Southern Paranormal - Investigations
Chertsey Museum
Saturday 30th January 2010
Attending Investigators – Julie Harwood, Maria Street, Rachel Steadman, Simon Steadman, Amanda Horley, Sarah Pettet, Mark Pettet, Rob Butler, Alison Crocker & Robin Turton.
Introduction
Every now and then we like to try and arrange mystery locations so where we are going is a complete surprise to the team. Maria had arranged that we visited Chertsey Museum and so we thought this would be the perfect place as only me (Julie) & Maria knew about it. Maria made all the contact with the location and so she was the only person who knew the history and the record of sightings.
The rest of the team did not find out where we were going until half an hour before the investigation and were advised to meet in Thorpe Park car park, which was only minutes away from the location.
The Museum
Chertsey Museum first opened to the public in 1965, displaying a collection of local history items, photographs, paintings, clocks, furniture and a large collection of Mycenaean, Cypriot, Italian and Greek pots.
Since then the collections have grown and now they have a fine collection of items exploring the history of the Runnymede area. They range from local archaeology and the history of Chertsey Abbey, fine and decorative art, to social history items, a large collection of documents and photographs, and the nationally significant Olive Matthews Collection of Dress and Textiles.
Chertsey Museum's home is a fine Regency town house. The Museum is situated in Chertsey's historic centre in the Borough of Runnymede, only 25 miles from London. The Borough is named after the Thameside meadow where King John sealed Magna Carta in 1215, now a world famous symbol of freedom and civil liberties in law.
History of Chertsey
Although written evidence for Chertsey dates to the 7th century with the founding of Chertsey Abbey, archaeological remains show that the area was occupied long before that. Neolithic (c.4,500 – c.3,000 B.C) flint axes have been discovered in the area as well as tools made from bone or antlers. St. Ann's Hill has the remains of an Iron Age hill fort, although the terraces have largely been destroyed by subsequent agricultural activity, planting of trees and the introduction of roads and footpaths.
However, although we know there were early settlements locally, there is little other evidence of life in Chertsey until the arrival of Chertsey Abbey in 666 AD. Bede, a Northumbrian monk writing in 731 tells the story of how a Prince Erkenwald was given land by King Egbwert of Kent land to build a monastery ''in the region of Surrey next to the River Thames in the place called Cerotaesei, that of island of Cerot''.
The name Chertsey means ''The Isle of Cerot'' and it is likely that Cerot was the original owner of the land used for the Abbey site. The Abbey was built on an area of slightly raised land in the middle of the Thames boggy flood plains. The Abbey, the first of its kind in the county, was immensely wealthy and powerful and at the height of its power the Abbot controlled over 50,000 acres of land in Surrey plus houses in London and Cardigan Priory in South Wales. The Abbey was sacked by Vikings in 871 when the Abbot and 90 monks were killed. They have subsequently been recognised as being Christian martyrs and have been canonised, remembered on 10th April, their Saints day.
Chertsey was granted its market charter by Henry I and was reconfirmed Henry III in 1249, by Edward I in 1282 and again by Elizabeth I in 1599. Chertsey thrived as a market town due to the arable landscape producing fine market gardening, and its proximity to London. The Elizabethan charter also permitted the construction of a Market House, which stood until 1809, at the junction of London Street and Guildford Street. The Market House was also the site of the cage or jail. The Market House obstructed the view from St. Peter's Church so when it was demolished due to its poor condition, a new one was built in London Street now known as the Old Town Hall.
As a successful market town, Chertsey attracted travellers to the area, and situated between London and Windsor, it became a busy coaching town. Many the inns and public houses which were built at this time as places offering refreshments and a change of horses are still present in Chertsey today. The Swan, the last surviving inn in Windsor Street, was trading as 'White Swan' as early as 1595 and was of great local importance during the 18th and 19th centuries as the principal coaching inn and post office. Royal carriages travelling to and from Windsor Castle often stopped to change horses.
'The George' in Guildford Street is thought to be the oldest licensed premises in Surrey, dating back to the 13th century. The surviving Public House, a 15th century timber-framed building, took its name from a visit by King George III in the late 18th century. Earlier, it may be identified as the 'Prince’s Arms' in 1613 and operated as 'The Boot' in 1770-1, but has been known as 'The George' since 1794.
During the latter half of the 18th century Chertsey, and the surrounding countryside, became the fashionable place to live for the London gentry, thanks to the Whig politician, Charles James Fox, who lived in St. Ann's House on St. Ann's Hill. Much of the modern planting on the hill is the work of Fox, his wife and Lord and Lady Holland who inherited the house on the death of Mrs Fox in 1842.
