On Saturday 19th November 2016, Twilight Shadows Paranormal conducted a paranormal investigation inside a beautiful medieval building in Wiltshire. We are the first paranormal group to have been able to investigate here so we felt very lucky. The owner has asked us not to reveal the exact location or the history of the building.
After exploring this beautiful building we sat down in a group to conduct a séance. We explained our purpose in trying to communicate with the spirits who have been associated with the building. I've been inside this building many times for various functions and I have felt a presence lurking in the background so I was excited about the prospect of making contact with it.
We were assembled around a large, heavy table. It started to rock at one end almost immediately and then emitted a knock. I said, “I hope that you are glad that we are here.” Although I was hoping that the spirits of the building would welcome our group, we all felt that the spirit who had already presented to us, did not seem to like us.
I felt that the spirit who had joined us was male and Pete (team medium) confirmed this. We started to discuss the feelings that we were getting and the atmosphere seemed sinister as though the spirit felt that we were rude in chatting amongst ourselves. We asked for appropriate knocks to our questions. One knock for yes and two knocks for no. We asked, “Have you been here for a long time?” Yes.
“Are you here all of the time?” (No answer). We assembled some equipment onto the table and the spirit seemed annoyed that we had stopped communicating audibly for a moment. There were two loud knocks.
I asked how many spirits were connected to the building and there were 5 or 6 knocks. The knocking was so fast that we could not decide. The sound of fingernails scratching underneath the table made some of the team shudder. Pete asked, “Are you Squire John?” No.“Do you know Squire John?” Yes. It felt colder in the building but the temperature gauge on the equipment showed us that the temperature was rising. All of the equipment on the table seemed to be going crazy.
Pete said, “Someone has just moved my chair.” The feeling that we were getting with this spirit was anger. Pete asked, “Does our way of communicating with the dead go against your religious beliefs?” Yes. We knew that historically, a Dean had once owned the building and at that time the building held three floors. The current owner converted the building back to just one floor and as near as it could be to how it was during the 1300's.
We tried to find out how long the spirit had been at the hall but we did not receive an answer. Pete thought that it was because time does not exist in the spirit world. We started to discuss what the building would have been used for most over the years and we all thought that the answer was a banqueting hall. The spirit appeared to be cross again because we were chatting. Pete asked, “Were you in a position of authority?” Yes. “Do you think we are peasants?” Yes. “Are you aware of other spirits in this building?” (No answer). It was now so cold in the building (even though we had the heating switched on), that I asked, “Are you making it so cold because you want us to leave?” Yes. “Can you feel our energies?” No. Pete asked a few questions (that we cannot share) and received positive responses via the equipment on the table. We did ask if the communicating spirit had a beard and got an affirmative response.
The table started to shake and it felt as if the spirit was frustrated with us. The table tipped and we were surprised as the table was very heavy. It continued to shake and then lifted. Andrew said that he was looking towards the far wall and had seen someone walk across. We were all quite cold but some people were really cold. Pete thought that the spirit was picking on specific people. I felt a cold breeze on my hand.
We tried some reverse psychology and 'he' seemed to react as we got good responses. We asked, “Do you like the weddings that happen here?” No. But he didn't seem to mind funeral parties. Pete said that he was told that he held services at a local religious place when he was alive. I told the team a story about something personal that had happened to me in this particular religious place and the table jolted and then lifted right up. I asked, “Did you know that we were coming?” No. “Were you surprised?” No. “Do you like us being here?” No. “Are you making us cold?” Yes. We were talking to him really nicely and trying to make him like us but it definitely was not working. “Do you want us to go?” Yes. The table rose up at one corner. We lit some candles hoping that 'he' would blow them out. He didn't.
Dave left the table and went up to the minstrels gallery and the spirit seemed to go with him. He said that it was really cold up there and somewhat spooky. Taking advantage of the spirit going with Dave, we tried to make contact with another spirit. A female came through. We heard the sound of fingernails on the table again and some small little knocks. The atmosphere felt calmer. The female spirit said that she was married to the Dean and she said that he wasn't very nice to her. They had three children together.
We could hear the weather getting really stormy outside and it enhanced the spooky atmosphere within the building. We asked if a spirit could make a sound that we could hear and there was a sound of movement elsewhere in the room. We captured a strange breath type sound as an EVP. We did not hear it at the time. There was a scratch under the table and then the table moved. We asked the female spirit if she moved the table and there were two knocks indicating a no. We asked her if the Dean was back with us and she said no. Dave said that he felt that the lady spirit liked us being there but she was afraid to say that she was, as the Dean wouldn't approve. He asked, “Were you scared of your husband?” Yes. “Did he control you?” Yes. I told her what I thought about that and there was a sinister noise picked up on EVP that we did not hear at the time. The table moved and we could all feel that the Dean was back. It got very cold and the temperature display on the equipment started to fluctuate again.
Pete said that he could feel another female presence. Not the lady that was married to the Dean, another lady in another time. He said, “She was here hundreds of years ago when the building was a meeting house.” We started chatting and we heard banging in the room. Mo went up to the minstrels gallery. She said that it was very cold up there. We stood around the table and it moved. Andrew said that he saw a light anomaly which seemed to come out of the equipment on the table and quickly travel left. The temperature was still fluctuating and we asked for specific temperatures and our requests were granted. It was amazing. Nettie said that she saw a strange light.
We decided to assemble around another, even larger table, which was situated at the far end of the hall on a raised platform. While we were setting up, we caught another EVP, which sounded like a female voice. Jacky started to 'call out' asking for us to hear footsteps. The table was already shuddering and then we heard a tap on it. I could also hear tapping from other parts of the building. Pete said that he heard a voice ask, “What do you want?” He told us that the grumpy spirit still didn't like us there and he was pacing around the room, getting angrier. Jacky told the spirit that we wanted to talk to him. The table started moving with force and it shot sideways by about six inches. We could not believe that the table moved like that because it was so big and heavy.
We asked if the knocking on the table could be louder and we received two knocks for no. Pete said that a spirit voice said to him, “You are sat around the table but you aren't eating. There is no banquet.” Pete asked for the spirit to communicate more and the table was pushed quite violently. It felt like an angry action. There was another jolt of the table but after that there was a long period of time when all was quiet. Pete said that the forceful spirit had stepped back and a quieter spirit had come forward. Pete said, “They still want to know what we want.” I explained that we wanted to to talk, to see and to hear them.
I saw something in the corner of the room and at the same time as I spoke, Lesley said that she heard a sound in the corner. Matt said that he'd heard a sigh and Lesley said that was exactly what she had heard. Some of us felt as if we were being drained of energy and we all felt icy cold. It was quiet for a considerable time after this.
Pete 'called out' and there was a rapping on the table in response. The table started moving. There was a massive bang but after this, nothing happened for a considerable time. Eventually, the table started moving and Pete said that he could hear disgruntled laughter.
The storm was getting wilder outside and the energy started to build up again. The table seemed to be shoved around forcibly and for a long time. Our hands seemed frozen to the table. Rachel jumped as a there was a massive bang beside her. The table started to move around the room as if it has an energy of it's own. Lesley 'called out' and the table started pushing towards her. It then started pushing into all of us.
Andrew saw a shadowy figure at the other end of the room, which walked between the two curtains. There was a light on down there. Andrew told us that he'd seen this happen several times. Dave heard a funny noise and the table moved. It was now very late and we decided that we would end the investigation. We really enjoyed our evening and on behalf of the Twilight Shadows team, I would like to thank Andrew for arranging this brilliant investigation.
Written by: Maria Williams
