“Nasci, Laborare, Mori, Nasci” Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

Chairman’s letter

The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

Welcome to the Summer issue of The Chairman’s Letter 2 Ghost Club Journal. Writing the chairman’s letter is usually a Philip Paul, A Tribute 4 task undertaken with pleasure, but on this Alan Murdie occasion it is tinged with some sadness. As you will see, this issue of the Journal re- Ghost Club notices and 7 cords the passing of two of the great Announcements names in British ghost hunting of the last Notebook 8 sixty years. These are Philip Paul and Tony Mark Salmon & Paul Collins Cornell, and tributes to them are included inside. Haunted Scotland 11 As with many others, I have personal Derek Green reasons through the Ghost Club for re- Ixworth School Ghost Walk 15 membering both. In 1997, Tony Cornell Laura Dean was the speaker at the first Ghost Club meeting I ever chaired (this was when the What’s on in London 17 Ghost Club met at 6.30 pm, on Tuesday Philip Carr evenings at the Victory Services Club). Book Reviews 20 Tony spoke on poltergeists, on which he Sarah Darnell. Anna Pearce. John Barrett was an acknowledged authority, not least from first-hand experience. Hauntings at Worth 24 With Philip Paul, I was delighted first to Chris Huff correspond, and then meet him in person in 2001. Meeting Philip was to be put in Ghosts in the News 27 touch with an important period from the Sarah Darnell Ghost Club’s history. Between 1952-54, Letters to the Editor 33 Philip was responsible for reviving our Club after it had ceased to meet, following A Tribute to Tony Cornell 34 the death of Harry Price in 1948. The Club Alan Murdie we enjoy today is descended directly from that initiative. Sadly, it was straight after Is It A Ghost? 37 attending our Club meeting held on June 12th this year that I learned that Philip had From The Archive… 39 died. An Article by Maurice Grosse However, in one of those marvellous

2 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010 pieces of synchronicity that sometimes oc- female skull – unfortunately 200 years too cur, on the following Saturday, one week young. Nevertheless, strange manifestations later, I was delighted to come across, quite still persist....” unexpectedly, an article about Philip, pub- Naturally, I bought the magazine (it was lished over fifty years ago and mentioning only 10p!). To come across this item, at the Ghost Club. such a time, was all at once meaningful, Like many Ghost Club members, I love rather poignant and yet also a comfort. Of second hand bookshops, and I was brows- course, it is easy to assign such moments ing in one of my favourites, Lankester’s to coincidence. But the older I get, the Books and Antiques at Saffron Walden, in more coincidence seems an over-worked word to describe the numerous events Essex. I have been to Lankester’s many which seem to link up together at certain times over the last twenty years but on this significant stages in the journey of life. occasion, I discovered a room stuffed with At such times, I am also reminded of the old books and magazines which I had minutes of a Victorian Ghost Club meeting never previously entered (I think it has re- held on March 1st 1889, recording the con- cently been opened up to accommodate the tribution of Mr Henry Hood on the occa- burgeoning collections of old volumes sion of the death of a fellow member, gracing the shelves). Within it, I found a Stanhope Speer: large pile of Essex Countryside magazines, “Mr Hood emphasised the fact that death dating from the mid-1950s through to the hid from mortal eye a separated brother, but was powerless to affect the concrete late 1980s. Flicking through the piles - unity of the Club. The loss was only appar- about the sixth or seventh copy I picked up ent when we happily change our condition at random – I found the edition from the that is the only change. We remain the summer of 1957, Volume 5 number 2. same. Stanhope Speer is one of us still, as Turning the pages, I found myself reading he has always been. The unity of the broth- the following item under the heading erhood is unbroken.” “Most Haunted House”: The following year on November 2nd “Peterborough” in the Daily Telegraph, re- 1890, the Ghost Club President Mr Paice cently had something to say about Borley. He spoke of how Club members were assured mentioned Mr Philip Paul, the vice-chairman “of the continued existence of the so- of the Ghost Club, had told the Psychic and called “Dead” and of the power enjoyed by Literary Luncheon Club that “neither Price’s them under veritable condition of a re- inaccuracies nor the attempts to demolish his association with us conscious on both claims shook the strong evidence for ghostly sides”. On recalling the names of deceased phenomena”. Disappointingly, though, Mr. Ghost Club members he “invited the Paul had to admit that though he had been Members present in the flesh to devote to Borley on July 28 for the last seven years some moments of serious recollection and he had failed to see the famous woman in of affectionate association with these their black who has appeared to so many others departed friends and brethren – members on that day....Harry Price believed the still of this Club”. woman in black to be the ghost of a nun With best wishes murdered 300 years ago. After extensive dig- ging Mr Paul did in fact unearth parts of a Alan Murdie Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 3

It is with great regret we announce the Philip puzzled about why his sister might passing of Philip Paul, author, journalist and have signalled thus, rather than alerting fam- authority on the paranormal who died on ily members in the same house, and sought June 12th 2010. In the space available, I can- answers in psychical research. The phe- not attempt to do justice either to Philip or to nomenon led him to the writings of Cammille his work but let it be recorded at the outset, Flammarion, the French Astronomer and psy- that the Ghost Club owes him a great debt, chical researcher which are filled with similar since he was instrumental in reviving the cases of crisis manifestations, as are the re- Club as a functioning body between 1952 cords of the British Society for Psychical Re- and 1954. search. The Ghost Club had ceased meeting fol- Following the tragedy, Philip went to stay lowing the death of Harry Price in 1948 and with his mother’s family in a remote Norfolk Philip took a lead in re-establishing it as a village, where the people still exhibited the place for believers and sceptics to meet in a mindset of the pre-modern era. They still convivial setting. The story of the successful looked at the world in stark and simple Bibli- re-launch is told in his book Some Unseen cal ways and at the same time populated Power (1985) but unfortunately, Philip found their village with numerous spectres. his efforts hindered and hi-jacked shortly af- (Growing up in East Anglia myself, I can re- ter the revival begun. The spirit of openness member the tail-end of this rural culture and and enquiry he had hoped to engender was such character from my own boyhood). quashed by the personal agendas of certain Ghost stories told by candle light stimulated members, and as a result he withdrew. None- his mind yet further, and provided inspiration theless, he continued to take an interest in for his ambitions as an author. the Club and its doings over the following His first writing job came as a reporter with years. After reforms of the Ghost Club in the weekly Newmarket Journal and in June 1997, he was in touch with the then General 1944 he achieved his first major scoop. An Secretary, the late Commander Bill Bellars ammunition train blew up at Soham station OBE and sent his best wishes. In 2002 we causing large scale destruction just as the were delighted to formally welcome Philip paper was going to press. At the time the pa- back to the Club. In the years that followed per was lacking an editor – he had died the he attended a number of meetings and week before – leaving Philip a free hand to events, until prevented from doing so by fail- send the story to Fleet Street. This provided ing health in 2008. Even then he continued to an entry for Philip to national journalism (the contribute to the Journal with his last article story appeared belatedly in the Newmarket appearing in the spring 2010 edition. Journal the following week). Like the young Philip drew upon a lifetime of experience Dickens he excelled in two subjects: crime investigating the paranormal. The starting and ghosts, about which he continued to point was a family tragedy in 1938 which oc- write for the next sixty years. curred when Philip was 15 years old. This An influence in Fleet Street was the famous was the sudden death of his sister Iris, aged editor Hannen Swaffer (known as the Pope of 22, in the bath at home. Simultaneous with Fleet Street for both his magisterial manner her death, a relative three miles away heard and his spiritualist views). But Philip became an unexplained knocking on the window. a recognised authority in his own right.

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After interviewing local people, Philip

was convinced that there had been genuine manifesta- tions at Borley, quite apart from any

claimed evidence derived from the controversial investi- gations conducted by Harry Price be-

tween 1929 and 1939. Nor had the fire laid the ghosts. In particular, Philip was impressed by

