The Courtney Hotel Essex
11th Febuary 2006 10pm-4am
Attending Investigators: London & Essex- Kerry Price, Steve Crouch, Gary Gas, Mandy Bradley, Val Butler, Ken Taylor
Dorset & Hampshire Team- Julie Harwood, Wayne Blyth, Alison Blyth and guest medium Paul Wayman
Background
I was very interested about investigating this site as I had read a newspaper article some years back stating that this site was haunted and experiences some unusual and fairly constant phenomena. I grew up about 1 mile away from the hotel and it had played a role in my childhood. Wanstead flats, which is opposite the hotel , was a regular playground as a child and is somewhere I regularly visit to this day . I had a friend stay at the hotel as a teenager whom I visited often.
I have very fond memories of this area and was very interested to learn about what was experienced in the hotel.
When I visited Sarah and Peter (the owners) and I was told about some of the sightings and background to them.
I was told that room 10 had a spirit attached to it, which was a woman in white. Sarah’s father had seen her some years back and Sarah’s daughter had experienced her many times.
The owners reported a lot of activity on the stairs, which included orbs and movement. Also, some years ago a very strange noises which they described as a pig’s grunt coming from the dining room fire place. I had found out the day before the visit that a farm had existed on this site immediately before the construction of the hotel and parade of shops.
Room 1 had feelings of someone present and the room opposite had been the unfortunate scene of a suicide about 6 years ago.
From this information I only supplied Southern Paranormal with the following facts: There had been spirit sightings in 1 of the rooms ,activity had been reported on the stairs and a sense of unease or of being watched had been reported in 1 room .
Baseline Tests
Room 11
EMF range from 8.5 in window to 13 in corner by hallway. Slight click on bed on entrance to the room.
Room10
Temp ranging from 18.5 to 20 degrees-EMF readings normal
Room1
EMF readings by window 4.5-5, by mirror 1.5
Temperature 31.5 then dropped to 26.5 degrees (no boiler behind wall to create heat)
Room 2
EMF normal
Temperature 23.5 degrees
Vigil Teams
Team 1- Julie (Team leader), Wayne, Mandy, Gary
Team 2-Kerry (Team Leader), Steve, Paul (guest medium), Sarah & Sharon
Team 3-Alison (team leader), Val, Ken
Equipment
All teams had temperature gun, EMF meter, walkie-talkie & 1 night vision camcorder.
Locked off cameras in room 10,room 1 and dining room for séance and stairs during séance.
Vigil Notes
Dining Room Séance
10.55 - Temp 21.5 degrees
10.56 - Kerry feels sick
10.58 - Dictaphone gives off squeak, male presence felt towards fireplace
11.00 - All feel pressure on arms & some feel left arm being pulled
- Mandy feels sick & panicky & stinging pain , left arm
- Steve being drawn to door
- Dictaphone makes squeaking noise again
11.05 - Temp 22 degrees
- Alison gets name Samuel
- Scratches heard by window
11.06 - Steve feels emotional
11.09 - Table knock repeated on command
- Kerry has strange sensation as though she has a beard!
11.11 - Paul gets the name Andy/Andrew
- EMF 0.5
- Kerry Temp 29 fingertips 31
- 28 degrees by Mandy
- Alison feels draft
11.24 - Table is creaking & twisting
- Orbs across table
- A dog is sensed by Paul
- Something brushes Julie’s leg
11.29 - Something touches Kerry’s arm
- Steve has image of champagne glasses
Vigil Notes : Team 1
Vigil 1 : Dining Room
12.26 am - Temp 18.5-22.5 room feels warm
12.27am -High readings on EMF
12.39am -Temp 19-19.5 . Start glass divination, no movement.
-Hairs on Gary’s left arm stand on end
12.40am -All seated at table
12.41am -Start asking out – 3 taps by window which was repeated when asked to –team discover it was tape player
12.45am - room temperature increases to 22.5
Vigil 2 : Rooms 10 & 11
1.26am - EMF readings 1.5 by bed 0.5 rest of room
-Temp 16.5
-Julie & Wayne tight chested
- Mandy light headed
-Gary’s stomach lurches
1.34am -EMF 2.0+raised readings by all 3 beds
1.35am -light anomaly on camera
1.36am -Julie hears a creak outside door, no one there
1.40am -EMF 1.0 by window
-Light anomaly by chest of drawers
1.45am -Gary feels uneasy
1.50am -Wayne feels as though someone has killed themselves in this room. Drug related. Old man
1.51am -Taps from wardrobe
1.52am - Wayne & Julie feel cold breeze.
