I have always been fascinated by repeated investigations at
a location, and not just because its an excuse to give to Mrs J to go out and investigate.
From Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair pretty much living in Green Street
over the 2 years of their investigation into the Enfield Poltergeist to Harry
Price renting Borley Rectory for 365 days to produce his results. Repetition
serves to gain further advancement of knowledge, identify patterns and
coincidences and evolve investigative techniques to delve further into the
murky depths of these haunted locations.
Ghost Hunter Tours (GHT) have been lucky to secure Maidstone’s
Town Hall for 2 nights and in this two-part post we will look at the secrets
this historic building has to offer, how a change in guests influences the
results and what consistencies we get across both nights.
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| Credit: SJP |
The beating heart of Kent’s county town by day is like any modern high street flanked by big brand coffee shops, restaurants and shops, but after the sun sets it transforms. The clattering of high heels across the pavement, the low rumble of the bass from the clubs and the smashing glass of pubs emptying their empties juxtapose with the small gathering of sober ghost hunters assembling at Maidstone’s Town Hall.
It is not just the current configuration of bricks and
mortar that provide evidence of the paranormal, as some theories purport that
the land on which a building is built can also offer insight to the past.
Law and order has been meted out from the Middle Row since
the erection of the first courthouse in 1587. This building was duel purpose,
with civic leaders conducting their business from the first floor whilst Judges
and Magistrates provided over the matters of life and death on the floor below.
Such was the demand of criminals
awaiting trial and sentencing a second courthouse was constructed a few yards
east of the original with the new building being called the Upper Courthouse,
the older being the Lower Courthouse.
The Town Hall as it stands today was constructed on the site
of the Lower Courthouse, which was demolished in 1759. The Neoclassical
building of Portland Stone and red brick was completed and officially opened in
1763.
Our point of contact for this evening was Ray, and as the
crew assembled bearing tables, tea urns and spirit boards (along with all our
other equipment) it was not long before we were ascending many, many stairs to
meet our venue for the night.
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| Credit: SJP |
Our tour started at the top of the building. Here were the cells that housed those destined to be forcefully removed from our shores. Their stories, thoughts and prayers etched into the wooden panels on the walls and floor, the last testament of the damned. As we read these accounts a burst of laughter filled the space as we discovered, as if you give a man something to draw on and something to draw with, a myriad of penises of all shapes and sizes.
Marking the cells as one of the vigil areas we descended to
the first floor to explore the Main Council Chamber. A very different feel from
the poverty of cells, the varnished wood panels engraved with the names of
those who had served the County Town glittered under the decorative lights on
the ceiling.
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| Credit:SJP |
The room was set up for a council meeting, a horseshoe of tables sitting in front of rows of chairs. The sounds of the emerging nightlife could be heard through the large windows which could prove a contamination issue if we received knocks or raps during our experiments. But this being the preferred room, over the adjoining conference room, it was marked as the second vigil space.
The final space was the subterranean tunnel, a
white-painted-brick tunnel in the basement of the Hall. As we filed through the
wooden fire doors the space immediately felt oppressive and very different from
the rest of the building that we had explored. The third vigil space had been
identified.
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| Credit:SJP |
We returned to ground level, and as the final preparations were made for our guests I went back to the cells to set up a locked off experiment – a set of handcuffs and a Metropolitan police whistle, their outlines traced I spoke into the dusty gloom inviting anyone who wanted to move the objects to do so.
On my return to the ground floor, our guests were already
arriving and soon a hush of anticipation descended. The muffled sounds of those
seeking spirits of the alcoholic kind could be heard through the windows and
then a heavy clunk that sounded like door handle turning and shooting back on a
spring.
As the briefing continued a few of the crew went to
investigate and soon returned not being able to find the cause of the phantom
noise. Hoping this would be a foreshadowing omen that the spirits of the Town
Hall were interested in what we were upto the game of “who can remember their
group number?” was played – the winners forming small huddles whilst the losers
queued to recheck the sign in sheets.
Calling for my group we began to climb the stairs to the
Cells and begin our first session of the night.
Arriving at the top of the building, we caught our breath
before setting out a variety of K2s, Cat balls and a Ghost Detector. The group
wanted to try an Estes Session, and minding the roped off section of the floor
the first sitter had been blindfolded and was receiving the steady stream of
noise from the spirit box app through a pair of blue tooth headphones.
