ST. BRIAVEL’S CASTLE
On Saturday 27th November 2010, some of the members of Twilight Shadows Paranormal/Phoenix of Wessex conducted a paranormal investigation at St. Briavels Castle in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. We arrived and met up with Ross and other members of his team from Phantomfest and we were shown around the castle. I instantly loved the castle and I couldn’t wait to start some vigils.
HISTORY
It is said that there has been a fort of some description at the site of St. Briavel’s Castle for nearly a thousand years. The castle is famous for being King John’s Hunting Lodge and it has been reported that he stayed here at least six times.
Historic records show that King Henry II most likely stayed at St.Briavel’s twice. The castle was used to manufacture arms and King Henry II is thought to have used 6000 arrow heads made at the castle.
As well as an arms factory, the hunting lodge has been a court house, a prison and a place of execution. There is evidence of an alteration of the West Tower roof which may have supported a platform or perhaps was just utilised for hangings.
Over the years, the castle has frequently fallen into a state of disrepair but restoration has enabled the castle to stand before us, as a magnificent example of ancient English Heritage. It is a most fascinating building historically but for the ghost hunter, this building also seems to possess an enticing myriad of ghostly residents, most of them eager to make themselves known to their mortal counterparts!
OUBLIETTE
We started our investigation inside the oubliette. This was a room with a mat in the middle but removal of the mat revealed a trap door. Dave opened the trap door and we all peered into the 90 foot deep gloomy pit below, recoiling in horror that people were actually thrown down into this pit. We had been told that people had asked to be thrown into the oubliette head first in order to make their demise quick. Some of us mentioned that we had acquired a headache while in this room with a sense of dizziness but the cause of this could be because we had all been looking down into the oubliette. The word Oubliette is translated from the French word, 'to forget.' If you were thrown into the oubliette, you were forgotten about until death claimed you.
Jacky 'called out.' I became aware that my heart rate had increased but I wasn’t aware that I felt nervous. We had been informed that this room contained a bed (or bed space) which has been called ´the scary bed` where unexpected sleepers are rudely awoken by an angry ghost. This spirit does not appear to like people being there and it tries to steal the sheets from the sleeper! Some people who have slept in this bed report that they are awoken by a screaming woman. This must be terrifying. People have also claimed that they have experienced a heavy, laboured breathing sound right next to their ear and some have actually felt breath on their face. Some people have also reported being grabbed by unseen hands.
During our vigil in the Oubliette, Sharon M was sitting on this bed and we wondered if she felt or would experience anything but she felt nothing at all. It may have been different if she was asleep.
I was sitting opposite Sharon M and as I looked over in her direction I saw a black shadow travel across the curtain (on the inside) in the next alcove to the left of where Sharon M was sitting on the scary bed. It travelled from right to left. As I expressed what I had seen, Dave said that he had seen it as well. We sat and watched this alcove and a gentle tapping started. At a much later date, I had purchased the book 'St. Briavel’s Castle – The Most Haunted Building in the World,' written by Ross Andrews and I discovered that ´the dark shadow/s` is a well known phenomena associated not only with the castle but with this room, although it is usually spotted near the fireplace and I saw it walk across the window.
Dave took a photograph and as he reviewed it, he exclaimed that he had captured something interesting! He showed us his photograph and we were all shocked as we could see a black mist rising up out of the oubliette. It definitely was not caused by a camera strap or a hand in the way of the lens. I have never seen anything like it.
Sharon M said that she heard a strange muffled sound. I had heard a sound like this earlier but I had not mentioned it. Disembodied voices have been heard in this room. The sound I heard could have resembled a voice but upon reflection I’m not sure if I could say this was a definitive voice-like sound.
Jacky asked the spirits to show us why the scary bed/alcove was called this. Dave saw the black shadow again in the other alcove and told us to listen as there was more tapping. A while later a further tapping was heard.
