Southern Paranormal - Investigations
Bodelwyddan Castle Investigation
Saturday 3rd November 2007
Attendees :
Julie Harwood, Simon Steadman, Rachel Steadman, Sandy Rutter, Mark Pettet, Steve Gilbert, Ross Richardson, David Ireland, Sarah Couper, Jan Coles, Adam Hackett, Amanda Horley and Tara Nash.
Guests :
Pea & Dave (Bodelwyddan Paranormal Team)
Introduction
The history of the house and estate extends to before 1460 though the association with the Williams family dates from around 1690. The Castle as seen today is a creation of Sir John Hay Williams dating from between 1830 and 1852. Architect’s Hansom and Welch were employed by Sir John to refurbish and extend the house while further works at this time also resulted in a magnificent estate wall and formal garden.
The loss of the main income source for the estate - lead mining - in the 1850s resulted in the decline of the Williams family fortunes, though further building refurbishment took place in the 1880s. By the First World War, the estate had been reduced in size and the house used as a recuperation hospital.
The grounds to the east of the main house were also used by nearby Kinmel Camp as an area for trench warfare training. In 1920 the house and estate were finally sold by the Williams family to Lowther College, a girls private school. The College was based at the Castle until 1982 when it finally closed due to financial problems.
In the 1980s the Castle was purchased by the then Clwyd County Council and developed as a museum, gallery and visitor attraction.
Partnerships were formed with the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts to enable the display of many important national treasures at the Castle. To house these collections, the interior was sympathetically restored to its Victorian splendour by architect Roderick Gradidge.
In 1994, the County Council leased part of the site to the Rank Organisation for its first Warner Holidays hotel. Meanwhile, the magnificent Williams Hall with its national collections was placed under the control of Bodelwyddan Castle Trust.
The teams sincere thanks goes to – Jane Williams and Laura Whitley who made our visit possible and helped us no end up until the day of the investigation and on the night to Pea and Dave, two of the best guides we have ever worked with.
The Ghosts of Bodelwyddan
The building has had many phases of redevelopment, the latest one being in the nineteenth century, which transformed the structure into the castle we know today. It was during this rebuilding that a gruesome find was uncovered. In 1829, during one of the periods of restoration, it is noted in the diary of Sir John Hay Williams that human bones were found near one of the chimneys. It is also said that the bones were built back into the wall, which means they are still there to this day. Could this be the cause of the paranormal activity at Bodelwyddan Castle? Or is there something else in the Castle’s history, which we don’t know about? Interestingly many of the castle documents were destroyed in a fire, which took place in a peripheral building of the castle in the 1920s. Therefore much of the history of the building is lost.
Parts of the house date from the fifteenth century when the building was a simple manor house, although there was probably a dwelling of some sort on the site long before this. There have been many ghostly happenings reported over the past few years. They include:
* A lady in the Sculpture Gallery
* A soldier in one of the galleries (Bodelwyddan Castle was used as an officers mess and a recuperation centre during the First World War)
* Shadowy figures drifting down the corridors and on the staircase
* A blue lady in the Terrace Tea Room
* Unexplained noises and lights in many areas of the castle
* A Dark hooded figure has been seen in the gift shop and on the first floor
* A lady in a blue dress believed to be a former servant or kitchen maid
* Footsteps have been heard running through the library into the dining room
* Visitors and staff have reported having their clothing tugged by unseen hands
* People report a feeling of being followed in many areas of the castle
* In the library tobacco smoke is often smelt and people have an unnerving feeling of being watched
* Light anomalies and orbs are often caught in the toy room
* Poltergeist activity has been reported in some rooms of the castle with things flying off of surfaces on their own
* World War One soldiers are often seen in the grounds of the castle and walking in the exhibition areas
* A Victorian Lady has been seen at the end of the sculpture gallery before fading away
* A mystery man in the cellar likes to play tricks on investigators by pretending he is one of their relatives
* A spirit called Emelia is said to make her presence known to people in the dining room
* Whining sounds and growling have also been heard and a medium sensed a Irish Wolfhound in the Watts Hall.
Information courtesy of Bodelwyddan Castle Trust
Teams
Team 1
Simon Team Leader
Adam
Amanda
David
Julie
Ross
Pea (Guide)
Team 2
Rachel Team Leader
Jan
Steve
Mark
Sarah
Sandy
Tara
Dave (Guide
Vigil Areas
Team base room – Tea Rooms
Ground Floor
Entrance Hall
Watts Hall
Billiard Room
Dining Room
Library
Ladies' Drawing Room
Staircase Hall
Sculpture Gallery
The Cellar
1st Floor
Bedroom
2nd Floor
Lowther College Room
Toy Room
Equipment
Each team had access to –
2 night vision camcorders
at least 1 digital camera
2 laser temperature gun
2 emf meters
Glass for divinations
Table for glass div or table tipping
Walkie Talkies
Locked off experiments
1 Locked off night vision camcorder in sculpture gallery (facing piano) – This was found drained of battery less than 30 minutes later
1 Trigger object cross and locked off night vision camcorder in Ladies drawing room (on fireplace) – As above this was found drained of battery less than 40 minutes later
Note – Both camcorders were showing full battery when set up (ie over 120 minutes)
Itinerary
10.00pm Arrive at castle
10.15pm Settle in and chat to guides
10.45pm Tour and health and safety briefing
11.30pm Vigil 1
Team 1 Ground Floor
Team 2 1st Flr & 2nd Flr
12.45am Break
1.00am Vigil 2
Team 1 1st Flr & 2nd Flr
Team 2 Ground Floor
2.15am Break
2.30am Vigil 3
Team 1 Ground Floor
Team 2 Cellar
3.10am Vigil 4
Team 1 Cellar
Team 2 Ground Floor
3.50am Pack Up & thank hosts
4.00am Depart
Baseline Tests
Completed by Julie, Rachel & Simon
Ground Floor
Entrance Hall Temp 9.0, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Sculpture Gallery Temp 15.8, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Watts Hall Temp 14, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Billiard Room Temp 12, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Dining Room Temp 12.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Library Temp 13.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Ladies' Drawing Room Temp 12.5, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Staircase Hall Temp 12, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
The Cellar Temp 8, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
1st Floor
Bedroom Temp 14, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
2nd Floor
Lowther College Room Temp 14, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Toy Room Temp 14, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Other conditions noted on baseline readings –
TOY ROOM – Reflective signs and some very squeaky floorboards
LOWTHER COLLEGE ROOM – Carpeted area. Cut out of a full sized woman.
