol”, you think. Without knowing any better, it would easily pass as one of the surrounding townhouses. But this, in fact, was Derby County Gaol from 1756 to 1828. Beyond this point, it continued as the town gaol until the 1840s, whilst the new county gaol was erected on Vernon Street. But back to Agard Street, many criminals were housed here, from petty thieves to cold-blooded murderers. To truly discover the depths of the horrors this building has seen, we need to travel back to the 18th Century.

It’s a balmy August evening in 1780 and the scene before you looks a lot different now. The surrounding buildings are all gone, yet to be built, and you’re now looking at the twentyfive-year-old Nun’s Green Gaol. This is the second county gaol to occupy Derby. The first, Cornmarket Gaol, was built in 1652 in the heart of the city centre. Conditions in the gaol were grim, cells were built below the water level of the adjacent Derwent River.

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uring times of heavy rain when water levels rose, it was documented that prisoners were drowned in their cells before their time of execution. And it wouldn’t have been clean water either. When that first gaol was deemed unfit for purpose, it was demolished and the stones were used to build this new gaol out of town, on land owned by the nunnery of St Mary De Pratis.

The sky is laced with wispy, pink clouds and the air is filled with the pungent mix of animal dung, human excrement and something revolting on the boil. You hear the approaching rumble of a wooden cart and hooves on the hard, dry ground.

It comes to a stop next to you and a bound man is roughly manhandled down. This is the 26-year-old wanted highwayman William Buxton. Two separate highway robberies have landed him a cell here in the gaol until his time of execution. He struggles against the men and is dragged in through the rear of the building, resisting all the while. His worn leather boots kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake. The wooden door slams shut behind the men, and all is quiet again. This is the last time Buxton will see the sky again until his day of execution, in just a few days’ time.

When Nun’s Green was first built, it had the capacity to hold twenty-nine prisoners. Around sixty condemned were executed from substantial trees on the green, and then from man-made gallows. By 1812, the area was much more developed, and the gaol was extended and incorporated to fit into the surrounding Friar Gate, becoming known then as Friar Gate Gaol. A further eighteen prisoners, men, and women, were hanged on the front steps of the gaol. But these were not the only deaths to occur on the property. Conditions were poor and general health was bad, illness took the lives of many. Typhus, known as gaol fever, was rife and spread rapidly through the cells.

And then there were those who escaped the hangman’s noose by creating their own. In 1784, brothers John and Benjamin Jones were apprehended for burglary, known then as ‘house-breaking’. This was enough for them to be handed the death penalty, but these brothers decided to take their fate into their own hands. They were found hanging, face to face, in their cell having used the shirts off their backs as make-shift nooses.

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unishments were more severe two hundred and fifty years ago. The Bloody Code of 1770 – 1830 meant that many minor crimes were punishable by death. Theft as petty as pickpocketing was enough to see John Parson hanged in 1787. Forgery led to the hanging of Joseph West in 1807 and burning stacks of corn saw Brown, Booth, Jackson, and King all hanged in 1817. Theft was often a result of starving families and less-so the actions of hardened criminals. We have a more humane approach to lesser crimes these days, and whilst it’s easy to view the past through rose-tinted glasses, we must remember that there were still vile people committing heinous crimes. And such people were held in these very same cells.

One such man, and the last person to be hanged at Friar Gate, was thirty-fiveyear-old George Batty, sentenced for the rape of 16-year-old Martha Hawksley in April 1825. In Martha’s account, she explains that she was walking with her younger sister when she was attacked.

Her sister managed to flee, whilst Martha was thrown into nearby bushes by Batty.

You remain outside the gaol, and we fastforward 36 years in time. It’s now 1816 and the familiar sound of an approaching cart grows louder. Removed from the cart is 27-year-old Joseph Wheeldon. He was arrested for the murder of his young niece and nephew, Mary Ann, and Isaac Wheeldon. Joseph had been living with his brother John, his wife, and their young family at the time of the incident. Left alone with the children, something happened that led to him killing 9-year-old Isaac and 4-year-old Mary Ann, sparing the lives of a 13-month-old infant and 6-year-old John, who had managed to flee and find and alert his mother to the horrors that lay await at home.

Joseph had attacked the children with a gorse hook nearly beheading the pair and badly mutilating Isaac, who presumably put up a fight.

As the men lead Wheeldon into the gaol, you follow along the dirt path and in through a small, arched doorway. The sudden gloom mixed with an increase in the foul odour creates an unpleasant welcome. It’s August again and you appreciate the cool air of the gaol, but little else. Wheeldon is stripped and washed before re-dressing in his own clothes. His hair is cut, and he is bundled into a cell, a brick-built room with an arched ceiling and no windows. There are five other men in this small room, making for an uncomfortable existence, with nothing but straw on the floor and a horribly full bucket in the corner. The air is damp and putrid, and makes you feel instantly sick. A small candle flickers dimly from a ledge providing very little light, wax slowing trickly down the wall. A little while later, he is brought some grey-looking slop in a bowl and a drink of water. This is life for Wheeldon until the following Thursday evening, the night before his execution.

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He is transferred to the Condemned Cell, nearest to the point of execution which at this point in history, would have been the front door of the gaol. His morning begins with a simple meal of bread and water. Nothing compared to the devilled kidneys and bacon being fried for the hangman’s breakfast in the gaol kitchen. The torment of which serving as one last punishment for the condemned. The executioner and any other dignitaries who had come to witness the execution would enjoy their breakfast in the Association Room, the place in the gaol that prisoners said their last goodbyes to family. If they had anyone who cared enough to want to say goodbye.

You hear a commotion from the front of the gaol on Friar Gate. It doesn’t take you long to realise that these are the sounds of the scaffold being built, something that was repeated on the morning of every execution. It makes you wonder why there was no permanent structure.

It also makes you wonder how Wheeldon must been feeling right now. Glancing into the cell, you see him sitting on the floor, a distant stare transfixed and beads of perspiration dotting his brow. As you watch, you wonder what could have possessed a man to commit such horrendous acts of violence on such innocent little lives. You shudder from your musings as a priest bustles past you and into the cell. He spends time with Joseph, reading from the bible, all the while the banging continues outside.

As 1pm approaches, Joseph is led from his cell into the Association Room. His chains are removed, and his hands are bound. Many men have lost their composure at this point, but Joseph remains collected.

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He is then taken from the gaol through the front door, and you follow, watching as he climbs up onto the platform. An unusually large crowd has gathered to watch the execution, no doubt eager to see the end of such a monstrous man. You see sheets of paper littering the floor and being passed among the crowd. The Penny Dreadful, a printed article educating those gathered on the horrific details of the crime and the criminal of the day. The priest issues some more words of comfort to Joseph, who listens on his knees.

He then stands and the noose is placed around his neck, the knot placed behind his left ear. He looks around at the many jeering faces, fists punching the air in encouragement, mouths shouting obscenities drowned out by the blood pounding in his ears. It wouldn’t be unusual to see weeping family members in the crowd. Today, there are none. He closes his eyes, and for a split second you feel a pang of sympathy, but this is short lived. A dark hood is placed over his head, the drop opens and Wheeldon’s body succumbs to the work of the rope. There is little agitation and all signs of life slowly diminish. The crowd cheers and Joseph’s limp body is left to hang there for about half an hour.

At this point, the body would be given back to the family of the deceased for burial. But the Murder Act of 1752 saw the punishments of convicted murderers continue beyond execution. They were either gibbetted, which was to be suspended in a cage and left there for years, even decades, or publicly dissected.

The latter was the case for Wheeldon. This public dissection was the reason only bread and water were served on the execution morning, minimising unnecessary mess.

They were often carried out in a public building such as an inn. The body was then taken and fully anatomized by surgeons. No religious ceremony or burial was permitted, completing total punishment for the ultimate crime.

You try to shake the experience but are fully aware that this will stay with you forever. Those spectators, they will continue to go about their business without much further thought for Wheeldon or any who have gone before him. It is a different time with different ways. You’re ready to leave the 19th Century behind but are curious as to the effects these events will have on our modern world.

Without warning, you’re standing outside the back of the gaol again, in your own time now. It is night-time, the dark sky lightened by the orange, artificial glow of the surrounding streetlamps. The modern, more familiar

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odours of traffic fumes and food outlets are a welcome relief. One of the most haunted sites in the county of Derbyshire now stands before you. The years of history have taken their toll on the building. You look down at your feet. Many who visit this building, now a museum paying homage to its grizzly past, are unaware of the souls buried beneath the ground they walk on. For a while this was a county gaol, and offenders from other counties were sent back for execution, many travellers and vagrants were free from, or hiding, an identity. What to do with their bodies after execution? They were buried in unmarked graves in the ground at the back of the building. It is still unknown just how many bodies are out here.

Tonight, you are spending the night in the gaol, attempting to discover more about those who remain here, long after their date with the executioner’s rope. You’ve heard the tales of full-bodied apparitions and poltergeist activity. The gaoler Blyth Simpson still wanders, keys clinking on his hip. It is said he believes he is still in charge of the gaol and will make himself known to anyone who challenges his authority. Tortured souls linger, afraid of what awaits them in the afterlife. Rather than face retribution for their HAUNTED MAGAZINE

crimes, they choose eternal incarceration.

The evil looking apparition of a thick-set, bald headed man in a leather waistcoat scared one woman so much that she refused to return to the building, even detouring on a journey so as not to drive past the gaol! It makes me think he was maybe an executioner, but who knows? And who is the man in the red coat who sits in the corner of the old Association Room, reported by many visitors both day and night?

If you’re visiting Derby, you should definitely look up the gaol for a visit. It is unimposing, scarcely promoted and yet packs a powerful punch. And if you think you’d like to spend a spooky night behind bars, you can book yourself an evening in Derby Gaol! Just be careful what you wish for…. There are many more haunting tales from the gaol, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun!

L orien X

For more information about Derby Gaol check out https://richardfelix. co.uk/derby-gaol/

17 Lilliputian Coffins I

By Evelyn Hollow

n the summer of 1836, a group of young lads out hunting rabbits on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh made a discovery that continues to baffle paranormal experts and anthropologists to this day.

Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano at the centre of a collection of hill peaks that make up the majority of Holyrood Park, which lies at the heart of Scotland’s capital city. As well as being the home of the Votadini Tribe in 400AD it has its own distinct mythology, including being vaunted as the true site of Camelot and other ties to King Arthur – hence the name.

On the north-east side of Arthur’s Seat, in a small cave of which the entrance was hidden by slabs of slate, these young lads found seventeen miniature coffins.

The coffins were arranged in three tiers – eight on the bottom, another eight above, and finally one single coffin at the top. Measuring just 9.5cm in length these coffins were intricately carved from wood and contained a paired wooden figure that had been expertly dressed in tiny clothing. When the media found out there was uproar, cries of witchcraft and demonology and hexes. Once this original hullabaloo had dampened the coffins were sold off to private collectors (because rich people had/ have a monopoly on everything, even heritage) and did not reappear to the public until 1901.

Of the initial seventeen only eight survived. These were first donated to the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland before being passed along to the NMS (National Museum of Scotland).

What did these coffins represent?

Who put them there?

And what happened to the other nine coffins?

The Scotsman newspaper implicated witchcraft, stating at the time: “Our own opinion would be – had we not some years ago abjured witchcraft and demonology – that there are still some of the weird sisters hovering about Mushat’s Cairn or the Windy Gowl, who retain their ancient power to work the spells of death by entombing the likenesses of those they wish to destroy.”

Picture credits: National Museum of Scotland

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Other papers implied that they were burial effigies, made by someone to represent loved ones lost at sea. The Director of The Museum of Hamburg History suggested later that they may have been lucky charms that were hidden in the hillside to be sold later, but although the use of charms was still prevalent in Scotland well into the 19th century these particular coffins line up with the German tradition but do not fit with any other charms used here before.

