Abandoning Mrs J to the retail delights of Nottingham, I set off following Google Maps across the busy city centre and up a steep hill. My destination was the Haunted Museum who promised over 1000 haunted items contained within their premises on Derby Road.
The catacomb like subterranean area of the museum, discovered and
excavated after they had moved in, has motion activated recordings and light
effects that show off dybbuk boxes and human ashes, sealed in polythene bags
enshrined in the walls with sticky labels and photographs being the only means
of identifying its previous owner. Being alone in the claustrophobic crypt
amongst the human remains and incarcerated spirits with the disembodied voices
coming from the hidden speakers was an unusual feeling. The feeling of not
being on my own did not lift as I returned to the ground level and found myself
surrounded by trepanned skulls, taxidermized animals and a large display case
with the label “DO NOT OPEN”, for inside with broken seals was a dybbuk box.
I had been fascinated by The Dark Paranormal episode entitled the
Dybbuk Box, in which the story of an imprisoned spirit had been released after
its purchase and attempt at restoration. Efforts to sell the box found it to be
returned – with one customer leaving it on the shop’s doorstep with a note. The
term Dybbuk derives from Jewish folklore, that a disembodied human spirit,
because of its former sins, would restlessly wander until finding sanctuary in
the body of a living host. To protect the living from these tortured spirits
and the bad luck they would bring, they would be contained within boxes, along
with cups, beads and religious items that would assist in the containment of
the malcontent spirit.
The hope, therefore, that the glass display cabinet can provide an element of protection for their guests and visitors is reinforced by the simple sign. After alighting the stairs and working my way through a room full of dolls I found myself in front of another television displaying CCTV. The screen showed the aforementioned glass display case and then something unseen cause a skeleton to fall and break. The CCTV video presentation was surrounded by Victorian-style display cases of haunted artefacts with neat labels describing each exhibit, its provenance and story that it puts the British Museum to shame.
Returning to ground level I passed a wall advising the wearing of
hard hats beyond this point – knowing that I look foolish in any type of hat,
due to having a square head – I chose to ignore this suggestion. The room
opened up to display several holes in the wall and on reading the display I
discovered that after moving in the owners discovered a grave marking behind
the wall, which they kept and added a medical grade skeleton to enhance the
display.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, the presentation of the displays
was brilliant and the love and care for these artefacts clearly comes across in
the manner in which they are shown. After leaving I felt the urge to have to
address any spirits that wanted to follow me, informing them that they were to
remain at the museum and that following me would not be as interesting as
waiting around and engaging with the visitors and paranormal investigators that
attend the museum and its ghost nights.
Due to the Museum's No Photograph rules I have shamelessly taken
the images in this post from their website - www.thehauntedmuseum.co.uk
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