Southern Paranormal - Investigations
The Star Inn Pre / Mini - Investigation
Sunday 4th May 2008
Attending Investigators: Julie Harwood, Maria Street, Rachel Steadman, Simon Steadman, Gill O’Farrell & Mark Boulton.
Introduction
Purpose of visit – A small team was selected to attend this pre investigation visit to the Star Inn in East Tytherley, Hampshire. Our aim for the evening was to conduct the usual pre investigation checks i.e. temperature recordings, emf readings and thermal imaging scans however what we also offered to do for the owner was run a couple of test vigils they could join in to show them the way we conduct our investigations and also to explain all of our equipment to them so they knew the kind of kit we use. Our thanks go to Lesley (The owner of the Star Inn) who allowed us to visit at such short notice (and on a very busy bank holiday weekend!) and also to her friends and staff who showed interest in what we did and joined in vigils with us.
The reason for us contacting the Star Inn – It is always a pleasant surprise when we are contacted via our website concerning an alleged sighting. This was no different. We were contacted by Sue in February this year after she had visited the Star Inn for an evening meal. She walked out of the ladies toilet and headed left into the main bar area. Just before she stepped down into the bar past the fireplace she turned round to head back to the toilets as she had meant to get herself a tissue but had forgotten. As she turned she jumped slightly as she had not realised someone was so close behind her. She had not seen them when she had come out of the toilet seconds earlier. It was then that she realised what she was seeing was probably not normal. The lady she saw aprox 3-4 foot in front of her was wearing a long white nightdress and had bare feet. She had long curly dark hair and was pale skinned. Sue observed the woman for a good 3-5 seconds and then the woman turned towards her and simply disappeared. Needless to say Sue did not return to the toilet for her tissue but headed straight back to the bar and to her husband and friends. It’s very interesting to note that Sue had not been drinking that night as she was the nominated driver for their night out. She told her husband in the car on the way home, what she had seen and he laughed the sighting off. Sue had not told anyone else before she came to Southern Paranormal UK. After a long conversation with Sue on the phone I (Julie) was able to learn more about Sue as a person. A very sensible lady in her early 40’s she had never experienced anything like this before. She confessed to having no interest in the paranormal before this and was unaware there was such a worldwide interest in the subject before she searched “possible paranormal sightings” on the internet. She works as a legal secretary for a Romsey firm and is married with 2 children. To be honest Sue is one of the most down to earth people I have ever spoken to and so it is very hard not to believe her account. With this in mind I promised her I would contact the Star Inn and let her know the outcome. I did ask Sue if she would like to attend if we did get an investigation there but she politely declined.
For an idea of where Sue saw this lady, please see picture at the beginning of this report. It is a view from one end of the bar area to another. You are able to see the fireplace on the left by the step and doorway, with the bar on the right. The lady was seen just in front of where you can see the table through this doorway (the toilets Sue was heading back to are on the right through this doorway).
It is very important to note that as always none of the attending investigators were told about Sue’s sighting, all they knew was that we had had a report to the website.
The pre Investigation – We decided to go without a set itinerary as we were unsure of how busy the pub would be when we arrived. After a warm welcome from Lesley and her staff we set about taking the readings we needed and having a look round this beautiful country inn. A couple of our members stayed behind with Lesley and the staff and answered any questions they had about our hobby.
When we had done this Simon explained to everyone what all of our equipment did and how we use it. Mark also demonstrated the benefits of the thermal imaging camera in detecting any warm and cold spots.
Examples of Thermal Images taken at the Star Inn while demonstrating the equipment –
When we completed the equipment run through we split everyone who wanted to take part into 2 groups. 1 group took the restaurant area and the other group (a slightly larger group) took the bar area and the separated restaurant area on the other side of the pub. We completed an hour vigils in these areas and then swapped areas. Some guests decided to remain in the bar area this time so we actually had 3 teams for the 2nd vigil.
Personal reports for the Pre Investigation
Julie Harwood
First off a big thank you to Lesley and her guests for allowing us a pre investigation of the Star Inn.
I am ashamed to say that I have never visited this wonderful country pub. Nestled in the heart of Hampshire it looks very welcoming in what otherwise can seem a very isolated road.