There was a bizarre story published in the paper five years after the initial discovery in which a woman reported that her father was visited several times by an erratic deaf and mute man who had drawn three coffins on a piece of paper and dated them 1837, 1838, and 1840. In 1837 a close relative of her father’s died, then in 1838 a cousin of his died, and then finally in 1840 his own brother died.

The strange man had appeared after the funeral and then was never seen again. The paper wonders if it is a string of bizarre and tragic coincidences or if this man was somehow tied to the Arthur’s Seat Coffins.

finally able to be professionally examined all we can determine is that all dolls were made by one person, they could have been in the trade of shoe-making due to the techniques used, and that the eyes on each were originally designed opened. It is impossible to tell if these were burial effigies, or used as representations in witchcraft, or if they were sacrificial rites for demonology.

Another theory: https://www.scotsman.com/artsand-culture/author-claims-have-solved-edinburghcoffin-doll-mystery-1430490

Some believe that the 17 coffins represent 17 victims.

Just a few years before their discovery the paper headlines were filled with the infamous crimes of Burke and Hare; the two ‘body snatchers’ who had murdered seventeen people in order to sell the corpses to Dr. Knox. Knox was a respected anatomist, and he required the corpses for teaching at the college of surgeons as Edinburgh was leading the world in medical research, they were paid handsomely too as murdered bodies were a lot fresher than the ones dug up from graves by resurrectionists. Did someone create the coffins to honour those 17 victims? Did they know something about the murders that we do not?

The papers at the time stated that several of the coffins were destroyed by the boys, and the rest that were sold off to private collectors have never resurfaced. Which leaves us without knowing what the rest look like or may contain. It also leaves the uncomfortable notion that there may be a few of these grim relics lying around Edinburgh waiting to be rediscovered – or have they travelled elsewhere, and if so, what have they done to their keepers?

Finally, in 2014 a chilling little package was delivered anonymously to the museum. Inside it contained a well-made replica of one of the Lilliputian coffins and was cryptically titled ‘XVIII?’, attached to it was a label that had a handwritten quote on it; the climax of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story ‘The Body Snatcher’. And so, the mystery goes on.

Several people believed them to be cursed. Some would say that these coffins were totems meant to trap the souls of victims and do them harm, or that they were made as a sacrifice to summon something from the depths of the dark. Although many decades later they were

“Several people believed them to be cursed. Some would say that these coffins were totems meant to trap the souls of victims and do them harm, or that they were made as a sacrifice to summon something from the depths of the dark...”

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National Museum of Scotland: https://www.nms. ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottishhistory-and-archaeology/mystery-of-the-miniaturecoffins/

Evelyn x

JENNY

SAM

Scare Factor:

Scare Factor:

She’s terrified of whatever is in her house…

You can’t be scared of what you don’t believe in... right?

Sceptic Factor: She didn’t believe in ghosts… until now!

Stamina: She’s staying up until 2:22 to prove she’s telling the truth!

Sceptic Factor: He’s so rational, you’ll never convince him ghosts exist!

Stamina: Ready for an all-nighter, just to prove Jenny wrong!

LAUREN

BEN

Scare Factor:

Scare Factor:

She can see how scared Jenny is, and it’s contagious!

He’s a pretty tough guy who has been on plenty of ghost hunts!

Sceptic Factor:

Sceptic Factor:

She’s not a believer, but she has seen some things she doesn’t understand...

He’s a 100% true believer who is convinced he’s psychic!

Stamina: Lauren’s knocking back the wine will she make it through the night?

222aghoststory.com

Stamina: Can he bear a whole evening with Sam without hitting him?

BONES, DRONES AND A VERY HAPPY FANNY? The Residents of Button Hall return for a brand new series of GHOSTS and it’s a corker!

BBC One’s hugely successful sitcom GHOSTS returned to our screens in August 2021 for a third six-part series.

I will be honest, I binge watched it, all SIX episodes, back-to-back, one after the other, pausing only for a refreshment break, a toilet break, and a wipe up the drink I spilled from laughing too much break.

A SERIOUSLY SPOOKY SPOILER-FREE SERIES THREE REVIEW FROM ME!

T

hree of my favourite things are the paranormal, history & comedy. I have long hoped & wished that ghosts from all eras of history could mingle together, walk & talk amongst us & decide to make their presence known when THEY choose & not when asked by us.

I binge watched all 6 episodes of Ghosts Series 3 last night / early this morning and I need to apologise to my family & next-door neighbours if they heard me laugh loudly at certain times because that’s what I did several times pre and post-midnight.

Ghosts mixes paranormal with punchlines, and you will laugh, smirk and smile at it but, if you’re like me, you will bellow out laughter that you just can’t keep in cos some of the lines are genuine comedy gold. Each episode has lines that you will remember over and over.

One particular line from scoutmaster Patrick keeps replaying over and over in my head and I am sure people seeing me are thinking “what’s that chap over there constantly smiling about” cos even thinking about Ghosts in my head, makes me feel good, makes me giggle and smirk (yes, still) Each Ghosts character, including the “living ones” Alison & Mike, has grown in stature since the first series as individuals, but also together, as a team & that’s what makes it work. The back stories, the plotlines of the characters are genius, the writing is just superb HAUNTED MAGAZINE

I have been busy trying to find a hat to wear just so that I can take it off & say well done to all cast, crew & anyone connected with Ghosts and of course a special mention to the cast: Katy Wix, Lolly Adefope, Jim Howick, Martha Howe-Douglas, Charlotte Ritchie, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Ben Willbond and Simon Farnaby (Putting the hat on again, before taking it off) also a special nod & mention to Tom Kingsley who passed the directorial baton over to Nicholas Collett for this series of Ghosts.

Without series 1 & 2 there’d be no series 3. The foundations were set in ghostly stone, and it was a seamless transition Whether you are a paranormal fan or not, and just a lover of comedy at its funniest this is the best series of Ghosts by far (I hasten to add ‘so far’). There’s so much to enjoy, including the beautiful location.

It is a romantic nod to the paranormal, spirits living side by side with humans; chatting, interacting & helping them that can see them (Alison) & others that can’t (Mike). Slapstick humour, one-liners, heartfelt moments, comedy gold moments and dance moves, it has the lot I promised you no spoilers & I will stick to that but if you get to chance to watch all 6 in one go, my advice; GO FOR IT! Paul, Haunted Magazine

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EERIE EPISODES THE GHOULISH GUIDE TO GHOSTS SERIES 3 (Spoiler Free)

EPISODE 1 – THE BONE PLOT

Q&A

CHARLOTTE RITCHIE

When a historical documentary team comes to film at Button House, Alison and the ghosts are shocked to discover that the assassination plot they’re exploring involves one of their own. Meanwhile, Mike – always on the lookout for free publicity – begs Alison to accept the offer of a television interview about the old house. The only hitch is Alison is terrified of speaking on camera. Luckily, Thomas is there to coach her in the art of speech-giving. What could possibly go wrong?

EPISODE 2 – A LOT TO TAKE IN A mysterious visitor arrives at Button House with a revelation that leaves Alison reeling. Thomas is equally confused by his feelings for this strange visitor, while Lady Button and Julian warn of sinister motives, and Kitty is as territorial as ever over her surrogate sister, Alison. Mike has an epiphany on his first day at a new job, which triggers Julian to remember his first day as a ghost. But will their insights be enough to help Alison make sense of the overwhelming news she’s received?

EPISODE 3 – THE WOODWORM MEN While Button House is being fumigated for woodworm, Alison and Mike decide to save some money and camp in the grounds overnight while the treatment takes effect. Pat and the Captain love the chance to be in the great outdoors again, while Alison and Mike get competitive over who’s the better camper. Meanwhile, Mary, terrified by the notion of the “Woodworm Men” tries to eliminate them from the house, and a night off from scolding the ghosts isn’t quite what Lady Button bargained for

Q: The team know each other inside out, don’t they?

A: Yes, they have a shorthand with each other. They’ve got a groove together and really like hanging out with each other. When it’s such a big cast, it helps that there is that collaborative element. As a result, you get such a variety of different types of humour. What’s fun is that if you don’t find someone falling over funny, you might find more alternative or obscure joke amuse you. There is something for everyone.

KIELL SMITH-BYNOE

EPISODE 4 – I LOVE LUCY Alison has invited Lucy to come to Button House for a sleepover, but after a worrying meeting with the solicitor, Alison must work out if Lucy is really who she says she is. The Captain insists on using his skills in surveillance to help Alison find out the truth, but is he up to the job? After an emailing prank from Julian gets out of hand, Mike has some awkward explaining to do to his boss. Meanwhile Lady Button is acting out of character, and the other ghosts are determined to find out why.

EPISODE 5 – SOMETHING TO SHARE? Alison takes it upon herself to ask Kitty about her relationship with her sister, a topic the other ghosts fear will open an emotional can of worms. But in trying to sabotage the makeshift therapy session Alison is conducting for Kitty, the ghosts end up discovering more about themselves, and facing their own demons. Meanwhile Mike feels left out of the “gang” Alison has with the ghosts, so sets out to discover how to gain “the sight” for himself, which yields surprising results.

Q: Why do the relationships between the ghosts work so well?

A: Viewers relate to at least half of the characters. There’s something there for everyone. There is a real family dynamic between the ghosts.

The other thing that adds to the comedy is the fact that these people are trapped together. They have no choice but to get on. They can’t leave or change their circumstances. That’s part of the fun of it.

MARTHA HOWE-DOUGLAS

Q: Why do you think Ghosts has chimed with audiences?

EPISODE 6 – PART OF THE FAMILY As Alison spends more and more time with Lucy, she has to have a frank talk with Kitty about her feelings of jealousy. The Captain offers Kitty a shoulder to cry on, but in doing so unearths an inconsistency that needs explaining. Meanwhile Pat leads Mary and Robin in an improvisation class, and Thomas is determined to show off his football skills to Alison, but Humphrey’s Head is not pleased that he’ll have to “play ball” – literally.

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A: It’s been hit because it’s got something for everyone. Each ghost brings something different to the table. Those sorts of relationships are always fascinating – who gets on and who clashes with who. We’ve created characters that people have grown to love. Viewers have taken them to their hearts. Also, the BBC seem very happy with what we’re doing.

MATHEW BAYNTON

that’s what makes it funny. They are from entirely different periods of history.

There is no sense that in any other circumstance, they would have naturally formed friendships, but they have to rub along together here because they can’t escape. They can’t go, “I’m just popping out to the shops for 10 minutes.” It’s never plain sailing, but that’s where the comedy lies.

BEN WILLBOND

Q: What are the principal themes of the third season?

A: Family is a big theme in this series. We wanted to address something that had been on our minds a while – in order to have inherited the house, Alison’s parents can’t be in the picture anymore. What does that mean?

She didn’t have a family, and now she has a house full of ghosts, some of whom are literally her family and some of whom are her family by proxy.

That’s a theme we explore in depth this year.

SIMON FARNABY

Q: Why has Ghosts resonated with such a broad spectrum of people?

A: We just strive to make a fun show – we don’t get too tangled up in who it’s for. By default, we’ve landed up with this family show, and that pleases us greatly. We all grew up watching and absorbing all the comedy we could find rather than the most targeted programming. We have tried to emulate shows like Blackadder and Fawlty Towers and not to target anyone in particular. I’m just glad that Ghosts appeals to all age groups.

LOLLY ADEFOPE & JIM HOWICK

Q: How would you define Julian?

A: I describe him as an old school politician. He is from an era that was more outwardly sleazy – they’re just better at hiding it now! Julian is more open about it. It’s nice to play a politician who can admit to failing. When you’re a politician, you can’t admit all the things you’ve done wrong. But Julian can now because he’s dead. That’s quite freeing.

