Dartington
Cider Press
Investigated in November, 2008
Here
are the results of a paranormal investigation carried out
by Hidden Realms Paranormal Investigators at the Cider-Press,
Dartington in November 2008 and also the results of two Ghost
Walks attended by the public on the 3rd and 10th December
2008.
Members
of team present at Investigation
Chris, Pete, Dennis, Betty, Mike, Duncan, Dawn (Psychic Artist),
John Stainton (Managing Director of the Cider Press).
Areas
investigated
Glass shop, Mezzanine, Delicatessen, Kitchen Shop, Craft Shop,
Store Room at rear of Craft Shop, Gift Shop.
Equipment
EMF (Electro-magnetic-fluctuation devise)
EVP (Electronic Voice Phenominum Detector)
Video Camera x 2
Motion Detectors
Infra-Sound
Spirit Level
Farraday Cage
Glass
Planchette
The
Cider Press was initially investigated by the group accompanied
by John Stainton.
DELICATESSEN
On walking through the Delicatessen area a male presence was
sensed and also at the far end of the room where the glass
counter is, opposite the Kitchen shop, it was felt that the
room should have extended further back toward the Craft Shop.
It felt as though the room should have been wider at this
point.
On the
Ghostwalk the following were found: flickering lights, a female
presence was felt and also that of an animal, perhaps a cat
or a dog.
KITCHEN
SHOP
On entering the steps up to the Kitchen Shop members of the
group had a feeling of dizziness. After using the dowsing
rods it was discovered that water runs in front of the outer
wall of the building. Water gives of a very strong ‘Earth
Energy’. This type of energy can often make you feel
light-headed and sometimes even nauseous. If someone was entering
the room they may start to feel unsettled which could give
rise to a feeling that ‘all is not well’ or that
‘there is something strange’ in this area. Quite
often this has been put down to paranormal phenomena but as
I have explained, it is just a purely natural energy, but
still interesting.
The water
energy is felt at the top of the stairs in the Kitchen Shop
and extends to the outer wall to the left. The dowsing rods
were asked to show where the water ran and they pointed to
the outer wall every time.
If you
turn right at the top of the steps in the Kitchen Shop and
walk around the shop area there doesn’t seem to be any
particular energies lying there.
As well
as the water energy to the left of the steps we came across
spirit energy. As Pete and I were linking in to spirit energy
we both linked into two male energies who were in conversation.
These felt like residual energy.
RESIDUAL
ENERGY
There
are many theories regarding residual energy, but mainly it
is seen as spirit replay. It is as though historical episodes
are in some way ‘recorded’ in the atmosphere and
some people have the ability to ‘tune into’ these
replays of past events. One of these theories is the ‘Stone-tape’
theory. This is where past events, mainly those which involve
high states of anxiety, sadness or even happiness, somehow
get recorded into the fabric of the surrounding building.
In brickwork there are quantities of quartz. One of the properties
attributed to Quartz is that it can absorb energy and has
the ability to contain this energy until it is released under
certain conditions. Hence the fact that quite often the same
‘old lady’ is said to have been seen walking the
corridors of an old mansion house, or whispering is heard
in the same locations. Even Roman Soldiers have been seen
walking through the cellars of a house, only visible from
the knee up. This is because the floor level has changed over
the years and they are walking upon the ground level as it
would have been in their time. Hence, replay.
So, to
return to the two gentlemen engaged in conversation in the
Kitchen Shop. These felt like residual energy. They did not
interact with Pete or I. One was a large man who was calling
the other gentleman Mr.Brown and seemed to be giving him orders
as to how he would like things to be done. He felt very dominant
and in control and appeared to be a tall man and quite stout.
Pete was given the same surname of Brown. I had not told Pete
of the name I was given and so was quite surprised when he
said the same name. Some minutes later Dennis, another group
member came from the other end of the shop and said that he
had been given a surname that began with the letter B.
Later
during the night our Psychic Artist, Dawn showed us a drawing
that she had done during the evening. When she had drawn this
she was in another part of the building. She explained that
it was of a man who was rather large and who was very fond
of hearing his own voice. She felt that he was issuing forth
orders to someone. Was this the gentleman who was addressing
Mr.Brown? When we looked at the drawing we felt that there
were certain similarities to the spirit that we had ‘linked
into’.
These
are some of the things that people who took part in the Ghostwalk
felt in the Kitchen Shop. One person said that when she walked
across the shop floor she felt like she wanted to ‘push
her stomach out’ (was this in connection with the portly
man Pete and I linked into?)
Another person said that she felt like she had facial hair
like mens whiskers (yet another similarity to the gentleman
that we linked into)
There
were reports of uneasiness, warm face and hands, the presence
of a young man in the corner of the room, and various names:
Stephen, Edward Forsythe, Tom Black and Jim.
THE
ATTIC AND STOREROOM (MEZZANINE)
Members
of staff have reported feeling uneasy in this area. They said
they feel like they are being watched and have also reported
seeing a man and a woman in here. Two members of staff who
were stood in the Glass Shop one day reported seeing a man
walk across the shop floor and go through the door into the
storeroom which leads to the attic area. When they went to
investigate, there was nobody there.
