The Anchor Hotel. Southampton

The Anchor A Haunted Evening with Haunted Southampton 25 September 2009

With Andy Ford, Psychic Medium And Kathy Bavister, Psychic Artist With kind permission of Bo, Landlady

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An Introduction What follows is a detailed account of the results of an overnight paranormal investigation undertaken by Haunted Southampton Limited – a small company of intrepid investigators and guests, who spent the night in the Anchor, Redbridge to see if any light could be shed on alleged supernatural activities.

As far as we know there has been no previous investigation on these premises.

The evening was hosted by Peter, Juliet and Patrick Collins.

Advising us was Andy Ford – an experienced local Psychic Medium, and Kathy Bavister, local Psychic Artist.

Food was provided (with grateful thanks) by Lisa Portsmouth.

Last but not least many thanks for those who put their faith in us and help fund these investigations.

Without you you we would not be able to continue.

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Equipment used:

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EMF metres – three in all

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Compasses – two

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EVP recording equipment – three Dictaphones plus microphones

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Night vision video camera

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Dowsing rods – four pairs

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Digital cameras – used by various attendees and photos submitted post investigation

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Cam corders brought by attendees with footage submitted post investigation

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Static night vision camera on tripod, with video recording

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Hygrometers

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Torches

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Glass divination using alphabet cards

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Planchette – for automatic writing

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Initial Survey About a week before the investigation a basic survey of the Anchor was undertaken to check baseline levels, take pictures etc.

Each room was checked with an EMF metre. Background levels around the entire premises were between 0.2 to 0.7 mill Gauss, with large fluctuations caused by the refrigeration equipment, PC, television equipment, kitchen appliances and the alarm clock. There were no unusual fluctuations or spikes of energy around the pub in other areas.

Compass measurements showed the needle pointing to magnetic north throughout the pub, with one exception – in the lounge bar near the rear door, the needle wavered about 20 degrees to the left or towards the west at least twice. No other phenomena presented itself in the area, and there appeared to be no structural indication as to why the needle would move from magnetic north.

Evp recordings were done - once in the right attic room, once in the main bedroom and once in the function room. A noise could be discerned on the recording from the main bedroom interestingly – in response to the question ‘Are you happy with us being here?’ there was a noise similar to the word ‘Yes’ – but there was extraneous noise in the background so this cannot be counted as evidence.

It was noted that the entrance to the Function Room on the first floor was not the original one and that there was another doorway into the sitting room that was blocked up – also that lounge bar downstairs was originally two rooms, as was the sitting room upstairs. There was also evidence of the Pub’s history in a priest hole discovered during renovations in 1973.

A chimneybreast in the public bar was bricked up, and the original doorway was now used as an alcove for the dartboard.

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Meeting and Greeting

11 pm

Temp 19.3 C

Having arrived at about 9:30pm I, Pete and Pat spent some time checking equipment, bringing in supplies and checking out rooms. Kathy, our artist arrived at about 10:25pm and I proceeded to show her around the premises so she could get a feel for the place. Andy arrived soon afterwards and I did the same for him – as the guests arrived in the large bar we spent the next 20 minutes or so wandering the rooms above the pub in order to give Andy an idea of what he was letting himself in for.

Andy said that he felt there was definitely activity to be found here – he believed that certain rooms were more active than others (interestingly he pinpointed the same rooms that Kathy had earlier) but felt that we should have a good evening. Whilst in the spare bedroom, when Andy said that he felt that this was an active area the lights flickered. He also stated that the Pub had the feel of an old coaching inn – which in actual fact it was – there are many records of the Anchor being used as not only a Coaching Inn but also as a Post House.

At 11pm once all had arrived we filed upstairs into the Function Room to start the night. Introductions all round were dispensed with, accompanied by more flickering of the lights which Andy felt may be paranormal in origin, and after the legalities of the evening (fire procedure, exits, risks etc) we commenced the walk around. It must be noted at this point that we let guests know that two of the rooms were not to be entered, as people would be sleeping in them. The Landlady, Bo, had said that she would vacate her bedroom if necessary if the ‘vibes’ were good, so we decided to go there first.

