Southern Paranormal - Investigations

The Regent Centre Investigation Report

Saturday 9th May 2009

The Regent Centre
Image courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk/dorset

Attending Investigators – Julie Harwood (Team Leader), Maria Street, Rachel Steadman, Simon Steadman, Mark Pettit, Mark Wright, Sarah Couper, Amanda Horley & Alison Crocker.

Guest – Katie Clark (from Daily Echo – Christchurch area)

Host – Keith Lancing & 3 current female members of staff

Time of Investigation – 10pm – 5.45am

Please note all information on this report and our website (including all reports, accounts, writing, footage clips and images - other than the ones marked) are copyright Southern Paranormal UK 2009 – they can not be copied or used without express permission of Southern Paranormal UK and when used with this permission must be fully credited to the team (using the full team name Southern Paranormal UK).

Introduction

After hearing rumours that the Regents Centre was haunted we decided to contact Keith Lancing (the Regent Centre Manager) to see if we would be able to conduct an investigation. We were delighted when he agreed and set about forming a team to attend on the night. Our thanks to Keith, all the staff at the centre and to Katie from the Daily Echo for making our visit to this wonderful building possible. The centre to some is a hidden gem right under our noses in the south so if you ever get the chance to visit or are in the area, please don’t pass it by.

The Regent Centre History

Please note as always this research was done by a member of the team (Marion McCaffery) who did not attend the investigation. The following information was not supplied to any of the members attending, prior to the investigation.

The Regent theatre/centre has been standing since 1931 when it was built as a cinema with an art deco entrance to the foyer. Since then and up to 1983 it was also used as a bingo hall. Purchased by Christchurch council for re-development bought about local pressure for the arts, persuaded the council to re establish the cinema and add structures and fittings to enable theatre presentations. In 1986 a temporary structure was added to the rear for dressing room accommodation and rehearsal space. In 2000 a permanent four story replacement was completed.

History of the Building

Before that it was two buildings, Central Tea Rooms and Vick’s Bookseller and Stationer, these were built in 1834. Seven years later in 1841 the buildings were occupied by a carrier and a bake house.

People known to be connected with the earlier buildings

The Carrier

From the earliest census of 1841 I have found that the carriers surname was Tilly. The names and relationships associated with Tilly are as follows:

Sophia mother
John son
Henry son
Thomas son
Sarah daughter
Kezia daughter
Also living in the premises were –
Elizabeth Lane
James Barnes (lodger)

The Baker

This property was also called a bake house and confectioners
In 1841 the bake house was managed by Joseph Cox who at the time was 40 years of age.
All the names and relationships that follow are from the 1841 census to 1901 census.

1841 census	1851 census
Joseph	Joseph
Maria (Josephs wife)	Edward - son
Edward - son	Joseph - son
Joseph - son	Louisa - daughter
Emma - daughter	Anna Marie - daughter
Anne Marie - daughter	Theophilis - son
Louisa - daughter	James - son
Henry - son	William - son
Mary - daughter	Emma - daughter
Theophilis - son	Sarah Matchett - aunt
James - son
William - son
Elizabeth Lane - lodger
	1871 census
1861 census	Joseph
Joseph	Albert - grandson or nephew
William - son	William - son
James - son	Nellie - Williams wife
Ellen – niece & housekeeper	Fred - son
	Emily - servant
1881 census
Albert	1891 census
Eleanor - wife	Albert
Kate Spicer - servant	Eleanor - wife
	Beatrice - assistant
1901 census	Sarah Tarrant - servant
Albert
Florence Fawkes - assistant
Nellie Proudley – servant

This is as far as I can trace on the bakery.

Sightings

Human figures seen within the theatre in the circles and stalls sometimes sat in specific seats.
There is some folklore about a woman in white linked to a murder here when there was a bakery on this site, who sits in a regular seat in the circle.
There are apparently four different figures seen in different parts of the building.
Many claims of repeated sightings until the extension was built and then they mysteriously stopped.
A former cleaner of this site claims that a figure brushed by her on the stairs leading up to the circle.
Several other claims of paranormal activity have been observed or felt by members of staff past & present.