LAURENCE RICKARD

Q: Why does Ghosts chime with viewers?

LA: The gang are so charismatic and watchable. The themes of death and mourning are universal as well. The premise is very relatable, too. Everyone can identify with the idea of being stuck in a house with a group of misfits.

Q: The show is notable for that clever mingling of tones, isn’t it?

JH: I hope so. In the scene where Robin discussed how everyone eventually leaves and the only thing remaining is the stars in the sky, the crew suddenly went very quiet and respectful. We didn’t realise the effect it would have. The show is a gentle warning about mortality. We have embraced darkness, but at the same time tried to make something full of heart and love.

KATY WIX

Q: Can you run through Mary’s characteristics?

Q: Why is a comedy about the unlikely subject of a bunch of ghosts so effective?

A: It’s the classic sitcom idea of trapping a group of very dissimilar characters in the same space. They can’t leave the grounds of the house.

They are stuck together for all eternity. They have to share this place, and

A: There are many aspects to her. She is quite eccentric and quite complex.

But she can also be playful and crackers. She can be forthright and authoritative, and then her PTSD from being burnt at the stake kicks in, and she’s frightened and timid. Is she ready to tell the story of her death? Not quite.

Maybe if there is a series four, we will finally find out what happened to her.

GHOSTS Series 3 is available on BBCiplayer and BBCAmerica. A US version airs on CBS this fall.

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www.hauntedmagazineprintshop.com

THE WASHINGTON STATE POLTERGEIST ?

AMERICA’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARANORMAL CASE cases: the Enfield Poltergeist, “This case is right up there with the most frightening of poltergeist the Matthew Manning case,” and case, ticut Connec ort Bridgep the the South Shields Poltergeist, h. Dr. Richard Sugg, author says Robb Tilley of the Australian Institute of Parapsychology Researc aka SPR, one of the oldest h Researc al Psychic for and studier of history affiliated with the Society first book The Bothell Linder’s Keith’s calls ena, phenom ist polterge to world organizations in the of the century.” books on nonficti Hell House – Poltergeist of Washington State “One of the Keith Linder’s story. It might To comprehend both men’s sentiments, you have to be familiar with goes. sound cliche but here

I

n 2012, Keith Linder successfully obtaining a management position at a prestigious healthcare company decides the time is right for him and his girlfriend Tina Davis to move in together.

Bothell, Washington, a suburban home located outside Seattle, Washington. “Neither me nor my girlfriend at the time, Tina, had ever gone through anything remotely similar.” What they saw and experienced within weeks of moving in would send shock waves through the paranormal community. The knee-jerk reaction from both parapsychology and paranormal communities was, ‘there is no way a house could be this active.’ When you ask Keith Linder what some of the weird things he and his girlfriend witness were.

Keith’s response is blunt and unwavering. Lamps, pottery, ironing boards, irons, beer bottles, chef knives, candles, candle rods, bar stools, large furniture, and books - these are just a few of the items Keith and Tina saw fly inside the house. When asked about the flying chef knife, Keith remembers that account vividly.

“I was in my office, which is typical for me on a weekend afternoon. I was on my computer surfing on the computer when I heard a loud crash. I got up from my chair and headed towards where I thought the noise came from. There, on the carpet in my office doorway, was this huge knife. It took me a few seconds to recognize it, but I did. This was one of Tina’s kitchen knives. I picked up the knife, walked it downstairs to the kitchen, and placed it back in its sheath. Minutes later – I am back in my office again. I hear a similar crash, and sure enough, there in the doorway resting on the floor is the chef knife. It’s a little bit more beat up than before due to the fact that it left a sizable nick in the wooden door frame.”

Poltergeist cases reported throughout time are inherently controversial. The favorite quote from skeptics has been “extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence.” Something Keith Linder finds non-productive.

“When Tina and I say three bibles caught fire in our homes, we mean that three bibles caught fire – two more bibles went missing.

They are still missing. Black oil-like tar substance began appearing on the office wall summer and fall of 2014 (see pictures). Upside down crosses, Native American symbols, 666, and my initials Die KL. I have a hard time understanding why our claims would become controversial. When you look at other poltergeist cases, I am talking about the activity being reported by other house occupants. the similarities are too uncanny to ignore.”

Would you agree that some of the controversy surrounding this case was your and Tina’s appearance on the Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures episode titled Demons in Seattle? Keith replies.

“I agree. Tina and I received a lot of personal attacks after that episode aired. The attacks we received were not for appearing on the show. The attacks on social media had to do with Ghost Adventures not finding anything. Can you believe that?

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The paranormal team finds nothing, and we get attacked. As if we did not have enough to deal with already? One hate email I received from a fan of the show was ‘we wasted Ghost Adventures time.’ People do not understand, and how could they? The Demons in Seattle episode never disclosed how long Ghost Adventures were in the house - which was only five hours. I later learned from talking to other paranormal teams the world over, mind you, that five hours investigating a possible poltergeist infestation is not enough time to get to the bottom of things. Poltergeist do not respond on que. Oh, and I forgot you must live in the house.”

Another piece of advice Keith offers is, “it would help if you interviewed witnesses. Many people do not know this, but Tina and I were not the only people who experienced activity in that house. Get this. A family experienced similar activity in 2008:2009. The wife may she rest in peace spoke of how her youngest son saw shadowy figures ‘out the corner of his eyes.’ The live-in nanny gave an account of how she woke up one morning and found ‘all the kitchen cabinets doors open.’

Imagine walking into your kitchen one morning or afternoon and seeing all your kitchen cabinet doors open. But it gets worse. You close them all not before making a mental note in your head about how weird this is. Then, seconds later (not minutes later), you return, and they are all open again. You were just in the next room. That happened to us.”

Dr. Richard Sugg is correct when he says, “We should study poltergeists because they are extraordinary. They can make someone’s life hell. What if the worst thing that ever happens to you is something nobody will believe?” The Bothell Hell House, written by Keith Linder, is a unique book in that it is a self-published book from the house occupant himself. Most nonfiction books about poltergeists are written by ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, etc., who visited the supposed haunted house. Other books are written by a ghostwriter (no pun intended) hired by the publishing company. These actual events are usually shortened, embellished, or altered for publishing reasons.

Not The Bothell Hell House. Four hundred and thirty-four pages – unheard for a paranormal nonfiction book.

“Several publishing companies wanted the rights to me and Tina’s story. I turned them down.

I refuse to let my and Tina’s story be altered or condensed for the sake of expediency. The Bothell Hell House book is a no holds account of everything that happened in our house.”

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As Keith said earlier, “I do not believe me, and Tina’s claims should be considered extraordinary. When you consider the thousands of other poltergeist cases society has already encountered, we fit right in. But the evidence captured from researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom is extraordinary. Phantom loud bangs captured on audio, pitter-pat footsteps, children screaming, a woman screaming, lights going off and on, and the infamous video (that went viral) of Bible pages turning by themselves, all these things and more were captured while the house was empty by paranormal teams who made it a point to live in the house. I’m sorry, but if you want to catch good evidence or evidence, period, you have to live in the house.” So, paranormal teams did live in the house? “Yes, both paranormal investigator Nicole Novelle’s and Parapsychologists Steve Mera’s team understood that concept right away. It was never an issue for either of them about living in the house. I am not talking about a day or two. I am talking about weeks—a month which is what Nicole’s team did. Four-hundred Class A, Class B EVPs are what Steve Mera and his chief researcher Don Philips captured when they lived in the house the first time. The second time they arrived in April 2016, they bought with them then President of the SSPR (Scotland Society for Psychical Research) Nick Kyle, who monitored both men closely, leading to the capture of nearly two hundred EVPs. Parapsychologist Steve Mera sums it up well when he says, “With poltergeist infestations, we’re normally dealing with children, adolescents in the environment. Usually affects families or individuals having some type of problem or trauma in the family, be it financial difficulty, family issues, living conditions, environmental problems those types of issues. To be honest with you, we have not found any of those things here, which makes this a really unusual case. Some of the phenomena taking place are certainly demonstrative of poltergeist infestation.”

Investigator Tony Hayes of the group Paranormal Investigations UK goes on the record by saying The Bothell Hell House, aka Poltergeist of Washington State, is the new “baseline for other works.” Other poltergeist cases: past and present.

One of Keith Linder’s claims about the house is the phantom heartbeats he heard and felt from deep within his mattress. Nicole Novelle and her team were present when one of these events occurred.

Nicole Novelle, a respective voice in the paranormal field in the United States, said, “Sounds like the house has a heartbeat. It’s so weird. It’s weird - the vibrations. Sitting on the bed, have your feet planted on the floor; all of a sudden, you start feeling just the mattress vibrating or pulsating like a pulse. How do you document that in order for anyone to understand what that feels like? What that like. I can’t do that. I don’t have a tool that’ll allow me to convey that to someone.” It pleased Keith to hear Nicole (Nikki) say that. “That’s been the number one frustration Tina, and I faced while living in the house. How do we capture the phenomena on an electrical device so people can take our claims seriously? It’s extremely difficult.” According to Keith Linder, what is more difficult than that is this notion that most poltergeist activity stems from women. “There’s this notion. This belief in the paranormal community parapsychology, especially that poltergeist manifestations result from ‘a troubled individual inside the home, usually a female adolescent or woman.’ The evidence obtained from inside the Bothell house puts that theory to bed.”

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For extra evidence scan the QR code here:

“That upsets me a great a deal,” Keith says. The stigma that we have put on women. That women like Tina Resch, Doris Bither, Maria José Ferreira, and my girlfriend Tina are the root cause of the phenomena, which is what the ‘Demons in Seattle’ episode sort of ensued. Nothing could be further from the truth. So, I dare any true believer, cynic, skeptic, undecided individual to study the evidence. Study ALL the evidence obtained in the Bothell house. Read my three books. Interview the paranormal teams who lived in the house. Things are not what they seem.”

The perfect example of that would be the black oil-like tar substance that appeared out of nowhere on Keith Linder’s office wall. Looking at it from afar or closely, it looks like black paint, or some cynics claim to be Krylon webbing spray. Which to them suggest we faked everything.

“Keith and Tina are hoaxers.” Keith says, ‘no one ever asked him if they could have the black oil tested.’ “I had the black oil-like substance tested, and the results came back Bone Black.” What’s Bone Black?

Wikipedia - Bone Black, aka Bone char (Latin: carbo animalis), is a porous, black, granular material produced by charring animal bones. It consists mainly of tricalcium phosphate (or hydroxyapatite) 57–80%, calcium carbonate 6–10%, and carbon 7–10%. Bone char is primarily made from buffalo bones; the bones are heated in a sealed vessel at up to 700 °C (1,292 °F).

Most of the organic material in the bones is driven off by heat and was historically collected as Dippel’s oil. “Dippel’s oil (a yellow oily like substance) was found throughout the house. Every wall in the Bothell home has this yellow (olive oil) color-like substance weeping from the walls. Study Dippel Oil up close, and you will reach the same conclusion I did. Named after its inventor, Johann Konrad Dippel. Johann Konrad Dippel believed he needed a concoction to conduct exorcisms thus invented Dippel’s oil after the gross experimentation of animals. This is what happens when you carry out a thorough investigation. You get inexplicable answers that align well with the inexplicable events happening in the house.”

When asked why he and Tina stayed in the house, so long Keith Linder’s answer is interesting. “It’s my house, therefore why should I just up and leave? I said earlier that we discovered that a family before us had similar activity. They did not tell anybody – they just up and moved out, which is what most people do. I get that. But that is not me. That’s not Tina. Tina and I made a conscious decision after the poster caught fire in my office not to leave unless it was on our terms. I do not consider myself brave, but I said to Tina, to family and friends, and to the spirits attacking us, I would not leave until the house was made livable or someone else got to the bottom of the things. We accomplished the latter.