We spent
some time filming in the storeroom and the attic area on the
night of the investigation, but nothing was caught on film.
Pete and I felt that most of the energy seemed to emanate
from the far end of the attic. We saw two shadows cross the
room, one of which we felt was male. This male seemed to be
rather agitated about something and we were given the feeling
that he was not happy for us to be there. He did not try to
communicate with us and we felt that he was probably residual
and not interactive spirit.
INTERACTIVE
SPIRIT: this is as the name suggests, spirit that is capable
of making contact with a person. They are sometimes able to
use their energy to move things or dim the lights or touch
your arm.
The following
was reported on the Ghostwalks: one person swore that she
saw something move near the Fire Exit, also a feeling of being
watched, a mist was seen and also a flashing light. This same
person felt that they could see a hand hanging and also a
cat moving around. Several people felt the presence of a female
stood close by.
Several
names were given: Mary, Sally (who was wearing a black dress)
Jill, also the male names of Tom (which was also picked up
in the Kitchen area by a different person), john, William
and Harry. Another person felt the presence of ‘an angry
male’ who kept saying ‘Why?’ A member of
staff who came on the Ghostwalk just saw the nose and mouth
of a lady. Later when she was looking at some of the Psychic
Art that Dawn had drawn she recognised one of the drawings
as the lady she had seen. (Drawing accompanies this report).
The number
4 was given, also the age of 34 and the year 1725, by different
people.
In the
storeroom which leads to the attic there is a heavy presence
which doesn’t seem to be male or female. At least 3
people expressed a feeling of uneasiness and also an icy cold
feeling at the back of their legs. After a quick look around
the room we could not at that time find the source of the
cold. There were no apparent draughts coming from anywhere.
Also the animal spirit was felt in this area too.
CRAFT
SHOP
In the
late 80’s it was reported that a customer was standing
in this room at the counter near the till. Suddenly a hand
full of pebbles were thrown in her direction, hitting the
counter top and startling her. There was no-one else in the
shop at the time. There were about 6 stone pebbles which were
collected and put into a little box.
On the
night of our investigation we could not find any energies
associated with this room, but our Psychic Artist did report
feeling uneasy in here.
One of the people on the Ghostwalk said that she felt the
presence of a small woman. She was also given the name of
Graham and sensed that a man was associated with the room
whose left leg was injured in some way: crippled/accident?
We also
did some archaeological dowsing in this room and found that
it was at one time sectioned off with moveable screens (wooden?)
There were at least 4 or 5 sections which had entrances or
open door areas in the middle of them, similar to horse stalls
or suchlike.
STORE-ROOM
AT REAR OF CRAFT SHOP
Many staff
have reported feeling uneasy in this part of the building
some saying that they feel they are being watched. This just
may be the case. Part of this room used to be the accountants
room. One day whilst he was sat in there drinking a cup of
tea the cup was knocked straight out of his hand and smashed
onto the floor.
On the
night of our investigation we felt that someone was on the
other side of the glass partition, just watching. We also
experienced a pain in the left hand and arm. One of our group
felt a pain down the left hand side of their body. Were we
experiencing the symptoms of someone who had suffered a stroke
or accident in the past? Also the name of Andrew and Jenkins
was given to us from spirit. The Jenkins name came through
very clear. Later in the evening when we all went to look
at the Psychic Artists drawings I asked her about one in particular.
She looked at me with a big smile and announced ‘Oh,
that’s Mr.Jenkins’. At the time we were given
that name she was in another part of the building and so would
not have been able to hear the name that we had been given.
It was a shock to find that she had the same name that we
had been given. (Drawing provided with report)
In the
office at the end of the room, Pete was drawn to particular
desk. He was given the first letter of a name which he felt
was female. This was later verified by a member of staff.
He also said that there was something to do with a leaf with
this person and that it was in this office somewhere and we
should look for it. We had a look around and we were drawn
to a paper weight which was in the shape of a tree root. After
looking underneath the paperweight we found that the name
‘Leaf’ was written there. We thought this was
very odd so we decided to leave the paperweight as a trigger
object and the office was then locked and the key given to
John to keep. Sadly when the office was re-opened in the morning
the trigger object hadn’t moved.
Trigger
Object.
This is an experiment that we use quite often. Something is
left, usually on a piece of paper. It is then drawn round
and left with a camera monitoring it to see if the trigger
object moves. If the object has moved it is easy to see as
it will be out of the previously traced area that it occupied
and hopefully the camera will show that it hasn’t been
moved by a person but will show it slowly moving of its own
accord. Trigger objects are usually chosen in accordance with
the type of investigation. If it was a child’s nursery
a toy would be used, quite often crucifixes are used. We also
use coins from different centuries to see if any are recognised
by spirit.
On the
night of the Ghostwalk people were experiencing allsorts of
things in the storeroom. One person was given the name John
and felt like she was ‘walking through a bubble’.
