Southern Paranormal - Investigations

Kingston Maurwood

Saturday 10th February 2007, 7pm – 12am

Attending Investigators
Julie, Maria, Di, Dan, Paul, Emma, Wayne, David, Rachel, Martyn, Maureen, Adam, Simon, Alison, Ed, Mark.

Guests
Steve & Sandy

Hosts
Ivan, Wendy, Ian, Steph, Jo, Bob & Annina

Introduction

Kingston Maurwood House was known to some of the group but not for its hauntings but more because of it high profile as a college. It therefore surprised us to receive an email via our website with claims of unexplained phenomena in the building and grounds. The report we received to the website was that at the top of the back stairs on the 2nd (top) floor a woman was seen on a number of occasions. She then started to descend the stairs before disappearing before reaching the bottom. These details were only known by Julie and the report has not been shared with the team until now (after the investigation). Another of our members Cathie (who did not attend the investigation) was also able to gain some more first hand reports of sightings and experiences. These are shared below-

Witness incident 1 - a young student sat in one of the rooms on the second floor of the house. Was bored during a lecture so was daydreaming and looking out of the window. He suddenly noticed a woman in a long dark dress running 'pell-mall - really fast' across the courtyard, and watched as she ran at full speed into a solid brick wall. Approx. 1998-9

Witnesses incident 2 - whilst at one of Maurwoods' summer outdoor concerts, a group of women saw a woman in a long black dress 'floating off the ground' near the house. She appeared to be a solid three-dimensional figure, and they only realised something was wrong when one of the group pointed out that she wasn't touching the ground. She suddenly disappeared - no fading - simply went!! 1996

Further info: Staff at Agricultural college report breathing sounds, footsteps, shadows etc
Furniture moved
Voices and whispers

Obviously this made us keen to investigate and so were delighted when Wendy at Kingston Maurwood helped us arrange a date.

Brief History of Kingston Maurwood

Kingston Maurward House was built between 1717 and 1720 for George Pitt, probably to the design of the architect John James of Greenwich. Eighteen years earlier Pitt had married Laura, the last of the Greys, who lived in the Elizabethan Manor House at Kingston Maurward. The Greys had owned the Estate for many generations, acquiring it through marriage, from the Maurwards who were the ancient Lords of the area.
George Pitt (a cousin of Prime Minster William Pitt) was 58 when he had the House built, living here for fourteen years until his death in 1734.
Other owners include – The Martins (1845 – 1853), The Fellowes (1853 – 1906), The Balfours (1906 – 1914) and the Hanburys (1914 – 1947).
Thomas Hardy who lived in the nearby village of Lower Bockhampton was a frequent visitor as a boy during the mid 1800's and he later referred to Kingston Maurward House as "Knapwater House" in his novel Desperate Remedies. Between 1918 and 1920 the formal gardens to the west of the mansion were laid out by the Hanbury family, who also owned La Mortola in Italy.
The house was occupied during the war by American service men and the extensive parkland was used as a fuel dump for the D-Day landings.
The gardens have undergone extensive restoration since 1990.

Details sourced from http://ace.kmc.ac.uk/virtualestate/history/index.cfm & Rachel Gibbs.

Team List and Itinerary

Team 1:
Julie - Team Leader
Di
Dan
Paul
Emma
Amanda
Wendy
Ian
Team Trigger Objects – Keys

Team 2:
Maria - Team Leader
Wayne
David
Rachel
Martyn
Maureen
Adam
Steph
Jo
Team Trigger Objects – Coins

Team 3:
Simon Team - Leader
Alison
Ed
Steve G
Mark P
Sandy
Bob
Annina
Ivan
Team Trigger Object - Marbles

Equipment Allocation & Experiments

On this investigation we only had 2 locked off camcorders and a pair of motion sensors set. These were located –

1 camcorder was set at the bottom of the back staircase
1 camcorder was set in the main hall on the ground floor
a 3rd camcorder was set after the 1st vigil in the main entrance watching the motion sensors

Each team had –

At least 1 digital camera
1 night vision camcorder
EMF Meter
Non Contact Laser Temperature Gun
Note sheets & Pen
Trigger objects
Trigger Object Record Sheet
Glass for divination (if required)

