A local paranormal team claims it found evidence of ghosts inside of a historic Harrisburg home and they showed that evidence only to CBS 21 News.
This is the first time that a paranormal group did an investigation at the historic John Harris Mansion on Front Street. Members with S.P.I.R.I.T. Paranormal out of Reading say they can prove it's haunted. Their special devices detected high readings as soon as they came in Saturday night.
" I had walked into the office from across the parlor, where the mirrors are, and every picture I took was blurry. I could not get one picture to focus in that room," Lora Shirey, senior investigator, S.P.I.R.I.T. Paranormal. http://www.spiritparanormal.net/
A closer look showed who the ghost may be, the daughter of a former home owner.
" If you come here and look at the picture, of Margarita, you have the same forehead, hairline and dark eyes," said Lora." This picture was captured here. She was in motion."
Lora then took us upstairs, to the former servant quarters, where previously she met Luisa.
" Luisa, are you here ? Can you tap on something, make a loud noise?" asked Lora.
The former servant ghost didn't respond then. But earlier, she did let them know she was there.
" We heard loud noise, bang, when I asked if it was Luisa right over here, in this area," said Lora.
But that's not all Lora heard.
" As we were leaving that room, we actually captured a woman's voice saying, don't go," said Lora.
DE PERE - The search is on for truth behind some ghost stories at an area hotel.
The owners the Union Hotel in De Pere are hoping to finally find some answers through a group of paranormal investigators.
Despite bringing in some help, others remain skeptical.
From mysterious shadows in the basement, to unexplained voices in the bar, Mary Boyd, part owner of the century old Union Hotel and restaurant in De Pere has lots of unusual stories to tell her guests.
"My sister one time was sitting in the bar when we were closed for a week in July, which we normally do and she heard somebody singing in the corner of the bar, where there isn't a speaker," explained Boyd.
The building was originally built in the late 1800's. The Boyd family has owned this restaurant and hotel for the past 93 years.
The family says some ghost stories have been past down from generation to generation.
But with every believer out there, there's a skeptic, and that includes a member of the Boyd family.
"I have more of a scientific approach to it, whether it is a noise or something like that," said part owner, McKim Boyd. “I feel there's a logical explanation for it."
But a Green Bay area group, called the All Night, Paranormal Research Team, is hoping to find some answers.
This is the group's very first investigation, looking to prove or disprove the stories.
"You can always interpret things, you can always interpret sounds as wind or rusty pipes, something of that nature," explained member, Stephan Hrubesky. "We just want to make sure it is what it is."
The group contacted the four room hotel last week. During the night, the men will use cameras and audio recorders to try to back up some of the claims.
They'll focus their investigation primarily in the basement or what the owners call, Ghost Alley.
"A lot of times you'll think somebody is standing there and you'll start talking to somebody and you'll turn to look and nobody's there so it's a little strange," Mary Boyd said.
"Not having experienced anything first hand, it's a little hard to believe," McKim Boyd explained.
But whether there's a logical explanation or not, both owners hope answers can be found, so they can finally lay to rest a question that's been looming for more than a century, is the place truly haunted?
The investigators hope to have their research finished within the next day or two.
She claims to have murdered her husband in 2004. On Sunday, the 37-year-old woman from Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu surrendered before the police as was spooked by her “husband’s ghost”.
The woman, Jyothi, told the police that her husband, Raju, appeared in her dreams to “haunt” her. She, and a relative who help her bury the body, are now in police custody.
Jyothi told the police that her husband, who did odd jobs for a living, was an alcoholic. This led to frequent fights between them. Fed up of the daily torture, Jyothi said she crushed Raju’s head with a grinding stone while he was asleep. At the time, Raju was in a drunken stupor. She and a relative, S Devendhiran (45), buried the body on a vacant plot near her house.
In 2009, a farmer who dug up the site to set up a poultry farm came across the mortal remains – skull and bones – after which a police probe began, but remained inconclusive.
Jyothi has told the police that her husband has been haunting her since a few years. She claimed that this was the reason she shifted home with her two sons, but the unnatural pursuit continued at the new home.
“That’s when she decided to turn herself in to the police along with her accomplice,” said a police source.
A SWEET-TOOTHED ghost has whipped up a storm in a teacup at a village cafe.
The friendly "Casper" likes to move sweet jars and other goodies around the tearoom in the night.
But the playful poltergeist sometimes makes an appearance during the day.
Laura McKirdy and her mum Fiona believe they are being haunted by an old lady dubbed Nanny Goony by folk in Cardross, Dunbartonshire.
Laura said: "I had just locked the door one evening when a jar of lollipops went crashing to the floor.
"I thought I'd just pick them all up in the morning but, when I came back, they were back in the jar and stood upright. Other spooky happenings include sweets moving on their own, pictures falling off the wall and crumbs appearing on newly wiped tables.
Fiona said: "One time we heard the sound of legs moving under a table, but there was nobody there."
The cafe owners called in the Scottish Society for Psychical Research to investigate.
Paranormal expert Ron Halliday described the goings-on as typical poltergeist activity.
He said: "It could be that it is a trapped soul who is trying to send a message to the owners themselves."
Laura added:"She doesn't seem to mean any harm. She's a very friendly ghost - I wouldn't stay here if she wasn't."
Residents in Huanshan City in East China encountered one of the best and most clearest mirage of their city a few weeks ago after a rainfall. Apparently some believed to be a “ghost city” that materialized over the Xin’an River. Yet others believed that what they were looking at was a real city from another dimension.
A natural phenomenon like this is caused by light being bent by the humidity and it projects an image of an object in the horizon, somewhere above the horizon. Making it appear to be floating.
Residents in a Chinese city have been stunned after a giant mirage of a ‘ghost city’ towered across the skyline.
The apparition appeared earlier this month after heavy rainfall and humid conditions along the Xin’an River in Huanshan City in East China.
Tall buildings, mountains and trees appeared to rise up through the ghostly mist that had descended over the river at dusk. There is usually nothing buy sky across the horizon.
Amazed residents recorded the footage with some even suggesting that it could have been a ‘vortex’ to a lost civilisation.
The pictures have baffled experts who visited the city to check that there were not actually any of the building already there.
It is believed that the sight may have been a mirage – a form of illusion that is common in in humid weather.
The phenomenon is caused when moisture in the air becomes warmer than the temperature of water below. As the rays of sunlight cross from the colder air into the warmer air it is ‘bent’ or refracted – creating a reflection in the air.
The patterns in the mirage are typically blurred and shimmering with a resemblance to human structures. They are similar to a reflection seen in water.
Although they happen occasionally, the mirage in China is believed to be one of the clearest ever recorded.
A portrait of Lady Ossington, said to be haunted by its subject, is one of 200,000 publicly-owned oil paintings being made available to view online, as part of a BBC campaign.
For nearly 100 years, it hung in the Ossington Coffee Palace in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
But when the establishment began to sell alcohol, some claim the ghost of Lady Ossington became offended and there were reports of the oil painting "flying off the wall".
