As I drove along the rural roads into Glastonbury, Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising pumping out of my speakers I was
met with the Hunter’s Moon, looming large over the Tor, burning through the
Avalonian mists – a good omen (I hoped) for the nocturnal adventure to come.
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| Credit:SJP |
This final part of my exploration would be a ghost walk provided by Extours, who promised an immersive blend of history and the supernatural through the hidden tales of the legendary town, with the opportunity to engage in a genuine paranormal investigation. It wasn’t long before I was parked at St Dunstan’s car park (which was free) and checked in with our guide for the evening, Fi (Fiona, but she always felt that she was in trouble when addressed as such).
Our first stop, after a brief introduction and firing up the
Chattergeist Touch, was opposite St Margarets Chapel, Magdalene Street. Fi
explained that in the 1750’s Glastonbury attempted to profit from the
miraculous waters that flowed from the many wells and springs at this end of
the town. The result was a pump house, built at this location, which is said to
be frequented by shadowy figures and ominous feelings.
The Touch, in response to Fi stating that this venture was
not successful, returned Why, Homegirl and as if in response to this
simple question Fi simply stated that Bath was just more popular.
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| Credit:SJP |
Recalling negative feelings is a common phenomenon of this area as there are reports of the residual feeling of sadness associated with a room at St. Margaret's Chapel, or more specifically the alms-house. The story goes that there was a woman who gave birth in an upper room. This mother knew that there were those that wanted her child dead and so kept the birth and her location a secret. Tragically she was discovered one fateful night when a group of men broke down the door and wrenching the baby from her grasp never to feel the embrace of the mother again. The loss and grief permeated the very fabric of the building and was so long lasting and pervasive it required an exorcism to prevent the affect on all who entered.
The tales of those who lived and died within the hospice
appear to have been lost to time or local memory, as I can find no
corroboration of this story, which appears to be a theme of the record keeping
of Glastonbury’s past.
There are further reports of apparitions of monks (another
theme of the town) around this location – but that is not surprising with such
close proximity to the Abbey and its tumultuous history.
The next station on our tour was Abbey Park. I imagine it to
be a nice open green space in daylight, but the darkness emphasised by the
shadows of the ancient and gnarled trees provided the right atmosphere for a
spot of investigation. As we processed past a couple of locals conducting their
own séance with bottled spirits we gathered round as Fi introduced us to Peter.
Peter, a misogynistic and aggressive personality, got off on
the wrong foot with Fi when she initially found him, but over time he had
warmed to her, and the groups she bought to him. Not much is known about who
Peter was in life, but in death he has demonstrated a mastery of foul language
and a penchant for physical aggression – especially towards women.
Breaking out her bag of tricks, Fi was soon handing out EMF
detectors and dowsing rods to those who wanted to experiment, whilst her phone
was running a Necrophone app and the Touch was silently scanning in my pocket.
As the group became accustomed to the tools of the trade, we
started to call out – asking if any spirits were present to come and talk to
us. Reports of flashing lights coming from the EMF meters were soon reported,
with a mixture of excitement and trepidation – was Peter now with us? I asked
if those with flashing lights had turned their phones off or put them in flight
mode and to a soundtrack of rummaging in pockets and bags the confirmations
trickled in.
Had we established contact? Haunts appeared on the
Touch’s screen. The electronic voice from the Necrophone indicated to Fi that
Peter was with us and he wanted to play. Forming a circle, I asked if Peter
could cross any of the rods to show his presence. ‘Crossed’ came the reply to
my left. “Peter can you uncross this set of rods if you would like to
communicate with us?” to which the distinctive sounds of metal scraping on
metal were heard as the tips separated. ‘Charles’ said the Necrophone –
“My rods have crossed” came from in front of me. And soon we established Peter
on the rods to my left, Charles to the front of me and a female on the rods to
my right. (The name was produced by the Necrophone but I was not able to write
it down.)
Like a conductor of a very small orchestra, we established
that Peter was, or believed himself, to be titled (or at least of somewhat
importance) and that he was accused of some crime by this female with the
assistance of Charles. Peter would not divulge the nature of his offence only
that he was absolutely innocent of the falsehoods created about him, and he
loathed the female for what she had done to him. The Touch adding some
assistance providing Corrode, Sneered, Marquis, Egotism. But as with my
research of the social history of Glastonbury I could find no documentation of
accusations made against Marquis Peter or any links to Charles.