Itinerary

6.30pm	Julie & Maria arrive to complete baseline tests and pre investigation checks
7.15pm	Rest of team to arrive.
7.45pm	Team Briefing
8 – 9pm	Vigil 1 Team 1 2nd Floor Team 2 1st Floor Team 3 Ground Floor
9pm – 9.15pm	Break
9.15pm – 10.15pm	Vigil 2 Team 1 1st Floor Team 2 Ground Floor Team 3 2nd Floor
10.15pm – 10.30pm	Break
10.30pm – 11.30pm	Vigil 3 Team 1 Ground Floor Team 2 2nd Floor Team 3 1st Floor
11.30pm	Pack up
12.00am	Depart

The Investigation

Baseline Tests completed by – Ed Ashton, Martyn Balsom & Rachel Bettany – 6.55pm – 7.30pm

2nd Floor	Top of main stairs. Temp 17 fluctuating to 17.5. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Some floorboards creaking. Room at end of Corridor. Temp 20, fluctuating to 21. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Faint smell & humming coming from drinks Machine. Top of back stairs. Temp 18 fluctuating to 18.5. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
1st Floor	Bottom of back stairs & Post Tray Area. Temp 18 fluctuating to 18.5. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Mirrored Corridor. Temp 19 fluctuating to 20. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Beware of reflections caused by tall mirrors on wall. Main Staircase landing. Temp 19. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations.
Ground Flr	Bottom of Main Staircase. Temp 18 fluctuating to 20. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Beware of wires from locked of camera increasing EMF readings. Bottom of back stairs. Temp 17 fluctuating to 17.5. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Pengelly Rm. Temp 16 fluctuating to 16.5. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. This rooms feels cooler. Beware of raised EMF readings by floor sockets. Some floorboards also creak especially by doors. Common Rm. Temp 13.5 fluctuating to 14. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, no fluctuations. Basement/Generator Rm. Temp 15 fluctuating to 16. EMF 00.1 – 00.2, slightly raised by end door to 00.3. Smell of polish on stairs. Area has automatic lights.

Trigger Object Experiments

Team 1

Trigger Objects set each vigil by – Paul Martin
Objects - Keys

Vigil 1

Time set – 8pm
Location – Top of back stairs, 2nd floor
Photo taken – Yes

Time Closed – 9pm
Photo Taken –Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Vigil 2

Time Set – 9.25pm
Location – In front of mirror, on ledge, 1st flr corridor
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 10.10pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – Yes – Keys had shifted forwards to the right by aprox 2-3cm.

Vigil 3

Time Set – 10.40pm
Location – Pengelly Rm
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 11.40pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Team 2

Trigger Objects set each vigil by – Wayne Blyth
Objects – Coins

Vigil 1

Time Set – 8.05pm
Location – 1st Flr corridor
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 8.55pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Vigil 2

Time set – 9.20pm
Location – Main Hall Ground Flr
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 10.10pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Vigil 3

Time Set – 10.35pm
Location – By drinks machine
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 11.20pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Team 3

Trigger Objects set each vigil by – Alison Blyth
Objects – Marbles

Vigil 1

Time Set – 8.15pm
Location – Basement
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 8.55pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Vigil 2

Time Set – 9.25pm
Location – Alcove by staircase (2nd Flr)
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 10.10pm
Photo taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Vigil 3