-Temperature drops from 16.5 to 13.5
1.55am -gentle vibration of bed felt by Wayne & Julie
1.58am -Wayne feels connection to drugs & gets headache
2.00am - Julie has image of mental institute & imagined a man crouched in the corner
Room 11
On way to room 11 Julie feels as though someone has died on back stairs
2.00am - Temp 8-10 degrees. High EMF readings(2mg) by window
2.01am - Wayne feels knock on back of head-Wayne’s headache returns
2.02am - Mandy feels as though someone has jumped form the roof of building
2.05am - Gary feels there have been structural changes in the room
2.06am - Temperature by Mandy raises to 12 but feels colder
2.10am - EMF reading 2.0 on bed by Wayne
2.11am - Male feeling to the room . Julie get’ s the name Mark or Marky associated with the male.
2.25am - Julie feel’s as though the spirits are just watching and don’t wish to communicate
2.26am - Wayne can feel a strong breeze come straight towards him
Vigil Notes : Team 2
Vigil 1 : Room 10
12.26am-Temperature reading 15-16 in room
-Paul feels touch on arm
12.28am- Sarah feels as though there is a presence in the room
12.32am-Temperature rises to 20 degrees
12.35am-Paul senses a woman near the bed he is sitting on and a man near me
Paul gets impression of a lady sitting in a chair where the double bed is
And senses the name Abbie or Abigail . Sarah says that Abigail is her
The name of her daughter who sees the spirit lady in this room.
12.40am-Temperature rises to 26 degrees around Kerry and then drops by her legs to 16 degrees
- Sarah feels a touch on her head
12.41am – Paul senses a caged bird in this room and says that the spirit of the lady is by Kerry
-Paul feels his throat is being constricted & believes that other people must have felt the same thing in this room
Man had the nickname of Jez or Jed although it was not connected to his given name. He was a northerner. Is still here and not passed over.
12.45am- Paul said that the man was in trouble. He had an eye problem and was not in his right state of mind when he passed.
Paul gets the name Dan or Dave. Sarah says that her Dad’s name was Dave and this was his room.
Paul believed that he stole something and wants to say sorry for it.
Sarah and Sharon feel a strong draft around their legs
Paul says that the spirit has gone over to Steve, temperature drops around Steve’s legs from 22.5 to 14.5 degrees
Steve believes that the man wasn’t stupid, people just believed him to be so.
12.53am- Paul feels as though someone is shaking his arm, it is cold by the bed
-Paul says that the energy is near him and 2 clicks are heard
-Temperature of Paul’s right arm is 13.5 while the right is 24.5
-Sarah & Sharon’ s legs temperature drops from 22.5 to 15 degrees
-Paul senses an anxious lady who doesn’t like the room. Everything is on the wrong place.
12.59am- Paul & Steve sense flowers
- Kerry hears movement and Paul sees 2 flashes behind her.
- Sarah’s daughter used to sleep in this room and say’s that she used to call the spirit the lady in the flowers
1.04am- Paul senses that someone has sat on bed next to Kerry. Kerry says hello & hears 2 knocks behind her
1.06am- Paul feels an energy again Paul’s left arm temperature is 23.5 while his right arm measures 16.5 .Paul feels that the gentleman is old and has suffered a loss. His name is Andy or Andrew.
Vigil 2:Room 1
Vigil late in starting as Kerry & Alison both have experiences while waiting to go to the toilet
1.30am- Temperature 20 degrees in room but fluctuates between 14-16 in toilet area
1.31am – Paul feels there is a man spirit in the room with Irish connections & Steve senses a woman drug taking
-Steve is drawn to window
1.32am- Paul senses strangulation & feels sick, he will be glad to leave this room.