The Victorian artwork is now kept in stores, like 80% of the oil paintings in the UK's national art collection, but can be seen and its story read, on the Your Paintings website.
Lady Ossington`s Haunted Portrait
Viscountess Ossington built the coffee palace on Beastmarket Hill in 1882 as a charitable concern.
Its aim was to provide a hostel where travellers could find accommodation for the night without the temptation of drink on the premises.
The Viscountess was to be its manager until her death and was to be succeeded by a group of trustees to maintain the building "in a crusade against the demon drink", according to its title deed.
But in the 1960s a court decided the trust was not a charitable institution as the hotel had always been run on commercial lines.
The heirs of Viscountess Ossington were traced as the true beneficiaries and the coffee palace was sold in 1978.
Shortly afterwards it became a public house.
The Coffee Palace was to be run "in a crusade against the demon drink"
It is then the portrait is said to have started to repeatedly "fly off the wall".
Newark and Sherwood District museum service purchased the artwork - believed to have been painted by a Miss Hawkins - at auction in 1981.
"It is a hefty piece which may be a more rational explanation for why it fell off walls," said the museum service's Kevin Winter.
The oil painting is kept in the district council's resource centre stores on Brunel Drive, one of 700 artworks in its collection, along with sculptures by Robert Kiddey, woodcuts from Sir William Nicholson and two prints by the internationally-acclaimed artist Bridgett Riley.
The Resource Centre is open to the public by appointment. To book a visit call 01636 655777 or e-mail museums@nsdc.info The UK has a national art collection of 200,000 oil paintings, held in a vast range of public institutions.
Though they are owned by UK publicly-funded organisations, 80% of the paintings are not on display, either hidden away in storage or in buildings the public cannot access.
Your Paintings brings together these artworks, with the stories behind them, and where they can be viewed.
The project is a partnership between the BBC and The Public Catalogue Foundation which has spent the last six years photographing and cataloguing the works of art.
I was recently contacted by Tony, a Youtube friend but a complete sceptic on paranormality. He is a logically thinking man with a background in electronics, and up until now he has remained a confirmed sceptic until the day he visited The Silent Pool, Shere, Nr. Guildford, Surrey.
I`ll let Tony take up the story..
`As you know I am a bit of a Paranormal Sceptic, BUT... While out with my Daughter,who had the camera,we recorded this,Now I have been doing Electronics for nearly 34 years and I'm also an Amateur radio operator so i'm well aware of most forms of Electronic interferance,While in the shed next to Silent Pool there were only Kirsty,Myself and an Old couple, the voice of a little girl was recorded by the camera but not heared in the Physical world at the time,and it was a new blank tape from the wrapper,no audio overlay or dubbing was involved this is the raw recording ,the little girl about 9 or 10 years old would have had to have been 7-10 inches from camera's mic in anachoic conditions to get this effect on the recording...Chris your thoughts would be useful and feel free to make a copy and analyze the audio track,the origanal audio is 16 bit 48KHz PCM from the AVI MD tape..and after making audio recordings for the past 35 years i am well verses in sound,this one is as yet Unexplained. To be honest I dont think its Emma but a younger child..listen to the toneality of her audio compared to our voices in the shed`..
Here is the clip he recorded. The EVP appears at 2:26. This is a class `A` recording, and from a man who has gone to great lengths to examine and eliminate all rational possibilities before arriving at concluding this to be unexplainable.
After the little girl`s voice is heard in the video, a weaker voice immediately follows.
I`ve managed to clean it up as best as possible, and it sounds as though she is saying, "In a minute."
Here is a link to that second EVP. http://haunted-earth.org//Albums/LITTLE GIRL EVP.wav
Quite who the little girl was, nobody really can say. There is a legend of which I have recounted here:
`After becoming a popular place to visit during Victorian times, Silent Pool gained a reputation of myth and legend. There is no historical base for the lore which is now tied into the site, but it is claimed the pond is haunted. The stories vary, but at the centre of each is a maiden named Emma: She was bathing in the lake one morning and was interrupted by horseman who was passing by. The horseman was taken by Emma, who was a winsome young lady, he lingered on the bankside to coax her out. This stranger scared the maiden, and she backed into deeper water which raised his ire. How dare she reject his advances!!? In response he decided to ride his horse into the lake causing her to scream in out in panic. She finally drowned and fell the bottom of the lake. Upon seeing this, the mystery horseman disappeared, never to be seen again.... To this day, people claim to have seen her body floating in the lake, or hear her calls for help. If visiting during daylight hours, you'll enjoy the calming state Silent Pool will inspire in you.. after dusk though, its a slightly different story..`
An interesting story that is also recorded in legend.
Here is a video I made on a visit to the Riche Mausoleum in Felsted, Essex.
Nothing of any consequence was captured during the visit, but whilst outside shooting views to add to the video, a very weird EVP was captured as the camera was being repositioned during the shoot.
The relevant piece starts from 8:00
Here are some of our best captures of real paranormal events from investigations.
These are probably the best captures you will ever see on the internet.
Late last year, I was invited by Marq English of Spiral Paranormal to join him and two of his team members on a joint investigation in Midhurst, West Sussex.
Marq`s team consisted of Medium Alan Barnett, and investigator, Patricia Waterworth, and our first call was to a disused railway tunnel.
Afterwards, we went to a nearby pub, The Royal Oak for an all night vigil, exploring the many rooms with Alan and I working in tandem together.
Unbeknown to myself, Alan had made a preliminary inspection of the rooms, and much of what he felt was detected and confirmed by me which made the investigation extremely interesting and validated for sceptical minds that real mediums do more or less pick up similar activity and responses.
I enjoyed very much working with Spiral, and particularly so with Alan, who is a gifted medium.
The investigation ended at around 4.30am, and with a long drive ahead of me I didn`t get home until 6.40am. I certainly hope to work again with Alan and Marq at some point in the near future.
Recently, I visited what is the world`s oldest wooden church at Greensted, Essex.
The church is possibly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever visited, and from the entrance it resembles more to me something from folklore - such as the tale of Hansel and Gretel.
Being very popular with tourists from home and abroad, my visiting time was limited, and being so dark inside, the main shoot was performed on a hand-held night shot camcorder.
Greensted Church, Greenstead, Essex.
Despite a lot of background noise from birds and aircraft, and a nearby sports car enthusiast constantly revving his engine, I was able at least to capture some EVP to share.
I found the church very spiritually active, but wasn`t able to touch base directly with any spiritual presence that would have afforded activity on camcorder.
However, it was a very pleasant experience, and on digital still - but not video cam, I was able to capture some orb related energies which are depicted at the end of the video.
If you aren`t subscribed to me on Youtube, your subscription would be deeply appreciated.
12th Century Crusader`s Grave
The church lies about a mile west of Chipping Ongar town centre. Its full title is The Church of St Andrew, Greensted-juxta-Ongar. It is, however, commonly known simply as Greensted Church to locals and tourists alike.
Greensted Church has been situated in its idyllic setting for nearly 1,200 years. And archaeological evidence suggests that, before there was a permanent structure, there may well have been another church, or a holy place, on the site for much longer, possibly dating back to around the 4th century.