the testimony of the

Revd Alfred Hen- ning who reported hearing organ music Philip with Alan Murdie at the Ghost Club emanating from the Christmas Lunch, 2005 church whilst it was Photograph: Philip Hutchinson locked. Though he later doubted some Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Philip in- of the paranormal nature of certain manifes- vestigated many cases of alleged haunting, tations reported at Borley, Philip had serious both in London and the provinces. These in- criticisms of the treatment of evidence by the cluded ghosts in City Churches, and polter- three authors of the Haunting of Borley Rec- geists at Norwood, South London and Run- tory [1956] who had sought to dismiss the corn in Cheshire. case as fraud and misperception. The late Andrew Green once remarked that Then, as now, the Borley area was good for every ghost hunter ought to visit Borley in Es- ghost stories. Philip investigated a small rural sex once in their lifetime. Philip Paul went fur- town hall at Clare, Suffolk, occupied by the ther, holding seven successive vigils at Bor- Clare Rural District Council which was trou- ley on the night of July 28th when the phan- bled by footsteps and minor physical mani- tom nun traditionally ‘walked’. In 1954, he festations. Another haunted site at Clare was went further, carrying out an excavation of the Half Moon Public House (converted in to the site of the infamous rectory, which was an old peoples home in 2001) although Philip built in 1862 and burned down in a suitable was sceptical of many haunted pub stories. ‘Hammer Horror’ style ending in 1938. During At Abbas Hall at Great Cornard, Suffolk he the excavation, he discovered traces of a investigated stories of another phantom nun seventeenth century building which con- which also gained wide publicity, and a visit firmed the tradition that earlier structure had by Robert Robinson, the broadcaster. occupied the site. He also interviewed many By this time Philip had come to prominence local people about their experiences, and himself. In 1953 Philip took part in the popu- was responsible for a Panorama interview lar BBC television show What’s My Line? with the last surviving Bull sister broadcast on where a panel of personalities had to guess Hallowe’en night in 1955. (It would be inter- the occupation of a mystery guest. Philip suc- esting to know if this recording survived the cessfully beat the collected wits of the panel BBC cull of taped programmes in later with his choice of occupation “Ghost hunter”. years). This led Gilbert Harding (an irascible panel Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 5 regular – the kind of man the audience “love More mundane and down to earth wicked- to hate”) to haughtily declare, “You must be ness came in the daily stories making up the barmy!”. Harding’s outburst received national post-War explosion in crime. During the coverage, but he later apologised to Philip 1950s Philip covered a number of notable after the show and they became good murder trials at the Old Bailey, and witnessed friends. Ironically, Harding in the closing how hardened killers would collapse in the months of his life approached Philip for ad- dock when the death sentence was pro- vice on his own personal ghost – the sound nounced. His interest in crime and science of his deceased sister’s voice he had heard developed into a study of forensic pathology calling him in his London flat. and the way science could be used to obtain Like many who work with people who un- clues in murder cases. This was years before dergo paranormal experiences, Philip was pathology was revolutionised by DNA testing concerned at how charlatans and fake medi- and became a popular subject for TV crime ums could exploit the vulnerable and recently dramas. Philip wrote Murder Under the Mi- bereaved. Following the Fraudulent Mediums croscope (1990) about the work of the Na- Act 1951, and the repeal of the Witchcraft tional Forensic Laboratory. The book was Acts the threat of prosecution for many spiri- well received that Home Secretary David tualist activities was lifted and frauds blos- Blunkett endorsed its republication in 2004. somed in this liberal climate. Philip encoun- In his later years, Philip continued to live life tered numerous cases of fake mediums prey- to the full in Sussex with his beloved wife ing on the gullible and took every opportunity Joan. In the last few years he underwent a to expose wrong-doing when he did so. In number of major operations and hospital pro- one case a vulnerable and pathetic woman cedures but remained resolutely good hu- had allowed fraudsters to hold séances in her moured with his friends and contacts. Even home and been persuaded to give them £10 when connected up to an oxygen tank he 000 ‘to buy spirit children toys’. When the was a fount of humour and anecdotes, inter- money disappeared she believed it had gone spaced with serious reflections on life and to the spirit world. In other cases the gullibility death. One friend wrote at his passing: was with the mediums, as with a TV interview “In his later years Philip spread laughter, hap- where a cynical interviewer used leading piness and sunshine , not only to his ever- questions to provoke a prominent medium widening circle of friends, but also to those into casually proclaiming the survival of both friends’ own contacts – like sparkling ripples cats and mice in the spirit world – with spreading outwards from a pebble dropped in ghastly consequences in eternity for the the ocean. He will indeed be greatly missed.” mice! Philip believed that the bereaved de- It was perhaps also typical of Philip that he served better and resolutely spoke out prepared a message to be read out at his against fraud and nonsense in spiritualist cir- own funeral with his sense humour persisting cles. This stance actually gained the respect to the last. In it he said that as a reporter he of serious spiritualists; by the end of the had always had an aversion to attending fu- 1950s he was expounding his views at well- nerals – attended lectures at Marylebone Spiritualist “and I certainly didn’t volunteer to attend Church in London. But he was not a com- this one… As you see they had to carry me plete sceptic and at a Ghost Club lectured in in!” 2004, Philip vouched for one medium who It was a cheery message that greatly en- had succeeded in healing him of a debilitat- couraged all those present to celebrate rather ing illness, an experience he refers to in than mourn the passing of a truly memorable Some Unseen Power. At the end of the man, and one for whose life that we in the 1970s on a trip to America he also took the opportunity to investigate the sensational Ghost Club can all be grateful. story of The Amityville Horror. Like many By Alan Murdie later writers he concluded the story had little foundation in fact.

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DIARY DATES NEW MEMBERS

A very warm welcome to the following “Ghosts” who have recently joined us.

September 11th Jane Hunting Title TBA

October 9th AGM Trevor Hamilton FW Myers

November 20th Melvyn Willin Ghost Photography

December 4th Ghost Club Christmas Lunch Details TBA

All Ghost Club meetings commence at 2pm, unless otherwise indicated.

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 7

Mark Salmon reports on the Ghost Club’s recent activities .

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Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 9

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Haunted Pubs and Inns of Scotland

By Derek Green

The Scots for many years now have been Lanark are acquainted with the tales of the known world-wide to enjoy the wee dram. haunted Inn. The first ghost locals have en- The question raised though is “Just how countered is that of the Grey Abbot. It is said many Scots know if their local is subject to a that the Inn was built on the site of a Monas- haunting?.” tery and that the apparition of a Monk has Scotland is home to many inns and public been seen walking from the area of the la- houses and a number of these have been dies’ toilets, across the lower floor, through listed to contain the resident ghost. Here are the cellar and heading towards the car park some of my favourites. at the rear of the pub. The kitchen manager The Clydesdale Inn, this Wetherspoon recently had an encounter at 6 am. While he pub is the former Clydesdale Hotel, built, in was stocktaking he felt someone brush past 1791, by the Town Council and gentlemen of him and he described feeling the person the county as a first-class coaching inn. In touch him as they passed. He stopped what 1827, the elegant and spacious Assembly he was doing and looked up, only to realise Rooms were added to the rear and by the that he was the only one in the cellar. An- mid 19th Century, the hotel had become an other manager in the Inn during the day re- important staging post, ported hearing chil- with coaches depart- dren’s voices on the ing for Edinburgh, stair outside the inte- Glasgow and London. rior door into the pub. The Inn had many im- The manager came portant visitors, includ- out into the hallway to ing William and Doro- investigate and heard thy Wordsworth and two children’s voices Charles Dickens. and also footsteps on Many of the locals in The Clydesdale Inn the floor above the

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 11 pub. He described the foot- ter. The Globe is said to be falls running up and down haunted by Anna and she and the children laughing. has been witnessed in day- Thinking that two children light dressed in 18th Century should not be present in the clothes. In recent years a building, the manager went trend was reported, Anna on the warpath and climbed would only appear when the stairs ready to remove changes were taking place in the children. When, on the the Globe. upper floor, he found all the In Stirling the Albion Bar rooms to be deserted — no and Nicky-Tams Public voices, no footfalls, no chil- The Globe House are both alleged to dren — all that remained harbour the odd ghost. The was an icy chill in the air as Albion is reputed to include it dawned on him that something was not nor- poltergeist phenomena with glasses being mal. thrown from behind the bar. Nicky-Tams is Staff at the Clydesdale Inn currently hear said to be haunted by half-seen figures and voices and clearing of throats coming from shadows, people feeling themselves being within the main bar area a few hours before touched and auditory phenomena of unex- opening up for trade. The pub next door plained voices. Other manifestations in Nicky which is linked to the Clydesdale is also -Tams include glasses flying off the bar with prone to activity. One night after closing and force and gas cylinders switching off during while clearing glasses the bar maid wit- opening hours. nessed a man walk along the front of the bar The Black Bull Inn, Kirkintilloch has now and straight through the wall which would been converted into the Tantra Night Club take him into the Clydesdale Inn. Last year a and is home to much more sinister activity. shift manager had a scary encounter in the For quite a while there were regular reports Clydesdale. While cleaning tables in the fam- of a misty apparition reported at the foot of ily area, the manager looked up and standing the stairs at the rear of the building. Other in the corner of the room was a man in riding manifestations were much more frightening, boots and a hat. Suddenly the apparition these included a sinister dark phantom that faded away and following this, the room be- stood watching people on the dance floor, came very cold to the point the manager’s there were regular reports of this creepy breath was visible in spectre being seen by the air. bar staff and bouncers The Stag Inn near in the club. However, Falkland, Fyfe (pictured when the security cam- right), is said to be eras were turned on the haunted by the noises ghastly shape and yet of children’s toys. Re- on playback there was cently the bell in the bar no evidence of the ap- was reported to start parition. Other wit- ringing on its own. Cus- nessed manifestations tomers also report cold included disembodied spots in the bar area. groans and unex- The Globe Inn, Dum- plained loud crashing fries is one of Scot- sounds. land’s most historic and atmospheric pubs Cameron’s Lounge in Aberdeen is said to and is a shrine to Robert Burns. It is said that be the city’s longest established pub and it is Burns was attracted to Anna Park, the bar- said to be haunted by unexplained noises, maid and before her death, it was alleged lights switching on and off, large drops in that she gave birth to an illegitimate daugh- temperature and beer taps being turned off.

