Hawick Paranormal
Investigation Team
Queen's Head Bar Hawick
DATE - 17TH 0CTOBER 2005
CONDITIONS - DRY, VERY SLIGHT WIND
The team met up in the Queen's Head Bar at 8.45pm. Graham was not participating in the first part of the investigation so would not be joining us until later. It was decide that Nadia and Joyce would go upstairs to the private flat above the pub alone at first so that the rest of the team would not be influenced in any way by what Joyce was picking up. Nadia would record everything but would not share it with the others until the investigation was complete.
Inside the flat,Joyce sensed a spirit who gave his name as Charles, and who was following us from room to room. She described him as being of the late Victorian era, and with reddish straight hair, a moustache, and wearing a green coat. Joyce sensed that he was coming through as he was before he fell on hard times. She said that Charles had been a gentleman who regularly attended church, and that his story was one of riches to rags. Charles was a ladies man, a cad, who enjoyed his drink and had a love of good times and parties, and indulging in decadence. He enjoyed the company of prostitutes despite having a wife and children. Charles said that the flat we were in had once been part of one single building along with the other flat and the Queen's Head Bar. He said that prostitutes regularly plied their trade here. Joyce sensed Charles walking around with us, smoking a cigar. She said that he enjoyed standing on the balcony and watching the world go by.
As we made our way into the main bedroom, the atmoshere seemed to change. The air was thick and heavy, and it was difficult to breathe properly. While we had experienced the fun side of Charles in the living room, Joyce sensed that he had been very ill in this bedroom. She said that Charles had been bedridden with a serious throat and chest problem which she felt had been the cause of his passing here. Charles expressed his regret that his lifestyle choices had effectively destroyed his relationships with his family, and his anguish at never seeing his daughter grow up. He said that even he couldnt believe how low he had sunk before the end. Charles spent his last days bedridden, and lying in his own filth without anyone to care for him and without the means to pay for a doctor to ease his suffering. There was a lot of sad residual energy left in the room. Joyce said that Charles was a prankster who enjoyed making his present felt and that he was the one responsible for the activity experienced in the flats and in the pub. She said that he was not malicious and it is not his intention to hurt or frighten anyone. Joyce also sensed that there was a suicide connected with the building, and that the month of August was important.
Nadia and Joyce were than joined by the rest of the team, and a series of tests and vigils were carried out using the detection equipment. The team caught a number of light anomolies on camera including puffs of white cloud like substance in the main bedroom, at a spot where Joyce felt that someone was trying to materialise. Further photos and camcorder footage were shot but nothing more was captured. The team experienced temperature fluctuations during the above activity and a series of short beeps on the EMF reader. Some team members witnessed the curtains swaying in the main bedroom. The window was checked and there was a slight draught coming from the upper right hand side. Although it was felt that this was insufficient to have caused such heavy curtains to sway in the manner described, there was a draught however slight, and therefore cannot be counted as paranormal activity.
The team decide to move onto the next part of their investigation. THE QUEENS HEAD BAR. We met up with Graham and did a quick check of the equipment.Nadia and Joyce headed upstairs to the lounge bar. Joyce was drawn to the corner seat of the lounge and sensed the spirit of a man called Tom. She felt that Tom had been a farmer or a shepherd given his appearance and the fact that she saw a black and white collie dog around him. She sensed that Tom enjoyed coming to the pub and supping his pints quietly in the corner! She said he never married and was quite lonely and that he came here for the company. Joyce mentioned a woman called Hazel who was connected with the bar and who Tom enjoyed the company of. She said that Tom only came here in visitation and that there are others who also visit the pub on occassion.Joyce sensed that Tom passed with a heart condition in the 1950s.
We joined the rest of the team, and began our baseline tests. The trigger objects were set up and the motion sensors positioned. The team split into groups and the vigils began. Nadia Debbie Jackie and Graham in the upstairs lounge, Brian and Colin in the main bar.
