Haunted Spalding E-Book

Gemma King

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 161

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

From hair-raising first-hand accounts of unexplained sightings and paranormal phenomena to the search for evidence of ghosts, this eerie and richly illustrated tour around the historic town of Spalding and the surrounding area features many chilling stories of ghostly encounters. Amongst the spooky tales included are a pub where a resident ghost was so determined to make his presence known that he hurled a beer bottle at a member of staff, a hotel where a mischievous spirit sits on the beds and leaves ghostly handprints on a mirror, a sports club where cheeky spirits make their presence felt literally, and the chilling story of an evil spirit so intent on harassing a local family that it could only be removed by exorcism. Also featured are exclusive and intriguing findings from the first ever paranormal investigation at the fifteenth-century Ayscoughfee Hall & Museum, in search of the legendary White Lady.

Leseprobe

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum. (Author’s collection)

‘Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.’

Neil Armstrong

Suspected mist manifestation of male upper body captured in Cowbit village when spirits were invited to appear in a photograph. Close inspection on computerised image seems to reveal facial detail.

Acknowledgements

THIS book would not have been possible had it not been for the valued contributions, co-operation and support from countless people, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Firstly, I would like to give special thanks to my husband Phil and my two children, Mikey (five) and Jasmine (three), for their unwavering patience and encouragement during my busy periods of research, investigating and writing. In addition to his support of my project, Phil has provided crucial assistance with some of my illustrations and in setting up the website. I am very grateful for his invaluable contribution. I would also like to thank my fellow team members in Spalding Paranormal Investigations: Pam Stretton, Stuart Moulder, Chris Joyce and Josh Stretton for their support in this project, their friendship, and for all of the investigations that we have carried out together.

Special thanks go to my parents Lin and Den, my sister Melissa and brother-in-law Daniel, and the rest of my family and close friends, who have always supported my passion for all things paranormal and who have offered so much encouragement over the years. Furthermore, my brother Daniel Watts worked extremely hard on my behalf, filming and putting together a promotional video for the book; big thanks go to him.

Finally, I would like to thank the following people, whose contributions and assistance with research really made this book possible: Julia Knight of Ayscoughfee Hall for her generosity in accommodating my many requests and visits to the building whilst writing this book, for her personal assistance in putting together the historical aspects of the Ayscoughfee feature, and for giving me the privileged opportunity of conducting a paranormal investigation in the building; Councillor Howard Johnson, who was extremely supportive of the investigation work in Ayscoughfee; Geoff Neal (Geoff Neal & Son Dry Cleaners, Bridge Street); Clive Herd (Russel’s Café, New Road); Sue Stoker (Royal Mail Cart); John Shores, Dennis Felt, David Jack, Norma Jack, Kerryanne Burton, Joe and Kay Cifaldi (Joe’s Restaurant); Andrew and Judy Sadd (Long Sutton & District Civic Society); John Cleary (Spalding Gentlemen’s Society); Lauren McFarland; Leanne and Jackie (Chequers Hotel, Holbeach); David Stanbridge (Cley Hall Hotel); Margaret Johnson; Georgie Turp and Natalie Turnbull (Woodlands Hotel); Mr and Mrs Spencer (Holbeach Sports & Social Club); Geoff Hemsil, Cliff Elsom, Jane Martin (Elsom Cross Printers); Richard Rickerby (String of Horses Inn); Julia Farmer (the Mansion House Hotel, Holbeach); and Zara Foster (the Crown Inn, Surfleet) for her valued support in the fundraising paranormal investigation that took place at the Crown Inn.

All photographs in this publication, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of the author. I have made every effort to contact copyright holders and gain permission for the use of material, but apologise if I have inadvertently missed anyone out.

Contents

Title

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

one

Paranormal Investigations

two

Spalding Town

three

Bridge Street and the Priory

four

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum

five

The Horrific Ordeal of a Spalding Family

six

Outside Spalding

Bibliography

Afterword

About the Author

Copyright

Introduction

LOCATED in the heart of the Fens, on the site of a former Benedictine monastery, Spalding has developed over the centuries from a shipping town into a busy and vibrant market town. No matter where you are in Spalding or the surrounding area, you are never far away from sites of historical interest and it is therefore no wonder that there is such a wide variety of ghostly phenomena.

In compiling this book, my aim has been to look in detail at paranormal events in the area, including eyewitness accounts of ghost sightings and paranormal experiences. As well as documenting these accounts, I have carried out investigations at some of the locations featured – along with local investigation team SPI (Spalding Paranormal Investigations) – in an attempt to separate fact from folklore. In doing so, I have often managed to gain insight into the unexplainable events taking place, capturing some quite compelling evidence in the process. I have also endeavoured to research the history surrounding the haunted locations featured, as this can often be instrumental in providing clues to the reasons behind paranormal events. Of course, the history of Spalding is a fascinating subject all on its own, but merely touching on it whilst researching particular stories for this book has given me great understanding as to why some of the locations are very haunted indeed. I hope that readers will enjoy the historical aspects of this book as well as the ghostly testimonies from local people, the details of paranormal investigations and the previously unseen photographs of Spalding in times gone by.