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in the basement is reputed to be the focus of activity which includes heavy temperature drops, voices, footsteps and shadows lurking in the darkness. Whistle Binkies Pub close by is said to be haunted by The Watcher, also known to many as Mr Boots, the alleged entity which is also responsible for haunting the Blair Street Vaults. The cellar of the pub is located on the other side of a large gate in the Blair Street Vaults. A very scary account came from a barmaid who one evening was sent down into the cellar to change a barrel and while attempting to carry out this task, she became aware of the cellar becoming extremely cold, then without warning, the cel- A dark-coloured apparition has been wit- lar door slammed closed. What happened nessed in the area of the toilets and one re- cent account explains how a painter heard a series of knocks while doing some internal decorating. The painter for a laugh tapped out replies only to discover the knocks re- peated exactly the same back to him. Still in Aberdeen, we come to the Cocket Hat pub which is alleged to retain the ghost of a for- mer landlord who died in the 1950’s. Manifes- tations have included the sightings of a tall man wearing an overcoat and brimmed hat. On one occasion, a barmaid tried to serve the apparition, only to see him fade away in front of her eyes whilst trying to ascertain what drink he wanted. Customers to the pub also talk of an uncomfortable presence in the lounge and one account also tells of a full next frightened the girl so much she will whisky glass slide by itself from one end of never forget it. While trying to open the door, the bar to the other. she became aware of the strong smell of In Edinburgh, Nicol Edward’s pub in the whisky breath, this was accompanied with old town boasts three floors. The Vaults bar the sounds of laboured breathing. The bar- maid turned round to find herself facing the apparition of a man in a blue overcoat, large riding boots and a tri-cornered hat. The man had no facial features and black holes for eyes. The evil apparition advanced towards her. Screaming, she turned back to the door but found that it appeared to be locked and would not open. The girl now a gibbering wreck, could see this apparition getting closer to her and then all of a sudden, the door into the cellar opened and she escaped back up- stairs severely shaken by her episode at the hands of Mr Boots. Other phenomena in This Edinburgh pub features footsteps Whistle Binkies include the pub clock stop- and shadowy figures in it’s basement ping at the same time of 4.15 and oranges Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 13 being mysteriously cut in two when left whole wearing a tartan shawl covering her face has on the bar. been seen sitting by the fireside. The Scotia Finally our journey takes us to some of Bar (pictured below) was founded at the end Glasgow’s of the 18th Public Century Houses. Sloanes’ bar area and has a Sloans’ long repu- Pub located tation of in Argyll being Street is haunted. one of Years ago Glasgow’s a previous longest es- landlord is tablished said to pubs. The have been floor above found Sloans’ is a hanging in hidden the cellar gem. A and it is large and believed beautifully that he decorated has never ballroom exists here. It is in this area that left. Manifestations in the Scotia have in- cold spots have been reported and heavy cluded beer taps being switched off and ob- phantom footsteps have been heard walking jects moving around by themselves. The last across the ballroom floor. In the centre of pub is the Oran Mor, once the Kelvinside Glasgow is the location of the Saracen’s Free and Parish Church, built in 1862 and Head Pub. or known to Glaswegians as the turned into a pub/club in 2002. It is said that a “Sarrie Heid”. This previous minister is said to be one is buried within of Glasgow’s old- the walls and est pubs, it is since opening in also the home to 2002, manifesta- a skull which is tions have in- displayed in a cluded chairs case and is re- moving by them- puted to belong selves and an to the last witch office door being executed in Scot- found open after land. The “Sarrie having been Heid” is also said closed and to be haunted by locked!! a former land- Glasgow is the lord. There has end of our pub also been a crawl around string of strange events much of which ac- some of the most haunted public houses in cording to one medium was caused by the Scotland. Next time you visit Scotland, make large number of ghostly former customers sure when standing at a bar, you ask for a who are said to still reside in the pub. In spirit from the gantry and not one from the Glasgow’s Salt market stands O’Briens, for- fabric of the building. merly Grahams Bar, a very small public house. Here the sad ghost of an old lady

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The Ixworth School Ghost Walk By ***** ****

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 15

I'm not sure if this is a first or whether other back to Roman and Anglo Saxon times. We schools may have something like this in their have the site of a Roman fort and villa here curriculum, but for the last three years, dur- plus a Augustinian priory, twelfth-Century ing 'activities week', I have been taking Year church and a coaching inn, The Pickerel, that 6 pupils (10 to11year olds) on a ghost walk dates from about 1500. The road through the around our ancient village of Ixworth, near village was on the original London to Great Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. Yarmouth route and is still on the National I have lived here for 36 years and have Express coach route today. been the Science Technician at the Middle Many of the ghost stories I tell them about School for the last 18; I am also a member of are connected to these places so it all ties in. the Ghost Club and when the school was I then tell them about the Ghost Club and looking for new Ideas for activities week some of the investigations that I've been on (before the May Spring Bank Holiday), I cau- and I show them some of the equipment I tiously suggested that a combined history of use, EMF meter, trigger objects, as well as the village and a visit to the over a dozen al- my divining rods, which the D.T. teacher leged haunted sites that I knew about might made up for me. I let them have a go with be of interest. This would be linked to crea- these and they really are surprised how well tive writing, poetry and art. The idea was, of they work. course, not to frighten the children but to We then start our walk; this takes about an have fun and make them think. The first year hour and a half as we stop and talk about the I ran this, I had 18 children and a couple of sites and the history. I include my own coach support staff and I was really surprised how house that dates back to 1680 and tell them much they all seemed to enjoy it. This year I about the whispers we hear every time there had thirty-five children, two members of staff is a change in the house and the 'lady' I saw and a teaching assistant! on the stairs many years ago. I also show I start in the classroom by telling them them the bones that were found in the wall about the history of Ixworth, which dates and the gravestone we have beside the front

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Whether you’re a London resident world’. Having see the TV version at the or up in town for a GC meeting you Roxy Cinema when the GC visited earlier this might like to spend some time en- year, in my view they are over-egging the pudding a bit but it is very enjoyable none the joying the wealth of ghost-themed less. GC members who have seen the stage attractions the city has to offer. show, which is slightly different from the TV Philip Carr compiles a list, that are adaption, have been enthusiastic about it. not necessarily recommendations! Again promising a ‘truly terrifying theatrical experience, unlike anything else in the West As a relief from the endless stream of musi- End’, (except the Woman in Black we as- cal revivals in the West End, and testament sume) there’s a new show called Ghost Sto- to the enduring popularity of the subject of ries at London’s Duke of York’s theatre. It ghosts, now in its 21st year at the Fortune comes direct from a sell-out season at the Theatre, Russell Street WC2, is The Woman Lyric Hammersmith and is written and di- in Black. This is the story of a young solicitor rected by The League of Gentlemen's Jer- sent to deal with the house of an elderly emy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, the co-creator widow who has just died but who keeps ap- and director of Derren Brown’s television and pearing to him. The producers claim it is ‘The stage shows and star of Dead Set and Sever- most terrifying live theatre experience in the ance. The Daily Telegraph reviewer said ‘This ingenious, creepy and horribly enjoyable show de- serves a life, or rather a living death, beyond its run in Ham- mersmith.” One of our mem- bers who saw the show in Hammersmith found it well done but far less scary than the producers claim. The Necropolis Bus Com- pany began in the 19th cen- tury as a private funeral bus service. The Necropolis vehi- cles or ‘Carcass Coaches’ as they were known to London- ers were able to convey the deceased, pall bearers and up to 50 mourners (no stand- ing) to the final resting place. Each bus had an onboard conductor/chief mourner and a special siren or ‘mourning whistle’ to warn pedestrians of the bus’s approach. The sound of the whistle prompted A scene from the show-stopping ‘Woman in Black’ gentlemen to remove their Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 17

The Ghost Bus Tours run Thursday to Saturday hats and bow their heads as a mark of pass- in the haunted walkthroughs. However the ing respect. This has been revived by Ghost London Tombs, which boast a number of Bus Tours who run their black double-decker dark corridors and desolate tunnels, are Necrobus on 7.30pm and 9pm tours, Thurs- claimed by the owners of the Attraction to be day to Saturday. The conductor Sid Strange- a genuinely haunted site. The spooky reputa- ways provides into a witty commentary high- tion of the Tombs has grown from the discov- lighting the various haunted areas of London ery of a plague pit filled with thirty skeletons, – Notting Hell, Bethnal Scream, Earls Corpse with regular sightings of ‘Shadow Man’ and and Trafalgar Scare. The bus is also avail- Emily, said to be two of the many resident able for private hire for weddings, stag/hen ghosts. The Tombs are also available to parties and funerals. All in the best possible groups for overnight paranormal investiga- taste! Online reviews are generally favour- tions (though it must be very difficult to be able, it’s undeniably tacky in places but great objective in such an environment). fun. For details see The venue is a bit pricey for visitors. An www.theghostbustours.com adult ticket on the day is £21.95, but is a fiver (2 for 1 offers for Southeastern Rail travelers cheaper booked online at are available in their brochure from rail sta- www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com. 2 for 1 tions.) offers are also available London Tombs are part of the London for Southeastern Rail Bridge Experience, winners 2008 and 2009 travelers in the brochure of the Screemie Awards at ScareCon in Bir- available from rail sta- mingham, (the annual trade show for the scare attractions industry, apparently growing Left: One of the scary fast, despite, or perhaps because of, the fi- zombies from the nancial situation.) Myriad animatronic effects, London Tombs aided by hordes of zombie luvvies aim to scare the living bejesus out of all and sundry