Time Set – 10.40pm
Location – Corridor, first Flr
Photo Taken – Yes

Time Closed – 11.25pm
Photo Taken – Yes
Any noticeable results – No

Team / Vigil Notes

Team 1

Vigil 1

Corridor at top of back stairs –
8.05pm Julie & Di feel uneasily hot. Paul & Dan feel ok
8.10pm Julie gets an image of lit brown candles
8.10pm Cold breeze wafts between Julie & Paul
8.11pm Dan checks windows and stairs for noticeable draughts, none felt
8.20pm Di sees what she describes as a heat vapour rising off the banisters.
8.22pm Julie keeps thinking of Fire and thinks she can hear a fire siren
8.23pm Di stands and feels a strange feeling rise up in her and starts coughing like she is choking. Finds it difficult to catch her breath and her voice gets momentarily croaky.
8.26pm Julie’s leg goes dead
8.27pm Di asks for the feeling to be taken off Julie’s leg and the numbness disappears. Julie experiences no pins and needles like you would expect.
8.30pm Just leaving area to swap with other team when Di sees a misty shape moving on the stairs. She felt it was like someone coming up stairs. Paul looks and can also see something about half way up the stairs. Julie and Dan can not see it.
Julie also hears motion sensors go off. Emma in the next area hears this too.
8.40pm Corridor
Team feel like something has followed them
Julie is feeling agitated and can not stand still. She is also very jumpy.
Calling out and team can hear knocking but not sure where from. Could it be tapping from lights? Electric box?
Team can also hear footsteps above them – roof up, no one as far as team know is up there.
Di saw a light on one of the chairs.
Julie thinks she hears coat hangers knocking together – but nothing is moving.
Julie can feel a breeze on her hand but is sure it is a draught as they are in a corridor.

Vigil 2

9.20pm Half of team spend a little while in back area but move to main stairs
9.40pm Half of team feel nothing on main stairs but when the other half of the team spend a little while there they hear footsteps on the landing above them. Paul, Amanda, Julie and Ian all hear this.
Julie calls out as they presume it is another team, no reply.
Paul investigates and confirms there is no team there.
What sounds like someone pacing can still be heard. Team have to consider it could be noise from the wind and rain on the glass roof above them.

Vigil 3

Team all stay together and decide to try a glass divination in the Pengelly room.
Glass starts moving almost straight away but it is difficult to try and ascertain any details from it.
Confirmed Male and that they did not live in the house. Age 62. Glass keeps moving to Julie.
Team can hear random clicks from corner of the room and presume it is the walkie talkie.
Julie turns walkie talkie off but clicking/beeping noise can still be heard, like a smoke detector when batteries are running low.
Dan is capturing orbs on camcorder above the group, under the chandelier.
Team close down glass divination and attempt a séance. Table seems to be vibrating and so team decide to try table tipping. Table does vibrate but does not seem to coincide with questions being asked.
Paul feels like he has been kicked/punched at the top of his legs and it makes him double over.
Julie and Amanda keep looking behind them towards the windows. Room seems un naturally dark.
Emma keeps looking in the corner of the room behind her, unsure why.

Team 2

Vigil 1

8.07pm Maureen feels something behind her
8.15pm David senses a man on the stairs
8.17pm Maureen feels a draught on her right ear and is feeling cold down her right side
8.19pm David gets the surname Pitt
8.20pm First name George
8.22pm David gets the year 1720, but Maureen gets the years 1718 – 1720 as the years that the house was built.
8.24pm Rachel is using the divining rods and is getting yes answers to the dates above
8.27pm Team discuss the draughts felt on stairs
8.34pm David smells burning. Maureen also smells it faintly
8.35pm Wayne feels like he wants to throw himself over the banisters but also feels he would survive if he did it
8.36pm Martyn feels a cold breeze, about thigh level on his left side
8.38pm (other end of corridor) Maureen and Rachel feel a sudden cold spot by the door
8.42pm Maureen is very hot, so much so she is sweating
8.55pm Rachel and Maureen in corridor. Maureen senses George Pitt is with them.
8.56pm They also feel that there was a fire on the main stair case that he was trapped in.

Vigil 2

Team use pendulum in the basement and contact a kitchen maid.
Further notes to follow.

Team 3

Vigil 1

8.03pm Basement. Temp 13
Alison picks up the name of Henry Scott aged aprox 53 at far end of corridor. She feels fear but is not sure if this is just caused by the darkness.
8.30pm Bob feels draught around his feet. Temp by Bobs feet 14, by Steve’s feet 15.
Team hear a door slam 5 times upstairs but they presume this must be another team.
8.45pm Steve gets the name Wendy. They call out but no response is heard or felt.

