School Play - Abandoned Theatre (Location Redacted)

Deep in rural Kent sits an Abandoned Theatre, its lights dim after the final curtain fell many years ago. A ghost affectionately called The White Lady has been seen walking the roads nearby, but as I tried to follow the directions I had been provided by GHT I was beginning to think the Theatre was a phantom as well. Eventually I found the crew for tonight’s investigation who were equally lost and by the light of a full moon we pulled onto the hardstanding and unloaded our equipment.

Credit:SJP

The warm greeting from the new owner of the wooden fronted building was a stark contrast to the icy chill that met us as we crossed the threshold. Apparently he was told to leave the heating off as it would add to the atmosphere for a ghost hunt – dear reader it was bloody cold.

This was the first time ever that this location had been subjected to any known form of paranormal investigation and all we knew was that it was built in the late 1970’s as an educational establishment’s performing arts space. The land on which it was built on was farmland, as was much of Kent and would have attracted a holidaying workforce to bring in the crops. Our tour of the space was short with two identified locations to explore. The Large auditorium area fully equipped with seating and a stage, and the smaller dressing room area accessed off stage left.

There was an area under the stage that could have been an option, but with a head clearance of about 4 foot and accessed only by removing a panel in the floor of the wings it was decided to leave this space and the old staging and scenery alone. As the crew made sure the tea urn was up and running (it was defiantly going to be needed tonight) I set up a locked off experiment under the seating in the auditorium.

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After a cheeky cup of coffee to warm us up it was time to welcome the guests, who remained huddled in their jackets clutching steaming paper cups in defence of the temperature. Once our investigating team had been briefed the only thing remaining was to ask them the question “Are you brave enough?”

In a break from tradition we stayed together for our first session and soon motion detectors, music boxes, K-2s and cat balls were distributed around the space. Forming a circle we tried to build the energy to give any spirits that had lain dormant for sometime something to feed off.

There are many theories of what causes places to be haunted. Sites of tragedy and violence, a place that was beloved in life or the belief that somehow the environment captures events and plays them back when the circumstance is right. In my research I could find no record of any murder or sinister deeds linked to where I was now stood but it doesn’t mean to say that trauma had not been experienced on this land, and it appeared that historic trauma was what the spirits wanted to get off their chests.

As the original circle descended into a human pendulum session, we were introduced to a female. A female who was very unhappy. A female who was very unhappy and reacted with a violent lurch of the pendulum subject when asked if she was male. Those with a greater sensitivity than me (which in fairness is pretty much anyone) reported seeing an image of a sad female carrying flowers standing just outside the circle who appeared to be waiting for someone.

The myriad of phones running Alice Box apps (much the same as the Ghost Hunter Tools app I had used on previous investigations)  began throwing out names; Deborah, Crystal, Samantha, Veronica, Lucy reminding me of paranormal remix of Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5. A rapid drop in the temperature from 11.9° to 11.3° on the Boo-Bear signified a noticeable feeling of change in the energy as 6 year old Callum, the son of Deborah entered the chat.

Through the forward and backward motion of our human pendulum we established that Callum was stabbed by his grandmother but before further information could be established the question “Could we ask one more question?” was asked and responded to by an aggressive jolt signifying ‘No’.

It appeared that any spirits residing in the Theatre were now aware of our presence, and that some wanted to communicate (or at least provide their names). What was very apparent and reported by many people including myself was the feeling of being watched. The watcher felt as if it was sat in the top row of the seats, but did not want to engage with any of the equipment deployed in the area, just observing as a passive audience the action unfolding in front of them.

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Callum’s resounding ‘No’ called an end to our first session, and as half the group exited to the dressing rooms, I remained with the other half in the auditorium.

At the front of the stage were many heavy desks, and feeling that we had stirred up some energy we attempted a table tipping experiment. With hands on the polished surface we urged the spirits to make the table move, (or even vibrate) but after asking, encouraging and cajoling (and finally resorting to pleading) we were left wanting. An upturned glass was added to the table and aside it providing the feeling of trying to hold two magnets of equal polarity together we were not getting much response.

Credit:SJP

Not wanting to give up I had a rummage in my bag pulling out a book of Psalms to serve as a trigger object in the hope that some divine intervention would prompt some activity. I also grabbed a new acquisition to my arsenal. A clear orb sat on a black plastic base that when switched on produces purple tentacles of energy. The plasma ball works by using a tesla coil to force electrons through a coil of wire causing them to oscillate at a high frequency. The tentacle will attract to your touch as it seeks to ground the electrical energy through your body, the theory being is that this energy transference would work as well with the dead as the living. Either that or it will add more electro-magnetic energy to the environment to power up any hungry ghosts. With this in mind the use of a plasma ball renders any K2 meaningless (but does give a nice sweeping light effect).

Setting the ball down and retiring to a safe distance I noticed that the other guests were not having any more joy with the book and table. However as I observed the plasma ball the initial flurry of activity within had changed to a slow, methodical crawl as if someone was interacting with the strands of light.

Further research with the plasma ball will be needed to ascertain what this is showing but for a first time out it seems like a promising bit of kit.

Calling it a day with the table and trigger objects it was decided to try a spirit board on the stage. The planchette slid to ‘yes’ indicating that a male wanted to communicate and although further questions were asked the entity was not forthcoming with answers.

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What we witnessed however was very strange. The planchette with several sitters’ fingers attached raised up at an angle, with the pointed end several inches away from the surface of the board with the tail end remaining on the board’s surface. The planchette then began to sweep around as if pointing at something invisible circling the table, tracking its movements in the darkness behind us.

Before we could explore this phenomenon further time was called on the session, and after closing the board down it was time to warm up with a hot beverage. As the guests retired to the kitchen area I stayed in the auditorium to take some photographs of the seating area where the watcher had been felt.