Several paranormal teams responded to my 9-1-1 distress call and, upon doing so, substantiated our claims. Interview the paranormal teams who lived in the house, and they will tell you their cups runneth over. That is how much evidence each team gathered.” Which, as a reporter, forces me to think there must be some validity to what Keith is saying?

Over eight books have been written about the Bothell house, all favorably. The evidence is in those books. “A lot of people like to say the case they were associated with directly or indirectly is the most documented poltergeist ever. They cannot back their claim up, though.

I can. The Bothell hell House – Poltergeist of Washington State is the most documented poltergeist case in history. The evidence is not sitting in some vault somewhere (only to be released periodically).

No, the evidence is on YouTube. The evidence is in my three books.

It is on Facebook. It is on Twitter. It is in Steve Mera’s official report.

It is in Nicole Novelle and the paranormal teams who lived in the house interviews. It is in Don Philips, one hour and eighteen-minute documentary which is free by the way. Everything I have just said except for my three books can be easily obtained with the click of a mouse. As we say in the information technology world, it’s ‘in the cloud.’ It is on the internet. The free internet.”

Keith Linder now lives in a condominium on his own. That’s right on his own. His relationship with Tina ended a few days after the Demons in Seattle aired. The vicious attacks from social media and the “geist” term oil inside the home were just too much to bear.

“I can’t blame Tina for moving out of the house – for breaking up with me. I love her.

Regardless of who we end up with romantically, Tina and I will always have a bond that very few people share. The paranormal activity I experience in my new home, albeit nerveracking and intrusive, pales compared to the events we experienced in the Bothell home.”

So, what type of support have you got? “The support from sectors of the paranormal community has been positive and encouraging. We know why the house was haunted. We know what the black oil-like substance was made out of. Where it came from. The only thing I can do now is tell my story, point anyone who asks to where the evidence resides, and live my life.”

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Keith Linder

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Not so ‘orrible ‘istories

“SISTERS ARE SCHOOLING IT FOR THEMSELVES” I For some people, the time spent at school really were some of the best days of their lives and yet for others, not so much. I will not bore you with my life story, but let us just say, that when I agreed to go to an investigation at an old school, it was with a sense of trepidation…

PENNY GRIFFITHS-MORGAN INVESTIGATES A VERY BRITISH SCHOOL

n the September of 2019, I had been invited to attend an investigation at a place called the British Schools Museum in Hitchin, with the lasses from the Paranormal Sisters (not being sexist, they are all female, although they do have the odd honorary boy join in on occasion). I think it can be hard for many of us to picture a time in Great Britain when education was not accessible to all, and one of the first things you realise when visiting the museum is how hard it was to change the richer members of society’s views towards schooling for the poor, in a nutshell they felt threatened that if the working classes were able to read and write, then they would challenge their position in society and would not be so willing to do the more menial tasks which they were expected to both undertake and be grateful for.

The site was first utilised as a place for learning in 1810 when a former Maltings was donated by local businessman William Wilshire, he had been impressed after listening to a pedagogist named Joseph Lancaster who was developing a method of teaching those children who came from families with limited income. The famous monitorial schoolroom was opened in 1837 and designed to accommodate three hundred children…with only one schoolmaster, a fact that when I tell teacher friends of mine leaves them looking incredibly pale. In February 1845 the school suffered from a fire that spread along Dead Street, but still it did not stop teaching those wanting to learn to read and write. The

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main building you see now as you walk onto the premises was constructed in 1857, but there are still remnants of the original Maltings if you look closely.

So here we have a place where thousands of children have passed through its doors, some of the staff perished in the World Wars and where deaths (albeit not suspicious) have occurred, was it going to live up to expectation?

The area of Hitchin has quite a lot of “ghost” stories associated with it, but as a historian, I try not to think of these or let them influence my opinion of a location. This may sound difficult, but those who research history are quite often called heartless when we do not take sides with things that are somewhat abhorrent to modern mentalities, it is not as easy as it sounds but you learn how to do it. I went into the school with the same level of excitement I do any investigation, and with a few bits of research under my belt.

But not enough as I was soon to find out.

I will give you a bit of a plot spoiler here, I have written a book about the school called “Paranormal Playtimes – The school that never sleeps” so I am not going to divulge everything that has happened to me on my visits there, but I will give you one to whet your appetite.

Scan here to visit The British Schools Museum https://britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk/

Walking into the car park, I did not know where everyone was and try as I might, I could not hear any voices to give me a clue, but to my right was a house and in the very large window was a woman bent over, seemingly looking at something on a table. I could only see her from the neck up and her hair style was quite old fashioned, that sort of Edwardian pompadour hairstyle with the bun on top of her head. Thinking that maybe she would know where everyone was, I knocked a few times at the door but got no answer, so then I tried the handle and the big front door opened easily. There were a set of stairs in front of me, and a door to both my right and left, I tried the former first and it was locked, so I tried the latter and it opened into someone’s office. Realising that maybe I should not be here, I shut the doors and made my way into the large school building (where you may be relieved to know I found my fellow investigators). I thought I had better tell someone that this lovely house was open to anyone walking in from the road, and around thirty minutes after my trespassing adventure, the then Museum Manager and I wandered over there as he was adamant that he had locked the doors before he left (it was indeed the offices for the museum).

Everything was locked up tight…everything, even when he opened the main entrance, the door to the office that I had walked into was locked, it had one of those automatic keypad locks that shut it without a key, and I know I did not have the code to get in. It was what he told me after however that sent shivers down my spine, part of the contract of a Master and a Mistress to the school was accommodation, and this was where the Mistress herself (and sometimes her assistant) had lived for many years. Interestingly, the house next door was only ever occupied by one Master, Joseph Fitch, and I am strongly of the belief that he is still there as it definitely has a vibe that you are intruding whenever

you step onto the threshold. One of the many stories I was told was that Joseph does not like the main doors being left open and tends to shut them if you are not quick enough, I guess in those days you needed to keep the heat in…

Had I seen one of the previous female members of staff? Why had the doors opened for me? There were only two museum staff on duty that night and neither of them had been in there, and they both certainly did not wear their hair in the way I had described. Whilst the rest of my visits to the school have not produced something quite as amazing as that, it has certainly not disappointed - getting to handle two-hundred-year-old minute books and having something interacting with you on an Ovilus whilst you’re taking notes is pretty mind blowing to me.

Talking to the volunteers at the school subsequently, they all have their own stories to tell, doors shutting by themselves, children’s voices heard when there are none on site, unexplainable cold spots and shadows moving in and out of doorways. The main feeling however is that there is nothing malevolent there, and this was something that I would definitely concur with, whilst certain areas seem more welcoming than others, this could be as simple as they were off limits to members of the public when it was in operation.

It was the initial experience seeing the woman with her hair in the bun that started me contemplating that maybe a book was the order of the day, I would like to think that I was being guided by a former teacher to do that, to bring a little more awareness to their establishment and what it achieved.

Go and visit, sit in the classrooms, absorb the energy that is there, and listen for the stories that the school has to tell you. le, y not so 'orrib , *when we sa le ib rr 'o be ally it might actu e. lin it's just a tag

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Penny x

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THE WHISTLE AND WE WILL COME TO YOU TOUR GUIDE

PARANORMAL SHROPSHIRE

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hropshire is by all accounts, a liminal place. It sits on the margin between two countries- England and Wales, and though it feels both their influences, it often seems like a separate entity. Shropshire’s got a unique feel to it, it is almost hard to put your finger on, as if the landscape is alive with the hum of the past. Perhaps therefore there is such a wealth of folklore within the area. Though the county is often overlooked, it has played a fundamentally important role in history, and has been the stage for several bloody battles and monumental shifts in science, industry, religion, politics and kingship.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that a few ghosts got left behind along the way. Few is perhaps an understatement, with over 500 places pertaining to be haunted. I want to explore this further and discuss some of the best paranormal stories from this region.

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here are 16 castles in Shropshire, and many of these, claim to be inhabited by spectres.

Perhaps the most disturbing is ‘Bloudie Jack’ who is said to still stalk the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle- often still accompanied by one of his unfortunate victims. According to this 12th century tale, ‘Bloudie Jack, or Jack Blondel’ (the name often attributed to him) was a soldier who was stationed at Shrewsbury Castle who acted as the custodian whilst he was there. He used his position to charm local girls and manipulated them into attending his private quarters at the castle. Unfortunately, this would be the last thing they did. He would murder the girls, collecting trophies from their bodies, only to dispose of their remains by feeding them to the pigs, or dropping them into the river Seven. His behaviour was unchecked, until he murdered his 8th victim- a girl known as Mary Anne.

Unlike his other victims, Mary Anne could not keep her new sweetheart a secret. She was

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so swept up in the passions of her newfound love, that she bragged to her sister, telling her all about the solider called Jack she was due to marry. Her sister was instantly concerned, and later that day turned up at the castle. She was greeted by a sight that no family member would want to see- Jack dragging her poor sister’s bloody corpse across the castle grounds.

Mary’s sister fled in terror, horrified by what she was witnessing. However, a few days later, she returned to the castle. It just so happened that upon returning, Jack was away, which allowed her the freedom to search his quarters. There she found a wooden box, which she carefully opened. Inside there were 8 sets of fingers, and 8 sets of toes, arranged in neat little rows.

This ghastly discovery was enough evidence to convict Jack, and he was hung, drawn and quartered for his crimes. His head was kept on display at the castle, as a warning to all those who went by, and perhaps a reminder to young women not to trust the wiles of soldiers.

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Photo credit: Scivan Scrivener

However, this was not the end of Bloody Jack’s reign of terror, for many have claimed to see him stalking the grounds over the years, a shadowy hunched figure. He is usually accompanied by blood curdling screams and banging noises.

There have also been sightings of Jack dragging poor Mary Anne by her hair, to her death.

L

Photo credit: Scivan Scrivener

udlow castle is also known to have its fair share of ghosts. The castle itself was founded

by Walter De Lacy and was one of the first stone castles to be built in England. It has a long and impressive history and can boast a 900-year-old ghost and often referred to as the “oldest ghost in England” Marion De La Buere. This tale begins with a bit of context, namely with the death of King Henry I in 1135. Henry died without a male heir, before his death, he made his Barons swear an oath, that they would accept his daughter Matilda as their new queen. Immediately after his death, many of the Barons chose to support Stephen (Henry’s Nephew) as their king instead.

Matilda did not part with her title easily though, which lead to a civil war known as ‘the Anarchy’. It is during this; we begin our tale.

Ludlow castle was owned by a knight and husband of Sybilla de Lacy. He belonged to a group of Barons who supported Matilda.

However, Gilbert De Lacy – a family member and rival supported Stephen and was looking for an opportunity to take over Ludlow castle, to gain favour with the future king.

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Gilbert’s second in command was called Sir Arnold De Lyse, and he was encouraged to pursue Marion La Bruyere (a lady of the castle, who served Sybilla). The two began a passionate affair, and Marion fell head over heels for the knight. For her, the politics of the time meant nought, and nothing would keep our lovers apart. She would lower a leather ladder from her bedroom window, in Pendevin tower, and Arnold would climb up every night. She spent her days dreaming of her dearest, and her nights in his arms.

However. Their love was not to be. Arnold took advantage of her- leaving the ladder out one night after entering the castle. Whilst the two were in bed, Gilbert and 100 men stormed the castle, laying waste to those inside, and claiming it on behalf of Stephen. Marion realised the mistake she had made, and the extend of her betrayal.