Construction of the first permanent church on this site is thought to have begun shortly after St. Cedd began his conversion of the Saxon people around 654. The archaeological remnants of two simple wooden buildings were discovered under the present chancel floor, and these are thought to have been built in the late sixth or early 7th century.
The church's dedication to St. Andrew suggests a Celtic foundation for the original sanctuary. The body of King Edmund of East Anglia (who died in 870 at Hoxne) is said to have rested there in 1013, on its way to reburial at Bury St Edmunds.
The nave is mostly original, and dendrochronological research in the 1960s dated it to 845. In 1995, however, this date was revised to 1053 + 10–55 years (sometime between 1063 and 1108). It is made of large split oak tree trunks, which was a traditional Saxon form of construction; the revised dating would, however, probably reassign it to the early Norman era, suggesting that it was built, or rebuilt, by local craftsmen for the new Lord of the Manor after the Norman Conquest. The flint footings of the chancel wall and the pillar piscina inside the sanctuary are all that remain of any identifiably Norman work.
GHOSTLY apparitions of a boy murdered during the Tottenham Outrage more than 100 years ago are creating a stir in the community.
Residents say sightings of 10-year-old Ralph Joscelyne, shot dead in the crossfire by two armed robbers trying to escape the police, show he is “looking out for the community”. He has now become known as a “good spirit” among some of the neighbours.
In one “vision”, Grace Benjamin, 67, of Mitchley Road, Tottenham, claimed she saw the boy standing by her back door - yards from where he was killed - apparently sheltering from the rain.
She said: “It was very clear and there were so many similarities with the boy. He looked about 11 and he looked slightly foreign - that’s why it was so spooky.
“My daughter had told me about what happened when I moved into my house, but this vision happened several years later. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve had experiences before but this was so accurate. I feel very connected to him.”
The ghoulish vision, which took place more than 15 years ago, is one of several apparitions residents claim to have seen.
Ralph, who was helping deliver bread at the time, was killed when he ran for cover behind a car as two armed robbers opened fire during a wages snatch in 1909. He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
A police officer called PC William Tyler was also killed during the chase.
Although the murder of PC Tyler captured headlines at the time and he was given a hero’s funeral, Ralph’s death did not seem to have the same impact on the nation.
A plaque was unveiled on the anniversary of the boy’s death, on Sunday, January 23, outside the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd, in Mitchley Road.
Parishioner William Spring, of nearby Scales Road, said: “One of the reasons there was such a good turnout to the plaque unveiling is that many residents think of Ralph like a good spirit.
“I know at least some people have seen him in a mythical experience. It feels like some sort of a good ghost helping us in the community.”
Something isn't quite right with this picture. What's that floating above the soundboard?
People at a wedding reception at the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John's believe they caught an image of an uninvited and otherworldly guest.
Newlyweds Matt White and Danielle Hann said one of their friends was shocked by the digital image she took at the June 18 event.
"Karen [Hanlon] was staring at this camera and she came running out with the camera saying, 'Look what I just took! Look what I just took! There's somebody in the picture," said White.
On the right-hand side of the photograph, some see a figure that seems to be wearing a white top and floating in the air.
"Somehow it's not as creepy in the daylight," said White.
But it still makes Hann uneasy.
"I don't know, it's still creepy," she said.
St. John's folklorist Dale Jarvis said it might be explained away as a reflection or a light flare, but he added that the Newman Wine Vaults does have a haunting history.
"It is one of those places that continually generates new ghost stories. So, this is part of that tradition for the space," said Jarvis, who has collected many St. John's ghost stories.
Jarvis is the organizer of the city's "haunted hike" – a tour of the downtown area that recounts many of the stories he has been told.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website said the history of the wine vault is unclear.
It's believed to have been built in the early 19th century, and was used by the English mercantile firm Newman and Company to age port wine from Portugal in St. John's – a tradition that began in the late 17th century and continued until the late 19th century.
The building is on a long-term lease from Newman & Company to the Newfoundland Historic Trust.
The Trust has developed the vaults into a museum dedicated to recounting the history of Newfoundland's liquor trade.
Rene Staub, marking director with the Farnsworth House, in Gettysburg, talks about paranormal activity in the area.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. -
During his 14 years as a ghost tour guide at the Historic Farnsworth House Inn property in downtown Gettysburg, Pa., he said he's experienced enough peculiar events to believe that otherworldly beings are present. He's smelled the scent of blooming flowers in February, listened to screaming women who could feel the presence of ghosts nearby and watched surveillance videos indicating the presence of spirits.
Staub is also a realist. He knows many of his Historic Farnsworth House Inn ghost tour guests do not believe in ghosts and no amount of evidence will convince them. And that's why he said he's so excited about the grand opening of Gettysburg's Haunted Address from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
Regardless of whether his visitors believe in ghosts or not, he said the new indoor attraction he designed will help educate those who pass through it. Gettysburg's Haunted Address is located next to the Historic Farnsworth House property, where ghost tours have been taking place for 25 years.
"This was the battlefield," said Staub while standing outside along the sidewalk next to Gettysburg's Haunted Address. "On the first day of the battle, Union soldiers were pushed right up through here. ... A lot of soldiers were stuck in backyards."
Staub created Gettysburg's Haunted Address in a 20th century building that used to house shops. The walk-through attraction features scenes from past haunting events and uses mannequins, sounds and special effects to tell the stories.
York, Pa.-based theater technical director Joe Kress used hydraulics and electronics to make the exhibit's mannequins seem more lifelike.
Gettysburg's Haunted Address features rooms dedicated to historical accounts, with no gory detail left unturned.
One exhibit tells the story of an injured soldier, assumed to be dead, who awoke in a pile of bodies. Another portion of the house discusses how Confederate soldiers, accused of desertion, were hanged.
In between, visitors are jolted to attention by moving mannequins and sound effects designed to scare visitors who pass through the dimly lit rooms.
Gettysburg's Haunted Address is located just a few feet away from the Historic Farnsworth House, which is now a restored restaurant and inn. One of the Farnsworth House exterior brick walls is riddled with bullet holes, a testament to the blood shed in the town during the July 1863 Civil War battle.
"It's history in full view," Staub said. "It's a real testimony of what happened here."
In the dim hours after the Titanic artifacts exhibit had closed for the day at the Putnam Museum, the aroma of cigar smoke was smelled. It was unmistakable, drifting near a sealed glass case that contained an ill-fated passenger’s cigar holder.
The holder had been retrieved from the wreckage of the ocean liner.
“It was strong, the strangest thing I ever experienced,” says Ciara Tanaka, volunteer coordinator at the Putnam.
Others on the staff of the Davenport museum had smelled cigar smoke in those moments. It was spooky because smoking is not allowed anywhere in the Putnam, certainly not under the strict rules governing the exhibit of Titanic artifacts.
That essence of cigar smoke adds mystery to cigar smoke odor that has gone unexplained during at least one other exhibit of Titanic artifacts.