During the 18th and 19th centuries and even into the 20th century Chertsey had a thriving clock-making industry. There was a succession of makers, at least three generations, called James Douglass. The first James Douglass worked in Chertsey between 1768 and 1791, from premises in Guildford Street, and is known to have used very fine clock movements from the South of England and much additional non-functional ornamentation. His son continued to work in Chertsey until at least 1832. The other main clock-maker was Henry Wale Cartwright who started business in Chertsey at 104 Guildford Street in 1840, working until his death in 1897.
The coming of the railway to Chertsey in 1848 dramatically changed the town. Although only a branch line the arrival of the railway led to rapid residential development and an enormous increase in the local population. This increase in population has continued in to the modern day, although the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act introduced controls to safe guard against the over development of the area.
Information courtesy of www.runnymede.gov.uk
Teams
Team 1
Julie
Sarah
Rob
Robin
Team 2
Maria
Rachel
Mark
Team 3
Amanda
Simon
Alison
Vigil Area's
Team Base – Café
Ground floor (displays & exhibits)
1st floor (displays & exhibits)
2nd floor (offices)
Itinerary
9.45pm – 10.45pm Vigil 1
Team 1 – 2nd floor
Team 2 – 1st floor
Team 3 – Ground floor
10.45 – 11.10pm Break
11.10pm –12.10am Group Vigil
All teams on 1st floor
12.10am – 12.30am Break
12.30am – 1.30am Vigil 2
Team 1 – Ground floor
Team 2 – 2nd floor
Team 3 – 1st floor
1.30am – 1.45am Break
1.45am – 2.45am Vigil 3
Team 1 – 1st floor
Team 2 – Ground floor
Team 3 – 2nd floor
2.45am Pack up
3.15am Depart
Personal Reports
Julie Harwood
Vigil 1
This was Robin’s first vigil of his first investigation so we took it slowly and tried to explain what we doing as we did it. This gave us a really good opportunity to sit back and soak up the atmosphere of the office we were sat in on the top floor. Sarah was exceptionally happy in this room and was humming and singing. When we called out we did all hear tapping noises that we could not explain immediately but we got a general idea of the parts of the room they were coming from. A lot of the tapping seemed to be from around the window area near Rob and Robin. Sarah and Rob got the feeling of someone (a woman) staring out the window like she was looking for something or waiting for someone to arrive. Sarah then got very sad and actually started to cry which was a huge change to how she was just moments earlier. It is at this point that I wanted to tell all the group to shut up and I wanted to get away from them or for them to leave me alone. This was the only feeling I remember getting on this floor.
Vigil 2
Our second vigil was on the 1st floor and was a whole team vigil in the discovery room. There were a lot of strong reactions in this room especially from Sarah, Alison, Rob & Amanda. People seemed to being picked off two by two and were almost going up against each other. Some members began to think that Sarah’s appearance was changing slightly and so she went out of the room. After a little while she felt very uncomfortable and went downstairs with Amanda. As soon as she had gone Rob started to behave a little oddly and was pacing just like Sarah had been doing. I started to question Rob as he had gone unusually quiet and when he did not answer me I led him out of the room and asked him to go downstairs to the team room. He tried to go upstairs instead and so I had to grab his arm and lead him to the top of the stairs making sure he went down and not up. I then returned to the room. The only other thing I noticed was the change in atmosphere which I think all of the remaining team noticed. People were starting to get cross with each other which is completely out of character. Alison said she would close the vigil with a calming “prayer”. As soon as she started speaking I could feel my mood changing and I just wanted her to shut up. She was really aggravating me (sorry Alison). At the end she asked if that had helped anyone and I very shortly reported “no not at all”. I think I then carried on slating what she had just done. We left the room as Simon could also feel his mood change. I think the only one that reported being absolutely the same as when she came in was Maria. She felt comfortable in the room and did not feel effected in anyway. I also immediately apologised to Alison for publicly having a go at her. I have always had the greatest respect for Alison and what she can do and I would never dream of speaking to her like that normally. Again, many apologies.
Vigil 3
For this vigil we were on the ground floor. We all felt relaxed and at ease and decided to sit in the clothing gallery after a short walk around the floor. Rob and Sarah were both drawn to the props/dressing up basket. Sarah in particular went for the gloves and boa scarves. Rob placed one of the hats in the middle of the floor with the digital recorder on it. We called out and a few taps were heard seemingly coming from the hat. I hope these have been picked up by the recorder. The (what looked like a) heater in the corner in a timely matter clicked on as we called out which in truth made us all jump a bit but after speaking to the hosts we were advised it was on a thermostat to keep the atmosphere/humidity at a set level.
