GhostHuntAdvisor

27/03/2022

08/03/2022

I need your help. I'm trying to do some research on Ghost Hunts/Paranormal Investigations. I have put together a short survey form on Google forms to fill out. It should take you all of about 1 minute to fill out if you want to help me.

The survey results are for my research purposes only and won't be shared with anyone else. If this is not something you are interested in but you know somebody that is. Please share to as many people as you know.

Please visit the Bit.ly link here to start - Paranormal Survey
https://bit.ly/3tDPQZF

Thanks again everyone
Mike

We would love to hear your thoughts or feedback of the Paranormal Investigation field

03/03/2022

Spooky

03/03/2022

Ostrich Inn
High Street, Colnbrook, Slough, GB SL3 0JZ

T: +44 1753 682628
WWW: https://ostrichcolnbrook.co.uk/

About
The foundations of The Ostrich were laid in 1106, when Henry I was on the throne by Milo Crispen. It stands opposite the 17 mile stone from London. It was originally named ‘The Hospice’ but over the centuries it has been corrupted to it’s current name; The Ostrich.

As with most historic buildings, The Ostrich has seen it’s fair share of murders and they say that over 60 were committed here. Most famous of all were those committed in the 17th century by the landlord of the time, Jarman, who with his wife made a very profitable sideline by murdering their guests after they had retired for the night.

They had a trap door built into the floor of one of their bedrooms and when a suitably rich candidate arrived Jarman would inform his wife that a fat pig was available if she wanted one! She would reply by asking her husband to put him in the sty for till the morrow. The bedstead was hinged and they would tip the sleeping victim into a vat of boiling liquid immediately below, thus killing him.

Jarman and his wife’s activities came to an end when their greed got the better of them and they plotted to kill a well known clothier Thomas Cole. After persuading him to make his will before he retired, Jarman killed Cole. Unfortunately Cole’s horse was found wandering the streets nearby and caused a search for his owner who had been last seen entering The Ostrich! His body was found some time later in a nearby brook and some say that this Cole-in-the-brook is how Colnbrook got its name. It’s a nice story but whether it is true or not, who’s to say!

Other historical visitors to the Ostrich include Dick Turpin who used the Inn as a hideout, escaping the Bow Street Runners by jumping out of a window and King John who is rumoured to have stopped at the Inn on the way to Runnymede to sign the Magna Carta.

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03/03/2022

Chillingham Castle
Chillingham, Alnwick Northumberland, UK
NE66 5NJ

T: +44 (0)1668 215359
WWW: https://chillingham-castle.com/

About
The 12th century stronghold became the fully fortified Chillingham Castle in 1344 and the family bloodline has remained ever since. We have the document giving the Royal permissions to add battlements. The castle was much besieged and battled, and the family all went off to those early wars in France.

They captured a Norman castle in 1409 and were made Earls of Tankerville, and were even made Dukes in their early warrior days. There are many mentions in Shakespeare and in Royal archives. The many commanding generals of the castle include a record eighteen Knights of the Garter.

Royal appointments were balanced out by no less than eight Executions for high treason! Family members chose different sides to support, and so Chillingham Estates survived and the loser always had ‘a friend at court’.

Chillingham occupied a strategic position during Northumberland’s bloody border feuds. Chillingham Castle was often under attack and often basked in the patronage of Royal visitors, a tradition that remains to this day. Sir Henry Wakefield was Treasurer of England to King Edward IV and, in the last century, Sir Humphry’s father, Sir Edward Wakefield, was both Treasurer and Comptroller of the Queen’s Household. In 1245, King Henry III came to Chillingham as did the Kings Edward I and James I. Charles I stayed here for three frantic nights shortly before he was imprisoned. Edward VIII came to hunt here, and members of today’s Royal family continue the tradition with private visits to the castle this century.

The mediaeval castle remains as it was, just with galleries that you see today added in Tudor days, for the visit of King James VI of Scotland. The King was en route to his English coronation as James I of England. The castle commander of that day was Queen Elizabeth’s godchild. He was the ‘go-between’ for the English/Scottish courts during those difficult times of the royal succession and kept fascinating diaries of those days.