Credit:SJP

As the hot black liquid started warming me up from the inside out, I had a scroll through the photographs I had taken during the first two sessions. I discovered the following in a series of three photographs:

Credit:SJP

Credit:SJP

Credit:SJP

The face appearing does not match anyone that was on the event, and when I took this set of photographs everyone appeared to be looking towards the centre of the circle. Although there are several explanations, pareidolia, low light photograph, contamination etc, when I shared this with the crew, they did not recognise the face as belonging to anyone working with us.

With the paper cups properly recycled it was time to start the third and final session as we gathered our group and headed back stage to the dressing room.

This was a space with an identity crisis, a shower in an adjacent room, kitchen running the length of the back wall and a cluster of armchairs around a small coffee table, it was not what you would expect. With a constant creepy sound effect of a child slowly singing “Ring a Ring of Roses” coming from a motion sensor box, we turned the lights out (and eventually the motion sensor) before starting an Estes session.

The sitter, blindfold and headphones on, reported that they could feel something touching the top of their head before reporting the sound of children laughing coming through the headphones. “I’m Scared” repeated the sitter before reporting several voices all talking at once and pressure building in their head. Again a list of names came from Alice Box apps seeing a return of Veronica, who was joined by Bill, Greg and Mike S.

As our final session came to a close I noticed my K2 on the table illuminating, with little pin pricks of orange light joining the green glows. My K2 was joined by two others with the one placed closest matching the readings of my own with the third responding as an echo. Although there are phones on the table I asked if they were all on flight mode to which I received responses to the affirmative. A very interesting end to the session as you can see from the video.

Packing up the equipment I returned to the auditorium to recover the locked off experiment. At the beginning of the night I had set up 2 mirror balls which had been marked to show rotation and any movement under the watchful gaze of a trail camera. I had marked the location and direction of the torch to be able to replicate the same conditions from set up to close down. As you can see, on this occasion there had been no noticeable movement, and nothing had been captured by the trail cam.

Credit:SJP

Credit:SJP

My experience at the Abandoned Theatre had been interesting and I had captured some interesting evidence. I would love to return with a much smaller group to draw out further details of what we had only appeared to scratch the surface of.

Damn It Janet - The Enfield Haunting, Ambassador's Theatre

Growing up as a theatre school kid close to North London, I was fascinated by the superstitions and ghostly tales that were associated with treading the boards. From ghostly spectres whose appearance prophesised a successful run to maintaining a ghost light on stage allowing the spirits of actors who have passed to continue their craft. Theatres are notoriously haunted with the theory that the presentation of so much emotion and a large gathering of people charges the space with so much energy that it allows spirits to be seen and recognised.

My love for the stage would see me often travelling by train up to the big smoke passing Brimsdown Station situated at the end of Green Street, Enfield, a short walk from number 284 – a three bedroomed, semi-detached council house. The same house that PC Carolyn Heeps and her colleague attended in the early hours of 1st September 1977 to reports of strange things happening that would go on to inspire polarising debate, documentaries, films, television series and even a play.

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Fast forward to the present and I found myself outside the Ambassador’s Theatre looking up at the images of Catherine Tate and David Threlfall as Peggy Hodgson and Maurice Grosse respectively advertising Paul Unwin’s play based on what has been dubbed the Enfield Poltergeist. Taking my seat in the middle of the circle I had full view of the set in front of me. From a scenography standpoint the recreation of the Hodgson’s was well designed with the appearance of being ripped out of the street and deposited on a West End stage.

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The events of the 75 minute Enfield Haunting take place over a day in the spring of 1978 at the climax of the entities activities. Although reviewers slated it, with one declaring it as “a candidate for the worst play of the year”, I very much enjoyed the performance. This was most likely due to having some prior knowledge and therefore able to see the connections from the case to the story as it unfolded.

The events of 1977 to 1978 are some of the most documented of all poltergeist hauntings due to the press coverage, number of witnesses, Peggy’s diaries and the effort that the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) undertook in their investigations. So before we look at Unwin’s story lets open the case file and have a look at some of the recorded evidence and the people involved.

Poltergeist activity usually has a specific person that it focuses on. In Enfield the entity had its sights on 11 year old Janet. Janet lived with her mother Peggy, older sister Margaret and younger brothers John and Billy, although John was only home during school holidays as he boarded at a special school.

The Hodgsons were surrounded by a close support network, Peggy’s brother John Burcombe lived with his family a few doors down and the Nottingham family consisting of Vic, Peggy and their adult son Gary who lived next door. It was through this support network that the Daily Mirror became involved, after they were contacted by Peggy Nottingham who believed the national red top could help them when visits from the clergy and the council could not deter the ongoing phenomena.

The reports of furniture moving, bangs and strange goings on piqued the interest of the tabloid, and sensing a scoop it was not long – 4 days since police attendance – that reporters and photographers were the ones knocking on the door. Their arrival saw Lego bricks and marbles being thrown, with

photographer Graham Morris reporting that one of the colourful plastic bricks had hit him so hard on the forehead that the bruise took several days to fade.

The Mirror had also contacted the SPR who dispatched rookie investigator, and inventor of the rotating advertising board, Maurice Grosse. Grosse arrived the day after Morris was hit. His advice to Peggy - Stay calm and make notes. Convinced of the activity after hearing a loud crash and discovering a chair had been overturned and moved in the girls room he took the case, and in the words of that famous detective “The game was afoot.” Such was the volume of activity (and press coverage) Grosse requested further assistance from the SPR which was answered by the arrival of renowned author and investigator Guy Lyon Playfair.

Stuff kept happening, chairs moved, beds continued to shake and the media spotlight was tightly following the chaos that was going on behind the front door. Fear caused the family to retreat to the safety of family and neighbours causing an impact on Janet’s schoolwork.

The fabric of the building was checked as were the pipes and lines feeding the home but as there was nothing wrong with the house the council refused to rehouse instead offering Peggy an all expenses paid trip over the October half-term family holiday to Clacton-on-Sea.

