The Cromwell Hotel in Stevenage dates back to the middle of the 18th century, but there was an earlier building on the site. The earlier building was a farm, which may have stretched back as far as Church Lane. Perhaps the farm was acquired by John Thurloe later as one of several that he owned during Cromwell’s time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he lived there.
The 1911 census places the Solicitor Cuthbert Corbould-Ellis and his wife Eveline at number 25 High Street, now the main part of the Cromwell Hotel. Uniquely for the time Eveline has an occupation separate from her husband listed, which was that of an artist or painter. In fact the reality was that Eveline decorated miniatures. These would occasionally come up for auction with an alternative spelling of ‘Evelyn’. Her daughter Enid, not listed on the census, but would have been around 15 at the time was also an artist. Enid later moved to Australia where a portrait of her mother Eveline and Grandmother is on display in the New South Wales Art Gallery.
The marriage between Cuthbert and Eveline was actually rather unique. This was because they had combined their surnames; Cuthbert (Ellis) and Eveline (Corbould-Haywood). Corbould was actually Eveline’s mothers maiden name. At this point Eveline was a fourth generation artist and she was very proud of it too.
The couple also had two servants, a cook and housemaid.
Next door at number 27 at the Temperance Hotel (currently the Cromwell Hotel’s Old Business Centre under refurbishment) were Mr and Mrs Hood. At the point of the census the Temperance Hotel was empty.
In the local area to the Cromwell Hotel there’s a lot of possibly connected history, such as the great fire of 1807, which destroyed and damaged many buildings on the High Street.
Also, across the road and a little south is the White Lion pub (recently renamed). This was often used as a staging post on route to Peterborough’s prison of war camp around 1796 to 1816. At this time prisoners were often held in the stables and possibly the tunnels rumoured to be beneath the pub over night. The tunnels are believed to run from the White Lion cellar to the Cromwell Hotel across the road. However looking at this logically, the nearest point of the Cromwell Hotel to the White Lion is the Old Business Centre end, originally number 27. I wonder if the tunnel possibly connects there.
Reported Paranormal Activity
As far as physical activity goes the reports from the Manager and Staff members seem to indicate possible low-level poltergeist activity. This included a couple of the rooms having linen messed up after being tidied up and lights being switched on too.
One room, number 100, which is located in the older part of the building is particularly interesting. This has a couple of reports from the staff and guests. In this room the TV has been known to switch on by itself, the hangers have been heard to be moving by themselves for no reason, there have been notable temperature changes, some have heard children’s laughter, some have reported being touched, some electrical issues, knocking has been heard and possible object movement.
Other physical phenomena has been reported in other parts of the building, but not as many as in this one room.
However, a lot of possibly related information was picked up by Medium Michelle Crate during a tour of the location. This included quantifying some of the above for room 100. Although some was very vague and possibly had relation to the current staff rather than the location history, it was interesting and much was quantified.
The main cellar in the Cromwell was interesting and Michelle picked up on people being touched, light anomalies (which were also mentioned I believed), some heavy breathing or growling too. There was also a feeling that there may be something more dark in nature in the cellar, but there was nothing to support this.
In the old Cromwell Business Centre Michelle picked up on some information that had possible ties to Witches and Witchcraft. There’s no current research that supports this though. Could this be triggered by the ‘1667’ plaque above the fireplace. However that said Michelle did make reference to Books and Documents in the building, perhaps something behind the walls. Also, a man with a pipe that sat near to the fireplace was picked up.
The Plan for Room 100
As Room 100 seemed to stand out distinctly from the rest of the individual rooms, with its wide range of activity being reported, this stood out as a good location to attempt an initial overnight investigation. The previous reports seemed to have been made by most of the guests that had stayed there too, so this appeared to be the logical approach for me.
Through the Manager I arranged an overnight stay at the Cromwell Hotel in order to experience Room 100 for myself. It’s important to realise at this point that location investigation isn’t always something that can be successful in one visit. Often with any investigation of a location we must keep an open mind and gather data continuously drawing conclusions as we do so. During my first overnight investigation of Room 100 I kept this in mind and kept a balanced mindset.
Knowing the previously reported activity I decided the best approach would be to spend some time looking around the room for logical explanations to the reported activity, both internally and externally to the room. Then I would spend the night as a normal guest would and hope to experience what previous ones had too. A simple approach you may think, but often this can be the best way. After all we have to start based on the data we have to start with.
My Stay in Room 100
I began my stay in Room 100 by familiarising myself with the room in relation to the reported activity and noting the associations to obvious auditory and visual contamination. This initially focused on the wardrobe and its reports of the door opening and the clothes hangers rattling. My theory on this was related to vibrations from the near-by railway or the High Street below. However after being present in the room for a few hours I soon realised that this wasn’t the case, as neither had any effect on the wardrobe.
Next up, I conducted a quick sweep of the room with MEL Metre to check the EMF and Temperature readings. Now, it’s very important to understand that I didn’t do this in search of ‘ghosts’, the reason was simply to gain a better measurement of my environment within Room 100. This paid off too, as it highlighted some high EMF readings around some ceiling light fittings. These levels of EMF and their location probably wouldn’t be considered cause for the activity or conception of it, but its good to know it’s there. Temperature was pretty much normal throughout though.
I spent the next few hours just being present in the room as someone might in Hotel room. This albeit slightly mundane is specifically useful in understanding the relative aspects of the location. In this case the traffic and external noises to the room, which on observation noises from outside the room were obviously identified. Also, the radiator nearest to the bed made a continuous low-level noise which was a little similar to white noise.
Just before I went to sleep I decided to attempt a very basic version of the Ganzfield Experiment (Effect) by laying on the bed wearing a blindfold and listening to white noise through earphones. This would create a simple sensory deprivation scenario and should the theory be correct, allow me to be more able to tune into other possibilities. During this mini experiment my right leg from just below the knee down felt freezing cold.
Following the Ganzfield Experiment I checked the temperature where my leg was situated to see if I could locate a reason for this feeling, which I could not. Interestingly enough though when I first visited Room 100, both the Manager and Michelle picked up on a cold draught just close to where my leg was situated. Was I now picking up what they had or perhaps because I knew what they had picked up was I now recalling the scenario? How confusing is the human mind and the paranormal?
I took the opportunity to sweep the room with the MEL Metre too, which proved that once the ceiling lights were off the EMF spikes dropped dramatically. Switch the lights back on and the EMF fluctuated again.
I decided to leave a Voice Recorder setup in the room with me whilst I slept. The Voice Recorder would only come on and record should there be a certain amount noise in close proximity to it. However on this occasion on review the Voice Recorder didn’t record any anomalies.
The Morning After The Night Before!
I woke up the next morning without having experiencing any physical phenomena during the night. There’s probably a joke in there somewhere too. Still there was a very odd feeling which left me a little uneasy. During the night on a few occasions I felt as if I was being watched. This ‘sense of being starred at’ originated from different parts of the room too. A couple of the corners, near the window and also right up near the bed on one occasion. A little weird to say the least.
Although the night wasn’t massively eventful I believe that the Cromwell Hotel still has more to investigate within its walls. I feel, lets call it a hunch, that the place still requires a more fuller team investigation at some point. So, with that in mind I look forward to returning to the Cromwell Hotel to investigate further.
Case Introduction
In 2013 I investigated Wardown Park Museum with the Farsight PRS team with the aim to see what we could discover and as ever to find out what we could debunk. This was the case and along side the activity we debunked we also managed to discover some more interesting points too. At the time I have to be honest I didn’t feel overly impressed with the location, but when you read back through the notes there are a number of elements I wanted to revisit. I also believed this would be an excellent location to attempt some techniques in order to utilise both a spiritual and scientific approach side by side. I also had a couple of theories of my own I wanted to explore, more on those later. As I did last year, I hoped that this would be a good location to kick off my 2014 investigations, experiments, communication and general paranormal exploration.
Location History
Situated in landscaped park land on the outskirts of Luton town centre, Wardown Park Museum offers a range of exhibits.
However, the building’s history goes beyond that of a town museum. Perhaps even to darker times.
In the mid 1800’s the park itself started out more as a private estate which was owned by Richard How. The first property was built by Richard’s son Robert and named Bramingham Shott. This is now what we know as the museum.
In the early 1870’s, Frank Chapman-Scargill took over the estate. Frank rebuilt much of the earlier house around 1879 which cost around £10,000. When Frank late left Luton he let the house to J Forder who then renamed the estate to Wardown.
The Stewart Family (famous son Sir Malcolm Stewart, founder of the London Brick Company) decided to sell the estate in 1903. The sale price was £17,000. However the property wasn’t sold and in 1904 two local councillors purchased the property for £16,250. Asher Hucklesby and Edwin Oakley donated the park to the people of Luton. Asher Hucklesby later became the Mayor of Luton.
The next few years saw vast improvements to the park including footpaths, trees, bridges and a bowling green which was completed in 1905, possibly the first in Luton.
Hucklesby’s vision was for the estate and house to become a place of education and a museum. However, the house fell into neglect over the years, suffering from dry rot. With extensive repairs required the local council could not afford the price and the building remained empty for several years.
However, during the First World War the building sprang to life as the building was used as a military hospital. Following the war, its rooms were let to council employees with a public tea room opening on the ground floor.