No unusual activity was recorded or experienced in the main bar. Some light anomolies were captured in lounge bar, including a huge purplish one in the exact spot that Joyce had sensed Tom! No unusual activity was recorded on the thermometers, EMF or ELF meters
The team made the decision to return to the upstairs flat, where the team had experienced the most activity. The team set up camp in the main bedroom, and held a vigil for around 30 minutes. The team reported lots of physical symptoms during the vigil including sore heads, dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing properly. The EMF meter gave a reading of 4 at one stage of the vigil, and orbs were caught on camera. Graham reported seeing a fleeting glimpse of a man in the corner of the room with white hair and a moustache. The sighting was accompanied by what he described as people whispering. Perhaps he saw Charles as he had been when he was ill in this very room?
Nadia then decided it was time to share what Joyce had picked up with the rest of the team. Candles were then lit, and the team prepared for the seance.Some time was spent relaxing and practicing some self protection techniques. Nadia led the Seance at first and tried to communiate with Charles, asking him to give us some signs that he was with us. Jackie felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck, and Nadia and Brian felt someone flick the hair on the tops of their heads.After a few minutes, the team seemed to experience a feeling of euphorea! There were smiles and laughter all round which seemed to pass as quick as it had started! Could this have been the party loving Charles trying to project his love of fun and laughter on to the group, or was it just a case of the giggles!? Debbie took over the Seance, and Nadia left the Circle (without breaking the Link) to record some video footage. On reviewing the footage, some beautiful dancing lights can be seen around the team circle.
CONCLUSION
The team were very pleased with the amount of activity experienced and recorded. We caught a number of light anomolies, white 'clouds', and streaks on camera and camcorder. The team experienced many physical symptoms during the vigils and seance, and the occassional EMF, ELF and temperature activity! Although most of the activity experienced was in the upstairs flat the team did encounter unexplained phenomena in the pub lounge and Joyce had already said that the same man was responsible for the activity in both places. Joyce even gave one of our team members an unexpected personal clairvoyance reading and was impressively detailed and accurate!
All in all a successful investigation and we would definately be interested in a return visit. There really is something spooky going on in the Queen's Head Bar!
A huge thank you to Joyce and to Jackie and Pauline!
HERMITAGE CASTLE
Date - September 16th 2005
Location - Hermitage Castle, Liddesdale, Scottish Borders
Conditions - Dry, Cold, Slight wind
The team arrived at Hermitage castle at nightfall, and spent some time setting up the equipment and planning the evening ahead. The first sign of unusual activity occured before we had even begun our baseline tests.Debbie's radio started to omit white noise with intermittent bleeps and Nadia's radios refused to work despite fresh batteries being put in that evening. The team also heard footsteps coming from within the castle as we approached the front entrance. Baseline tests were carried out around the castle including EMF, ELF, and temperature readings, and trigger objects were set up in secure locations. No EMF or ELF activity was recorded, and the temperature varied between 6c and 9c.
The team decided to split up and carry out short vigils in different areas. Debbie and Steve headed for the west side of the castle and the kitchen tower, Brian and Colin set up on the south side at the front entrance to the courtyard, and Nadia headed for the east side and the prison tower.The groups made themselves comfortable, all lights were switched off and the vigils began.
After an agreed period of time, the team congrugrated at the base, coffees were poured and we all gave our accounts of any activity we had experienced. Nadia reported a flash of blue light in the postern which was accompanied by a significant temperature drop and a pain across her forehead and pressure on her shoulders. The EMF meter showed a reading of 4 during this activity. Colin and Brian's ELF meter reading had risen into the danger zone during their vigil, along with a significant temperature drop. Steve and Debbie hadn't experienced anything unusual, but had the fright of their lives when a huge white owl had taken flight above their heads! For the next set of vigils, the team changed partners and swapped positions. On regrouping, Steve and Debbie reported hearing what sounded like two men talking and murmering from within the courtyard, and Nadia and Colin said that they had heard footsteps on hard ground coming from within the courtyard at the same time from their position at the north west. No temperature variation or unusual activity on the EMF and ELF meters was recorded. Some video footage later showed up a streak of floating white light which was unseen at the time the footage was taken. The team decide to gather for a seance at the front entrance to the courtyard next to the well tower, where the team agreed appeared the most active. The seance was led by Nadia, and was conducted around the trigger objects and dictaphones. During the seance, a flash of red light was seen at what would have been a doorway in the kitchen tower. This occurred in response to a polite and respectful request for contact. Nadia experienced pains across her forehead and a burning sensation between her eyes, and felt dizzy. The team agreed that there was a definite sense of being watched from the base of the kitchen tower which they hadn't experienced previously in the evening. The team decided to break the circle and set up nearer the kitchen tower and restart the seance. Nadia heard what sounded like a man coughing and choking in response to more direct questions, using names once connected with the castle. This was heard from within the kitchen tower, in what would have been the bakehouse. No other activity was heard or seen so the group ended the seance, carried out some closing procedures and decided to pack up and head for warmth!