The Investigation

Vigil Areas

On the night we were lucky to have access to the following area’s
Stage, Stalls & Circle
Dance Studio & Bar (also doubling up as kit room)
Foyer

Theatre plan courtesy of www.regentcentre.co.uk

Southern Paranormal Team
Team Picture copyright Southern Paranormal UK 2009
Back L-R : Mark P, Amanda, Julie, Maria, Mark W
Front L-R : Rachel, Alison, Simon, Sarah

Teams

Team 1
Julie
Rachel
Sarah

Team 2
Simon
Alison
Mark W
Katie

Team 3
Maria
Amanda
Mark P

Itinerary

10.00pm Meet outside the Regents Centre
10.15pm Meet our host
10.30pm Settle in to Team Room (Bar)
10.45pm Begin set up
11.30pm Maria & Rachel to meet Katie (reporter)
12.00am Pre vigil break
12.15am Vigil 1
       Team 1 – Foyer
       Team 2 – Stage, Stalls & Circle
       Team 3 – Dance Studio & Bar
1.15am Break
1.45am Vigil 2
       Team 1 – Stage, Stalls & Circle
       Team 2 – Dance Studio & Bar
       Team 3 – Foyer
2.45am Break
3.15am Vigil 3
       Team 1 – Dance Studio & Bar
       Team 2 – Foyer
       Team 3 – Stage, Stalls & Circle
4.15am If activity is being recorded we can use this time to re visit certain areas
5.00am Pack up all kit
5.45am Depart

Technical Set Up (including Trigger objects)

Foyer
3 x Infra-red web cams covering fire door, foyer and stairs
1 x trigger object (bullets)
1 x hi8 camcorder to record trigger object
1 x barrier beam and laser line to cover fire door
1 x static temperature reader
1 x analogue voice recorder

Stairs (all flights)
Barrier beams and laser lines distributed throughout the various staircases
Stalls and stage
3 x Infra-red web cams covering stalls and stage
2 x trigger objects (Tricorn hat and script)
2 x barrier beams with laser levels covering stage
1 x static temperature reader
1 x digital voice recorder

Dance studio
2 x hi8 camcorders covering the dance area
2 x trigger objects (toy and bell)
1 x laser tripwire
1 x digital voice recorder

Circle and upper floors
3 x Infra-red web cams covering circle and stalls from above
1 x digital8 camcorder covering sound booth
1 x digital voice recorder

Investigators Personal Accounts

Team 1

Julie Harwood – Team Leader

Investigating a theatre is always a pleasure as they have such atmosphere, so when Keith said we could investigate the Regent Centre in Christchurch I was really excited. As far as I was aware the centre, which incorporates a theatre, dance studio, child’s play group and a bar had never been investigated before.

We arranged for a local reporter Katie to attend and I hand picked the team for the night which included myself, the 3 senior co-ordinators our tech crew and a couple of other members for their sensitive nature to their surroundings.

The tech crew did us proud and rigged every part of the building that we had access to (Theatre, Foyer, Bar & Dance Studio) with 9 wireless night vision cameras linked to laptops, camcorders and various other trigger object experiments.

For the first part of the evening we were also joined by 3 very friendly ladies from the theatre who were interested in seeing how we set up. Sarah walked them round explaining what we were doing and I was glad they decided to stay on to accompany Simon, Alison and Mark Wrights team on the first couple of vigils. It was a pleasure to have such open minded people show such a great interest in what we were doing.

After we met Katie and some of the team showed her around, the tech team made sure everything was ready to roll and Amanda, Maria & Alison conducted the baseline tests. We then started on our vigils for the evening.

I was in team one with Rachel & Sarah and our first vigil was in the foyer. It was a lively Saturday night and even though it was gone midnight it was still quite busy on the street however we ignored this noise and concentrated on the noises we were hearing around us. They were very strange clicking noises. We took into account that the building would have been cooling down and the lights had just been turned off and this did explain some of the sounds however we were more interested in the taps that seemed to be coming from the tables around us. A few light anomalies were also caught on camcorder and seemingly in response to us calling out too. At one point Rachel, who was sat on the steps was sure someone was stood behind her and all of us kept hearing strange noises from the cafe server area. To me it was like someone was stood behind there just tidying up, like they were ready to serve if required. I felt this so much that I went over and stood behind the serving counter and did feel like I was supposed to be there. It was a very strange sensation. I got the name Joe in my head in this area, but I don’t know where this came from. Rachel immediately asked me if this was Joanna or Joseph and I felt it was Joseph.

Our next vigil was in the theatre auditorium. This was fairly quiet for me apart from the odd noises coming from the side of the stage. I went and sat by where we heard the noises at the side of the stage and I must admit I did not like sitting up there on my own. I felt like someone was going to come up behind me however I really do think this is because it was so dark behind me at the side of the stage. We were then joined by Simon’s team. The only other odd thing about this vigil was Sarah. She was not herself and she seemed agitated by things and very outspoken as if irritated by someone or something. She was very vocal in regards to calling out and her whole demeanour changed. I watched with interest as we went for our break and once out of the area, she did appear to return to the normal Sarah that we are more familiar with. I did mention this to her at the time however I will have to wait and read her report to see if she was aware of this change in character.