After chatting to Lesley and the guests and doing our preliminary checks and readings we split into 2 groups and Maria, Gill, Leanne (guest) and I started our investigation with a vigil in the restaurant area. We all sat round a table near the end of the room and almost immediately Maria and Gill started to feel coldness around them. It was unusual as Leanne and I actually felt quite warm as it was a mild night. I did notice that Gill and Maria were sat nearest to the fireplace but after a quick temperature check we were able to note that it did not appear to be a draught causing the coldness. Temperature checks around Gill and Maria did however show a 2 degree difference in air temperature to the rest of the room. The name George was picked up on and also the feeling that there were 2 men in the room with us and that it had farming connections. Gill also felt some connection to RAF and the war. We called out and we all jumped when something hit the floor under the table near Leanne. When we shone the torches down we found my digital camera on the floor. This was almost too good to be true and we considered the thought that it may have been knocked accidentally off the table. The strange thing was that all the equipment including my camera was put in the middle of the round table we were sat at so that it was not in our way. Even though it made me jump as I am sure I felt it hit my leg on the way down we had to consider that I had accidentally pulled it off the table some how. This would have been more feasible if I had had my hands on the table at the time however as I demonstrated to the group I was sat back in my chair with one hand on my knee and the other one over the back of the chair as I was sat sideways on the chair using the back of my chair to lean on. I can not explain this. I know I would not purposely cause any sort of apparent phenomena as it would go against everything I have worked for for the last 4 years for my team. Another point is that I would never purposely throw my own expensive digital camera on the floor risking damaging it. I also implicitly trust Maria and Gill and know they would never try and create activity like that. I do not believe for one second that Leanne would do it as she seemed a genuine person with a genuine interest in the paranormal, who also could not believe what we had experienced, actually happened. With all this in mind, I have no explanation at present for the camera moving though we have to keep an open mind that although this could have been paranormal activity it also may have been a simple accident.
Throughout this vigil Leanne felt very uneasy and the room did take on a rather creepy atmosphere. We heard various noises which we investigated including a lot of movement from the kitchen area. When investigated we found nothing that could create this movement sound. We also heard a large noise by the main door into the area. Stupidly we did presume it was the other team however when we checked with them they denied coming anyway near the area we were in. The final comment on this area was that just as we were leaving Gill and I heard a loud whispering noise, like someone trying to say something. This was very strange.
After a quick break we moved on into the other end of the pub and the extended seating / eating area. Leanne decided she would like to go back into the restaurant and so she joined the other team. Gill, Maria and I settle ourselves round the large table at the far end and we placed a dictaphone about 4 feet away from all of us on the table. Maria picked up on a man in this area and we all felt a little uneasy about the end of the table by the mirror. It took me a while to realise there was a mirror there, for a lot of the time we were there I would have sworn it was a hanging picture of a man who looked very similar to Hitler however after a while I could see it was a mirror. Gill suddenly bought our attention to the fact that the dictaphone had turned itself off for no apparent reason. Just as we were investigating this the camcorder we had filming turned itself off. We re started the camcorder and the screen display confirmed it had plenty of tape left and the battery still had 78 minutes of charge, with this in mind we have no explanation for the camcorder turning off. We set the dictaphone recording again but it kept turning on and off and this was seemingly in response to us asking questions. We made sure we did a test where we spoke but did not direct any questions and the dictaphone stayed turned on the entire time (aprox 4-5 minutes) as soon as we directed a question at it, the light went off again. The dictaphone continued seemingly answering our questions until the end of the vigil, it was intriguing to say the least. Maria picked up on a lady in this area as well and both Maria and I got the name Isobel at pretty much the same time! Time flew by in this vigil and the other group called us through as we had been over our hour. To us it seemed like we had been in there 20 minutes max!
I thoroughly enjoyed our pre investigation at the Star Inn. Everyone was very welcoming and whether they were interested in the paranormal or not were willing to let us indulge our hobby.
I really hope that we can return to the Star Inn as I think there is great potential for a full investigation. My thanks go to Lesley for allowing us a visit and to all her and her guests for making us feel so welcome.
Maria Street
When Julie first showed me the details for the Star Inn, I thought what a lovely location this was. The owner, Lesley, had very kindly agreed for us to visit the inn for a pre-investigation vigil. I met up with Julie, Rachel, Simon, Gill and Mark in the car park and we went in to introduce ourselves. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior and we immediately felt at ease at the very friendly welcome.
After a good chat, we split into teams, with me, Julie, Gill and guest Leanne, going into the restaurant. We sat at one of the tables close to the fireplace and Gill and I were getting progressively colder. We checked for draughts, but could not find any at all. It was interesting to note that Leanne felt very warm, so we swapped places. I felt quite warm in her place but Leanne felt colder where I was sat. We checked with the temp gun, but found that the temperature was pretty constant all round. Gill felt there was a farmer in the room with us and the name of George was mentioned. It was also felt that a previous owner was with us and we were sat in his former lounge. We couldn’t place why a farmer would be there so it was suggested he was a friend, and it was at exactly at this point that we heard movement on the table and a thud on the floor. Julie shone her torch on the floor to find her camera lying there. We have done many many investigations, but it is so rare for phenomena like this to occur. Julie knew that she hadn’t done it, and we trust her implicitly, as we do each other. For one thing, she would not throw an expensive piece of her own equipment on the floor and for another it would so harm the integrity of the team for any of us to do anything untoward. This was very very impressive for us and we wondered what else we would find at the Inn.