Dave said that he felt really hot. Sharon M said that she could feel cold breezes. Fluctuating temperatures are a common phenomenon in this room. Jacky was asking the spirits of the room some questions and although we did not hear it at the time, the playing back of our footage showed that there were knocks captured which seemed in response to her questions. The Camcorder was sitting on the floor and I think there were quiet knocks on the floor which were being picked up quite loudly by the Camcorder.
Jacky said that she could see movements in black which were darting around. Several of us had experienced this when we had investigated Cleeve House in Wiltshire and Jacky said that what she was seeing was very similar. I kept seeing little white sparkles of light flickering around the room with my naked eye. I later discovered that many people actually see these balls of white or blue lights, not just caught on digital cameras but with their own eyes.
Other people have reported being stroked in this room. The padlock on the trapdoor above the oubliette has been known to move in front of people and rattle. Some investigators have met two female spirits in this room called Mary and Elizabeth who are thought to be servant girls. Mediums have concurred (not at the same time) that one of the girls had been sexually attacked by someone living at the castle which could also account for the unrest within this room.
THE CASTLE GROUNDS
Although there was snow on the ground and the night air was absolutely freezing, we decided that we would venture out into the castle grounds because ghosts have been seen out here also.
There are reports of a knight in full armour being seen out by the fireplace outside. This area is where the old court-house would have once stood. We wandered around and walked over to the stocks but we did not notice anything untoward. I honestly think we would have been too cold to notice much unless the knight in armour had charged at us on a horse!
Other figures have been spotted by the fireplace but on this occasion, it was just us.
We walked around the moat and we all looked longingly at the pub called The George. It looked warm and cosy and we were freezing! Interestingly, the pub has a coffin lid set into the wall. People have seen ghostly figures and have been pushed while in the pub. It is thought that the pub is built on the foundations of an old footpath so perhaps the ghosts who are seen inside the pub are merely walking across where the footpath once stood. However, the pub does have one regular ghost which they think is a monk. He has been named George.
We walked towards the church that looked very pretty in the snow and into the graveyard. There are reports of a ghost inside this graveyard which skulks around, peering over the top of gravestones. We did not see any evidence of this spectre.
CHAPLAINS ROOM
Glad to be back in the warm, we entered the Chaplains Room. Dark figures are seen in this room which scarily stand in the doorway between a very scared person and their escape route. Flashes of light are also reported in this room and some balls of light are coloured red. People state that they have been touched when nobody is near them. There have been reports of the beds moving with an indentation occurring on a bed as if someone has sat down on it. People have reported that the floor vibrates in this room (although we did not experience this here, we experienced vibrating floors in other areas of the house). Other phenomena in this room include the sound of footsteps, voices and the sound and action of a curtain being opened. One lady claimed that as she was about to drift off to sleep, she felt as if she had been pushed towards the wall. At the same time as she was pushed, this lady thought she heard voices and said it was as if someone said "Oi!" There was also loud talking, followed by whispering. Needless to say, this was not conducive to this lady’s sleep!
During our vigil in the Chaplain’s Room, we did not experience anything of a supernatural nature.
THE CHAPEL
We assembled inside the chapel. It didn’t take long before we all heard a piercing high pitched noise. None of us could explain the cause of this even after exploring the room. The noise eventually diminished and we sat around in silence. Dave suddenly jumped and said that someone was standing by the door in the darkness. The large chapel door had not opened and when Dave investigated, there was nobody there. Dave seemed a little shaken by this.
I could hear a knocking noise. Jacky 'called out.' Although the chapel was obviously used for religious worship, I did not get the feelings that a chapel usually bestows upon me. Sharon H said that she didn’t either. Sharon H said that she felt a school room type feeling and Dave said that he felt that he was inside a court room. I must say it did look like a chapel and contained a Holy Water stone stoup.