Vigil 2

Annina felt her right hand go cold in the corridor
Team attempt glass divination. Slight movement from the glass.
Alison has the feeling of having a wooden right leg
Glass divination continues and team hear noises coming from back stairs. Team confirm in their break that at this time no one was there to cause the noises.

Vigil 3

Steve feels a lot colder in this area than the rest of the team
Alison calls out and a bang is heard but it is similar to the sound of a floorboard and team have to consider this is what it could be although none of the team believe they were moving when it was heard.
Team carry on calling out and all hear a growl noise

Personal Reports

Julie Harwood

I had been lucky enough to see Kingston Maurwood House the weekend before the investigation when we drove there to have a look. It stands in the most stunning grounds and it was nice to see a location as beautiful as this in the daylight. After getting settled into our teams, our team, team 1 headed for the 2nd floor. We split into 2 and Paul, Di, Dan and myself headed for the top of the back stairs and the little landing area by it. From the moment we got in there Di & I started to feel very hot. We had to take our jackets off which was unusual as not only do Di & I feel the cold but it was a cold wet night. Dan & Paul felt fine and comfortable and reported being neither too hot nor too cold. We called out and I felt like we were in an area that had had a fire. Di could also see what looked like heat vapour on the walls. It was then that we noticed a drop in temperature and I believe even Dan & Paul could feel this. I was sat on the floor against the wall next to Di and suddenly my left leg went dead. I could not feel it and even started to hit it to try and regain some feeling. We had not been sat on the floor long so it was odd my leg went dead straight away. Di asked if anything was trying to affect me and if they were could they stop it. Within seconds I regained the feeling in my leg but was amazed that I did not get any pins and needles, as you would expect if your leg had gone dead through sitting on the floor. I was able to immediately stand and walk. Di however had a strange feeling move from her legs up to her shoulders. Just as we were about to swap with the other group Di noted she could see a misty haze halfway up the stairs. Paul could also see this however myself and Dan were not so lucky even though we peered intensely over the railing. Towards the end of this vigil I heard the motion sensors downstairs trigger and presumed a team on that floor must have set them off. I commented to the team that someone would re set them and a minute or two later it sounded like someone did. However I spoke to Simon’s team who were on the ground floor and not only did the alarms not trigger, but the door to where they were was locked and no one could get out there.
On the second half of our vigil we went into the corridor adjoining the main stairs and the post room. I felt very very agitated in this area and even though I started off sitting, had to get up and walk around, as I could not settle. I kept wanting to look at where the coat hangers were and at one point swear I heard them move but when I shone the torch on them they were dead still. We called out several times and eventually got one good response, which was like a loud knock. We could also hear people walking about above us at one point but as Wendy pointed out after, the roof was the only thing above us and we can be pretty sure no one was up there as they would have walked right past us On our second vigil we were on the 1st floor and Amanda, Paul, Myself and our guest Ian sat in the mirrored corridor. Amanda was capturing lots of orbs on camcorder but I personally did not experience anything in this area. However we called out and asked if anyone was present, could they move the keys Paul had placed as a trigger object. We then went onto the landing on the main staircase. Unfortunately other teams were making a little bit too much noise walking around and talking so we could not pick up or hear much however when things had settled down we all heard what sounded like footsteps on the landing above us. Presuming this was another team we called to them but no one was there. We heard them again and this time Paul went to investigate and confirmed no one was there. They definitely sounded like footsteps pacing up and down however there is a glass roof above the staircase and it was blowing a gale outside and raining heavily so we had to put it down to this causing the strange noises we could hear. At the end of the vigil we spoke to the team that was in the corridor and we saw that the keys we had left as trigger objects had in fact moved.
Our last vigil was on the ground floor and we all stayed together in one of the large rooms off the main hall. We could hear a strange clicking/beeping noise but could not locate where it was coming from. In the end (as it sounded mechanical) we had to put it down to either the clock on the wall or the fire alarm. We then decided to try a glass divination in the room and surprisingly the glass started to move straight away. The team, to me felt a little on edge however we were able to gets some details that there was a man with us etc but after a while the glass was not moving as it did at the beginning and I closed the session down. We decided instead to try a séance and at one point both Emma and I felt a cold gust of wind blow across our fingers. Dan who was filming also managed to capture some orbs flying about above our heads. These could easily have been dust however they need further analysis by our media members. The table did seem to be shaking a little bit so we attempted table tipping and it did seem to continue vibrating but this is all we could get. Tired we closed the vigil down.
A interesting but quiet night for me. I am not convinced one way or the other that there is anything at Kingston Maurwood however we will watch all our footage with interest as the quieter investigations can produce the most exciting footage. Many thanks to Ivan and Wendy for making our visit possible.