“I have known of paranormal happenings at other Titanic displays,” says Lowell Lytle of St. Petersburg, Fla., who has portrayed Edward Smith, captain of the doomed ocean liner, at Titanic exhibit openings around the country, including Davenport. “Life itself is a mystery,” he says.
In Orlando, Fla., where there is a large permanent Titanic display, cigar smoke has been smelled — among other apparitions. The ghost of a little girl who died in the sinking on April 15, 1912, is said to roam the Orlando exhibit and tug at coattails. A passenger who died in the disaster tipped his fedora to a cleaning worker before disappearing .
So far, such ethereal things have not happened or knowingly raised eyebrows at the Putnam, where Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition has been extended to July 10. But the cigar smoke smell is talked about as very real among the museum staff.
“It was in the room where the cigar holder is displayed. I smelled cigar smoke, definitely,” says Tanaka. “It was distinct, really crazy. My mind was not playing tricks. I know and like the smell of cigar smoke.”
The exhibit was closed for the day, which adds to the mystery. Others on the staff questioned, “Did you smell that?” One of them, Tom Richmond, who is customer service assistant, says, “I distinctly smelled cigar smoke.” Seriously, he says, “You can believe there are spirits around here.”
Kara Fedje, education specialist at the Putnam, says, “I definitely smelled the smoke, though faint. “I looked in a garbage container, thinking someone had stuffed a cigar inside. Nothing was there. Who knows what it was?”
Jason Hess co-founder of Rock Island Paranormal, a group that researches unnatural happenings, says, “The smell of cigar smoke at the Titanic exhibit is highly credible. Artifacts, such as from the Titanic, hold energy from bodies and souls that had died quickly. The odor can be like a rewind of tapes from the past.”
While wandering the Titanic exhibit, I sensed nothing unusual. But Kristine Mullen of DeWitt, Iowa, a professional historian who is a guide for the exhibit, recalls one visitor who seemed to freeze while looking at a faded sheet of music recovered from the Titanic. “He told me that he had to leave the room. Something seemed to happen to him. It was very strange,” she says. The song was “The Land of Romance,” but it did nothing for me when I stood before it for several minutes.
I visited by phone with people at the Orlando exhibit, titled Titanic — The Experience. It’s an attraction, with live actors portraying the ship’s “night to remember,” along the city’s touristy International Drive.
Joe Zimmer, who is in officer’s uniform as Titanic’s purser in Orlando, frankly says, “Yes, for certain, some very odd things happen in this exhibit. I have smelled cigar smoke. One night after we closed, I stood in a T-shirt and jeans in the replica of the ship’s veranda café. I looked in a mirror and there was a real-life Titanic officer. I yelled, ‘Who’s that?’ He — or it — smiled and walked away.” A similar thing happened to Greg Czinke who once was handling the display’s music, says Lytle.
“One night he looked at the memorial name board — solid with names — to see the image of a live, smiling Titanic officer. Scared, Greg ran around to the back of the board. No one was there,” Lytle says.
Employees and actors in Orlando are convinced it is haunted by a little girl they call Catharina. A 10-year-old, Catharina Van Impe, died with her parents, Jacob and Rosalie, traveling third class to New York from their native Belgium.
“We have a Raggedy Ann doll for her in the gift shop. If it is moved, she will knock down books,” says Zimmer. “When I am guiding a tour, something will lift the back of my uniform jacket. I know it is Catharina’s ghost. I scold, ‘Cut that out, Catharina,’ and she will stop. Staffers sense her around us. When we close the exhibit, we says, ‘Good night, Catharina.’ I know this sounds crazy, but it’s true.”
Zimmer tells of Madeline, a cleaning woman who was running a vacuum cleaner after closing hours. She was working near a teak deck chair, authentic from the Titanic as a piece that had likely been washed ashore.
“All of a sudden, a man sat at the edge of the chair, in a suit just like they were wearing at the time of the Titanic. He tipped his fedora hat and smiled at her. She was so scared that she ran out of the exhibit. When I opened the place the next day, the vacuum cleaner was still running. She was too frightened to turn it off. She wouldn’t come back in. She quit. I had to go outside next week to give Madeline her paycheck.”
Back at the Putnam, Kim Findlay, the museum’s CEO and president, has not smelled any cigar smoke.
“It’s interesting,” she says. “In an exhibit like this, I suppose that anything can be expected.”
Dave Walker, general manager of the Orlando exhibit, says, “A radio station set up equipment one night with a psychic present. They heard music in the walls and sensed some unusual things.”
Hess, of the Rock Island paranormal group, says he intends to contact Putnam officials to possibly set up some sensory equipment some night.
Due for completion this coming October, is a new paranormal movie entitled, `Cathnafola`.
The movie centres on a real investigation of a very remote and derelict Irish mansion called, Cathnafola House which was shot earlier this year as a joint participation between Haunted Earth and October Eleven Pictures.
Directed by the award winning movie and TV Director Jason Figgis and produced by the internationally renowned paranormal documentary maker and empath Chris Halton of Haunted Earth TV, the investigation was filmed following a compelling video sent to Haunted Earth late last year by a group of investigators based in Ireland.
The original video was actively spiritually intense, and showed a number of strange and frightening occurances captured to film by these investigators which warranted further investigation to confirm or deny the content of their video which they claimed to be genuine.
After lengthy negotiations with the site owner, we were allowed to film a follow up investigation in February which (without revealing too much information), was one of the best events ever captured by Haunted Earth with hardcore and quite terrifying activity caught to camera. The First Assistant Director, Jason Shalloe was visibly affected during this shoot which he regards to be the most frightening experience of his life!
The content of this movie has already attracted the attention of major Hollywood studios, and it is hoped the production will go on general release during 2011.
The Legend of Cathnafola House
In a far forgotten corner of old Ireland lies the ruins of what was once a magnificent late Gothic revival mansion. Now lying hidden some two miles from the nearest country lane, this once proud dream of wealth, circumstance and social acceptability is now all but a faint echo of a past life.
Built in 1855 by Hubert Vazey-Asquith, for his pregnant wife and expectant child, Cathnafola House was beset with problems from the day the first brick was laid.
The site chosen for this project lay across the remains of an almost forgotten ancient battle site where Irish chieftains battled for three days and nights for territory control, yet despite the hundreds of dead and dying warriors left to rot where they fell, there was no overall winner.
As the Vazey-Asquiths learnt to their bitter dread, the area named historically as Cath na fola or `battle of blood` belonged to nobody of this realm and particularly not to English settlers who were given these lands via a descendant of Cromwell`s bloody Irish campaigns .
Shortly after starting the build, his wife gave birth to a healthy son named Grayston, but because of complications during child-birth, she unfortunately bled to death.
Hubert was grief struck, but with a small child as heir he felt he owed it to them both to finish the project.
A few years after completion of the house Hubert suffered a second loss as his son died of an apparent food allergy to eating sweet chestnuts harvested on the estate.
Hubert then shut himself away from the society upon which he had previously wanted to be part of. He rarely left the house, and was beside himself with grief as he could see no more purpose to his now lonely life.