Our last vigil was in the dance studio and this was especially quiet for us apart from the loud thud we heard the other side of the door, near the stage. The team in the theatre radioed us to see if it was us and we confirmed it was not. I was interested to hear that it was also not them making the noise. Sarah commented in this room that the room was not as old as the rest of the complex and I believe Simon confirmed this after speaking to Keith at the end of the night. We decided to wander through to see the team in the theatre (Maria’s team). Rachel and Sarah went to sit up in the circle and I stayed at the front of the theatre. I thought at the time it was odd as Maria’s team was all located to the back of the theatre. Mark was the closest to me and he was in the middle. I felt like someone was sat near me and it was a little unnerving so I called out so quietly as to not disturb the rest of the team. The only response I got was a slight cold breeze and nothing else, so I decided to move to the back and join Maria especially as I had just taken a picture which showed a light anomaly right next to Maria as if it was sat next to her.

All in all a wonderful location to investigate and such a great privilege, thank you Keith for trusting us enough to let us in. It’s always special to do an investigation in your local area. Also thank you to Katie for joining the team for the night. As we said, we look forward to you accompanying us on another one in the near future.

Rachel Steadman – Senior Co-ordinator

I was really lucky to be able to do the pre- investigation visit to the Regents Theatre, It’s a lovely building, quiet deceiving as its bigger inside than I had imagined.

Team - Julie, Sarah and myself

Vigil 1 - The foyer

We settled in the foyer roughly in the middle. We all took photos to start with then Julie started to call out, we heard a lot of small clunks and bangs, we decided these where the lights cooling down as they had only just been turned off, we did hear other small noises which we could not explain, but I can not sat they were paranormal. Julie came up with the name ‘Joe’ she thought it was a male but got nothing more. Later on in the vigil we all move to the back of the foyer closer to the doors to the auditorium Sarah heard the glass cabinet behind her rattle, she tried moving around in her seat, but could not replicate the noise, I heard what sounded like several muffled voices from behind two sets of closed doors, the other teams were not in the area. I do not know what these really were. Julie also saw possible light anomalies on the camcorder, (these clips are still to be fully reviewed.)

Vigil 2 - The auditorium

Once we had settled and taken photo’s we started to call out, I thought I could hear a cat purring, I also had the image of a large Grandfather clock, which for the setting was very odd, and I have no idea whether it has any relevance. Shortly after I mentioned this, Julie said she could hear murmuring voices. Towards the end of the vigil Sarah pointed out that the battery of the camcorder on the stage had died. At the start of the vigil it had a full battery which should have lasted over 1 1/2 hours. Only minutes after, footsteps were heard on the stage. Julie asked for the walkie-talkie of another team to be affected, within a minute other teams were calling us as they had crackling on the walkie-talkies, so Julie asked again and again within a minute the other teams reported the same thing, coincidence?

Just before the vigil finished, Mark and Simon joined us. Mark heard shuffling on the stage. They noticed that the laser beams had died and Simon checked one and found it had been switched off. None of our team had touched them, (none of us actually no how to switch them off) which is when we realised that everything with batteries had gone off. Julie and Sarah’s cameras, the camcorder, the laser beams and the lights on the K2 E.M.F meter had started to go dim, showing the new battery was dying. Once we had settled again a noise was heard on the right hand side of the stage.

Vigil 3 - The Dance Studio

After a little trouble finding the studio we settled and took photos. We sat quietly, and waited, but got nothing, the only information we got was from Sarah who said this area was not as old as the rest of the building, which I knew to be true. As nothing was happening we decided after nearly an hour to move back to the auditorium, Sarah and I went to sit in the circle for a while, but very little happened there either. We rejoined the rest of the group for the last part of the night.

I had a really good night at the Regents Theatre, It’s definitely one of Christchurch’s hidden gems, and I would jump at the chance to go back. I think with another chance to visit we would have more evidence to support the paranormal stories connected to the Theatre.

Sarah Couper – Team Trainer

The theatre was small but welcoming. You could certainly feel the energy of the place. I chatted with some of the volunteers as they wanted to know what we would do and the equipment we used.