Maria Street

The drive down to the West Country is always exciting for me as this is where I tend to spend my holidays, and this was no exception. The weather on the journey down was showery and slightly windy, although this was to worsen as the night wore on. Having been this way so many times, the car seemed like it was on auto pilot and just took us straight to the door, well, straight to the door of the Manor House that is. Right grounds, wrong building! After a few directions from Julie we finally pulled up outside the college. What a lovely building. It looked almost ethereal as the pale stone was illuminated with orange light. It certainly set the tone. I had driven down with Dan and Di and we paused for a second just to drink in the scene before us. Making our way up the stone steps, we soon got on with the job in hand. This was my first investigation as Deputy of the group so I accompanied Julie on a tour of the building. There were three floors and our team, which consisted of David, Wayne, Rachel, Martyn, Maureen, Adam, and guests, Steph and Jo, was to start on the first floor. It was very quiet apart from our time on the staircase where Wayne had an overwhelming feeling of throwing himself off the banister. David also spotted a male on the stairs and got the name George Pitt. He also felt that there could have been a fire in the building at some point. Our following vigils were very quiet. Maureen, David and I tried to spend some time in the grounds but the elements defeated us. The wind was blowing a gale and the rain was lashing against us. This interfered with the investigation inside also, because if a sound was to be heard, it had to be put down to the wind rattling the shutters and howling through the corridors. All in all, a very quiet night paranormally, but a fantastic chance to explore such a lovely building. I would like to thank Mike and Wendy for allowing us the opportunity and our guests, Steph and Jo, for their open minds and their willingness to participate and I hope they weren’t too disappointed at the lack of activity. Doesn’t mean the place isn’t haunted, just means they didn’t want to play that night. Most of all I’d like to thank my team for their help and support. This was my first time as team leader and they made it so easy for me. Another lovely time spent with Southern Paranormal.

Maureen Taylor

Vigil 1 – First floor

We spent most of our time on this vigil in the main staircase area. As we came into this area the name George came into my head, a moment or two later someone, I think it was David, said that he had the name Pitt, and a moment later came up with George – at that point I hadn’t mentioned that I too had George, so he got it independently of me.
Rachel tried her dowsing rods and was getting answers to some of the questions that she asked of George, but he didn’t seem to be coming through very strongly and it wasn’t long before the responses slowed down.
I had the dates 1717 or 18 and 1720 in my head, and was about to say so, when David came up with the date 1720. Up to that moment I wasn’t certain if the dates I had were because of my knowledge of and interest in architecture, or whether I’d actually been given the dates.
Wayne (I think) was sitting on the stairs for part of the vigil, and he said that he was getting a sense of someone jumping from them and plummeting down the central stair well.
David said he thought he could sense a maid in the area, but couldn’t come up with anything more positive than that as far as I recall.

Vigil 2 – Ground floor and basement

This was a very quiet session, glass divination and table tilting produced no results for us. We caught a few orbs on camera, but little else.
We spent about half of this vigil in the basement, but very little happened for us. I was quietly using my pendulum, asking questions of it silently, and appeared to be getting answers from a young kitchen maid, but just as things were getting interesting for me down here we realised that it was time to head back to base.

Vigil 3 – Second floor

Before we headed up the stairs, David, Maria and I decided that we would go outside the house into the grounds to see if we picked up on anything out there. Unfortunately by this time the weather was so bad - strong winds and heavy rain – that we didn’t stay out there for long, only just long enough to walk round to the back of the house, then back to the front and inside again. We then joined the rest of the group upstairs. For me this vigil produced very little, and indeed, when several of us were sitting in the corridor between the two sets of stairs, I was almost falling asleep. We spent a little time at the top of each set of stairs, but still very little happening. Martin had a cold draught across his right leg at about thigh level that kept coming and going, but that may well have been a draught coming from a nearby door.