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Walk Round: First Floor Main Bedroom

1130 pm

Temp 19.2 C

Once we had all filed in Andy asked how everybody felt to which most replied that they felt cold – much colder than the Function Room. Some one did point out that there were two outside walls in this room, and there were two windows which could account for the colder feel – also it was dark and the ambient temperature would be less – but no matter where it was pointed the digital thermometer came up with more or less the same temperature all around and the fact remained that everyone felt cooler.

Andy stood for a moment and then said that the room felt light – had a nice atmosphere and there was nothing negative that he could sense. Later someone said that they felt a cold breath on their face and also that their left elbow was cold, and had a sensation that someone was stood behind them.

Another said that they could smell perfume – but this was discounted as paranormal in origin as we were after all in a bedroom and also several members of the party were wearing some.

Andy did comment that he felt that the occupant might get disturbed occasionally. Bo had previously said that she had heard footsteps in this room – as if on floorboards, and had the sense of being observed. Generally though, the feeling that both Andy and Kathy got was one of ‘no worries’, so it was decided to let Bo get a good nights sleep and leave this room out of the investigation. We then moved onto the bathroom.

Upstairs Bathroom

1140 pm

Temp 19.6 C

The first impression I had was that I felt dizzy – which was pointed out could be the uneven floor causing a disturbance to my sense of equilibrium.

Several other people repeated this. Andy felt cold straight away – also complained of having chest pain – at which point he felt that someone was becoming interested in our activities – an older gentleman who had definitely passed from chest difficulties. Andy was in the doorway at this point. He felt

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that the man in question was not actually linked to the pub but to someone in the room – that he was the grandfather or father of a member of the group. The temperature at this point via the digital thermometer dropped by three degrees.

Two other people in the group said afterwards that they too had felt the impression of chest pain, and one wrote afterwards that they had felt very bad indigestion and felt nauseous. However Andy and Kathy both felt nothing of significance would occur in the area so we moved onto the kitchen.

Upstairs Kitchen

1147 pm

Temp 19.2 C

Try though we might we could not all quite fit in the kitchen! Andy felt quite warm in here – in fact the temperature rose to 26 degrees as we were talking - interesting until you remember that there were quite a lot of us in a small area - even so quite an impressive rise.

Andy still felt that the gentleman was following us – drawing closer as we spoke. He also had an impression of something on the stairs behind us – of something or someone being seen there. The Landlady had mentioned prior to the evening that there had been some question as to whether something had been seen on the stairs – out the corner of people’s eye. Detecting nothing more we moved on down the corridor to the Sitting room.

Sitting Room

1156 pm

Temp 19.6 C

Instantly both Andy and Kathy felt that the room was divided into two halves psychically – the side by the computer was the colder, more active half and the other side was warmer and with less activity. The temperature by the digital thermometer did not vary.

Andy again had the feeling of lots of people moving in and out – is if in an old coaching inn as before. Kathy said that the other side of the room – the fireside – was more homely – less movement through as if it was a home

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environment. They both felt that if there was activity to be found it would be on the opposite side of the room.

As we moved out into the corridor both Andy and Kathy said that they could still sense a presence on the stairs – as if someone was watching, different from that of the older gentleman who had been following us around. They felt that the watcher was from the 17th century – possibly female.

At that point one of the group complained of a horrible smell – like rotting vegetables. The source was not located and the smell faded quickly and was not repeated for the rest of the night. This was especially interesting as a Glade Air freshener serviced the corridor – one set on regular pulses so the general odour of the area was in fact quite pleasant.

Spare Bedroom

12 04 am

Temp 18.9 C

The first impression that Andy, Kathy and most people had was again one of cold – also of a ‘heavier’, oppressive, restrictive type of atmosphere. There were comments from various members of the group that felt the colour – a muted blue – could lend itself to feeling chilly and almost claustrophobic.