Hotel Report
LOCATION HOTEL IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS
DATE - HALLOWE'EN - 31ST OCTOBER 2005
The team arrived at the hotel at 9.30pm and after some preliminary introductions, set up base in room 7. We sorted out all the equipment and started our baseline tests in the kitchen, the hallway, the lounge, and in room 9. No unusual activity was recorded on the EMF, and ELF meters and the average temperature was 33.c, except for in room 9, which was noticeably colder than anywhere else in the hotel, with a reading of 29.c. No natural explanation could be found for this, the windows had been shut all day, and there was no discernable draughts, and the position of the room was in a similiar position to others.
After some discussions, the team agreed to carry out vigils in room 9, and the lounge. After concluding our baseline tests, we returned to room 9, and almost immediately one of our guest investigators Kevin saw three bright orbs go past him as he entered the doorway. Photos were taken and the first one shows a very bright light anomalie above the doorway in the exact position Kevin was pointing to. We recorded a temperature reading of 23.c - a drop of 6.c. The temperature returned to 29.c within seconds of this activity. Various cold spots were detected during the vigil, we recorded temperature variations of between 21.c - 34.c. We also had moderate EMF and ELF readings. Light anomalies were caught on night vision, including one that passed by Adrian's leg, and one that passed across Brian's face as he sat on the bed. After around 30 minutes the team decided to move on to the next location and commence our second vigil.
There was a very oppressive atmosphere in the lounge and what the team agreed felt like a distinctly masculine energy.The team felt that that someone was watching us from the corner of the room opposite the door.Photos were taken and a bright orb can be seen on the chair in the corner. This was accompanied by a high EMf reading but a small drop in temperature of 3.c. During the vigil Nadia and Gary ( an Hotel employee) were disturbed to see a white mist pass between them as they were sitting to the right of the fireplace. Gary felt the air go cold, and we recorded a temperature drop of a full 8.c! The photo that was taken showed a milky white mist with a string of white orbs through it, which was headed by a dense black mass. The EMF and ELf meters indicated high activity. This was definitly the most exciting activity experienced so far! The temperature quickly returned to normal and the team calmed down and carried on! Other activity experienced included a dark shadow pass over the chair in the corner of the room opposite the door, but nothing showed up on the footage shot. Cold breath was felt on one of our investigator's neck, but again no evidence was captured and it is hard to prove it was anything unusual. Some noises which sound like someone choking can be heard on the camcorder footage, including a distinct cough. This was unheard at the time the footage was shot, but is it paranormal? A tapping noise can also be heard on the dictaphone playback, but again this is difficult to count as evidence, although no one remembers hearing it at the time.
A short vigil was held again in room 9. Kevin reported pains in his arm and shoulder which were not felt before and went away as soon as he left the room. Orbs were caught on camera again, but other than that we recorded no more unusual activity in the room.
The team decided to hold the Seance in the lounge as this had been the scene of the most activity during the evening. The cameras and voice recorders were set up to record the Seance, and as always, the team practiced some self protection and relaxation techniques. Nadia led the Seance, but despite repeated attempts at communication, the team experienced nothing unusual, although Gary and Kevin reported feeling very emotional as if they were going to cry. Around 5 minutes into the Seance, The camcorder was switched off despite nobody going near it. A check afterwards showed nothing amiss, there was still plenty of tape, and the battery was fine. After quite a lot of activity during the evening, the team were a bit disappointed that nothing much really happened on the Seance, but that's the way it goes. They never play on demand!