-Steve senses that the woman had fallen from the window, she wasn’t trying to kill herself but that’s what people believed
1.35am –All feel sick
1.36am- Paul & Steve both have a metallic(blood) taste in their mouths & feel anxious as to what is gonna happen next .They believe the feeling comes from the female that they both sense in this room.
1.37am- Paul feels that the woman had been punched in the mouth
-Sarah senses a woman with long brown hair
-Paul hears a groan from the toilet area of the room and senses a male observing us, he feels very menacing and Paul does not like him .
-Paul’s description of him is fair haired, thin & gaunt with a check jacket on. Steve senses him laughing at us , Paul feels he is violent and that we are not welcome.
Believes that he struck the woman and has associations with Manchester. Both Paul & Steve believe him to be holding a hammer or a spanner. Steve says that he has heavy set eyebrows(no visible gap between eyebrows).
1.39am- Sarah and Sharon feel like they want to cry
1.40am- Paul & Kerry see change in light above heads of Sarah & Sharon & Paul then sees a light to the left of Kerry
1.41am- Paul sees a light in toilet
1.42am- Paul & Kerry sense a presence above the shower, all feel sick
1.43am –Sarah gets pins & Needles in her legs. No-one likes this room & are all apprehensive
1.44am – Paul & Steve can sense a small dog and both smell dog farts/rotten eggs
1.45am - Steve feels as though the woman in this room had a baby that she either miscarried or aborted and comes back in the memory of this.
-Paul believes she self-harmed & has links with the names Alice and Linda
1.46am - Paul & Steve both hear a murmur from the toilet area.
- Steve feels that the man doesn’t live here and that the woman got rid of her baby because of the male spirit
- Male spirit is abusive to Paul and is repeatedly telling Paul to fuck off.
- Sarah goes cold
- Spirit continues being abusive to Paul. The spirit cannot do anything to make us leave and that is why he is being abusive.
Vigil 3:Room 1
2.06am- No EMF readings , temperature 17.5 in room.
- Paul feels a woman’s presence in the room
- Steve said that she comes here because of the children
- Paul feels that the woman is choking/restricted breathing
- Paul feels lady collapsed & passed in this room , lost her husband
- Paul feels we are being watched from the area of the wardrobe (that is where something has been sensed before in this room)
- Paul senses that something has gone missing , connected with either Sarah or Sharon
- Sarah has lost a necklace and Sharon a bracelet
- Paul says that the woman is very old and is gaunt and covered with liver spots
- Sharon says that she is wearing her nan’s ring and believes that the spirit might be connected with her
- Paul says that something was dropped concerning the lady and it upset her very much
- Sharon says that her grandmother’s used to get upset with her grandfather, as he was ill and used to get angry and upset when he started to lose control/mobility. Also, one of her grandmother’s sayings was never cry over spilt milk.
- Sharon says that her children used to sleep in this room.
- Steve gets a connection that she is here because of Sharon’s children & feels protective towards them
- Paul gives Margaret/Mary or surname starting with MAR (confirmed)
- Paul feels that the woman was riddled with cancer, which started in the stomach and spread to the throat/chest. Sharon confirms this.
- Steve has image of a brooch. Sharon says that her Nan always wore a brooch & Paul picks up on the smell of lavender.
- Sharon confirms that he grandmother loved lavender
- Paul said she had a very dry sense of humour & that she is with Sharon and looks after her
- Elizabeth is Sharon’s other grandmother and is known as Lizzie, Paul said (Sharon confirms) that the two grandmothers knew of each others existence but, there was some friction between them and they didn’t really get on .Paul says that they tolerate each other in the afterlife.
- Lizzie had problems with cancer especially throat which Sharon confirms
- Her Grandfather (Lizzie’s husband) was a proud man. He was overseas in the war. Sharon confirms that her Grandfather was in the Navy. Paul gives the names of George or Charlie.
- Paul said that Sharon was about to have a corrective operation and not to worry as it would be fine. Sharon confirms that she is soon to have an operation.