Vigil 4
Our 4th vigil was back on the 1st floor again and so Sarah and I thought it would be interesting to go back in to the discovery room with our smaller team and see if we were affected in the same way. Before we did this we stood in the school room for a short while where we all felt very at ease. Back in the discovery room the atmosphere was so much different and I felt instead of anger a great sadness. Sarah had an awful cough in this room and could not seem to stop. I had an overwhelming feeling that someone had died alone in this room and that that really upset them. When calling out Sarah and I who were sat together heard a loud couple of bangs right behind us. A very interesting vigil especially as at the end during the debrief we were told by the hosts that a man had died alone in the room that is now the discovery room of lung cancer.
Thank you to our hosts for the night and for allowing us this very special one night only investigation. We all feel very privileged to have had this opportunity. Thank you!
Amanda Horley
The location we were going to was unknown to all of us with the exception of Julie and Maria, and we met up at Thorpe Park, only knowing that the final destination was “nearby”. The museum is an unassuming building from the outside, but inside is a mix of old and modern. The placing of display cabinets means that in most of the ground floor rooms it is not possible to see the windows, and this means that the original layout of the rooms is not obvious.
Having met the staff who were to accompany us on the investigation, we had an initial walk around the building, and immediately on moving from the foyer into the older part of the building I felt that there was something there. It felt as if there was a lot of movement through the corridor.
Vigil 1
I was in a team with Alison and Simon and we had staff member Sally and her guest Chris with us. We started on the ground floor, and again I felt that the corridor at the bottom of the stairs was very “busy”, with a lot of movement through it. There was one lady in particular there who seemed to be trying to get something across to us. The fact that she couldn’t was causing her some distress. It felt as if she was in her late 20s and from the Victorian period. There was a boy connected with her who was about 6/7. Unfortunately, despite her efforts I could pick up very little additional information from her, and Alison seemed to be picking up on a different lady, so couldn’t help either. When we went into the room with all the dresses in, I picked up on the same woman again, but she seemed a lot calmer than in the corridor. For me, the other ground floor rooms were quiet.
Vigil 2
This was a group vigil held on the first floor in the Discovery Room. We all settled into our places, and I sat on the floor near the fireplace. I didn’t feel very comfortable in the room, and this sensation increased. I felt that I needed to get out of the room, so, as calmly as possible, I walked into the corridor where I felt much happier. Again I felt the presence of a woman, but I am not sure whether it was the same one as on the ground floor. I think it may have been someone else. There seemed to be a general sense of unease in the Discovery room and I found the talking in there very irritating, particularly the men. After a time Alison decided to come out and stand in the corridor too followed shortly after by Sarah. Alison felt that something had passed through where Sarah was standing and almost immediately Sarah became very distressed. I took her down to the team room and stayed with her until Rob came down a short time later. Although I didn’t like the Discovery room, I wanted to go back up there, so I left Sarah with Rob and returned, but only to the corridor and doorway. I didn’t want to go in the room. I still found the talking and calling out in the room irritating, and in particular found Simon’s voice very annoying. The team members and museum staff in the Discovery room were talking about a male presence, and trying to pacify or placate him. This made me very cross, and I challenged why they would want to “pander to his whims”. I am afraid I almost ended up having an argument with Julie, and decided at this point that I should remove myself from the situation and so returned to the team room.
Vigil 3
I was a little disturbed by the thought of our next vigil, as we were to return to the first floor. Although we did spend some time in the Discovery room, we all agreed that it felt very different to how it had on the group vigil. For me, Sally’s office, the Temporary Exhibition Centre and the Corridor were also very quiet. After the “excitement” of the previous vigil, I was in a way relieved about this.
Vigil 4
Our team was up on the second floor for this vigil, and started in the Research room. The only strange thing to happen here for me was that the room felt too small. Not just the walls, but also the ceiling felt too low which, when looking at the doors and windows, it obviously wasn’t. The office up on this floor had a very feminine feel to it, but it is used mainly by women, which would explain this. The corridor on this floor was also very quiet for me.
All in all, this was an interesting investigation for me, especially looking at what happened on the group vigil. There seemed to be a very distinct split between the group members in the Discovery room and those in the corridor outside. Thanks have to go to the museum staff for allowing us in, and keeping us so well supplied with hot drinks and biscuits throughout the night. I hope they found the night interesting.