STAIRCASE HALL – Large clock that strikes on the hour
LIBRARY – Dehumidifier in corner goes on and off automatically. Light on security camera.
DINING ROOM – Creaky floor especially near fireplace, Dehumidifier in corner goes on and off automatically.
Team / Vigil Notes
Team 1 Vigil 1
Sculpture Room –
Julie, David and Amanda all feel the room should be used for dancing and Amanda can see a swirling in the middle of the room.
Ross is feeling dizzy like he has spun round too much and is sure he hears a breath in his ear
Pea sees a light by the piano
David gets the name Llewellyn
Amanda and Julie both hear a footstep between them
Ross is feeling very sick and swaps places with David
Julie, Pea and Amanda hear another footstep
David feels cold by the piano
Simon & Adam measures a rapid temperature drop around David and Ross. Room started at temp of 16 and in a matter of minutes in that one area only it drops to 7.8.
David is sure he feels something touch the very top of his head
All group hear rumbling and talking on stairs and presume it is the other team. Julie checks but no one is there. Pea radio’s Dave who confirms his team have not moved.
David senses soldiers from World War One.
David gets the date 1120
Team decide to relocate to the Ladies Drawing Room and on way through Simon notices the locked off camcorder is dead even though it has not been recording for long.
Ladies Drawing Room –
Simon check locked off camcorder in this room to find that it too has died. Both camcorders were fully charged before investigation.
Pea and Julie feel extremely cold while everyone else in the room feels warm or comfortable.
Adam catches possible light anomalies near fireplace and behind chair (on camcorder)
David, Julie & Adam hear a floorboard creek right near Adam and door to the library however could just be floor settling
Amanda is sat by the fire and feels one of her legs is colder than the other. Temp taken, her left leg is in fact 10 degrees lower than her right leg.
Amanda feels someone touch her arm
Someone takes a picture with a flash and Julie thinks she saw a man stood behind Ross. Team recreate situation and another picture with flash is taken just in case but Julie can not see anything the second time.
David feels something touch his face
Julie wonders if this room was every a nursery or pre school as she can imagine toys laying on the floor and children running around
Pea feels someone poke her gently on her face
Simon, Amanda and David hear a tap behind Ross
Julie and Simon can hear a glugging noise like a child drinking a drink really quickly
David senses a little girl by the doors to the stairway hall. Simon and David agree she is blonde and Simon sees ringlets and a white flowing nightdress
Amanda hears a tap in the fireplace
Ross feels his little finger (on his left hand) tingle when team ask for someone to be touched
Simon feels his hair being stroked
Amanda’s leg has gone very cold again
Julie gets the name Lucy or Lucille
Library –
On entering the room Julie, Pea and Simon smell a strong smell of wood fire and smoke like the fireplace has been lit. Pea informs us that the fireplaces are never lit at the castle.
David gets the image of a mill in his mind
Julie’s camera battery dies just after she gets a bright light anomaly
Amanda feels like the room is back to front
Amanda can smell wet dog in this area and senses a wolfhound
Simon can smell the wood burning smell again
Julie’s camera comes back to life and is now showing full battery
Team attempt glass divination but no movement is experienced
Team 1 – Vigil 2
1st Floor Bedroom –
Temp 11.8, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Julie captures 2 light anomalies near the bed on camcorder
All team feel drowsy in this room and most report feeling like they are going to sleep.
Team decide to relocate to another area
Lowther College Room –
Temp 17, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Julie gets the strong smell of gone off milk
Julie, Amanda and Pea all hear a pppffffhhhh noise
A running water noise is also heard by some of the team
Julie feels like she is trapped in this room or being held prisoner but is not perturbed by this feeling as she feels resigned to her fate
Pea suggests opening the door but when Simon does it, it makes Pea, Amanda, Julie and himself feel nervous.
Julie expects to see a child peer round the door at them
Simon and Ross go to investigate the hallway outside the room but Simon feels trepidation and does not really want to go. When in corridor team feel nervous and a little vulnerable.
Ross feels a cold breeze waft past him
Toy Room –
Temp 17.6, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
A low whiny bang is heard by team but they have to consider it may be fireworks outside
Random thuds keep being heard but have to consider above
Blasts of cold air keep being felt by team and yet windows (although not double glazed) don’t appear to be giving off lower temp readings.
Team 1 – Vigil 3
Billiards Room on way to Dining room –
Julie sees a person look round the door at her and Simon who are stood in the Watts hall. Dies not think anything of it as believes it is Ross or Adam, however all the rest of the team (confirmed by Pea) are with her in the Dining room.
Locked off camcorder set by Simon in the Billiards room.
Julie does not like this room and is happy to get into the dining room.
Simon and Ross (and then Adam) do short lone vigils in little space connecting two rooms. Ross has nothing to report but Simon reports hearing a scratching noise that seems to be coming from the room next door. He likens it to a dog trying to open a door.
Julie is very nervous about looking into the Billiards room and is dreading having to go back in there.
Team decide to move into Billiards room as dining room is very quiet.
Julie only lasts a couple of minutes in the room and then requests to leave as she feels threatened.
Ladies Drawing Room –
Team attempt Table tipping in this room (in front of fireplace).
Julie, Amanda and Pea try first and although the table does not move, audible knocks are heard coming from under the table.
Simon, Ross and Adam try and nothing is experienced until Amanda calls out and asks for a knock
Team 1 – Vigil 4
The Cellar –
Team splits into 2. Women go to one part and the men go to another part.
Men’s team attempt glass divination with no results
Women’s team attempt table tipping and the table does respond well to questions and seems to confirm we are talking to a William John Williams who was a part owner of the castle with his brother.
More details are in the personal reports.
Team 2 – Vigil 1
Lowther Room –
Knocks are heard from near Sandy
Jan tries dowsing rods and seems to contact a man of about 20 years who does not mind the team being there. He is Norman / French and was born in Europe. He is happy here and died in his twenties. He was murdered by a relative – a younger brother. He was married and had 2 boys, his wife was killed. He believes the land and building should be his and he follows his murderer around.