I 'called out', asking the spirits of the chapel to join us. Jacky suggested that they "pull up a chair and sit with us." I heard footsteps and other knocking sounds on the floor. We all sat perfectly still and we could all feel the floor vibrating. This was a different vibration to the footsteps and knocking and the floor felt like it was going up and down at great speed. The vibrating stopped and some significant tapping started. We asked for a specific amount of knocks which seemed to comply with our requests. We started discussing this with each other and the knocking became louder and more frequent.
Later during the evening, we were conducting a vigil in King John’s Lounge and we heard the doors of the chapel banging. Dave immediately went to investigate but there was nobody there. This happened several times.
Much later in the night, we were sat in the refectory talking to Ross and we all heard a massive bang from the chapel. Ross quickly left us to investigate and when he returned he told us that a guest had been lying on a table in the chapel and had seemingly been thrown off, landing several feet away. This guest appeared much shaken and left the chapel immediately.
THE PRISON
This was an interesting room but I felt quite low in mood after being in here a few minutes. This was probably due to that fact that I knew that condemned prisoners had been held captive here.
Ancient graffiti can be seen carved into the walls and there are pictures of windmills etched deep into the stone. It is thought that the windmills were carved by Dutch prisoners who were kept here. There are two alcoves, one containing a curse carved into the wall and the other alcove shows where manacles once kept prisoners secure.
Footsteps are heard in this room and also the sound of furniture being moved around. It has been known for the wardrobe to have been moved a considerable distance when there has been no mortal being in the vicinity. Voices have been heard in here and dark shadows have been seen. There is also a ghost in the prison which grabs unsuspecting victims. There has also been a growling sound heard in this room. Although we did not hear a growl when we were in this room, I have heard growls in other haunted locations and it is not a comfortable sound to hear. Cold breezes are often felt, and white and blue balls of light are often seen in this room.
Our group did not experience anything of a ghostly nature while in this room.
CONSTABLES ROOM
White balls of light have been seen in this room which seem to have a particular pattern to their behaviour. People have reported feeling faint in here, others feel sick but scarily, some people have reported the feeling of being strangled. Putrid smells sometimes emanate in this room, the odour disappearing as quickly as it appears. Occasionally, a smell of flowers permeates this area.
This room is reputed to have a door that suddenly flies open of its own volition even when all rational reasons have been explored. There are also reports of a bed that seems to vibrate of its own accord. A rustling noise is also heard in here. Paranormal investigators have tried to recreate this noise to find out the cause of this sound but they have been unsuccessful and the strange rustling sound continues with its origin unsolved.
Sadly, nothing of a paranormal nature occurred to us within this room.
HANGING ROOM AND GUARD ROOM
A strange humming, buzzing and scuttling noise have been heard in this room originating from the ceiling. A dark and quite solid figure has been seen in the doorway which Ross has actually witnessed, standing between the guard room and the hanging room. Ross described the spectre he saw as having no features on its face and as he stood looking at it, the figure “dissolved and faded away.” Other people have also seen this figure dissolve in front of their eyes. It thought that this spirit may have a malevolent nature, as the atmosphere surrounding it is unpleasant. This dark shape has also been seen in the reflection of the mirror.
A contrasting phantom to the foreboding dark figure is perhaps a more playful entity that causes a sound like marbles being dropped and rolled along the floor. Several people have witnessed this phenomenon but strangely there are never any marbles found.
There is a report of a spirit that pushes people in this room and Ross has actually experienced this himself. He has also witnessed a woman who was pushed so hard that she ´´went flying backwards and knocked over the metal cover on the radiators.``
People have also reported the sensation of being stroked in this room. Phantom footsteps have been heard, along with a shadow that simultaneously appears the same time as a female voice is heard. The window in the Hanging Room has been known to tap as if from the outside and investigation has not been able to find any rational explanation for this. Two very different visitors to the castle described an apparition who was dressed in period costume walk across the room and kneel down, before eventually disappearing. One of these visitors was from Canada, the other from Spain and they were staying at the castle at two different occasions!