Whilst they were away Grosse continued his nocturnal visits to Green Street. Reporting and recording that he had established contact with the spirit through knocking. Asking specific questions, he received one knock for ‘No’ and two for ‘Yes’ (in answer to “what is 5 plus 5?” he received 10 knocks in reply).

Communication had been established, and if you subscribe to the theory proposed by Rupert Matthews in his book Poltergeists is the fifth stage of an “idealised poltergeist visitation”. The first four; 1 - faintly recognised sounds, 2 - noises, 3 - moving objects, 4 - apports and disports, had been ticked off the to do list within the first few days. Interestingly the apport of a toy at the Burcombe’s during one of the tactical withdrawals demonstrated that whatever was plaguing the Hodgsons could extend it’s reach from beyond the 4 walls.

As Christmas approached Janet continued to be subjected to all manner of issues. From being turned out of bed, moved whilst under the effects of Valium and even slid headfirst down the stairs whilst she slept.

December 10th was when the voices began, the first purporting to be Joe Watson but this character was replaced 3 days later by that of Bill Wilkins. Wilkins it would appear had not left his former home and now using young Janet as his mouthpiece. Wilkins, as the voice recorded interviews show is a G-H-O-S-T after dying of a haemorrhage in a chair (currently set stage left).

So as we approach Stage 6 (Climax) on the poltergeist check list we return to the Ambassadors Theatre.

Unwin attempts to convey this vast list of happenings to the audience through the script but fails to capture the magnitude of the report chaos the family has been through. In part this is due to the overbearing and opinionated (and repetitively so) character of Rey (played by Mo Sesay). Rey represents the neighbourly support network (but appears to have more amorous intentions towards Tate’s Peggy) but it is through him that we unleash the cynical argument – the girls are making it up.

By the admission of Playfair and Grosse, they were aware of the attempts by Janet and Margaret to pull the wool over their eyes. In later interviews Janet herself accepted that about 2% of what happened was invented due to the attention and pressure they felt to perform by the ever-growing

circus around them (here’s looking at you Most Haunted). However the investigtaors believed that any attempt to trick them had been discovered and was ruled out of the narrative. Rey also mentions the efforts the SPR went to to test the claims with psychics, mediums, magicians and ventriloquists joining the ever-growing guest list to Green Street – much to his and the other neighbour annoyance.

Catherine Tate’s Peggy, from the outset is frustrated. Frustrated by the interruptions and interference from her neighbour. Frustrated with her ability to keep her children safe. Frustrated by the clockwork appearance of her ex-husband (intoxicated, violent and demanding for money). Frustrated by the unseen entity causing issues. And mostly frustrated by the appearance of Maurice Grosse, ice creams in hand as she is trying to sort out the children’s dinner.

The relationship between Peggy and Maurice grows from the formal “Mr Grosse” at the start to calling him “Maurice” by the conclusion of this drama. She is clearly annoyed by his repeated and unexpected intrusion to her home and even more annoyed when motion sensitive cameras are set up in the bedroom. This negativity towards him fades as the story continues, not out of acceptance but he forms a protector-like character – a knight in shining armour if you will.

Credit: Graham Morris

The camera rig presents the opportunity to allude to the levitation episode initially reported by a lolly-pop lady, witnessing Janet at the window but further captured by a remote camera set-up in the girls bedroom. Janet (Ella Schrey-Yeats) dressed in red appears as the flashbulbs strobe to float through the air, echoing the poses from the infamous “jumping” photographs. From a staging perspective this is a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and would have benefitted with less audience distraction elsewhere on the set to direct the audiences attention to this key moment of the true-life recreation.

Maurice Grosse is an interesting character and his intentions and reasons for his almost permanent presence at Green Street are constantly questioned throughout. A sinister interpretation is mooted several times with references made to cameras being in the girl’s room, his specific interest in Janet and most uncomfortably the direct confrontation from Margaret – which in my opinion was unnecessary – who appeared to be forcing herself on the uncomfortable Grosse.

But Maurice’s sad truth is revealed through a poignant ‘possession’ scene. Grosse, taking responsibility for the protection of a sleeping Janet arranges her in Bill’s chair, wrapping her in a blanket. Here Janet – not Hodgson but Grosse calls out ‘Daddy!’ and sets in motion the emotional climax of the piece.

Maurice Grosse had a daughter also called Janet and it was after her untimely death in a motorcycle accident in August 1976, alongside a number of coincidental and paranormal happenings, that caused him to join the SPR. The sadness portrayed by Threlfall with a longing to hold his daughter for a final time in her blanket was tangible. This personal tragedy has been a key staple to the sceptic argument that Grosse wanted to believe, in fact needed to believe, in the events in Enfield. He had pretty much moved in with the Hodgson’s, a reality that Unwin makes plain by the inclusion of Betty Grosse (Neve McIntosh), whose interruption and admonishment of her husband, rushes the story back to its reality – This House is Haunted.

Credit: Fortean Times

The final reveal of the entity is a clever piece of direction, but the play appears to be following the stages of poltergeist hauntings (7- Decline and 8 Endings) rather than dramatic convention. This left the conclusion of Unwin’s version with more of a whimper than a bang.

After applause and bows I was soon emerging into the sunlight of London. My thoughts turning in my head. I had enjoyed the performance, the effects were good and the presentation of a family in crisis was established. The story was there, but vaguely and relied heavily on prior knowledge or exposition from an irritating Rey. Taking 10 years from conception to its first appearance at Brighton’s Theatre Royal It was an ambitious project to undertake.

I enjoyed the production, and in fact recommended it to a friend who promptly bought a ticket for that every evening. But as the curtain fell on the fictional 284 Green Street the question remains, what happened to the real Hodgsons?