One morning, a young maid despatched to take breakfast to his bedroom was shocked to find Hubert dead having hung himself during the night from a rope attached to a first floor balcony.
In his dressing gown pocket a suicide note written by Hubert was found which confirmed the loss of his wife and son as the reason for ending his life.
As there were no immediate heirs, the estate was passed to a distant relative living in Britain who had only ever met Hubert once as a child, and had very little interest in Ireland or indeed Irish affairs.
This inheritor, a man named Sefton Villiers-Vazey had no need of the house or the estate having already owned a profitable and less worrying house and horse stud in mainland Britain. However he continued to run the estate through agents and was for the most part an absentee landlord having only visited the house twice within 15 years of ownership.
In 1880 Sefton died on a business trip to Portugal, and his son, Montague who had no interest in his fathers properties ordered that the Cathnafola estate be sold by auction in Dublin through the family solicitors.
The house and the estate was sold sight unseen by to a new owner, one Darby Hesmondwicke, a 50-year-old successful London businessman who wanted a country estate in Ireland to eventually retire to.
Darby arrived at Cathnafola as a single man in 1881 and immediately began restoration work on the house and estate after some years of neglect.
Darby had no problems finding workers and artisans to complete the work, and in return paid his workers a fair wage and ensured no estate families would suffer during this terrible period.
He soon made the estate self-sufficient and profitable, and was regarded by the Irish staff and tenant farmers as a firm but kindly man.
In 1882, he met the beautiful Elizabeth O`Donnell, a lady of noble Irish ancestry from Dublin, and importantly to Darby, a recent convert to the Protestant faith.
Being some 20 years younger than Darby, she was regarded by many as quite a catch. Beth (as she was known) was a dark-haired beauty with deep brown eyes, whom it was said may have had Spanish blood in her ancestry which was perhaps evidenced by her latin temperament.
Despite her lineage to alleged early Irish royalty, Beth knew that outside of Dublin society, she was little more than a traitor to the predominantly Catholic Irish, and to polite English circles nothing more than an Irish whore.
However, at Cathnafola as wife to the gentlemanly Darby she was regarded as the lady of the house and enjoyed there at least, a modicum of respect from the estate workers.
For some years the couple tried desperately to have a child, but always without issue.
This brought a strain on an otherwise happy relationship, and after acknowledging failure of an heir, Darby started to lose interest in the estate and increasingly travelled between Cathnafola and London where he conducted an interest in stocks and shares.
Beth however, was tied to the affairs of running the estate`s business and refused to join Darby in London. By 1890, Darby`s absence became almost permanent, and by arrangement with his wife he recruited as an estate manager, a 39-year-old Englishman from the London Home Counties to assist her in Ireland.
The appointee, a single man named as William Trentham came from a respectable middle-class family who had returned from colonial service in India some years before.
William was regarded as a thorough and efficient manager of a tea plantation in Assam, and had impeccable references which more than qualified him to run Cathnafola`s 40,000 acre estate.
However, what was not shared to his new employer was Trentham`s cruel disaffection towards the natives of India, and indeed against anyone not deemed to be British enough to his tastes.
Within that umbrella of bigotry, Trentham clearly saw the Irish as no worthier than the Indians, and shortly after arriving on the estate he set about unravelling the good work his employer had achieved in Anglo-Irish relations.
Trentham was known to walk the estate with a heavy indian rosewood walking stick which he used frequently to beat workers whom he regarded as `erstwhile savages`.
He also had perverted sexual tastes and upon young female staff members he indulged in what he called `horseplay`, but in modern terms would regarded as rape through sodomy.
Rumours of his behaviour soon spread not just across the estate, but to nearby villages and hamlets. There was little anyone could do as Trentham employed local thugs to mind out for him on his daily rounds and the local resident magistrate shared much of Trentham`s hatred towards the Irish.
Technically Beth was Trentham`s employer, but as he was highly efficient in running the estate profitably, and also of course relieving much pressure from her shoulders, she turned a blind eye to many of his misdeeds.
As the month`s passed Beth grew increasingly frightened of Trentham, who was an overbearing bully whose fiery temperament gradually wore down Beth from the status of employer to that of his mistress.
Within a year, Trentham, or `Master William` as he preferred to be addressed, had moved from the manager`s cottage and into the matrimonial bedroom.
Here he continued in a sordid affair with Beth and also with other female staff in service. As a consequence some fell pregnant through him and were immediately dismissed from the house and estate.
Darby knew nothing of this, and instead read accounts that showed a profitable business and no complaints from his now estranged wife.
This unhappy state of affairs came to a head almost two year`s later when Beth too became pregnant by him.
As everyone knew that Darby the absent father could never have been the father, Trentham panicked, and this recklessness was to drive him from the status of rapist to that of a cold-blooded murderer.
In late February 1893, Beth went into labour. An abortion at Trentham`s insistence months before was ignored by her and despite being whipped because of it, she was still able to reach full term.
As staff prepared the master bedroom to assist with the delivery, Trentham refused to contact the local doctor to deliver the child. It was believed that her battered and scarred body might reveal the full extent of Trentham`s evil upon her, and as a consequence he decided that he would deliver the baby himself.
Around midnight, Trentham ordered the domestic staff to leave, and from threats of being sacked, the women reluctantly left the master bedroom to Trentham and Beth.
It is said that not only did Trentham deliver the live birth of a baby boy, he immediately tore the child from her clutches and after separating the umbilical cord, he wrapped the screaming child in a bedsheet and took it (whilst Beth pleaded hysterically) down into the cellars where he had prepared an open chamber and that the still crying baby was walled up alive after bricks were cemented into place to permanently seal the crime.
The crying it is said, continued for an hour and then was heard no more.
A few days later a bereft with grief Beth flung herself from an attic window and died during the fall after impaling herself on railings below.
By now the truth of the monster that was William Trentham had turned even the thugs in his service against him, and fearing reprisals from the estate workers, it was rumoured that Trentham was left unconscious in the house as it mysteriously caught fire burning and incinerating both the body of Beth and Trentham.
A search of the ruins a few days later revealed the remains of a man and woman, and the entire matter was covered up by the resident magistrate who feared his own inaction to earlier complaints might go against him should the real truth be revealed.
When Darby later heard the official account of an accidental house fire that was recorded as probably caused by a dropped oil lamp, the matter was closed by him, and the surrounding farmland and tenancies were sold to neighbouring farmers.
Darby never returned to Ireland.
Many years later, it is alleged that a cellar wall within the ruins was removed for storing poteen (illicitly distilled whiskey) by a farmer, and inside, and still wrapped in a faded and rotten bedsheet were what appeared to be the remains of a human baby.
The farmer apparently fearful of the Garda discovering his illegal activities buried the remains in a nearby field.
Today Cathnafola exists as grand ruins sheltered by tree`s and undergrowth, and very little visited by modern man.
It is rumoured that the remains are still haunted by William Trentham and Elizabeth, and that sometimes her baby can be heard crying as she roams the house calling for her child.
Trentham (according to legend) is sometimes seen as a malevolent entity that gloatingly follows Beth on her nightly vigil, and because of the house`s fearful reputation nobody will travel there at night.