18 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010 tions. hours, last for 30 minutes and can only be As part of Halloween (which incidentally booked in person, or by telephoning 020 has doubled 7235 3351. year on year You can have in the UK for your sitting the last 7 recorded and years and in cassette 2009 was tapes are worth available from £160m), the reception. Ad- London dress: 33 Bel- Ghost Festi- grave Square val is now in London SW1. its third year (Satisfaction and runs guaranteed. from Friday Refunds if 22rd October you are not - Sunday happy with 31st Octo- the medium – ber, ‘uniting see their con- spooky sto- ditions. When ries, haunted locations and spectral charac- my wife had a sitting at the SAGB, there was ters in a week-long programme of themed a long queue of people waiting to try to talk to original events, walks, talks, night vigils and her!) http://www.spiritualistassociation.org.uk performances’. See There are several ghost walks organized http://www.londonparanormal.com/lgf.htm regularly in Central London and one of the for more details. best is led by Richard Jones, ghost author, There was an explosion of interest in spirit researcher and authority on haunted London, communication in the mid 19th Century, in- His tour features good, old-fashioned story- cluding The Ghost Club, involving many from telling and ventures into ‘hidden alleyways, the upper crust of society. After Albert died, secluded courtyards, dark passageways and Queen Victoria took part in many séances crumbling graveyards’. The walk lasts about and its rumoured that the influence her ser- two hours and takes place whatever the vant John Brown had over her was due to his weather conditions. Booking is essential abilities as a medium. though. See In contrast to the commercialism of most of http://www.london-ghost-walk.co.uk/ or call the previous entries, in the heart of plush Bel- 020 8530 8443. gravia are the elegant and peaceful head- Or if you want to organize your own tour of quarters of the Spiritualist Association of London’s haunted sites you could start by Great Britain (SAGB) which had its origins in surfing to www.paranormaldatabase.com/ London in 1872. The SAGB offers to relieve london/lonpages/londdata.php suffering through spiritual healing as well as This site has a total of 534 entries covering offering the evidence of an afterlife – provid- almost every area of London. ing private sittings with mediums, hypnother- Alternatively there is Walking Haunted Lon- apy, past-life regression, meditation, work- don, featuring 25 self-guided walking ghost shops, special events etc. tours, again by Richard Jones. The book cov- Conan Doyle and Sir William Crookes, both ers many parts of inner London and further Ghost Club members were associated with afield too - Hampton Court, Greenwich, even the Association and the present building was Pluckley. (When I looked Amazon had bar- opened in 1955 by another GC member, Air gain used copies for £0.01 – no reflection on Chief Marshall Lord Dowding. Private Sittings the value of the content!) (£35) are available daily during opening Philip Carr

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 19

out. I particularly liked the use of GHOST HUNTING miniature skulls in place of bullet A SURVIVORS GUIDE points! The text is extremely readable and flows with a steady stream of rele- By John Fraser vant and interesting information, re- Hardbacked, 184 pages garding all aspects of paranormal in- RRP: £12.99 vestigation. It is split into ten chap- ISBN: 978-0-7524-5414-6 ters, covering everything a ghost hunter needs to know, whether they Before I start this piece, I feel I are just dabbling or are a seasoned should ‘fess up’ and admit that the au- ghost hunter. The book covers in thor is a friend of mine. John Fraser is depth, the history of ghost hunting; one of the longest standing Ghost Club modern ghost hunting; the use of members within the current member- equipment on investigations, scientific ship (although to look at him, you and non, how it should be used and would never think so!). He was also whether or not it is needed; academic once Vice Chairman of the club, serving parapsychology and how the subject is for several years on its Council. slowly becoming accepted by main- When Ghost Hunting, A Survivors stream science. There is also a very Guide was offered to The Ghost Club good section on organising paranormal for review, I promised John that even investigations with lots of tips and a though we were friends, my review of checklist, which I shall certainly be ref- his book would be a fair account, com- erencing the next time I have to or- pletely honest and that I would show ganise an investigation for The Ghost no favour. Of course, he agreed en- Club. Following this, there is a great tirely, although he made sure that I chapter on analysing and making could spell ‘outstanding’ and sense of your findings. ‘remarkable’ beforehand! The centre of the book is fashioned And so on to the review. Your initial with a small selection of black and impression is that the book is pre- white photographs with captions of sented well. Hard backed with suitably places, phenomena and other subjects eerie dust cover illustrations and pho- covered within it’s pages and there is a tography showing the gloomy corridors useful list of respected paranormal or- of the Clerkenwell House of Detention, ganisations and their contact details at finished off with the shade of a spooky the back. skull, there should be no confusion as To conclude then, Ghost Hunting, A to the subject matter covered within its pages. Survivors Guide is a beautifully pre- Inside, the book is equally well pre- sented, extremely well written source sented with a tidy, uncomplicated lay- of reference for anyone interested in 20 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

Paranormal Brighton and Hove True Ghost Stories By Janet Cameron Paperback, 128 pages RRP £12.99 ISBN: 978-1848687165

Janet Cameron is a recently retired lecturer in creative writing for the Uni- versity of Kent. She has had several books published including Brighton and Hove Murders and Misdemeanours. She lives in Hove…… It’s usually a good sign when an au- thor is based in the location in which they are writing about - in my opinion. participating in or organising a paranor- Janet Cameron is based in Hove and mal investigation. The only downside stretches the net a little wider than the usual suspects of Poltergeists, Nuns, for me personally, and it is only very Grey ladies, White ladies and Monks insignificant gripe on my part, is that (although those favourites are still in- the photographs aren’t distributed cluded) by adding such subjects as throughout the book, rather than being Witchcraft, UFO’s/Crop Circles, Psychic in a block in the centre. It gives it a Surgeons, Spiritualists and Excorcism, slightly more dated or old fashioned a section on Police matters of a Para- feel. Even so, I would not hesitate to normal kind - and amongst other un- worldly matters, there is even a story recommend this book – in fact, I would about a Magical Manga woman living in go one step further and suggest it as Newhaven! required reading to anyone interested As well as Brighton and Hove, the au- in attending or organising an investiga- thor covers smaller more obscure loca- tion. So I have to say, on this occa- tions in the area and tells tales that sion, I agree with the author. This book have possibly never been told before, notably in her chapter on Personal IS Outstanding and Remarkable and Paranormal Experiences by local peo- would make a welcome addition to any ple. serious investigators book shelf. Cameron sources quite a lot of her Sarah Darnell material from the archives of the local rags, mainly the Brighton Argus and the Herald (amongst others). As well as sinister tales of witchcraft

and murder, there is an amusing chap- ter on Retail Spectres - like the friendly ghost who liked to do the washing up at the Zodiac coffee bar in Brighton and the cheeky poltergeist who liked to

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 21

PARANORMAL CHELTENHAM True Ghost Stories By Ross Andrews Paperback, 125 pages ISBN: 978-1-84868-630-4

This interesting, all-too-brief book encompasses five ghost walks and an- cillary chapters on other ghosts of Cheltenham, investigations by the Myers Paranormal Society of Glouces- throw shampoo about and make a tershire, or PARASOC, a group of ama- mess in a ladies hair salon! teur ghost hunters who investigate The author says she has never seen a paranormal phenomena in the South ghost herself but has had some weird West and of which Ross Andrews is the experiences and keeps an open mind as chairman. There is also advice on how to whether the stories are truly para- to conduct ghost hunts and details of normal or scientific. the various pieces of equipment avail- The author concludes with some able to researchers. spooky sayings and quotations from Combining his ghost hunting activi- some very famous people - the likes of ties with a career in entertainment Mr Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie Andrews highlights a succession of ac- being amongst them. counts of ghostly activity either re- She adds that if you have been too ported to him or experienced directly spooked by the contents of the book, during his twenty years of conducting that perhaps you ought to seek out vigils in geographically diverse areas some ‘ Lucky Stones’ from one of the and particularly around the Cheltenham many beaches in Sussex. If you place a area. The book incorporates a delightful lucky stone under your bed, it can stop degree of chuckle-level humour and is witches from jumping on your stomach lavishly illustrated with many photo- at night! graphs, many of them his own. His pro- My only real criticism is that perhaps fessed object is not to convince his the book relies a little too much on the readers of the reality of ghosts (who accuracy of the local rags. When detail- can do that?) but to relate his and his ing a story regarding one of the most group’s experience and experiments in important and prolific witches in Brit- the hope that results may be replicated ain, they managed to spell her name or phenomena confirmed. incorrectly. The book commences with a humor- However, I enjoyed this publication ous drawing by Mr Andrews daughter and would recommend it as a guide Carrie (aged 8) of how he looks when and companion to the area. It is well ghost hunting – rather like many of us illustrated with a mix of archive and look first thing in the morning before current pictures, some of which have the caffeine relief arrives! This notwith- been taken by the author herself. standing a brief history of Cheltenham Anna Pearce is given, noting that it was founded as a Saxon settlement and received an eventual mention in the Doomsday 22 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