Mini Vigil

We held a mini vigil to begin with so the volunteers to get a feel for the theatre – we did this in the auditorium. I was drawn to the stage right stairs and sat there. It was very uncomfortable though. Julie came and sat up there and felt the same way. I stood with Julie for a while and twice felt a pain in my leg behind me left knee. The volunteers were picking up on cold spots as well. We then had to stop to get ready for the main investigation.

Team 1- Julie, Rachel and myself

Vigil one Foyer

We took temperature and EMF readings and personal photos. We called out here, and we were getting lots of taps and clicking but we couldn’t pin point what was causing this as could have been the electrics cooling down.

We heard quite a few taps coming from the cafe bar area – Julie got the name JO in her head and when we were discussing this the tapping appeared to intensify. I caught a few light anomalies on camera in the bottom of the foyer. We heard various taps and I thought I heard heavy breathing and asked if it was Julie or Rachel but it wasn’t. A distinctive knocking was heard in top end of foyer. We moved up there and it was colder there than the bottom which is nearer the doors. I heard the glass cabinet behind me vibrate when no one was moving and I was not in any way touching it.

Vigil 2 Auditorium

We set up the camcorder and digital recorder on stage. Julie called out. I got the feeling of my hair standing on end which had happened earlier when we had been in the mini vigil. I also got a tightness in my chest and at the same time so did Julie.

Julie and Rachel were both sensing things. I did at one point hear the door of the auditorium open. Julie checked and it was not the team in the foyer. I also picked up on a burning smell at one point. I had a real obsession about stage right for some reason. At one time all of the power in our digital stills cameras drained at the same time. Interestingly the team before had been having various problems with electric items draining that were placed on the stage – this happened to our camcorder AND digital recorder!

I was simultaneously feeling aggressive, bored and provocative and was behaving out of my normal character. I was trying to provoke whatever the energy was to drain the K2 meter, but nothing happened to it. I noticed I had taken to swearing a lot whenever I was near the stage too. On still digital camera I caught quite a few light anomalies on stage and in the theatre. After this vigil I felt completely drained.

Vigil 3 Dance Studio

We couldn’t turn the lights off in here. We took our photos and readings. It was very quiet in here but none of us sensed anything. In the end we decided to go down to the auditorium with one of the other teams and to do this we had to go through stage right – we did this very quickly. Rachel and I went up to the circle where we got VERY giggly. But it seemed things had wound down a bit.

We packed up our equipment. I think the various tapes that were running might be interesting to see especially in the auditorium.

Overview:

I enjoyed this location. Though I felt very tired and headachy between vigils, during them I was strangely energised. I think there is more going on in the theatre auditorium and stage area than we experienced... it would be an interesting one to do again.

Team 2

Simon Steadman – Senior Co-ordinator & Tech Manager

Vigil 1 team 2 auditorium and stage

Team - Simon, Mark W and Alison

Guests - Katie (reporter) 3 x theatre employees.

We started the vigil by sitting on the front row seats and calling out. During this we heard various noises consisting of clicks and taps. Not all were necessarily connected with our questions but they were rather unusual. We also noticed that during our time near the stage we had trouble with anything electrical this included stills camera batteries failing, laser lines being turned off at the switch, camcorder batteries failing, walkie-talkies creating static and voice recorders batteries being drained. We also noticed a few temperature changes, which were slightly odd on their own and when coupled with the other strange occurrences the overall picture seemed rather unnatural.

Vigil 2 team 2 dance hall

Team - Simon, Mark W and Alison

Guest - Katie (reporter)

I had to go and replace the batteries in a laser line positioned on stage at the start of this vigil and when I got back Alison told me that she felt nothing of a spiritual nature present in this room and that it was built after the rest of the theatre building. This rather impressed me as the only people who knew the history of the building and its alleged ghosts had no contact with Alison prior to the investigation. So this vigil turned into an impromptu Q&A session for our reporter guest to ask any questions and answer any queries she had about Southern Paranormal and the paranormal in general. The only odd occurrence to happen on this vigil was the walkie-talkie having static bursts at irregular intervals. After 45 minutes we joined team 1 near the stage where we had more electrical problems.

Vigil 3 team 2 foyer

Team - Simon, Mark W and Alison

During this vigil we had a few small occurrences, the first being a strange sweet smell from near the stairs and both Alison and I got this on a couple of occasions. Mark heard what sounded like voices coming from the right hand staircase which was not used by any of the investigation teams all night. We also heard what sounded like a crowd celebrating with claps and cheers, this gave all three of us quite a start but it turned out to be team 1 trying to encourage some spirit activity. Although within 3 minutes of this happening we did hear the door to the stalls open with no-one near them and we couldn’t find an explanation for this. At the end of the vigil the whole investigation team sat in the auditorium and called out to try and gather some further evidence via E.V.P and stills cameras.

