Southern Paranormal - Investigations
The Shoe Inn Investigation
Saturday 5th June 2010
Attending Investigators – Julie Harwood, Maria Street, Sarah Pettet, Mark Pettet, Rob Butler, Amanda Horley, Mark Wright, Robin Turton, Gilly Utting & David Baxter.
Introduction
Four members of Southern Paranormal UK visited Kerry and Kevin at the Shoe Inn in late 2009 to meet them and also to conduct a mini investigation. The night threw up a few unusual things so we delighted when they agreed to allow us a return visit to follow up.
Only 2 of the returning team (myself Julie & Maria) attended the first visit and so we were very interested to see if any of the team experienced the same things we did as we told them absolutely nothing about our previous visit. Kerry and Kevin also kept all information to themselves and did not share details with the team.
Our previous visit yielded a strange audio recording which while we are not willing to call it paranormal or an evp was in the very least unusual and so this was the first thing we wanted to see if we could capture again. Again the team were not made aware of this prior to the investigation. Secondly we had all heard footsteps coming from the staircase leading to the private accommodation in the early hours of the morning. This I was told had also been experienced by others after our preliminary investigation so obviously we wanted to see if this was heard again. The team on our first visit was made up of 3 women and 1 man. The women were strangely effected during the night and even though are seasoned paranormal investigators and used to staying up all night (1 of the 3 being a long term night worker) were overcome by a tiredness we have never experienced before to the point that on one occasion the male member of the team had to wake all three of us up. As team manager I can confirm this has never happened to multiple members (at the same time) before on location. Other apparent phenomena picked up on the first visit were a voice that only the male member of the team heard while he was sat on his own in the games room and during a séance the team felt they sensed a man with a connection to post or parcel delivery.
The follow up visit we feel was essential and so I again thank Kerry and Kevin for allowing us back and their hospitality each time. Their open minded approach and trust of the team means a lot to us and we thank them for that.
History
The village of Plaitford which today is in the County of Hampshire, this has not always been the case though as for a time it was in Wiltshire (until around 1895). An area which is rich in history tracing its roots back to Stone Age times, although the forest was never used for occupation around the periphery is evidence of Stone Age man and with Roman archaeology still found today in the area.
History of the Shoe Inn
Few Inns in the area can claim to have an interesting and colourful history as this local hostelry. The older part of the inn, the thatched area at the rear of the premises is 15th century, and would at that time have fronted the road which then ran on that side of the inn. Built in 1420, a beautifully crafted thatched roof protects the original inn. The Shoe Inn took its name from the Cavalry troops who frequented it when travelling from Salisbury to the military port of Marchwood on Southampton water.
Around 1640 the current attractive black and cream, half-timbered structure was added when the inn became a posting station for the mail coaches. A toll -gate was constructed across the road and the landlord was responsible for collecting the King's tolls.
Just when the road became re-aligned is uncertain but it is probably occurred after the Turnpike Trusts with their tollgates were introduced in the mid 18th century. The road then was known as the Sarum and Eling Turnpike.
Throughout the heyday of the stage coach during the first half of the 19th century the innkeeper was called James Cocks. He ran a daily service with his own stage coach called 'The Packet' between Southampton and Salisbury, whilst another operator with a coach called 'The Rover' provided a similar service.
By 1848 the railway had reached Salisbury and this saw the decline of the coaching trade.
The first recorded Census in 1841 reveals The Shoe Inn then employed eight servants, three female and five males, an ostler together with the innkeeper and a daughter. Later census returns show an ever decreasing staff level with accommodation being made over as lodgings for agricultural labourers.
At the beginning of the 19th century it was a regular resting place for convicts being conveyed from West Country jails to the prison hulks in Portsmouth or from transportation to the colonies.
The then Princess Victoria who was travelling with her mother the Duchess of Kent, changed post horses at the Shoe Inn and also took tea there. The last known New Forest Highwayman, John Taylor was caught while drinking at the inn and publicly hanged on the nearby Plaitford Common.
The inn for centuries had belonged to the Manor of Plaitford, successive Earls of Ilchester having since the late 17th century held title to it. In 1911 the estate was split up and sold with Romsey Brewery of Strongs buying the inn.