Kathy felt quite light headed and also picked up on a feeling of wanting to get out – not in a ‘held against her will’ way – just a feeling of wanting to be out of the building. Andy also felt claustrophobic and suggested that we use this room to set the trigger object up in – he suggested that the far corner near the window might be the best place. Kathy also felt that dowsing rods might get a good result in here.

The temperature did not change whilst everyone was packed into this small room – which ponders the question why did it change so dramatically whilst we were all packed into the kitchen. With that we decided to move up into the attic bedrooms.

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Stairs and Landing

12 11 am

Temp 19.6 C

On reaching the stairs both Andy and Kathy stopped and said that they could feel the presence of someone on the landing between the floors. Kathy said that she saw the figure of a lady, possibly in her early to late forties, with Andy commenting that she was quite spartan in her appearance – wearing a plain brown dress with no adornment. Kathy said her hair was pulled back into a bun (and that it did nothing to enhance her looks) – and that she seemed to exude the character of someone in charge – like a school marm or a governess. Both felt her name was probably Margaret. Andy thought she might well have been in charge – like a chief housekeeper. Both felt that she was of working class and quite strict in nature.

Andy then said that residents may well hear her moving around – that they could hear her footsteps. Perhaps it is this lady that is heard prowling the premises, keeping an eye on the new leaseholders and what they are doing to her home. Unfortunately we found no evidence of a lady called Margaret mentioned in connection with the Anchor – however that does not mean that she did not exist.

One member of the group wrote during this time that she felt that her left eye was being dragged down, as if it was heavy. After nothing else presented itself, we moved onto the next floor.

Walk round: Second floor Right attic room

12 17 am

Temp 16.4 C

Andy and Kathy both felt as if their energies dropped in this room and felt that the gentleman who had been walking around with us had drawn closer again. The room felt colder but then this was an attic room with very little roof space above us and also the night was drawing in now so the temperature outside had dropped. They also felt that Margaret had come from here – that this might have been her room.

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Both felt sick and dizzy – as did a few others. There was a mention of children being taken out, as if not allowed in this room and some of the group didn’t feel comfortable in here – or on the stairs outside. There was a suggestion of someone being seen from the window outside.

Left attic rooms

12 24 am

Temp 16.2 C

Andy instantly felt that these two rooms were used for children – more than one or two and said that they would definitely be heard from below as they moved about. When in the room at the back he said that it is possible that they might be seen at the window.

After a moment he also felt a bit shaky – and said that the children had passed here – he felt that maybe a fever was involved. Kathy also felt clammy and in fact looked very pale. It was felt that the children had passed quite a while ago and that they would have been wearing long nightgowns – almost ‘wee Willy Winky’ style. They would have varied in age he believed but none he felt were teenagers – only up to about eight or nine, and one just a baby.

In actual fact there is evidence to suggest that up to five children passed here in the later half of the nineteenth century - the Self-family who used to be leaseholders seemed to have suffered tragedy after tragedy and lost a number of children in a short space of time.

At this point it was decided to have a break and set up equipment around the pub, after which we would finish the walk round downstairs as the Pub would now be empty.

Walk round continued – Function room 01 05

Temp 18.9 C

After our break we went to the Function Room, where Andy said he felt very ‘comfortable’, at ease, as if this was an area to relax in. The Anchor used to serve as a hotel in the 1800’s, with, amongst other utilities listed, a Smoking

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Room. Indeed it was not hard to imagine the room being full of Gentlemen in ‘smoking’ jackets, seated in armchairs in groups, puffing on pipes and cigars and looking out at the old Canal. As he was talking the lights again flickered.

He did feel as if the room was the wrong way round that he wanted to change it so the entrance was crossways – and indeed the doorway is not the original entrance – that being further up the hallway, with another blocked doorway entering in to the living room as it is now.

Downstairs – Lounge bar

01 11

Temp 18.9 C

All felt relaxed in this room, though Andy felt drawn to the other bar. Again Andy felt that this was an old Coaching house placed along a well-travelled route. Both he and Kathy felt a little light-headed. Andy did wonder if there had been an accident with a drayman – with a coach and horses nearby. In fact there had been a minor accident in 1825 where a horse had kicked its carriage, or ‘gig’, to pieces when it had taken fright and left its two occupants senseless on the road but there were no fatalities- its occupants were taken to the Anchor to recover but left soon after.