“Are you a man?” came the first question; “Help me” returned
in response. As the questions flowed with no discernible answer from the sitter
reports of a cold draft were made by several within the room. A K2 started
flickering and from the sitter we heard “William killed me and he went mental”
followed by “Murder the bitch!” and “History made it.”
As the headphones were handed over to the next sitter, the
previous conduit said that there were several different voices but not all were
discernible. There was a scared female voice who said that William killed her
and a very domineering male voice who was constantly threatening and appeared
to shout over every other voice.
In researching murdering Williams the list of convicted
criminals hanged at Penenden Heath has 2 of note that were likely to have been
housed in the cells where we were now stood, William Donellan who dropped for
the murder of his wife on the 8th August 1823 and William Brown.
William Brown a private in the royal artillery whose duties
involved acting as servant to his Lieutenant, a man by the name of Webber. On 4th
April 1812 Brown was suspected of theft and absented himself from the barracks.
Brown returned the following morning stating that he had committed a crime for
which he should be hanged and booked himself into the guard house. He confessed
that as he was walking in the country he crossed a stile leading to a lane
where a 7 year old Isabella McGuire was playing. His presence caused her to cry
and Brown seized her in his arms, using his finger and thumb to strangle her.
He continued to carry the limp body for some distance before leaving her on
some steps. A case of madness? Brown stated he had no malice against the child
and yet on the morning of the 10th August 1812 he swung for his insanity.
So was Brown still residing in the cells? Was Isabella still
with him, as a comfort or a continued torment we cannot truly say. But with a
new sitter donning the headphones it was time to meet John.
The graffiti on the wall inscribed ‘John Davis 3 times here
to please his wife and Scott’ and the legend tells of John the cuckold. John
liked a drink, his wife apparently enjoyed the company of Scott even more and
so when John was three sheets to wind she would call the local policeman who
would take him away to the cells to sleep it off. This provided John’s wife
time to play with Scott whilst her husband languished above the High Street.
They always say the third times the charm, but for John it was the straw that
broke the donkeys back, as when he returned home he made sure that his wife and
Scott could not succumb to earthly desires anymore.
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| Credit:SJP |
The sitter proclaimed “John didn’t kill Sarah” and interestingly no John Davis is listed on the hanging lists for Maidstone so maybe the Judge took leniency on his predicament or, more likely his wife and Scott continued to live whilst John continued to drink.
A third change of sitter and this time we were told to run.
Why run we asked “bail” “tortured” “Indecision” came the response.
Not finding this a reason to run we divided into the two
groups, the first with a spirit board and glass, and mine with a non-touch
option.
If you have followed my blog you will know that my favourite bit of equipment if the Chattergeist Touch, a swiss army knife of spirit communication. A new update had launched in the days before this investigation which included a planchette mode.
Sat on the floor with the Touch sat on a crudely designed
wheel of letters and numbers my group started to ask questions.
The planchette spun but the design of the board made us
question what was being pointed to, as so I flipped the board to a simpler
‘yes’, ’no’ and ‘maybe’ design. The spirts seemed to have fun pointing to the
lines rather than to any answers, until the safety light extinguished plunging
us all into darkness.
During our initial walk-around with Ray, he told us that the light would always stay on, so the sudden status change raised a few questions. Torch out I tried to trace the cables to find a switch or a timer but could not find anything that would provide an explanation.
Calling time on our stint in the cells we returned to the
ground floor to change groups. Before heading to the Counsel Chamber for our
second session I disturbed Ray’s Netflix binge to ask him about the safety
light. He was confused as I was and said that it should always remain on. So
being no further forward on the case of the disappearing light I tagged onto
the back of my new group as we got ourselves comfortable in the Chamber.
Setting up a laser grid, a Rem-Bunny and the plasma ball the
group started to become accustomed to the space. As I placed a K2 on the horseshoe
of tables it registered a medium reading with both green lights and an orange
displayed. I moved the device around the tables and it continued to show this
base reading.
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| Credit:SJP |
We ran a couple of simultaneous experiments in this room, setting up a mirror for scrying and one of the guests adorned the headphones and tucked them selves at the back of the cheap seats for and Estes session.