In the 18th century, Capability Brown’s ideas re-landscaped the grounds, and Robert Adam’s pupil, Paterson, worked on the East wing. In 1832, King Louis Philippe of France came to stay and gave us fine urns from his Versailles Palace. Extravagant gardens and avenues were laid out for the royal visit by Sir Jeffry Wyatville, fresh from his triumphs at Windsor Castle.

Throughout the centuries the castle’s architectural detail and massive walls have remained unchanged. The medieval strength and character remains.

Events Hosted by:

  Chillingham Castle is a 13th century, Grade 1 Star-listed stronghold in Northumberland, famed for action and battles. With its…

03/03/2022

Athelhampton House
Athelhampton DT2 7LG

T: 01305 848363
WWW: https://www.athelhampton.com/

About
Athelhampton is one of England's finest Tudor Manors. The Great Hall built in 1485 remains greatly unchanged with a mainly original
hammer-beam roof, carved stonework, stained glass and other details.

The house survives due to its complex ownership through the years.

Events Hosted by:

Athelhampton House & Gardens, Tudor House Visitor Attraction set in the heart of Dorset, enjoy the historic house, explore the gardens and enjoy a cream tea in the Coach House restaurant.

26/02/2022

Castle Menzies
Weem, Aberfeldy, Perthshire PH15 2JD

T: +44 (0)1887 820982
WWW: https://www.castlemenzies.org/

About
Castle Menzies is a spectacular sixteenth century Scottish castle, restored during the twentieth century by the Menzies Clan Society. Architecturally fascinating, it is a splendid Renaissance example of the transition in Scottish castles from earlier rugged Highland fortresses to later mansion houses.

The Castle was the seat of the Chiefs of Clan Menzies for over 500 years. Situated in a strategic location, it was involved in much of the turbulent history of the Highlands. During the second Jacobite rising the Castle first hosted both Bonnie Prince Charlie, who rested on his way to Culloden in 1746 and then, just four days later, the Duke of Cumberland, son of the British Monarch and commander of the Government forces.

Rescued as a ruin in 1957 by the then recently re-formed Menzies Clan Society, the Castle has been lovingly restored by generations of Society members and was placed into a charitable trust in 1993. It is open to all as a visitor attraction, museum, Clan centre for the Menzies Clan and venue for weddings, concerts and other hire. We use all proceeds exclusively for our continued restoration and maintenance of the Castle, its Walled Garden and the Old Kirk of Weem.

Events Hosted by:

Website of Castle Menzies and The Menzies Charitable Trust. Spectacular sixteenth century Scottish castle open to visitors and for private hire and weddings

26/02/2022

Inveraray Jail
Argyll, Scotland, PA32 8TX

T: 01499 302381
WWW: https://www.inverarayjail.co.uk/

About
For many centuries, Inveraray, the seat of the Duke of Argyll, was the principal county town of Argyll. From the mid-18th century the courts met in the Town House on Front Street, and the ground floor below the courtroom served as the county prison. Conditions were terrible for the prisoners, who ‘walked in a grated piazza in front of their Cells, just in line of the principal street, and exposing the miserable appearance of their apartments and furniture to shock the feelings of every passer bye’. There were so many escapes from this building that at times the townspeople had to take turns in guarding it! Judges threatened to move the courts from Inveraray unless new premises were found.

New Courthouse and Prison
Well-known Edinburgh architect Robert Reid drew up plans for a new Courthouse and Prison in 1807, which included separate prison blocks for men, women and debtors. But this has to be shelved due to lack of funds.

Reid’s proposals were, however, later adapted by the architect James Gillespie Graham. He simplified the design of the Courthouse and reduced the prison accommodation to one eight cell block. Work started on the new buildings in 1816 and was completed in 1820.

The Jail and Courthouse opened in 1820 and remained unchanged until 1843 when the Airing Yards were built. These provided a secure place where prisoners could be exercised in the open air.

In 1848 the New Prison was completed. This was a model prison for its day with 12 individual cells, a water closet on every floor, accommodation for warders, a store room and indoor exercise gallery. It was also well heated and lit by gas, a far cry from the dark and damp original prison building.