He also felt that this was a meeting place – which a group of men in authority had met regularly here in an official capacity. He also felt that those who met were men of high status – that you could not just join up if you felt like it, He also felt that the meetings were to ‘dish out judgement’ – as if people were brought for punishment here. Kathy felt the name George was important.

In this Andy proved very accurate – the Anchor had for centuries been used as a Manorial court – a kind of lay court where the Lords of the manor would meet and discuss leases, rent etc and fines were levied against those who were over due. Petty crime was also dealt with here – as well as in the Ship Inn along the road, but he felt no sense of wrong doing really having taken place here. Maybe it’s because the court was held here on the premises and that perhaps would have been just to close to home for comfort for most petty criminals and smugglers.

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Small Bar

01 16

Temp 18.6 C

The first thing Andy pointed out was the large square pillar at the side of the bar – where he felt that there should have been a fireplace. The pillar is in fact the chimneybreast that goes up through the building. He felt that there should have been a door next to the pillar as well – possible a remnant of how the Anchor was in years gone by.

He also felt – and Kathy concurred – that the smaller bar was definitely kept separate from the larger bar, in terms of its clientele. At this point Andy had the impression that something had happened here or near here at Christmas: he wasn’t sure if it was positive or negative but that there had been an Event, and he felt that it would come clear as the night went on.

Not picking up anything more we moved on to the small cellar.

Cellar/ Office

01 20

Temp 18.7 C

Andy thought initially that the cellar was bigger – he felt that at one time it had circled around under the floor and gone much further back. This may well have been the case as in the past the Anchor was listed as having ‘cellars’, not just one cellar. He also felt that there might have been a chute that beer barrels rolled down into the cellar from the dray.

He also did wonder if anyone had been held there – possibly against their will, and perhaps that there had been a connection with this and the meetings in the room upstairs.

Other than this he felt slightly light-headed but otherwise the room seemed fairly relaxed. So we all moved on the last room – the large Kitchen.

Kitchen

01 24

Temp 18.1

As we entered the kitchen Kathy said that she was aware of a corner of the eye movement – as if someone had moved behind us. It was felt by Andy that this area could be fairly active – that the impression was of a lot of

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milling around – lots of comings and goings and a large level of energy. This could be residual energy – left not only by long gone spirits but also caused by the fact the kitchen is still used today.

Having said that both Andy and Kathy were comfortable in here – they both felt that noise could sometimes be heard upstairs – like footsteps from time to time, but other than that the room was quite bland.

Now that all the rooms had been explored it was time for everyone to divide into groups and, using the equipment provided, start to delve into the past to see if The Anchor would give up any of its secrets.

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Investigations What now follows are accounts that were originally written by me, Pete and Pat, but also, more importantly, by those attending.

Andy and Kathy were on hand all night to help us all to engage and encourage the possibly shy spirits to come forward and communicate, and guests were asked to take part as much or as little as they wanted to – invited to use any of the equipment and, more importantly, take notes of what happened, or document their experiments using cameras and video equipment, and to avail us of their results.

I have tried to accurately pass on all the information that I have been given but, when you are involved in an exciting vigil or sĂŠance, it is not easy to remember to write down information such as times, temperatures etc! So what is documented might not be scientifically accurate but it will be as close to the actual events as possible.

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Dowsing experiment – Left Attic Room

01:30

Séance witnessed in the left attic room, just inside the door with one person using dowsing rods, having first established responses for yes an no in a procedure known as ‘setting the rods’. A positive response is shown by the rods crossing, a negative by the rods going in opposite directions.

Q – Are there any spirit people in this room?

A – Rods crossed Q – Are you female?

A – Rods crossed Q – Are you younger than 10?

A – Rods crossed Q – Did you die in the Anchor?

A – Rods crossed Q – Are you alone here?