The murderer is in the room also standing to the side of Jan and she feels his remorse.
At this point the temp gun the team have start malfunctioning so they ask him to affect something else ie a chair.
Toys Room –
Team hear noise coming from the next room
Team observe movement in the archway leading to the room
When Jan stands by the arch her back is freezing cold
Rachel tries the rods and the group can feel a little girl with them who was less than 10 when she died, possibly 5 years old. Name starts with E and she is standing by Dave.
She is with her mother and sisters and wants to play with the toys and so group invite her to do so
Her mother died of an illness and was the lady of the house who liked living here
She was born in Wales and was called Gwen. She died in her 30’s. Her husband was a soldier who was killed in his 20’s.
1st Floor bedroom –
Team call out in room for any spirit to show themselves and room gets noticeably colder but nothing else is experienced and team note the room feels calm and relaxing.
Team 2 – Vigil 2
The Sculpture Gallery –
Temp 15, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Team do a glass divination and contact a Sir John who is angry at being there. He wants to show the team more and the glass moves about rapidly. He owned the castle but would not really answer anymore questions sensibly. Team move into library as they believe Sir John will not talk to them in the Ladies Drawing room
Library –
Temp 17, EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Temp by door 15
Team can smell tobacco smoke
Sir John does make contact through the rods (held by Tara)
Now he says he used to visit the castle and in fact went to school with the castle inhabitants. He was then in the military (English not Welsh)
Team 2 – Vigil 3
Cellar –
Jan calls out but team doesn’t get a response
Team try table tipping with two tables simultaneously. One of the tables responds. Team try and ascertain whether it is Sir John who has followed then but table does not respond.
See personal reports for more details of session.
Billiard Room –
Rachel calls out
Jan calls out for taps and all team hear taps immediately
Call out again and further knocks are heard by all team ( 3 distinct knocks and then further little taps)
Mark and Sarah feel like their feet and legs are being touched
Sarah feels really ill
Team use divining rods to speak to child they contacted earlier (E)
Personal Reports
Julie Harwood
I had been looking forward to this investigation for nearly a year and so to drive up and see the castle in a glow of orange made me melt, it looked fantastic. Sandy had done all the research for this one which meant unusually I could go in blind and just be an investigator for the night.
After our tour and health and safety brief our team headed by Simon started our investigation on the ground floor. The first room we went to was the Sculpture gallery and we all settled ourselves in. I was sat with Amanda at the far end next to the double doors to the staircase hall and almost immediately on calling out myself and Amanda heard a footstep between us. I felt this room was all wrong and pictured it more as a dance hall. In my mind I could imagine ladies dancing. I could sense their long skirts twirling round. I could see a sterner faced lady in the middle of them not moving so much so I presumed she was teaching them. I am not sure what era they were from, at a guess I would say 1930’s? Amanda and David could also sense dancing in the room and Amanda could see a swirling mist I believe when she looked into the middle of the room. We then heard another footstep between us and this time Pea heard it too. Ross however was feeling a little ill and so changed places with David. David sat where Ross was sat and immediately felt cold and this is where Simon and Adam measured a massive temperature drop from 16 to under 7 in less than a couple of minutes. It was a static cold spot as well as the rest of the room was still reading 15/16. The other odd thing that happened in this room (or just outside it) was when Amanda, Pea and myself all heard people on the staircase seemingly coming down. We very nearly dismissed it as the other team as it was so audible but having been bitten before like this I went to investigate. The hallway and the staircase was empty, there was not a person to be seen in this large area. Pea immediately radioed Dave and Rachel in team 2 and they confirmed they had not left their first area. This was amazing and the benefit of having only 2 teams in the entire castle.
We then moved onto the Ladies Drawing room and from the minute I walked in here I was freezing cold and so was Pea who sat to my left. What amazed me was that everyone else was saying how warm it was and at first I thought they were joking or being sarcastic but it became apparent they were not. Adam came and stood next to me and said he felt warm too and so I could not have been sat in a draft as he would have felt it. Sensibly I may need to put it down to tiredness but in that case why was I not cold in the Sculpture gallery? I asked Pea whether this room was ever a nursery as I could feel children running about playing but the children all appeared to be about 5 maybe 6 but no older. When I looked on the floor I could also see in my mind childrens toys like spinning tops and wooden yo-yo’s. Then someone took a picture towards Ross and in the light of the flash I could have sworn that I saw someone looking over Ross’ shoulder. When I told the group we tried to recreate the situation and the same person took a picture from the same angle but this time I could not see anything behind Ross. This made me a little nervous, as I would have said it was a man and felt strongly that men should not have been (and would not have been allowed) in here. I also felt that if there were children in the room they may not respond well to the men in the team for the same reason and also because they would have been told not to talk to men they did not know. Saying that though both Simon and David sensed a little blonde girl stood by the doors to the staircase hall and I got the name Lucy or Lucille. We then moved onto the Library. This was a beautiful room but again felt all wrong. Amanda & Simon hit the nail on the head when they said it was all back to front. The fireplace was not where you would expect it to be, the bookshelves did not look tall enough, in fact to me it looked a bit more like an accountant’s office. Amanda smelt wet dog in this area and picked up on a wolfhound and Simon, Pea and myself all smelt smoke. We were surprised when Pea told us that no fires were ever lit in the castle, as this is what it smelt like to me. Someone also smelt tobacco in this area but forgive me for not remembering whom it was. I also caught a very strange light anomaly on digital camera in this room. It appeared to look like a camera strap or hair but as soon as I caught it, Simon could see that neither my hair or my camera strap (which was round my wrist at the time) were anywhere near the lens. After this long and interesting vigil we had a short comfort break and then set about Vigil number 2.