A poltergeist is also thought to haunt these rooms and is able to unmake beds and throw the laundry all over the floor. The sound of dragging furniture and footsteps has been captured when the doors have been locked and there is nobody inside. A ghost in this room has been known to breathe heavily; murmur and whisper in the unsuspecting ear of its frightened victims. Footsteps are often heard ascending the stairs to the Guard Room and stopping outside the door. When someone from inside the guard room opens the door to see who is outside, there is nobody there!
While in this room, laughter has been heard from downstairs in the Prison when there has been nobody in that room. However, when in the Prison, laughter has been heard upstairs coming from the Hanging Room when nobody has been in that room either.
Dragging sounds have also been heard which seem to originate from the ceiling. There is a small attic space above but there are not enough floor boards to be able to drag anything around.
There are also reports of people being pinched in this room which usually aims for the legs. Unfortunately our group experienced nothing that we could deem as paranormal to report from these rooms.
STATE APARTMENTS
The State Apartments is one of the oldest parts of the castle and has been divided into several rooms, which include Isobel’s room and a long corridor. Footsteps are heard in this room and sometimes the sound of the curtain closing even though the curtains do not actually move.
This room is used as a bedroom. There is a bed as you enter the room (on the left) where people complain of the sound of footsteps pacing around the bed, keeping them awake. Footsteps are also heard in the corridor outside and an entity also scratches on the doors and walls. This spirit also bangs loudly on the walls.
One theory for these noises is the ghost of a young girl dressed in white who has been frequently seen nearer the chapel end of the corridor. One person has seen this girl actually walk through a wall. A dark shadowy figure has also been seen walking across the State Apartments room.
The beautiful sound of violins has been heard coming from this room with the music gradually fading out. Muffled voices which seem to be arguing have also been captured on tape although the nature of the arguments cannot be discerned as the voices are incomprehensible.
Blue and white coloured balls of light are regularly seen in this part of the castle.
Within this room, through a glass section near the roof, some people have reported seeing the figure of a female dressed in white, standing above the State Apartments. It is thought that this figure is a mistress of King John who is still waiting for his return. Her wait for the Sovereign is so long that stories tell of her throwing herself off of the roof in distress, landing in the moat and drowning. Conflicting stories say that this ghost has been spotted with another ghost behind her, who deliberately pushed her off of the battlements!
Some people have reported not being able to get into this room but when they do eventually gain access, a pillow had been removed from a top bunk bed and wedged behind the door so that the door is difficult to open. People have also reported that pillows have been removed from under their heads while they were sleeping and one man claimed that a pillow was thrown at his head! People have also reported being touched on the head while in this room.
We entered this room and locked ourselves in. There were bunk beds in the room and I climbed up to a top bunk and sat on the top. Jacky said that when she had carried out a vigil inside this room previously, she had felt absolutely nothing. But she said that another group had reported that the beds were being made by unseen hands while they were in the room. Some members of that group said that they had seen a spirit person arranging the sheets and making the bed.
We became aware of a banging noise. Jacky said that although she felt alright in this room, she wouldn’t want to sit in the corridor outside. We decided that later, a couple of us would carry out a vigil in the corridor.
I 'called out.' A series of dull thuds commenced. There was one louder thud in a corner and another thud a short while later. There was silence for a while before another thud was heard, followed by footsteps in the hallway outside. Dave jumped up and looked outside. There was nobody there. I 'called out' again. All was quiet.
Sharon M and Jill decided that they would hold a vigil in the hallway. We shut the door behind them, leaving Jacky, Dave, Sharon H and I inside the State Apartment. Jacky 'called out.' There was no response. We started talking amongst ourselves and the thudding started again. I kept feeling like someone was blowing on me. This happened three times. Nobody else felt anything blowing on them or any draughts. Sharon M and Jill did not experience anything of a spooky nature in the hallway.