Arnold was no lover, rather he had used her to further the machinations of power. Driven by an anguish so deep it consumed her, she grabbed her lover’s sword and slit his throat, climbing to the window and flung herself onto the rocks below. Marion has not left Ludlow castle, and if you visit the tower, during quiet evenings and dusk you can see her ghost still. On the anniversary of her suicide, she is also said to be heard and seen, her screams filling the castle grounds.

To find out more about “oldest ghost in England https:// chasingcastles.com/the-oldestghost-in-england/

I

want us to travel further now, down the river Seven to the Ironbridge area. This is familiar ground for me, it is where I grew up, and in the cemeteries my ancestors lie. The whole area has strong ties to industry and iron- during the industrial revolution, it would have been stained black from the coal mines and shrouded in hellish smoke from the multitude of furnaces. Ironbridge also holds cultural importance, boasting the first large scale production of cast iron.

Today it is a pretty little area of shops and cafes and museums- and a whole host of ghosts.

Perhaps the most well-known Ironbridge Ghost is ‘Fred’ who haunts the Tontine hotel. In life, Fred was known as Frank Griffin, and he was the last man to be hung in Shropshire in the 1950s.

After murdering his landlady, he went back to the room he was renting at the Tontine (room 5) and this was where he was arrested, and where his spirit has stayed. Fred is associated with all sorts of phenomena, including strange lights, unexplained noises and objects being moved.

He provides all the signatures services of a haunting it seems. There have been sightings of Fred in room 5, and in the bar. There are other ghosts in the Tontine, however we must leave now, and go outside.

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erhaps, my favourite Shropshire spirit is not attached to a building, but rather the River that winds its way, snake like through the county- The River Seven. Once a goddess known as Sabrina or Hafren in Welsh, the River Seven cuts through the Ironbridge Gorge, you can cross it via the Iron-bridge if you wish, and it is said to be haunted by a Spectral Barge. There have been innumerable sightings of this ghostly vessel, which is said to be long, and dark as if cloaked by night. It is said to float down the River Seven slowly, carrying a ghastly cargo of human bodies, stacked side by side and on top of each other.

It is driven by a solitary creature, hooded in a shroud of night, and often described an inhumanly tall. It sails slowly underneath the Ironbridge and disappears. But this is not the end of the tale. The bargeman is often seen again, down river in Jackfield. Here he stands on the riverbed, as if waiting, next to rows and rows of the corpses, now on dry land.

What makes this story extra exciting for me is that around the plagues of the 15th and 16th centuries, there were plague pits in the Jackfield area, and a quite common form of transporting the dead was via the river. Due to the nature of the plague, the bargeman would often succumb to the illness. It was also common for people who had become immune to the disease to take on such a position, so one can only imagine what horrors such a person would have witnessed.

Conceivably this tale is a throwback from that time, a collective memory of these floating charnel houses, repeated enough times to become a haunting. Or perhaps the boat is still making that journey down the River Seven, and the poor bargeman is doomed to witness this for eternity. All I know is that this story has stayed with me since I was a child, and I keep my eye out for him still.

I have only scratched the surface with my depiction of Shropshire hauntings. I could have talked about the drowned twins of Jackfield, who still haunt the house their bodies were taken to, or indeed the multitude of ghostly monks that have a proclivity for the region (one of my favourite being the two monks of St Peters Church in Easthope who died fighting, and their ghosts still spar to this day). There are white ladies and black dogs, wicked horsemen and many of the tropes familiar in paranormal discourse, as well as some unique tales which I would urge you to discover. Shropshire may be an understated place, but it is enlivened with the memories of its dead.

A my x

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Amy Boucher is a writer, folklorist, Historian and a fan of all things spooky. Originally from Shropshire, she now resides in the North West, where she works to share the stories, she grew up with.

To find out more about Amy, hold your mobile phone camera / QR Code app reader over QR Code and enjoy... or if a digital is not your thing just follow her on Twitter @ G0blinegg

www.nearlyknowledgeablehistory. blogspot.com DO YOU WANT TO CALL UP YOUR INNER JUDITH CHILLMERS OR ALAN WICCA AND WRITE ABOUT THE SPOOKY AREA WHERE YOU LIVE OR GREW UP, FOR US? WELL WHISTLE AND WE’LL COME TO YOU OR JUST IN CASE YOU CAN’T WHISTLE, YOU COULD JUST EMAIL US AT

whistlestoptour@hauntedmagazine.co.uk

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#TheWorldOfTheUnknown trilogy comes to a monstrous finale with the republishing of another seminal classic #AllAboutMonsters…

MONSTERS ‘INK’ It is Usborne’s aim to make knowledge absolutely irresistible, to feed children’s curiosity and to help them continue discovering the world around them

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irst published in 1977, The World of the Unknown: Monsters was one of the very first books from Usborne, then a brand-new publisher that set out to revolutionise the world of children’s books.

Alongside the other books in the series, Ghosts and UFOs, it lived on bookshelves in bedrooms and libraries, thrilling its young readers with mythical monsters and sinister sightings, and igniting their curiosity with the possibility of strange, undiscovered creatures in our world.

After twenty years, the world moved on, and the World of the Unknown series went out of print. But it wasn’t forgotten.

The books lived on in the memories of a generation, and when the readers of the 1970s and ‘80s grew up, they wanted them back. In 2019, Usborne’s very own World of the Unknown superfan set up a petition to bring back the first in the series, Ghosts. It was a resounding success, and the book was printed in time for Halloween with a brandnew foreword from another mega-fan, BAFTA-winning writer, comedian, and actor Reece Shearsmith. UFOs was then resurrected the following year, this time with a contribution from actor and comedian Jon Culshaw.

And now, in October 2021, Usborne is proud to summon the final book in the series back from the depths for a new generation of readers, leading the way in publishing books that spark children’s imagination and curiosity.

The World of the Unknown: Monsters is for anyone who has ever glimpsed a sinister shape looming in the sea, heard an unknown creature’s footsteps crunching through the forest, or wondered about the existence of monsters in remote regions of the world.

And that is what Usborne’s all about, even now, almost 50 years after the books were originally published. Kids are naturally, irrepressibly interested in the world around them – it is Usborne’s aim to make knowledge absolutely irresistible, to feed their curiosity and to help them continue discovering the world around them – and perhaps, one day, the worlds beyond…

Joining Reece Shearsmith and Jon Culshaw is comedian, actor, writer, and monster enthusiast Robin Ince, who provides the new foreword for this final book in the series.

The World of the Unknown: Monsters is out September 30th & available from bookstores and online. Please try to support your independent bookstore (Shhh, don’t tell Amazon OK?)

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Enter The World Of Robin Ince’s Unknown

#AllAboutRobin Robin, first of all, thanks for speaking to us, please tell us how writing the foreword for the republish of #WorldOfTheUnknown Monsters came about?

I am not sure whether someone saw my Satanic Rites of Robin Ince show which included talk of these great Usborne books, or heard me muttering about The Loch Ness Monster on The Infinite Monkey Cage (favourite theory - the monster is actually the ghost of a dinosaur) or whether it was from my podcast series An Uncanny Hour which deals with mystical and mythical masterpieces, but one day, the email arrived, and I said an immediate yes.

How would you describe yourself?

Who is Robin Ince?

A frenetic fool desperately fighting against the anxiety churned up by his lower animal brain and trying to defend himself by perpetually retreating into busy-ness or impersonations of Brian Blessed. That’s who Robin Ince (me) is.

What are your memories of the Usborne World of the Unknown books growing up? What monster thrilled, fascinated and / or scared you?

The story of Borley Rectory stuck with me, but I am a big fan of lycanthropy and all the different culture versions of shape changers, so the muscular torso and wide trunk of the African elephant spirit sticks in my mind.

Do you believe in the paranormal, and have you ever had a paranormal experience that you can share?

I am fascinated by it but believe it is all the creation of our energetic minds, which does not make it dull for me. I love thinking about what other animals may have a level of selfHAUNTED MAGAZINE

consciousness and curiosity that means that ghosts may play in their skulls too, just as I love looking at old photos and thinking about how the life of the long dead can feel trapped in them.

How did The Infinity Monkey Cage come about? AND can you describe Professor Brian Cox in three words?

The Infinity Monkey cage came about because I was the guest on pilot that didn’t work, but our producer thought there might be fun to be had by sitting Brian Cox next to an idiot and thus we became the Hart to Hart of science broadcasting.

3 words for Cox? Immaculate Stepford physicist.

We loved the two Dead Funny books (horror stories by comedians).

How did Dead Funny come about?

Are there more Dead Funny books planned?

That came about from drinking fine pale ale in the bar of the Norwich art centre with horror genius Johnny Mains. I met him after a gig, we drank and talked of horrible things, and he thought horror stories by comedians was a good idea and so did I.

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Pictures courtesy of Usborne

The surprise I think was just how grotesque some of them were.

My kids seem disinterested in science at school, do you think it should be taught differently to get kids interested in it more?

I think there is not enough play in science.

Sadly, education secretaries have successively promoted joyless memorisation and not the real delight of looking at something and being bemused and starting to tinker. I write quite a lot about it in my new book - The Importance of Being Interested (WHAT DO YOU MEAN I AM ONLY MEANT TO BE PLUGGING ONE THING IN THIS INTERVIEW, BUT IT IS OUT SOON AND JANE GOODALL AND ALAN MOORE ARE IN IT... okay, back to the monsters).

Do you think there is a Monster in Loch Ness? What are you favourite monsters (fact or fiction)?

I still find the famous footage of bigfoot haunting, and also the movie footage of the Loch Ness Monster interesting to watch; but I am afraid the most monstrous things are still found in the cruel imagination of certain humans. I am a big fan of the Shadmock, I know it can only whistle, but when you see the result of a Shadmock’s whistle ...

What books are you reading at the moment, tell us about the Cosmic Shambles network?

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The books I have been reading this afternoon in the bath are Michael Talbot’s The Holographic Universe, James Kinsley’s novella Playtime’s Over which starts with a very haunting drowning and Roy ’Chubby’ Brown’s Common as Muck as recommended by Wil Hodgson, the ex-wrestler and comedian who trims my beard (you probably think i am making all of this up, but this is all true). I started the day reading Anil Seth’s Being You - a new science of consciousness - I like to bombard my brain with as much as possible, it doesn’t retain it all, but it leads to some interesting echoes.

Do you think World of the Unknown: Monsters will appeal to both kids and over 45s alike, or just us over 45s reminiscing of innocent days gone by, reading about ghosts, UFOs, and monsters?

I think it will appeal to everyone with a desire to explore the gigantic, the murky and the fanged.

You seem to be involved in more podcasts than you can shake a stick at, what is An Uncanny Hour?

An Uncanny Hour came out of me needing too much to do during lockdown. I recorded an interview with someone who had written a book about UFOs and it hadn’t come out how I hoped, so rather than jettisoning it, I thought I would speak to more people and make it into a documentary, then I thought, I fancy making another about Ealing’s Dead of Night and HAUNTED MAGAZINE

another about the early work of Hawkwind and off I went, chatting to Toyah Willcox, Stewart Lee, Mark Gatiss and lots more. We have made 12 so far and are about to do a new series starting with The Owl Service, plus Stewart Lee and I are about to make something else too, of a similar sort.

Are there any more classic kid’s books from back in the day that should be reprinted and republished? (We are hoping Usborne’s Supernatural World can come back from the dead.)

I would love to see updates of all the Hamlyn books such as The Hamlyn Book of Horror by Dan Farson.

And finally, what’s on the agenda for Robin Ince from October 2021 and onwards into 2022?

All being well, I will be doing a tour of 100 independent bookshops when my new book The Importance of Being Interested is published - from Aberdeen to Penzance with 98 stops in between and hopefully Monkey Cage will be back. Then, I am off on tour with Prof Cox, plus I am working on two more books - one on reality and one on anxiety Thanks so much for the fascinating chat Robin.