An article I wrote a few years ago when researching orbs and dust.
The most vexing question for any serious ghost hunter or paranormalist concerns the definition of what `orbs` really are.
Often one will read of supposed `informed scientific opinion` that dictates that they are 99% dust or other naturally occurring anomalies.
My response is simply this.
The existence of dust is everywhere. Hold a flashlight at an angle to a dark area and you will see literally thousands of almost microscopic dust particulates.
Dust is so common that in microchip factory laboratories the ambient air has to be carefully filtered to avoid contamination from them.
So naturally the question that arises from this fact is that if orbs are
dust, why don't they appear en-masse and every time you video?
The answer is that they don't.
Most dust particulates do not show under infrared night video conditions, and even in the most dusty or dirty of locations.
I have carefully researched this phenomena for a number of years, and have concluded that in the majority of `orb` video, dust rarely appears in sufficient quantity to contaminate night video.
On occasions I have deliberately raked up dry dust with a yard brush and videoed the effect.
Real dust `orbs` are quite flat and dull grey in appearance. As you brush they will appear briefly as they are disturbed into the atmosphere, and then they quietly disappear back onto the ground.
A spiritual orb or `sentient energy` will appear in a variety of shapes and sizes, and vary significantly in luminescence.
So for me, the term `orb` is quite misleading and confusing.
The term `orb` was coined in 1996 by Dave and Sharon Oester, when they noticed a higher preponderance of these anomalies which appeared on film and digital formats.
They contended that `orbs` can be spiritual entities and have explored these anomalies on their website at www.ghostweb.com
However, their research doesn't delve deep enough to show how `orbs` can be spiritual, and the resultant photographs are based merely on an opinion rather than some form of hard evidence that can illustrate real `orb` activity as truly spiritual.
The sceptics meanwhile have been far busier maintaining the conspiracy that `orbs` are explainable anomalies, and the weapons they use to defend their views are as follows:
Solid orbs - Dry particulate matter such as dust, pollen, insects, etc.
Liquid orbs - Droplets of liquid, usually water, e.g. rain.
Foreign material on the camera lens
Foreign material within the camera lens
Foreign material within the camera body
To ensure openness to differing schools of opinion, I have experimented to either capture or create anomalies using these principles.
Pollen is probably the easiest to spot as examples tend to maintain a three pointed but rounded shape. Try photographing them during spring or early summer evenings when plants are in flower, or indeed the garden grass is in bloom. You will capture hundreds of them.
Water vapour produces an extreme of `orb` like activity which can fill a photographed area with literally hundreds of them in a swirling mass. These can easily be captured on still cameras during a warm misty evening.
Insects (particularly on video) are very easy to spot. On still cameras they appear as small slightly mis-shapen blobs of white light, and on video their body movement in flight creates a lazy staggered view as they move slightly from side to side as their wings propel them forward.
Regarding photographic or video capturing devices: We always ensure that the camera lenses are always kept clean and without any foreign bodies appearing on them. In truth to capture false anomalies using dirty lenses is quite difficult through normal use.
On video camcorder the presence of any `dirt on the lens` would show a permanently defined shape, and in all seriousness any respectable videographer would have to be quite dumb or ignorant not to clean the camera lens between investigations. But here is the core to the sceptical argument; they often treat those that oppose their viewpoint as being of lesser intelligence to themselves which illustrates their own arrogance to alternative viewpoints.
Another plank in the sceptic's viewpoint is `scientific` experiments.
I have read the results of some `accreditable research` and these are fundamentally flawed.
The majority of these experiments are based upon `controlled` disciplines.
An example would be where the experiment took place and the manner the experiment was conducted. Many tend to pick a location at random and they snap away without regard to the obvious question of whether there is any kind of spiritual activity occurring. As they experimenters clearly do not believe in this notion in the first place the fruits of their labours are flawed. All they generate are either `statistical` reports, or many photographs which they opinionate are explainable anomalies. Hardly scientific, and of course, they prove absolutely nothing.
Fortunately, not all scientists are so negatively minded, and indeed in recent years some have been brave enough to suggest that there are other forces at play which cannot be simply ignored or rubbished.
However, I digress. I decided to re-examine `orb` phenomena in more detail by using two controlled locations for my experiments. The principle locale was my own home in which I have lived for 11 years.
The second locale was a former WW2 Airfield that has been visited by me and other investigators regularly over 3 years.
I noticed that during filming in either location `orb` activity tended to occur just prior to some form of unexplainable activity such as EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena), ectoplasmic mist or some type of manifestation such as the appearance of part or the whole of a human figure.
`Orbs` appear in a variety of shapes, the most common being the `orb` shape, but with variations such as elliptical shapes and even `orbs` of different colours and sizes.
After these events occurred the `orb` activity decreased or disappeared altogether. Interestingly in the case of the Airfield the whole area was well covered with dust and fibre which didn't show itself as we walked across the floor stirring up debris. And so I suspected (not unreasonably) that this activity might have a spiritual bias.
An example from the Airfield that I recall was when I was videoing what looked to be a mass of tiny white dots of light which coalesced into the lower part of a human body. I could clearly see through the camcorder viewfinder a pair of glistening trousered legs and heavy shoes. As the figure expanded upwards, it seemed to lose momentum and then collapse like a firework showering sparks onto the ground. I rushed home expecting to see something truly profound and instead was disheartened by the appearance of two `orbs` at the critical moment shooting upwards and around from the point the half-figure appeared. But importantly, although I `lost` this video opportunity, it did illustrate the spiritual connection between `orb` and `ghost`.
My own home was where I decided to try to communicate directly whenever these anomalies appeared. I reasoned that if they were genuinely spiritual they would react quite positively to human interaction, and may indicate perception, intelligence and of course awareness.
My initial forays were not as successful as I had envisaged. Part of the problem was overcoming a natural fear or reticence to speak to someone or something that lay hidden and invisible in my home. Although as a psychic I am used to detecting and sensing paranormal activity around me, I was not used to speaking directly to `orb` activity.At first there was what I felt to be reluctance on the part of the `orb` to appear. I knew that my home had the spirit of a young girl present but until then I had no means of knowing or indeed being able show her responding to my presence. I soon realised that this spiritual being was no different in feeling and attitude than me. The issue seemed related more to trust than anything else. She was initially very wary of me as I was of her, as it was apparent we were both treading a new path into the unknown.
After a while I adopted a more relaxed and friendly approach and this started to produce results that would soon have sceptics and religious extremists in open hostility to my work.
The sceptics tried at first to ignore the fact that the spirit reacted positively towards me by simply maintaining it was dust, whilst the religious adherents accused me of being in league with `demonic` forces. When that failed, I was subjected to threatening emails and even the creation of hoax pages on the `You Tube` video sharing site that were similar to my own or even making their own videos that would show (apparently) how `orbs` were dust.
The whole cycle of events that attacked and condemned me were similar to the abuse suffered in the distant past by those that dared to question the teachings of religion or those that suggested the world was round and not flat ..