A – Rods opened Q – Are you happy with us being here?

A – Rods crossed No further responses were obtained so experiment terminated after 10 minutes.

Planchette experiment - Sitting Room 01:50 An Experiment using the Planchette involved four people who were sat around a table with their fingers placed upon the planchette and an observer. The experiment took place on the side of the room the Andy felt was more active, near the computer.

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The question was asked – ‘Is there any body here?’ After a few moments the question was repeated – both times with no response. In the following twenty minutes or so several questions were asked in various forms: ‘Are there any spirit people in the room?’

‘Is there any one here?’

‘Come and talk to us’ ‘Please try and communicate with us’ Try and draw your name/initial’’ ‘Come and play with us’ After twenty minutes the planchette had not moved at all – apart from gentle rocking to and fro – creating a very small spidery blob of ink on the paper.

This was felt to be due to involuntary movement of the individuals arms and hands upon the planchette. During the time spent asking out one member of the group felt quite dizzy and at least two thought they saw movement behind them, in the region of the computer desk.

The observer then asked if the group felt that having Andy with us would perhaps facilitate more interaction, All agreed and the observer went to fetch him.

Andy entered at about 02 10. The group restarted the séance – with Andy stood next to the table with his hand placed about six inches above the ‘planchette’, giving encouragement. For a few minutes not a lot happened, until the observer joined the group with their finger also upon the planchette. There seemed initially to be no movement except a slight rocking.

Within about five minutes however the planchette seemed to pick up on the energy and suddenly began to move – forming a loose letter ‘G’. It rested for a minute or so, and then seemed to gain confidence for it began to move much more rapidly and further around the paper – making a looped picture.

As it gained momentum the observer felt suddenly very dizzy and faint and had to kneel down next to the table, or felt they would fall down.

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The planchette continued to move quickly around the paper, and as it moved it also twisted under people’s fingers, so the point was facing in different directions. The question was asked ‘Are you a child?’ to which the planchette seemed to pick up speed.

At times the planchette seemed to feel as if it was lifting up off of the page – if you look at the picture below you can see where the line stops and starts again at times – especially on the left hand side of the page.

Unfortunately there was no real clear response to any further questioning, so the participants had no real idea of who or what was interacting with them, and after another two of three minutes the planchette slowed and stopped, so it was decided to end the experiment.

Picture of planchette drawing from the Sitting room, 02:20. The initial attempt can be seen in the centre of the page, as a small black blob, where the pressure of people’s fingers on the planchette caused it to move slightly. This could almost be seen as a control experiment, since the resulting drawing when Andy came in is completely different in character.

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Participants were quite taken aback and excited – mainly because in past experiences with this form of communication none had ever had more than a wavery line or a small squiggle occur, and all felt that they had not in any way influenced the movement of the planchette.

Séance – Left Attic Attic Room

02:30

Using glass divination –four people in the above room undertook a séance.

When the group asked if spirits could communicate with them by moving the glass, it began to circle. When asked if the spirit was male or female, it moved to male.

The group then asked for the first letter of his name, to which the glass moved to J. The name Jesus was suggested, to which the glass moved to no, as it did for John, but it moved to yes when the name Jeff was suggested.

Through asking the glass to confirm with yes and no answers it was established that Jeff was a previous owner/landlord of the Anchor during the 1970’s, and that he had passed away in the pub. He communicated that he had two daughters still living in the area and that one of them had tried to contact him through a medium. He wanted us to try to communicate with them and let them know he was ok. Their initials were disclosed to us and we will let you know how this unfolds.

During the course of this experiment one member of the group suddenly felt very sick and went very red in the face. Another felt their chest go very tight.

All these symptoms faded quickly.

The experiment ended at about 02:55.

Séance – Right Attic Room

02:30

Four individuals were involved using glass divination. When asked if there were any spirits in the room the glass started to move quickly around,

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finishing at yes. Asked if the energy was male, the glass moved to no, so it was asked to move to the first letter of the first name. The glass moved to the letter E, and on confirmation it was found that the name was Elizabeth.

