by Derek Acorah
The castle is south of the town centre, off Castle Lane. There is a car park, woodland walks and picnic spots.
Pevensey Castle
Pevensey Castle, strategically situated on the south coast, was originally built by the Romans as a fortress around AD 290. William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey and rested at the fort before moving down the coast for the Battle of Hastings (see page 160). During the Middle Ages the castle itself saw many battles and during the Second World War it was renovated in preparation for the expected invasion of Britain. Today much of the Roman fort remains, together, somewhat incongruously, with World War II pillboxes and gun emplacements. Not surprisingly the castle retains a military air and according to legend ghostly armies still fight here too. They have rarely been seen, but the sounds of battle are often said to ring out across the coast.
The castle is also haunted by ‘the Pale Lady’. She is said to be Lady Joan Pelham, who lived at the castle at the end of the fourteenth century. Her husband, Sir John, went off to fight in support of Bolinbroke’s claim to the throne, leaving his wife at the castle. Eventually it was besieged and overrun by the forces of Richard II. Lady Joan’s ghost now walks the outer walls at dusk, looking in vain for help from her husband.
In 1976 four young men who were ‘larking about’ were so terrified when they saw ‘the Pale Lady’ that they reported the matter to the custodian and by so doing admitted that they were trespassing.
Pevensey Castle, High Street, Pevensey, East Sussex, BN24 5LE; Tel: (01323) 762604. Open daily April–September; weekends only October–March. Closed 24–26 December and 1 January.
DEREK’S TIP
Use trigger objects. These may be coins, a cross, a book or any object which lends itself easily to being placed on a plain sheet of paper and drawn around. Place the object in a sealed room, preferably with a video camera that has a lens wide enough to encompass the whole sheet of paper. If you are fortunate you may find that the object has been moved by a spirit entity.
The Royal Victoria Country Park
The Royal Victoria Country Park comprises 200 acres of woods and parkland overlooking Southampton Water. It is a haven for many different kinds of wildlife and 118 bird species have been recorded there. Football and cricket matches, bus and caravan rallies, craft fairs and dog shows have all been held in the park and it welcomes around 360,000 visitors each year.
The park was once the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital, which became the country’s main military hospital after it opened in 1863. Although architecturally very grand, it was not practical and the design was criticized by Florence Nightingale. Nevertheless, thousands of patients were treated there, particularly during the First World War. However, the high cost of running the building eventually led to its closure in 1958. In June 1963 it was damaged by a fire, which was probably arson, and most of the building was demolished three years later.
The site of the former hospital is haunted by a lady in a grey crinoline dress. She is said to be the ghost of a young Victorian nurse who gave her soldier boyfriend a fatal overdose by mistake. When he died, she climbed the chapel tower and jumped to her death. Afterwards, her appearance in the hospital was considered to be a sign that someone would die the next morning.
The Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 5GA; Tel:023 8045 5157; Fax:023 8045 2451
Theatre Royal Winchester
Theatrical tradition holds that ghostly sightings, rather than being a sign of malevolent spirits, are a sign of good fortune. All of which is good news for anyone attending Theatre Royal Winchester, where there have been a number of sightings throughout the theatre’s rich history.
Theatre Royal Winchester is believed to have at least two ghosts, although no sightings were reported from the time of its refurbishment and subsequent reopening in 2001 until a psychic investigation in 2005.
One of the ghosts is believed to be that of John Simpkins who, with his brother James, converted the Market Hotel into the Theatre Royal in 1913. The cartouche on the proscenium arch over the stage originally bore the initials ‘JS’. The story goes that John would have preferred the initials ‘J&JS’ to be engraved. James promised his brother that the omission would be corrected, but he never kept his word. John died and his ghost is reputed to return from time to time to check whether his brother ever changed the initials.
Before the theatre’s latest refurbishment, John’s apparition used to emerge from the small dressing-room he once used as his office. The ghost would then walk around the circle, stop in one of the boxes and turn and inspect the cartouche before disappearing through a wall.
Another ghost seen at the theatre during World War I was that of a spotlight operator who had left to serve in the army. One night during a performance of Soldiers of the King, one of the cast fainted on stage. When questioned, she claimed to have seen the spotlight operator standing in the wings wearing his uniform even though he was known to be at the front. The next day the boy’s mother received a telegram to say that her son had been killed in action.
Other apparitions have also been seen, including a young girl dancing across the stage, and figures have been seen walking through walls. An investigation by the UK Society of Paranormal Investigation in April 2005 detected the presence of several entities. Investigators heard a voice coming from the stage, music playing, footsteps and unexplained noises, and figures were seen in the upper and lower circle and also in the atrium, which was once the backyard of cottages which stood next to the original theatre. The Society called it ‘one of the strangest investigations so far’ and planned to return to investigate further. It will certainly be worth their while; because unexplained noises and sightings of the spotlight operator and the dancing girl continue to be reported, even today.