1925 saw a committee set up with the view to creating a museum and art gallery in Wardown House. However when a room became available in the Carnegie Library, Luton Museum was established there in 927. Thomas Bagshawe was honorary Curator. Bagshawe shared Hucklesby’s earlier vision of housing the museum in Wardown House. This vision became a reality on the 1st July 1931 when the museum was transferred to Wardown House following a strong campaign, led by Bagshawe and The Luton News.
1931 to 1939 saw the museum occupy two rooms and the hall, then rapidly expand through the building.
During the Second World War (1939 to 1945) the museum rooms remained open, whilst other parts of the building were requisitioned by the military authorities. This included the basement, which was used as an air raid shelter. Museum visitors continued and increased in numbers, the collection also expanded.
Following the end of the War the building went through various changes. In 1955 Bagshawe donated his previously loaned collections to the museum. The Luton Life galleries opened in 2003 and The Rural Life collections went to Stockwood Craft Museum and Galleries in 2008. The changes that were made enabled the museum to display more from its collections.
Known Related Names
Richard How – Mid 1800’s
Robert How – Mid 1800’s
Frank Chapman-Scargill – 1870 to 1903
J Forder – 1879
Stewart Family – 1903 to 1905
Sir Malcolm Stewart – 1903 to 1905
Asher Huckleby – 1903 to 1905
Edwin Oakley – 1903 to 1905
Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe – 1925 to 1930
William Wentlock – 1340 to 1391 (Wentlock Jug)
John Wentlock – 1340 to 1405 (Wentlock Jug)
Anthony Roberts – Witnessed ghost of housekeeper/nurse in 1955
Bramingham Shott – Original House Name.
Names Picked Up During Investigations
Amanda – Possible name of 5/6 year old girl spirit – Picked up by LPS member in 2007
Pat (Patrick) – Associated to Amanda – Also picked up by LPS member in 2007
George – Picked up during 2013 Farsight PRS Investigation
Sir Percy Waynwright – Picked up during 2013 Farsight PRS Investigation
Lady Mary – Picked up during 2013 Farsight PRS Investigation
Francis (possibly married to Lady Mary) – Picked up during 2013 Farsight PRS Investigation
Richardson (possibly had an affair with Lady Mary) – Picked up during 2013 Farsight PRS Investigation
Reported Activity
Full Apparition Sighting – Various Locations
Reported to be that of a former housekeeper accordingly to the story which states she committed suicide by throwing herself in the River Lea. This was following a brief affair with a gentleman that later scorned her. However the only relationship ever made is that she worked at the house for the How family, when it was known as Bramingham Shott.
However, I think its important to mention that one witness account of this apparition locates it in the basement and the individual believes it to be that of a nurse, not a housekeeper. Anthony Roberts recounted statement of his 1955 encounter in the basement is in my mind an important one, as he could actually be making the correct assumption. That is as the location was used as a hospital, there is a possibility he is correct.
Temperature Fluctuations
Cold Spots and significant feelings of temperature drops. (Basement, First Floor)
Shadow Movement
Small figure seen running possibly a child.
Audible Phenomena
Sounds of footsteps, whispers, male and female arguing,etc. Some have been caught on devices too.
Canum Device (picks up audio we cannot like a dog can) reacted to questions. Farsight PRS Investigation 2013
Visual/Light Phenoma
Flickering lights, red lights, balls of light, blue lights, etc.
Light activation on demand
Odd Feelings
Individuals have often felt a presence (Basement)
A Spirit of a Young Girl sensed. Aged 5 to 6. Honey blond hair tied in a pony tail, reaching half way down her back. Possibly called Amanda. Colour green associated. Stubborn. LPS Investigation in 2007 mentioned this.
Odd Smells
Chocolate, Flowers, Urine, Smoke and Herbs
Witness Reports
In 1971 two heating engineers were working in the cellar late one night when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind them. They turned and saw a woman wearing a long dark dress and carrying a large bunch of keys on her belt. The figure said nothing just turned around and went back up the stairs. The two workmen found the caretaker having a cup of tea and asked him about the woman but he said that neither he nor anyone else had been near the cellar. After this the figure was never seen again but the sounds of footsteps were heard on the stairs late at night or early in the morning when there was no one about. Nothing has been seen or heard now for over twenty-five years.
A sighting of the apparition has been reported by Anthony Roberts, who reportedly witnessed the ghost in 1955. Below is his testimony as reported by the Luton Paranormal Society. The testimony was recounted in April 2010, some 55 years after his experience.
The Basement Staircase
‘I left school at the age of fifteen and joined a heating and plumbing company called EG.Baker in Park Street Luton. I was put to work with a man called Hugh Upton… now he had been through the First World War and fought on the Somme battlefield. It is important to know this because that generation was different to mine. He would never be bested and he had a singular attitude to life. He was a proud and a brave man. But I saw that man rooted to the spot with fear that day in Wardown Museum cellar.
To get to the point, we were changing a section in the boiler which had cracked. I was in the boiler and Hugh was standing outside by the boiler door. The only other person in the museum at that time was the curator who was upstairs in his office. The museum was closed to the public. We knew that we three were alone. When we heard footsteps coming towards us we knew something was wrong as there was the sound of a light’ tap tap’ and then we heard the sound of a dress swishing as the person walked nearer. There were no lights in the cellar in 1955 at all. The only lighting came from a 100 watt head lamp on a long lead which was plugged in upstairs which threw out a limited light around the boiler.
As we waited a woman appeared out of the gloom about ten feet from where Hugh was standing. She continued to walk towards us then turned the corner and was gone from my sight as I was in the boiler.But Hugh saw her for longer as I could see his head turn as he watched her until she was no longer to be seen. Now that would have been something to talk about between us, but no old Hugh was old Hugh and he was saying nothing. I could not believe it, and after I got over the shock of what I had seen I begged him to talk about it. But he would not. But he stood there in front of the boiler frozen.
It took a while for him to move and when he did he turned to me and said something like “load of rubbish” or words to that effect and that was the last word he ever spoke of the subject. Now let me try to describe what she looked like. She was tall and wearing a dark possibly blue serge dress. White ruffs at her wrists and a white front or ‘V’ down to her waist. I don’t know if she was wearing a bonnet or not and her face has faded from my memory as indeed old Hugh’s has….. When you get to my age you will know what I mean, anyway that’s about that.
But as a footnote I thought she was a nurse, could be wrong and one more thing, she was not holding a lamp of any sort. That means there was light in the cellar at that time possibly gas. I have just found LPS online and read about the other heating engineers in 1971. This caused me to put pen to paper and get this on record’
Investigation Team
As ever with a location of this size and a team of this size we needed to divide into two smaller teams. To ensure an even split of those that are more spiritually sensitive and those that usually approach with a more sceptical eye, I decided to mix things up a little between the following.
From RSVP UK
Graham
Matt
Carl
Harriet
Pam
Laura
Joining me on this one
Aaron
Ray
Annie
Jo
Ruth
Ross
Location Assessment & Equipment Setup
Wardown Park Museum has three floors for investigation:-
Basement
Ground Floor
First Floor
There are reports of activity from all three floors, which means we had to cover them all. However, with two teams on the night we had a good split.
Given the activity associated with Wardown Park we needed to cover all three floors with CCTV and where possible audio too. Using the information from our previous investigation, RSVP UK placed CCTV as follow:-
Main Stairwell – CCTV & Audio
Main Stairwell Top – CCTV
Basement At Base of Stairs – CCTV & Audio
Ground Floor Art Gallery – CCTV
Ground Floor Old Kitchen (HQ) – CCTV
Ground Floor Corridor to Main Entrance – CCTV
First Floor Gallery (Top Left) – CCTV
First Floor Gallery Toys Area – CCTV & Audio
We were lucky to have RSVP UK’s assistance on this investigation and the equipment they brought with them too. Thank you RSVP UK.
Due to the reports of temperature fluctuations, I thought it would be an excellent idea to continuously test/check the localised temperature. As we were logging temperature I thought it would be good to grab the EMF readings to.
During setup some team members gathered baseline readings for Temperature and EMF at various points on all three floors. These points were marked so we could gather readings from these locations throughout the night.
Given the similarities with this location and Peterborough Museum I also decided to attempt the Singapore Theory Experiment. As with Peterborough Museum I placed the audio of music from the 1916 through the years to the 1980’s era at the bottom of the main stairwell, hoping it will be heard on all three floors. This ran during the first few hours of the investigation.
As we have had reports of a possible child apparition/presence at the location I decided to set up some kind of trigger object experiment. This was in front of a CCTV camera on the first floor using building blocks.
Beyond trying to capture the paranormal or even triggering activity, we needed to also keep our eye out for logical explanations. With this in mind we checked the location for some logical reasons for temperature changes or even sightings of apparitions, weird lights, etc. As we all know sometimes there can be a natural simple explanation which is far from paranormal.
Vigil One – Team One – Basement
My team headed to the basement for our first vigil of the night. Early on as we stood in a room that stored art work, both Laura and Ann believed that they heard footsteps on the stairs. An experience which fits the witness statement. Unfortunately my audio recorder didn’t capture this at the time.
We investigated other parts of the basement, but there wasn’t much to report back.