Conclusion.

I have to say that the Regent Centre and Theatre was a great place to investigate, my thanks go out to all involved who allowed us to spend a quite interesting night in a great location. I can’t say that the place is haunted yet as I feel that we need more time and more hard evidence to verify any claims of paranormal activity. A fantastic night was had and I can’t wait to return for another investigation.

Alison Crocker – Spiritual Medium

I was very excited about this location as I was recently told by my father that my great gran could still be lingering around the place as she went there every day throughout the 1940's to the 1960's. She had her own chair and would sit and chain smoke! She was blind so my dad’s role was to pick her up and take her home every day!! All that said, I was not aware of anyone fitting those characteristics throughout the vigil so I can assume she's in heaven not in Christchurch!!

The theatre itself is beautiful. There's something incredibly special about theatres. I love the smell and the ambience. I'm assuming it's because it's a place where people live out their dreams and imaginations come to play. The smells are always interesting and whilst Amanda, Maria and I were doing baseline tests Amanda and I smelt smells associated with a hairdressers, aerosols, lotions, etc. Amanda sensed a Danny Le Rue type character who was gay and eccentric. The guests attending worked at the theatre and confirmed that they thought it was a very much alive man and they gave us a name, although not all the ladies agreed. It's wonderful how it's possible to pick up on those energies of those still living which indicates just how powerful our emotions and auras can be!!

Our first mini-vigil was in the Auditorium. This was purely so the guest ladies could see how we work and what’s involved with investigations. I was drawn to the back of the theatre where I'd seen a lady appearing as a white shadow. I sat and after a few minutes sensed the energies of a Scottish man called Frank who was heavily tattooed and quite a rough diamond. I feel he was around in the 1950's. He's not there as a classic 'ghost' but more another strong energy that’s left his mark there. I sensed there were some rough characters around at that time and he'd break up fights etc. There were also links to a pub in Christchurch which he'd frequent. For some reason I also got religious links and the priory being involved in some way to the theatre? I then went and joined Julie on the stairs and was immediately uncomfortable. I sensed a male character stage left as you look at the stage. I felt really uneasy on the stairs and by the fire escape on the left. In my opinion he would be one of the energies very much grounded at the theatre. I feel he'd play tricks on people, though not in a joking way, more a 'get out and go away' way. I'm sure I caught an outline of him out of the corner of my eye. He was about 5ft 7 inches tall and average build but he has a very territorial edge to him and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in his space. I felt headachy and a bit sick in this area. I feel this was his energy, mildly affecting me. I also sensed he had links to another room behind the stage, more about this later.

I was in Simon’s team with Mark W. We continued the vigil in the auditorium and this time went upstairs to the upper circle. I kept seeing the white shadow of a lady, each time on the right hand side of the theatre as you look from the stage. We sat upstairs and were joined by reporter Katie. I sensed this lady was wearing 1930's type garments and there was something on her head like a hat with a flower to the side. She was slim and wearing a two piece item with a dropped waist, it was light coloured cloth. She appeared to be really sad and lost. I failed to pick up any name with this lady but she's strong in a residual way. I would say this is the second person grounded at the theatre. One of the guest ladies was a little overcome with emotion and was crying for no apparent reason. I feel she too was picking up on this lady’s sadness.

The next vigil area was the dance studio. I felt nothing in this area only that it was an add-on and a new build. I sensed there had been no sightings of anything here. Simon confirmed this. We used the vigil time to have a question and answer time with Katie the reporter who was still with us.

The next vigil area was the Foyer. Mark W, Simon and I went and sat in the top end of the foyer by the theatre doors. I thought it felt a bit unsettled in this area, not in a bad way but just like a whooshing of energy takes place there, spiritual as opposed to physical. I sensed the white shadow lady also had been seen in this area. For some reason I felt she went up the right hand stairs each time she visits. I smelt a very sweet smell by the shop but feel this could have been attributed to the confectionary and popcorn as it was close by. I'm not sure. Apart from a strange breeze and a confirmation from Mark W that my hand on my right was 5 degrees cooler than my left which is where I felt the breeze, not a great deal happened. I got the name Carr or Klarr in the foyer but it was very unclear. I didn't know even if it was attached to male or female.