Positive answers were then all given to the questions ‘Did you work here’, ‘Were you in charge’, and ‘Did you die here’. The glass moved quickly when asked and stopped instantly when asked to.

After a pause the glass was asked if there was another spirit who wished to make contact, to which the answer was yes. During the course of this conversation it was felt by all that the temperature had dropped considerably. Through questioning it was established that this was a young girl by the name of Charlotte. One of the participants then asked if Charlotte would touch one of them – to which another guest stated that they had felt a light stroke on their arm. When the question was asked if that was Charlotte, the response was yes. The room temperature seemed to drop further as it was asked if she was happy, and if she was happy with us being here to which the responses were both yes.

After this a third contact was made, but this was of a personal nature to one of the guests. All questions and responses were judged to be correct by the person involved.

Video of Vigil in Cellar Office

03:20

At 03:20 three people, including Juliet Collins went down in to the cellar room to conduct a vigil, using a night vision video camera. Once the door was closed, all light was extinguished and we began asking if there was anyone present in the room with us.

For about four minutes, there was complete silence and those present felt completely at ease, not in anyway observed or nervous. The room was not cold, though a temperature reading was not obtained. Those present were commenting on how the cellar in a previous investigation felt much more atmospheric when, without warning the torch on the desk that had been used all evening came on by itself.

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Those present were surprised and pleased, and then one member suggested that what or whoever had influenced the torch initially, try to turn it off again. The torch began to flicker; with the light from it dimming, and to all intents and purposes seemed to be really trying hard to do as we asked which it did about 28 seconds later.

Not content, we asked it to turn back on, and again, to much encouragement it did so 20 seconds later. The torch turned back off again 26 seconds later, again with vocal incitement, and again came back on in four seconds. After this there were no further events; in spite of our urging the torches beam remained constant and unresponsive for the next 15 minutes or so, until we ended the vigil.

As an amateur investigator I have never witnessed phenomena like this before, and can offer no logical explanation for the torches behaviour.

Indeed, one of the other people in the group is a qualified electrician and was also dumbfounded by the event. Scientifically though, we have no proof that the torch was being influenced by a spirit or any other paranormal source, and can only ask that individuals form their own opinion.

Vigil - Lounge bar

03:45

Seven guests, including Andy and Juliet Collins as an observer, headed down to the Main Bar, to conduct a vigil. No equipment was used in this experiment.

Participants arranged chairs in a circle and sat quietly for a few minutes, until Andy said that he felt we were being watched. He explained that the spirit beings may just want to observe to see what we were doing, or that they may decide to interact with us, and that we may feel their touch as perhaps being like the brush of cobwebs on our skin.

He felt that the group of individuals were male and that they were standing behind us, to the back of the room, and that they were the same individuals that he had felt were involved in the meetings he had mentioned earlier on in

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the walk round. He also felt that the presence of Charlotte, a small child of about eight or nine was in the room – an individual that Kathy had become aware of and drawn earlier in the night during a previous séance.

We sat for a few moments more, and then Andy became aware of a spirit who wanted to communicate with someone in the group. Conversation followed for about ten minutes of a personal nature, which the guest concerned confirmed as accurate.

After this Andy suddenly asked if there had been a battle here – between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers. Juliet was pleased to confirm the record of a major skirmish on the Marshes opposite the Pub, in which ten Royalists were killed, after which the city had been laid siege to. This had occurred in the December of 1642, very close to Christmas on around the 22nd, which could possibly be the event that Andy had referred to earlier in the night.

At this point the observer became aware of a sensation not unlike cobwebs touching their right hand, which Andy said he thought might have been Charlotte. He also became aware of two more names, Geoffrey and Jonathon.

There are several Johns involved with the history of the Anchor, a John Pritchard who ran the Pub in 1873, a John Dicketts in 1871 and a John Gifford, who was staying in the pub in 1851, at the age of thirteen. Though there are no specific records of a Jonathon, any one of the previously mentioned John’s who were involved with the pub may have been a shortened version of Jonathon. No record of a Geoffrey in connection with the Anchor, however, has yet been found.