Closure and Decline
The Jail finally closed on the 30th of August 1889. By this time, in comparison to the larger city prisons, the smaller county jails were expensive and inefficient to run.

As a town Inveraray gradually declined in importance. It was difficult to reach and with the disappearance of the herring, it was no longer a significant fishing port. The Circuit Court met only twice in Inveraray after 1900, and moved to Oban in 1953. The Sheriff Court was removed to Dunoon in 1954. The rarely used courthouse and empty prisons gradually fell into disrepair. Fortunately, their significance as the finest 19th-century County Courthouse and Prison in Scotland was recognised.

Reopening to the Public
The Scottish Office undertook an extensive renovation and in May 1989, almost a hundred years after the last prisoners departed, Inveraray Jail opened to the public. It now attracts visitors from all over the world and continues to be one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions.

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26/02/2022

The Watermillock
Crompton Way, Bolton, Greater Manchester
BL1 8TJ

T: 01204 591798
WWW: https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/restaurants/north-west/boltonlancashire

About
Built originally built for Mr Thomas Thwaites, of Bank House, Sharples, head of the firm of Eden and Thwaites, bleachers, the house was still unfinished when he died on 21 October 1882 at the age of 49. He was a Conservative, being one of the first members of the Astley Bridge Local Board from 1864 73, and again from 1877 until his death. He was also a Churchman, gifting the organ to St. Paul’s, Astley Bridge.

The building of Watermillock was commenced in 1880. After his death it was completed by his executors and his son and for a time Mr. T H Thwaites lived there. Situated on an attractive site overlooking an attractive part of the Bradshaw Brook, on the Meetings estate, it was one of the largest residences in Bolton. The house was originally approached from Seymour Road at the end of which stood the porter’s lodge.

Two handsome gateways of elaborate wrought iron hung on massive and curiously carved stone pillars. One gateway led to the house and the other to the stable block, a two storey building with a large coach house, harness room and hay loft. Standing on the highest part of the grounds, the house consists of the main building linked to a single storey block that was formerly divided to form a billiard room and smoking room.

The main house is stone faced and square in plan. A fine porch to the main entrance is flanked by buttresses, each with a griffin holding a shield. Over the richly moulded entrance arch there is carved a coat of arms. The house is built in an Elizabethan style which may owe some debt to the stone wing of Hall i’th’ Woods which tops the opposite bank of the stream, a resemblance shown chiefly in the mullioned windows and in the pitched gables. The massive character of the house due to its squareness is relieved by the projecting gables and imposing dormers. Although substantial, the house, with its large and well-proportioned rooms still gives the impression of homeliness. Covered in Westmorland green slates, the roof is treated in various ways to achieve a skyline.

Before the war, Dr Schofield bought the house for use as a hospital. During the war it became a military hospital Afterwards it became a retreat house, used extensively by parties from the Manchester Diocese under the supervision of a resident warden. The late Col Hesketh JP, was greatly involved with the retreat and was in fact the owner of the house at the time of his death. However, in 1990 the Diocesan authorities decided to give it up and concentrate all diocesan retreats at St. Hilda’s Rossendale. For four years, the house remained unoccupied although parties of Scouts were allowed to camp in the grounds. Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries purchased the property in 1994 and converted it into a restaurant and bar.

Deckers Restaurants Ltd subsequently bought out W & D in October 1999and carried out a complete refurbishment of the ground floor at a cost of ,0.5 million. Further proposals include a 50 bedroomed hotel to be built at the rear and additional function rooms

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Located on Crompton Way in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Experience a real carvery at the home of the roast. Menus, opening times and book a table.

26/02/2022

Tivoli Venue
Brunswick Road, Buckley, Flintshire CH7 2EF

T: 01244 546 201
WWW: http://tivolivenue.com/

About
The original Central Hall was built in 1880 and was used to show ‘the new’ silent films as well as being home to a host of travelling showmen. The hall was demolished in 1920 and, in 1925; the Tivoli Theatre (Buckley Picture House Ltd) was built on the same site – an extension of almost half a century of amazing history.

The current venue has undergone a number of transformations over the past 90 years, but despite all its makeovers the old cinema (or as we call it ‘The Theatre of Dreams’) is still untouched, retaining all its original early 20th Century features, even after the fatal fire in the mid-1940s. Interestingly, much of the damage caused by the fire has not been repaired, giving parts of the building an intimidating appearance and an often unnervingly chilling atmosphere.