Find more about The World of Robin Ince http://robinince.com/

HAUN TE D M AGAZINE’S

If you’re into the paranormal you are probably searching for answers, WE ARE!! Not always from the spooks though, we like to ask questions on our social media pages too, from time to time. It’s a good way to interact, to learn and have a bit of fun.

From an idea

by Juliette Gregson

We actually thought it would be interesting to share the thought process of people as we always have different ways of interpreting a question, dependant on your belief systems and your personality. BUT first, we have to say this, call it a paranormal disclaimer, if you will: IF YOU ASK A QUESTION, BE PREPARED FOR THE ANSWER!!!

QUESTION: If you were a ghost, how would you "haunt", where would you "haunt" and who would you "haunt"?

I’d be a stone tape ghost and keep repeating 1988-1998... Do NOT disturb me! Ashley I’d haunt the space station and keep moving things around, peeking in the windows, knocking on the door, etc.

Nancy I can’t say, it would spoil the surprise for those on the receiving end. Becky Just as I was reading this there was a bump upstairs. Sheila Don’t really want to be a lost spirit but if I was, I think that I would get great joy in looking at the livings faces and seeing them running away while I was bumping around. Linda I’d be a nightmare, there’s several people who will suffer.

I’m looking forward to it. Angela Me have my friend have decided to have a code word or do something in particular to either of us when we pass, until we meet again. Then there’s a few others who have broken my heart, I want to scare the shit out of them, otherwise I’m all love and light. Emma

I’d haunt the men’s room of a busy pub. Got to get my laughs somewhere. Lucy

Well, it would have to be my husband and the people who talks about me behind my back.

Wendy I would haunt all who have lied to me and used me in the past.

Susan

I’d go to the locations where people stabbed me in the back and stole my research and I would do stuff like move toilet rolls, and just basically inconvenience people. Mike I’d haunt an old building that was busy I’d move things from room to room and have a sinister mischievous laugh. I’d touch people when there alone or not paying attention. John

I’d knock on people’s doors while they are masturbating. Bryan

I’d haunt all of the gaslighters and make them think THEY’RE crazy!

Kate I would haunt all these so-called paranormal investigators for being so rude and disrespectful especially swearing to all our dearly departed loved ones....

Fact. Molly

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I’d take the spinning plate out of their microwave! Bev Can we throw people through windows? Asking for a friend.

Colin I’d haunt somewhere cool and old, but busy. Like a castle. And I’d make it my mission to give people heart attacks. Like waiting round corners, outside toilets doors etc, where people would least expect it. Give them a good, instantaneous fright and vanish in a puff of laughter. Lorien I have repeatedly told my daughters that when I die, they are not to sell my yarn stash for pennies. And if they do, I will come back and haunt them.

Seriously considering adding to my Last Will and Testament!

Paula I’ve a list of people who I’m going to haunt lol...many with mischief ... some inconvenient ... and some payback. Vonne Keep checking our social media for our random questions (search Haunted Magazine on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) and you may appear in future issues.

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‘Lincolnshire is a place that is filled with mystery, history, and some of breath-taking scenery, it is a place that I visit regularly, often in search of old WWII sites, but in recent years the county has drawn me back time and time again. During 2020 and 2021 I was tasked with researching a story that was doing the rounds but had never been properly researched’ A reporter friend of mine, who regularly writes for the national newspapers, had heard a story about cursed cauldrons in Lincolnshire, and asked me to look into it for him. He knew that I had a liking for such stories, and as such he wanted me to uncover the truth. We had worked together on several big stories over the years including “The 1801 Hull UFO Scare,” “The Beast of Barmston Drain,” and “The Humber Monster,” and on several occasions our stories had gone viral. I was reluctant at first to participate, given that Lincolnshire is not really my area of expertise, but he soon convinced me. I set out to explore the story, but was soon taken down a long weaving, winding track, with one cursed cauldron quickly becoming two!

While I was researching it became known that I was dipping my toes into the region, and as such I was inundated with requests to discuss the topic on podcasts and radio shows, eventually appearing on TalkRadio, where we discussed the case. At the time, though, I was still researching, and reluctant to give too much away.

I eventually submitted my research, two pages of historical data, but the story never made it to the press, so instead I decided to dig deeper.

When one has a deadline, you can tend to rush to make it work, but when you have the freedom of time, you can spend more hours in the archives researching and not have to worry about rushing. The further details that I uncovered are presented here, exclusively, for the readers of Haunted Magazine!

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THE CURSED CAULDRON AT EAST HALTON

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ccording to the stories East Halton’s Manor Farm is the location of a pot, or cauldron, depending upon which story you read, that is cursed. This was the first cursed cauldron I was asked to investigate.

It is said that the object is contained within a cask, which in turn is kept locked away within a steel cage, which in turn is bricked up in a cellar. The reason for this is that the pot is said to have caused at least three deaths.

The origins of the pot are shrouded in mystery, but one of the stories states that some years previously the Manor Farm was connected via a tunnel in the basement to the nearby Thornton Abbey. The abbey itself is purported to be haunted, but it was not the ghosts of the abbey that caused the story.

Depending upon which version you read, either a vertically challenged man with a birth defect (a humpback dwarf) entered the basement via the tunnel from the abbey and was subsequently killed on account of him entering the property. Another version states that there was a goblin that was found in the basement and killed.

Another version states that the vertically challenged man with the birth defect was killed by the monks, who, to get rid of the evidence, burnt the body and put the ashes into the pot, which was then smuggled into the Manor Farm basement. Other variations link the body in the pot to a mischievous hob, a kind of nature spirit, often referred to as boggles, in other counties, and occasionally sprites.

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The curious thing about the allegedly cursed cauldron, is that with every telling the story seemed to change. There was no singular narrative, and details such as the ghosts, hauntings, victims, and locations changed with every version. Tracing the origins of the story were also troublesome.

Mabel Peacock first mentioned the story of the pot when she was informed that the property was haunted by a hob, which had first appeared at the property only three or four years before she visited. She reported that the creature’s appearance was said to be linked to an old iron cauldron kept in the cellar. According to her version of the story the cauldron was full of sand and bones, which were said to have been the thumb bones of children. She was informed that if the bones or sand were stirred, the hob would show itself at 12 o’clock. Peacock stated that she knew of at least one occasion when the cauldron was removed from the cellar, emptied, and used, but with nothing untoward happening afterwards. Mabel Peacock was a well-known poet and writer who was often in the Lincolnshire newspapers during the 1880’s talking about local folklore and local dialect.

The story would again resurface in 1893, when Leland Lewis Duncan sent a letter, which stated that the hob would appear at night, and when the cauldron was disturbed, poltergeist activity would take place, with reports of chairs moving and falling, and the sound of someone running up and down the stairs.

It was later reported that when the family tried to flee the farm, the hob followed them, causing their return. This is similar to the hob stories told in North Yorkshire.

EAST HALTON OR HALTON HOLEGATE I wanted to ascertain whether there was any historical documentation or relevant contemporary newspaper reports that covered the story and began researching for anything to do with Halton and ghosts. A shocking twist in the story came when a new story emerged that caused a sensation when it was published during August 1897 in a number of newspapers, including The London Daily News, dated Monday August 30th, 1897, The Manchester Evening News, dated Monday August 30th, 1897, and The Sheffield Daily Telegraph, also dated Monday August 30th, 1897, and many more, it stated:

A LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST STORY. STRANGE TALE FROM A COUNTRY FARMHOUSE From Halton Holegate, a village near Spilsby, Lincolnshire, comes a mysterious story, which one can easily imagine causing the utmost sensation among the simple country folk in the neighbourhood. For some time, rumours of human bones having been discovered under a brick floor of a farm near the village, of strange unearthly tapping, and the like having been heard, and of a ghost having been seen, have been afloat, and it was with the intention (if possible) of sighting the mystery to the bottom that a Lincolnshire reporter visited the scene.

The farmstead where the weird sounds are said to have been heard and the ghost seen stands back some distance from the high road, and is occupied by a Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, and their manservant. On being interviewed by the reporter, Mrs. Wilson narrated the following story: “We came here on Lady Day last. The first night or so we heard very strange noises about midnight, as though someone was knocking at the doors and walls. Once it seemed as though someone was moving all the things about in a hurry downstairs. Another time the noise was like a heavy picture falling from the wall, but in the morning, I found everything as right as it was the night before. The servant man left, saying that he dare not stop, and we had to get another. Then about six weeks ago I saw “something.” Before getting into bed, my husband having retired before me, I thought I would do downstairs and see if the cow was all right, as it was about to calve. I did so, and then at the foot of the stairs, just as I was about to go up again, I saw an old man standing at the top and looking at me. He was standing as though he was very round-shouldered. How I got past I can’t say, but I darted past him into the bedroom and slammed the door. Here I went to get some water from the dressing table, but feeling that someone was behind me, I turned round sharply, and there again stood the same old man. He quickly vanished, but I am quite certain I had seen him. I have also seen him several times since, though not quite so distinctly.” Mrs. Wilson next conducted her interviewer to the sitting room, where it appeared a gruesome discovery had been made. The floor in one corner, it seems, had been very uneven, and a day or two ago Mrs. Wilson took up the bricks with the intention of her

relaying them. No sooner had she done this, however, than a most disagreeable odour was emitted. Her suspicions being aroused, she called her husband, and the two commenced a minute examination. Three or four bones were soon turned over, together with a gold ring and several pieces of black silk. All these had evidently been buried in quicklime, the bones and silk being obviously burnt therewith. The search after this was not further prosecuted, but a quantity of sand introduced, and the floor quickly levelled again. Asked what her own opinion was on the mysteries, Mrs. Wilson confidently asserted that her belief at some time or other foul play had taken place. She was fully persuaded in her own mind with regard to the apparition, for thought it was suggested she might have been mistaken, she disdained the idea as being beneath notice. Dr. Gay, to whom the bones were submitted, stated that they might be those of a dog or pig. Writing later, the correspondent says Dr. Gay on further examination states the bones are undoubtedly human, but he believes them to be nearly a hundred years old.

That version of the events was published in countless newspapers around the country. It laid the foundation for the story which would gather pace over the next few days with many twists and turns, but it also moved the story from East Halton to Halton Holegate.

East Halton, the village associated with the infamous cursed cauldron is a civil parish in North Lincolnshire that stands to the north-west of Immingham and stands approximately 2.55 km / 1.59 miles to the north of North Killingholme, and approximately 2.83 km / 1.76 miles to the west of the Humber, from where the Killingholme and Immingham ports are situated.

Halton Holegate is a small village in the East Lindsey District, and also stands in Lincolnshire. The village stands approximately 1.91 km / 1.19 miles from the junction of the A16 and B1195 roads at Spilsby.

Halton Holegate stands approximately 60.96 km / 37.88 miles to the south-east of East Holgate.

Another story that was printed in numerous sources was a follow up that included a few more details. The follow up was printed in The Lancashire Evening Post, dated Wednesday September 1st, 1897, it stated:

THE LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST Further discoveries are being made at the farmhouse in Halton Holgate, near Spilsby, where the movements of the latest Lincolnshire ghost were reported the other day. Another examination of the brickwork covering the floor of the sitting room was made yesterday, when several more bones were unearthed, and further pieces of carded silk were found. These, together with the bones discovered on the previous occasion, are broken, and decayed, but, according to the medical advice already consulted, the evidence is clear that the body interred was that of a lady.

Despite the wide publication given to the movements of the “ghost,” the nocturnal visitant continues to make his mysterious presence known in a variety of ways. Every night the occupants of the farmhouse are disturbed by knockings and tappings.

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For some days, however, the “round shouldered old man” who suddenly appeared before the farmer’s wife has not been seen. A lamp is now kept burning in the bedroom, where, according to Mrs. Wilson, the apparition made his previous appearance.