Séance – Lounge bar

04:15

Séance undertaken by five guests in the lounge bar, using glass divination.

This experiment lasted a long time, and much specific information was gained regarding the individual involved, though none of it has yet been verified.

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When the glass started moving, it was asked if the contact was male, to which the reply was yes. When asked the initials were given as A J. At this point the glass seemed to pause before moving again.

It quickly became apparent that a second individual had come to the fore – one that gave their initials as T D. It transpired through questioning that he was a French Sailor, from the last century, who apparently had helped the British during the Normandy invasion. He maintained that he had passed at sea, helping British soldiers. The Anchor was it appears a favourite place of his, as he likes returning to the pub in visitation.

One notable occurrence during this séance was that when the male participants were asking the questions, the glass did not move. But when the ladies present asked the same questions, the glass was very compliant.

[Typical of a Frenchman, some would say.]

The experiment was concluded at about 04:55.

Séance – Left Attic Room

05:10

Four individuals, including one observer, undertook this séance.

The glass started moving in this case before the questions were asked. It was established through questioning that this may be the spirit of a child, though the answers were not very specific, and hesitant, and a name could not be established.

Instead the focus of the experiment – for the individual being contacted anyway – became one of a general response – as in ‘Can you move the glass faster?’ The spirit involved then seemed to become very energetic. As the glass continued to move in large circles, all concerned felt that this was the spirit of a young child.

As the glass sped round, some of the letter cards were knocked the floor. It was asked if the glass could knock all the letters off – to which the movement slowed and became much more deliberate – working its way

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around the very edge of the table at times – one by one pushing all the letters off of the table. At one time the glass passed by several cards on a corner, at which point it twisted under our fingers and moved back to sort out the cards that had been missed.

This done, the glass went round several times more, and then stopped dead, as if either the spirit had left suddenly, or had lost its energy. We thanked the spirit, and then ended the experiment, at about 05:30.

Other occurrences.

Some other happenings occurred during the Night’s investigation but were documented without a time or place reference, or witnessed and then reported back to the investigators. All are equally important, as any evidence should not be discounted.

These include: Someone being touched on the back of the neck in one of the Attic rooms, and at the same time feeling sick.

The name George coming up in a séance, but female. This individual was happy and died in the Pub in about 1800. It was also noted that children were present.

Someone felt a presence close to the living room window.

Someone coming down the stairs towards the Lounge bar and hearing the sound of a muffled deep male voice, as if in conversation in another room. This voice suddenly stopped and then two female guests came out of the corridor opposite. The voice did not resume and there were no men downstairs at the time.

In the Sitting room during a séance the information came through that there was a little girl present: this youngster came through first and

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then gave the information that there was another girl there, who was younger and also her sister.

After a séance in the Lounge bar Kathy went upstairs to do a drawing – one of the group left downstairs suddenly felt very upset to the point of tears and said that the girl Charlotte who they had made contact with was very upset that Kathy had gone.

A further drawing done by a group of four with Andy in attendance was done in the Sitting room, using the planchette. Again no specific name or identity was gained but the planchette seemed to be driven this time by two separate influences – perhaps, it was thought by the group, the first one being an adult and the second one a child.

Impression of a female- died in the late 1800’s,who had children here and whose parents may have died in the Pub. She appeared happy, though at our presence or her own was not indicated.

Other Experiments - EVP Electronic voice phenomena is, historically, a fairly new technique used in Para psychological research. Questions are asked of a tape recorder, which is recording static, or white noise. or not tuned into any broadcasting frequency.

Most commonly a Dictaphone is used, preferably with a microphone as this reduces noise created by the turning of the wheels in the device itself. It is maintained that a new tape is used every time as this prevents bleed through of previous recordings. Most EVP recordings are small – one word or short sentences. The EVP Research Association U.K. recommendations that these experiments are repeated through out the night, using the same format, so the experiments are as controlled as possible.

We have produced a question sheet following their guidelines and members very kindly used these to conduct and record experiments during the night

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(please see Appendixes) but unfortunately no auditory phenomena were heard on any of the recordings.