Photographs and History taken from Distant views of West Wellow and Plaitford written by John Dawkins and Eric Kemish
| NAMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE INN | |
| JAMES AND MARY COCKS | WILLIAM ROLES |
| MARGARET ANN COCKS | GEORGE MABBOT |
| HARRIET COCKS | WILLIAM HAPGOOD |
| MARY COOK | STEPHEN HURST |
| ROBERT HUTCHINGS | PRINCESS VICTORIA |
| HARRIET SMITH | DUCHESS OF KENT |
| MARY FELTUS | JOHN TAYLOR (HIGHWAYMAN) |
These are some of the names associated with this inn found through census returns and books
The Investigation
Vigil Area's
The Main Bar
The Restaurant
The Games Room
Kitchen and work areas
Private accommodation (apart from the rooms being used by the family)
Vigil Teams
Team 1
Maria
Sarah
Mark W
Robin
Gilly
Team 2
Rob
Julie
Amanda
Mark P
David
Itinerary
11.00pm Meet in car park (opposite the pub)
11.10pm Meet hosts Kerry & Kevin (owners)
11.30pm Start Set up
12.30am Inn closes and Kerry to give team a quick tour of building
1.15am Vigil 1
Whole team to stay together for first vigil to conduct team vigil on
Ground floor of the pub (bar, restaurant & games room)
2.30am Break
2.45am Vigil 2
Team 1 – Games Rm & Private Acc.
Team 2 – Ground Floor (Bar & Restaurant)
3.45am Break
4.00am Vigil 3
Team 1 - Ground Floor (Bar & Restaurant)
Team 2 - Games Rm & Private Acc.
5.00am Pack up
6.00am Depart
Investigators Personal Reports
Julie Harwood
A return visit for me was always a must after our first visit in late 2009. Not only was the Shoe Inn a cosy, country pub but the owners Kerry & Kevin were so welcoming, which is always so nice. They join my list of best hosts to SP UK. Big thank you to them for letting us indulge our hobby twice especially as you open up not only your business to us but also your home.
The first part of our investigation was all of us together in the restaurant area of the ground floor. Many of the members could smell a strong tobacco smell. I sat by the door and I could feel my heart racing. I had had a headache earlier in the evening and so wondered if I was coming down with something. Just to note the days/weeks after the investigation I was fine – so it was not that. My heart was thumping in my chest and it was making me feel quite uneasy. I know people do experience this kind of thing (heart racing/chest pains) on investigations but I have never been one of them and so it worried me quite a bit but I was determined to sit it out (mainly because I felt to faint to move). Maria & Gilly however suggested that I did move and in the end I gave in. Once away from there stupidly I felt absolutely fine and I was once again able to get involved in what was happening. It was then I noticed how restless the team seemed to be getting. We are used to sitting still and quiet and yet members were wandering around and seemed to be extra inquisitive. This as manager of the group, I can confirm is not normal behaviour especially as we had many senior members of the team that night who have completed many investigations. During this time we did hear one loud thump that did seem to be in response to Maria calling out for a response.
We all moved in to the bar and decided to try a séance. This just involves sitting still and quiet and calling out for things to make themselves known. No spooky stuff with lights and candles that many think it is. The team seemed to get a fit of giggles for this part of the vigil and all the team seemed to come out with very funny one liners. This was on one of the table opposite the main bar. We all felt very humorous and really had a job to stay serious. Again this is not normal behaviour for the team. Words did seem to be coming through on the Franks box radio however they did not seem to be making any sense. Even that seemed funny (as I swear I kept hearing laughing) and it was like it was laughing along with us. On one occasion though I think the number 11 was mentioned through the radio. While in this area we all heard an almighty pop/bang sound which seemed to come from Mark W. It sounded electrical and he worried it was his camera. He checked it and the area around him but it was all ok. The team were in no doubt it came from Mark W and yet we all know he did not move an inch.