Vigil One – Team Two – FirstFloor Team Two began their investigation on the First Floor looking into previous claims for this area, but the vigil was quiet with nothing to report.
Vigil Two – Team One – First Floor My team headed up to the first floor for around 20:27 to begin our investigation of the First Floor. Annie let me know that she felt as she was being followed when she walked around earlier with Jo. It was then that she felt a presence.
We managed to debunk a few simple things straight away such as a few floorboards that when you step on them can produce a sound in another part of the room. We also pointed out the alarms in the area which had motion sensors that ‘clicked’ when approached.
We decided to sit for a little while on the window seat in order to attempt to climatise to the area better and allow those that were more sensitive to tune in. It was whilst I was sat at their that I witnessed a light anomaly. A light simply illuminated the exhibit of the scales nearby. It was odd enough to draw my attention, but as we were sat near the window we looked into the possibility that there could have been an external source. This was an anomaly which was inconclusive due to the window.
The Toys Exhibit – visible from the window seat
The group then moved further around into an area of the museum floor where the Bar and Rocking Horse exhibits were located. We sat on and around the bench in this area. Pam expressed that she felt a different energy present. She also commented on smelling urine in the area, this was confirmed by Laura and Harriet too. We theorised that the smell could possibly be the flooring, perhaps a polish or similar.
It was around this time that members of the team began to hear the sound of a ticking clock in the area. Myself and Ross went in search of the clock believing that it must be on the floor somewhere, but we were unable to set eyes on it. Harriet and Ruth drew our attention to a section of wall between the hat making exhibit and the bonnets. As I pressed my ear against the wall sure enough I could hear the clock ticking away, but still could not see it.
As I sat back in the area between the Rocking Horse and the Bar exhibits with Pam I witnessed yet another odd light anomaly. This time a column illuminated followed by the front glass of the Bar exhibit, but nothing in between! Usually light travels, but on this occasion it hit one place and then another with nothing between. There were no windows or viable light sources in the area either which was very odd. I couldn’t find an explanation for this.
Some of the more sensitive team members picked up the following names during this vigil; Ben, Judd and Fulton.
Vigil Two – Team Two – Ground Floor Team Two didn’t have much to report in regards to most of the Ground Floor area. However one of the Galleries towards the front of the building caught their attention slightly. Whilst using the KII device they appeared to receive a hit in response to communication. As they continued to investigate they used a second KII to attempt to clarify the results. The team were not entirely convinced though and decided to investigate further for logical reasons for this. It wasn’t long before they narrowed down the signal and came to the conclusion that the responses were caused by the alarm system sending some kind of signal check out. They proved this theory and debunked the communication. It’s always a shame when you realise a logical reasonable explanation for activity, but equally rewarding in the fact that we have got to the bottom of something.
Vigil Three – Team One – Ground Floor & Back Stairs to Top We started our Vigil by heading up the Back Stairs to the very top. Ross and Ruth brought this area to my attention during a break between Vigils as it wasn’t on my original plan as an area to investigate. However Ruth highlighted that when they headed up there to take baseline readings she thought it would be worth a look as it had an odd feeling about it. Often an investigators gut feeling can find the most interesting of things, be it evidence or simply an experience.
At the top of the Back Stairs was a corridor located pretty much at the top of the building. The ladies of our group almost immediately mentioned feelings of possible oppression. My voice recorder also ran out of battery quite rapidly in this location, but in all honesty I am not sure if this was a case of low battery or paranormal intervention. As I can’t be sure, we will rule it out! Again the women of the team mentioned a sick feeling in their stomach.
As we stood there in pretty much pitch black, Annie mentioned that she felt as if a man was watching us from the door at the end of the corridor near to the stairs.
As I investigated the area I heard some creaks, which seemed to occur in relation to questions I asked. However on closer inspection this appeared to be the wind outside. There was even a few taps, but they seemed to be in relation to the wind too.
However as I walked through one particular area at the top of the stairs I felt what can be only described as a massive cold spot which pretty much passed through me. I walked back through the spot, but felt nothing this time. I asked Ross to try without indicating to him where I had felt the cold spot, which he did. Ross also felt something similar, but once again only on the one occasion. I think we briefly discussed this, but I don’t think we found an explanation for it. Another strange unexplained experience, but at least it’s confirmed by one other.
Mid-Way Brief Although I plan the Vigils and Teams of my investigations, I also understand that often during an investigation the direction or even the approach can change somewhat. With this in mind I have always given the Teams the opportunity to discuss the investigation so far and then reflect on that in order to approach appropriately for the second part of the night.
On this occasion we elected to go with a more spiritual approach from one Team. They would use more spiritual related approaches such as glass work communication. We also attempted to use a Ouija Board, but with a cautious approach managed by good grounding work and good protection.
This new approach reorganised the teams going forward.
Vigil Four – Team One – Ground Floor, First Floor & Back Stairs The Team headed into the Military Exhibit Room where we had set up a table in order to attempt communication using the Ouija Board. The Team for this consisted of myself, Annie, Jo, Pam, Laura, Matt, Carl, Aaron and Ray. As we were working with a Ouija Board we created a spiritual circle and the more spiritual of the team led us by grounding the group and then creating a circle of protection around us. This was about balancing the groups energy and ensuring we were all protected prior to even attempting to communicate with spirits.
However on this occasion it would appear that communication through the board or even by glass alone was not to be as nothing transpired. We even moved up to the First Floor, hoping there maybe a better chance up there. Still nothing though.
Eventually we left the four ladies; Pam, Annie, Laura and Jo in the area near to the Bar exhibit and headed off to the Back Stairs to investigate.
Later on the four ladies advised me that as they attempted to communicate they did manage to hear some footsteps around the Toy exhibit area. This was just around from the window seat. Unfortunately I have not been able to confirm the footsteps using the CCTV.
The rest of us investigated the Back Stairs again and once again some faint knocks were heard by a couple of the Team, but nothing conclusive.
Debrief Once we reached the end of the Forth Vigil it was almost time to head home, so we made the decision to start to break the kit down. The RSVP UK Team led the way forward in breaking down the equipment with everyone else pitching in to assist. To my complete surprise we were packed up and ready to head home in little under twenty minutes. Possibly a record for one of my investigations! That was also eight CCTV cameras too.
We quickly went over want we had discovered at Wardown and then as we had time on the clock still I suggested everyone headed off and enjoyed the location for a bit. After all its nice to have a little free time at these locations.
Captured Evidence & Personal Experiences As far as actual evidence is concerned to date in my mind there hasn’t been any located. This basically means that we have currently no located and audio or visual evidence from our devices that supports the report activity. However it is important to mention that we still have quite a bit of CCTV footage to go through. If anything does come to light during review, then I will add it to this case.
There were quite a few reports of personal experiences though throughout the night. This included shared experience of light anomalies on the First Floor; footsteps on the First Floor which were heard by four people; an interesting cold spot experienced on the Back Stairs by Ross and I; and possible footsteps on the Basement Stairs.
It’s unfortunate that at this point we have been unable to find some evidence to support these experiences.
Conclusions Wardown Park Museum is not only an interesting location full of history, but an excellent old house to investigate too. Although we didn’t manage to experience the Museum’s full-blown apparition first hand, we may have had a few experiences that could have been related to it. Obviously there’s no conclusive evidence to support this, but still a few unexplainable experiences.
Personally I beleive there is still plenty to investigate at Wardown Park following my own experiences around the light anomalies and the cold spot on the back stairs. Experiences which were both given added value because they were shared with at least one other. An individual experience can be questioned even by the person that experienced it, but when that experience becomes quantified by one other we then begin to question exactly what happened rather than if it occurred at all.
At this point I believe that we need to learn from those experiences at Wardown in order to focus future investigations there. Perhaps the evidence is there we just need to find the correct approach to find it. Of course finding the ‘holy grail’ piece of evidence during an investigation is always something we keep an eye out for.
Wardown Park Museum still has much to share with us I believe and it remains another location that I have investigated that once again highlights the requirement for an open mind. It also reminds me of the need to approach from a scientific and spiritual angle in order to gain the most from it. Of course both approaches can add validity to an investigation and did during ours.
The team worked hard at Wardown Park Museum and I would like to personally thank them all for their help.
I would also like to thank RSVP UK for sharing this investigation and helping me manage the tech. The RSVP UK team helped to streamline both the setup and breakdown of the kit. They’re professional approach as ever fitted right in with the talented and experienced members of my own team. Thank you all for your assistance.
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Case Introduction
I first heard about the Henrick’s Hairdressers haunting a few years back when it was mentioned in passing during a conversation between myself and Aaron Hardy. It was a location that the team APIS lead by Damien O’Dell had investigated on numerous occasions due to it being reported as quite active.
The next time I heard about Henrick’s was during a visit to an APIS Open Day in Royston. It was mentioned a few times by some of the guys there, including Damien. However, at the time Damien’s latest book ‘Haunted Hertfordshire’ had a large piece on the activity at Henrick’s and I brought a copy to read up. The case was certainly intriguing from an investigators perspective as it appeared to lay claim to nearly twelve possible spirits and what seemed like constant activity over a few years now.