For our next vigil, Leanne left us to join the other team, so Julie, Gill and I went into the far pub / dining area and set up a Dictaphone. We all felt something building in this room and were all uneasy about the far end where a mirror hung on the wall. After a short time, Julie noticed her Dictaphone light was flashing on and off, so we asked out and asked if the light could switch off, which it did, seemingly on command. I got the name of William in my head, so I asked if we had a William with us and the light switched on again. It seemed we were in contact with this spirit and he once worked in the place. I felt he had a female with him and felt her name was Isobel, so I called out for an Isobel. Julie immediately gasped as this was the exact name she had in her head. A coincidence? Who knows, but Isobel isn’t a name that has come up before, so it was very intriguing. Were we in contact with spirits or was this all a story in our heads and was there a fault with the Dictaphone? These are all unanswered questions and I would love the opportunity to investigate further. A huge thank you to Lesley and her family & friends for their very hospitable welcome.
Mark Boulton
This was a first for us (myself and Gill), in that it was a mini or ‘pre’ investigation. The Star Inn is certainly a pretty enough looking place and situated in a remote location.
Internally the bar area has been fitted out in a typical country manner, horse brasses and various bits of farming memorabilia. It does not however for me, have the feeling of genuine ‘Olde Worlde’ Inn, such as Jamaica Inn for example.
The main house has been added to on both sides, using either original or reclaimed bricks to create a dinning/restaurant area and tabled extension area.
Essentially we had three areas to look at, the two mentioned above and the bar area. We carried out some baseline tests then split into two groups (I was with Rachel and Simon) and carried out two investigations (some calling out and table tipping) in the extension area and the dinning room.
From my point of view, there was no activity of note at either location. Rachel and one of the guests had impressions of a ‘presence’ in the dining area, but that was pretty much it.
I am aware that the other team had some pretty interesting experiences but personally the place was quite pleasant and very calm and quiet.
Gill O’Farrell
The Star Inn is located in what seemed a remote part of Hampshire. It may have been because of the dark but there seemed to be little else in the vicinity in the way of population. The nearest village was some way down Romsey Lane. As we arrived before the others, I had time to explore the outside first. It was extremely quiet with little light sources and only the noise of nocturnal birds and animals breaking the silence with an occasional car speeding past. It was pleasantly mild without a hint of breeze. This was a short pre investigation visit with limited investigators.
The location itself was rather small consisting of the main bar area and on one side a restaurant room and kitchen; on the other side was an extension of the bar area with tables and chairs. Although the original building was 17th century it appears to have been built, renovated and extended over the years.
I was working with Julie and Maria. For our first vigil, we worked in the restaurant area with one of the guests, Leanne. With an old building and wooden furniture, one would expect a number of spontaneous creaks and other various noises. However, the room was extremely quiet. In this room I sensed two men walking around. One side of the table (the right-hand side from the doorway) was experienced to be colder by whoever was sitting there. This was verified by the digital thermometer which read a degree or so colder. We picked up on a male energy. It seemed to be a relatively recently passed spirit rather than from hundreds of years ago. I had a sense that this man was lived or worked on local farmland and had connections with the RAF and wartime. Although we seemed to have similar feelings we received little in response to our calling out that might help us to verify any of this information. The table we were sitting around was circular and fairly large. We had placed the equipment in the centre of this table. At one point I heard a movement across the table as if one of these pieces of equipment was being pushed across the table. It was such a strong movement that I thought one of the others was moving something. Julie leapt up from her seat as she felt the item fall at her feet. It turned out to be Julie’s camera on the floor. None of us had intentionally moved the camera. There is a chance that it might have been knocked or pulled by some other movement but we were unable to verify what had happened. During the vigil we heard several movements as if someone was moving outside the room. We assumed it was a member of the other group. However, when we asked them subsequently, they assured us they were not responsible for these sounds and movements. We also heard a couple of noises within the room like whispers or hisses that we were unable to explain.