book (1086). Being in the centre of an agricultural area, it received its right to hold a fair and market from Henry III in 1226. Education was a speciality with various colleges being founded, along with the development of several spas in the early nineteenth century following a visit from George III in 1788. Nowa- days it’s famous for the races. This di- versity of activity has given rise to a rich plethora of ghostly visitation in- cluding poltergeist phenomena, sight- ings at the town’s theatres, an interest- ing selection of public houses (of course!) and an interesting explosion of could account for observed phenom- the famous ‘Morton Case’ in Pittville ena. He also warns of economically Circus Road, first investigated for the predatory groups of psychic research- Society of Psychical Research by FW ers and psychics as the inclusion of Myers (a founding member of the SPR) money in the equation increases the in 1895. likelihood of fraud with the high expec- There is also an interesting section tations generated. The best point about on orbs, that fascinating topic with enli- ghost hunting is that it is free and he vens many a conversation on paranor- stresses the need to share information mal phenomena. Mr Andrews makes so reputedly haunted sites can be cross the pertinent observation that despite -checked for data that may be repli- the many plausible explanations put cated and incidents can be confirmed or forward by sceptics it is worth remem- questioned accordingly. bering that a true sceptic who refuses This is an interesting little volume to believe in anything is as bad as a be- and deserves a wide audience irrespec- liever who believes everything uncriti- tive of whether one is visiting Chelten- cally. PARASOC had an interesting ex- ham and its environs. The maps at- perience with orbs at the Playhouse tached to each walk are useful for the where they were filmed in conjunction psychic tourist. The author stresses the with an associated soundtrack demon- need to use equipment to corroborate strating that they were visible to the incidents and to eschew the use of sé- naked eye and were not simply an arte- ances and Ouija boads as these are fact of the camera. To balance this, Mr viewed as unreliable. However, one Andrews notes that in an investigation cannot help thinking that it is better to an area contained much building mate- obtain a more holistic picture with an rial which precipitated a large volume all avenues available to explore the of orb photographs, so dust was the psychic world being employed, even preferred culprit here. with doubts over their credibility. All in Mr Andrews concludes his eclectic all this book I would recommend for its collection of ghost stories by emphasis- concise nature in providing an overview ing the necessity of questioning every- of the pleasures and frustrations of thing in the course of an investigation. psychical research, enlivened by a gen- No investigative group has the answer tle humour, and the projected second as to what the ghost is, and the best of volume should be just as interesting! these groups outline the theories that John Barrett

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 23

At Worth near to Sandwich, I discov- chestnut tree in Worth Churchyard. ered an account of a haunted church- With his friend, they cycled over to yard and a haunted pub. Worth after school and began to en- The churchyard was discovered al- gage in what was termed to me as most by accident when chatting to "lobbing sticks up to knock the conkers someone (let’s call him Arthur to main- down". This resulted in a certain tain confidentiality) who was very inter- amount of mess, leaves and small ested in matters paranormal and had twigs and the occasional conker. Com- witnessed a number of occurrences pletely preoccupied with their task, during his life. He proceeded to tell me they failed to notice the appearance of about his childhood encounter at a clergyman but they were soon Worth. brought up short when he told them off Back in the 1970s, young Arthur for throwing sticks into the tree, adding would indulge in all manner of boyish "it takes a long time to clean all the things including the ancient and noble mess up". Then Arthur and his friend game of conkers. To this end, and liv- realised something. They could partially ing on the outskirts of Sandwich at the see through the clergyman. The tale time, he knew of the magnificent horse ended with my informant running for

24 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

The picturesque Church at Worth pictured far left. The Crispin Inn, left.

lore is reputedly that of a his bicycle and pelting back for Sand- girl who was brought in dead from the wich. bay a few miles away some centuries I have been at Worth Churchyard on ago, probably from one of the many a couple of occasions, usually at dusk - shipwrecks that have frequently hap- but even then (as, unfortunately it is pened there. located on a busy corner) the atmos- Odd occurrences have taken place at phere does not sufficiently restore for the inn for a number of years, and it me to gain any insights. So, even achieved a small measure of local fame though we have settled ourselves down when it was featured in The East Kent for a quiet investigation inside the Mercury for April 24th 1980. In a small churchyard, nothing has been person- article the then landlords David and ally witnessed there during these visits Christine Ellison-Allen, who were told - but if anyone has time on their hands about the ghost when they took pos- it may be worth a look. Perhaps it session of the pub in late 1979, re- might help if we started throwing sticks counted various aspects of the haunt- into the trees to get the conkers. ing. Mr Ellison-Allen commented in the Also in Worth we find that The Crispin article that Inn, one of the two public houses in the “It is not really a ghost - there’s noth- small village has a haunted reputation. ing to see. It’s a poltergeist.” I had originally learnt about the haunt- and his wife Christine added that ing from the cuttings archive at Deal “There’s nothing horrific about her. Public Library in 1995 and I followed She’s just full of mischief”. the reports of witnessed phenomena These paranormal manifestations in- from there as they had been subse- cluded the owners witnessing vases of quently forthcoming and visited the inn flowers being seen to move around on many occasions. (even from table to table), ashtrays on This public house is situated in the the bar have suddenly skidded across village of Worth near Sandwich, and is the bar, drinks have been moved when believed to date from the 1530’s. The the customer had turned away, and building was formerly used for coro- doors have been found mysteriously ner’s inquests in the area; the cellar locked. An employee at the time, Sue used to serve the purpose of a mortu- Copp, had also witnessed some phe- ary, the kitchen where the inquest nomena when serving at the bar, arti- court was held. The ghost is called cles have been observed to move on Georgina, and according to local folk- their own and once a dead fire is al-

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 25

leged to have spontaneously burst into also been observed to switch off for no flames. apparent reason. C 's young daughter An interesting occurrence of the has exhibited fear of sleeping in her above haunting took place on the 12th room upstairs because she was sure January 1995, witnessed by the author that there was something there. and friend Chester (C B), when they One particular incident on Saturday visited the inn for a social evening night 29th May 1999, estimated to be drink. The owners of the inn had, by between 11.30 & 12 (because it oc- this time, changed (owners A & B), but curred after closing time and during the neither was keen to discuss any para- cleaning up), was witnessed by both normal activity at the place and so the owners. After the last customers had initial questioning was not pushed. On left the inn, they were cleaning up the this rare occasion the bar was relatively bar area when they became aware of a quiet and there was little noise. feeling of dread, described by C & D as At 21.30 a wailing/howling noise really nasty, which seemed to hold emitted from a corner of the lounge them fixed to the spot. C claims that room where we were seated, which can she couldn't move for the time that the only be described as being similar to feeling persisted. Both of the ladies no- that of a distressed child. My compan- ticed that there was an amorphous ion wrote down the experience whilst it dark shadow by the second of the was still fresh in his mind. doors (by the large central fireplace). “ A whining whimpering noise, human There was little chance amongst the in origin, emitted from the sofa/chair noise and bustle on our visit the pub, a area sounding like a punished child cry- busy Tuesday night, for any paranor- ing.” mal activity to take place or even to We both agreed that the sound ema- notice it should any occur. Nonetheless, nated from the same area, an empty a cold spot developed at 21.00, as has chair some six feet away from us. A been noticed at the place before, and quick search confirmed that there was one of the exterior lights, one of a pair no one in the area, nor any obvious from the same switch which illuminates cause to the noise. the inn’s sign, which was out for most The Crispin at Worth was re-visited of the evening whilst the other worked on the 8th June 1999, after my friend C perfectly, spontaneously switched on at B informed me of further developments 21.40. This was probably not of para- in the haunting at this popular inn. He normal origin and, not having inspected had visited the pub the week before the wiring or the bulb, a normal expla- and heard the new owners (owners C & nation is probably the best fit. D), talking about being touched on the No phenomena have been noticed in shoulder. the pub since C B’s visit on Thursday In an interview with owner C at 3rd June 1999, and he had been jok- 20.00 on the 8th June I was informed ingly accused by the owners of fright- of other paranormal occurrences that ening away the ghost. The Crispin Inn had been witnessed since the beginning has changed owners once more since of their ownership a few months ear- the investigation above, and with the lier. Of the general phenomena wit- author no longer living in the Deal area, nessed, a chair has been noticed to this avenue of research has closed. It is move on its own, unaccountable noises not known whether the haunting of the have been heard and small objects are Crispin continues. noticed to have moved. The lights have Chris Huff