Our team then went into the snug area by the fireplace outside the games room. Amanda commented on how woozy and a little drunk she felt and seemed to be acting very tired. This was very interesting for me. The table she had her leg resting on then jolted and yet I can verify no one was near the table at the time. We then had a wander through in to the restaurant and then I think it was the bar (though don't quote me on this). Again we seemed restless and like we had to keep moving!
We also tried a franks box experiment with the whole team. The franks box is a radio that is adapted to not stop at any stations when it is scanning so you hear a lot of white noise and the occasional voice. It is said that in some instances because of the white noise a spirit can channel themselves and use the words to communicate. We can not say whether trust it 100% or not as it is an experiment but we are willing and open minded enough to try anything in our investigations both scientific and spiritual. Words did seem to be coming through on the Franks box radio however they did not seem to be making any sense. At one point I was sure I heard laughing. On one occasion though I think the number 11 was mentioned through the radio.
Our group then went in to the games room. It was an odd atmosphere in here and I felt like something was going to happen. We all got a bit of a scare when a moth flew near the camera, creating a hand like shape but unfortunately it was very quiet in here for us.
Kerry, Kevin and your daughters, forgive me for not remembering yours names, thank you so much for allowing us this second investigation. Trusting us with your business and home and also getting up at 6am after a long days work to let us out! Owners like you make our hobby even more enjoyable, thank you! I look forward to bringing my family to the pub on Fathers day but for a much different reason!
Maria Street
This was a return visit for me, having last been here in December of last year. The weather was a little warmer this time which is always a bonus and Kevin and Kerry, our hosts, were as welcoming as ever.
David, Gilly and I sat with Kerry to hear some of the history of the place and some of its spooky goings on whilst the others set up the equipment. Once it was time to start, we settled down in the top end of the bar where the disabled toilet is situated and began our vigil. Julie was sat by one the entrance doors where she experienced a racing heart. This isn't something she has suffered with before. We also heard tapping coming from the bar area and Sarah smelt tobacco. We couldn't ascertain where this was coming from. Obviously the Inn is now non-smoking and new paintwork should eliminate any tobacco smells. A loud thump was also heard.
For our next vigil we split into our two groups and I was in a team with Robin, Gilly and Mark W. We started in the Games Room. We tried calling out but to no avail. It had a different atmosphere to the last time we were here and it was very quiet for us so we moved upstairs into two of the bedrooms, but apart from the sound of the hamster wheel, we could not hear anything. Nothing was sighted either. We just all felt it was almost too quiet, almost as if something was waiting to happen. Unfortunately for us, it didn't and it was soon time for our next break.
We joined together for our next vigil for a Frank's Box experiment in the Main Bar area. Personally, I'm not sure it came out with anything of note but we do have a lot of fun with this and sometimes it has astounded us, so is definitely worth doing.
For our last vigil we sat at the far end of the bar. This is where Julie, Rachel and I had felt overwhelmingly sleepy on our last visit and it was interesting to see it affect a couple of our other members this way. I too, felt sleepy but managed to fight it better than I did on our previous visit. It is a very woozy heady feeling and it is almost impossible to keep your eyes open. This was not due to the lateness of the hour. I had had a few hours sleep that afternoon and was feeling okay until that point. I also felt better after I had moved away from the area.
This marked the end of our visit to the Shoe Inn and as always, it was a pleasure. Thank you very much to Kevin and Kerry for their very warm welcome.
Amanda Horley
I had driven past this beautiful old pub many times when I used to work in Salisbury and often used to marvel at the fact that the car park was on the other side of the very busy A36. Thankfully, arriving late at night, the traffic levels were much reduced from the rush hour I was used to, and once the majority of us had assembled, we crossed the relatively quite road to a warm welcome from our hosts, Kerry and Kevin, and the locals enjoying their pints, who seemed to know all about our visit.
We went into the dining area that was to be our team room for the night and I immediately became sensed a man standing near the entrance to the gents, by the second external entrance door from the front of the pub. Once we had settled in I volunteered to check the car park and see if the remaining members of the team had arrived. It was now around 11 pm and the road was very quiet, but I found I was incredibly nervous of crossing it, despite their being no cars around and rushed across quite quickly. At this point, the road is very straight, and you can see quite a distance in both directions. Again, when crossing back to the pub I felt the need to cross the road quickly, and if anything it was stronger than when I had crossed the other way. I had the distinct impression that something was going to suddenly appear from the Salisbury direction and run me over. It felt as if a coach and horses was going to appear. There would have been four horses pulling the coach, and it would have been the post service, that carried the mail.