Sarah Pettet
This was a mystery location, so I had no expectations. From the outside the building looked late Georgian. During the tour of the building I felt like singing. Down in the ground floor I felt like dancing. I was in Team 1 with Julie, Rob and Robin.
Vigil 1
3rd floor - office
No EMF. Temp reading 16 – 17 deg C.
We took photos and settled in to the room. As Robin was in training, we took some time at the beginning explaining how we work. As we settled down I still felt like singing and very happy. Rob began calling out and we heard a tapping noise that we couldn’t explain. I sensed a female presence and Rob got the name Charlotte. I got a tingling sensation as if I someone had walked through me and then a really strong sad emotion. This was so over powering that I actually started crying. I asked Rob to get her to step back. Rob called out some more in response to which we got an occasional tap but nothing certain. When we did the walk around Alison, our medium, felt that there needed to be an “I love you” message left in the room. We tried asking if this related to ‘Charlotte’ but got no definite answer. Rob got the song “Soldier, Soldier” in his head and the sound of drums. We tried asking if Charlotte had a sweetheart in the army. I got the word “Father” repeating itself over and over. Julie then felt as if she wanted to distance herself from us and get us to shut up. Julie and myself both started coughing. Rob wrote down something that he thinks is related to the room, and I said that the cough felt like it might have been consumption. I had not seen what Rob had written. Later, I discovered the word he had written was” Consumption” which is the correct turn for consumption). All of us were drawn to look out of the windows particularly at the far end of the room where Rob was seated. Rob and Julie swapped seats, and we tried to gather some more information, but could not get anything clearly.
In the break I got the names Henry, Arthur and Thomas in my head. I did not discuss this and later in the evening a few more of the team came up with the name Arthur independently.
Vigil 2
This was a group vigil in the Discovery Room. I felt a male presence with the sense of a beard. He was thinking and very pensive; I felt he had a problem and there was no way round it. I stood up as I felt I did not want to sit down and would rather be pacing up and down. I start walking round the room and then out into the corridor with two members of the team. I focussed on Amanda and really feel that I wanted her to cry. Alison asked if I was alright as she thought I looked different, saying she could see me changing. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed by the female presence I sensed earlier. I turned away to hide myself in the corner and started crying and banging the wall as if in frustration and anger. Amanda came over to calm me down and took me downstairs. I began to feel better as soon as I was out of the original building. Later Rob joined us as he began to feel agitated by the group and told them several times to “Shut up” and “Go away”. The rest of the group came downstairs soon after, as they had started to argue with one another.
Vigil 3
Ground floor.
No EMF. Temp 11 – 15 deg C.
We started at the far end by the original front door and all felt calm. We entered the Fashion Room and called out. There were lots of clothes in this room and I was drawn to a bonnet and gloves. I popped a top hat on Rob’s head. Later Rob placed the top hat on the floor with a digital recorder on top. When calling out Rob and I both heard a small tap come from the hat. We heard some noises like footsteps and knocks, but we determined it was the group upstairs. We discussed where a fireplace would have been and we heard a click in the room; we started to look for it and heard another. We realised it was coming from what looks like a heater on the wall but could find no timer. We later found out that it was a dehumidifier, which goes off when the room reaches a certain level of humidity.
Vigil 4
First floor
The schoolroom felt calm and comfortable. On moving to the Discovery room, I started to feel the male presence from earlier and felt he may have taken his life. I also felt two different females connected to the house and possibly this male; one that I felt earlier and the other keeping her distance. Rob felt that a male took his life as he was found by a nurse to be abusing children. Julie felt a nurse connection and that someone ended their life in the room alone. Julie and I heard a couple of loud knocks behind us. Julie started coughing. Shortly afterwards I started coughing again but stronger than previously. We were all picking up on slightly different things and thought this may be us picking up on different layers of the house.
Conclusion
As we did not know the venue beforehand this made for an exciting investigation. The Museum was a lovely place. One got a real sense of history from the original building, The sensations I picked up on here were very strong which my have been as this was the third investigation I had done in a row. What was really interesting was the same information, or types of information came up independently throughout group, even members of the group who may not always get information, such as the name Arthur. We discovered that someone had died of lung cancer on their own in the room where Julie felt someone had died alone and we had started coughing. I found this thoroughly interesting. I think it would be good to revisit with either the same or similar group to see what the results are.
MORE PERSONAL REPORTS TO FOLLOW