Theatre Royal Winchester, Jewry Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8SB; Tel. (01962) 840440; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.theatre-royal-winchester.co.uk
DEREK’S TIP
If you are tempted to try to invoke spirit people without the presence of a trained medium, do ensure that you offer up a prayer of self-protection first.
Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle lies half a mile from the village of Tintagel on the wild and windswept Cornish coast. It was built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, younger brother of Henry III, between 1230 and 1236 on the site of a Norman castle and even older stronghold known as Din Tagell. It is a place of mystery and romance, linked to the legends of King Arthur.
The story runs that Arthur was born at Tintagel after the wizard Merlin had disguised King Uther Pendragon as Duke Gorlois of Cornwall and so gained him admittance to the castle. Another legend has the infant Arthur being washed up on the beach by Merlin’s cave. This cave is said to be haunted by Merlin himself. Extensive excavations have been carried out on the site since the 1930s and archaeologists have found that it was inhabited as early as the fifth century. By the mid-fifteenth century, however, the medieval castle was in ruins. Legend has it, though, that once a year it can be seen in all its former glory and that it is inhabited by the ghost of King Arthur.
Tintagel Castle, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 0HE; Tel: (01840) 770328; Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk.Open daily, apart from 24–26 December and 1 January.
The Trout Inn
The Trout Inn, a traditional pub and restaurant, is located in a beautiful spot near a weir on the River Thames north of Oxford overlooking Trout Island. Parts of the inn date back over 700 years. It has been featured in Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse series of novels and TV dramas, and Colin Dexter himself reopened it after refurbishment in 2002. It is home to peacocks, swans and herons and a ghost, Rosamund the Fair, known as the White Lady.
Rosamund Clifford was a nun who lived in Godstow nunnery, which lies on the opposite bank of Trout Island. King Henry II was in love with her and it is said that he kept her in a secret garden protected by a labyrinth. One of his knights guarded the entrance
, holding the end of a silver thread which led through the maze to Rosamund. However, Henry’s queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was jealous of Rosamund, especially after she had had the king’s child. She killed the knight, stole the thread and forced Rosamund to drink from a poisoned chalice. Now the ghost of Rosamund haunts the Trout Inn. Many people claim to have seen her shadowy figure wandering through the gardens. In addition, Rosamund makes her presence known by knocking wine bottles off tables and standing behind people in the bar area. Staff and customers have also experienced cold patches around the pub.
The Trout Inn,195 Godstow Road, Lower Wolvercote, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 8PN; Tel: (01865) 302071. Offers traditional British food, a beer garden and braziers for roasting chestnuts in autumn.
Westbury Swimming Pool
Westbury lies on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. In medieval times it was a part of the wool and cloth industry. It is also noted for leatherwork, glovemaking and the 300-year-old white horse, the oldest of the white horses of Wiltshire, which was once cut in the chalk of Westbury Hill, but has since been covered in concrete and painted white.
The Church Street baths were given to the town by mill owner William Laverton and were opened in 1887, making this the longest-serving swimming pool in the country. The grand Victorian architecture remains to this day. As well as a swimming pool, Westbury baths now offer a health suite with sauna cabin and steam room.
The pool is said to have a resident ghost called George. Over the years he has been seen several times. Some say he is a swimmer who jumped off the pool balcony to his death, while others say he is the ghost of an old boiler stoker. This may be more likely, as he has been seen at the pool edge dressed in overalls.
Westbury Swimming Pool, Church Street, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3BY; Tel: (01373) 822891; Fax: (01373) 859924. Swimming lessons available. Pool available for private hire.
Yeovil Railway Station Buffet
The buffet at Yeovil railway station offers a variety of tasty meals and snacks for passengers travelling through the West Country. It is haunted by the ghost of a woman called Molly. The story runs that she was in service at the beginning of the twentieth century and had an affair with the lord of the manor. When she became pregnant her husband took up a gun and went after the man, but he was apprehended, tried at Dorchester Assizes and hanged for attempted murder. Molly herself committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a train at Yeovil station.
Now every year during the last few weeks of September there are a variety of paranormal phenomena in the station buffet. The room regularly becomes icy cold at 10 o’clock in the morning, electrical equipment switches itself on and off of its own accord and plates are lifted off the shelves or move along the counter and fall gently to the floor, usually without breaking. Several customers have seen this happening and a young man working in the buffet was once hit on the head by a flying plate. The disturbances build up to 10 October and then everything falls quiet again. It is presumed that this is the date of Molly’s death.
Since the buffet was rewired in August 2004, the paranormal electrical activity has ceased, but plates are still being moved around whenever Molly makes her annual visit.