THE PORTERS LODGE AND THE OLD KITCHEN
It has been known for someone who was sleeping in the Porters Lodge to think that people were coming in and out of the fire exit door. It was later realised that nobody was doing this. Ross has heard the door from the Old Kitchen to the Porters Lodge open and then the door of the Porters Lodge open as if someone had just entered the room. This also happens in reverse. A gentleman has reported the feeling of being pinned down so that he could not move while sleeping in this room. A misty and sometimes dark shadow has been seen standing near the fireplace and another figure has been seen in the doorway. There are also reports of the sound of dragging (like a heavy sack) being pulled along the floor. The sound of a crying baby has also been heard.
The Old Kitchen has a young poltergeist that haunts the room. This poltergeist (known as Tom) throws stones but has occasionally been seen by staff and guests.
Another apparition who has been seen here is that of a feminine ghostly hand and arm, coming down the stairs, holding onto the banister.
Another phenomenon is that of an extra person who joins paranormal investigators during their vigils. Once the lights are switched on, the investigators suddenly realise that the extra person has vanished.
Another ghost in this room is said to have pushed people out of their chair in the window alcove. If you are sitting here and the ghost fails to push you out of the chair, it may resort to pinching you!
Our group did not experience anything paranormal in this area.
KING JOHN’S LOUNGE
We entered this room and sat down in some comfortable chairs. We chatted together and then we all became aware of a very strong smell of tobacco. It was an old smell as if it was coming from a pipe. This smell was not present when we initially sat down in the room. We sat quietly for a while and Sharon M said that her chair felt that it was vibrating.
We had been shown previously some marks which had been slashed into the stone fireplace. The fireplace was originally part of Tintern Abbey and had later been transferred to St. Briavel's Castle. We were told that the marks had been made by a sword upon the sentencing of a person. Each mark represented one person. This was chilling. The Tintern Abbey fireplace meant that we could experience phenomena from the fireplace as well as King John’s Lounge. We sat quietly, contemplating the lives lost with the visual proof of the strike marks in the stone.
There is another story associated with this fireplace. During renovation of the ceiling in this room, the body of a child was discovered wrapped up inside the ceiling above the fireplace. Mediums have reported a crying baby in this room (although the sound of a crying baby has also been heard in other rooms of the castle).
We all became aware that the room did seem to be vibrating. Jacky ‘called out’ and a green safety light in the room immediately dimmed. We all looked at each other and Jacky ‘called out’ again. The green light dimmed again. We heard a tap in the corner of the room. Jacky continued to try and communicate with the spirits. In response to her voice, we could hear tapping in front of us, then right of us and then to the left. The tapping stopped but shortly started again. Jacky smiled and said "You can do better than that!"
Dave popped back to the chapel on his own but quickly came back to us saying that he had heard a footstep behind him. He looked around to see who was there but he was alone.
We sat in silence for a while and I saw a white flash in the corner of the room. Floating lights are often seen in this room which are usually an orange/yellow colour. We left the comfortable chairs and sat around a very large wooden table. There were only six of us so we had large spaces between us. We tried to lift the table ourselves but it was so heavy that only Dave could lift it and then only a little. Also when he did, the top came off from the legs. We rested our hands lightly on top of the table as we were too far apart to hold hands.
I ´called out` and the table started to vibrate instantly. We were all surprised by this as we did not expect such an immediate result. Jacky and I took it in turns to 'call out.' Dave saw a dark shadow walk along the back of the room. A dark figure is known to manifest in this room. There was a loud rap in the centre of the table and then the table actually moved. Although the top was not fixed to the table, the table moved together as if it was connected. As we were talking about it moving easily despite its weight, it moved again rather strongly. We asked the spirit who was communicating with us to tap on the table in response to our questions. One tap for yes and two for no. Jacky asked if there was more than one person in the room and we heard one large tap. She asked if the spirit was happy that we were there and another large tap sounded from the middle of the table. The spirit continued to tap out answers to our questions. It told us that it was male. We tried unsuccessfully to work out this spirit man’s connection to the castle. All we could find out was that there was a connection. There was another tap from somewhere else in the room and again in the corner. Eventually, the table started to move again, this time towards Jill. It was amazing as the table was so heavy. The table then started to move towards Dave. We asked if the table could lift up in the air and it immediately lifted. The table continued moving and lifting. It moved towards Dave again and then changed direction and moved towards Jacky.