Vigil Notes : Team 3
Vigil 1- Un-numbered Room
Start time 11.40
Emf readings 1.5-2 on the bed and 5 near the window
Temperature 26 degrees by headboard and 23 degrees middle of room
Val gets a headache in this room and it makes Alison feel sick
This room feels very warm to the investigators and during the vigil there is a twinkling on top of the tv microphone/dictaphone
Vigil 2:Room 1
No EMF readings for this room with an average room temperature of 17.5 degrees
Alison, Val & Ken all have headache. Alison & Val both feel nauseous in this room and Ken felt sick when he walked in.
A light is spotted on wall beside bedroom window opposite the door.
Vigil 3 : Room 10
Emf readings nil
Temperature fluctuating between 17.5 and 21 degrees
Val and Alison still have headache.
Val and Ken feel cold by the sink
Val didn’t like any of the beds in this room and Ken felt uneasy by the single bed on the right.
Nothing else was picked up in this room
Reports
Kerry Price
I found this site fascinating.
I knew before I visited this site that there was a high probability of us discovering some fantastic information about this site.
The land that the Courtney hotel is situated on was once a farm, before that it was part of the Aldersbrook estate, which had been in existence for at least 500 years. Also, there is evidence that Aldersbrook was possibly an important Roman settlement as archaeological finds of this era had been found in the neighbouring City of London Cemetery and Wanstead Park which is behind the house.
When we initially had a walk around to do some tests it was evident that some of the investigators and the medium were picking up on events that had occurred in this building and people that had lived there and I was very eager to get going with a séance and then the teams vigils.
I was amazed that during the séance, the same experiences were being felt by most.
I attempted some automatic handwriting during the séance as when I looked at my hand (in my mind eye) I could see some paper underneath my hand.
The strange thing about this was that I had never had this experience before .The feeling that I was given was one of disappointment and grief of signing away my property as though it was compulsory .The names I was given were Herbert Michael’s or Herbert Michael. Now in my minds eye I could see a man in a soft hat and beige and check suit standing outside the Courtney Hotel pointing in the direction of the cemetery .The man had ginger/fair hair, sideburns and a small beard. I would say judging by his costume that he dates from no early than the Victorian period.
Another strange thing that happened to me that evening was when I went to the toilet with Alison. While she was in the toilet I briefly saw a man standing outside room 10, which was one of our vigil areas. He was dressed like a workman or maintenance man. He was young (20-ish) wearing a padded lumberjack shirt with a brown lining and a pair of jeans or dungarees and was carrying some kind of tool in his left hand. He stared at me disapprovingly and then moved on down the passageway .I thought he was what he appeared to be until I realised that he made no sound.
I was a little late in reaching my next vigil as myself and Alison were talking about our experiences (for more info read Alison’s report).
After settling in on the vigil in the un-numbered room Paul said that there was a male spirit presence with us who was wearing a check jacket and Steve added that he had either a hammer or spanner in one of his hands.
I was very taken aback by this and did not mention it at the time.
A very strange night was had by many but, not all .I was very impressed by the feelings that were experienced in this property and the way in which most of us felt the same things but, in different rooms .
A great investigation that I would love to follow up on.
Once again, many thanks to the owners Sarah, Peter and Sharon for the very generous hospitality on the evening and the kind invitation for us to investigate The Courtney Hotel .
Alison Blyth
I knew absolutely nothing about this place as I am not from the area, so my expectations were not all that high, but I was about to have my mind changed.
As soon as I walked into the place, I felt physically sick , nervous and apprehensive. At first I put that down to meeting new people as Kerry had kindly invited me to the investigation. But I really don’t think that was the case, as I was soon to find out.
Our first vigil was a séance in the dining room. Several people were experiencing cold drafts, tingly sensations and slight movements of the table.
I sat quietly next to Kerry. I felt a sharp push on my right shoulder as if someone had placed their hand hard pinching as they go. I rearranged myself to see if it was because I was sat awkwardly but the pain remained. I repeated in my head to stop and eventually it did, but it seemed to move to Kerry.
I heard a man’s voice in my head giving the name of Samuel and what sounded like Lithuania. I sat puzzled, as I couldn’t understand the connection between the Hotel and Lithuania. I gave the name to Wayne as he was filming.
At the same time as I was given a name, what fascinated me was that Steve could see a pond and Kerry felt she need to sign something but if she wrote down what she was being told it would make her feel physically sick.