As we were packing up Simon asked if I'd take him and Keith the host to where I felt the strong male energy from the stage also lurked. I was drawn to the Plant room which is now a kind of boiler/heating room. I felt the room had had alterations and that at one time would have been connected the stage area somehow. I feel this man might make his presence known in this room, perhaps corner of the eye sightings or just an uneasy presence.

I loved the theatre experience and it was lovely to have Katie and the guests join us for a few hours. Theatres are high on my favourite location lists and it was very enjoyable. Thank you!!

Mark Wright – Senior Tech Team Assistant

Earlier in the day I had visited Christchurch for the first time and had stumbled across the Regents Theatre as I dodged my way through the huge crowds at the food festival in the high street. Looking into the theatre I could see a very long entrance room with a cafe, packed to the brim with people, it looked very inviting!

Returning to the same spot 11 hours later the crowds were gone & the theatre was emptied bar a handful of staff, a huge contrast from the earlier hustle and bustle!

After unloading our kit we carried it to the Bar at the back of the stage. The team unpacked the kit and took base readings of the Theatre while Simon, Mark P & I set up the DVR systems, trigger objects, beam barriers & laser line’s. All of the barrier beams had laser lines next to them so it was easier for us to see them in the dark and all of our trigger objects had a camera and laser lines on them so we could see if anything had moved. During our set up I noticed a lot of dust in the building which was being picked up by the DVR cameras.

After a while our guest for the evening arrived, Katie, and we gave her a run down of all the equipment we use and a typical breakdown of what to expect for the night ahead.

Our team consisted of Simon, Alison, Katie and myself and our first vigil saw us in the Stage, Stalls & Circle. We began by splitting up to cover as much of an area as possible. We had the entire area covered by DVR cameras too so if any of us did witness anything, it would also be picked up on camera. We began calling out and immediately noticed a drop in temperature, readings with the temp gun showed no such drop however. At one point while I was standing at the front of the stage and the rest of the team were up in the circle calling out, there was a big “thunk” in one of the front rows. I wondered if it may have been one of the reclining seats had become stuck and had simply popped back to its reclining position. Later review of the footage shows no movement however.

After a break our next vigil saw us in the Dance Studio. Being in here felt very detached from the older styled theatre, it was very modern and walking into it felt like walking into another building. It was during our time in here that we noticed an increase in our walkie-talkies playing up. They would “squelch” for no reason. Each time this happened we radioed the other teams to ask if they were trying to call, they were not and they had also heard the squelches. About the 7th time this happened I radioed again to ask if anyone was trying to get in touch, they said they were not but they had just called out and asked if there were any spirits present could they make their presence known to the team in the dance studio. This particular time when the question was asked, none of the other teams walkie-talkies made a sound, just ours.

Team 3

Maria Street – Senior Co-ordinator

It was touch and go whether I would be able to do this. I wasn’t feeling very well, so decided to get a good sleep on Saturday afternoon. I did feel better after that but still asked Amanda if she would mind driving as I didn’t trust myself to stay awake on the journey home. She very kindly agreed and we set off for Julie’s where we were all to meet. The theatre from the outside looks quite nondescript, a sort of ‘blink and you miss it’ kind of place, however, once you are inside it is quite a different story. An art deco theme is carried throughout, and although a small theatre, it still has that majestic air and wonderful atmosphere. We had to walk through the aisles to get to our kit room and immediately I was drawn to the back left of the theatre. I just didn’t like it but couldn’t put my finger on why.

Alison, Amanda and I conducted the baselines. There was no real movement on the EMF and the temperature was quite balmy although there were certain spots that felt quite chilly and not in keeping with the rest of that particular area. We were to be accompanied this evening by three members of staff and a reporter from the Christchurch advertiser, Katie Clarke. Whilst the tech team set up, Julie and Sarah led a mini vigil for our three guests and Rachel and I led Katie on a tour of the theatre and then settled in the kit room for a chat.

We started at 11.20pm and I was in a team with Mark P and Amanda. We started in the Dance Studio. There were no EMF fluctuations and the temperature was 21c. We remained quiet apart from calling out but there was no activity to report. There wasn’t even a ‘feeling’ in here. It was all very flat. We persevered for a while and then moved into the meeting room. This was a child’s nursery or crèche and once more, it was all very quiet in here.