Jacky saw a light behind me and then behind Dave. As she told us, the table made a large shuddering movement towards Jacky. I felt like somebody was pressing their thumb down hard into my right hand, forcing it into the table. As I mentioned it, the table gave two huge jolts. We all heard tapping inside the room and Dave said that he felt his chair being kicked hard. All this time, the table had continued shuddering but now it began to pulse. Something was trying to lift the table at one end and then it slammed down and moved across the room twice. The temperature was dropping in the room and we were all freezing. The table had moved so much that poor Jill was pinned in.
All was quiet for a while which was unnerving as we felt like we were waiting for something to happen. The table started moving again and the force of it was very strong. We told the spirit/s responsible that we would be pushed out of the door very soon and we wondered if that was their plan. The table conveniently started moving the other way so perhaps they did not want to get rid of us after all!
After a few huge shudders from the table, we asked if we could ask questions and receive knocks in reply. The table knocked loudly. We sat discussing with each other what questions we should ask and a drumming noise started banging out on the table. It was very loud and quite amazing. It then changed to a quieter strumming, like someone was merely strumming their fingers impatiently onto the table, frustrated with the length of time we discussed things amongst ourselves.
We asked the spirit that seemed dominant in the room which age he (we strongly felt it was a male) originated from. We were informed that it was the 15th Century, 500 years ago! The spirit told us that he had died within the castle and had been sentenced in this room. We all felt sad. Jacky asked "Why do you stay?" The reaction to this question was the strumming fingers sound on the table. We asked this spirit to tap loudly how many spirits were in the room with us. Five loud and definite taps were heard. We asked for the spirit to confirm that there were five spirits with us and we heard another slow and deliberate five taps. We learnt that these spirits were all male and had all been sentenced.
The table lifted and then dropped abruptly, twice! Dave started to feel hot and unwell. I asked for the table to lift again as I was amazed by the strength displayed and the table lifted quite high in the corner to my right and then crashed down again. The table then started to rise up in the air and stayed there. Dave stood up and tried to push the table down and he couldn’t. We were all amazed by this. There were five of us girls, with our hands resting gently on the top of this massive table and Dave at one end putting all of his body weight onto the corner that was in the air, unable to push it back down to the floor. Eventually, Jacky said ´´Put it down`` and the table end crashed down to the floor.
Dave was feeling really hot and the rest of us were wrapped up in our coats, hats and scarves. We all told Dave to take his jumper off and as he did so, we girls started to hum out the stripper song. We apologised to the spirit and said that someone from the 15th Century wouldn’t understand that joke but there were several loud bangs on the table. We asked "Did you understand that joke?" The table knocked out the answer for "Yes!" Suddenly we heard footsteps walking around by Dave. There was absolutely nobody who could have made the noise of the footsteps. We could clearly hear phantom footsteps walking around the room while we were all seated with our feet firmly on the floor. I have never experienced anything as clear as these footsteps. I could hear the footsteps pacing up and down behind Dave. We asked the spirit causing the footsteps to materialise in front of us. We didn’t really expect it to materialise and it didn’t.
As we discussed these amazing phenomena with each other, it sounded like the spirit who was making the footsteps, started to tap its foot impatiently. I thought that this was hilarious. We all heard two loud knocks on the table and Dave’s chair was kicked hard. We all heard it and saw Dave’s body jolt as a result.
It soon became apparent that the spirit banging on the table and the spirit walking around the room were two very different spirits. The spirit communicating at the table told us that the spirit walking around, really wanted to scare us. Sharon M asked if Mr. Footsteps (as we called him) was a bully and did he sentence the table spirit. The table banged the answer to "Yes!"