Our next vigil was in the room opposite room 1.I was curious about this room as on the baseline tests were very strange. The EMF meter was reading at 5 , and I actually checked to see if anything was behind the wall which could explain why the readings were so high. We established that there were no cables behind the wall and window faced the courtyard. All this aside I was not convinced that there was not a television mounted on the wall in the adjoining room.
I went into this room with an open mind, expecting to feel nothing as I was unconvinced about the readings, but whilst I was sat on the bed I felt what could only be described as something around my throat and the feeling of blood rushing to my head. I felt as if I was being lifted and felt my feet dangling off the floor. At this point I was given the name of Elizabeth Harvey so assumed that this was being done to a woman. I felt resentment and anger and very sick . So much so I couldn’t stand. I got to the stage where I couldn’t sit in that spot any longer as I thought I was physically going to be sick. I moved across the room and sat closer to the door.
I mentioned this to Kerry, as I was unsure whether I could carry on, as I felt so rough. Before our next vigil I visited the toilets with Kerry and waited for her on the stairs. I heard footsteps behind me and got up to move out of the way, only to feel what could only be described as something walking through me and beyond. This is the strangest feeling I have ever experienced, and can only be described as a bullet entering my back and dragging the front of me out. This did freak me out and as I mentioned it to Kerry she confirmed that she did hear the footsteps and assumed that someone had come down the stairs.
I decided to carry on and not admit defeat as I have always said that I wanted to experience the paranormal and would miss out if I gave up now.
Our next vigil was in room 1.
As soon as I walked into the room I felt sick again. As I walked further into the room and towards the double bed, I felt the urge to hold onto it with both hands and bear down as if in labour. I felt abdominal pain, and saw the image of blood. The overwhelming feeling of a young woman either losing a child or haemorrhaging was given to me. For the rest of the vigil I sat quietly on the bunk beds close to tears, as the feeling was so strong. The strange thing that I cannot explain was that the bed itself was giving off EMF readings despite there being no cables around or under the bed.
Our last vigil was in room 10
My initial reaction was how cold the room was, but I felt fine whilst standing by the door. There were no abnormal readings in the room, but both Ken and I smelt stale aftershave on the bed next to the wardrobe. It was a strong smell of lavender and mint based, but mixed with alcohol and stale fags. As I sat on the bed nearest the wall I felt a sharp pain radiating from the back of my ear to the top of my head, not a usual headache, just a sudden sharp dull pain. Strangely it made me smile and I was given a clear image of a woman striking a man from behind until he fell to the ground. My feelings of this were of prostitution. The perpetrator seemed to be a woman who either didn’t want to be with the man or was seeking revenge as she seemed to have plotted her revenge against him. Strangely enough Val said at the same time to me feeling pain, that she felt a sudden pain all down one side of her face. It was the side that corresponded with the side I was feeling pain.
All in all a very interesting night, filled with a variety of very strong emotions and images. I would like to thank Kerry for inviting me, and the owners for letting us conduct this investigation.
Gary Gas
This was my first investigation that I had done with the Southern Paranormal Group, so I was understandable nervous. When I received the investigation plan, and read the basic background information about the hotel, I had a strong feeling that we would no doubt experience some paranormal activity, especially as the building was so old and had so much history.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel I immediately felt some sort of presence (but was unable to describe the feeling), it was clear that there were rifts in the atmosphere.
During a tour of the rooms that we would be investigating, we walked into Room 11, which was at the far end of the first floor. This room was fairly large and was very cold, although no windows were open and the main heating system was on. During the baseline tests that were being taken by Alison, Val and Ken I was taking random photos around the rooms. In Room 11 I took a photo of a small coffee table in a raise platform in the left-hand corner of the room. On the table was an orb looking mark, which was later confirmed to defiantly being a mark unique to this photograph.
When we entered Room 10, which was halfway along the building on the first floor, I instantly felt a strong force pressing in the centre of my chest. This feeling was quite alarming to me, as it had only occurred as I had entered this room. There were no other real features of this room that posed any paranormal interest at this time.