Overall, for me, this was a very quiet investigation, though in beautiful surroundings. The whole time I was there the place felt warm, cosy and welcoming. Would a second investigation at Kingston Maurward produce more results? I’m not sure that it would somehow, but if ever the opportunity arose I would certainly go back there again.

Dan White

I was really excited and eager to attend my first proper investigation – I don’t count the Junior School as my first as I work there so felt `overly` comfortable – apart from in a certain block but I won’t go into that! The drive up to the house (college) set the scene quite well with the windy roads (where only one car could pass at a time). Initially we stopped outside the Manor house (I think) - which was well lit with bright lights giving it an eerie appearance. However, we were at the wrong place! After making our way to the college I felt that the outside was not as grand as the Manor house, but the reception room, with its high ceiling and `wedding cake` appearance looked the part. To start with I accompanied Julie, Di and Paul into an upstairs corridor (2nd floor) whilst Emma, Amanda and one of the guests went into an adjacent area. I didn’t really feel anything in the corridor, but from the window you could see the gardens which reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s `The Mirror Crack’d from side to side` so again the scene was set but I didn’t feel anything. Julie and Di were having some success though – Julie suffering from numbness of her left leg whilst Di and Paul witnessed some sort of haze on the stairs. Julie & Di also felt the idea of a fire in that area, and Di as though she could see smoke rising, this idea was also supported (in part) from another member of the team , but me, I saw nothing.
Next we were posted in a corridor on the 1st floor and Emma, myself, Di and Wendy were in one area and the remainder of the group split off into another section. This corridor was a little more strange with its mirrored alcoves, which I kept looking into in a hope I would see an apparition, but alas no, just me. After a while, we moved out onto the stairs where I did feel a bit `heady`, it reminded me of Hitchcock’s `Vertigo` and I did think that crawling up inebriated would sober you up before reaching the top.
When we reached our final post, I began to question myself. I thought that perhaps I wasn’t listening properly to the noises or perhaps I was giving off a negative energy of some kind. So when the group conducted a séance I sat back and watched. I was glad to be given the camera. The glass moved quite a lot between Julie and Di before returning to the centre of the table. Then the group tried table tipping. Again I sat out and held the camera. Occasionally I touched the table and it did feel like it was vibrating. Something made me look up, and over the course of the next 15 minutes (approximately) I saw orbs passing over the plaster work at where the chandelier was connected to the ceiling, the chandelier itself and the corner of the room. This all happened at approximately 22.53 (on the camera). I witnessed about 6 occurrences then the battery on the camera went flat.

I came away from Kingston Maurwood House feeling pleased that I had seen something and thankful for being invited into the group. It was a great experience and, even if the orbs weren’t spirits, I at least saw something that has further whetted my appetite and has shown me that keeping an open mind is the best thing to do! Thanks.

Martyn Balsom

This was my 1st investigation. First of all we had a tour of the building with Julie, and I did some baseline tests before we started the vigils. I was in team 2, we started on the first floor and called out for spirits. I found the first room very peaceful and did not pick anything up. David then felt the presence on the stairs of a man by the name of Mr Pitt who said he lived in the property around 1720, I felt my left leg go cold for a few seconds then warm up and go cold again but apart from that everything seemed quiet for me. We then did our 2nd investigation on the ground floor where we did a glass divination and table tipping to no avail, we also went to the basement where once again nothing out of the ordinary happened. Finally we investigated the second floor and once again the whole floor was very peaceful and I would've been quite happy to sit up there in the dark on my own.

All in all I really enjoyed my first investigation and Kingston Maurwood was a lovely place to visit, it was just a shame nothing really interesting happened to me.

Sandy Rutter

It was very good for my first investigation. I was very excited as I heard a couple of things when Alison asked if any body was there. There was a kind of bang near me. Nobody had moved, that was on the first floor where the mirrors were. We also heard a growl (we being Alison Ed & Steve and myself). Nothing happened down in the cellar and the video by the front door picked up nothing unusual. Top floor where the coffee machine was I found nothing or heard anything but I had a lot of fun and cant wait for the next one.