CONCLUSION
The team enjoyed their investigation and were pleased with the amount of activity experienced and the footage recorded. A number of interesting photos were taken of orbs and some were even seen with the naked eye, a very rare occurence! Temperature, EMF and ELF fluctuations were recorded and the team experienced some physical symptoms during the vigils. The most activity was experienced in the lounge and on reviewing the footage, this was where we captured the most unusual activity. The team were slightly disappointed that the Seance was fairly eneventful, but overall an enjoyable evening
Thanks to every one who took part on the night, and to the Hotel Proprieters for giving us the opportunity to carry out the investigation.
Buckholm Tower
DATE - 19TH NOVEMBER 2005
The team arrived at this 15th Century Tower house at around 8pm on a very cold but dry evening. The building originally had three storeys including an attic, but there is little left of this imposing structure. The only area with any shelter was the cellar, so it was here that the team set up base. The cellars windows and door are open to the elements, but it was suprisingly warm inside considering the outside temperature was only 1.C when we began the investigation.
Like many investigators before us, we immediately experienced technical problems with our equipment, and although we were prepared for this with plenty of spare batteries, battery drainage was only the start of our problems...The investigation was very much a late decision for the team, having only been granted permission by the owners the previous day. We decided to go ahead with the date as the weather was favourable and we would have been unable to gaurantee this at a later date. As a result of the very short notice some of our regular team members were unable to attend so we were working with the minimum of equipment. We took along 1 night vision camcorder, an EMF meter, Thermometer, 3 digital cameras, and a motion sensor beam alert. The batteries from the camcorder and two of the cameras were drained within seconds of the investigation start despite being fully charged or in some cases brand new.Fresh ones were put in only for the same thing to happen again. The camcorder refused to work at all, but the 3rd set of batteries for the cameras worked fine. We set up what equipment we had and set about photographing the area. Again, like previous investigators, we caught some pink, blue, and orange orbs through the cellar doorway and in the cellar itself. These were captured on all 3 cameras. The cellar has 3 large hooks suspended from the ceiling where Laird Pringle hung the bodies of Geordie Elliott and his son William Elliott after murdering them for their religious beliefs in the late 18th Century. We decided to hang a bell on one of the hooks as a trigger object. It was hung on the farthest away hook to keep it away from any breeze that may have came into the cellar via the open window areas. Whilst we were taking photos inside the cellar, 2 of our cameras jammed and refused to work within minutes of each other. They both returned to normal after a couple of minutes. We had positioned the digital thermometer in the cellar on one of the ledges. Despite being put on the 'lock' position (and witnessed by the whole team), it was switched off on no less than 4 ocassions when the whole team were in the adjacent area. This happened twice more when the team were back in the cellar despite nobody being anywhere near it. The thermometer was found to be working perfectly well after the investigation.
The team decided to set up the motion sensor beam in the cellar. We each stood in a corner. We asked for any Spirits present to give us a sign of their presence and after a short while the motion sensor alert sounded - someone or something had broken the beam! Photos were immediately taken and two of the cameras captured blue orbs in the near vicinity. The equipment was reset and the same thing happened twice more.
The team also heard what was described as bangs coming from above the cellar periodically throughout the investigation, but as it was impossible to rule out a natural explanation so cannot be counted as paranormal activity. The bangs were not heard in conjunction with any requests for contact which made it even more difficult. The bell didnt ring at all during the evening, there were ocassions when it looked to be swaying slightly but not enough to warrant any excitement on our part!
The Seance was held in the cellar, but despite repeated requests for contact and using the names of people associated with the tower, the team experienced nothing unusual. No EMF activity was recorded during the evening, and when the thermometer did work there was nothing unusual to report. The most activity was experienced with the failure of the equipment. Everything had been checked before the investigation and it all had been in perfect working order. Strangely, when the photos were reviewed at home, one of the cameras had 'lost' some of the photos! All the good photos of coloured orbs were gone and all the photos were mixed up with old ones. Luckily other team members had there own photos so all was not lost and they can be viewed on the Photo Gallery page.