Asking questions to the sitter we established a 10 year old
boy named Alex. An Alice box app running confirmed Alexander. Young Alex kept
asking us to listen, to help as he was desperate before announcing “I am dead.”
This group had already met a George in their first session in the Cellar.
George was Alex’s friend, who helped him to hide from Mike and Mark. Mike and
Mark lived in the cellar and were not friendly towards Alex – who called “Death
to Mike” when asked who he was.
This conversation was eerie, as if things that were unsaid
did not need to be stated. A feeling of abuse or something equally as sinister
pervaded the atmosphere, it felt that even in death Alex was not safe.
Some interesting coincidences during this session occurred
with the same words or phrases being produced from the sitter and the Alice
box. The name Alexander, the phrase Help Me and at the conclusion
of the session Thank You occurring in unison.
Research has not uncovered an Alexander, a Mike or a Mark
with any connection but if you search George Maidstone Town Hall one name
stands out - George Joseph Smith infamous for the Brides in the Bath Murders
who took the long drop at Maidstone Prison (but with no obvious connection to
the Town Hall).
As we were packing up I noticed the plasma ball behaving very strangely. 2 tentacles appeared to being manipulated flicking from one side then the other.
During the break I managed to grab a coffee and share some
of the stories from the other groups. It was interesting that the names John,
William and George featured, as well as activity reported from some of the
devices deployed.
After the cups were collected it was time to descend to the
Cellar for the final session of the night.
Opening the fire doors the oppressive feeling remained and
we deployed cat balls and a K2. The group opted to open with some table tipping
but we received no activity through the folding table.
A human pendulum was attempted next which after some
cajoling and encouragement spelt out H O P E M I E E M N through reciting the
alphabet until the subject lurched forward to signify the letter. Understanding
that HOPE was spelled out we tried to clarify the final letters when suddenly
the sound of footsteps were heard clearly from outside the room. Immediately
going to check for any alive person outside the room I discovered the hallway
empty and received no response to my call out.
On my return the pendulum continued correcting its spelling M I R J which made equally as much sense as the original letters. The spirit interaction with the pendulum appeared to wane and so we closed down that experiment to explore something else that had caught the groups attention.
Wanting to see if I could obtain any other sensory data I
grabbed one of my new toys a multi meter, that measures EMF, Voltage and
temperature. Soon dowsing rods came into play and the feeling of pacing had
left us. Everything became focused on the hole in the wall.
The dowsing rods were pointing, the K2 was flashing Red and my multi meter was solely recording EMF frequencies that were building turning the screen red with the amount detected.
I pulled the Touch from my pocket and saw the word Candle
flash on the screen moments before it refreshed. Clearly there was something
interacting, but what it was I could not say.
You are always fighting time, and our time in Maidstone’s
Town Hall was up. As we packed up our equipment in the cellar our guests headed
off to say goodbye and sign out. I had one final experiment to conclude and so
made my way back to the Cells.
Taking some photographs I dismantled the locked off
experiment and packed it away. Taking a final look around to make sure there
was no equipment left behind, I jumped at the sound of footsteps behind me. It
was Ray coming to check no one had been left behind and close up.
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| Before Credit:SJP |
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| After Credit:SJP |
As we walked back down to the ground floor, checking for anything left behind I asked Ray if he, having spent a lot of time in the hall after hours, had experienced anything. He hadn’t, but he did have a friend who had, but that was his story to tell.
As I wondered off into the night, accosted by drunk women
who were definitely wearing their beer-goggles I had many thoughts; the group
of guests we had were amazing, the stories of those that lived, worked and were
held here are really intriguing and what a great location to explore –
especially as I would be back in 4 short weeks for a second night.
So stay tuned for Cells, Chambers and Cellars: Part 2,
Maidstone Town Hall coming to SJP next week.
If you want to find out if you are brave enough then join Ghost Hunter Tours (GHT) on an investigation click here to find tickets for some fantastic venues. I can’t do them all (as much as I want to) but follow me on Instagram or Facebook to find out where I will be heading next.
If you are interested in the Chattergeist Touch then all the information and a 10% off in the shop are available by clicking here.
SJP is an
affiliate of GHT and Dimension Devices. Sales through these links will earn me
commission.
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