For the second vigil we were on the 1st and 2nd floor. Our first part of the vigil was spent in the 1st floor bedroom however apart from a few light anomalies on camcorder I got very little from this room. Despite that the entire team seemed to go into sleep mode and everyone reported feeling very drowsy. Simon then decided to move us onto the Lowther Room. This was a strange room for me. The minute I went in there I just wanted to sit and be quiet. People called out but I did not want to, I felt like I should not be speaking. I felt that I was trapped in this room. Not in a physical sense but in the sense that I knew I should not leave it and I was resigned to the fate that I would not leave this room until I was carried out in a box. It was not a particularly nice thought and I did feel a little anxious and felt I needed to keep looking over my shoulder as I was sat with my back to the main door. Pea suggested we open the door but when we did, despite thinking I would want to run out, I did the entire opposite and almost recoiled into my chair. A lot of the group did not like the door open either. Simon was very wary of stepping outside even though he wanted to know where a noise we could all hear was coming from. While he was doing this I imagined a little girl poking her head round the open doorway just being nosy to see what was in the room, as if the door was not open that often. We all decided to move onto the toy room and for me this was a quiet vigil. We heard a lot of knocks and taps seemingly in response to our questions but it was the fireworks weekend and as Adam pointed out it could have been fireworks in the distance. 2 taps were very clear though and seemed to originate from between Amanda and I again. After another longer vigil we grabbed and coffee and made ourselves ready for our final 2 shorter vigils.
For vigil 3 we returned to the ground floor and decided to spend a bit of time in the dining room. The rest of the group had gone on ahead and Simon and I were looking down the Watts hall. The Billiards room was next to us, and the dining room after that. I looked towards the billiards room and saw either Ross or Adam peer round the door at me. Thinking we were being hurried along I grabbed Simon and we went into the billiards room. To my horror even though this was only a couple of seconds later, the room was empty. We went through into the dining room where the group had settled and Pea was able to confirm no one had left the group to go back into the billiards room. I don’t know who I saw but it was definitely a person and at the time I just thought it was one of our team. It gives me goosebumps even now just thinking about it. Our dining room vigil was quiet but I spent the whole time staring into the billiards room. I did not want to look but had to in case I saw something else. I was dreading going back through there. When the team decided to move on I was horrified when they said they wanted to spend a little time in the billiards room. I tried to just deal with it but sadly only lasted a couple of minutes. I was scared yes but because I was scared my imagination was running away with me and I was seeing something in every shadow which would have been no good, so I would like to apologise to my team for whimping out. We moved onto the Ladies Drawing room and this time I was not cold in here at all. We tried some table tipping in here and Amanda, Pea and myself (all the females) had a go first. The table did not move but we had some pretty impressive knocks seemingly coming from underneath the table. I hope we have caught these on the MP3 player that Simon placed on the table. 3 men then had a go and unfortunately did not get anything apart from a knock when Amanda called out for them. Again, if it was children in the room, I don’t think they would have interacted with the men. Funnily when we left this room at the end of the vigil I took a digital picture and captured 2 bright light anomalies around the table we had just been sat at, so was it spirit children contacting us or just creaking of a wooden table?
Our last vigil, number 4 was in the cellar and again we split into a female team and a male team. Unfortunately the men did not have a lot of luck with their glass divination however for the first time in over 2 years I took part in a table tilting experiment that actually worked, the table, touched very gently by Amanda, Pea and myself seemed to rock back and forth of its own accord and then answer questions. It was incredible enough that it was moving but what amazed me more was that it would stop dead if the answer was no. At one point I was sure I knew the name of who it was as I had the name William in my head. So not to influence it I lifted my finger tips off of the table and Amanda went through letters and then asked if it was William. I could see (as we had not turned the lights off) that the table was moving under Pea and Amanda’s fingers and so they could not have been pushing it! Amazing and something I am not sure I can explain. Another interesting point to make is that we could all see how dusty it was in the cellar (as you would expect) however of all of our photo’s I am not sure anyone has any light anomalies in them!
I thoroughly enjoyed my investigation at the castle and would go back there in a shot! Thank you to Laura and Jane who made our trip to the castle possible and a huge thank you to Pea and Dave for respecting our wishes on the walk around, by not telling us anything else but the name of the room. You were indeed two of the best guides we have worked with and we hope to work with you again soon. Oh and as a note – Pea – don’t worry I have found you on that photograph in the library, you had not disappeared but were in fact just out of shot :)
Sarah Couper
Our first vigil –2nd floor.
Taps were heard in the top floor room. Jan used dowsing rods and was able to communicate with some presence’s. I felt that something was in the hallway and asked them to step forward. As Jan spoke to a female presence I started to feel incredibly sick and wanted to leave, however, I sat it out and shortly after we moved on to the toy room. In the toy room I felt uncomfortable to be near the door, but the sick feeling left me. I found the toy room very cold. Rachel and Jan both used the dowsing rods and were in communication with child like presence’s. We then moved on to the 3rd room (Victoria bedroom?) but I myself sensed nothing here at all.
Ground floor vigils – 1st room – we did a glass divination I took part in this, the glass appeared to be moving by itself – and questions were being asked and apparently answered. However, as I said whilst we were doing this we never clarified what as a yes and what was a no answer we were assuming. We moved onto this room to library. Tara was given the rods to use and as agreed with Rachel earlier I used mine at the same time to see if we got the same answers. We didn’t always but then on one of the questions we asked we discovered that there was possibly 2 presence in the room. It was decided to use the glass divination again.
Third vigils – Cellar – I’m not good with pitch black or confined spaces – so I was immensely uncomfortable in this vigil. The group did a table tipping experiment in this area however I did not take part as I was too uncomfortable and my chest was getting tight.
The last vigil was held in the billiards room. In here Mark felt something touch his foot – Rachel called out and asked the presence to touch someone else – I felt a tap on my leg then what distinctly felt like a stroke down my leg. Shortly after I began to feel sick again and let Rachel know – I left the room Mark and our guide came with me. The guide said that it is not an uncommon sensation to feel in that room and that it had happened to him in the past. I did go back in but I sat close to the door, nothing further happened in here at least not to me :)
Amanda Horley
This building was beautiful to look at from the outside, but to me, the inside of it was all wrong. When we did the initial walkround, the decor felt completely out of place in virtually every room. Much of it was Art Deco style, including the fireplaces. For some unexplainable reason this really bothered me to the point that I felt quite annoyed. It was only after the investigation that I learnt that there had been a big fire in the castle in the 1920’s that resulted in major renovations.