Time went by and in February 2013 I was given the opportunity to join Damien and APIS on an investigation of Henrick’s. Damien informed me that the investigation had come about following an increase in activity which had finally driven the occupants ‘Henrick’s Hairdressers’ out of the wonderful Grade II listed building. Suffice to say Henrick’s found a new location not far away, more in the town itself leaving the building empty and stripped down.
The investigation with APIS for me wasn’t one of dramatic activity, but there were a few oddities that caught my eye. With this I made the decision to make this a Farsight PRS Case, so we could investigate the location in our style. Looking for logical explanations for some things, try some experiments and do what we could to discover more about the building and area.
Location History
We were unable to find very much history on the building itself for this case, apart from Henrick’s or 2 to 3 Fish Hill was probably built sometime in the 17th Century. In 1975 the building became a Grade II listed building and joined the ranks of the many Grade listings in the immediate area. In fact today there is forty six listed buildings within 100M of Fish Hill Square. Two of these listings belong to the nearby Royston Cave, which is an interesting place to say the least.
Although at a loss for local knowledge on the building we were investigating we widened our search a little to the surrounding area. It soon comes to light how close this building is to other historic landmarks of Royston which could possibly be a reason for its haunting. Within close proximity of 2 to 3 Fish Hill, you have a church and graveyard practically behind the house, near to that was possibly an old priory which doesn’t exist anymore. You also have the Royston Cave and more importantly the crossroads of two very ancient roads, Ickneild Way and Ermine Street. Oddly the senior school I went to had both of these as forms, and I was a member of Ermine! However, it is these two roads that are also believed to be powerful Lay Lines which are made even more powerful by the fact that they cross at this point. Perhaps a reason why the Royston Cave was originally built there?
Still the story doesn’t end there either, there are also stories of Witches in the Royston area and also trials held at the Old Bull, where I believe we may have our first connection to George. Although this wasn’t the George Armatage previously identified by the APIS investigations at Henrick’s.
Royston is a town full of history with some of its more known stories seemingly meeting at the ancient crossroads around the corner from the location we were going to investigate. Perhaps this history had a bearing on the location creating the activity experienced within?
Reported Activity
Audible phenomena such as knocking and footsteps.
Temperature fluctuations and cold spots.
Shadow movement.
Visual light phenomena.
Physical object movement with items knocked over, thrown and doors slammed.
The feeling of a presence.
Aport’s of small items appearing from nowhere that simply don’t belong at the location.
Multiple spirits identified by various mediums and sensitives.
Classic poltergeist activity.
Electrical interference.
Witness Reports
The original employees at Henrick’s have experience most of the above activity during their time working in the building. This has also been reported and varying times of day.
During their multiple investigations and visits to the location many members of the APIS team have also experienced various forms of activity. On one occasion the door to the attic space was banged on quite violently whilst a vigil was held inside it. The interesting thing about this particular piece of activity was that another member of the team was on the other side of door on the stairs at the time. Thus ensuring that what they occupants of the attic heard was not created by a member of the team.
On another occasion several members of the team witnessed an object levitate off a shelf and drop to the floor. This was also the case with a picture which seemed to repeatedly get knocked to the floor.
The experiences continued and seemed to fit with what we would usually associate with poltergeist activity.
Investigation Team
As this location was relatively small in size we investigated as one team, but also split off to reduce the numbers on some vigils.
Ashley Knibb – Lead Investigator
Aaron Hardy – Lead Investigator
Leanne Knibb – Documentarian
Mathew Robson – Researcher
Ann – APIS Investigator (Sensitive)
Dawn – APIS Investigator (Possibly Sensitive)
Damien O’Dell also started us off with a walk around of the location to give us some pointers on the activity for our investigation.
Our CCTV setup
Location Assessment & Equipment Setup
I won’t go into major detail for this, but the setup was relatively simple for this. We set up in the ground floor kitchen at the back of the building for our HQ. This was where we had the CCTV hub receiving from cameras at various locations around the building.
The first camera was setup in a room at the back of the building which we would late utilise for the Ganzfield Experiment. For this reason the camera with its audio were aimed at the chair that the individual would sit in under the red light.
The second camera was setup in the attic room and covered most of the room on which appeared to be reported as the more active side. This camera also had audio too, so we were hoping to capture any video or audio from this space.
Camera three was setup at the mid point of the main stairs covering it with video and audio to try and capture evidence of the reports of child spirits frequenting this location.
The forth camera along with its audio was setup in a room as a lock off experiment. This room then remained closed off throughout the entire investigation with the hope something may just move.
Our final fifth camera which was without audio covered another part of the main staircase, again as there is quite a bit of activity reported there.
Although we kicked off the recording from around 1pm when camera one was setup, other cameras were added up until 7.30pm. All cameras were switched off around 3am.
Vigil One – Location Walkaround
Around 21:15 we all headed on a brief walk around the building to familiarise ourselves with some of its reported activity. This is always a great insight into reports of previous activity as its an excellent opportunity to question those reports and experiences in the very place they occurred. Some specific locations such as the attic and a couple of the front rooms on the first floor produced some odd EMF spikes and a couple of low hits on the KII.
The Main Staircase
We finished off the vigil on the main staircase attempting to connect with the child spirits reported there. It was also a chance to try a little EVP, which yielded no results though.
Vigil Two – Attic
Next up Aaron, Leanne, Ann and Dawn investigated the Attic room. Aaron attempted some spirit communication using a DAB Radio as a version of the Ghost Box experiment. The team also tried a little glass work too.
Vigil Three – First Floor Sweep
Vigil Three saw me, Mat and Aaron head up to the first floor to investigate. We started oddly in the bathroom testing Aaron’s DAB Ghost Box a little more. Which oddly seemed to give us a couple of words which could be associated to the questions we asked. However they seemed highly circumstantial and the device appeared to miss more than hit the mark.
At that point Leanne contacted us on the radio asking us to check the glass in the attic, as it appeared to have moved. We headed up to the attic to investigate, but it didn’t seem as if it had.
We returned to the first floor to continue our vigil and investigate the area around the room we would later use for our Ganzfield Experiment. However on this occasion there appeared to be nothing of note.
Ganzfield Experiment Room
Vigil Four – The Ganzfield Experiment on the First Floor
Our next vigil was to trial my latest adaptation of the Ganzfield Experiment. Its a tough call to bring an experiment from a lab environment into the field successfully, but I think Farsight are managing it. Aaron came up with the brilliant idea to try focussing communication from the sender to the receiver using less complicated pictures. However as we allowed Mat to settle into the experiment his head fell into his hands and he looked upset. Shortly afterwards he requested to be let out of the experiment. So we did at which point he told us that he felt something knock on his chair repetitively.
I took Mat’s place and after five minutes or so spoke out loudly about what I thought Aaron was sending me.
As well as calling out what I thought Aaron was sending, I also felt knocking on the chair, thought a figure walked in front of me as I saw a large shadow, but couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face! Then I finally requested ‘out’ when it felt like the room was filled with people watching me!
At this point the girls returned from the basement, claiming that the only oddity was Ann suddenly picking up on a flower type thing; ‘a flower stem, with petals, like a clover.’
This was similar to what I described and linked to Aaron’s pictures for Spring and Easter.
Ann decided to have a go with Dawn drawing for her, but also with Leanne in the room with her unlike me and Mat. This had some good results, but Ann never experienced the localised activity me and Mat did. Perhaps simply because she wasn’t alone! In fact many of the pictures could be associated with what Ann said out loud. The best being the last where Ann literally said ‘boot or shoe’ before Dawn had finished drawing it.
The Basement
Vigil Five – The Basement
As previously mentioned the girls Leanne, Ann and Dawn spent the first half of the Ganzfield Experiment in the basement with little results apart from Ann picking up on that flower. However they also heard what can only be described as a growl in the pitch black of the basement. Something that they couldn’t explain, but wasn’t caught on the camera!
The Attic Room
Vigil Six – Ladies in the Attic
Leanne then began a lone vigil in the attic with the intent of aggressively approaching the spirit identified by APIS as George Armatage. This based on the possibility that he had a strange dislike for women. We wanted Leanne to annoy the spirit with her presence and tone whilst in the attic. Leanne began gently building up, becoming more tougher and aggressive towards the spirit. However this yielded little results during our investigation, but as Leanne sat she jumped upon hearing a noise from the cupboard closest to the door.
Shortly after this she was joined by Ann and Dawn to attempt a little glass work. Although the glass never moved during this attempt the three did believe that they saw a darkening in the corner of the room near the CCTV camera. Around this time Ann’s torch appeared to turn itself on too! Then following this Leanne believed that she could hear soft rapping from near the fireplace. A series of events that may have been something attempting to manifest.
The Basement Stairs
Vigil Seven – The Attic Cupboard Alone
Finally I chose to sit in the attic cupboard alone and in the dark with the hope to communicate with George. However oddly rather than feeling something in the cupboard the empty attic space outside the cupboard door concerned me more. In fact it made me very uneasy as if there could be something out there.
Possible Evidence & Personal Experiences
As far as good solid evidence goes, on this occasion I don’t think we managed to capture any video or audio. Although we did encounter a few EMF fluctuations in the attic and on the first floor, these too were slightly inconclusive.