Upon entering the unnumbered room opposite Room 1, I became very claustrophobic – this room was very small, width and length wise. There was a weird stench coming from within this room, which nothing visible could explain. From the baseline tests, there were very weird fluctuations in EMF readings in the far left-hand corner, above the bed, which was also unexplainable. Overall, this room had a very eerie feel and this was a room I did not feel comfortable in being in, from the reaction of my fellow investigators, this feeling was mutual.
Once the tour was over, and the baseline tests were completed, the whole group joined together in the dining room on the ground floor to conduct a séance. On this investigation we were joined by Paul, who was a medium. He was the one who opened and run the séance, while we sat around the dining room table with joint energy. During the séance I had a strong feeling of something pulling down on my lower arms and elbows. There was also a random tapping coming from the right end of the table towards the fireplace within the room, where Paul felt a presence.
After the séance, we all split off into groups; I was with Julie, Wayne and Mandy. Our first group investigation was in the dining room, doing a Ouija board. While carrying out this investigation I felt no feelings within the room, nor was there any movement on the board or in the room.
We then went on to investigate Room 10, and upon entering this time, I had the feeling that my stomach has dropped (the feeling that would have been obtained if driving over a shallow dip or over the top of a hill), - this feeling made me very anxious and nervous. While in this room, I sat the end of the bed in the far left-hand corner, and during out investigation had the feeling of someone staring at me from behind. There were no other movements or sounds in this room.
After finishing in Room 10, we went along to Room 11, where as soon as we entered there was a cold chilling feel. At this point I measure the temperature of the room, and found that it was between 8°c and 10°c. Both Mandy and I had the feeling that there was a presence within the area of the platform in the left-hand side of the room. While in the room, we called out for anyone present in the room at this point Mandy said that it had become warmer near the door (where she was standing) and when measured the temperature rose to 12°c. Although there was a rise in temperature it can possible be explained by the increase of body heat within the room. There was no other noticeable activity within this room.
At this point Julie joined all of the other groups in the dining room to hold a group séance, and Wayne, Mandy and I went off to investigate the unnumbered room opposite Room 1. When entering this room I again had the claustrophobic feeling that I had experienced earlier in the evening. During our time in this room, we did various callings, with no avail. I attempted my very first calling out, and was slightly nervous, and was anxious as to how I would react if I successfully got a reply, but unfortunately there was no activity. Although during the investigations I had taken a few pictures, and after analysing them an orb is clearly seen near the handle on the back of the door (this, which appears as a mark on the door, does not appear on another picture from the same angle).
After all the activities were over we all met as a full group again in the dining room where the owner of the property went over the history of the property. Of the many things that they reported were, a young man hanging himself due to his girlfriend aborting their child. She said that the man had hung himself above the bed in the unnumbered room, where we had recorded the fluctuations in EMF recordings. She also told of a relative waking up in Room 10, to find the ghost of a woman standing over them.
Overall, I would say that this is a great place to investigate and feel that this property had plenty to offer in terms of paranormal activity. May I take this opportunity to thank all of those at The Courtney Hotel for allowing us to investigate their property, and I hope to be able to investigate there again in the future.
(Also, thanks for all of the tea!)
Steve Crouch
For an inaugural event this was a great venue- although meeting up in a pub and not having a beer was a challenge!!!
The hotel is one of those places that I have driven past loads of times and not known it was there... I like these kind of places, it makes me think how do people know about these hotels?
Being located next to a graveyard I did think that this would effect the building, but I am pleased to say that I don’t think it did.
For the séance downstairs at the start of the evening I picked up on a man and a pond, or small area of still water. This was later linked to the guy who designed the pond in the cemetery next door.
I was lucky to be going around with Kerry, Paul plus Sharon and Sarah form the hotel.
All of the rooms we went in had something of interest. We picked up on a n elderly lady in Room 10 that was connected with flowers, and I sensed are heavy dark flock wall paper, paisley and flowers, which could not be verified. Paul commented on the newly positioned beds which I thought very interesting. We also picked up on a young man that had committed suicide and was often mistaken fro being slow or stupid, but the feeling Paul and I got was that this was not the case.