26 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

moved, items flying off walls and a haunting smell of bluebells wafting through the rooms. Rumour suggests the building is haunted by the spirits of two maids who lived in the attic. It is understood the girls hanged themselves after both became pregnant. The tragedy is said to have happened when the bluebells bloomed, and the building now smells eerily of the flowers. One source who has been research- ing the building, said: “It’s quite true, it’s a very scary situation and staff are not willing to work there at night at all. The Western Telegraph understands I have pleasure in sharing the that Pembrokeshire County Council is usual selection of strange stories investigating, and despite calls for an which have appeared in the media in exorcist, is looking for other explana- recent months. There have been a tions before considering that course of huge number of stories to choose action. from this quarter, and all make fas- “Although there have been no further cinating reading. Sorry I have not reports in the past month, the council been able to include all of them but I has arranged for the building to be in- have tried to incorporate what I can. spected in order to reassure the staff working there.” http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/ news/8137808.EXCLUSIVE__Staff_spooked_by _haunted_day_centre/

Next on the list is from The Sun news- paper, printed on 6th May 2010. It We start this time in the west of the reads: UK. On 5th May 2010, a local Paper, The Inn Spectre The Western Telegraph, reports the A TERRIFIED couple spotted this following: ghostly figure of a weeping girl in the Pembrokeshire County Council mirror of their hotel room - and fled af- to investigate ghostly events ter managing to snap a picture. at Wintern Day Centre, Fish- The "hysterical" pair said she had curly guard locks and a check dress, and was "crying". Strange activity has been experi- They checked straight out of the room enced at the Wintern Day Centre, in which was LOCKED by hotel bosses af- Fishguard, run by Pembrokeshire ter seeing the spine-tingling image, so County Council. The problem has got so no one else could stay there. bad, the staff are believed to be afraid A guest at the Ramada Hotel in Wat- of working there after hours. Unex- ford, Herts, said: "The couple went to plained events include printers printing reception and were hysterical. when not plugged in, keyboards turning "The man said he wanted to get out of upside down overnight, furniture being the room ASAP. Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 27

Next, on 18th May, The Telegraph claims to have solved a 15 year-old mystery, which is well known to those of us who study ‘ghost photos’. It reads: Ghost Picture Mystery Resolved A 15-year-old mystery surrounding a photograph which supposedly showed the ghost of a schoolgirl standing in an inferno has been resolved, after a re- searcher found the image is copied from a postcard. ‘Ghost Girl’ in the mirror? Amateur photographer Tony O'Rahilly "When they were asked why they took the snap while photographing a wanted to move, the man said he had blaze which destroyed Wem Town Hall seen a ghost. Staff didn't believe it but in Shropshire on November 19, 1995. then they were shown the picture. After developing his film, Mr O'Rahilly "They were upset and said the image claimed he had captured an image of a of the child was crying and crying and it young girl wearing old fashioned was moving in the mirror. The guest clothes standing amid the flames star- was properly shaken." ing into the camera lens. An investigation has been launched Mr O'Rahilly, who died in 2005, al- to find out if staff have witnessed ways denied doctoring the photograph spooky occurrences in room No 307. The couple in the room were staying on their own and had no children. A spokesman for the hotel group said: "We have to be careful because we do not want to upset people, so we have closed off the room to check that there is nothing untoward there. "We have to investigate it. Anyone coming in is not given that room until we have done our full investigation. Advertisement "We are speaking to housekeeping to see if there is anything that would sup- port what has been said by the guest." The photograph was taken on Bank Holiday Monday. The spokesman said the hotel would give the room "a good clean out". He added: "We are quite confident there is nothing untoward." Read the full story at: http:// The well known image of a girl in the www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ inferno at Wem Town Hall news/2960673/Ghostly-figure-of-a-weeping-girl

28 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

The postcard of Wem in 1922 appears to show the same girl in the doorway of a shop. Right, and enlargement of the girl from each photograph.

- nicknamed the 'Wem Ghost' - and the and Wem was briefly renamed 'Ghost image made headlines around the Town' attracting hundreds of tourists world. Locals even claimed it was an every year. apparition of 14-year-old Jane Churm The full story can be found at: http:// who accidentally set fire to the town www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7736060/Ghost- hall in 1677. picture-mystery-resolved.html

But eagle-eyed Brian Lear, 77, has On 28th May, The Sun ran with the finally put an end to the mystery after following story: he noticed a striking similarity between Ghost Pushes Pint Off Table the spooky shot and a girl in a postcard A PINT of lager mysteriously crashes which appeared in his local paper. off a table — in the latest spooky inci- The postcard, printed in the Shropshire dent at a haunted pub. Star's Pictures from the Past section, Sean Moore had left his drink unat- shows a street view of Wem in 1922. A tended during the weekly quiz at the young girl standing in a shop doorway New Inn in Gloucester. on the left hand side of the picture But as his back was turned the glass bares an uncanny resemblance to the suddenly slid over the edge of the table Wem Ghost. — and the whole thing was caught on Mr Lear, a retired engineer and taxi CCTV. driver, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, The 14th Century pub has been hav- said: ''It is interesting to compare the ing problems with spirits for centuries, two pictures. with people reporting a host of weird ''I was intrigued to find that she bore goings-on. a striking likeness to the little girl fea- Paranormal investigators are now set tured as the Wem ghost. Her dress and to do a full probe at the pub. headgear appear to be identical.'' Landlord Mark Cooke, 35, said: "I'd The 'Wem Ghost' led to a plaque be- heard all these stories before we ar- ing placed on the newly built town hall rived and was pretty sceptical, like

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 29

most people. "But the moving pint was something else. When I saw it on the CCTV it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "You just can't explain it — the ta- ble's dead steady, the floor's not un- even, and no-one's near it." Legend has it some children were killed in a fire at the pub centuries ago — and the corner where the pint was left is the place where their nanny used The Radio with Marie Paton, whose to watch over them from a rocking father once owned it chair. By coincidence, Lyn Cinderey from The aerodrome has been a source of the Gloucester Active Paranormal Soci- paranormal sightings and sounds for ety was taking part in the quiz when almost a century, with reports of the pint moved. ghostly figures, eerie footsteps and She said: "There were a few people door handles turning, but the mysteri- in the bar, and four people saw this ous wireless broadcasts have had even glass — a full pint — just lift up and fall the most sceptical staff at the station on the floor. The glass didn't even searching for a rational explanation. break. The vintage radio set is kept in a rec- "The rest of us looked around and reation of a 1940s room. Several peo- heard the thud. We just couldn't be- ple have heard Second World War era lieve it. It was right there in the middle broadcasts including the big band of the quiz." sound of the Glenn Miller orchestra and Read the full article on: http:// speeches by Winston Churchill. The www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2991554/ broadcasts come on at random and can Ghost-pushes-pint-off-table.html last for up to half an hour. Technicians who examined it re- And now to my personal favourite moved the back, but found "nothing story of this issue. On 4th June, STV but cobwebs and spiders". and The Daily Record in Scotland ran Read the full story on: http://news.stv.tv/ with the following: scotland/tayside/181127-radio-ghost-mystery-at- Radio ghost mystery at former former-raf-station/ RAF station On 2nd July, the Clitheroe Advertiser A World War Two radio continues to and Times reported the following story: pick up vintage broadcasts despite not 'Ghost' sighting at Nelson having any power. A 70-year-old radio at a Scottish theatre being demolished heritage centre has been picking up There are many stories of theatres vintage broadcasts featuring Winston supposedly having ghosts – but was Churchill and the music of Glen Miller. the Palace Theatre in Nelson haunted? The Pye valve wireless at Montrose Air That's the question posed by Nelson Station, a heritage centre that tells the man Jack Sanderson after he took this story of the men and women who photo of the partially demolished build- served there, has no power and is not ing on Sunday morning. connected to any source of electricity. It clearly shows what appears to be a hooded figure in "the gods" of the thea- 30 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

tre – and Mr Sanderson, of Ripon Street, says it was not in sight when he lined up the shot. "There was nobody around as it was a Sunday. I decided to take a few pho- tos for posterity and when I downloaded them, I saw the shape there. “I have no idea what it is and I could not see it when I took the photo. Many theatres have their ghosts and it makes you think whether the Palace has one," he said. The full story can be read here: http:// The Bristol Old Vic www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/strange-but-true/Ghost- sighting-at-Nelson-theatre.6397794.jp in the theatre. Andrzej Blonski says he has sensed And we stay with Theatre Ghosts as ghostly presences on the stairs before, the subject of our next story. On the and caught a whiff of lavender per- 9th July, the BBC reported the following fume. This distinctive scent has also ac- story from Bristol: companied some of her previous ap- Spooky encounter for Bristol pearances since her death. Old Vic architect A security guard in the 1980s smelled The architect leading the redevelop- lavender in the air while on patrol along ment of the Bristol Old Vic claims to the passageways below the auditorium. have seen the theatre manager who The Alsatian dog by his side froze and worked there 200 years ago. started barking. The guard also says The ghost of Sarah Macready appeared he heard a woman's voice tell him to to Andrzej Blonski as he climbed the "get out" and he felt her breath on his back stairs at lunchtime. He says she face. was wearing a long, white crinoline Andrew Stocker, who gives tours of dress, had black hair and a pretty face. the Bristol Old Vic, said Sarah When he tried to speak to her she van- Macready's hard work was part of the ished. key to the theatre's early success. Mr Blonski told the BBC that he has "She was an actress originally - she never believed in ghosts and - prior to had an affair with William Charles their meeting - was not aware of her Macready. He married her and he basi- legacy at the Bristol Old Vic. cally gave her the keys to the theatre "The thing that really got me was and she worked here for over 10 years. that she smiled like she was a friend "She ran this building seven days a and then she vanished," he said. week and she was an incredible lady." "But then I was really very, very The project manager from the team re- happy - at the moment I'm quite emo- designing the Bristol Old Vic had a tional about it because I think that if more shocking experience. Mr Blonski there is a ghost, it's someone who ca- says that the man was physically res about this building." pushed. He ran away and now will not The architect believes that her smile use the "haunted" staircase. is a sign that she approves of the cur- Mr Blonski says he feels the building rent redevelopment work taking place is alive with its past: "It's got a very

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 31

strong spirit - the spirit of the people plain, and we hope that by making who have passed through it and I con- the images public someone might nect to that. Somehow this place has be able to help. got to me." "We've tested the static camera Read the full account on: http:// we use and it appears to be working news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/ normally, so we really do not newsid_8803000/8803333.stm have an explanation."