2 years and 1 month after PC Heeps reported that she saw a chair inexplicably move the final religious intervention of 284 Green Street took place. The activity although never ceasing entirely did become less and less frequent. The family did eventually move from Enfield and Janet made a full recovery (however she has not fully remembered all the events that occurred in her trance-like state). Peggy passed away in 2004 and Maurice followed her off the mortal coil 2 years later. Janet and Margaret maintain that 98% of what was reported actually happened although admitting some trickery in later interviews.

The Enfield Poltergeist, however, has continued to haunt the imagination inspiring the infamous ‘mocumentary’ Ghostwatch, several documentaries and a few television series. Even the tentative link to Ed and Lorrain Warren, who wrote to Peggy and even visited the house a couple of times, inspired the events of The Conjuring sequel – inventively called The Conjuring 2.

We will never know the full truth of what occurred to this ordinary working-class family in a North London suburb, but what we do know is that what they experienced polarises the paranormal community – much like the opinions of those of us who have witnessed The Enfield Haunting on the West End stage.

Have you seen The Enfield Haunting? Were the events experienced by the Hodgsons real? Was Maurice’s grief influencing his investigation? I would love to hear your opinion. Leave me a comment or message me on Instagram @SamuelJamesParanormal. Happy Hunting.

Booze, Birds, Boys and Bashes

I was sat, waiting for Keith and the Ghostly Encounters crew to get the night started, next to a long and well stocked bar, the lights twinkling off the spirit bottles in their optics accompanied by the low rumble of the refrigerators chilling beers creating a background hum. I’m not sure this is what John Brown envisioned when he built Tower House Retreat way back in 1884 with the intention of the rehabilitation of addicts licensed under the Habitual Drunkards Act of 1879.

Credit: SJP

The Grade II listed building that surrounded me has been known by many names and had many uses in its life. In 1903 Tower House became Convent de les Oiseaux, a convent and school for young ladies, and under the watchful eyes of the Cannoness the building was significantly expanded in 1912. WW1 saw the convent become a military hospital and WW2 caused the birds to fly the nest, as Westgate-on-Sea became a restricted area with the majority of the larger buildings being acquisitioned by the military.  With peace declared the Sisters returned until 1971 when the boys of the Abbey School moved in, giving the building the name it has today – St Augustine’s. The last boarders finished their lessons in 1995 and the building was carved up, with bits used as apartments (with price tags of half a million), office space and of importance to tonight an events venue catering for every important celebration including bereavements.

As always, the history was unknown to me and so with the briefing over and surrounded by protection I set off with my group to find out the stories from those who remain.

We were held at the door to our first area, like Crystal Maze contestants, whilst someone went to get a member of St Augustine’s staff to turn the lights off. There are several theories why investigators hunt ghosts in darkened environs, the sceptical opinion derives from the practice of charlatan ‘mediums’ who would use the lack of light to cover their fraudulent practices, however I like to subscribe to the thought that if you reduce one sense it heightens others. The loss of sight, by this maxim, would suggest that your sense of hearing, touch or even smell would be heightened and allow you to concentrate on how the space made you feel. Because why would you need to fake events to have a good time?

The lights now out we made our way to the first room, and after plugging in the Chattergeist Touch I grabbed a cat ball from the equipment basket setting it on a dresser in the left corner of the room. Almost as soon as we started calling out that cat ball illuminated, its light flickering around the room enhanced by the mirror it was sat in front of. This room had a lot of reflective surfaces and soon there were reports of other lights observed flickering. These could have been from the dim glow of the fire exit signs or from phones or watches flashing, the illumination bouncing from mirror to reflective surface causing significant delay in identifying the source.

Credit: SJP

In the heavy silence of the room a distinct sound of a clock was heard, a mechanical tick-tick like a second hand would make. It was not a constant sound and there was not an obvious timepiece or source within the room. When asked if the sound could be repeated it was for a second and final time.

As the group was getting used to the room, the darkness was (if my theory is correct) increasing the sensitivity of feeling. Reports of feeling colder and like being on a ship were reported by those stood to the far right of the room. To test this we changed positions, with the same feeling being reported by everyone who stood there. The temperature change wasn’t measured, and this was the closest part of the room to the large windows so could be a logical explanation however the feeling of rocking and unsteadiness shared by everyone is interesting  - even if it is as proof of priming.

I was the last out of the room, as I wanted to try and take a couple of photographs, and on entering the corridor was met by two of my fellow guests singing at a cat ball positioned on a step. The ball was happily flashing away all the time the sweet sound echoed along the stone lined tunnel. When the music stopped so did the lights, and when asked if the spirits enjoyed the song the ball flashed again in I think a positive response.

Credit: SJP

Moving off again, we found ourselves in another long corridor, lined with wooden glass fronted display cases. A definite feeling of being watched and observed was noted, as if someone was hiding in the shadows above where we stood. Interestingly the cabinets had fairy lights that were pulsating in the struggling way string lights do when the battery is running low. Even more interestingly was that they were mains powered lights, they were isolated from the mains power and yet were continuing to light up.

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At the end of this corridor was a kitchen, the light from the red torches bounced off the brushed steel and aluminium surfaces that all commercial cooking areas seem to consist of.  I felt drawn to a cupboard at the far end of the kitchen and set a cat ball on a shelf behind me and my K2 on the floor before sitting down in the conveniently placed chair.

The sudden, loud burst of laughter from outside the cupboard door made me jump, as I later found out the green light from the K2 had cast a phallic shadow on the ceiling and my group had very dirty minds.

Credit: SJP

Aside from the cat ball being turned on when I placed it on the shelf, and turned off when I picked it up (likely due to being old rather than paranormal means) there was nothing of any note from my solo vigil in the food cupboard. A break being called I left my MDF confine and headed towards the exit being met by Keith. As soon as I walked into what I would call an anti-kitchen it felt as if my head was being squeezed. A build of pressure around my brain and behind my eyes that made me feel sick. I explained what I was feeling and was informed that he had felt the same feeling being stood in this space. Declaring that I needed to get out, I left with the sensation dissipating as soon as I crossed the threshold of the main reception room.