However I’ve come to recognise the fact that often whilst that evidence may allude us, a location can supply many personal experiences which can not go unmentioned. Henrick’s on this occasion was not an exception either as many of the team had an experience in one way or another.
Our Ganzfield Experiment for example seemed to produce more results than ever before. This could be attributed to the location, but then it could have been the approach or people involved. Still for me the most interesting part of the experiment was what me and Mat picked up on whilst we were in the Ganzfield chair, so to speak. We both reported a sensation similar to someone knocking on the back of the chair. We both mentioned a presence in the room and my experience seemed more intense with the feeling that many more were in the room than just me. I also thought someone crossed the room in front of me casting a shadow, but I was unable to see my hand in front of my face. Damien also told me that the employees of Henrick’s had explained the feeling of a presence in the same room. Did we manage to focus our senses and pick up on a presence in that room or did we suffer from a kind of paranoia due to our sensory deprivation? I know the skeptics will pick the latter and the believers the odd presence, still an experience to remember I think.
The building did present other experiences too, Leanne’s cupboard door in the attic, my sense of something outside the door and the growl in the basement. There was nothin major to write home about, but enough to make it interesting and keep us questioning as ever.
Conclusions
Henrick’s was an interesting investigation that’s for sure, but I don’t think it was as active as it had previously been reported to be. Perhaps this was due to the residents leaving and perhaps this was a poltergeist case of some kind, connected to the Henrick’s staff more. After all I have heard a couple of rumours that they may be experiencing a little activity at their new location. Only rumours at the moment though!
IS Henrick’s haunted? It’s more than likely to be honest, its surrounded with history and is situated pretty much on a lay line cross roads, so the possibilities are there. Also, previously reported activity does appear in abundance and I have witnessed some very odd EMF activity there myself. This particular investigation was lacking in evidence and experiences to justify previous reports, but I don’t doubt them and think its safe to say that the location could do with further investigation.
I would like to take Farsight PRS back again and try some very specific techniques, but my heart tells me that this could be something that will quieten down more. Still given the right stimuli it may thrive in activity again.
So, we leave Henrick’s for now and move onto our next investigation.
Thank You
I would like to say a massive thank you to Damien O’Dell (APIS) for helping us arrange this investigation and to Henrick’s for letting us into the building to check out the activity for ourselves.
Case Introduction
This was originally brought to my attention by a fellow investigator and author, Damien O’Dell. Damien’s Team APIS had recently investigated the location and he suggested it as a location for investigation. In fact Damien stated that he would like Farsight PRS to investigate this location to see what we found. I of course jumped at the chance to get a team together, kick off Farsight’s 2013 investigations and be one of the first teams to investigate this possibly active location in 2013.
Wardown Park Museum
Location History
Situated in landscaped park land on the outskirts of Luton town centre, Wardown Park Museum offers a range of exhibits.
However, the buildings history goes beyond that of a town museum. Perhaps even to more darker times.
In the mid 1800’s the park itself started out more as a private estate which was owned by Richard How. The first property was built by Richard’s son Robert and named Bramingham Shott. This is now what we know as the museum.
In the early 1870’s, Frank Chapman-Scargill took over the estate. Frank rebuilt much of the earlier house around 1879 which cost around £10,000. When Frank late left Luton he let the house to J Forder who then renamed the estate to Wardown.
The Stewart Family (famous son Sir Malcolm Stewart, founder of the London Brick Company) decided to sell the estate in 1903. The sale price was £17,000. However the property wasn’t sold and in 1904 two local councillors purchased the property for £16,250. Asher Hucklesby and Edwin Oakley donated the park to the people of Luton. Asher Hucklesby later became the Mayor of Luton.
The next few years saw vast improvements to the park including footpaths, trees, bridges and a bowling green which was completed in 1905, possibly the first in Luton.
Hucklesby’s vision was for the estate and house to become a place of education and a museum. However, the house fell into neglect over the years, suffering from dry rot. With extensive repairs required the local council could not afford the price and the building remained empty for several years.
However, during the First World War the building sprang to life as the building was used as a military hospital. Following the war, its rooms were let to council employees with a public tea room opening on the ground floor.
1925 saw a committee set up with the view to creating a museum and art gallery in Wardown House. However when a room became available in the Carnegie Library, Luton Museum was established there in 927. Thomas Bagshawe was honorary Curator. Bagshawe shared Hucklesby’s earlier vision of housing the museum in Wardown House. This vision became a reality on the 1st July 1931 when the museum was transferred to Wardown House following a strong campaign, led by Bagshawe and The Luton News.
1931 to 1939 saw the museum occupy two rooms and the hall, then rapidly expand through the building.
During the Second World War (1939 to 1945) the museum rooms remained open, whilst other parts of the building were requisitioned by the military authorities. This included the basement, which was used as an air raid shelter. Museum visitors continued and increased in numbers, the collection also expanded.
Following the end of the War the building went through various changes. In 1955 Bagshawe donated his previously loaned collections to the museum. The Luton Life galleries opened in 2003 and The Rural Life collections went to Stockwood Craft Museum and Galleries in 2008. The changes that were made enabled the museum to display more from its collections.
Reported Activity
Full Apparition Sighting – Various Locations
Temperature Fluctuations and Cold Spots
Shadow Movement
Audible Phenomena – sounds of footsteps, whispers, male and female arguing,etc. Some have been caught on devices too.
Flickering lights, red lights, balls of light, blue lights, etc.
Light activation on demand
Individuals have often felt a presence
Odd Smells – Chocolate, Flowers and Herbs
Witness Reports
In 1971 two heating engineers were working in the cellar late one night when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind them. They turned and saw a woman wearing a long dark dress and carrying a large bunch of keys on her belt. The figure said nothing just turned around and went back up the stairs. The two workmen found the caretaker having a cup of tea and asked him about the woman but he said that neither he nor anyone else had been near the cellar. After this the figure was never seen again but the sounds of footsteps were heard on the stairs late at night or early in the morning when there was no one about. Nothing has been seen or heard now for over twenty five years.
A sighting of the apparition has been reported by Anthony Roberts, who reportedly witnessed the ghost in 1955. Below is his testimony as reported by the Luton Paranormal Society. The testimony was recounted in April 2010, some 55 years after his experience.
‘I left school at the age of fifteen and joined a heating and plumbing company called EG.Baker in Park Street Luton. I was put to work with a man called Hugh Upton… now he had been through the First World War and fought on the Somme battlefield. It is important to know this because that generation was different to mine. He would never be bested and he had a singular attitude to life. He was a proud and a brave man. But I saw that man rooted to the spot with fear that day in Wardown Museum cellar.
To get to the point, we were changing a section in the boiler which had cracked. I was in the boiler and Hugh was standing outside by the boiler door. The only other person in the museum at that time was the curator who was upstairs in his office. The museum was closed to the public. We knew that we three were alone. When we heard footsteps coming towards us we knew something was wrong as there was the sound of a light’ tap tap’ and then we heard the sound of a dress swishing as the person walked nearer. There were no lights in the cellar in 1955 at all. The only lighting came from a 100 watt head lamp on a long lead which was plugged in upstairs which threw out a limited light around the boiler.
As we waited a woman appeared out of the gloom about ten feet from where Hugh was standing. She continued to walk towards us then turned the corner and was gone from my sight as I was in the boiler.But Hugh saw her for longer as I could see his head turn as he watched her until she was no longer to be seen. Now that would have been something to talk about between us, but no old Hugh was old Hugh and he was saying nothing. I could not believe it, and after I got over the shock of what I had seen I begged him to talk about it. But he would not. But he stood there in front of the boiler frozen.
It took a while for him to move and when he did he turned to me and said something like “load of rubbish” or words to that effect and that was the last word he ever spoke of the subject. Now let me try to describe what she looked like. She was tall and wearing a dark possibly blue surge dress. White ruffs at her wrists and a white front or ‘V’ down to her waist. I don’t know if she was wearing a bonnet or not and her face has faded from my memory as indeed old Hugh’s has….. When you get to my age you will know what I mean, anyway that’s about that.
But as a footnote I thought she was a nurse, could be wrong and one more thing, she was not holding a lamp of any sort. That means there was light in the cellar at that time possibly gas. I have just found LPS online and read about the other heating engineers in 1971. This caused me to put pen to paper and get this on record’
Investigation Team
As ever with a location of this size and a team of this size we will need to divide into two smaller teams. To ensure an even split of those that are more spiritually sensitive and those that usually approach with a more sceptical eye, I have decided on these two teams.
Team One
Ashley Knibb – Lead Investigator
Andrew Marsey – Investigator / Sensitive
David Sealey – Newbie
Martin Gregory – Investigator
Team Two
Aaron Hardy – Lead Investigator / Case Manager
Liz Egan – Investigator
Kevin Ling – Investigator
Location Assessment & Equipment Setup Wardown Park Museum has three floors for investigation:-
Basement
Ground Floor
First Floor
The main staircase
There are reports of activity from all three floors, which means we will have to cover them all. However, this does help us with two teams on the night we should have a good split.
Given the activity associated with Wardown Park we will need to cover all three floors with CCTV and where possible audio too. Using the heads up from Damien O’Dell and information from the LPS investigation, I believe that we should place CCTV as follow:-
Main Stairwell – CCTV & Audio
Basement Corridor – CCTV & Audio
Ground Floor Military Gallery – CCTV
First Floor Gallery (Top Left) – CCTV & Audio
It’s odd we kick off 2013 and I am thinking we need more camera’s.