Jacky saw a light shooting across the room and the table banged. Dave said that he could smell sulphur (which is not generally a good sign spiritually) and then he smelt tobacco. Perhaps the sulphur was the lighting agent for the tobacco. We did not dwell further on this. I saw a movement between Jacky and Dave and I was shocked as it was like a really small hand. The movement was quick and gone in a flash but I am sure of what I saw. Dave saw the movement of it also but did not see its shape. The table spirit told us that a young boy had been sentenced so I asked if the hand that I saw belonged to this male child and I was informed that it was.
Jacky said that she could see balls of lights with her own eyes. Dave felt a tug on his trouser leg. There was a flash of light by the door and movement like a shadow behind Sharon H.
Although it was extremely cold, Dave was getting hotter and hotter even though he was only wearing a T shirt.
We had not heard the sound of Mr. Footsteps for a little while but as soon as we mentioned this, we heard him again, walking around the room. I wondered if we should ask Mr. Footsteps to join us at the table but the others felt uncomfortable with this and preferred that he stayed on the peripheral of our circle. However, while we were discussing this the table started pulsing. Sharon M asked if Mr. Footsteps had joined the table of his own accord and the table suddenly jolted. Sharon M said "Are you trying to show off?" The table jolted again. We asked for the table to be tipped and the table started tipping in every direction. The table was tipping and pulsing simultaneously. Sharon M asked for the table to move up a bit to give us some more room and the table complied.
Dave said that he felt really sick. We advised him to leave the table but he did not want to as the whole experience was mind-blowing. We could all still hear the footsteps pacing around. The table continued moving and Jill said that the table had been pushed into her and immediately the table pulled itself away from her.
We were all getting concerned about Dave as he was getting hotter and hotter and we all thought he looked unwell. I looked down at my hands and noticed that I was wearing my gloves the wrong way round and the funny print that was supposed to be on the bottom of my hands were sitting on the top. We all laughed and the atmosphere seemed to lift considerably. I suddenly felt mischievous and I started rapping out patterns of sounds on the table. The table started repeating the rapping patterns or simply finishing the patterns before I did.
Dave was still suffering and we told him that he really had to leave the table and take a break and I saw a flash of light fly across the room. It became apparent that Dave didn’t want to leave the table or the room because he was afraid of the intimidating Mr. Footsteps picking on us girls. But we were not afraid or intimidated. Dave eventually left the table and decided to go out for a break.
The table moved across nearer to Jacky. Jill said that she could smell apples. Jacky and Sharon M decided that they would like a break also; leaving Sharon H, Jill and I sat at the table. We started to discuss Dave and Jill and I agreed that at one point it looked as if Dave’s face had been superimposed by that of a skull. I 'called out' asking for spiritual activity. Jacky and Sharon M returned after their break and we discussed our previous conversation about Dave’s face being superimposed with a skull. Sharon M said that she had also seen the skull superimposed on Dave. Jacky said that at one point, my face had looked like a skull when I was 'calling out!' Sharon M said that while we were talking she had heard a voice say something but she could not discern what it had said. She was unsure whether it was a male or female voice.
All seemed quiet in the room now and Jacky noted that it was 03.00hrs. We have noticed over the years that in our experience, spiritual activity seems to die down about this time and today was not an exception. All remained quiet in the room. We thought we would stretch our legs for a while and as we were leaving Sharon H saw a shadow dash across the back wall.
We returned to the comfortable chairs and tried to sleep. Quite soon, I could hear most of the team’s breathing change signifying that they were asleep. I couldn’t sleep and as I sat there I heard banging on the floor between me and Jill. It sounded like footsteps walking between myself and Jill and then I heard it go behind my chair and walk between me and Jacky. I shared this information at breakfast in the morning and Jill said that she had also been awake and had heard the footsteps too.
We really enjoyed our time at St. Briavel’s Castle and I really feel that this is the most haunted location that I have ever visited.