Mr Halliwell, who lives in Wigan, On to our last story for this issue. Pub- visited the attraction in September last lished by the news.scotsman.com, it year and sent a scanned image of the goes something like this: infrared photograph he bought at the 'Ghostly' figure is spotted end of the tour to staff at the lurking behind visitors attraction, after spotting an extra It is the underground street said to member in the group. be haunted by ghosts and ghouls from In his accompanying letter, he said: the city's past. And if these images are "I was looking at the photo we had pur- anything to go by, visitors to the Real chased and noted a shadowy figure at Mary King's Close may have good rea- the back of the group, and found it dif- son to be spooked. ficult to make out any of the individ- Staff at the Royal Mile attraction, ual's features. Intrigue got the better of which provides tours of the under- us and we tried to remember how ground closes where people lived, many of us were in the photo that was worked and died hundreds of years taken at the end of the tour. ago, claim a ghostly image has ap- "My partner and I agreed the number peared in two photographs taken dur- ing two separate tours. They were first alerted to the ghostly appearances last September when visi- tor Terence Halliwell pointed out that his souvenir photograph appeared to include an extra person who had not been on the tour. The following month another visitor had a similar experience and after compar- ing the two pictures staff say the ghostly image in both appears to be the same woman. Lisa Robshaw, spokeswoman for the Real Mary King's Close, said: "We've long been associated with supernatural and unexplained stories. We've had sightings of shadowy figures that lurk in the myriad passageways, rooms and corners, and reports of lots of strange noises. These images seem to give us even more evidence. "In both these images there appears to be a blurry ghostly image of a blonde-haired lady which we cannot ex- The original photo

32 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

To The Editor

Blown up, the image of a ghostly woman can clearly be seen we remembered was 17, yet there are 18 in the picture. My partner rang the attraction, which confirmed that only 17 were admitted." Mrs Robshaw denied the latest puz- zler was simply a crafty publicity stunt. It is not the first time a spooky image has been captured on camera at the attraction. In May 2008, the Evening News featured a photo taken at the close that appeared to show a spectral figure. The image was captured just after midnight by the general manager, who was checking that the infrared camera had been switched off for the night.

That’s it for this issue. If you find anything that you think may be of in- terest, please send them to me, Sarah Darnell at: [email protected]

Please keep them coming! Until next time...

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 33

By Alan Murdie

It is with great sadness that I record the search and administrative activities, he death of Tony Cornell who died peacefully at brought a hard-headed, common sense atti- his home in Cambridge in April. Anthony tude, derived from a daytime career in busi- Donald Cornell (‘Tony’) was one of Britain’s ness, Naval service in India, and experience most active scientific ghost hunters, with a in the ring as a plucky amateur boxer in his career spanning some seven decades from youth. From 1964 to the 1980 he also served the late 1940s through to his retirement from as a Cambridgeshire County Councillor. As psychical research in 2003. He investigated chairman of the planning committee between hundreds of reputedly haunted sites in the 1970 and 1979, he was the instigator of the UK and abroad, conducted numerous tests Cambridge Science Park and helped pre- with mediums and witnessed poltergeist phe- serve many historic buildings in the city cen- nomena in conditions he felt precluded any tre from demolition. He was celebrated in normal explanation. planning circles for once seeing off a pack of I will always have a happy memory of Tony land-hungry developers by opening a meet- speaking to the Ghost Club in 1997, at the ing with the words, “Gentlemen, let me say at first meeting I ever chaired. Seeking to pay the beginning, my price is £1 million pounds!” tribute to his tireless investigative work over effectively quashing the scheme and all asso- so many years, I said in my introduction that ciated duplicity at the outset. he was one of the figures in psychical re- As well as possessing a robust sense of search who could be compared to King Priam humour (priceless assets in the rarefied and in The Iliad: “Two generations they have often abstruse world of psychical research) seen rise and fall, and of the third they are Tony also had an interest in many subjects rulers”. At which point Tony lent over and including astronomy, archaeology, local his- cheerfully interrupted, declaring “All right! All tory, palaeontology, photography and wildlife. right! Don’t over do it!” His curiosity could be reckless at times, as Such lively humour was typical of Tony, when he went into the jungles of New Guinea and enhanced his many achievements. A in 1972 and suffered severe insect bites, and graduate of Fitzwilliam College Cambridge, when he set off on an emerald-hunting expe- he was a driving force behind the University’s dition in Colombia in 1980. But it was in psy- Society for Psychical Research for many chical research in which Tony excelled in years, inspiring many undergraduates who practical experimentation and investigation. are still active in parapsychology today. He In 1961 he constructed an ‘earthquake ma- was also the expert treasurer of the Society chine’ to shake the walls of an abandoned for Psychical Research for 20 years and house to test whether tremors might result in served as its vice-president. To both his re- poltergeist-like incidents (then a fashionable

34 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010 theory in scientific circles). His experiment haunted sites in 20 years, including aboard demonstrated that it was not until severe the ship the Queen Mary docked in California structural damage was inflicted that dis- in 1988. Results were negligible suggesting placement of household objects occurred, that either ghosts did not exist, that they indicating that seismic shocks could not ac- could evade detection, or that they existed in count for typical poltergeist manifestations. a deeper level reality than the material world, He also conducted tests exposing the fallibil- a view he alluded to in his impressive semi- ity of human observation, arranging for a man autobiographical book Investigating the Para- dressed as a monk to walk in front of the normal (2002). Like many ghost hunters Tony screen of a Cambridge cinema during the succeeded in finding natural explanations for showing of a well-attended film. The resulting many alleged hauntings, and his research audience survey revealed only a third of debunked fanciful claims for a number of tra- viewers recalled seeing anything unusual, ditional ghosts such as the ‘Green Lady’ of and a considerable number had not even the Golden Lion Hotel, Huntingdon (the leg- been watching the screen! endary mistress of Oliver Cromwell), and the Another revealing example of audience fal- spectres who according to famous mediums libility occurred in 1964 when Tony held a supposedly prowled Sawston Hall near Cam- televised investigation into the haunting of bridge. He also exposed a number of frauds, Morley Hall, Norfolk which was broadcast by though inadvertently, one of Tony’s early ef- Anglia TV (this was years before Ghostwatch forts in research actually created a ghost leg- or Most Haunted graced TV screens). Follow- end in Huntingdonshire. This was the legend ing the transmission, a number of viewers of Juliet Tewslie, whose ghost supposedly telephoned or called into the studio, all stat- haunted the Ferry Boat Inn in the village of ing they had seen a monk-like figure standing Holywell. (You can read this story as a sup- next to him in the broadcast. The footage posedly genuine haunting in numerous ‘true’ was transmitted again in September 1964, ghost guide books – so many it would be an with 27 viewers variously reporting seeing, a embarrassment to list). monk, a lady in a mantilla or a “hooded skull”. In March 1953 Tony and his University so- A re-examination of the footage and the origi- ciety colleagues investigated the claim that a nal site was undertaken by Tony and Alan ghost walked at the Ferry Boat Inn in Holy- Gauld, which concluded that viewers had well, every St Patrick’s Day; March 17th. No misidentified a patch of discoloured stone- ghost materialised and so they light-heartedly work. Their report was later published in the conducted séances in which the spirit of an Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 11th century girl called Juliet Tewslie purport- (‘A Ghost on Television’ JSPR 1969 Vol 45 edly communicated. Juliet had supposedly p.75) but this has not prevented other writers committed suicide in 1050 after a hapless passing it off as a genuine manifestation in love affair with a woodcutter called Thomas the years since (see for example the books of Zoul. They were unconvinced by Ouija mes- Hans Holzer). sages (the name Juliet was principally popu- To overcome such fallibilities in witness larised by Shakespeare 500 years after the testimony, Cornell tirelessly sought hard evi- date obtained in the séance). Interestingly, dence of manifestations by instruments. A many of the purported messages were not pioneer in equipment-based ghost hunting, even received at the Ferry Boat Inn, but in a he was willing to deploy an extensive array of casual séance conducted at the Blue Boar gadgetry at the most isolated and far flung of Tavern in Cambridge, then an all night coffee locations. house where the group stopped on the way In later years he deployed a multi-sensor home. Nonetheless, they decided to try again device SPIDER (Spontaneous Psychophysi- the following year. Word was leaked to the cal Incident Data Electronic Recorder). This press and hundreds of newsmen and sight- combined a video camera, sound sensors seers turned up. The Juliet Tewslie story was and vibration and temperature recording ap- printed as though it was fact, and it has been paratus. It was deployed at over a hundred endlessly recycled in popular ghost books