Once we had done a walk round and the locals had left for the night, I took the opportunity to stand outside the front of the pub again, with Kerry and Kevin for company and decided to cross the road again. I was still getting the same feeling, and as before, it was a lot stronger as I crossed to the pub rather than to the car park. I was aware from what the locals had said, that there had been fatalities outside the pub, but was very surprised when Kerry said that two people had been killed crossing towards the pub, rather than as I had assumed, going the other way after a long night's drinking. Also, Kerry confirmed that the Inn had been a stopping point for the post coach. Was I getting a mix of signals from two very different periods?
Our first vigil was a whole group one in the dining room area, and again I got a sense of a man standing by the external door. It felt as if he was from the late 1800's and I got the name Jim. I couldn't seem to get any more information on him. Several members of the group were picking up the smell of tobacco from one corner of the room, but I couldn't smell it, despite this being something I am normally quite good at. People were gradually wandering off into the bar and breaking into smaller groups and I decided to sit on the floor by the sofas in the dining room. When I did I sensed a boy who was possibly 10, whose right leg seemed to be missing from the knee down. Again I couldn't get any further information, and soon those of us that were left in the dining area moved into the main bar with the others. I didn't pick up on anything in here, despite some of the others again getting the smell of tobacco.
We decided to take a short break and then continue with the Franks Box. Although for me, there still didn't seem to be much happening, when Maria was asking questions my right knee started hurting quite badly (which I didn't mention), and when Maria asked the age of the person with us, it sounded like the Franks Box said 11. I suggested she ask if this person was hurt, and if so where, and I clearly heard “leg”. We also had a very strange incident in here, when there was a loud electrical popping noise from where Mark W was sitting. He checked all his gear because it did sound like it came from him, but there did not appear to be anything wrong with any of the equipment he had with him.
After the break we split into our teams, and our team started in the snug area by the fireplace. When I had walked through this area earlier in the evening I felt very woozy, and on coming back and sitting on one of the sofas I found myself resting my head back against the sofa as if I sat forwards I felt as if I had drunk several glasses of wine, and even felt a little sick. It was whilst sitting like this with my foot up on one of the tables that it felt like someone had knocked against the table, but no other members of my team were nearby. After a time we moved into the main bar and tried table tipping but it seemed very quiet this time round. We then moved into the dining room and tried glass divination but again it was quiet, and we moved back into the main bar to try the glass in there without success. It is very unusual to move around so much on a one hour vigil, and I wasn't really aware that we had done this until I started typing up this report. Earlier, when we had a break after the group vigil in the dining area, Julie and I commented on how people seemed restless and were moving around a lot, which is not normal behaviour for us.
After the next break we had a Group séance in the main bar, but it seemed impossible to settle, and there was a lot of giggling and laughter. We then split back into our teams, and we went into the games room. Other than an incident with an insect flying right at the DVR camera and spooking everyone, this room was quiet for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this investigation, despite still feeling like I was going to get run over as we left. Kerry and Kevin were amazing hosts, trusting us with their pub for the night, providing refreshments, and gallantly setting their alarm for 6 am to let us out in the morning. I don't think we have ever been so well looked after, and I would love to go back for a further investigation in the future.
Mark Wright
Vigil 1:
This was a group vigil which was held in the dining area of the pub. The group got settled in and we started to call out, unfortunately apart from the odd creak which could have been the building I didn't hear anything. Several members of the team reported a tobacco smell which unfortunately I could not pick up on, however I believe this was later found to be the smell of the beer mats.
Moving round to the bar area we were calling out, seemingly in response to one of the questions there was a loud almost electrical “pop” that seemed inches from me. This was heard by everyone as it was very loud. None of my equipment (or anything around me) was turned on, I checked all of my kit to make sure a battery hadn't exploded and that is was all still working. Everything worked fine.