Due to the reports of temperature fluctuations, I think it would be an excellent idea to continuously test/check the localise temperature. With this it may be perfect to also grab an EMF reading too.
During setup I’ll ask some team members to see if they could baseline for Temp and EMF at various points on all three floors. This will need repeating during Vigils too.
Given previous reports on the location, I think it would be brilliant to kick off each Vigil with a brief EVP session. These need to follow the standard format of asking out loud a few questions, leaving around 30 seconds for responses. Please ensure any noises or oddities are verbally identified during these sessions and each is verbally labelled at the start with Location, Date, Time, Floor, Room, Individuals Present. Each session need not exceed 10 minutes and can only be 5 if required. It may also be of value to the investigation to attempt this towards the end of each Vigil too and of course if you believe it to be a good time/location during a Vigil.
Given the similarities with this location and Peterborough Museum I am also going to attempt the Singapore Theory Experiment. As with Peterborough Museum I will place the audio of music from the 1916 era at the bottom of the stairwell, hoping it will be heard on all three floors. This will run during one Vigil.
As we have reports of a possible child apparition/presence at the location I would like to also set up some kind of trigger object experiment. Most likely in front of a CCTV camera with audio.
Beyond trying to capture the paranormal or even triggering activity, we need to also keep our eye out for logical explanations. Check the location for some logical reasons for temperature changes or even sightings of apparitions, weird lights, etc. As we all know sometimes there can be a natural simple explanation which is far from paranormal.
The basement
Vigil One – Team One – Basement Start Time – 21:42
Team Present – Ashley, Martin, Andrew & Dave
We headed down into the basement for our first vigil and to investigate the reports of the apparition of a housekeeper or nurse.
Initial temperature and EMF was normal, but Martin did discover a few bits of cable work where the EMF did spike. However, the EMF Meter had to be pressed against the cable to make it spike, which ruled out EMF seeping into the area.
Andrew felt a presence towards the plant room at the end of the long corridor. He and Dave also experienced a slight temperature fluctuation, which could be cool breeze or cold spot. I measured this with my MEL meter, but it wasn’t significant in its nature.
After attempting to connect with a possible presence in the corridor, myself and Martin focussed on the witness statements to try and get the best results. Our discussion led us to question the location of the basement CCTV camera. With this in mind we moved the camera at around 22:22 to cover the bottom of the basement stairs. The reason being is that the statement seemed to indicate the witnesses heard footsteps on the stairs, then saw the apparition briefly before it vanished or by our understanding moved through a nearby door possibly.
Soon after this we returned to our base as the vigil came to an end.
The stairs into the basement
Vigil One – Team Two – First Floor
Start Time – 21:42
Team Present – Aaron, Liz & Kev
Aaron, Liz and Kev headed up to the first floor to investigate that area for their vigil.
However, the vigil was a quiet one returning nothing of interest apart from Liz feeling very hot in a cold room.
Singapore Theory Experiment – During Vigil Two
As the team took a break I setup the Singapore Theory Experiment at the base of the main staircase. This basically involves for Wardown Park, playing songs which date back to around 1912. In fact its a short playlist of about four tracks, which are repeated for the course of the second vigil. The idea is that the audio may trigger some kind of activity off. We have seen some interesting results from using this method, most notably at the Peterborough Museum.
The military room
Vigil Two – Team One – Ground Floor
Start Time – 23:00
Team Present – Ashley, Martin, Andrew & Dave
With the almost eerie audio seeping through from the main stairwell, we headed first off into the Military Room. Initial temperature was normal and the EMF too. Andrew picked up on the name ‘George’ in this room earlier when we were setting up and also witnessed an EMF spike at the same time. Oddly as I placed my MEL Meter on a surface to make some notes, the EMF spiked up.
Andre believes the room may have been used as a dinning or banquet room in the past. He also made the association to the name ‘Sir Percy’ and then the surname ‘Waynwright’, but isn’t sure if they are connected. Also, the name ‘Mannering’ was picked up by Andrew, which made us laugh due to the very obvious link to the military aspect of the room and ‘Dad’d Army’.
We later moved into the Main Art Gallery where Andrew picked up on a ‘Lady Mary’, although she wasn’t actually a ‘Lady’. Apparently she had a fling with an employee possibly called ‘Richardson’ causing a scandal at the time. Andrew explained she was a socialite and loved to dance, maybe married to a man called Francis. Andrew also believed this may have occurred around the year 1861, he also linked the name ‘Poly’ to this.
The main art gallery
We moved on through the Ground Floor and Andrew stated that he believed there may have been a link between Wardown Park and a building in nearby Dunstable.
Martin decided to try and google this link and did make a connection, but it was a loose link. The link was using the name Forder which linked to the Stewart family.
Soon after this our vigil came to an end and we returned to base.
Vigil Two – Team Two – Basement
Start Time – 23:00
Team Present – Aaron, Liz & Kev
Aaron, Liz and Kev headed down into the basement to investigate, as the music played in the background.
They reported a couple of small knocks and creaks, but this could easily be attributed to Team One moving around on the Ground Floor.
First floor toy area
Vigil Three – Team One – First Floor
Start Time – 00:15
Team Present – Ashley, Martin, Andrew & Dave
With the Singapore Theory Experiment now shut off, silence fell upon the building once again. We headed upstairs to investigate the first floor.
We headed to what we believed to be the original Main Bedroom, as it overlooked the Main Entrance, these days it houses a display of toys. We sat on the windows seat and attempted to communicate, recording the session to check for EVP later. The temperature and EMF were both registering as normal.
As we sat calling out to ‘Lady Mary’, Andrew saw a stream of yellow light on the ground not far from me. The light anomaly didn’t seem to have a natural source that we could find.
Oddly shortly after this both Dave and Martin believed they could smell flowers or perfume. Andrew, who was sat between them did not smell this.
Later in the Vigil as I walked in front of Martin into the room where our CCTV camera was, I thought I heard what I can only describe as someone exhaling. I immediately asked Martin about it and he confirmed it wasn’t him and hadn’t heard anything.
With this I gathered the rest of the team into the room to attempt an EVP session in front of the CCTV camera and its audio. Andrew used his Canum device during this session too.
After asking numerous questions, Andrew had a massive spike on his Canum device. This appeared to be in conjunction with the reference to the name Amanda. The Canum device appeared to continue to be responsive to Martin’s questions. This continued for about 8 minutes, as Martin asked questions it appeared to react to them. At one point Martin checked that none of us had a phone on us which may have caused this, although there was no pattern to the responses to indicate. However, Dave did have his phone on, but following pulling its battery the Canum reacted again. Then as oddly as it had began it stopped. As this occurred I thought I heard some kind of movement behind me, but this was inconclusive. We brought the vigil to a close, but knowing that we had EVP and the CCTV covering this event, we hoped that we may have some evidence to support the Canum spikes.
Vigil Three – Team Two – Ground Floor Start Time – 00:15
Team Present – Aaron, Liz & Kev
The team investigated the ground floor, but had nothing to report.
During Vigil Three – Old Kitchen (Our Base) As we investigated the first and ground floors of Wardown Park, my wife was sat in our base room, which used to be the old kitchen.
As she did she experienced some odd activity whilst she sat alone. It began with a bag on a table which appeared to fall over without assistance. This event on its own isn’t something I would particularly measure as there are a number of reasons which could cause a bag to fall over in this way. The most obvious being the slow movement of objects within the bag following someone removing an item, which may cause the bag to fall over. However this was shortly followed by the lights in the room turning off leaving my wife totally in darkness. I believe the lights are reactive to movement, but my wife stood up left the room to check with the staff, still darkness! The staff advise to return to the room and move about to turn the lights on. My wife tried this again, but this didn’t help. In fact the lights remained off until Aaron’s team returned to the base room and the lights then came back on.
As ever completely inconclusive and hard to prove this to be paranormal, after all it could just be a fault in the lighting system. Perhaps what ever was creating the spikes on the Canum was drawing its energy from the Kitchen somehow, then once Aaron and his team returned it ceased?
Possible Evidence & Personal Experiences My team began to experience a few oddities from our first Vigil with a slight temperature fluctuation. Although this was not a significant temperature drop it did coincide with Andrew sensing a presence near by. Oddly as we experienced a drop in the basement, Liz was feeling hot in a cold room.
Vigil Two returned slightly less results apart from an EMF spike in the military gallery, which occurred almost in the same spot as an EMF spike experienced by the team earlier when they were conducting baseline readings. Again on both occasions this happened around the same time as Andrew picked up on a few names.
Meanwhile the team in the basement heard a few knocks and creaks, but these could have been from the team investigating the ground floor. Unfortunately we didn’t check at the time of these sounds to confirm, which is a shame.
However Vigil Three appeared to give us the most significant results of the night. The Vigil on the first floor began well with Andrew picking up on a few things, but more importantly he saw a stream of yellow light on the floor near me. The odd thing was that there was no obvious source for the light. Soon after this both Martin and Dave said they could smell flowers or perfume. Although a distinct possibility and a good source as it came from two individuals, what makes this more interesting is the fact that Andrew was sat between them both and smelt nothing. Is it possible that they both sensed this smell or perhaps Andrew just missed it.