Over a coffee (black obviously) I was told that about halfway through our first session, the fire doors leading to a patio suddenly flew open scaring one of the team who was completing paperwork at the time. With hope that this would signify some significant activity we set off for the second session.

Credit: SJP

Following the signs for the Ruby Suite I soon found myself entering a large ball room. As I started crossing the expanse of polished wood it felt as if I was on the deck of a large galleon in a storm or very, very drunk. Managing to cross the floor I arrived in yet another kitchen/prep area, which opened up into another bar.

Credit: SJP

Leaning against a pillar to try and stop the swaying feeling didn’t help at all, and I was becoming a little concerned this was some physical symptom of something like an inner ear infection that would end my night, such was the way that it was affecting me. I returned to the ball room, where other members of the group were dotted about, where it appeared the ship had moved into calmer waters.

Given the option of scrying or table tipping, I opted for the latter guessing that if I was swaying anyway maybe this would transfer to a table. The table set up, three hands on the top we asked if any spirits present would move the table for us. Rather than the table moving a woman to my left stumbled backwards as if pushed (or pulled depending on your point of view). A few more pushes later, it appeared that it was my turn to receive some attention, feeling a pushing force to my shoulders breaking my hands contact with the table top.

After some persuasion (and being joined by a fourth guest) the table started to slowly rock, building in speed as the momentum built.  The continued rocking was sustained for quite sometime, giving me opportunity to take some video as you can see below:

The sceptic approach to table tipping, is in the same vein as all human influenceable techniques for example spirit boards, dowsing rods etc, that micro movements of the users muscles are what cause the ‘evidence’. Identifying that the table we used had a slight wobble to begin with ensured that all of us involved with this experiment used the back of our hands and applied only the lightest of pressure or just touching contact with the table top. Further safeguards of removing hands from the surface were also employed and the table continued its actions throughout, of note the only time it did stop completely was when all hands were touching.

The sitter to my left, who had investigated St Augustine’s before, said that on her previous visit the spirit of a nun frequented this space and it could have been her that was making the table dance. Could this be the spirit of Mere St Andre who taught French and Sewing during the Convent and young ladies school days who passed away in 1919 after a sudden illness resulting in a state of fever (She is now laid to rest in Margate Cemetery)?

Closing the table saw us leaving the Ruby Suite and returning to the reception room bar for some hot beverage refreshment marking the halfway point of the evening.

I soon found myself ascending the stone steps to the chapel and directed to a pew to experience the atmosphere. The draw of an open door at the far end behind the altar was all I could focus on. This was, as I soon discovered, the priest side of the confessional, with a simple wooden door set in the wall to hear the sins of the flock.

I ran my voice recorder as we attempted some mock confessions, and during the evidence review uncovered some interesting bangs, that I had not heard my side of the wall but had been heard by the subject in the confessional.

Role playing the priest over I found a side chapel, and setting up a K2 on a lectern I sat on the floor in a solo vigil with the Chattergeist Touch. Declare, Confronting, Swore, Arguably, Electrician appeared in red on the black screen. Attempting to make sense of the words I asked questions to the air but received no clarity.

Declare, Confronting, Swore, Arguably, Electrician appeared again. Thinking this was odd, maybe something to do with the latest update, a coincidence or maybe the most important message I’ve received in my investigating career I was frustrated with the lack of clarity and apparent reluctance of the spirits to provide further information.

The sound of excitement drew me from the side chapel to the altar, where the other guests had set up a mag-lite torch which was now turning itself on and off seemingly on command and in response to questions as well as appearing to increase in brightness.

Our time in the chapel was soon at an end, and the suggestion of a spirit board session here was met with grimaces from the majority of the group. Collecting the equipment and a quick pit stop for the conveniences signalled the start of the final session of the night.

Led to a dining room we sat at the tables, but the room felt flat and aside from reports of orbs being seen through a set of night vision goggles it was decided to move on. The next room had a large circular table, that we were informed that during a previous investigation had been made to move through a table tipping session. The spirit of an abusive male, believed to be a headmaster who enjoyed torturing boys and hated women, resides in this room. After some confrontational challenges this spirit was unable to shift this large table, and aside from some activity on a K2 there was not a lot to write home about.

From available resources I cannot locate any ‘Demon Headmaster’ characters associated with this location. Aside from relying on the stereotypes of Catholic Clergy and House Masters in their application of varied abuses to their vulnerable charges there are no reported instances of these occurring here (however on a serious note there are many support networks and charities that can assist if this or anything similar has affected you). These characters like that of the Grey Lady, or Suicidal Nun are often associated with these types of establishments through school lore or legend passed from generation to generation with no actual basis in history other than that they haunt through word of mouth.

After our misogynist bashing had concluded and proving he was weak and pathetic through his inability to get it (the table) up. We opted for a spirit board session in a little alcove with a table set with 4 chairs.

The board was opened with an upturned glass as the planchette, and the first question was asked “Is there any spirit who wishes to communicate?” Very slowly and I mean at a snail’s pace the glass moved in the direction of Yes. I had deployed my K2 which appeared to be a much easier form of communication as little chirps of green and orange light flickered in acknowledgement, closely followed by the sound of banging. The alcove we were in had pipework connected to a radiator and the bangs could be attributed to the cooling down of hot metal – but from within the plasterboard covered ceiling I was not wholly convinced of this argument.

Suddenly the whole group reacted to word sounded like a growl coming from the corridor. A check by someone not attached to the planchette confirmed that there was no one there to make this sound. The glass continued to crawl along the surface of the board creeping ever closer to the affirmative until the session was interrupted by a huge bang that appeared to come from a nearby fire escape.

Thanking the spirits, the board was closed and our attention became focused on the door. The glass of the fire escape door was intact. Access to the door from the outside was restricted by walls and would not have been reachable by any person, who if present would have been seen through the adjacent windows. So what had caused the noise? And what had caused this?