We had some good results with the Franks box, but all of the answers that were given didn't seem to add up to anything which makes me question if they where answers at all.
Vigil 2:
Saw us in the games rooms, we tried calling out but seemed to get no response. It was quiet for the rest of this vigil.
Vigil 3:
We went up into 2 of the private bedrooms for this vigil. During calling out we did hear a scraping sound coming from the back of the wardrobe but other than this all seemed quiet.
Vigil 4:
This was a group vigil back in the bar, the tobacco smell was present, and we soon debunked this as the beer mats.
We moved into the bar area next and started a séance and tried to call out. Again this seemed very quiet but despite everyone getting fairly tired up to this point and none of us making much noise, we all suddenly seemed to wake up and start cracking jokes. This lasted for a few minutes then we were all tired again. As a group we have experienced this a number of times. Whether it's a build up of energy from something, or just the 4am sillies I don't know.
Vigil 5:
Our last vigil saw us in the “snug” area of the bar, several attempts were made to call out but unfortunately we got no response.
Gilly Utting
The house layout had several buildings joined together. It had varying floor levels and roofs of tile and thatch. There were several blocked off doorways downstairs.
Cameras were placed covering as much of the ground floor as possible. This included a target table in the dining room, dining area, bar, ladies toilet door, games room and pool room. In addition, one was placed covering the “private “ family stairwell and the other bedroom staircase.
Group vigil
A tobacco aroma was quite strong as we started the vigil. It came and went. Various items could have been to blame, a rose, the polish on the furniture, but it was not the same. Julie developed a strange sickly feeling and had to change her place. I sat in her vacated seat and soon developed a severe headache, which eased when I moved seats. Another of the team also developed a severe headache. Amanda sat strangely on the floor and began talking to a spirit who, it transpired, was missing some of his leg (which accounted for her strange deportment.)
Upstairs bedroom 1
In the smaller of the 2 bedrooms, we sat around listening for odd noises. We called out to any spirits who might enjoy making contact with us. We asked spirit to give us a sign, move a toy or the curtains but nothing happened.
Upstairs bedroom 2
This bedroom was at the end of the building with two outside walls and perhaps was once a bathroom. I thought I heard a noise, but it was the budgie shuffling around in his cage on the window ledge outside the two bedrooms. Again we asked spirit to show they were with us, by moving a curtain. Nothing moved. The target items on the bedside cabinet were undisturbed. The camera trained on these items did not seem to be working properly.
Games room
We sat/lounged around the pool table but nothing wanted to come through. Certainly I didn't pick up on anything but I did think that the target objects on the pool table had been moved slightly.
Franks Box
No positive contact with spirit this time, but we did hear some random names called. However a few minutes into this group vigil there was a strange noise, a pop, like an electrical fuse blowing which had us on edge. Mark W quickly checked out his gadgets but they were all functioning and no breakdowns. We could not account for the noise.
Group session
Despite all of us feeling tired during the break, as soon as we sat around the table in the middle bar (minus 1 who was using the video camera), the energy picked up and we all unaccountably developed the giggles. Even the men.
Snug Area
Finally our group sat in the snug area easy chairs, starting to fade with tiredness. After a time Mark W was asked to join the other group in the games room as they had something that needed confirming on the cameras. Aha! I thought, but it was a false alarm.
I hope that we can complete another investigation here. I know it has a lot to offer us.
Sarah Pettet
Team – Maria, Mark W, Robin, Gilly and myself
Vigil 1
In the restaurant area with the whole team - I was sat in the corner and could smell tobacco (pipe). Dave who was sat next to me could also smell tobacco. We swapped with other members of the team and they could also smell it. We ruled out it being the table or chairs. We moved to the main bar area and got the same smell again. We discovered that the beer mats had a similar smell so we removed all of these from the area. The smell still remained coming and going as it was moving around.
Vigil 2
Games room – I felt nothing here.
Vigil 3
Upstairs bedrooms – It was very hot and the atmosphere felt a bit charged, however we had no responses to our calling out. Eventually it got too hot to stay upstairs.