Gemma King, 2012

1

Paranormal Investigations

Preparation and Equipment

When my team carry out investigations we use various tools, technology and techniques in order to maximise the possibility of capturing evidence of paranormal activity. We vary our equipment according to the place in question and the kind of activity taking place. In this chapter, I will describe the general investigation process; I hope that this will provide insight for anyone unfamiliar with how the process works.

Investigation equipment. (Author’s collection)

Night-Vision Camcorder – We investigate in the dark whenever possible (with the use of torches) as doing this opens up our other senses, making us more aware of unusual smells, movement and sounds. It is also noteworthy that night-vision cameras pick up anomalies such as floating orbs/mists particularly well. Thermal-imaging cameras are also fantastic in that they clearly show specific areas of cold or hot energy, and have been known to pick up ghostly figures in this way. Sadly, they are very expensive, so our team does not currently have one.

EMF (Electromagnetic Field) Detector – Also known as the KII, this tracks levels of electromagnetic energy. The theory is that spirits use electromagnetic energy to manifest and this is why phenomena such as dipping/flickering lights are associated with ghostly manifestation – because the spirits are draining power from the lights as their energy source. In an ideal investigation, upon encountering this phenomenon you would find an isolated cold spot in the room and, upon holding the EMF meter in that spot, it would light up, showing a higher reading than everywhere else. This is a widely accepted theory in the field of paranormal investigation. That said, random EMF hits which occur during an investigation should be considered objectively, taking into account possible increases in EMF from external sources. A good way to validate EMF hits is to use the meter as a communication tool, inviting the spirits present to come over and touch it (making it clear, of course, that the gadgets you are using cannot hurt them and will simply enable them to communicate). If the machine lights up from green to orange, invite them to take it up to red and keep it on red. Then, when it has been flickering on red for a few seconds, ask them to step away from the machine – it should then go back to green. If you get to this stage, it is highly possible that you are communicating with an ‘intelligent’ spirit and you can continue to use the tool to seek further proof – perhaps even inviting them to interact with the machine, to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to your questions.

EMF meters are also a good tool for debunking theories of paranormal activity, and this is because they were originally used by building contractors/engineers to locate dangerously high levels of energy in buildings; if cables are not properly insulated or there are too many strong sources of the energy in one place, dangerous levels of EMF are emitted, creating what is sometimes referred to as a ‘fear cage’. When exposed to the area in question for prolonged periods of time, a person may suffer symptoms such as feelings of paranoia and anxiety, visual and aural hallucinations, nausea, or even skin irritation – all of which are frequently associated with paranormal activity. In other words, a person could think that they have a resident ghost when they don’t. Many people would seek comfort in the knowledge that the solution to their ‘paranormal activity’ merely involves insulating cables or moving household appliances to minimise their exposure to the EMF!

Thermometer – This picks up random hot or cold spots. There are two types of thermometer that can be used on investigations: laser thermometers (which measure surface temperatures) or air thermometers (which are good for investigating cold spots). Sometimes an investigator will invite spirits to drop the temperature by a specified number of degrees. This is helpful when looking for evidence of intellectual spirit energies – especially when reviewed in conjunction with other evidence, such as EMF hits and EVP (electronic voice phenomena).

Digital Voice Recorder – This is my favourite piece of equipment as it records sounds undetectable to the human ear, known as EVP. The theory is that spirit voices can only be heard on a very low frequency – a frequency only detectable to certain animals – and it is often the case that you investigate a place that seems quite inactive at the time but when you play back the audio recording it will tell a different story, picking up voices and sounds. The original voice recorders were not digital; this has caused much debate over the years as it was frequently alleged by sceptics that the voices heard were not spirit voices but radio interference. Of course, this was always strongly refuted by believers in the phenomenon, given that the voices recorded often belonged to children or the elderly – not the kind of voices that you would expect to hear on a radio. Also, the voices picked up would often be responding to specific questions asked by the investigator. Thankfully, the progression to digital technology in recent years has greatly reduced white noise, meaning that interference from radio waves is now highly unlikely. When recording EVP, it is important to minimise noise contamination from the environment; it is always surprising how loud people’s footsteps sound on playback, and I have often found that heavy footsteps can make suspected EVP recordings difficult to decipher!

Environment Meter – This device takes ‘base readings’ around the investigation site, showing the humidity, sound levels and the level of electromagnetic energy naturally present in the environment. This means that once we begin the investigation we can easily see anomalies/remote fluctuations that occur, such as sudden temperature drops or high levels of electromagnetic energy in specific areas.