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 35 ever since as a genuine local tradition. The called a colleague to attend with him immedi- story has grown over the years, with Juliet’s ately. Tony arrived first and heard an account grave supposedly being under a flagstone from the lady that she was haunted by a gin- uncovered in the public bar! On March 17th ger-haired man in a green smoking jacket. 2003 the Ghost Club was delighted to have Suddenly, the lady maintained she could see him as guest of honour when we held a 50th the apparition in the living room with them. anniversary commemoration of events at the Tony could see nothing but at that point his Ferry Boat Inn. In a packed bar (people had colleague arrived. The young man knocked come from as far away as Cornwall and Ire- on the front door and on receiving no reply, land), Tony Cornell told the whole story, stepped inside, the door being open. Seeing much to the bemusement and disappoint- Tony and the lady on the other side of the ment of several locals who believed the story hallway, he then noticed a ginger-haired man of Juliet’s ghost to be a genuinely ancient wearing a green jacket beckoning to him. legend handed down by their families. Tony Thinking it was the lady’s husband, he then cheerfully encouraged us in a public sé- walked in the direction of the figure. As Tony ance experiment, and re-assured nervous and the lady came forward, the man in the observers that ghost hunting was a safe ac- green jacket seemed to vanish away. This tivity. came to light when Tony took his young col- Such incidents might lead to sceptical dis- league aside to berate him for coming into missal of the credibility of all popular ghost the house and walking around uninvited. It stories. However, Tony remained convinced seems both the lady and Tony’s colleague that psychical research was of great impor- had seen the same figure simultaneously in tance, since during his career he personally different positions. witnessed poltergeist phenomena in condi- Whilst he was convinced that a great many tions which satisfied him no normal explana- ghostly incidents could be explained in terms tion was available. These included at Han- of the unconscious mind and the still- nath Hall, the home of Derek Page M.P. near controversial powers of telepathy and psy- Wisbech in 1957. Both Tony and Alan Gauld chokinesis, Tony was never dogmatic, and heard raps that could not be explained and did not rule out the possibility of survival in witnessed objects being unaccountably some form. When speaking on ghosts at the moved. Even sceptics of poltergeist phe- Fortean Times Unconvention in 1995, he em- nomena had to admit their testimony was im- phasised that as regards explanations, “We pressive. These experiences were written up just don’t know” and this remained his posi- for the Journal of the Society for Psychical tion. Research and for the book Poltergeists A moving memorial service was held at (1979) with Alan Gauld. Tony also had first- Fitzwilliam College Chapel on June 20th 2010 hand experience of stone-throwing and noisy (Tony’s birthday) conducted by the Revd. Ian poltergeists, detailed in his own writings. Morris. Many figures from psychical research Sceptics seem to have resolutely shut their paid public and personal tributes. Personally, eyes to these detailed reports. I will always remain very grateful to Tony for Credible testimony was also obtained for a the advice and encouragement he gener- number of hauntings in East Anglia, including ously gave me in many discussions I enjoyed a property Cornell identified as “the Old with him over the years. These took place at House” near Cambridge, and at the Bell Inn both at the offices of the Society for Psychical at Thetford, Norfolk (for which he provided Research in London, and privately at his leads which I have recently been following home in Cambridge, with his wife Alison to up). whom our sympathies go out, and also to his A particularly puzzling incident occurred in family and many friends. 1967 when Cornell received a telephone call Tony Cornell, psychical researcher, born from a lady in a Cambridgeshire village who Histon, Cambridgeshire 20 June 1923; died was convinced her house harboured a ghost. Cambridge 10 April 2010. Tony did not take any details, but instead

36 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 37

From the Archive... The Beginners Guide to Poltergeist Activity By Maurice Grosse

There are two main ing evidence that the theories relating to pol- case is genuine, and not tergeist type phenom- the result of mental in- ena. The first, most stability or misguided popular with scientists, deception, it is neces- if they are interested at sary to establish some all, is that poltergeist facts. It is my experi- activity is the exterior- ence that in the major- isation of part of the hu- ity of poltergeist cases man personality effect- there is a high stress ing physical surround- factor in the back- ings. The second theory ground. I cannot think and the one I favour, is the combi- of a case where there has been nation of this exteriorisation linked genuine activity which has not in- to an outside force. Spiritualists cluded some element of stress, even usually interpret that exterior force when the victims deny it exists. It is as the spirit of a dead person. Oth- the high stress situation which I be- ers would say it is some sort of en- lieve precedes the manifestation of tity that is beyond our understand- psychic activity. My belief in this ing. stems from experience, I have no When investigating a poltergeist explanation why it should be so. type case, it is essential to establish The main tools for an investigator whether it is a genuine manifesta- should be a tape recorder, a cam- tion or an aberration of the people era, and if possible a video camera, involved. In the latter case, they but do not be obtrusive with any may believe it’s a poltergeist, but equipment. A pad and pencil will al- they are mistaken. It is something ways suffice to begin with and the they are causing themselves – not introduction of a tape recorder is not paranormally, but normally – yet, usually objected to after the prelimi- they are unaware of the fact. naries are dealt with. Providing Good investigative techniques only there are no objections, cameras come with experience, but the be- can be introduced at a later stage. ginner should always try to establish If you are called into an active and a sympathetic rapport with the ongoing case, you might be lucky ‘victims’. Once this is done it makes enough to experience some activity, it easier to see the kind of case one in which case you will be extremely is faced with, but if there is convinc- fortunate, specially if you manage to

38 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010 record the activity, but in the major- planations to what is happening. At ity of cases you will have to be con- all times be careful to say that it is tent with the victims descriptions very rare indeed for anyone to be and evidence, if possible, of inde- hurt through the actions of a polter- pendent witnesses. It is very useful geist. My experience is that fear of in understanding a case if you get the unknown in any form, tends to the people involved to record and prolong the activity. analyse their own experiences. In- Although I have used the word stead of approaching them with the ‘victim’ here, I never use it to the attitude that you are the expert and people involved. I usually describe you are going to sort it out, you say them as special people who are hav- “I’ve come to help you, and we are ing a very special experience, which going to sort it out together”. is in fact, the truth of the matter. I In some cases you will be faced cannot emphasise too much the im- with the victims genuine fear of the portance of building up confidence unknown, and you may even see between investigators and all other signs of genuine terror. This is a parties. If it is a very active case, it most difficult situation to deal with should help you to obtain the evi- and requires a very sympathetic ap- dence you are seeking and if it is a proach. If on the other hand they comparatively mild case, it will help take a very spiritualistic attitude to you bring things back to normal in a the phenomena, you may have short time. Be on your guard from great difficulty convincing them that sensation and publicity seekers and there are alternative explanations to don’t be surprised to find that if chil- their predicament. dren are involved, they may be Don’t try and give explanations playing some tricks. This is quite from the word go, because it is fa- common as children will imitate the tal; the chances are that your expla- real phenomena if it is taking place. nations right at the start will be re- However, do not make the mistake jected if the witnesses are of a dif- of immediately dismissing a case ferent frame of mind. As you pro- because you discover tricks, you gress you can explain what you may be turning your back on a think a poltergeist is, but never be genuine case. This is where perse- adamant about it. With our present verance is called for; not always an knowledge of the subject, there are easy situation. no certainties. This is where I think To sum up, if you want to be a the spiritualists often make mistakes good investigator, first and foremost when they investigate poltergeist know your subject. Be alert, tactful type activity. If they say that it is and objective. Try not to be influ- definitely the spirit of a dead person enced by your own and other peo- interfering with their lives, it can ple’s prejudices and last but not cause extreme distress in certain least, don’t forget that good old cases. If you wish to be a scientific common sense shouldn’t fly out of investigator you should present your the window just because the polter- theories as facts, only possible ex- geist may have come in the door!

Summer 2010 The Ghost Club Journal 39

The Ghost Club Founded 1862 PO Box 910 Ipswich IP1 9PT THE COUNCIL Chairman Events Officer Alan Murdie Philip Hutchinson [email protected] [email protected]

General Secretary Treasurer Mark Salmon Lance Railton [email protected] [email protected]

Journal Editor Web Design Sarah Darnell Philip Carr [email protected] [email protected]

Press Officer Scientific Officer Paul Foulsham [email protected] [email protected]

Membership Secretary Investigations Organiser Paul Collins Derek Green [email protected] [email protected] GHOST CLUB ADVISORS Advisors Legal Advisor WTG Perrott Alan Murdie, LLB Barrister Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe Keith Morbey The Ghost Club website is at www.ghostclub.org.uk

Issued to Members only Not For Resale

Please note that all views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the

editor or of the Ghost Club.

40 The Ghost Club Journal Summer 2010

Copyright : The Ghost Club. All rights reserved.