Credit: SJP

The Chattergeist Touch, on later review had displayed Declare, Confronting, Swore, Arguably, Electrician 5 further times during the final session. On speaking with another guest I found out that her husband was supposed to be coming tonight but had to cancel due to having to work early the next morning. His job? Electrician.

Contacting the creator of the Touch, Barrie at Dimension Devices, I made some enquiries as to what could have caused the same set of words to appear 7 times in different location. The reply had two possible options, the first that it was a coincidence and that I had got lucky; the second was that fluctuations in the readings picked up by the Touch were so similar to previous readings that it created the same output.

So was this a premonition that a cancelled guest would run into an altercation? The angered and unquieted spirit of George Edmund Mills killed when he left his workshop on 16^th May 1944 by a Nazi Bomb? An unknown spark lost to the annals of history? Or simply a coincidence? All I do know is that electricity did not arrive in Westgate-On-Sea until 1920.

I would love to hear your views, thoughts and experiences of the locations I have visited, especially if you can add to the real life stories that I try to capture through my investigations. Please leave me a comment or find me on Instagram @samueljamesparanormal

Batteries in the Hanger

A few days into 2024, after receiving a coded message from the boss of GHT asking if I was free for a chat, I was offered the opportunity to sit somewhere between crew member and guest on their investigations. The only condition was that I write about my experiences. I, of course, jumped at the chance and now found the excitement building as I turned off the Thanet Way following the signs to Manston, a just over full moon visible between the clouds. This was to be a night of firsts; my first visit to RAF Manston History Museum in about 18 years, my first opportunity to investigate this location and my first as the personal blogger for Ghost Hunter Tours (GHT).

Credit: SJP

RAF Manston’s birth came in 1915, when the open farmlands allowed for emergency landings for the early planes of the RFC. The site has weathered two world wars, a cold war, an influx of American air force personnel, followed by their British counterparts again, before its transfer to civilian use. It boasts one of the longest runways in the UK and has been an emergency landing site for aircraft of all kinds, even the Space Shuttle could have plugged the postcode in their emergency sat-nav if it felt the need.

With this long history, it comes as no surprise that reports of the paranormal have been associated with the runways, pathways and buildings of the site. Some of which now house the museum. It is also not a shock that death probably had his own bunk, as many a brave man left in their metal flying machines but returned in a wooden box, if they were return at all. If reports are to believed, some certainly remain. One of the earliest sightings comes from a MOD firefighter in January 1970/1971 where a figure wearing flying helmet, Irvin Jacket and Mae West was seen, this would not be unusual attire but what was unusual was that the figure was semi-translucent.

With equipment unloaded with the crew for the night, we were warmly greeted by the museum’s in house paranormal team. With coffees made, we followed Alex on a pre-tour, where she highlighted key areas of interest within the hangers and a warning to watch your head since planes don’t move. During our tour, Alex explained some of the phenomena that had previously been experienced, including the capture of footage where a cat ball rolled up a slope. The hangers seemed to be cool in temperature but charged with a sense of anticipation. Were the spirits gathering? Were they interested in a fresh set of investigators? Or gearing up to just have a bit of fun with the newbies?

Credit: SJP

Part of my new blogging opportunity, I was also able to set up a special experiment that would run unattended throughout the evening. The plan was to lock off a set up of dominos in the shape of SJP and track them with a trail cam, just in case any ethereal entity fancied a game. Or maybe just shift them about a bit. Locking them off meant I could make sure there was no earth bound interference. I had chosen the area, known as Area 51, firstly because there was a fenced off area providing a physical barrier from the guests and the experiment, and secondly because during the tour this was the location where my breath became visible.

Credit: SJP

Museums generally try to keep the air temperature consistent around delicate exhibits, this is obviously a challenge in a large aircraft hangar – but checks conducted with a thermometer showed that the large space was generally between 12 and 13 degrees – even in Area 51 – so not cold enough for breath vapour to crystalise as it had. Also of note, when I raised it to my fellow crew members only my breath was visible.

Credit: https://rafmanston.co.uk/our-aircraft-and-cockpit-displays/

The investigation started as all good investigations should, muster, roll call and group assignments. I followed the group heading into the hanger, where I soon found myself sat in the rear of a Wessex Helicopter providing a brief explanation of what an Estes Session was.

The throbbing sound of white noise pumping out of the headphones into the blindfolded sitters ears was just audible in the silence as we got ourselves comfortable. Our group lead suddenly announcing that her torch, which had been on charge all day, had just died as the sitter spoke “Hello.” Questions soon began to flow; Is there anyone there? Did you fly the plans? Were you in the Air Force? All met with silence. “Can you tell us your name please?” the sitter responded that she was getting something but can’t tell what it was. A definite ‘Help’ came from the headphones, “I’m getting a lot of voices” came from the sitter. We established through this method that there were 4 or 5 invisible persons that were wanting to say their piece and identified the names Adrian, Steve, Eric, Frank and Emily.

It appeared that they had identified our sitter, who reported that she had heard her own name appear out of the static. As well as the spirit box through the headphones a Spirit Talker App and my trusty Chattergeist Touch were also running to provide additional sources of communication. The sitter repeated that there were too many voices coming through so taking a little authority I said “Spirits, we understand that you are excited to communicate with us, but you are going to need to form an orderly queue,” “Do what he says” came from the headphones. The cacophony of voices continued but were reported to be talking to each other, as if listening in to a conversation between a group of people.

Suddenly everyone started reporting feeling cold. Deploying my thermometer it read as 12.5 degrees, breath became visible again and so I asked if anyone could drop the temperature by a degree to show their presence.