Vigil 4
Group Franks box experiment. Varied responses didn't seem to get anything really definite. At one point a very loud pop (sounded electrical) emanated in front of Mark W who was sat directly on my right. We both checked our equipment and could not find anything that might have made the sound. During the experiment I became aware of the tobacco smell again, and felt the presence of a heavy set male, facial hair high cheek bones and small eyes. It felt like he was wearing a hat. All in all he felt like a farmer or similar.
Vigil 5
Comfy area, outside the games room - It was getting late and everyone was feeling a bit tired and it was also getting very light outside. At one point, whilst talking to Maria, I saw a shift in light in the bar area. I ruled out this being outside light due to the way it moved – from the bar towards the seating in from of the windows.
Summary – It was a lovely pub, and you could feel the history of the place as soon as you walked in. From a sensory point of view it felt as if it should be very active. However, from my own point of few very little seemed to happen. This does not mean it doesn't, just that it was a particularly quiet night especially for me. Perhaps the pub needs a revisit on another night.
Rob Butler
Team 2 : Rob Butler, Julie Harwood, Mark Pettet, Dave Baxter and Amanda Horley.
Firstly my thanks goes to Kevin and Kerry for their generous hospitality, making us all feel very welcome. The pub itself was a beautiful pub with all the trimmings of oldness about it truly a pub of bygone ages and with that looked forward to a very exciting investigation!!.
Vigil 1: group vigil 1:15am - 2:30am.
We started the investigation with a group vigil downstairs in the main bar area of the pub. There seemed to be a lot of experiences felt by quite a few members. I for one could smell the distinct smell of old rolling or pipe tobacco in certain areas of the bar area as could others too. There were a few distinctive taps when we were calling out but nothing conclusive (it could have been machines cooling or timbers settling). Amanda was picking up on the name James and I also was picking up on the name John. The weird thing for me was that I could see this picture of a hangman's noose in my head. I also wanted to sing stand and deliver (song by Adam and the Ants from the early eighties), so I could only assume that a highwayman was caught or hanged near the pub. Maybe his name was John. I wasn't told his name but would be interested to find out if it was. A couple of dates were given to me also, 1420 and 1520. How significant they are I don't know, but again I would be interested to find out. Many of the team members became restless after a while and wanted to walk around in the main bar areas. We couldn't determine a reason for this or come up with any explanation as to why. As we moved around in the main bar areas of the pub the smell of tobacco was still prominent but seemed to come and go also which was very peculiar. We ended our first vigil 2:30am and had a break before we went on our team vigils.
Vigil 2 = 2:45am - 3:45am.
Team two (my team) were investigating the middle bar area and the end bar area. We were again calling out and although we never got any distinctive taps or other responses Julie had this uncomfortable feeling that we were being looked at from one end of the bar area. David also had this sensation. I personally didn't have much feeling here although I did have butterflies in my stomach for a while and Amanda felt quite woozy (like she had been drinking a few wines). We just all felt uncomfortable in these areas for the whole of the vigil. We tried glass divination but sadly had no response and also we tried table tipping but again had no responses.
Vigil 3 = 3:00 - 4:00am
We tried again to have a group vigil but this time we used the Franks Box (a devise that flicks through radio stations without tuning in). We did have a few words spoken when we asked direct questions but again nothing conclusive. About halfway through the vigil we heard what sounded like a large electrical popping sound and it came from the area where Mark Wright was sitting. On examining his equipment, all seemed to be in order and we could not account for the loud noise we had all heard. Again various members of the team could smell tobacco (it came and went) and various members of the team had the feeling of being watched.
This was our last team vigil and we decided to spend it in the games room. We again tried calling out for spirit to come forward and make a noise and although there were some responses, we again could not determine if it was paranormal or other reasons. We could see on the video camera that was in the bar area (where team one was) a few strange large light anomalies and we thought we had caught a strange anomaly in the games room, but on review it turned out to be a moth or insect of some description.
Overall was a very mixed night for me with some personal experiences and team ones too. Although not conclusive I would love to come back and investigate again. Again many thanks go to Kerry and Kevin for being so welcoming, and also hopefully it was a good and positive start for the new members of Southern Paranormal.