The Wagon Train Buffet, Yeovil Junction Station, Stoford, Nr Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9UU; Tel: (01935) 410420
WALES
Barmouth
The Baskerville Hall Hotel, Hay-on-Wye
Carew Castle
Ewloe Castle
The Grand Theatre, Swansea
Gwydir Castle
Laugharne
Maesmawr Hall Hotel, Newtown, Powys
The Mason’s Arms, Kidwelly
Miskin Manor Country Hotel, Pontyclun
The Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans
Powis Castle
Prestatyn Promenade
Ruthin Castle Hotel
The Salutation Inn, Pontargothi
Tintern Abbey
Tredegar House, Newport, Gwent
Wales, the land of the Red Dragon. The national symbol of the country has been around since at least the time of the Romans, though no one really knows where it came from.
Wales is a country with a landscape rich in natural wonders and memories of the past. There are caves and cairns, standing stones and Roman remains, ancient ruins of abbeys and castles. Legends abound, such as the one about the mythical giant Idris who is said to dwell on Cader Idris in southern Snowdonia. Anybody spending a night on the peak will supposedly wake up either blind, mad or a poet. How could this country not also be rich in the ghosts of long ago?
I have travelled frequently to Wales both whilst filming LIVINGtv’s Most Haunted and while appearing in various theatres throughout the country. I have appeared at the Grand Theatre in Swansea (see page 216) and although I have not conducted an investigation of the premises, I have been very aware of the shade of a lady who walks the corridors and dressing rooms, especially at night when the audience have taken their leave and the place is as silent as the grave.
Barmouth
Each year I do my best to appear at the Dragon Theatre in Barmouth (and there’s a ghost or two there!), though I have yet to visit the town in anything other than wet and windy weather.
I was first introduced to Barmouth by my friends Marie Flavell and her husband, the legendary fast bowler Jack Flavell. Sadly, Jack passed to the world of spirit in 2004, but he was a man amongst men and I will always treasure the time we spent together.
Barmouth is well worth a visit from anybody conducting a paranormal investigation. Apart from its rich history there are plenty of legends and tales of inexplicable events there.
Some of these have been recorded by the well-known English ghost-hunter Elliot O’Donnell. He wrote about fishermen’s tales of mysterious lights, or ‘death-tokens’, which hovered over the boats of those who were doomed to drown within the next few days. This may be fishy or illuminating, depending on your point of view, but be careful if you step off dry land at Barmouth.
Several sightings of strange creatures have been reported over recent years, from the traditional sea serpent to a creature resembling a giant turtle with an egg-shaped head and two spines jutting from its back.
The Dragon Theatre, Jubilee Road, Barmouth, Gwynedd; Tel: (01341) 280392
DEREK’S TIP
Remember that spirit people deserve the same respect that you would give a person living on Earth. It is ludicrous to expect a spirit person to respond to verbal abuse, for example. If you were that spirit person, would you respond to a person who treated you with respect or a person who used foul language and insults?
The Baskerville Hall Hotel
Baskerville Hall was built in 1839 by Thomas Mynors Baskerville. Arthur Conan Doyle was a family friend who often came to stay. While he was there he learned of the local legend of the hound of the Baskervilles and used it in a famous case for his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. However, at the request of his friends he set the book in Devon to ward off tourists. Today the Sherlock Holmes connection is reflected in most rooms of the comfortable hotel.
The hotel is said to be one of the most haunted in Wales. Many ghosts have been seen there, including a gentleman on the grand staircase, a lady in white in the rose garden and a man who walks between the adjoining balconies of rooms 3–7. Orbs of light have also been photographed there.
The Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys HR3 5LE; Tel: (01497) 820033; Fax: (01497) 820596; E-mail: enquires@ baskerville-hall. co.uk; Website: www.baskervillehall.co.uk. Paranormal investigation weekends are available.
Carew Castle
The ruins of the tenth-century Carew Castle stand alongside the Daugleddau river in the Pembrokeshire National Park in a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest overlooking a 23-acre millpond. Over half the species of bat in Britain are to be found there. During the 1990s the site was excavated by an archaeological team from Lampeter University, who were able to show that the area had been settled as early as the Roma
n period. The name Carew could derive from the Welsh for ‘fort’, caer, and ‘small hill’, rhiw, or from caerau, ‘forts’.
The castle grounds have a remarkable collection of unusual trees, shrubs and rhododendrons, and close by is the eleventh-century Celtic Cross and the restored Carew tidal mill, the only one of its kind in Wales still intact.
The castle is haunted by three ghosts. One is believed to be the beautiful Princess Nest, the ‘Helen of Wales’. Henry I fell in love with her and after she had borne him a son he arranged for her to go back to Wales and marry Gerald de Windsor, an Anglo-Norman baron who was much older than her. Carew was part of her dowry. Later, in 1109, it was captured by the Welsh prince Owain ap Cadwgan who had been overcome by Nest’s beauty at a banquet. Gerald is said to have saved his and his children’s lives by escaping down a toilet and hiding in the sewers while Nest stayed behind. Six years later he managed to rescue her, along with two children she had had by Owain, and to kill Owain, but died in battle shortly afterwards. Nest’s ghost is said to haunt the ruins, waiting for him to return. Her white figure once appeared in a group photograph of schoolchildren visiting the castle.