As the Vigil progressed we moved into the first gallery and decided to attempt an EVP session. Andrew decided to use his Canum device during the session and it wasn’t long before we were asking standard EVP questions.
The first twelve minutes of the session pass without any response to speak of, but then just after twelve minutes Andrew picked up a massive spike on the Canum Device. Andrew and Martin both confirmed that this was not the normal behaviour of the Canum Device as it hardly ever spikes as dramatically as it was. The spikes continue, but they seem to also be in relative response to some of Martin’s questions. This was made evident when Martin practically persuades the device not to spike. Then on another occasion Martin asks a question which receives what seems like a short burst of an answer, a bit like a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Then after nearly ten minutes of responses they stopped as quickly as they had began.
However on the journey home my wife informed me of some events which occurred during our EVP session. She told me how whilst she sat playing on her iPad in our base room (the old Kitchen) she witnessed a bag simply fall over by itself. Usually this can be easily explained by objects settling in the bag, but this wasn’t the only thing that occurred. Soon after the lights in the room simply went out. Understanding that the lights were managed by motion sensors my wife stood up and attempted to reactivate the lights, which was unsuccessful. In case this was related to something else my wife then headed out to the front desk to check with the two staff members. They advised her to return to the room and attempt to wave her arms about to activate the lights, which didn’t work of course. With this she sat in the darkened room with only the CCTV monitor for light until Kev walked in and the lights then came on. Could the events on the first floor with the Canum be related to what happened to my wife on the ground floor? This can not be known for sure, but its certainly an oddity that they occurred at the same time.
It appears that although good solid evidence was lacking there were a few interesting experiences which also appeared to coincide with each other.
Conclusions
Although more often than not we leave an investigation with more questions than answers, we still manage to understand or at least gather some ideas and theories on what may be happening. This was one of those cases, but we did also tick off a few of the known activity at the location. We experienced a couple temperature fluctuations , some light anomalies, a presence was felt and odd smells, notably that of flowers. There are also reports of the building lights being activated on demand. Now we never experienced this, but my wife’s experience is certainly similar to this. It’s odd really as the night itself seemed quiet, but this wasn’t the case. Wardown Park certainly seem’s to have a few things going on, of which I didn’t really experience personally. Although I did experience one EMF spike!
This location most definitely could do with further investigation, perhaps focussing more on the experiences we encountered.
Looking at the experiences that occurred during our investigation I would have to say that Wardown Park Museum may be haunted. I don’t like to label places as haunted without just cause, but the number of oddities and time of their occurrences does seem to indicate that it is.
As ever it was an absolute joy to investigate with the Farsight PRS team again and just as good to start at a location like Wardown Park. Wardown was an excellent location which in my mind could do with more investigation time. I feel as if we had to finish up just as things were beginning to become active, which was a shame. It would have been good to spend more time at Wardown or at the very least return one day. It would be good to discover more about the paranormal activity which appears to be occurring at Wardown Park Museum. After all we managed to find some related names picked up by our sensitive Andrew and also experienced some similar activity to others that have investigated the location. We also managed to have some experienced which appeared to occur simultaneously to each other, which begs the question were these related?
Either way a good first investigation for Farsight PRS in 2013 and I look forward to our next one, hopefully coming up soon.
Thank You
As ever I would like to extend a few thanks to my team and those that have made the Wardown Park Museum investigation possible. These include my team on the night of the 26th January 2013, the staff at the museum for having us and Mathew Robson for his background research on the location. I would also like to thank Damien O’Dell for suggesting the location and helping to make it possible. Without an of you guys this investigation just wouldn’t have happened.
The Brief
In January 2010 I joined Dead Haunted as a Trainee Team Lead at Morcambe Winter Gardens Theatre. I knew instantly that I wanted to take Farsight PRS in to conduct our own investigation.
A derelict theatre with many reports of paranormal activity is really just too hard to pass up I think, whether the activity is unexplained or has a logical is what remains for Farsight PRS to find out.
On my visit with DHN there were some oddities noted, which fitted in with the reported activity. Such as a few knocks or taps. One women believed she saw a man in the corner of one of the dressing rooms, the experience moved her to tears and I helped her out of the vigil.
I want to take Farsight PRS in to look for possible logical explanations of this activity and try a couple of things to draw it out too!
History & Activity
Previously known as the Victoria Pavilion Theatre, the Morecambe Winter Gardens Theatre is a Grade II* listed building designed by architects Mangnall and Littlewood, with Frank Matcham consulting.
The Victoria Pavilion Theatre was built in 1897 as part of an existing complex. Dating from 1878, the original complex included seawater baths, bars and a ballroom. In the 1950s, the Winter Gardens were taken over by Moss Empires, however declining profits in the following decades led to its closure in 1977. Although the theatre building that remains today was listed the same year, the ballroom building was demolished in 1982.
In 2008, as part of an appraisal of the Morecambe Conservation Area, the Winter Gardens were listed as one of the area’s most significant features, as the main example of the remnants of the resort’s nineteenth century entertainment buildings.
In 2008, the Winter Gardens were featured on the tenth series of the ghost hunting show Most Haunted. They returned in October 2009, when the Winter Gardens Theatre was opened to the public as the live audience venue for the eight consecutive nights of the Most Haunted Live broadcast.
In parallel with the building history, of which I have kept brief, there are also many reports of paranormal activity. In fact there appears to be the full spectrum here, from audible activity such as knocks, bangs, footsteps, right through to the sound of a woman singing. There have also been physical activity reports, from small objects moving or being thrown to people being touched or pushed. There are even reports of some poltergeist activity within the theatre.
We should also take note of strange smells, light anomalies, any cold spots and perhaps the feeling of being watched.
I know this is only brief and not very specific, but it should give us a slight heads up for the investigation I think. We should learn a little more at the beginning of the night when our hosts give us a tour of the building, remarking on a little history and activity I hope. So notepads at the ready!
Witness Reports
Before arriving at Morecambe I heard a few stories of the oddities that had occurred at the Theatre, but didn’t manage to get an actual witness statement. Some spoke of the Theatre being split between good and evil, with an explanation of there being some good spirits within the building , but also some very dark ones too. These are quite dramatic and even scary claims, but not unusual as the Theatre is derelict and very atmospheric. These kind of conditions can easily fuel imaginations and create such theatrical claims if you will. However, without knowing the actual source of this information it can’t be totally disregarded, after all there could be a little truth to it.
When we arrived at the Theatre and were given a tour of the building, our guide made us aware of a few additional stories. I think for me though one of the more interesting things he told us was about the building architecture and that it was designed to be symmetrical. This meant if you stood at a point at the front of the building everything on your left is the same as everything on your right through the building to the back. He also added that this has been associated with what is known as the good and bad side of the theatre.
Attending Investigators
Ashley Knibb – Lead Investigator
Leanne Knibb – Documentarian
Rich Owen – Camera Crew
Aaron Hardy – Case Manager
Simon Ranson – Tech Manager
Siobhan Evans – Investigator
Kai Allen – Investigator
Kev Ling – Investigator
Joanna Botcherby – Investigator
Andrea Harvey – Investigator
Location Hotspots & Equipment
As ever before arriving at the location I had some ideas for where we could setup our kit, but for this occasion I would be handing over to Simon to start manage the setup of our tech. This was possibly a little hard for me, as I was used to making the decisions on CCTV camera positions. Not to mention that I also needed to convey this information to Simon, so we may both be happy with the results. In fact 2011 was already beginning to be a year for some changes for Farsight PRS.
We cracked on and between us made some decisions on CCTV locations. The first CCTV camera was setup under the stage. This was for a couple of reasons really, there had been a few reports of activity and odd feelings in the under stage area. I also had a Séance experiment planned for one of our vigils later in the night, so we set the camera to cover that.
For the second CCTV camera we decided to cover the ladies dressing room on the first floor. There had been a few reports of activity there and it would also be a location that we would pass by on the way to other rooms. Altogether this seemed a good point to setup a camera.
As ever we like to try and setup a camera to try and cover our HQ for the night and a large space, for this we placed CCTV camera three in one of the private boxes to the left of the stage at the first floor level. This pointed out across the auditorium covering a great deal of the upper circle seating area. The good thing about this camera was that we could also use it to log when we left and returned to our HQ.
Our final CCTV camera was up covering the Gods seating area above our HQ area. There had been some reports of the seats being moved and if it happened during our visit we wanted to capture it.
Our HQ for the night would be one of the old bar areas just off the main seating area. From here we setup our CCTV hub unit, laid out our kit and those all important refreshments to keep us going. It wasn’t long and following a minor hick up during the setup (my fault) that we were ready to go.
As we had quite a large team for this investigation we decided to split the team into two smaller teams. The first team would be me, Kev, Jo, Andrea and Leanne on camera. The second team was lead by Aaron with Simon, Siobhan, Kai and Richard on camera. Although we would investigate different parts of the theatre would still remain in contact by radio.
Vigil 1 – Team One – Gents Dressing Room & Stage
My team began their vigil by heading up to the Gents Dressing room on the first floor. After a short while we soon realised that the only thing that could be heard were noises from a neighbouring pub and decided to continue down onto the stage.