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| Credit:SJP |
Suicide prompted the Touch as we arrived at the junction of Hill Head and Butleigh Road, Fi told us what was discovered in the un-consecrated ground below our feet when they were developing this junction – staked corpses. My research corroborated this account as I found a document published in 1904 written by The Late J.G.L Bulleid (6 x mayor of Glastonbury and founder of the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society) which recorded that when they excavated a road through Culver Close they discovered the remains of suicide victims, each with a stake driven through them.
Such was the custom of burial after a self-induced demise,
considered a sin and fearing their evil spirits would return, the superstitious
believed that staking the corpse would tether the spirit to the ground,
preventing them from leaving, with the cross roads acting as an insurance
policy - if the spirt was able to leave they would be confused due to the many
option of which direction to take.
As we walked along the A361 towards the Chalice Well, I had
the opportunity to talk about my paranormal experiences with Fi and the
techniques that I had used. The Touch lit up Desperation, Divination,
as I was talking about my first try using a scrying mirror at the Alex (see Ghostly
Encounter(s)) and the feeling of bombardment. Crops, Rye appeared
as she imparted that there was an inquisitive female spirit that would often
join the tour along this section of the route and she hoped that we may be
graced with her presence this evening – Glastonbury was a big Rye producer so
maybe she did.
We stopped on Chikwell Street at the junction with Dod Lane.
Research of Dod Lane shows one of the reasons for its name was that Lydia Dod
lived here – but I can find no record of who she was or who she was related to.
Other origins of the name are linked to the prosaic meaning of a quagmire or
dirty lane but more likely Dod comes from the word Dead due to the frequent
procession of undertakers, hearses and coffins that ran along this road to
their final destinations. Chikwell Street was also the route the pilgrims took
leaving a lasting legacy as their phantom processions re-tread the road –
leaving a feeling of joy and elation with all who witness them.
The are several accounts of spectres on Dod Lane, Richard
Whiting (the last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey who met his fate hanged, drawn and
quartered on the Tor) has been sighted here, and he may be the same headless
spirit that has been witnessed at twilight sat on the gate at the end of the
lane.
Hoping again for something more positive from the Ghost Tube
SLS app, I fired it up and scanned along the road. As you can see in the below
image a headless stick man, albeit over 8 foot tall, was witnessed floating
above the pavement. In an effort to debunk I checked for any key vertical
points but this green figure was distinctively between the two gate posts so
unlikely to have been produced by an erroneous reading.
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| Credit:SJP |
The tour continued along Silver Street, where several of the
guests were reporting fluctuations on the EMF detectors. The fluctuations
appeared to be near to large manhole covers so were more likely detecting
electricity (or errant mobile signals) than something from the beyond. One of
the younger guests reported following his signals which appeared to direct him
away from the group and up a very dark driveway between two houses – being a
sensible young chap he decided against submerging himself in the pitch black,
and instead returned to the group excited with his discovery.
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| Credit:SJP |
At the end of Silver Street is a gate (that leads to the grounds of the Abbey) juxtaposed with a masonic hall. Here I thought I would try the Touch’s ‘Onvoy’ mode. The Onvoy (by Ghost Stop) is a unique device that is designed to be simple for spirits to interact with. It produces letters, yes/no answers, numbers or emojis through scanning through set lists and allowing sensors to be manipulated by the unseen to enable communication. The Touch (having an 8-Ball and an emoji mode as well) in its ‘Onvoy’ Mode produces a grid of syllables, derived from environmental data, presented in two different colours in a grid pattern. The idea is to derive the communication by working out the relationship between the syllables.
Credit:SJP
As you can see from the image the meaning is not necessarily
as clear as using the library mode. Fi informed us that there have been reports
of a young male who was stabbed close to this location – whether this person
had died here had not been identified and our brief investigation gained no
further information, even with the use of the rods.
Cutting through an alleyway we entered High Street and
stopped outside the Assembly Rooms, opposite the Tribunal. It is here where 6
unnamed members of Monmouth’s rebellion were publicly hanged from the sign of
the White Hart pub. Sightings of the ghosts of these unknown rebels have been
reported, suspended in their final moments. Fi explained that her
investigations may have uncovered that there were at least 7 renegades executed
for their crimes here, Trees from the Chattergeist (along with further
research) suggests that after the Bloody Assizes (overseen by the Hanging
Judge, George Jeffreys at the Tribunal) the road was lined by corpses of the
traitorous, swinging from the trees that lined the road from Glastonbury to
Bridgewater.