Written By: Maria Williams
Bibliography
(Castle history and the ghostly experiences of others obtained by Ross Andrews’s brilliant book).
Andrews, R. 2010 St. Briavel’s Castle: The Most Haunted Building in the World – Part 1 TozMusic Press
SECOND VISIT
On Saturday 22nd June 2013, Jacky, Dave, Andrew and I visited St. Briavel’s Castle with another team and their guests. We were not able to investigate every room that we had investigated previously and time was tight but we did experience a few things.
CHAPLAINS ROOM
We stayed in this room for a little while and we saw some flashes of light that we thought may have been caused by camera flashes. However, upon examination of the area, there did not appear to be anyone within the vicinity.
We talked for a while and Jacky felt a breeze but it was so strong that she was unsure if it had actually been a gentle touch. A little while later, I felt a similar thing.
All was quiet for a considerable time and then Dave asked, “Did you just whisper?” None of us had. Dave looked surprised as he was sure that one of us had said something in a very quiet voice.
THE CHAPEL
We went inside the chapel and some people conducted a vigil. We sat around the perimeter of the room and watched the vigil. We noticed a gentle knocking near us. It did not appear to be reacting to the questions asked. We quietly asked if the knocking could be louder but it kept to the same level throughout. The atmosphere in the room felt thick. We stayed in the room for a while. The knocking sound continued but nothing else happened.
THE PRISON
We were only in this room for a very short while but the atmosphere felt menacing. We heard a door shut nearby and there were no other people in close proximity to us.
Dave and Andrew saw a shadow move across the wall and it seemed to disappear out of the open door. Jacky and I suddenly looked at each other and we both expressed that we felt really uncomfortable. We really felt as if someone’s eyes were boring into us. There were a couple of knocks and Dave started to ask if the knocks could be louder. A further two knocks were considerably louder but unfortunately we had to change to our next location so we couldn’t continue with this communication.
CONSTABLES ROOM
We experienced a few unexplained flashes of light in this room but nothing else happened in here.
HANGING ROOM AND GUARD ROOM
We sat in this room and nothing happened for a long time. We heard what we thought were some other people at the bottom of the stairs. We wondered who this could be as we thought that we were alone. Dave went to have a look and when he came back, he said that he couldn’t find anyone. After this, nothing else happened.
OUBLIETTE
We joined a large group in this room. We conducted a séance and got a few knocks within the room and some strange breezes. Dan (Spiritual Medium and Demonologist) asked us all to do an experiment with him. Dan had realised that there were several Pagan’s within the room. We all stood in a circle and held hands. Dan played a recording which is played within the Witches Museum in Boscastle, Cornwall. The recording is the voice of an elderly woman reciting a spell. Suddenly, I felt my arms being raised into the air. I noticed this was also happening to several people in the circle. After a while, I felt as if there were hands on my body, moving me around. I decided to go with it even though I felt a bit silly. The feeling of hands became stronger and then I felt them lowering me to the ground. Eventually I (and others) were on our knees and then guided gently backwards until we were lying upon our backs on the floor. As I was lying there, I watched as this strange phenomenon happened to every person within the circle. There were approximately twenty of us. It was the strangest experience. Dan seemed very pleased by this and said that it was the first time he had known this to happen to everyone at once.
It was time to move onto the last séance where the whole group were going to stand in a circle together.
KING JOHN’S LOUNGE
We assembled inside this room with the whole group. We made a circle and the event organisers started to ‘call out.’ There did not appear to be any spiritual response and then Dan said that he wanted to try his experiment again, to see if he could get even more people pushed down to the ground. We all held hands and Dan played his spell recital recording. The energy was different this time. It was not so strong or vibrant but I did feel my hands lifting up and eventually I was lowered to the ground again. This happened to several people but not everyone this time. Some people just had their arms moved and some people did not move at all. This ended our night at St. Briavel’s Castle.
The castle is always a lovely and most spooky location to visit and I hope that we will return.
Written By: Maria Williams