Another name that was given was Selby. There was also a general
feeling of uneasiness in this room, although a spirit did
not come forward on the night of the investigation.
THE
GIFT SHOP
This was
once an old farmhouse and has now been updated into a beautiful
gift-shop. On the first floor of the building is a staff room
and on the top floor is, among other things a store room.
These floors are connected by a winding, wooden staircase.
It is on these stairs that staff have heard footsteps and
on one occasion a member of staff saw someone enter the staff
room and when she went to investigate, the room was empty.
On the
night of our investigation we did not find much energy within
the main body of the building. I felt the presence of a lady
descending the staircase. In the staff room we used a glass
for spirit contact and also a planchette but without much
success. At a later date Pete and I went up to the store on
the top floor. In here we linked into a lady who was associated
with the house when it was used as a farmhouse. She was not
very old and I was given the image of a wheel going round.
I am not sure if this was symbolic of her surname (ie;Wheeler
or similar) or that her daily work involved using a wheel
of some kind (perhaps a potters wheel or a spinning wheel).
I felt
that she shared the house with an elderly gentleman and a
young man who may have been her brother. I did not get the
feeling that she was married to either of these men but that
she was related to them and looked after them. I got the name
of Catherine associated with her and Josh for the younger
man. They felt like residual energy and did not attempt to
communicate at all. The psychic artist spent some time alone
in the Gift Shop and she drew a young woman who she felt was
associated with it. (Drawing supplied with this report).
Also I
felt that the upper part of the building may have looked different
at one time.
On the
Ghostwalk one lady heard noises coming from the far corner
and felt a cool rush of air. On the first Ghostwalk a lady
who was stood inside the entrance door said that she had heard
the name Anne. On the second Ghostwalk another lady was stood
in exactly the same spot and gave the same name.
A group
of ladies were stood together listening to our talk. After
a while one of the ladies mentioned that she had felt an arm
go round her and asked who had done it. Nobody had!
INFRASOUND
AND OTHER EXPERIMENTS
During
the November investigation Mike used a small array of instruments
to take readings of a variety of factors that, it is said
by some, to influence and affect people in a way that is similar
to a 'ghost drain' feeling. i.e. feeling drained, tired, headachey,
paranoia, feeling like being watched etc.
The
only real interesting thing to note from these particular
results is that throughout the Cider Press a low, constant
rumble of infra-sound was detected which, it is educationally
assumed, due to the small river that runs directly beside
the cider press. This could be used as a possible explanation
to at least some of the experiences encountered like unease,
feeling sick to the stomach, headachey etc. A full writeup
about Infrasound and what it can do to the body can be found
on our Equipment page.
All
other experiments and equipment (trigger objects, EVP, EMF
etc) did not capture anything unusual.
CONCLUSION
The group
thoroughly enjoyed the investigation at the Cider Press. We
felt that there was mostly residual energy within the buildings
and also the earth energy in the Kitchen Shop area.
We did
not come across any unpleasant or mischievous energies and
on the whole felt that it was a quite a calm environment.
We do feel that there may be energy that is capable of communication
but we did not experience any at the investigation or on the
Ghostwalk.
We would
like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. John Stainton for
allowing us to investigate the Cider Press. We felt that both
he and his staff were very welcoming and went ‘out of
their way’ to ensure that everything ran smoothly for
us. We would also like to thank the staff for sharing with
us their experiences. Also we would like to extend our thanks
to Cranks for providing ourselves and the Ghostwalk participants
with delicious cakes and much welcomed tea.
We hope
that we may be able to return
And last
but not least, on the next page I have included, with permission
from the author, a poem that was written on the night of the
first Ghostwalk. It is by a local poet and she has written
down how she felt as she walked around the buildings, but
she has done it in verse. I think that it is very atmospheric
and I would like to share it with you.
A
POEM WRITTEN BY HELEN MCLEOD WHILST AT THE CIDER PRESS GHOSTWALK,
DECEMBER 3RD, 2008.
Beyond
the image
Beyond the image
Beyond the image, energy flashes
Energy beyond the image
Beyond imagination, latent history
Beyond the image
Beyond the image.
Light = Love
Light = Love
Image comes through the filter
The circle of history
Spins round and round.
Strands
of energy
Cobwebs can tangle
I don’t need these cobwebs
Beyond my name
Beyond Mathematics
Sometimes energy makes snowflakes of light.
Protection
= Circle
(Mandala) centre,
No image – just a whisper of love
My presence is a poem
Let me speak my poem.
Attic
shapes are
Attic shapes they
Will scare you.
You will
see some old
Junk wrapped in
Plastic and you will
See a strange
Discarded portion of some history.
I am inside that image
It is a shell
My essence is within
One day you will join me in that essence.
Let’s
dance beyond image
Help me with my image
I’m beyond that now
I want to return.
Am I sad
here?
Some loner in a
Black coat who
Walks through
Christmas trees and Candles.
Am I lost
in some light effect that I left long ago? Helen
McCleod 2008. |