Our first vigil was on the ground floor and we started in the Sculpture Room. I felt that there was a swirling in the middle of the floor. David reported feeling very cold, and when I went over I could feel a very cold area just above his head that moved around in his general vicinity. At one point he felt his head being touched, but I can confirm that at that time my hand was a good 15 inches over his head.
We moved into the Lady’s Drawing Room and I sat to the left-hand side of the fireplace. My left side and leg felt very cold in here, but there didn’t seem to be any obvious draft from the fireplace.
Our final room on this vigil was the library, and it felt as if the layout was totally wrong in here. I wanted the fireplace to be on the opposite wall to where it was. Other than feeling that there was a damp dog in the room (probably a deerhound) there was nothing else in here for me.
Our second vigil was upstairs, and we started in the Bedroom. This was a very quiet room, and although it was no warmer than any of the other rooms we had been in, we all felt very sleepy. Both the Lowther Room and Toy Room were quiet for me.
Our final vigil saw us visiting the remaining rooms on the ground floor along with the cellar. Both the Billiards Room and Dining Room were quiet for me, and when we returned to the Lady’s Drawing Room to try some table tipping, it seemed to have quietened down in here as well.
We then moved down to the cellar, and until we discussed table tipping I hadn’t really appreciated that this was where Most Haunted had had their memorable table tipping session. Being a little sceptical, I wasn’t bothered when the men in the team took that area, and us women went into another part of the cellars. However, our table started moving immediately and although it wasn’t on a completely level surface it was clear to see that our hands were remaining in approximately the same place whilst the table was moving beneath them. We felt that we were talking to a man and confirmed that his name was William, which was the name Julie had got straight away. He seemed to confirm that both his first name and surname were William, and it was only afterwards that we discovered that there had been a William Williams living in the castle. We ascertained that he owned the house with his brother, but was not married himself. He had illegitimate children, but his brother’s son inherited the castle. He also said that he didn’t like MH and the way they shouted at him. We apologised and made sure that we were respectful to him at all times. Eventually he seemed to tire and we asked if he wanted to stop, to which he said yes. Although I didn’t get an impression of an age or time period from him, I felt that he was a lovely man.
I particularly enjoyed our time in the cellar, as I have not been involved in a really successful table tipping before. Again, this is somewhere I would like to come back to.
Sandy Rutter
Mark, Sarah & I were the first to arrive and we had a chat with the caretaker before the others arrived. We also took a few pics outside, it was a beautiful castle. When the others arrived, we introduced ourselves to our guides for the evening. We went on the tour and took a few snaps it was a really beautiful place even though it was a reconstruction.
Vigil 1 - Lowther Room & Toy Room
We took a few pictures before we settled down. It was a school classroom with a bed in it and a cardboard cut out of a school teacher. Rachel our group leader called out but nothing happened so she called out again and there was a knock beside me. Steve asked if I was doing it but I was not even moving. It was good. Then we went into the Victorian Toy Room. Again we took a few pictures and then we settled down. Rachel called out again nothing happened so she asked if one of the men wanted to call out. I agreed and called out and again nothing happened, then Jan tried her rods and we made contact with a little girl called Elizabeth. It was her play area and she was with her mum and dad and she was happy. Then we caught a few orbs before our time was up and we had to leave.
Vigil 2 - Downstairs
We all went into the Sculpture Hall. We all took a few pictures and then settled in. I called out and nothing happened and then we tried glass divination and that was a great success. We were talking to Sir John Williams who owned the house in the early 1830s and we where talking to him for most of the vigil. Then we went in to the Ladies Drawing Room and Sir John couldn’t come in here. It was really quiet in here so we went into the Library where we made contact with Sir John again.
Vigil 3 – The cellars and the ground floor again
We went down into the cellars but nothing really much happened. The team tried table tipping but with no success. I was sat on the step taking a few pics and catching orbs that was it really for here. We then went to the billiard room and we caught many light anomalies in here, unfortunately that was it.
A fantastic night and thanks to our guides Dave and Pea. Cant wait for the return visit, it was great thanks. I would quite happily go back tomorrow.
Ross Richardson
I was really looking forward to this trip to north Wales and so excited to have the chance to be investigating a castle. After a long journey down with Julie, Steve and David we met up with the rest of the team outside the entrance to the castle. The view was fantastic with the castle lit up with spotlights. We were then taken inside with our guides for the night. We had our equipment ready to be sorted out for our vigils. We were put into two teams and I couldn’t wait to get started. First we went on a tour and I was totally gob smacked looking at all the rooms with their period furniture and the whole place totally restored to its former glory. It was like going back in time. My first vigil was the sculpture room and as we all sat around the floor calling out and hoping to capture paranormal activity I heard heavy breathing near by where I was sitting near the piano. I felt very dizzy and sick and was thinking of moving out of the room. David decided to change spaces with me and he did not feel right as it was getting very cold nearby. Simon using the temperature gun pointed it near David and the temperature was going down rapidly. Next we went into the ladies drawing room and picked up some orbs on camera and a few members were touched which was thought to be a little girl. I had my little finger touched and Simon had his hair stroked. Julie thought she saw someone near me, which was a big shadow. Moving on we went to the library, which seemed very quiet for me. A glass divination was done but no movement recorded. The billiard room seemed ok to me, did pick up some orbs but nothing else really. Our last vigil was the cellar and I was looking forward to doing some table tipping. We split into two groups, girls and boys and were put in different parts of the cellar. We did not have much luck at getting any spirit to move the table but did hear the girls table was moving and very impressively. I had a great time at this castle and would love to visit again sometime. Would like to thank our guides for the night and the Bodelwyddan castle trust.
Jan Coles
We had a very friendly welcome from the members of staff on duty at the Castle that night, who gave us a familiarisation tour with a thorough Health and Safety talk.
Throughout the night they were great company and very enthusiastic about the castle and the art exhibitions.
As soon as we arrived, the atmosphere was light, warm and benign. On the familiarisation Tour, the only area I did not like was the main stairs. It felt very ‘full’ there, heavy with past incident.
The architecture and décor felt ‘wrong’, too ‘modern’ from images of the area I was sensing. Kept sensing much male unhappiness and anger from ‘outside’.