In short, I realised that some people today in the modern world, were no different to those of the past.
Another example of what I would regard as being `myopic` when considering the evidence is the attitude of some website forums whose subscribers believe more in the existence of fairies and angels than something far less fanciful as `orbs`.
Again, some refuse to believe the evidence of my work and insist that `real` ghosts always look like people or animals. But in truth, most spiritual activity is more likely to be `orbs` than anything else.
As I discussed earlier, the term `orbs` was appropriate for 1996 as very little was known or understood about this phenomena. Also it was apparent from investigations that many of these `orb` anomalies were anything other than spherical shapes and so I decided to re-define them as `Sentient Energies` to embrace these differences.
Spiritual Energies, or S.E`s for short, display all the characteristics of an intelligent life form. They are aware of the surroundings they are in, and particularly so for the people that they come into contact with.
The above video is of an S.E that `haunts` my home, and has been captured on numerous occasions, and yet always retains a crescent shape.
The majority of S.E`s are quite harmless and seemingly co-exist alongside us. Their perception of the world is essentially no different to our own, and they can come and go as they please. Their energy appears to be based on intellectual thought, and they use this process to move to any location of their choice.
A common fallacy people believe is that S.E`s are indicative by the numbers detected in one location. So if say, 10 S.E`s appear, that must mean there are 10 spiritual presences.
This notion is wrong. To illustrate this point you must remember that a Sentient Energy is essentially an expanding consciousness. When `spirit` enters a room it spreads it's presence by enveloping the room so much so, that many people believe that a number of spirits are present rather than just one. They often emit during this process a cold energy, which is often a pre-cursor to more substantial spiritual activity, and a reason as to why rooms go cold in the event of paranormal occurrences.
S.E`s also come in different colours as well as different sizes or shapes.
Some people believe that colour denotes attitude or emotions. So, if a black S.E is encountered some will believe it represents evil. I personally do not believe this to be true. I have seen and experienced `black orbs` without any apparent ill-effect, and similarly I have been attacked by a presence that appeared as a `white orb`, so colour has no bearing in this whatsoever. Whilst discussing spiritual `attacks`, here are the most common examples: The most common is `over shadowing`. This occurs when a spiritual presence occupies the same space as a living person, or sometimes when a spiritual entity is trying to communicate directly to the brain of the affected individual. The victim will feel nausea or may even pass out. Under such circumstances the remedy is to remove the affected person immediately from the location where a quick recovery always follows.
Another example is when during an investigation someone is pushed or struck by an object. These types of attacks are rare, and are more indicative of a short burst of anger on the part of the spirit which sometimes leads to bruising or mild scratches. I have been present when people have been pushed or struck and quite often the controlling medium has not (in my opinion) handled the presence properly. Fortunately these occurrences are rare, but there is no record anywhere of people suffering serious injury or death.
A common question I am asked by many people is why doesn't S.E`s appear more regularly as full manifestations. The answer would appear to be based on the amount of mental energy they need to perform it. Whenever an S.E has in my experience, attempted a full or partial manifestation a number of strange events can occur to electrical equipment and battery storage devices. I've seen camcorder batteries drained within minutes, and have known people with mobile phones to suffer similar energy drains when the phones are left switched on. On one particular occasion, a man had all the data on his mobile removed, and the phone rang once before completely draining of power. The moral of the story is that during any paranormal investigation all mobiles should be switched off, but from experience many people choose to ignore this advice.
Many S.E`s require additional energy sources to attempt to create any sizeable manifestation, and in order to achieve this, they will drain any power source that is immediately available and yet (as far as I am aware) they seemingly leave mains power sources alone. They may even attempt to take energy from living presences and the outcome of this invariably leads to people feeling very drained emotionally, or feeling very tired. This is quite similar to the effects of `over shadowing`, and may sometimes be linked one and the same.
Does size matter? Well on one investigation an S.E appeared to the naked eye and was sized over 2` in diameter as it moved from the ground up the end wall of a gabled garage. Upon reaching the top it disappeared and seconds later the full figure of a man appeared on the roof and leapt off into the garden.
This type of apparition is extremely rare, but interestingly the spirit in this instance appeared to have a huge ego, and during a subsequent séance demanded we all leave his house immediately!
In addition to these phenomena he also appeared against an interior wall as a jet black shadow, and moved slowly across the wall before disappearing. Such occurrences are extremely rare, but the interesting fact was that he was active not only in the 300 year old part of the house investigated, but also in modern additions recently built. I never felt once that he was mentally unstable but certainly felt the power invested by him in his own egotistical attitude which seemed to propel him into creating more first class spiritual incidents.
This occurred when I was changing a video tape in a static camcorder. I actually felt his clothing brush against me as he moved past me invisible to the eye.
I concluded that real spiritual energy is generated by strong willed spiritual presences and perhaps less so by the traditional view that the more mentally disturbed the spirit was during life, the stronger it will be in spirit. I have investigated many former lunatic asylums in the past but have never captured or experienced anything stronger than the appearance of S.E`s.
In more general terms of experience I have found that small but very bright S.E`s tend to generate more activity than larger S.E`s, so size really doesn't matter.
Another question I am often asked is whether S.E`s can be seen in the dark without the aid of infrared illumination. The answer is yes. As an experiment, place yourself in a dark room that has a history of activity, or indeed try it in your own home which may not have an apparent haunting history. But the important thing is to allow a few minutes to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
After a while, you should see small red or blue pinpricks of light. These will move around or in front of you. They are S.E`s viewed in their more natural state. I actually videoed and photographed these at the same time and corroborated that these tiny lights show as sentient energies both on camera and camcorder. Try it for yourself; you will be amazed by what may go on unnoticed around you!
One final question is the confusion some people have with bad entities or `demonic` forces. These from experience do not exist. What one may experience is the presence of a spirit that was evil in life, and evil in death. These entities are S.E`s but they are capable of producing imagery or an experience that often confuses people to believe that they are demonic. Whilst their actions may seem `demonic`, the S.E is no different to you and I, they are simply using their power to frighten or affect the victim into believing this. If you ever encounter these phenomena and don't feel you have the strength or will to deal with it, you must leave well alone and break contact.
I've experienced this phenomenon at first hand, and whilst it can be unpleasant, it can produce some amazing imagery or even E.V.P.
Today I visited and filmed a paranormal investigation inside the world`s oldest wooden church at St Andrews, in Greenstead, near Chipping Ongar Essex.
The church was found to be quite active. As you will see from these still shots here:
To view any image in detail just click each picture to open
Audio and video tape have yet to be examined, but I`m very positive that there will be some activity to share with this one, and especially since it was so dark inside that I used a camcorder in full IR mode to film.
The history of this remarkable building is here:
Greensted Church, in the small village of Greensted, near Chipping Ongar in Essex, England, is the oldest wooden church in the world and probably the oldest wooden building in Europe still standing, albeit only in part, since few sections of its original wooden structure remain. The oak palisade walls are often classified as remnants of a palisade church or a kind of early stave church, dated either to the mid-9thor mid-11th century.