The Tivoli has hosted many bands over the years, including the legendary Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the early ‘70s, and many Britpop bands, including Oasis, in the ‘90s. Whilst it remains to this day a well-loved and popular venue visited by many famous artists, never be mistaken when you walk through these doors…this is no ordinary rock concert!

There are numerous tales of friendly and sometimes malevolent ghosts and spirits who reside in and walk through the building and a high level of ‘paranormal activity’ has already been recorded – independently and in-house. You can be in the old cinema/theatre, the dressing rooms, the cellar, the stage area and even the offices and know someone is always watching you (and we don’t mean via CCTV!). You are never alone at the Tivoli!

Tivoli Staff – past and present (and visiting mediums and ghost hunters) – all have their own individual stories to tell about their own extraordinary and unexplainable experiences in different parts of the building.

But WE want to know what YOU think… Come and join us in our Tivoli Haunting Ghost Hunts… if you’re brave enough???

In the first 5 months of 2015, and recognising what we believe is its unique attraction, the venue and the Team have appeared on Most Haunted, Cuppa TV, Radio Deeside and 60 minutes with!

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The Tivoli Venue has been a stoic landmark on the Flintshire map for a lifetime and is renowned for having brought the very best live entertainment to North Wales over many decades. We continue to deliver acts from across all genres, and occasions for you to remember for many more years to come. Com...

26/02/2022

Ruthin Gaol
Denbighshire Record Office Yr Hen Garchar 46 Clwyd Street, Ruthin, LL15 1HP

T: +44 1824 708281
WWW: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/leisure-and-tourism/museums-and-historic-houses/ruthin-gaol.aspx

About
Ruthin gaol is the only purpose-built Pentonville style prison open to the public as a heritage attraction. People can spend time exploring its nooks and crannies and learn about life in the Victorian prison system. See how the prisoners lived their daily lives: what they ate, how they worked, and the punishments they suffered. Explore the cells including the punishment, 'dark' and condemned cell. Find out about the Welsh Houdini and William Hughes who was the last man to be hanged there.

Events Hosted by:

The official webpage of Ruthin Gaol. Provides information on opening times and more.

26/02/2022

Fort Paull
Battery Road, Kingston-upon-Hull, HU12 8FP

T: +44 1482 896236
WWW: TBA

About
During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the primary fortification for the protection of the important port at Kingston-upon-Hull was the Hull Citadel. Located at the mouth of the confluence between the Rivers Hull and Humber, directly adjacent to the town and port, it had been built in 1681 incorporating the earlier Hull Castle and a Tudor blockhouse. During the Napoleonic Wars it was augmented by additional earthwork batteries at Spurn Head and Paull Point. The latter, which is located four miles upstream from the port on the northern banks of the river, was an earthwork battery equipped with six 24-pounder guns. This site had previously been fortified during the Civil War when Royalist forces, who were besieging the pro-Parliamentary town, had built an earthwork fort to prevent supplies being brought up the Humber.

The Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815 and thereafter a long period of peace followed. However, in December 1851 Louis-Napoleon, President of France, declared himself Emperor Napoleon III. This prompted fears in England that there would be a resumption of the Anglo-French wars. These tensions passed quickly as the two countries worked together during the Crimea War (1853-56). However, in 1858 the French launched the world's first seagoing Ironclad warship, 'La Gloire' (the Glory), starting an arms race with Britain. This armoured warship instantly rendered the wooden sailing ships of the Royal Navy obsolete and prompted fears of invasion. A Royal Commission was established to review coastal defence and that body recommended a vast fort building programme across the country. Although Stallingborough Battery had been built on the North Lincolnshire coast in the late 1850s, the commission felt this small six-gun installation was insufficient to defend the Humber and accordingly Paull Point Battery (which today is known as Fort Paull) was constructed.

The battery was built between 1861 and 1864. It was laid out as an irregular pentagon with its main armament - consisting of nineteen 64-pounder Rifled Muzzle Loading guns - installed in open batteries upon the south, west and eastern ramparts. On its landward side the battery was protected by a dry ditch into which protruded a bastion and two demi-caponiers.