The stage felt completely different to us all though! Almost immediately Andrea felt the presence of a man on the stage following us about, overlooking what we were up to if you will. Leanne also got a similar type of feeling. Now, neither of these team members claim to be psychic mediums, but both show a tendency to be a little sensitive towards the spiritual side of things at times.
They both went on to agree that the man was wearing a white short, had dark hair and possibly had a moustache. They also felt that he questioned our presence on stage.
This was all accompanied by a slight temperature drop and more dramatically by what seemed like gentle taps or raps on the huge metal fire curtain. I attempted to recreate the sound by knocking on the fire curtain or by gently moving it, but the only thing that sound similar was me tapping on it with my finger nail!
Quite an eventful first vigil I think.
Vigil 1 – Team Two – Gods Seating & Front Area
Team two began their investigation at the front of the theatre and around the Gods seating area. However, they didn’t appear to be as lucky as we were. They did experience a temperature drop around the area outside of the Ladies Bar, but they were unable to obtain a reading to quantify this.
Vigil 2 – Team One & Two – Under Stage Area – Séance
Our second vigil of the night would combine both teams to begin with and experiment with a more older and spiritual form of communication, a Séance. However, for this Séance I included some simple things, a round table to create a circle for the participants, three candles and a minimum of three people around the table.
As Andrea, Jo and Leanne had already shown a level of sensitivity I decided they would be the best ones to start things off. Later on Siobhan joined in as a fourth member and possibly increased the energy a little.
There was a slight temperature drop during the Séance, but not really dramatic or controlled enough to be labelled as an effect of the experiment itself.
As we continued with the Séance, Aaron and Simon decided to take a look around on their own. After they left us we heard them above on the stage for a little while, but then they were quiet. We later learnt that they headed to the front of the theatre to check on the seating. This was later seen during the review of the CCTV footage.
As the Séance drew to a close, Leanne thought she heard a voice copying everything she said, but coming from the stage area above. At the time we thought it was probably Aaron and Simon, but we soon realised it wasn’t, which was later confirmed when they returned. This left us wondering who might have been mimicking what Leanne was saying?
Singapore Theory Experiment – From Main Auditorium
We kicked off the tailored Singapore Theory Experiment for the theatre based on its past and some of its more well known acts. We had a playlist of about twenty nine tracks, which included a few old Morecambe and Wise songs, followed by music from the forties. In fact I think one track or two may have actually been performed at the theatre, although recorded elsewhere.
We hoped that these familiar sounds filling the theatre once again may stir some energy and give us some good results. We would leave it running during our next vigil and then turn it off before our forth and final one.
Vigil 3 – Team One – Ladies Dressing Room, Dress Circle & Ladies Bar
The team headed up to the Ladies Dressing Room to begin our vigil, but we were soon drawn to the balcony area overlooking the stage below. This was because we were hearing the odd noise from where we were earlier. Across the stage at the door to the Gents dressing room we witnessed a darkening around the doorway and sometimes what appeared to be shadows passing the door.
As we stood high up looking down at the stage in darkness we actually heard possibly the loudest knock of the night! In fact rather than a knock it sounded more like someone had walked right across the stage , but knocked a chair as they did so. We immediately radioed the other team to ensure they were not down there, and they weren’t!
As things quietened down we headed down towards the front of stage and stood in one of the private boxes overlooking the main auditorium. As we did this I saw a strange light anomaly move towards the stage and then suddenly change direction towards us before disappearing.
Although this wasn’t caught on film it was witnessed by Jo who was stood next to me. It was very odd though as it appeared to be travelling along the floor.
Towards the top of the staircase Jo picked up on something too, and felt a little uneasy,
Vigil 3 – Team Two – Gents Dressing Room & Seating
Team two headed towards the main seating in the Gods and main circles to check them out and ensure no seat had been disrupted since earlier. In fact they hadn’t, but the team did experience a brief possible communication in the form of a flash or two on the K2.
Vigil 4 – Team One – Stage
For their final vigil of the night team one returned to their most active location of the night, the stage. As soon as we arrived back Andrea picked up on the presence of the man again. This was soon followed by the return of the tapping again. However, this time a followed it and found where it was coming from, the corner of the stage, but still on what seemed like the other side of the metal fire curtain. After a while I became convinced someone was on the other side of the metal curtain tapping for some reason. I radioed through to Aaron’s team and asked their position. They responded by stating they were in the Gods Seating overlooking the stage, so I asked if there was anyone on the stage near the metal curtain. The response to that question was a ‘no’, and with that I took a step back from the curtain. I searched for a logical reason, but found none!
Our attention was also briefly caught by a loud bang from another part of the stage, which Leanne later recreated at the trap door. Still, there was no reason for the noise to occur when it did though!
Vigil 4 – Team Two – Gods Seating
Other than a radio call from team one, to check their position and what they could see, this was a quiet vigil for the team.
Captured Evidence & Personal Experiences
Although our night in the Morecambe Winter Gardens Theatre seemed quite active with a certainly a few oddities, not to mention a couple of personal experiences, actual evidence eluded us once again. However, we did capture an odd light anomaly on Aaron’s camera which does resemble the light anomaly I saw in front of the stage. Unfortunately these kind of small lights which appear on video whilst filming using an IR lamp can often be dust particles or even bugs, which become illuminated as they pass in front of the camera. This was the case for many of such lights which we picked up on the night, but under review there is one which stands out as being slightly different. Whether or not its a spirit is unknown, just that it remains unexplained and matches the light anomaly I personally witnessed.
We had some temperature fluctuations which we managed to get a readings on, but still these were not specific enough to call paranormal in my mind. After all we were investigating a large derelict theatre, varying temperature comes with the territory. However, my team did experience a few moments when we felt cold around the same time as we noted some activity or Andrea picked up on a presence. Possibly there was a connection, but on this occasion we were unable to obtain supporting evidence.
There was the incident where Leanne believed she heard slight whispery voices on the stage above her copying her word for word. At the time Aaron and Simon were away from the group, but at the time this occurred the CCTV placed them in the seating area. One of my regrets for the night was placing a camera overlooking the stage and with the abundance of activity which appeared to be centred around it this may have been a missed opportunity. On their return to the group Aaron confirmed there was no one on the stage and that it wasn’t them mimicking Leanne. Perhaps there was a spirit with a child like sense of humour on the stage?
The most significant occurrence at Morecambe, for me was the tapping on the what had to be the fire curtain on the stage. This happened the first time we investigated the stage area, but we found it hard to pin point. However, on our second visit I narrowed it right down to a specific area of the curtain. Following a brief radio call to Aaron’s team we also established that there was no one on the other side of the metal curtain. We also tested the curtain to try and recreate the noise we heard and the only thing that came close was the sound of me tapping my finger nail against the metal. This remains truly unexplained!
More often than not you can investigate a location and hear all sorts of taps, knocks and various sounds, but usually they are hard to pin point. On this occasion I stood right next to the metal curtain and listened as something tapped only a few feet away from me. I have to admit though it sent a shiver down my spine when I realised there was no actual reason for it and no one on the other side of that curtain!
Conclusions
The Morecambe Winter Gardens Theatre was a great opener for the Farsight PRS to begin their 2011 investigations. The location was huge and in its current derelict state very atmospheric, making it an investigators dream location. Not to mention the fun you could have shooting some kind of horror film there, but that’s another tale.
I have to admit I had already been once before as a Dead Haunted Team Leader and from the moment I walked in the location I knew it was a must for a team investigation. In fact the Dead Haunted team relayed a few stories to me that night and some of the guests shared some info too. Some guests even had experiences of their own that night.
As a Most Haunted location in years gone by and more recently a Live location it had seen its fair share of interest from the paranormal world.
Is the Morecambe Winter Garden Theatre haunted? Well, from my own personal experiences it certainly seemed that way or at least to have something going on. The place did throw up a few weird things throughout the night, in the form of both audible and visual phenomenon. However, evidence to support this is lacking and as much as I would love to go purely on personal experience, we must remain slightly scientific and allow the evidence to speak.
On this occasion the evidence has remained firmly quiet, albeit a few fluctuations and a light anomaly were captured, we can’t confirm these as paranormal in origin.
So, where does that leave us? Although it sounds as if I am a touch stuck on the fence, that’s possibly because I am. In my own opinion there is most definitely something odd at Morecambe Winter Garden Theatre, something that requires further investigation, possibly over a longer length of time. Our usual eight hour window over one night is never really enough! Although we didn’t capture any dramatic evidence of the paranormal that doesn’t mean its not there. Our more sensitive team members picked up on quite a lot, we heard tapping from no where and we saw odd lights.
The one thing I will add is in reference to the theatre having a good and bad side. Personally I think this a psychological development deduced simply from the fact the individual is in a building which for all tense and purposes is symmetrical. As its supposed to be haunted, this can create a mirrored environment and the perception of a good and evil side of the theatre. We found no evidence of any dark or evil spirits and never really felt threatened during our investigation.
Farsight PRS leave the Morecambe Winter Gardens Theatre and great start to our year, as we head to Reading for our next investigation at Watlington House. We take with us a few additional pieces of knowledge and the our new team members which after one investigation have already began to settle in.