Our next vigil was in the foyer and we started at the lower end. We did hear a loud thud by the stairs, but this could have been Keith, our host for the evening, as his office was very close by. Another thud a little later was also heard in the auditorium. I got the surname of Clarke here and I felt it had to be spelt specifically with the ‘e’. Mark reported feeling a poke in his side and a tap was heard after calling out. Halfway through the vigil we moved to the upper end of the foyer. The most prominent ‘activity’ here came from the walkie-talkie which kept crackling as if somebody was trying to speak to us. On one occasion, it did it just as Julie asked for other teams to be affected. Strangely, ours crackled along with the other team’s but Julie’s remained silent. Previously they had all gone off at the same time. We also heard a low whistle but we were close to the outer doors so cannot discount that the sound may have come from revellers outside.

After a short break, we went into the auditorium. We sat quite close to the front at first. Amanda called out and a scuff was heard on stage. Mark then saw a light go across the speakers which were situated on the stage. We also heard footsteps coming from the top of the auditorium. We moved positions and sat nearer to the back of the auditorium. I sat close to where I had felt uneasy earlier on in the evening. Julie’s team came to join us and we continued to call out. A whine was heard by Mark P and I and we could not ascertain where it could have come from.

This marked the end of our evening and, although a relatively quiet night, I still think it is a place that warrants further investigation. I would like to thank Keith for allowing us to attend, our three guests for their interest and our reporter for coming to see us in action. Without open-minded people such as these we could not do what we do so frequently. Thank you Amanda for driving me. Lastly thanks to Julie, Rachel and Simon for securing such wonderful location.

Amanda Horley – Personal Report Assistant

I love investigating Theatres as they have such a great atmosphere to begin with that picking up on things is always interesting. I knew nothing about the Regent Theatre before the investigation.

We were greeted by Keith who made us very welcome and kindly put the coffee machine on for us. Whilst the Tech team were setting up the cameras and trigger objects we took the opportunity to talk to three ladies who worked at the theatre who were interested in what we did and how we worked. Leaving Sarah to talk to the ladies; Maria, Alison and I then went to do the baseline tests. Whilst taking the readings up on stage, all three of us felt very uneasy. In particular I was not happy with the left hand side of the stage (as seen from the auditorium). I felt very uneasy about that area but couldn’t work out why. At the back of the stalls, I could smell the sort of smell that you get in a hairdressers. I couldn’t define it exactly other than to say that it had the general smell that a shop of that type would have. The smell quickly disappeared and we went upstairs to do tests in the circle. I didn’t like the lighting/sound booth and in particular really didn’t like a yellow glove that was in there, although I have no idea why. When we came back into the main circle area, both Alison and I picked up on the “hairdressers” smell again. This time it lingered and I got the impression of a man with a very strong feminine side. Alison was sensing a Danny La Rue type character. He seemed unsure of us, but I felt that unlike when we were in the stalls, he wasn’t going to “run away” this time. It was almost as if his curiosity of us had got the better of him.

Once we had finished the baseline tests, we had some time before Katie, the reporter arrived, so we offered to do a mini vigil for the three members of staff, as we felt that they would have loved to join us on the investigation, but having worked all day were in no state to stay up all night.

We settled down in the stalls, towards the back and I became aware of the “hairdresser” again. Alison was seated at the back on the left and I kept sensing movement in the aisle near her. I was also again getting the impression that there was movement in the shadows on the left hand side of the stage. I really didn’t like this area, but found the “hairdresser’s” presence to be very comforting, even protective. However, other than sensing that he had a strong character and personality I couldn’t pick up any more information on him, which was very frustrating. One of the members of staff felt that her left-hand side was quite cold. When we investigated this, the seat next but one to her had a very cold area around it, which one of her colleagues could also feel. Julie and Sarah joined us in the stalls and Julie went and sat on the edge of the stage (on the left-hand side). We moved further down the auditorium to join them and I became quite agitated by Julie sitting there. I wanted her to move, but she completely ignored me which really annoyed me at the time. The “movement” seemed to come forward to directly behind Julie and I felt that she was deliberately placing herself in danger. When she started calling out for something to happen I felt that I had had enough and turned to face the seats. I was drawn to an area half-way up the stalls so went and sat there. I felt much more comfortable here and remained there until the vigil had finished.

Once Katie arrived and the three members of staff had gone home, we began the formal investigation. I was in a team with Maria and Mark P and our first vigil was in the dance studio. This was a very quiet room for me, as was the children’s nursery in the same area.