In 1886 the battery was adapted to serve as a submarine mining centre capable of deploying shore controlled, electronically operated mines across the Humber in times of war. A pier was constructed to the north of the fort to support this activity. Shortly after, the weapons fit of the battery was also modified to take into account the development of the Fast Motor Torpedo Boat, high speed vessels that could easily out-manoeuvre the old 64-pounders that were originally installed. Accordingly the existing gun emplacements were demolished and replaced with concrete structures to support three 6-inch guns and two 4.7-inch Quick Firing guns. Around 1907 three electric searchlights were installed along the waterfront which were powered by an electricity generator within the battery.

Paull Point Battery was superseded by other fortifications during World War I. Construction started on two new forts - Bull Sand and Haile Sand - to defend the mouth of the Humber. Whilst work progressed on those structures, a second tier of defences was established consisting of Sunk Island Battery and a newly rebuilt Stallingborough Battery. At Paull Point a Command post was also built to co-ordinate the fire from these two installations. However, the weapons of Paull Point Battery were deemed superfluous and were thereafter simply used for training Territorial Army personnel.

During World War II Paull Point Battery was used as a central ammunition store for the Humber region. It was decommissioned with the termination of coastal defence in 1956 and sold five years later. The site has now been converted into a museum, known as Fort Paull, and hosts a myriad of military themed exhibits.

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26/02/2022

Knottingley Town Hall
Headlands Ln, Knottingley, WF11 8AQ

T: +44 1977 672585
WWW: TBA

About
The building was commissioned on the initiative of a group of local businessmen who formed a private company to raise the finance needed to erect a town hall. The initiative was led by the proprietor of Ferrybridge Potteries, Sidney Woolf, who became chairman of the company. The site they selected had once been occupied by a monastery dating back to the 7th century.

The foundation stone for the new building was laid by Sidney Woolf on 29 June 1865. It was designed by Shaw and Weightman in the Italianate style, built by John Stanhope in brick at a cost of £2,400 and was officially opened on 15 September 1865. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Weeland Road; the central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured a wide arched doorway with wrought iron gates flanked by Doric order pilasters on the ground floor, a French door with a wrought iron balcony on the first floor and, above that, a tower which was surmounted by a modillioned cornice and, originally, by a pyramid-shaped roof. The other bays were fenestrated by square headed cross windows on the ground floor and by round headed cross windows on the first floor. Internally, the principal rooms were the assembly hall on the first floor and the suite of rooms that formed the local mechanics' institute on the ground floor.

The building also accommodated the offices of the local Poor Law Union from September 1868. It became a popular local events venue and functions hosted at the town hall included a performance of the oratorio, the Messiah by Handel, in January 1870: the event was attended the local member of parliament and First Lord of the Admiralty, Hugh Childers. In March 1874, the town hall was the venue of the so-called vestry riots in which different political factions argued over the merits and de-merits of local publicly funded education and, ultimately, destroyed the vestry table at which the discussion took place.

Following significant population growth, largely associated with the glass-making industry, the area became an urban district in 1894. After the company which owned the building got into financial difficulty, the proprietor of the Aire Tar Works, George Limnell Lyon, acquired the building at auction and presented it to the new council at a nominal cost in 1902 and, following the closure of the mechanics' institute, the ground floor rooms were converted for use as a council chamber in 1904. A war memorial, in the form of a statue of a flying angel on a pedestal, intended to commemorate the lives of service personnel who had died in the First World War, was installed to the north of the town hall in the early 1920s.

The town hall continued to serve as the headquarters of Knottingley Urban District Council until the council relocated to new offices at The Close in Hill Top in the late 1960s. The management of the town hall and the raising of income from room hire became the responsibility of a committee of volunteers in February 1976 and a clock was installed on the face of the tower in spring 1994. Following the closure of Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in the UK, the last miners, their families and many former miners marched from the town hall to the local social club in December 2015

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26/02/2022

Stanley Palace
Watergate St, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2LF

T: 01244 325586
WWW: https://www.stanleypalace.co.uk/

About
Stanley Palace in Watergate Street is Chester's finest Elizabethan house. It was built in 1591 for Sir Peter Warburton of Grafton, Vice Chancellor of the Cheshire Exchequer and the city's MP. When Warburton died in 1621, the property was inherited by his daughter, who was married to Sir Thomas Stanley, a kinsman of the earls of Derby. The Stanley's were one of Chester's most influential families. Through their connection with the earls of Derby, they held custody of the nearby Watergate.