The Derby Mercury dated Wednesday September 1st, 1897, featured a brief report on the case that was different from the other stories. It stated that the Lincolnshire ghost was disturbed when the bones were exhumed, and that the best way to put these nocturnal supernatural visits to rest, would be to bury the bones in consecrated ground.

The Westminster Gazette, a newspaper published in London also picked up on the story in a report dated Friday September 3rd, 1897, which stated:

THE LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST STORY of Mr. Millson Enderby, of the Station Hotel, Boston, as proprietor the High Farm, Halton Holgate, near Spilsby, where the Lincolnshire ghost was reported to have made its appeara nce, writes to deny many of the statements publishe d in connect ion with that subject. He adds: “The house is a lonely place, stands in the middle of the farm, and has been occupied by farmers, auctione ers, &c, since it was built in 1819.”

On the same day The Stamford Mercury, dated Friday September 3rd, 1897, added a slightly different angle to the story with an article that it published which stated:

THE LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST: MORE HUMAN REMAINS FOUND Further excavations under a farmhou se at Halton Holegate, under the brick floor of the sitting room, have led to more bones being unearth ed and more pieces of corded silk being found. This far the bones of the arms and legs have been found, presuma bly of a female. Every night the occupants are aroused by knockings and tappings, but the ghostly visitor has not been seen for over a week, a lamp being now kept burning in the bedroom where Mrs. Wilson asserts that she several times saw the apparition of an old man.

The Illustrated Police News, dated Saturday September 4th, 1897, a newspaper that published a lot of national crime stories even picked up on the story, it stated that:

A LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST. SUPPOSED DISCOVERY OF HUMAN BONES. The good folk at Halton Holegate, a village near Spilsby, in Lincolnshire, are excited over a ghost story. For some time, rumours have been afloat of human bones having been discovered under the brick floor of a farm near the village, of strange unearthly tappings having been heard, and of the appearance of a ghostly visitor as the precursor of these happenings.

The farmstead, where the weird sounds are said to have been heard and the ghost is said to have been seen, stands some distance from the high road, and is occupied by Mr. and Mrs.

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Wilson a manservant. Mrs. Wilson has been seen and told the following remarkable story: “We came here on Lady Day last. The first night or so we heard very strange noises about midnight, as though someone was knocking at the door and walls. Once it seemed as though someone was moving all the things about in a hurry downstairs. Another time the noise was like a heavy picture falling from the wall, but in the morning, I found everything as right as it was the night before.

The servant man left, saying he dared not stop, and we had to get another. Then about six weeks ago I saw something. Before getting into bed – my husband having retired before me – I went downstairs to see the cow, and just as I was about to go up again, I saw an old man standing at the top looking at me. He was standing as though he was round-shouldered. How I got past I can’t say, but I darted past him into the bedroom and slammed the door. Afterwards I felt that someone was behind me; I turned round sharply, and there again stood the same old man. He quickly vanished, but I am quite certain I saw him. I have also seen him several times since, though not quite so distinctly.”

Mrs. Wilson next conducted her interviewer to the sitting room, where a gruesome discovery had been made. The floor in one corner had been very uneven, and a day or two ago Mrs. Wilson took up the bricks with the intention of relaying them. No sooner had she done this than a most disagreeable odour was emitted.

Her suspicions being aroused, she called her husband, and the two commenced a minute examination. Three or four bones were soon turned over, together with a gold ring and several pieces of old black silk. All these had evidently been buried in quick lime.

Asked what her own opinion of the affair was, Mrs. Wilson confidently asserted her belief that at some time or other foul play had taken place. She was fully persuaded in her own mind with regard to the apparition, and though it was suggested she might have been mistaken she disdained the idea as being beneath notice.

Dr. Gay, a local medical man, to whom the bones have been submitted, states that they are undoubtedly human, but he believes them to be nearly 100 years old.

The Sheffield Daily Telegraph featured a follow up report on Monday September 13th, 1897, which stated:

THE LINCOLNSHIRE GHOST. FURTHER PARTICULARS. Despite all efforts the Lincolnshire ghost mystery still remains unravelled. That the noise nightly heard cannot be attributed to rats has been amply demonstrated, and other suggestions when acted upon likewise fail to elucidate the mystery. All over the country the affair has excited the greatest interest, and two London gentlemen have written asking for permission to stay a night in the house. Other letters have been received from clairvoyants asking for pieces of the silk or one of the bones found under the floor, whilst a London clergyman has written advising Mrs. Wilson to have the bones buried in consecrated ground. “Then,” he says, “the ghostly visitor will trouble you no longer.” The owner of the house in question – a farmstead near Halton Holegate, near Spilsby – has tries to throw discredit on the whole affair, but such efforts have failed, and it now transpires the house was known to be haunted fully 30 years ago.

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CURSES, CAULDRONS, BLACK DOGS, GHOSTS, AND A ONE-EYED COW

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n February 1932 the property was visited by Ethel Rudkin and reported that it was badly haunted. Rudkin was a well-known folklorist. She reported that the pot was put in the basement by the then occupiers, and to put the spirit to rest it was covered in pins and earth. Rudkin reported that she got into the cellar by a single stone set of steps, with the cellar being 8ft square, and the pot buried under a slab in the centre. Rudkin was able to interview a former resident, who claimed that she had never ever moved the pot for fear of getting bad luck for life. Ethel Rudkin would eventually publish her version of events and often made appearances in the Lincolnshire newspapers discussing folklore, Arthurian legends, and stories of Big Black Dogs in the district.

In 1975 the pot made headline news again when the Lincolnshire Echo reported on the deaths of three individuals, all of whom had links to the curse attached to the pot. At that time the builder responsible for the renovations was Mr. Alf Darwood, who was photographed with the pot.

According to the report a local businessman, named John Morton, purchased the property, and began extensive renovations. He was asked whether he wanted the pot removing, by the local minister Reverend Bob Kenyon, who firmly believed in the curse, but he decided to put steel plates around the pot to stop it being moved.

It was later reported that the cellar had been bricked up and was unreachable today, and that the pot was still there, in the steel cage away from curious onlookers.

According to the legend a family by the name of Atkin took over the Manor Farm in East Halton during the early 20th century, with a young boy dismissing the story. It was said that he took the pot and threw it into the village pond but was later killed when a wagon ran him over down the lane. The little boy was never named in any of the stories and a search of the contemporary newspapers show no such event having taken place, or at the very least not been reported. You would think, though, that such a story would make the headlines!

Mr. W. Winter in the village, gave birth to a one-eyed calf a few days earlier. The animal also had one ear, and the jaws were crossed. It was stated that the animal was healthy but would not be able to eat solid food and would have rely on a diet of milk.

CONCLUSION It would appear that both Halton Holegate and East Halton have stories regarding allegedly haunted properties in which are allegedly cursed cauldrons which have since been bricked up. Both have historical backgrounds, with historical contemporary reports, but both stories have swapped details with each telling, and as such they have become inter-twined.

‘Whatever the case, I would firmly suggest that if you venture into Lincolnshire over the next few months, you avoid touching, kicking, holding, grabbing, removing, or returning any cauldrons in the district!’

Mike Covell

East Halton, with Manor Farm, marked as Manor House on this map from the 1890’s.

It is then claimed that a local, who was superstitious, took the pot from the pond and returned it to the cellar, but died within the day... or hours, depending upon which version of the story you read. The man was never named in any of the stories, and again a search of the contemporary newspaper reports revealed no such story. Again, you think that such a story would make the headlines, but again there was nothing reported.

It is claimed that Atkin warned his children to stay away from the pot, but one evening his son, six-year-old Charles, accidentally knocked into it, and the following day Charles was killed when he was ran over by a haycart.

Curiously a search of the British Death Indexes for Charles Atkin aged 6 turned up a blank. Alternatively, a search of the 19th and 20th century newspapers also failed to turn up such a story. Some versions of the story state that the Atkin family resided at the farm from 1930 but searching the historical newspaper archives for the name of Charles Atkin or Atkins turned up a blank for a six-year-old boy being killed in such a tragedy.

It was after this that his father ordered that the cellar be bricked up, and the pot put out of reach of anyone who might dare to break superstition. ≠ East Halton is no stranger to strange goings on, on Friday January 7th, 1927, it was reported in the Hull Daily Mail that a cow, belonging to HAUNTED MAGAZINE

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The Scrambled Ramblings of Hubert’s Ramblings…

PROTECT, RESPECT &

HELP THE AGED ‘Fresh from many days of shielding and lockdown after lockdown, Hubert Hobux, the oldest ghost hunter that we know (there’s rumour he quaffed a few with Harry Price and downed Absinthe with ConanDoyle you know), is on a journey, spiritually YES, paranormal OF COURSE but also a physical journey walking and exploring the many beautiful locations his local area and surroundings have to offer. Penning them to parchment via a feathered quill (and sending them to us via either pigeon, a coach and horses, or mysteriously packaged and left for us), he visits locations you may know, some you may not, and writes about them in his own unequivocal and unique style’

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A

llow me to indulge in a rant first if I may. So sadly, as I predicted, the lockdown release brought the urbanised survivors from beneath their rocks and immediately tried to catch up on the destruction of the earth... Belching poisonous exhaust fumes into the newly cleaned air, strewing the beaches with plastic and bodily fluids... littering the leafy country lanes with the detritus of disrespectful humanity... We were patient, we allowed them their moment of hysteria as they emerged blinking out into the brightness of a new day... but the maltreatment of a local ancient monument has gone beyond the pale.

Doll Tor, “Six Stones“, an early Bronze Aged stone circle, is in a secluded dell long prone to unintentional abuse from neo pagans... unfortunately the circle has been lately desecrated by wild campers, who deconstructed parts of the site to “scrape out” a “fire pit”, destroying the ancient centre cairn in the process… as well as lighting other fires dangerously close to tinder dry scrub... how the copse wasn’t engulfed in flames is a mystery known only to the elementals!

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Admittedly the circle and cairn had been previously “ knocked about a bit”... partially excavated by Thomas Bateman (“The Barrow Knight”) in 1852, when he removed various artefacts from the monument including ‘bucket’ urns, cups and calcined human remains. Then in 1932 J.P. Heathcote, county archaeologist, dug anew, finding evidence of five more cremations and excavated bone, bronze and flint implements.

Pottery was recovered, as well as further evidence of calcined human remains, notably a female... He interpreted the monument as a place of burial, ritual and possibly an area reserved for seasonal celebrations.

The placing of the later cairn or cairns shows that the site was used for a protracted period of time.... though that doesn’t give people the right to invade and damage the site in the euphoria of lockdown release... I’ll tell you why I’m always very respectful when approaching these ancient spiritual sites; sites that may still harbour things of which we do not understand.... When the Heathcote party were excavating here in 1933, three of the stones were mysteriously smashed overnight.

No explanation was ever found. They are now held together with concrete.

I had my own spirit-ee encounter at another sacred circle in the Peaks...

I will never forget that first walk to The Seven Stones of Hordron, and I’d been curious to visit that unique Derbyshire stone circle for a long, long time... even before I was orientated to the locale I had heard first hand from “Megalith Baggers “ that the “interesting site” was worthwhile seeking out... generally they hunt usually overgrown, heather obscured Neolithic sites… Hordron Edge was a little more distinct than others with paradoxically nine, of the stumpy menhirs are still standing... and came with folklore attached...

The slightly larger stone aligned with far off Lose Hill is actually known as the “Fairy Stone” ... oft noticed were mysterious lights, witnessed flitting around and over the Edge by the travellers negotiating the paths of Moscar Moor in twilight... The Fae were obviously dancing about still... I was magnetically drawn, still took me several years to reach the Circle of Hordron though...