For the second vigil we moved into the bar extension and sat around a very large elongated table. We had a strong sense of a presence in one corner of the room and asked for the energy to build up. Julie had set up her audio recorder on the table. I noticed the motor power down and the light go off. As I was not familiar with this piece of equipment I was not sure if it was supposed to operate in this way or not. It soon became clear that this was not the normal operation. Shortly after this, the camcorder stopped recording. We could not ascertain why this happened. It was re-set and then began recording again. Throughout the hour of the vigil, the Dictaphone went off (motor and light) in response to our questions. At the time, we were trying to explore possible explanations for these phenomena. There was no pattern or rhythm to it that we could ascertain. We began to ask out and requested that the light going off should represent a “Yes” in answer to our questions. This was definitely a most bizarre and as yet, unfathomable experience. During this period, Julie was asking most of the questions, as the light seemed to respond better to her. At one time, it stayed off for a prolonged period whilst we were discussing what was happening. We noted that it had stayed off, so I said to Julie “Perhaps you should ask it another question”. As soon as I got to the “q” in question the light and the Dictaphone motor went on. When Julie was asking the questions I could hear a definite knocking on the far end of the table. I thought it possible it might be the motor on the Dictaphone; however, this was not consistent as the knocking was intermittent, variable and occurred both when the Dictaphone was on and off. It seemed that the energy connected with preferred communicating with Julie; there was less activity when Maria and I talked. The Dictaphone did have a voice activated mode which was not selected; it should have been running throughout. The stopping and starting was not linked to whether someone was talking or not so this was definitely not consistent with the voice activated mode. Later on in the vigil, Maria sensed the energy change to a female. We continued asking questions to which the light and motor on the Dictaphone responded. Interestingly, the operating seemed to reverse; the “male” energy turning the equipment off, the “Female” energy turned the Dictaphone on to indicate a positive answer. I think we all felt as if we wanted to carry on as the phenomena showed no signs of stopping, however, our time was up. This was a baffling set of events.
I am not sure that there is much residual energy in this pub, though. If we made contact with any energies, I personally think it is more likely they were linked to the people present rather than to the Star Inn.
Rachel Steadman
This was a short preliminary investigation of a pretty old building, on first sight it looked like any other country pub, but I was excited as we were the first people we knew of to investigate it.
Team- Simon, Mark and myself
Vigil 1- the bar and function room
Simon stayed in the bar with the guests to start with while Mark and I went into the function room. I took some pictures then we sat quietly, I did catch a couple of small possible light anomalies and a rather loud bang was heard but we are unsure of were it came from. After half an hour or so I swapped with Simon and joined the guests in the bar. As usual I started by taking some pictures and again a few small possible light anomalies were caught. We all sat quietly and a few noises were heard, although there was a dog in another room which could account for some of the sounds we heard.
Vigil 2- the restaurant
Simon, Mark, myself and guest Leanne
We settled at the far end of the room and after taking pictures we started to call out, to start with the room felt fine but as time progressed it took on a rather creepy feel, mainly near to the door, but after around 15 minutes it again felt fine, I did catch more light anomalies in this room. We also heard some noises coming from the kitchen, Simon went to investigate but found nothing unusual that would explain the sounds which were the sounds of someone moving around.
Summary
The Star Inn is a lovely old building, and I would love the chance to do a full investigation. Paranormal activity more commonly occurs in the early hours and after the results we got even though it was early, I definitely think this building has the potential for a really good full investigation.
A big thank you to Lesley the owner and her guests for the opportunity to have a look around and I hope to go back soon.
Simon Steadman
First off I would like to thank Lesley and all of the guests who attended our preliminary investigation of this charming country pub/restaurant.
After setting up lock off cameras, trigger objects and completing baseline tests we began the mini vigils.
Vigil 1 bar area and function room-
Simon, Rachel, Mark and guests
After the initial chat to the attending guests things got underway by Rachel and Mark going to the function room and myself staying in the bar with the guests. The first thing you realise about this location is the fact that it’s very dark and very quiet. No sounds of the building settling (which I have noticed happens in a lot of supposed haunted places). I found the bar area silent and without atmosphere so it gave me a chance to try and answer any of the guests other questions. 30 mins into the vigil, after calling out a few times and taking some photographs we decided to swap positions to see if the other team members could pick anything up in this room.
On entering the function room I could feel a difference in temperature, this could have been down to many natural factors. After calling out and taking more photos we rejoined the other team to swap areas.
Vigil 2 restaurant and kitchen area.
Simon, Rachel, Mark and Leanne (guest)
On entering the restaurant area it felt fine we set up a trigger object and lock off and settled down at the far end to try some table tipping. Leanne decided to join in. about 15 mins into the experiment the atmosphere in the room changed dramatically and it started to feel a little unnerving during this time we heard 3 loud bangs from the kitchen area. Nothing was found to be out of place on investigation of the kitchen so I returned to join the rest of the team. When I returned to the restaurant area the creepy feeling had dissipated and even though we managed to catch a couple of light anomalies in this area no further evidence presented itself.
On the whole this location yielded very good results for the short space of time that we had to investigate and even though it was relatively early a few promising events happened. I have to say that the Star Inn has good potential for a full investigation and I would love to spend some more time investigating such a great little place! Many thanks to Lesley and staff who made us feel welcome. Can’t wait to see if we can return for a full night.