Other Notes Unfortunately no differences were found in the premises from the original baseline readings of the EMF metres and no fluctuations in compass readings were noted, interestingly not even in the area where the compass had wavered in the pre-investigation review, in the lounge bar.

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Psychic Art. During the night Kathy Bavister spent some time drawing two individuals that she became aware of. The first is a picture of ‘Margaret’.

Margaret The head housekeeper, working class and strict in nature who was ‘seen’ on the first floor stairs

The second image Kathy drew was that of a young girl called Charlotte, who used to reside in the Pub. She made several appearances by name and possibly further interaction but with being identified. Charlotte was not only able to be ‘seen’ by Kathy and Andy but also took part in séances and influenced the emotional state of some attending.

Charlotte A young resident from the Pub’s distant past.

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Trigger Object During 12 33 and 01 05 am we set up the trigger object and remote night vision camera in the spare bedroom on the first floor. A table was placed in the far corner and on it was placed an old-fashioned clock key and a wooden cross on a piece of A4 paper and both were drawn around, to show any movement that might occur.

The video recorder and TV were set up in the kitchen to let everyone watch and a motion detector was placed to alert us to ‘intruders’. The room was then recorded for the rest of the night and the video analysed by myself and Pete later.

Results At 05:30 the spare bedroom was opened and the trigger objects inspected.

Unfortunately no movement had occurred, and none was evident on the video when later surveyed.

However – on the video there were three incidents that stood out – two incidents of knocking – as if a wardrobe door or drawer was rattling. The third, more interesting incident was a noise that initially sounded like the inhalation and exhalation of a child – it was very quiet and could only be heard properly with the volume turned right up. On subsequent reviews the sound is similar to the voice of a young child whispering ‘Mama’. No extraneous noise was heard and of course the explanation of these noises cannot be proven to be paranormal in origin.

There were also several bright objects that moved in front of the camera but they cannot be specifically labelled as orbs as dust motes are always present, especially after the room has first been vacated.

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Conclusion.

At approx 05:30 we all met in the Function Room to discuss results. All were in agreement that the Pub was an extremely interesting place to conduct a paranormal investigation – we have done several by now and by far the Anchor presented us with the most activity.

Andy’s insights to the night had proven on several occasions to be extremely accurate, and those guests who had received personal information felt the experiences to also be accurate. Most notable were the incidences of information regarding the use of the Inn as a Manorial court, the battle on the marshes at Christmas time between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers, and also the information that this was a coaching inn. Andy proved spot on with all this.

Kathy had provided the evening with an extra dimension – giving us a glimpse of her impressions of individuals that were long gone, as well as lending her insight to séances and the walk round. Her intuition during the walk round and throughout the night was invaluable and her drawings added a sense of reality to the individuals we were possibly communicating with.

The impression that previous leaseholders of the pub had of unusual occurrences being caused by the possible midnight ramblings of the ghost of a young man who had been resident at the Pub before being sent off on his first job as a steward on the unfortunate ship the Titanic, seem to have been dispelled. Unfortunately no evidence of this young man’s presence was discovered during the investigation. Indications are instead that the footsteps and moving of objects in the Pub may be down to the stern, overbearing presence of the old housekeeper, Margaret. Either that or perhaps the young girl Charlotte, who seems playful and more than a little lonely.

Our conclusion is that the Anchor, though obviously we cannot scientifically prove the presence of spirits or ‘Ghosts’, seems to be an extremely paranormally active place, with many factors influencing the everyday goings on. The new landlady Bo has already been made aware of the watchful

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presence of one entity, and we feel that her renovations and plans for the Pub will no doubt draw the interest of a few more previous residents.

Though the overnight investigation has been completed we will continue to work on the information uncovered here, and will in time, hopefully be able to give more information about Margaret and Charlotte. In the meantime please enjoy the Anchor for what it is – a spacious, friendly local pub with a long and busy history that once held a large place at the heart of the community of Redbridge in days gone by.

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