Group 2 – Jan, Mark, Rachel, Sandy, Sarah, Steve, Tara,
Second Floor – The Lowther Room
Divining Rods: Jan
After careful questioning –
‘Do they mind us being in their place?’ No. Liked the new company.
Spoke to a spirit who said he was a Norman-French Lord of Bodelwyddan from the 12th century. Was in his late 20’s.
Spoke to his Welsh wife from the local aristocracy (felt her name began with ‘G’) named Gwynne or Gwen.
Had two sons.
The family were all happily together.
The Lord was a soldier in peacetime, maintaining the peace.
Was murdered by a younger brother for the family Inheritance, along with his wife and sons.
Is in communication with his brother, and all is well between them now after 8000 odd years of ‘working on it’. Hope for the rest of us then...
Asked if they would speak to the rest of our friends, to which they said ‘Yes’.
Also agreed to come with us, elsewhere in the building.
Thanked them for speaking with us.
Captured two light anomalies, with possible camera flash glare.
First Floor
Bedroom
Nothing of note occurred to me here, except an all too human desire to crawl into the lovely bed!
Second Floor
Victorian Toys and Games Room
Jan, Rachel and Tara all successfully used the rods.
Rachel and I felt there was someone standing in the doorway, hesitating as to whether they could come in or not. At that moment I captured 3 orbs – large, medium and small in the doorway. Rachel said ‘are you a little girl?’ And that it was all right to come in. We asked if her parents were with her, and would they like to come in with her.
I captured an orb near the ceiling, above Rachel. Then three orbs in a semi-circle behind and to the left of Rachel, as she used the dowsing rods. Also an orb to the front and right of Rach, with one large one hovering over the rods in her hands.
We asked the little girl’s name and received ‘E’ and a confirmation of Elizabeth, after trying several names. Elizabeth confirmed she was 6 years old. Rachel said to her that she had her own little girl, who would come and play next time we were there. A very warm feeling came over me. I felt her parents were smiling.
Asked if her Daddy was a soldier, and she confirmed this.
Rachel asked if Elizabeth would like to come and play and to choose something to play with. I captured an orb over a particular table, having felt I should take a photo of that area.
Rachel moved over to the table and asked if Elizabeth could try to move one of the toys on the table.
Tara took the rods and Sarah used her too, in an experiment Sarah suggested to see if we could get the same answers to questions on two pairs of rods. We contacted a definite male spirit and it appeared to give contrary answers until I asked if we were speaking to two different spirits – yes apparently we were.
Ground Floor
The Sculpture Gallery
A wooden cross was laid on the hearth to see if it was moved during the vigil, as a Trigger object.
Possible spirit image in window by Chaise Longue?? or is it shadows from the drape of the curtain? No flash used.
Captured blue light anomaly on curtain near the sound system.
Caught light anomaly in a mirror.
Rachel filmed and recorded, Mark and I took Still photos. Sandy, Sarah, Steve and Tara used a glass on a table to try and make contact with any spirit who wanted or could do. A spirit, angry and using very strong circling movements of the glass made contact.
After questioning we found it was a Sir John, angry at us for being in his property and having to speak with women.
Captured small orb on the floor in the centre of the room, which then rose to mid height. It then moved behind Sandy. Mark captured a great image of an orb near Sarah, also an odd l-shaped light on her right leg.
The Watts Hall
Captured two small light anomalies here on the familiarisation tour and a large light anomaly, when walking to a vigil location mid investigation. Felt like a companion spirit.
Billiard Room
Sense of humour here, very masculine feel. I counted more than ten light anomalies present on and around the Billiard table. I felt men were leaning in to take shots and were very brisk, capable men, with a great sense of humour, and a feel for enjoying the moment. Scent of tobacco, soap and leather. Felt silk waistcoats and military uniforms.
In one image, I caught a light anomaly under Billiard table, two on the side of the table, one on the top edge on the same side and another on the floor to my right.
The anomaly on the top edge moved upwards, then across to above one of the string ball pockets, a small orb still under the table by an ornate table leg and another in front of a portrait.’
I stood up and caught two orbs on the green baize, and ten (10) above the table. The portrait orb moved to the other side of the frame, an orb moved in front of Sandy, who was standing; another appeared just by the side of Steve, sitting on the floor.
Caught a large orb or perhaps it was just close to me; along with another eight around and on the Billiard table. Then there were only two. Followed by thirteen more.
I heard an odd noise which I believe to be the voice recorder Sandy had put on the table; moving across the baize. I look forward to hearing any possible EVP results...
Caught a light streak on the ceiling, with an orb halfway along. Also a small moving orb by Tara’s head and a larger one in front of her.
Sarah feels a foot being touched, then her leg. Mark also feels a foot being touched; they were sat next to each other in the far left corner of the room. I capture two large orbs and one tiny one by them. Close by them an orb appears to be ‘sitting’ on top of a portrait.
There is an orb by the EVP recorder and a large orb close to my right side, and I feel a sense of the curious from it. I could see part of the door through it, and a bluish orb above it.
Library
Tobacco scent, very masculine feel. Sense of being looked at curiously and pleasant laughter. Felt drawn to take a photo to the left of the fireplace and captured a light anomaly above the door in the panelling. Also one attached to the back of Sandy’s right knee.
The Stairs
Feeling of sadness, entrapment and youth lost in death. Caught two light anomalies on camera. Felt like we were being watched, but by someone who was shy. Felt it was a little girl (not the child recorded in the Toy room).
Cellar
Used ‘table tipping’ to make contact with any spirit who wished to speak with us. The spirit said it was Sir John, using similar heavy movements. I was not necessarily convinced by this. Think it was perhaps another spirit playing with us.
Captured tiny green orb above Steve’s safety helmeted head which moved to ‘lean’ on the back of a chair.
Captured large light anomaly ‘sitting’ on a table. Sense of mischievousness here.
Captured large orb in a doorway near the floor. Captured small orb by its single table leg.
Would love to come back to the castle and with permission, investigate the grounds. I felt there are many spirits there with something to say - I felt very drawn to the outside areas, a fair way from the castle buildings.
I feel very privileged to have been part of an investigation at such a wonderful location. Many thanks to the people, living or otherwise, of Bodelwyddan Castle.