Wayne Blyth

Pulling up to the college, I was very impressed with its look and general finery. It certainly looked promising. After our usual meeting and greeting, we set about our vigils. My first was to the 1st floor. I unfortunately did not experience any thing on this vigil, except for one thing.
While I was standing on the stairs, I found myself looking over the banister towards the floor below. For some reason, and I still cannot explain it, I felt as though I wanted to jump. Later, it was explained by one of the guests, that there was a legend of a maid who jumped to her death. Whether this is true or not, I don’t know. This was all that was to happen for me, although others did experience orbs etc.
Vigil 2 was the ground floor. We went into the main hall and attempted glass divination and table tipping. Unfortunately nothing occurred. After a while we went into the basement. I found one particular spot quite unnerving but I would put this down to it being an extremely dark and old area. This was to be all that happened for me down here. Vigil 3 fared no better I'm afraid to say. While Maria, David and Maureen went outside in the grounds, the rest of us took the stairs to the top floor. After setting up some coins as trigger objects, we settled down to begin. Again, sad to say nothing happened. After our allotted hour, we finished up and went to join the rest of the group to pack up. Although there was to be nothing, unusual to happen, I do not feel disappointed. In the paranormal investigation business, you have to accept and even expect the occasional lack of happenings.
A very impressive building, with, I am sure, many secrets to divulge, on the right day.
Thanks to all who made this possible.

Emma Curtis

Well what a lovely place this was, inside and out.
This was my 3rd investigation with the group so I felt more at ease when first arrived, I was in team 1 and our vigils started on the 2nd floor. We started splitting in to smaller groups to cover more of an area; we had a corridor with rooms leading off it. Amanda was videoing and thought she saw some orb like lights coming from the radiator but after talking about it came to the conclusion that this was an insect/s flying around. After I had taken the temperature readings which were all around 18.5-19.0, I went and sat on the floor at the opposite end of the corridor. I did experience a very cold breeze on my left knee but checked temperature readings but no difference, I later found out I was sat by the door that leads to the roof so that explains that one. I also heard the motion detectors go off that were downstairs by the front door and locked in the entrance hall to which I have no explanation to why they went off. Also Lots of flashes were coming from camera’s from another group near by, as the doors all had a glass oval shaped panels above the door frame which made things a little more difficult to see in our own area, also the house had extremely noisy floor boards and every movement coming from other rooms was heard, this was the same for vigil 2 on the second floor, and even when we moved to an area that seemed more calming another group had beaten us there either by being on the floor above or below, so by the end of vigil 2 I was beginning to think maybe this night was going to be “nothing out of the ordinary”. Well vigil 3 on the ground floor was much better, we were in a giant room which was very quiet and private to the group which was a great relief for me as I find distraction in investigations that could contribute to missing something important or being mistaken as something else.

We sat down at the table (6 of us) we stayed together on the last vigil as it was the ideal place to do glass divination. The glass eventually started moving and before I knew it questions were being asked and seemingly answered, we were getting loads of answers i.e. age 62, male, never lived in house, then Julie says “Edward is that you” and the glass went really fast across from the centre of the table to the edge of table where Julie was sat, she started saying “why have you come here ?, you don’t belong here”, and that 3 of us had met this energy before(Julie, Paul and myself) now I was really confused, and then it dawned on me the very first investigation I attended, that’s where I’d met this energy ,not a nice one either. Julie was quick sharp to not let this energy take over our vigil and we carried on. All seemed calm now and nothing too much happening, there was an annoying noise only a slight noise that was coming from somewhere in the room but after eliminating items that could make this noise it was found to be the smoke alarm in the corner of room, (most people will have heard that annoying noise you get when you batteries are on there way out).

By this time it was time to pack up and go home, so started off slow but not a bad investigation at all really. Many thanks to the people who gave up their time to arrange this and to the people who let this happen.