When we went in to Room 2 I vividly connected with a young lady that had taken drugs and I had the sensation of injecting drugs and also who had fallen out of the window. I also connected that she was trying to hide a baby but the baby was not full. We were told later that a woman had self-aborted in the room. Paul also picked up on a couple of male presence’s in there.
The final room Paul almost did a private reading for one of the employees which was really nice.
The Ouija was inconclusive at the end of the night.
Overall I was very happy with what had happened as it has helped me out immensely and working alongside Paul was great. I think that the nights vigil was the tip of an iceberg in an amazing location.
I would like to thank all at the Courtney Hotel for allowing us to conduct this investigation.
Val & Ken
Ken and Vals report for Saturday 11-2-06
The evening started with a warm welcome from our hosts thank you ,
It all began with a seance with some members having different feelings. Ken had noticed that his right hand little finger became quite hot and had noticed lower legs had become very cold. Val didn’t experience anything. Upstairs to room 1 Ken had the video camera Val the EMF Alison the infra red thermometer. Very high EMF readings by the window and over the sink Val and Alison calling out but no response. We all felt quite comfortable.
Room 10: Val didn’t feel comfortable in this room and could not sit on any of the beds. She felt sick and had headache on one side only. She did EMF reading which was 17 degrees. In one spot in front of the sink she was very cold. Ken also felt this cold in the same place. Ken felt uneasy and could not sit on the right hand side bed at far end of the room. Alison also felt sick. Alison and Val calling out but no response heard.
Room un-named. Val and Ken felt very sick on entry and very uneasy. Temperature 17degrees but fluctuated. Alison had pains in her tummy and felt sick. No EMF readings in the room. White oblong patch on the wall to the right of the left window cannot explain not there when we switched the lights on not a reflection from anything in the room.
The ouija board we found interesting but nothing conclusive.
Mandy Bradley
Being as this was my first time on an investigation, I am very open minded about the goings on in the Courtney hotel.
Our visit first started with a séance in the dining room, during this I felt a lot of pressure on my arms, as if someone was pushing down on them, and I also felt a flick on my ear, which caused it to go bright red and start burning. There were moments when I felt very panicky and then felt very elated. From the séance we moved on into smaller groups. In the same group as me were Julie, Wayne and Gary.
We started with table tipping, but unfortunately nothing happened, moved on to just calling out, but again nothing.
We then moved on to room 10, when I first entered this room, I felt heavy headed but it passed and nothing else happened to me, although orbs were caught on camera.
Following that room was room 11, in this room is a raised alcove area with a window, when I went into this area I felt a strange feeling of falling, as if I was falling out of the window. When I came out of the area it went away, nothing other then the feeling of coldness happened in this room.
We then moved on to the room with no number, I felt nothing in this room, but felt the need to not want to be in there in the dark, I put this down to one, my fear of the dark and two overhearing others experiences in this room.
For my first investigation I thought it was all great, the people were friendly and I look forward to the next one, were maybe more will happen for me.
Thank you to the staff at the Courtney for allowing us to visit and for your teas and coffee’s.
Wayne Blyth
My first impressions of this hotel, were that it certainly looked quite impressive, and should have been able to throw something at us.
We arrived and were quickly introduced to the London & Essex team. After meeting our hosts, we set about preparing the equipment, and then straight into our first vigil. This was to be a séance in the dining room. I was assigned the task of note taking. There appeared to be a lot happening, with noises being heard and many people experiencing changes to temperatures and even physical touches. Interestingly, the table appeared to be creaking at the far end by the fireplace. I cannot discount the fact that many people were present and all arms were placed on the table, and subtle muscle movements from anyone may have contributed to the movement.
Vigil 2 was, for us, again in the dining room. Unfortunately, our group, ( Julie, Mandy, Gary and myself) did not experience anything during this time.
Vigil 3 was far more interesting. This was held in room 10. I believe no-one in our team was comfortable in this room. The strangest thing was the EMF readings we were getting from the bedstead. I cannot explain why, but the readings were very high when pointed at the metal frame. It would be interesting to find out the properties of the metal, but, as far as I know, there is no reason why the EMF readings would be so high.
I did get an image in my head that there was someone laying on the bed, having passed away through an overdose of drugs, but I don’t think this has been verified. We have always been encouraged to say exactly what we feel and experience. However, on reflection, I can only think that my imagination kicked in to these sort of thoughts as the beds did remind me of old hospital beds.