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| Credit:SJP |
Tabina, Ascends caused the Touch to illuminate which could link to an interesting article of a now returned stone mascot called Jack Stagg which once adorned the Market Cross, which is now stored within the museums collection at the Tribunal. Maybe someone wants Mr Stagg returned to his rightful place above the town.
The next words to appear Illusive, Labourer, could
have a link to a story from the 1960’s. The Tribunal’s gas pipes were in need
of a change and as such a representative of the local gas board and his mate
were dispatched to assess the tunnels where they would be laid. He lit a lamp
and descended below the ground to start his survey. He noticed there was
someone ahead of him carrying a lamp lit by a candle, thinking it was his mate,
he called out and received no response.
Waving his lamp, his subterranean friend copied the movement until the
light began to dim and the figure disappeared into the gloom. When he found his
mate, who hadn’t ventured into the tunnels at all, he discovered that the end
of the tunnel had been sealed off – so he should have been alone.
As we bimbled down the High Street, in a style very unlike
King James II’s phantom army whose echoes reportedly cause the ground to shake,
we arrived outside The George and Pilgrim Public house. This pub, made paranormally
famous by Guy Lyon Playfair’s ‘The Haunted Pub Guide’, was built in the 15th
century to accommodate the wealthy pilgrims that came to Glastonbury.
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| Credit:SJP |
The accounts from this hostelry cover the full gamete of paranormal activity from smells, sounds and apparitions. Reports of monks, the smell of cigar smoke, monks, a man in historical dress walking through the bar, monks, disembodied footsteps in corridors, monks, the sound of a violent argument in the bar, monks, flashing lights, monks, banging noises and more monks. One tale takes us back to the tunnels, which were used as a covert passage between the inn and the Abbey, before piped gas.
The silence of the hotel is broken by the sound of creaking,
the ancient timbers settling or footsteps along the well-trodden passages? A
spectral monk followed by an elegant looking lady with a look of longing
admiration on her pale, emaciated face is seen. A vow of celibacy divides this
unconsummated love; desire and frustration trapping these lovelorn spirits
earthbound to spend eternity wandering the corridors unfulfilled.
The Touch, resolutely scanning produced no insight (a vow of
silence perhaps?) – but the George has been added to my wish list of places to
investigate.
We passed the market cross and possible site (according to
Bulleid) where a large horse-pool was filled in after the near drowning by
ducking of Rebecca Brook a notorious scold and otherwise a woman of bad fame,
as the Chattergeist lit up. I read out Coronavirus, Deathbed, Resurrect,
Death, Possible as one of the group members with better local
knowledge than me pointed to the building behind us telling me that it was a
nursing home. A more recent addition to the spirits of Glastonbury, perhaps,
wanting their story told.
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| Credit:SJP |
We walked around the traffic island on which sits St Benedict’s Church until stopping in St Benedict’s Close. This was not the original name for this road (also the church was not originally called St Benedict’s rather St Benignus’). Renaming appears to be a theme in this part of town as where I was now stood was originally called Gropecunt Lane – because this is where the local prostitutes plied their trade, emphasised with the word Tits showing on the Touch’s screen.
There are accounts here of the spirit of a man being seen on
the Church roof, where in life he was stood before he put gravity to the fatal
test. This maybe a confusion with fate of John Bullhead, who unable to fulfil
his role as guarantor for an ill fate canal project, jumped from the tower of
St Johns Church leaving only his mangled remains. Taking a burst of a few
photographs I discovered nothing supernatural occurring in this quiet corner of
town, however using the Ghost Vision SLS app I captured a giant figure, which
may have been a misreading of the architecture than the presence of the
departed.
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| Credit:SJP |
And depart we did, completing our circle of Glastonbury. But what did I learn from this experience, firstly that the combination of ghost walk and investigation is a brilliant idea (especially as due to what we were experiencing it increased the length of the tour by 30 minutes). That Fi is a brilliant guide, and shares my experiences of the paranormal investigator’s hangover. Thirdly that Glastonbury is really bad at publishing its history, which could (puts tin foil hat on) lead to a conspiracy theory of a church run cover up - they don’t want you to know the truth.
And lastly its really difficult to take photographs when you are walking.
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| Credit:SJP |
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