Simon Steadman

A beautiful building but unfortunately a very quite one, as I experienced nothing significant. The guest on my team were really nice and took part in all the vigils. Ivan tried a seance in the basement, (no contact was made), the other guests tried lone vigils and glass divination, but got no results.
Definitely a good place but it was just not our night.

Rachel Bettany

The night passed by quietly with no results for table tilting or seances, although a small amount of luck with dowsing rods, confirming the precence of a man, the guests had a quiet night too, they tried dowsing rods and joined in with the glass divination etc. the only unusual thing to happen was while sitting on the stairs Wayne felt as though he wanted to jump (He didnt!!!) we were told later by a guest that there is a legend of a maid throwing herself off those stairs!!
It is a stunning building and larger than I expected but it kept its secrets to itself on this occasion.

Amanda Horley

Our first vigil was on the top floor and we split into two smaller groups. Initially our group was in the corridor area and despite asking out it was very quiet. We did pick up a lot of orb activity on the video camera, all near one of the central doors, but there was little else happening. We then changed places with the other team and moved to the head of the stairs. This area was completely quiet with nothing happening.

Our second vigil was on the first floor. Again we split into two groups but both the corridor and the central stairs were very quiet, although when the vigil was finished we did notice that the trigger object keys had moved. However, these were on a low shelf, and there is the possibility that somebody knocked into them.

Our final vigil was on the ground floor and we concentrated on one room where we held a glass divination. We did get a response quite quickly from a man who had not lived at the house. Although we spoke to him for some time we did not get too much information from him. After a time we got a second spirit using the glass. This was definitely different to the first set of glass movements and was much stronger. It appears to have been someone called Edward who has no connection to the house and has appeared at previous investigations. We therefore ended the divination and tried some table tipping. This did provide some success, and the table was definitely moving, although only by small amounts.

All in all this was a very quiet place for me. Until the final vigil I didn’t get any feelings at all about the building, and although the orbs seemed to suggest that there was something there, it didn’t seem inclined to communicate with us.

Paul Martin

Vigil one Top Floor.

Back Stairway -
Julie and Di get strange sensations.. Julie senses Fire..
Julie's Leg goes totally numb. then suddenly clears.. without any subsequent pins and needles.
Myself and Julie clearly hear the sound of a train Horn close by... (i need to check location of nearest line).
Corridor -
We hear the odd click / knock which could be all sorts of things.. and no response when we call out.
An unusual brown anomaly appears on the camera from a spot in the corner where Julie hears coat hangers rattle..

Vigil Two First floor.

Corridor -
Amanda catches Orbs on the video camera that appear to be going towards one of the doors in particular.
We call out without any success, and then move on to the main central Staircase where we hear various noises that we initially think sound like someone walking about above us. We go on to consider that it could have been the effect of the wind and rain on the building.

Vigil Three ground floor -
We spent this vigil Glass Divining, and although we appeared to pick up some weakish connections….. opinions differ as to what/who we were talking to..
Personally, I felt we had re established a connection with an old adversary that was not connected to the building we were investigating.
All in all, a very quiet investigation ….. for me anyway.
Although ones immediate instinct is one of disappointment and slight deflation, in some ways this is a good thing, as if ALL of us were seeing/hearing/sensing spirits left right and centre at every investigation... it could be seen as rather suspicious.

Ed Ashton

A very quiet and uneventful investigation for me but I'm glad all the same that we can now add Kingston Maurward to our always expanding and impressive plethora of historic buildings that have been tried and tested for paranormal activity! Even though I was expecting and hoping to investigate a lot more of the actual building, it was understandable that this was not possible due to the building's function as a college. I also had to admit that at times, the conditions weren't as perfect as I would've liked them to have been, as this particular investigation had many participants and during some vigils, certain teams were a bit too close together, which led to a little too much extra noise! Sadly though, it could not be helped.

David Ireland

We have just come back from Kingston Maurwood and I had a very quiet night. I did manage to pick up the name of the gentleman that the building was originally built for and the date in which it was completed. I also picked up a maid who reputedly committed suicide by throwing her self off of a balcony.

Except for that this amazing building was extremely quiet. Many thanks to the people who allowed us to have an investigation in the building and also thank you to them for joining us for the night.