Rachel Steadman
I was really looking forward to this investigation as Bodelwyddan is such a beautiful building, and on arrival the only words I could form were wow! Most of the team had arrived nearly an hour early, we all stood around admiring the building and chatting to the security guard.
We started the night with a lit walk around with the guides Pea and Dave, which gave us the chance to see just how stunning the building was on the inside.
Vigil 1 1st and 2nd floor
Team - Sandy, Steve, Jan, Tara, Sarah, Mark and Dave our guide
We started in the Lowther room, once we had all found a comfy spot to settle we started by taking photo’s then tried calling out, only 10 mins into it several knocking noises were heard by most of the team, from the far corner of the room near to Sandy (hopefully these were caught on his video camera). Jan tried dowsing rods, and had yes answers to various questions, some of the information she received was the age of a man (20) he was born in Europe, and was murdered by a relative possibly a brother, and the castle and land should have been his. While Jan was using the rods the temp gun I was using went wild, flashing random numbers from 156 degrees to -7 degrees as well as other odd symbols even though it was balanced on my leg, and I was not touching any of the buttons, (when checked on the break it was working fine and continued to do so all night)
From there we moved next door to the toy room, as we were settling a noise was heard from the Lowther room and movement in the short corridor between the two rooms. I tried the dowsing rods and got positive answers to questions, (a little girl aged 5, named Elizabeth who was with her mother and sisters, the spirit lead me to a mosaic game table which was a favourite) although when Jan tried the rods she got a yes answer to the question “are you an only child”.
From there we moved on to the bedroom, which was very simple and not particularly large with a beautiful deep red bed with long white drapes, we positioned ourselves around the room and took photos, we all felt calm and relaxed although the temperature did drop.
Vigil 2 the ground floor
We started in the sculpture room, where after taking photos Steve, Sarah, Sandy and Tara tried glass divination while I asked out, within only a few moments the glass started to move at great speed (I found out at the end of the night that the team upstairs could hear the glass). We appeared to contact a gentleman by the name of sir John who was angry at our presence there he owned the castle, but would not really answer any of our questions, although we did ask if he was playing games with us and to this he did answer yes.
We then moved on to the library. Not long after getting there a couple of team members said they could smell tobacco smoke. Both Jan and Tara tried using dowsing rods, but got conflicting answers, whether this was because of two different spirits we are unsure, so we again tried glass divination. Again the glass moved rapidly, and it appeared to be Sir John again, as before we could make little sense of the answers we were given.
Vigil 3&4
From there we all donned fetching yellow hard hats and ventured into the cellar. Jan tried calling out but got no response so after a few moments of just sitting quietly we tried table tilting, I asked if sir John was with us again but got nothing although while asking other questions we did get the table to move back and forth.
Our last area of the night was the billiard room, as normal we settled ourselves spread out around the room taking more photos. (I got more orbs in this one room than all the others put together) I asked out but got no response. Jan asked if any spirit was there to make a tapping noise and 3 distinct taps were heard by all of the team members. Mark said he felt something touch his foot a couple of times and Sarah also felt something touch her leg. The room also made Sarah feel slightly unwell, as had the Lowther room at the beginning of the night.
Once home I was able to watch the video of the locked off camera that was left in the ladies room, although nothing moved, and no orbs were seen, a couple of strange noises can be heard. The camera was set up at the start of the walk around which every member of the team and both guides were on, which helps to rule out any of us. 5 mins into the tape a loud noise can be heard which sounds like a cough or maybe a dogs bark, six other loud bangs and other similar unidentified noise were caught during the tape and right at the end what sounds like a dog yelping.
All in all I had a fantastic night, I would like to say a big thank you to the guides especially Dave, who was fantastic, and although desperate to tell us of the phenomena that he knows about, he managed to save it until we had finished for the night, and I was surprised at the amount of things that had happened to us during our evening (the knocks in the Lowther room, the little girl in the toy room, and the uneasy sick feeling in the billiard room) that Dave told me about afterwards, so again thank you Dave.
Bodelwyddan has got to be one of the most impressive places I have been to date, and I don’t think there can be that many places out there to top it.
Simon Steadman
Well this was an investigation I had been looking forward to for quite some time and when I first got there, the building didn’t disappoint me. Considering it is a mock castle built from a house, its very imposing.
After the lit walk around with Dave and Pea (which was great) we set up and began the vigils.
Vigil 1 team 1 - sculpture room
Myself, Julie, David, Amanda, Adam, Ross and guide Pea
The first area was the impressive sculpture room. As soon as we got there we checked the lock off camcorder to find it completely drained of battery. We had no sooner settled down in there than the first odd noises occurred. Shortly after both Julie and David had feelings that the room should be used for ballroom dancing and both had images of people twirling and waltzing. At the same time Ross felt dizzy. About 15 mins into the vigil Pea saw a light by the piano in the room right by the side of David who came up with the name Llewellyn. Footsteps were heard near the double doors to the entrance hall and next to the piano and a temperature drop was recorded. The room dropped from a steady 16 degrees to 9.5 degrees and lower in a matter of seconds. During this drop David felt someone touch his head. Shortly after a rumbling noise was heard by all it sounded like it came from the stairs. Julie checked but no one was in the entrance hall. David sensed a group of WW1 soldiers and a date of 1120. So with this promising start we moved on to the next vigil area.
The Ladies Drawing Room
We entered the ladies drawing room to find the second lock off camcorder drained of batteries too. After reviewing the tape we discovered that we had captured what seem to be dog yelps throughout the footage. We can be sure that no person was near to the camcorder while it was set up and that no other person had been in close proximity to the room.
As soon as we got into the room (which was again a steady 16 degrees) both Julie and pea feel cold. Adam caught some light anomalies near to the fireplace and behind the chair just as Julie and David hear a footstep. Ross then hears a tap on the door and Julie and myself hear a glugging noise coming from between us. We checked the temperature and amazingly it had dropped to 12 degrees. With all of this happening we all sat in corners of the room and the following events seemed to all happen in rapid succession during each of the team calling out asking that spirit could affect each one of us.
A 10 degree temperature difference in Amanda’s legs (left leg was 17 right leg was 27) we checked for any breezes or draughts but nothing could be found.