Credit: SJP

A change of sitter, this time a male, and as the equipment was transferred the group leader reported feeling as if someone (or something) had sat on her lap). Next to the thermometer, in a convenient eye-ring hole a cat ball was placed. As I had requested the temperature had slowly dropped to 11.5 degrees, and as we started to talk amongst ourselves over the temperature anomaly “Are you listening?” came from the sitter, and the Spirit Talker App informed us there was more to the history. Here we were introduced to a male called Jack, who gave the surname of Joshua and that he had previously worked at Manston, we believed in a position with some authority. Jack stated that he was hiding here and our questions were linked to the yellow Wessex we were sat in and an indication from the sitter who thought he heard something about missing someone; Did a mission go wrong? Was it your orders? Did your call leave someone abandoned? Did you make a decision to save your crew rather than save the one? Was there a storm?

Credit: SJP

But looks can be deceiving as the Wessex that surrounded us was a repainted Westland Wessex HU.5 that originally served as an anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter with the 700 and 848 Naval Air Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm from 1963 to 1968 with the tail number XS482. From Fleet it was transferred to Farnborough and used in de-icing trials until its withdrawal from service in 1985 where it became an instructional airframe before its arrival and transformation at Manston in 1999.

The yellow repainting to represent the instantly recognisable search and rescue Wessex HC.2 of 22 Squadron may have influenced the direction of the Estes Session that was being conducted. A subconscious priming that initially led the group (and me) to understand that the communication received was in connection to a lost mission, a death caused by the pilots utilitarian decision that continues to haunt him. As the helicopter had no record of any such usage it raises several questions. Are spirits attracted to locations and the objects within because they remind them of their past? Do spirits use the perceived connection investigators have to objects to convey their messages? Or is that ghost hunters want to form a story out of the bits and pieces they call evidence and so add 2 and 2 together to make 13?

It has become customary for me to not research locations before I attend. Since I attend many local investigations, I might have a bit of knowledge of where (or sometimes not) a place may be or a potted history, but I was certainly not aware of the vast history of RAF Manston. I do tend to do a bit of research after the fact, if anything to add gravitas to the information uncovered during the events. My search for Jack Joshua with any links to the helicopter or air base gave no results. To add to our body of evidence the sitter informed us that he ‘was shot’ and when asked whether he was shot by his own or by the enemy “or something” came from the headphones. Making a presumptive leap I asked “Jack, did you shoot yourself?” to which I was informed to ‘keep it secret.’ Throughout the questioning the cat ball was illuminating to signify responses that coincided with the words through the sitter.

My research may have not uncovered an individual with this name, but it certainly did provide an interesting story associated with the site. On 24th August 1955, Manston was under the control of the United States Air Force and was the day that Napoleon Green, an airman from Chicago, was due to be questioned the theft of $120 or the equivalent of £40 (how times have changed) from a wallet he was also involved in the enquiries of a girl’s throat being slashed by an airman. The night before Green had announced to his colleagues that he would die tomorrow and would come to the mess hall at 1200 hours and mow them all down. His peers did not take him seriously and laughed about his antics.

Green was indeed correct he would die tomorrow, after starting his duty he armed himself with .30 Carbine and .45 pistol and set off on what the press later described as a rampage. Between the airfield and the beach at Broadstairs he had killed three people, Airman 2nd Class Nelson Gresham, RAF Policeman Corporal Raymond Grayer and Master Sergeant Lawrence Velasquez, by shooting them. A further 9 victims were shot including Airman 2nd Class Quannah Parker, Former RAF Warrant Officer Aubrey Easto, Airman 2nd Class Lester Hunt, Technical Sergeant John Gouveia, Wendy Welton, Ian Yeomans and Anne or Margaret Cockburn.

According to the official records Green had walked into the sea and was located deceased through a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Stone Gap Beach, Broadstairs. Many stories have circulated since suggesting he was shot by the American Military much to the disgust of the British Constabulary – but Green’s final resting place which would include his gravestone has no known location. Maybe Jack was right, there is more to this history.

Concluding the Estes Session, and after gracefully disembarking the aircraft, it was time to explore the hanger in the dark. I recovered my K2 meter from my bag and clicking the button was met with darkness. Doing the only thing I knew how to I kept clicking it in the hope of seeing the flash of illuminating LEDs but was left disappointed. I announced the death of the meter and heard the sound of falling plastic coming from Area 51 – the sound falling dominos make. Feeling hopeful I clicked on my trusty red torch to find that had also died. Reverting to the backup white light I went to give a cursory check of my experiment – but found it appearing as I had left it at the beginning of the night.

There was a distinct feeling of being played with, with first the torch dying in the Wessex and then the demise of the K2 and the red light torch. The sound of falling dominos had drawn me away from the group with nothing noticeable observed when I went to check. On my return I noticed a Rem-Pod had been placed on the table and it was flashing:

. . . . / - -. / - - . - / - - . / - / . - - - / - - / . / . .

The pulsation of the lights appeared to be Morse Code (the above translates to HGQGTJMEI), now I am no expert in this type of communication (or in anything really) so I tried to jot it down. Time was pressing and the end of the first session had been called. As I am noting down the dots and dashes a hand appears over my shoulder to collect the Rem-pod. Due to my grunted protestation the hand quickly retracted but rather than the original single LED flashing now 2 were illuminating. I grabbed my phone and recorded the following video:

In my evidence review I have tried slowing this video down, looking at each individual frame and just watching it to identify the message that the blinking lights contains. I believe the message reads:

. /. ./ - / - - - / . - - / - . / - / . - / - . .

Which translates as EITOWNOEAD. I have run this through codebreaking software which has shone no more light on what the communication is trying to say. More interestingly the use of EI is a USAF anacronym for Engineering & Installation of which an E&I squadron would have been heavily involved in the Cold Warification of the site during American residency. There is a high possibility that this is a coded message requiring a code book to translate, but it is equally probable that a spirit is just toying with this paranormal investigator as it had been with my equipment.

As the groups changed over I remained in the hanger as I wanted to see if a change people resulted in a change in the communication received. This group started with a human pendulum experiment. Three guests stood in the middle of the circle, one as the conduit, the other 2 to make sure she did not fall over the movement for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ locked in. Our conduit was blindfolded and wearing headphones to reduce the environmental influence. It was now time for the group to ask questions.