Digital Camera – Cameras are very good at picking up orbs, mists and shadows in photographs. I always explain my equipment during usage to make sure that spirits do not feel threatened by it and, in respect of the camera, I invite them to appear in my photographs. This can produce some very strange anomalies. Whilst orbs are not generally accepted as ghost images (because they commonly appear in photographs and do not take human form), they are still widely regarded as a sign of spirit manifestation. It is said to take a lot of energy for a spirit to manifest in full human form, so revealing themselves as an orb might be the easiest way of making themselves visible to us. Sceptics would argue that orbs are simply dust particles; however, even though I am very objective in my investigative thought processes, I struggle to find an explanation for orbs which are clearly too big or bright to be ‘dust’ – and they seem to appear in front of the camera upon request! Large, bright orbs have also been caught on film. Some orbs, if examined very closely on photographs, appear to have faces in them and I find this most intriguing. Although my ultimate photography objective is to capture a full body apparition, I will continue to explore the orb phenomenon with much interest. Another theory which suggests that orbs are spiritual beings has derived from accounts of near-death experiences, where people claim to have become an orb of light upon leaving their physical body and been greeted by other orbs of light (recognisable to them as family members). So could there be some truth in the orb theory? No one has the answer, but it will always be an interesting debate.

Torch – This is essential, as paranormal investigations usually take place at night. Torches which have a button on the back are useful, because you can place them in the middle of the floor and invite spirits to turn them off.

Trigger Objects – I use trigger objects (items which would be of interest to the spirit) to encourage interaction during the investigation. For example, if I am trying to engage with children I use toys, for a spirit that leaves a cigar smell I use a cigar, and for a monk I use a cross. After placing the trigger objects on a piece of paper and drawing round them, you invite the spirits to take them. In the case of the toys (usually lightweight things that can easily be moved, such as a rolling ball) I invite the children to play with them. If any trigger objects are moved during an investigation, and this is caught on camera, it is fantastic evidence of paranormal activity – as long as you can prove it was not just a draught!

Motion Sensors – It is intriguing if trigger objects are interfered with but the motion sensors do not react. Of course, it is also exciting if they do react to movement when there is no one in that room.

Walkie-Talkies – These are useful when investigating a large area where the team splits into pairs to do separate vigils. It is worth mentioning that I don’t believe people should investigate on their own – not only because it’s unsafe fumbling around an unfamiliar place in the dark, but also because it is better for validation purposes if at least two people have the same paranormal experience simultaneously.

Flour/Talc – If there is an area where footsteps are frequently heard, then flour or talc can be used to capture footprints. The flour should be isolated so as not to be contaminated by other footprints, although prints from anyone present at the investigation can easily be dismissed. I recently investigated a location where handprints were mysteriously appearing on one particular mirror – I used talc in that case to try to capture some evidence.

Séances

I do not have any psychic ability, and investigate by using technology to try to capture hard evidence of paranormal activity. However, the team I work with do conduct séances using a board and glass and, since participating myself, I have become truly intrigued by them.

What I like most about the séances is that they do not seem to have any scientific explanation. One theory suggests that it is the power of the mind that moves the glass to spell words. However, even if this was possible, in instances where no one around the table knows anyone else, I cannot see how this could be the case – given the very specific information that comes through, directed at just one person.

What I also love is the fact that séances can be pretty accurate, and everybody can see and feel the experience. The direct communication with spirit entities means that séances can provide answers on the paranormal activity in people’s homes or places of work, and can also help resolve situations where unhappy spirits are making the occupants of a building feel uncomfortable. One such case springs to mind, where a resident spirit child came through to talk to the owner of a place we were investigating. It transpired that she had been trying to get their attention because she did not like the loud chimes on the clocks, which she found scary. The owner had many clocks and they covered the walls in one particular room. He agreed to turn some off, which provided a resolution and a positive outcome for everyone concerned.

Séance. Pictured from left to right: Gemma King, Chris Joyce, Stuart Moulder, Pam Stretton. (Author’s collection)

On some occasions during a séance, we encounter a spirit that asks for our help because they are grounded – i.e. unable to move on – and this can happen for a number of different reasons. Through careful questioning, we are often able to work out the reason and assist them in moving on. I do not know how this works, but it does work, and the feeling when it happens is immensely comforting and emotional for everyone. It is good to know that through séances we are seemingly able to assist trapped energies. Scientific though I am, I do believe in séances and the possibility that we can help people, here and in spirit, which reinforces my passion and belief in this investigative tool.

Whilst the use of the Ouija board is controversial, I feel this negative perception is often based on movies or television programmes, where their use invariably lends itself to some kind of horrific drama. It could also partly be due to the experiences of individuals who used them in previous decades, when the boards were sold in shops as a recreational toy. I have no doubt that many people who have used the Ouija board over the years have not fully understood or respected the seriousness of this method of communication with spirits, and as such may not have conducted themselves appropriately. The séances that are conducted by my paranormal investigation team are protected by an opening and closing-down prayer; no one under the influence of alcohol is ever allowed to participate; and anyone that does take part must remain respectful to any spirit energies that come through.

Members of my team have been conducting séances for many years and have never had a negative experience. That said, it is crucial that people know how to respond appropriately to the unpredictable spirit communications during a séance. It is not something to partake in lightly and I would certainly not recommend anyone doing it unless they are with an experienced individual.

2

Spalding Town

Cley Hall Hotel, High Street