Julie thought that someone was behind Ross on the other side of the room
David felt someone stroke his face, Pea felt someone poke her face, I felt someone stroke my hair, Julie had the impression of toys on the floor and a young girl playing with them, Amanda heard a tap on the fire grate, Ross felt his fingers stroked, Julie, Amanda and I heard a tap on the door behind Ross, David sensed a little girl in the room and Julie had the name Lucy or Lucille in her head.
It seemed like there was someone running around the room. After that the room seemed to just feel comfortable so we moved onto the next area.
The library
The library seemed very odd to me it had a funny atmosphere but nothing I could place.
We all sat in the corners of the room then called out while photographing the room.
Julie got a photo of Amanda and in it there seemed to be a very large light anomaly it couldn’t have been a strap as Julie called me over immediately to check where the strap was and she had it safely wrapped around her wrist.
Amanda then said she could smell wet dog and wood chip smoke I also got this smell but only briefly.
Shortly after this Julie’s camera batteries went flat and Amanda sensed a large dog.
On ending the vigil Julie found that her camera batteries were now at full charge.
Vigil 2 small bedroom
Same team
Apart from a couple of light anomalies the team all agreed that we felt very comfortable and sleepy so we moved on to the next area just to see if it was this room.
Lowther room
Again we all sat in corners of the room and called out. Julie could smell gone off milk.
And a few light anomalies were caught on camcorder and a rather strange noise was heard by the team to which we could find no source.
Julie Amanda and Pea felt very nervous when the door was opened and I did not want to venture out into the corridor, though I don’t know why.
But the room seemed quiet so we moved on to the toy room.
Toy room
When we sat down and called out in this room we seemed to get draughts coming past us but this could have come from the windows.
Vigil 3 Billiards room & dining room
Same team
On the way to the dining room myself and Julie were the last of the team to leave the team room and while we were in the Watts gallery Julie said that she had seen a figure near the billiard room door but we discovered that the rest of the team were already in the dining room and that no one else was anywhere near us. Pea confirmed that all the team were with her.
We all sat down in the dining room and Ross and myself decided with Peas permission to do lone vigils in the 2-doorway/ corridors in the room. I thought I heard a scratching sound coming from the door that led to the library but aside from a few light anomalies nothing else was captured, so we moved to the billiards room.
On getting in this room Julie felt really apprehensive and sick and wanted to leave so we decided to try the ladies drawing room again as we had some success there earlier.
ladies drawing room
We tried a glass divination experiment in here one using an all female team and one using an all male team, the only things that we caught here were a few taps on the table during the female session and as the night was drawing to a close we decided to try the cellar for our last vigil.
Vigil 4 cellar
After donning the hard hats we all made our way to the cellar, not as creepy as I thought it would be. On finding the tables (one that was signed by Most Haunteds Richard Felix) we split up into 2 groups one all female and one all male and tried a synchronised glass divination experiment. Our half of the team had no luck with the glass or the table tipping and aside from a few unplaceable noises and a couple of small clicks the night drew to a close.
I have to say that this location was one of the most imposing I have ever visited and even though a lot of small occurrences kept me on my toes all night the castle had a good feeling to it and I cant wait to go back. My thanks go out to Pea and Dave for their time and efforts during our stay.
Steve Gilbert
One of the most spectacular looking locations for an investigation I have ever seen and as the security guard freely testifies its never had it so good since tv’s Most Haunted got some spectacular footage during a table tipping session.
However once you unravel the first layer and step over the "castles" threshold you begin to realise this is not really a castle in the true sense of the word but more of a Victorian folly. Professor Charles Oman the Puritan author of True English Castles (the bible of all castle encyclopaedias) first published in 1926 doesn’t even give it a mention, but as the saying goes an Englishman’s home is his castle. Anyhow no-one least of all me, is here to judge its castle credentials but more importantly its paranormal activity levels. Having now conducted a tour and vigils of most of the beautifully furnished rooms in the property I would say that on scale of one to ten for paranormal likeliness this would be somewhere around the 3 to 4 mark.
The cellar vigil was clearly the highlight of the night for most of the group purely because of the TV footage we had all seen before and although we had the table tilting it certainly didn’t reach the same level of activity for the crew of most haunted.
I was trying not to sum this report up with the tradition "all in all" phrase but i cant think of an alternative so here goes - all in all a enjoyable night but nothing here to give you nightmares or raise any new questions.
David Ireland
This was a highly anticipated investigation for me because of the building. After the long journey to the castle we all saw that it was definitely worth the wait.
I cant really pinpoint one particular area in the castle that I believed was most active. I definitely felt that each room/area that my team was in had its own particular kind of atmosphere. I would have to say that for me personally one of the most active areas spiritually was the sculpture room. Although I really didn’t feel as though this should have been a place where sculptures were kept. It should have been used for dancing and parties. A sculpture room just didn’t seem right. Another thing that I found confusing with this room was the presence of three different individuals. One which was a young child maybe no older than 5 or 6, which I believed in some way had made Ross feel quite dizzy and sick when sitting by the piano in the sculpture room. I changed places with Ross and except for an extreme continuous drop in temperature monitored by Simon I felt fine. She seemed to like touching my hair which at the time I thought was Amanda who was stood by me but at the time didn’t have her hand anywhere near the top of my head. The other two spirits were both men. One who I felt was a gentleman connected with either the construction of the building or owning the building at some point. The third spirit that I was made aware of was that of a soldier. I felt that at some point the area that we were in might have been used for soldiers to recuperate from injuries sustained in a war.
Another area that was particularly active for me was the ladies drawing room. First of all coming into the room I couldn’t connect with anything. Amanda then said she felt a drop in temperature around her at the same height as in the sculpture room. I went and sat by Amanda to see if I could witness this. I looked towards the doors and saw the figure of a little girl with blonde hair wearing a white night-gown. Simon also had this impression. Pea (our guide) has said that she sometimes feels as though a little girl follows her around the house.
I definitely think the fact that I picked up on some energy in the building was just an added bonus. It was such an amazing building that I dont think we could have had a bad night either way. Many thanks to Pea and Dave for joining us for the night and also to the people that made the investigation possible.
Adam Hackett
TO FOLLOW
Mark Pettet
TO FOLLOW