Silence does not create energy, it absorbs it, consumes it. A hanger is a big space to fill. This group found a spirit identified as Jenny, single and sad. She purported to be linked with RAF Ash, a table from the base originally situated in a subterranean bunker in Marshborough Road, Ash is sat in the corner of the hanger.

This raises the question of attachments, do spirits attach themselves to things, objects over location? Or do they use them like portkeys to apparate to where they want to be, where they can be heard. Is this why museums or locations with collections of objects have more reports of spooky goings on? This will be something we explore in a later blog.

Credit:SJP

With no volunteers I took my place between my two sentries who were to stop me faceplanting the hanger floor. I closed my eyes and tried to block out all of my surroundings. I could hear the mumblings of those around me and my body moving forwards and backwards in response to the questions posed. Suddenly I was overcome with the feeling of absolute sadness, to the point that I felt a tear accumulate in my eye and roll down my cheek. Jenny had been replaced by Anne, who I believe may be Anne Booth.

Little Anne aged 9 years old was travelling with her family, her father Wilfred aged 39, mother Pauline 37 and her 1 year old brother David, in their Morris Minor on 9th April 1958. Their journey was cut short when a T-33 Shooting Star jet overshot the runway colliding with the car travelling on the Ramsgate-Canterbury Road. The plane came to a stop in a cabbage field, the Morris Minor had been dragged 500 metres along the road, its roof missing and windows smashed. The coroners verdict on the death of the Booth family was recorded as ‘traumatic decapitation.’ The pilot 40 year old Captain Herman Hines, aside from an overnight stay in hospital for observation was physically unharmed.

Stepping away from my role as pendulum, the mood of the group was sombre and it appeared that it was not only me who had felt the wave of intense sadness during the session. Automatic writing using a pen held in a planchette was suggested as the next experiment and as the equipment was set up it was explained that, much like the spirit board, the automatic writing planchette could be manipulated by spirit to draw or write a message.

Credit: SJP

I suggested that due to the likelihood of this experiment attracting some mischievous male energies I would not be surprised if we had some penises drawn through this technique. A muted chuckle rolled around the group, who were soon placing their fingers on the plastic planchette and calling out. As you can see form the image below, this contact was phallus free.

Credit: SJP

An attempt at table tipping followed but aside from the feeling of bubbling from the surface there was not much to report on. A break was called, a black coffee in the Naafi was definitely needed after the back to back sessions in the cold hanger.

As I waited for the queue for hot liquid refreshment to abate, I decided to have a stocktake on what of my equipment was still working, for the final session of the night. K2 – deceased, Red torch – gone but revived with a battery change, Voice Recorder – on?

Credit: SJP

I noticed the red recording light illuminating the front pocket of my bag. On retrieving the silver box I noted firstly that it had been recording for nearly 4 hours and secondly how impossible it was that this could have been accidentally turned on and then set to record. The device has a locking switch (which was set in the locked position when loaded in a self-contained pocket of my bag before I set off that evening) It then requires the a button to be slid and held to turn the device on. In order to record a second button then needs to be pressed to activate.

I stopped it recording and then had several realisations; firstly illation that something had made my equipment work on its own rather than draining the battery, secondly 4 hours of listening back was going to take some time (well 4 hours at least) and lastly was that I needed a pee between the two sessions so would have definitely recorded that event.

Coffee consumed and bag repacked it was back to the hanger for the final session of the night. As with the first group the last divided in two, with half boarding the Wessex and my half setting up laser grids, cat balls and motion detectors throughout the hanger. As the sound from the Wessex settled into dulled whispers we started to call out, receiving the illuminating of a cat ball at the far end of the hanger (close to the locked off experiment). Finding the noise from inside the helicopter intrusive to our own efforts we moved further away, thanking the spirits for providing us with the continued light show (which continued throughout this session).

Opening a spirit board – we received the square route of bugger all, so decided to hold our own Estes Session under the tail of a Gloster Meteor. As soon as the sitter was comfortable “Need Help!” came from the gloom. After asking who needed help and how could they be helped to only be met with silence I changed the topic to what we had experienced earlier in the session:

“Are you the one playing with the cat ball?”

“Yes”

“Did you work here?”

“No”

“Are you playing with something round here?”

“Yes”

“Can you touch the sitter?”

In the dark the only indication of the location of the sitter is the rainbow scrolling headphones appended to each ear. On asking this final question an obvious jerk of the head was witness, couple with the sitter reporting that he had felt he was being touched to the head and the hands.

As time was called and the sitter returned, he reported that that there was a very young female voice that was asking for help. This young voice was constantly being interrupted by a dominant male voice and was a phenomenon that had been reported by all the groups attempting the Estes technique. Could it be that Anne Booth had finally discovered a way of communicating, a voice that was to be denied in post war life as it is to be in death? Did she need help in moving on? Or was she content to play with the gizmos bought onto her space every weekend by the groups talking to themselves – maybe a return visit is needed to answer these questions.

As the hanger lights came on signalling the end of the evening like the end of a school disco I returned to area 51 to recover the experiment. Initially I could not notice any discernible movement of the dominos and a review of the trail cam had not recorded anything either. (there is a possible slight movement after photo reviews but memo to self I need to get better at before and after photos.) 

Credit: SJP

But what evidence I did get from this was completely unintentional and it came from about 34 minutes into my accidental audio recording as you can hear below, and maybe that was why there was no movement:

After arriving back in the Naafi I was informed that one of the fans on the ceiling had turned itself on and the team were struggling to turn it back off, but this was not to be the final spooky phenomenon. This was to come the morning after, when Mrs J armed with a cup of coffee and my K2 woke me with the question “Is this supposed to be on?”

Thankfully my K2 was to live for another investigation, so stay tuned for my next foray into the Paranormal.