The team plan to return to Buckholm Tower soon, fully staffed and equipped!!!
The George And Abbotsford Hotel
Melrose
DATE - DECEMBER 5TH 2005
Our investigation at the George and Abbotsford Hotel in Melrose started fairly quietly. We had planned the investigation the previous week, including who should be where, the rooms we were going to be investigating and what equipment we would be using etc. But as always with this work, things rarely go to plan! You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.......
We had visited the Hotel the previous week to discuss the investigation with the owners and staff and to hear their accounts of the activity witnessed by them and previous guests. While we were there, we photographed the relevant areas and left with a pile of layout maps and a lot of planning ahead!
From our discussions we planned to investigate room 9, room 18, the Burn's room, the Scott room, the Waverley room, and the main bar area.
We arrived at 9pm and decided to set up base in the Burn's room as it was big enough to accommodate our team, all the equipment and the 5 owners and staff members who would be joining us though the night. It also has a huge table - ideal for the end of night Seance!
Our baseline tests were fairly routine, however in room 18 the team experienced high EMF activity over the bed on the left hand side of the room. This continued for several minutes until it ceased as quick as it had begun. Nothing unusual was recorded anywhere else at this stage.
We had brought several trigger objects with us, An early 20th century religious book, with a St Christopher on top was placed in the Burn's room in view of the laptop and night vision webcam. Because Nadia had sensed the spirit of a little girl in the hotel. children's books were set up as well as a small teddy in various rooms.
Our first vigils were to be in rooms 9 and 18, so we split into 2 groups and headed off. All was quiet in room 9 for the main part of the vigil and it was only towards the end that team felt significant temperature drops and witnessed orbs in the corner of the room. The room had a distinct feminine energy and Nadia kept visualising a woman in a dark green dress. The woman looked to be about early 40s, with dark brown hair worn neatly under a bonnet. She also had a brown shawl around her shoulders. Nadia did not see this woman 'in situ' but as an image in her mind and thought it might be relevant.
After a set time the team regrouped at the base and swapped rooms to start the next vigil. Nadia sensed the same woman in room 18 but no unusual activity was experienced or recorded. There was also nothing unusual to report in room 9 at this stage.
The second set of vigils were held in the main bar and the Scott room. During the bar vigil the team witnessed high EMF activity centred in the middle of the room and near to the windows. Eye witnesses had reported the chandelier swinging of it's own accord despite there being no one upstairs to cause vibrations. Interestingly, directly above the main bar is the Burn's room, the scene of many previous paranormal activity. One of our team members felt the date 1746 was important here, and Nadia was getting the name John repeatedly in her mind. She also sensed the energies of two children running around this area. The subsequent photos show a huge light anomaly in the bar area.This was captured on 3 photos in different positions. No unusual temperature drops were recorded. The group in the Scott room had nothing to report so we headed back to the base.
On regrouping, we entered the Burn's room to find the other half of the team experiencing some very exciting activity! Bud was using the EMF meter and the reading was going off the scale! The activity was centered to the left hand side of the room as you enter, and would occasionally stop as Bud moved around trying to eliminate a natural source. There had been no unusual EMF activity during the baseline tests. The activity seemed to be focused on two chairs at the top of the table and the subsequent photos showed a single blueish orb in various positions in the area concerned. An orb was also caught on night vision camcorder streaking past the two chairs. The activity continued for around 20 minutes before trailing off.
After a short break, the team split up again into small groups. The team had planned to swap positions for the next set of vigils, but a last minute suggestion from Bud was to prove to be the making of the investigation. He suggested doing a vigil in the basement. We hadn't planned this as although staff member Lisa had experienced activity down here, it was our understanding that it had been an isolated incident and we had plenty to do upstairs! However the team have always agreed to follow our instincts on investigations, so a small team was sent to the basement. The rest of the team split themselves into small groups and went to rooms 9, 18, and the Waverley room. And that's when things really started to get interesting!!