Our second vigil was in the foyer. The lower foyer was quiet, but there were occasional taps/creaks from the lights. These had been turned off for over an hour, so should have settled down, but as they weren’t in direct response to us calling out, we cannot be sure that they weren’t just the lights settling down for the night. The upper foyer was also quiet, but the walkie-talkie started playing up. There was crackling on it twice, and on each occasion Julie asked if any of the other two teams had been using the walkie-talkie which we confirmed we hadn’t. The third time it happened Mark immediately radioed in that it wasn’t us, and was followed by team 2 saying the same. Julie then radioed to confirm that their team had asked out for the walkie-talkies to be affected. The only other unexplainable happening in this vigil was the sound of a faint whistle, although given the proximity of the street; it could have come from there.

Our third and final vigil was in the stalls. Unlike earlier in the evening, this area was very quiet for me. The stage did not feel particularly menacing, and the “hairdresser” had disappeared. To be honest, I remember very little about this vigil, which is quite unusual for me, so I will have to rely on Mark and Maria to recount what happened here, if anything did.

This was a wonderful building to investigate, and it was interesting that it was most active when the staff members were with us. For me, doing the baseline tests and the pre-investigation vigil was the most active part of the evening. I kept expecting to see someone (unpleasant) come out of the shadows on the left-hand side of the stage, and I would love to have found out more about the “hairdresser”. A big thank you has to go to Keith and the three ladies (whose names I never did learn) for making us feel so welcome and for showing such a genuine interest in what we were doing.

Mark Pettet - Media Analysis (footage) & Senior Tech Team Assistant

The Regent Theatre is situated in the main high street in Christchurch. The entrance to the theatre is quite small but the foyer is quite long. Once I entered the theatre I was quite surprised to see how big it was. Simon, Mark W and I, (the tech team) set upon the task of covering all the vigil areas with visual and audio surveillance incorporating nine CCTV cameras and three laptops, also barrier beams and laser lines to cover the stairs and the stage.

Team 3, Maria, Amanda and myself.

Vigil 1 dance room.

The dance room studio is situated just behind the main stage. We spread ourselves out in the room sat on some chairs. Maria proceeded to call out and we had no responses of any kind. I also called out, but unfortunately I too had no response. We sat in silence for while and decided it was too quiet so we moved downstairs into the children's meeting room. Here too was very quiet after calling out. Time was running out on this vigil so we decided to go back to the team room.

Vigil 2 foyer.

In this vigil the three of us decided to start down the bottom end of the foyer. At first, down this end we could hear some noises but then discovered it was the building next door. After sitting there a little while I had what felt like a poke in my side. Maybe it could have just been a muscle spasm in that it was only once did not re-occur so I will reserve judgement on that. I did hear some taps coming from the lighting but put this down to them being metal frames and the temperature was dropping quite a bit.

We then decided to move up to the top end of the foyer. Once again we called out but little happened. The radios were making a noise every so often and then you would hear the other teams asking if anybody wanted to get in contact with them but nobody did. Apart from one instance when team 1 asked for the radios to go off on the other teams which they did. Very strange.

Vigil 3 stage and stalls.

Unfortunately for me there seemed to be a very quiet area apart from a couple of bangs which did sound like footsteps but I wasn't 100% sure.

This was a nice investigation as we were not overcrowded and had lots of space and could not hear other team members on their vigils. Though from me this was a quite a quiet investigation but nonetheless I enjoyed it even though I had the start of a cold. I would like to thank the host, the guests and their reporter from the local paper for attending.

Investigation Results

Unfortunately none of our trigger objects were moved during the investigation, although we did have some unusual activity with our walkie talkies in the last hour or two of the investigation (they had been fine up until aprox 2.30am).

Please note all information on this report and our website (including all reports, accounts, writing, footage clips and images - other than the ones marked) are copyright Southern Paranormal UK 2009 � they can not be copied or used without express permission of Southern Paranormal UK and when used with this permission must be fully credited to the team (using the full team name Southern Paranormal UK).

We are very fortunate to have captured some moving lights on some of our live footage of the investigation. These are still being studied but at present we are unable to find a reasonable explanation for their source.

Below are a couple of frozen frames from the footage. They show the lights in mid movement.

Large Light on edge of stage left � mid motion as if moving up

Copyright Southern Paranormal UK 2009

Over the next 8 stills you are able to see how a strange light to the left of the team in the auditorium, moves backwards (away from the team)

Many forms of light anomalies were also caught in and around the theatre on investigators personal digital camera�s. Please see images below.

Unusual blurring to left hand side of picture - abnormal
Copyright Southern Paranormal UK 2009 (Julie Harwood)
2 bright lights in auditorium : 1 on back row (left of investigator), 1 in circle, on back wall
Both unknown source