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INTRODUCTION Michelham Priory is reputed to be one of the most haunted locations in the UK and has been investigated many times (notably by Most Haunted on two occasions) and I wanted to see if the hype was justified within this beautiful building. Although this was not one of our own investigations, fellow Spiral member Liane joined me and I’d already been on investigations with Angel (Red Lion Pub + Preston Manor) and Gary and Sam (Red Lion Pub).
HISTORY & FOLKLORE Michelham Priory dates back to 1229 and was occupied by Augustinian canons until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537. The house is now open to the public and also serves as a function location for weddings. There are many alleged paranormal occurrences at the Priory including that of Thomas Sackville, a former owner of the residence who torments the spirit of a young girl called Rosie. She allegedly hides herself away in a priest hole at the top of the stairs that is hidden behind a wooden panel. There are also numerous reports of a Grey Lady who haunts the Gatehouse and bridge over the moat. She appears to be another former resident of the Priory (possibly of the Sackville family) whose child had tragically drowned in the moat many years ago. There are also various tales of poltergeist activity where windows are said to open by themselves and objects mysteriously move on their own!
GROUND FLOOR After an introduction from Phil Whyman, we started of the investigation on the ground floor, which had access to the main living areas and kitchen. Entering the dining room, Angel set up a locked-off camera pointing toward the far end of the room, which hangs a rather stunning tapestry. Angel seemed aware of something in the top corner of the room and thought she saw a shadow by the Grandfather Clock. I also seemed to see something but dismissed it as our eyes adjusted to the darkness although we both heard a distinctive tapping sound from this area. Angel placed two Dictaphones side by side for any possible EVP recordings. Liane said that she was picking up on a young girl called Emily (as did Angel) and said she was about eight or nine years old. We moved to the kitchen and performed a brief communication circle. This proved uneventful and we moved on.
FIRST FLOOR The first floor had many different rooms and alcoves. The main room was very large and we noticed a significant temperature drop that was recorded on the temperature gauge. I was checking for any draught outlets but all the window sealings were very solid. Gary and I plucked up the courage to investigate the secret tunnel that is situated behind a panelling on the upper staircase. It was a tight squeeze but we managed to work our way through to the bottom that comes out by the fireplace on the ground floor. Although we didn’t feel or see anything down here, when Liane and Sam traversed the narrow passageway, Liane gave out a scream as something allegedly grabbed her leg. This shocked her a bit and was laughing madly when we met her on the stairway to see what had happened. Nothing much else happened in this area.
GATEHOUSE Heading out into the cold, we moved to the Gatehouse that serves as the entrance over the moat to the Priory. On the first floor, Angel locked off her camera with Vince filming us Liane, Angel, Sam and myself attempted glass divination. I’ve been critical of this kind of communication before but after the significant table tilting and responsive taps at Abingdon Town Football Club; I thought it might be worth a try. Various call-outs were given and Liane thought that there was a sudden movement with the glass but I never felt anything. We continued to explore this area but apart from some noise outside the grounds with cars, it was pretty quiet.
CONCLUSION Although a fascinating location, our visit to the Priory was rather quiet with regards to spirit activity. In a way I was expecting this as sometimes the hype and myth of a particular place can overshadow any real alleged presence of spirit (or they choose not to appear). I’d like to come back and see if anything really is here but if there is, then Spirit calls the shots if they wish to make their presence known! |
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