In room 9, the team experienced huge temperature fluctuations, and Nadia felt 3 distinct taps on her left knee in response for a request for communication. Orbs were caught on camera most notably in the same corner as on the previous vigil. However, it was the group in the basement that experienced the most activity. During their vigil, Bud Lisa and Sharon had felt the presence of a spirit and started to ask questions in the hope of eliciting some response. They started by asking questions such as 'Do you want to communicate with us' and were rewarded with a short bleep on the EMF meter. They asked more question such as 'are you a woman, did you live here' etc, and in response to certain questions the EMF meter would emit a short bleep. Prior to our visit the hotel had employed the services of a Medium Clairvoyant who picked up on several energies in the hotel. She had given names, so using this information, the group managed to decipher that the man's name was John and that he was looking for his wife Margaret and 2 children Amy and Charlotte who had both died accidental deaths whilst residing in the hotel in the 17th century. All responses were double checked by repeating the questions and using various other names to determine the accuracy of what they were experiencing. Our team were aware of the Mediums visit to the hotel but were given no details, not even the gender of the people that she had sensed.
The group joined the others in room 9 and again we tried the experiment. More questions were asked and we received more bleeps in response. Once again the team tried to 'trick' the spirit by asking different questions and we received no response to these at all.
The team headed for the Burn's room and prepared for the Seance. There were 11 of us in total but we managed to sit comfortably around the huge centre table set the camcorders on tripods and repositioned the laptop and webcams at the top of the table. We decide to use 2 EMF meters. Lisa held one and Nadia the other and they sat almost directly opposite each other. We decide to use the same techniques as earlier as they had been so successful. It wasn't long before we had a response via the EMF meter. Lisa and Brian felt that someone was standing between them and it was then that the meter started to bleep incessantly. As the meter was continually bleeping, we couldn't begin to ask questions as it wouldn't have been possible to decipher a response. As Nadia had sensed the spirit of a young girl in the area we started to ask some relevant questions and using the same techniques as before we found out that the little girl's name was Mary and that she was 6 years old. This was confirmed by asking Mary if she was 3,4,5 etc. No response was given until we asked if she was 6 and we received 6 short bleeps on the EMF meter. We repeated the question and heard another 6 bleeps. Through perserverance, we found out that Mary was Charlotte and Amy's cousin, and John and Margarets' neice. She responded positively when asked if she was frightened of the other Spirit in the room (the one that was still causing Lisa's EMF meter to bleep incessantly). We switched Lisa's EMF meter off at one point to see if a clearer connection could be made with Mary, as there were times during the Seance that she wouldn't come through for a minute or two and we were concerned that the other Spirit in the room may have been draining all the available energy and making it difficult for Mary to come through effectively, however when we made the switch, Mary came through even weaker than previously, and we thought that maybe she had needed the energy that the other was drawing and that she had been 'taking' some of it in order to communicate with us. When we switched the EMF meter back on we once again established a link with Mary after a few minutes. We continued our questions and managed to find out that Mary was searching for her Grandfather - also called John, and wanted to be taken up to room 19. After our longest Seance to date - nearly 3 hours!, we broke the circle and a small group of us headed up to room 19. We attempted to reestablish communication with Mary, but were getting no response in this room. After a few minutes we decide to try room 18 next door, where previous activity had been witnessed. Again we tried to communicate with Mary, and almost immediately we heard the now very familiar short bleeps on the EMF meter! We helped Mary connect with her Grandfather as best as we knew how, and after a few moments the EMF meter fell silent. Despite repeated questioning we had no more response from Mary.
After a very long, but incredibly exciting night, the team packed up and headed for home!
CONCLUSION
The team were delighted with the activity experienced at the George and Abbotsford Hotel. We caught many light anomalies in room 9, 18, The Burn's room, and in the main bar, including a 'twin orb' in room 9, where the spirit energies of the two little girls Amy and Charlotte were believed to be. Nadia felt someone tap her left knee three times in this room during one of the vigils.
Camcorder footage showed a couple of light anomolies in The Burn's room, and we recorded extremely interesting EMF activity in various parts of the hotel.
None of the trigger objects were moved throughout the night.
We would like to thank Phillip and Jeanette Titley, Sharon, Lisa and Hazel for their participation and cooperation in this investigation