Whichever way you approach the Seven Stones is steep... very... and frequently claggy and you’re often alone as they’re not on a path “to anywhere” as such... not directionally anyway ... As I crested the plateau gasping ... and picked up the old sheep trail towards what must have been the ceremonial entrance ... I was struck by an awe of solemn reverence for some reason... and felt the need to “ask permission to enter their sacred circle...” best thing I did, for as I walked around the inner circle in a processional stroll I was slowly overtaken and enveloped by one of those cold, “staticky” embraces!

Gentle and brief, something was indicating its awareness of me, and I was relieved my intentions were good... the sense was of something incredibly old and wise... I noticed the tributes people had obviously taken up as offerings, simple cockle shells, pebbles, and small stones apparently from other far-off areas, I had nothing with me to leave but I promised to bring something next time and placed my hand on the Fairy Stone in gratitude for such a kind welcome... and I kid you not, the Fairy Stone that day... was pulsing with energy....

So, forgive our jealousy in wanting to protect our local ancient heritage from maltreatment... some of us will always be respectful for the old... the mystical old...

THE SEARCH FOR THE SHATTON BOGGART

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he story goes thus; a labourer had been helping the farmer at Old Lees, upon completion of his toil he heads off back home along Offerton Lane... reaching “the two stone stoops between which the pathway from Shatton runs into a field”, he found his way blocked by a black, misty mass of... something disconcerting... stopping him dead in his tracks with a dread that convinced him not to proceed.

“The Boggart simply wouldn’t allow him to pass there, as had always been his custom. So, he worked his way round to a gap in the hedge, only to find that ‘the thing’ was to confront him there also.

‘It wasn’t a dog or a ram’ he assured those to whom he spoke of his adventure. ‘Oh, dear no! It was something terrifying and supernatural!’

Finally, he abandoned his endeavour to reach Offerton by his usual route and sought his destination circuitously.”

You can still follow the blighted labourers’ route very easily, and an eerie way it can be on occasion... with only the sheep peripherally observing your progress, some tortuously twisted trees and curiously discarded ancient boundary stones mysteriously lining your trail.... the high moorland above you is of course littered with remnants from the Bronze Age and earlier peoples, you could well imagine some primordial force of avenging energy swooping down from the dark peaty heights to confront your deepest inner fears......

Some say... this tale is only a slice from the vivid imagination of Doctor Mary Andrews... a marvellous lady who lived in Shatton after taking a break from her beloved Totley Wolf Cub troop... of whom she had been “Scoutmaster” of the 85th Sheffield from 1919 until 1940. A keen writer and member of the Buxton Writer’s Circle as well as a student of local history and archaeology, Dr. Andrews published at least two books: A Child’s History of Sheffield and A Scout’s Short History of Sheffield. She was also a renowned raconteur of local ghost stories...

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refreshingly contrary to her scientific upbringing... maybe she had absorbed the paranormal vibe from the place of her birth... Wortley Forge... Born 16th March 1886 to Thomas Andrews, a steel master, and his wife Mary Hannah Stanley. Mary Andrews followed a medical career becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (England) and a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. Her “calling” was probably influenced by her uncle, Dr. William Dyson, who was one of the foremost physicians in Sheffield. During The Great War, Dr. Andrews was one of the doctors stationed at the V.A.D. hospital at St. John’s Church Rooms...

(Dore?). ...In June 1920 she accepted the appointment of Medical Officer to the Cherry tree Orphanage and stayed in the role for a decade, earning great respect during the Scarlet Fever epidemic of August 1929, “when she insisted that the children should all be taken to camp in Filey so that the Orphanage could be closed and properly disinfected. Many an orphan would later pay tribute to the role that Dr. Andrews played in their early welfare and development.”

Mary was a driving force in the area, became an A.R.P. Officer at Chapel en le Frith during World War Two and famously dug her own air raid shelter, singlehandedly, in her garden at Shatton, so the locals took her to their hearts and readily shared closely held folk tales with her...

When the Shatton Boggart actually made its nefarious appearance is not recorded historically, but I am fairly certain that the person who related the account to her was passing down a well believed and handed down family narrative!

In her correspondence with another follower of the otherworld-ee she wrote: You mentioned faeries the other day.

People living in our isolated villages and on our lonely farms not only believe in them but see them and hear them! Yes, we have our faeries in plenty. And we have our boggarts and our hobgoblins, often seen in the form of black dogs.

The dales folk speak of them as ‘hounds of hell’. And, of course, we have our phantom horses – any number of them...

81

WHERE THERE’S HOPE THERE’S…

T

his may explain why I had my own haunted encounter on another ancient highway to Hope... that narrow hill lane mostly ploughs through and connects mediaeval farmsteads and crofts that have populated the slopes of Win Hill since settlement began... a more solitary route for me to take toward the fleshpots of our larger village, I began walking Aston Lane as a matter of regular course... and almost immediately started having eerie encounters on the metalled trail with its blind bends obscured by high hedging and dry stone wall... your senses always need to be heightened... listening out ahead for approaching motor car or breakneck speed racing bicycle ‘peloton’ bearing deadly silent down toward you...

I once cleared a bend, and was faced with a large gentleman sat high on horseback, dressed in full hunting pink his black mount trotting toward me ...when the pair disappeared into thin air in a split second...

I stood non plussed for a second or two... ventured toward the spot they had gone.... and sensed a full frisson of swirling energy.

Been over there a hundred times since. Never seen phantom man or horse again. Did take some pictures at the time and was warned by a *social media psychic* that something dark lurked in the fields to the side of that place... That wasn’t the oddest encounter I have had on that lane though... further along, a mile or so toward “Kings Haigh “ is Tudor period-built Aston Hall, (once a home for the ancient ‘Balguy’ family) and an old farmstead called “Dimmings” between the two spots ... Once walking that way, from a distance I envisaged... leaning against a dry-stone wall... a quaintly dressed farm lad, and a much fancier lady next to him... stood motionless, expressionless, patiently waiting.... twice more I saw them on different journeys by.... each time gleaning a little more of their happenstance, though not through word of mouth as of course they weren’t there in actual bodily person... and the story was odd... and unrecorded... she had confided in him, {the farm lad}, of some disagreement she had had with her master, the master enraged, disposed of her, fearing ruin otherwise... and the farm lad now suspecting too much had to go also ... what isolated strip of sheep pasture they ended up in goodness alone knows.. I guess in those days, possibly the early nineteenth century... plain country folk’s disappearance could be easily explained by ‘scandalous elopement ‘ and they would soon be discussed only in hushed gossip by brow beaten servant staff…

After those few moments of hallucinatory revelation, the pair seem to have gone... maybe to a better place... Who really knows?

Good day to you all, I hope our paths cross again...

82

Hubert H.

BUT THERE’S MORE… That haunted encounter happened several years ago... I hadn’t walked Aston Lane in a long while and I have only recently started enjoying its solitudal calm again.

I expect that’s why I was compelled to commit the experience to paper. Then just after I’d penned the account... the very next day as happens, I was headed off towards the Co-Operative shopping emporium down in the ‘Valley ‘ when I was led off on a path less trod by some force not of my own control... yes, I was ‘spirit led’ again!

I found myself around the back of a quiet hamlet on an aimless, though public footpath, {archaically used by camping girl guides to obtain milk and bread from the farm behind a Chapel}...

Scaling an atmospheric, little used stile I was immediately bombarded by sticks thrown from the clustered canopy above, a cacophony of screech and caw followed, and as I jumped down into the long, wet grass a tiny black bundle started flopping about in front of me... a baby Jackdaw either blown out of the roost or fledged too early was stranded on the ground in distress… and the large “Clattering” of elder Jackdaw’s were trying to scare me away with their din!

I gladly left them to their own little ‘Corvid’ drama and followed my nose along an ancient cart track crossing the field top… (I shouldn’t have; this is private farmland and I admittedly have no right to trespass over it... I can only apologise for my hypocritical digression by claiming I was being blindly led) ... Where I was going, I didn’t know, having never cut across these fields before, cattle was roaming but at that moment I had no concern of being seen and rebuked, all that mattered was to proceed... then up ahead of me, the dry stone walled gable of some ruined old farm building came into view... the remnants of one of the old ‘crofts ‘ I assumed. Since mediaeval days, HAUNTED MAGAZINE

this part of the Peaks were farmed by the occupants of these tiny croft steads, this was where I was meant to be, amidst this sheltered lea, with its feel of timelessness ...so I took some photographs, absorbed whatever energy may have lingered, and headed back downhill towards the proper old path whilst the going was good...

Shopping completed. I was back home later that afternoon and mentally recounting the movements of my day, for the life of me I couldn’t think why the trip had taken a good hour longer than should have been expected... nothing out of the ordinary perhaps, I didn’t have to rush about after all ... but that night I didn’t get the best of sleeps... though I was blaming the full Strawberry Moon for that! The next morning, I woke thinking of that poor young Jackdaw and the guilt I might have helped it better played on my mind for some hours...

As I chored through the daily routines, a picture of the farm lad and fine lady sprung into my head ... and it dawned on me... in an almost “Ghosts of Shepherdstown “ revelation... that they could... no must... have some connection to that tract of land... For even though it’s not of great acreage agriculturally speaking, there is space aplenty to lose and forget a discomfiture or two...?!

I thought I’d laid the pair a good while ago... maybe they are asking for more?

Maybe I’ll seek permission of the farmer and have a good long wander over those grassy slopes with the dowsing rods?

Hopefully, the simple fact that something needed to be writ will suffice... {never have I been so drained or affected mentally when writing on a topic of imagination}. Who knows these two might be the elusive ghostly entities of my own Boggart Bungalow and this could be the endgame of that haunting?

EDITOR Paul Stevenson @hauntedmagazine paul@hauntedmagazine.co.uk DESIGNER Andy Soar @thehauntedguy andy@hauntedmagazine.co.uk ADVERTISING Karen Fray @Karenhauntedma1 karen@hauntedmagazine.co.uk WRITING TALENT Sarah Streamer, Eli Lycett, Steve Higgins Sarah Chumacero, Nicky Alan, Amanda R. Woomer, Morgan Knudsen, Kate Cherrell, Kate Ray, Danny Robins, Richard Estep, Alexandra Holzer, Jane Rowley, Lorien Jones, Evelyn Hollow, Keith Linder, Penny Griffiths-Morgan, Amy Boucher, Jacob Dow, Mike Covell and Hubert Hubox.

THANKS The Cold Spots, Poltergeists, Warmley Clock Tower, The Fox Sisters, Spook-Eats, Dr. William Roll, Spirit Trumpets, Herb Gardens, Paranormal Entertainment, The Beattie Mansion, Dr. Hans Holzer, Shag Harbour, Lincolnshire, Juliette Gregson, Richard Felix, Derby Gaol, Holyrood, The British Schools Museum, Shropshire, Beatrix Potter, Usborne Publishing, Nick Groff, The Hinsdale House, Dan Klaes, HAPRC, Neil Packer, Chris Willcox, Robin Ince, Hill Top Farm, Martha Howe-Douglas, Lisa Vanoli, Alexandra Gill & Higgypop’s Paranormal Hub SPECIAL THANKS TO 2:22 Danny Robins, Ciaran O’Keeffe, Jake Wood, Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser, Ben Chamberlain, Bread and Butter PR & Jan Baister Help! My House Is Haunted Barri Ghai, Jayne Harris, Ian Lawman, back2back Productions, David Notman-Watt, Ben Cole, Tom Jewitt & Discovery+ The Parapod: A Very British Ghost Story Ian Boldsowrth, Barry Dodds, Kate Cherrell, Emma Deakins, Strike Media & Bil Bungay

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ISSUE 32

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HAUNTED MAGAZINE ISSUE 31: “2:22AM” I THINK YOU WILL FIND IT IS TIME FOR A GHOST HUNT

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