Stanley Palace dates from the 'great rebuilding' of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when Chester like the rest of the country enjoyed a period of increased prosperity. For the first time in centuries, wealthy city families were able to build new town houses, some set in spacious grounds. Stanley Palace, with its original three gables and highly decorated timber façade, was built on an open space which had formerly been occupied by the medieval friary of the Dominicans or Black Friars. By the early 19th century Stanley Palace was no longer a mansion house, but had been sub-divided into tenements. It was shut off from Watergate Street by other buildings, and could only be reached through a narrow entry.

Threatened with demolition, there was a proposal in 1866 to dismantle the structure and transport it to the United States. It was saved by the newly formed Chester Archaeological Society and in 1899, sold back to the Derby family on the condition that it should be preserved. Chester Corporation bought Stanley Palace in 1928 and carried out a major restoration in 1935. The buildings around it were demolished, and the Palace was extended to the north. This later wing, adjacent to Watergate Street, is clearly different to the rest of the Tudor building. The building is still owned by Chester City Council and managed by Friends of Stanley Palace

William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby & William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. On the 26th January 1595 William Stanley married Elizabeth de Vere, the daughter of Edward de Vere. It has been suggested that the occasion of their wedding was the inspiration for the William Shakespeare play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. and that the play was first performed at the couple's wedding festivities.

He purchased Stanley Palace located near the banks of the River Dee inside the city walls of Chester, he lived there during his retirement until he died on the 29th September 1642.

Events Hosted by:

This is the Website of the World Heritage Site Stanley Palace. Stanley Palace is a historic building located in the heart of chester.

26/02/2022

Walton Hall
Walton Hall and Gardens, Walton Lea Road, Higher Walton WA4 6SN

T: 01925 262 908
WWW: https://waltonhallgardens.co.uk/

About
Walton Hall and Gardens estate has a very rich cultural heritage and history. Warrington Borough Council bought Walton Hall and Gardens in 1941 during World War II, opening the hall to officers and troops.

When the war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945, the council opened the gardens to the public 11 days later on 19 May 1945. Today, the estate remains in council ownership. It’s a hugely popular destination, attracting some 330,000 visitors a year from across the North West and beyond.

Events Hosted by:

With so many attractions it's been a family favourite for generations: Welcome to Walton Hall and Gardens, located on the outskirts of Warrington, Cheshire.

26/02/2022

HM Prison Shrewsbury
The Dana, Shrewsbury, GB SY1 2HP

T: +44 7506 566339
WWW: https://www.shrewsburyprison.com/

About
The now closed Shrewsbury prison was once a Category B/C male, adult prison in Shropshire. The prison was decommissioned in March 2013. Also commonly known as ‘The Dana’, after a medieval prison of the same name that once stood on the site. The name The Dana is still often used for the prison, as well as being the name of the road to one side of the prison and the pedestrian route that runs from near the front of the prison into the town centre via a footbridge over the station.

The Victorian prison that you see today sits on top of the original Georgian prison, the remains of which are still accessible underneath the current buildings. The now disused platform 8 at the station, masked from the opposite platform by a high wall, was used for transporting prisoners between 1868 and the First World War. A bust of prison reformer John Howard is above the main entrance to the prison. The street leading up to the prison from the main road is also named after him.

There has been a prison on the site since 1793, the original building being constructed by Thomas Telford to plans by Shrewsbury architect John Hiram Haycock. The present prison building was constructed in 1877. The prison took female convicts until 1922. For 20 years, Samuel Webster Allen was the Roman Catholic chaplain at the prison before being made the Bishop of Shrewsbury in 1897.

Events Hosted by:

Guided and self guided tours at Shrewsbury Prison, theme events and experiences, educational and history days, seasonal events and horror tours at historic locations..