The church lies about a mile west of Chipping Ongar town centre. Its full title is The Church of St Andrew, Greensted-juxta-Ongar. It is, however, commonly known simply as Greensted Church to locals and tourists alike.
Greensted Church has been situated in its idyllic setting for nearly 1,200 years. And archaeological evidence suggests that, before there was a permanent structure, there may well have been another church, or a holy place, on the site for much longer, possibly dating back to around the 4th century.
Construction of the first permanent church on this site is thought to have begun shortly after St. Cedd began his conversion of the Saxon people around 654. The archaeological remnants of two simple wooden buildings were discovered under the present chancel floor, and these are thought to have been built in the late sixth or early 7th century.
The church's dedication to St. Andrew suggests a Celtic foundation for the original sanctuary. The body of King Edmund of East Anglia (who died in 870 at Hoxne) is said to have rested there in 1013, on its way to reburial at Bury St Edmunds.
The nave is mostly original, and dendrochronological research in the 1960s dated it to 845. In 1995, however, this date was revised to 1053 + 10–55 years (sometime between 1063 and 1108). It is made of large split oak tree trunks, which was a traditional Saxon form of construction; the revised dating would, however, probably reassign it to the early Norman era, suggesting that it was built, or rebuilt, by local craftsmen for the new Lord of the Manor after the Norman Conquest. The flint footings of the chancel wall and the pillar piscina inside the sanctuary are all that remain of any identifiably Norman work.
Here on the north wall and part of the west wall of the nave; the notch, low down on the 7th trunk along from the corner, may either be a "leper's squint", or a holy water stoup.
Also, near the porch, a large, flat, coped stone marks the quiet resting place of an unknown early crusader who is said to have arrived, badly wounded, at the church and died there. The fact that it was made of stone, not a local material, and was placed against the south wall, suggests he was considered as a hero.
Henry VII's reign saw many changes to England, and they are reflected in the changes made to the church at this time. The original chancel was small and built of timber, but the current brick-built chancel dates from this period of construction.
The distinctive white wood-panelled tower was added in the Stuart period (17th century), and is what initially draws the eye. One of the bells is inscribed "William Land made me 1618", and so many consider the tower may in fact have been built earlier. This would not be too surprising as there are a number of mediaeval wooden towers in the district.
Around this time the three dormer windows were added to the nave for the first time, and the south porch was added.
A fragment of 15th–century glass can be seen in the centre of the quatrefoil window at the west end, but it was set there during the Victorian restoration.
The earliest wall memorial is dedicated to Jone Wood, 1585.
A full investigation video will be available soon from Haunted Earth through Youtube.
The cast and crew of X-Men- First Class has revealed that the (actually Englefield House) Anglefield House in Berkshire, England where they were stationed for the shoot, was haunted.
Narrating spooky incidents, actor James MCAvoy revealed that he and his cast mates spent almost five weeks on location at the mansion living with the ghosts of past residents.
"The oldest part of that house goes back to 800 Ad... There was a hell of a lot of ghosties running about in there, but the only ghost I actually came across was the ghost of Sir Patrick Stewart haunting me for playing his character badly," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.
The Scottish actor plays the role of 'Professor X' in the X-Men film trilogy. (ANI)
Englefield House is a Tudor mansion in mid-Berkshire. It is near Reading.
It was built for Sir Francis Englefield in 1558. It is an Elizabethan E-plan house.
Sir Francis' family was the oldest in Berkshire. they had lived at Englefield since Saxon times.
He was the last to live there. He was a Roman Catholic. He would not become a Protestant during the Reformation of the Church. So he had to flee abroad.
The Marquis of Winchester retired to Englefield House after the English Civil War. He had had a huge palace near Basingstoke in Hampshire before. He had defended it for the King during a 3 year siege. Parliament had it pulled down.
Englefield House is now a private home. The Benyon family live there. There are still deer in the park and the gardens are open to the public.
The ghost of one of the past owners of Englefield House, Powlett Wright Esq., is reputed to haunt the building and the now blocked tunnel under the back region of the house, as well as walking from the house to his wife’s grave at the church.
Horses will not enter the port cochère. Powlett had gone to sea, while his brother remained at home, trying to convince the locals that the Lord of the Manor was dead. Eventually, the lies became the truth though, and Powlett’s apparition was seen at the window of the house.
Since then, many bygone villagers have reputedly given evidence to this effect and with a house so steeped in history, it is small wonder, perhaps, that it should still be visited in spiritual form by one or other of its colourful owners.
ANNE Diamond has revealed she was once scared off buying her dream home after coming face-to-face with the ghost of its previous owner.
The TV presenter said she could not bear to live in the house with her children knowing it was haunted and so gave it up even though it was perfect in every other way.
The ghostly encounter came shortly after the traumatic end to her 10-year marriage to TV producer Mike Hollingsworth in 1999.
Miss Diamond, a regular guest on Channel 5’s current affairs show The Wright Stuff, re-lived the scary encounter for a television show.
The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant was house hunting and fell in love with the “wonderful old Victorian house” in Warwick and planned to move in with her four boys.
She visited and was greeted by an elderly lady who had been born in the house and lived in it all her life, raising her own family there.
“She showed me around and said she was sad to leave but that her grown-up children were pressing her to sell and move to a modern flat,” she said.
“I thought she rather liked the look of me, and liked the idea that we were a big family who would fill it with joy and laughter.
“I rang the agent and offered the asking price – only to be told that the lady had decided not to sell after all.”
Six months later Miss Diamond, 56, received a call from the estate agent saying the house was empty and back on the market.
She collected the keys and went back to the house with her mother.
“At the front door, I was fiddling around trying to find the right key when the door opened and there was the same little white-haired old lady who’d first shown me around,” she said.
“She left us to explore the place. But this time the house was bare and empty.
“Everything had been moved out – except what seemed to be a large wooden box lying in the centre of the living room. My mother sat on it then jumped up, saying, ‘I don’t like this… it’s the shape of a coffin’.
“We both had tingles running up and down our spines so, not being able to find the old lady again, we quickly left.
“When I returned the keys to the agent, I told him the old lady had shown us round and he said, ‘That can’t have been her because she died a couple of months ago. The children are selling it now, and you had the only keys’.” Miss Diamond, who also starred in 2006 Celebrity Fit Club after openly battling her weight for years, went back to find the wooden box in the middle of the room had disappeared.
She said: “I can only believe that it was the old lady’s ghost that showed us round and that there was indeed a coffin on the living room floor.
“I can’t get my mind off that. In fact, I believe she is still there in the fabric of the house. Talk about spooked. I decided not to buy the place after all.” But according to local paranormal investigator Duncan Curtlin, of Paranormal Nights, the story is entirely plausible.
He said: “Warwick is a particularly haunted area.
“It is probably something to do with the presence of Warwick Castle and Guy’s Cliffe House (a dilapidated country house) which both have a lot going on with them.
“It is certainly not unusual to come across a ghost, and I do remember this story when it happened.”
Something isn't quite right with this picture. What's that floating above the soundboard? 