Vigil 4 was room 11. Again, unfortunately, nothing happened in here except that I was immediately struck with a sharp pain across my forehead, which generated into a headache for the rest of the vigil. I also experienced what I would describe as a tap on the back of my head as though some one had struck me. There was nothing near me at the spot I was standing.
Our last vigil, which consisted of myself, Mandy and Gary was in the unmarked room. Nothing was experienced by us in this room except, as were sitting quietly we heard someone come upstairs, through the fire door, continue along the hallway, and go through the next fire door. I joked at the time that I hoped that it was a real person. I learned later that no-one had come upstairs at all, as no one in the dining room below, (who would have heard someone come in) had heard anything at all.
Conclusion:
For me, not a very eventful investigation. However, it was obviously good to meet the London & Essex team and to have a change of scenery. There is something more to be experienced at the Courtney Hotel, so it would warrant a return visit. If I am lucky, Kerry would invite me again, as I would certainly go back.
A big thank you has to go to the staff at the Courtney for their wonderful hospitality and warmth during our invasion. Also to Kerry and the L & E team, for allowing us to join their first investigation together. I must also point out that Kerry should be proud of the job she did and I would gladly accept another invitation to join them .
Julie Harwood
When I first saw the hotel, I must admit I did not like the look of it. To me it looked imposing and unfriendly, however when we stepped inside and met Sharon and Sarah, it was completely different. They were the perfect hosts so I would like to thank them.
Our first vigil was in the dining room and was a séance the whole team took part in. I sat out with Wayne to film and take notes. The group seemed to be experiencing some strong feelings and lots of people were picking up names and places. I was extremely interested to hear Paul (medium) say he was drawn towards the fireplace and that is where activity has been seen. There were also a lot of creaks heard in the wood of the table during this séance though I am happy to put those down to wood settling and creaking as it does. The 1 thing I did experience in here was when Paul said he could sense a small dog, within seconds of him saying that I felt a very solid brush past my right leg, just like a small dog or large cat would feel if they rubbed up against you or ran past you. This did make me jump but did not make me feel nervous or scared, it was quite a nice feeling. I think I have less fear of the possibility of animal ghosts than I do of the possibility of human ghosts! Not sure why that is?
After the séance was closed our group consisting of Wayne, Gary, Mandy and myself stayed in the dining room while the others went to different rooms. Unfortunately although a few orbs were caught on digital camera, we did not experience anything else in this room.
Our next vigil was in room 10. We walked into this room and I suddenly for no reason became quite anxious like something was about to happen. Mandy went very pale and a little light headed and Wayne and Gary both reported separately a feeling of their stomachs lurching like when you are on a fairground ride.
We settled down in the room, and I am not sure about the others but my feeling of anxiousness seemed to subside. I did not like the room very much but this was just because it was a fairly empty room. It was in this room that I got the name Mark or Marky. I don’t know why I thought of it, it may just be one of those random thoughts. The most interesting things in this room were Wayne imagining a man laying on the bed having committed suicide, the EMF meter readings we were getting of the beds, but from nowhere else and the feeling Gary had of someone being behind him. I personally did not experience anything else in this room. We then as part of the same vigil moved on to room 11. The sink kept gurgling but that was as far from paranormal as you could get. I did not feel anything unusual in this room, though having looked back at my photo’s it did remind me that half way through the vigil, Waynes right leg seemed to cause the emf meter to again jump off the scale!
My final vigil was with Kerry, Val, Ken, Alison, Steve, Paul, Sharon and Sarah back in the dining room to try a ouija experiment. Paul and I sat out, but Paul lead the session from outside the group. The glass did move however it was making little sense and so as to not get any ones hopes up and because Paul thought there was something not quite right with it, Kerry decided to close it down.
Even though I experienced very little if anything I would directly refer to as paranormal, I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening investigating with the London and Essex team, it was a real privilege. Thank you once again to Sarah and Sharon for their hospitality, welcome cups of tea and smiles and also it was a pleasure to work with Paul and see a medium in action. I look forward to working with you again in the near future.