Not much is known about the underwater structure and the pyramid. Some people are quick to suggest that the remains are proof of Atlantis or perhaps Lemuria. Others suggested that another civilisation entirely is far more likely given the far Eastern location of Yonaguni.

However, as you suspect, plenty of people are certain these ruins cannot be the remains of a civilisation at all. One suggestion is that these are not even ruins at all but natural formations of rock.

In Pure Spirit

What are your theories about the Yonaguni underwater structure? Do you think this is a man-made pyramid or not?

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In fact, for Christmas Mottisfont is doing something rather special. Angels are coming to the historic gardens.

The Angel Garden is inspired by the original human-sized angel at Mottisfont which was created by Boris Anrep back in 1947 with the face of Maud Russell. Maud Russell was not only the love of Anrep’s life but the owner Mottisfont.

For this year’s Angel Garden a total of nine different arists have created angel sculptures to join the original. One of the artists, Ed Elliott, told the National Trust;

This work questions the deeper psychological concept of the angel; the paradox between power and beauty, solidity and weightlessness, and the burden of existing as an immortal being.

In Pure Spirit

Will you be heading up to Mottisfont before the end of the year to see the angels? Or have you been already to see the original angel with the face of Maud Russell? What did you think?

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Herne Bay Memorial Park

Doris Birch is a resident of Margaret Court on King’s Road in the Canterbury town of Herne Bay. The 73-year-old became so frightened and frustrated at an apparent petering poltergeist that she went to the local papers for help.

It seems that the ghost has a thing for groping people.

In This is Kent, Birch notes;

“It’s like an octopus. It started four months ago. I was lying in bed when I felt this creepy pair of hands.

“I kicked frantically and it went away. Next time it came I hurled the duvet on to the floor!

“But the ghost keeps coming back. I’ve tried sleeping without the duvet. But it started shaking my mattress.

“I even threw the mattress off the bed and bought a new one but it has made no difference.

“I told my 16-year-old granddaughter and she was gobsmacked. She said I must be joking.

“People are going to think I am mad but it is as real as the day to me. I’m not lonely. I love living alone.

“But this is very creepy and is giving me the jitters. It’s harassing me. I need to call in the Ghostbusters.

“I told the vicar and he said it is a lost spirit. What I want to know is, why has it got lost in my flat?”

Doris’ experiences sound very similar to the symptoms of hypnagogia but the local press makes no mention of a doctor being involved.

King’s Road appears to be in a modern area of Herne Bay. As you would expect it’s not far from the sea and it’s near the Kavanagh Cinema and Herne Bay Junior School. Google Maps doesn’t reveal any nearby graveyards or Churches although King’s Road does include the entrance to Memorial Park.

Herne Bay Memorial Park was completed in 1930 as a memorial to those that lost their lives in the first World War.

Methodist Minister Hugh-Nigel Sheehan of Mortimer Street’s United Church admits the grandmother approached him for help.

“I was approached by Mrs Birch but I fear I am not in a position to help. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

“I have no expertise in this at all. I am neither a trained counsellor nor from a church with a tradition of exorcism such as the Catholic Church. It is very difficult to know how to respond.”

It does not sound as if the Methodist Church was much good to Birch.

However, reporters at This Is Kent contacted the husband-and-wife team of Ray and Beryl Herne who have experience as ghost-hunters and mediums. They plan to use a ‘vortex of light’ in order to send the spirit back to the other side.

In the paper, Beryle Herne said;

“Sometimes spirits need to be here. There is usually a reason. Sometimes it’s family. Sometimes we have to alleviate some stress.”

In Pure Spirit

Do you have any experience of paranormal activity in or around this area?

Do you think this is just a case of hypnagogia and the local media bringing in ghost-busters in order to sell papers?

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Residents have said that the very same key fobs work perfectly once they’re taken out of the area. Locals Darren Cowan and Kay Sedgwick both confirmed to the Express and Star, the local paper, that their own cars and key fobs have had problems.

However, Conerstone – a health and science specialist – who manage the phone masts for companies like Vodafone and O2 has said it is unlikely to be these transmitters blocking the key fobs.

All Vodafone base stations are compliant to the European Commission regulations on electrical interference.

Others have suggested that a faulty TV sender or even faulty alarm system that operate on wireless signals may be able to block key jobs.

In Pure Spirit

Do you live in the area? Can you confirm the strange behaviour of key fobs?

Picture credit: Kendrak.

A note about the strange name – because it certainly made this blogger worried. Nigger has his own Wikipedia entry and it is explained that at the time Nigger was not an uncommon name for a dog and it, thankfully, has since become culturally unacceptable. Some edits of the famous Dambusters film change the dog’s name to Trigger.

Nigger would go flying with Gibson. Bruce Barrymore Halpenny noted in “Ghost Stations” that a ghostly hound, believed to be Nigger, has been sighted on multiple occasions around RAF Scampton and even at the Dambusters Memorial at Woodhall Spa.

The Telegraph is reporting that a team of paranormal investigators, filmed by the BBC, have managed to make contact with a spirit they believe to be Commander Gibson’s dog.

You can see the BBC’s video at World War II hero Guy Gibson’s ghost hunted.

The team was led by Paul Drake (aka @spiritsearcher) of Paranormal Lincs International .

The BBC’s coverage report that RAF Scampton staff believe there may be as many as six spirits in the airfield. It was the dog, however, that captured Drake’s attention and it may be the dog that they managed to encounter. He told the Telegraph;

”I saw a picture that had the dog in it, which the photographer said was not there when it was taken, and that has stayed in the back of my mind for a few years.

“After I saw the picture I got in contact with RAF Scampton to see if we could do an investigation. I never dreamed they would say ‘yes’ as it is still an operational base and everything has to go through the base commander.

“But they have been absolutely brilliant and have welcomed us with open arms.”

The group believe the ghost of Nigger may have been present as readings on their electronic magnetic detectors would surge whenever the question; “are you there?” was asked.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to Lincoln’s RAF Scampton and sensed any ghosts? After our RAF West Raynham post numerous residents and ex-staff stepped forward to say they felt something on the base and an equal number disagreed.

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The pub is not very old and was built as recently as 1932, however it is believed that the building stands on ground used for hangings in the 17th century. Lillian Campbell, pub manager, moved into the Court Oak in 2000 and now believes in ghosts. Current pub manager Anne Tyler also made the news this week by talking to the press about the local ghosts. In a further twist, one of the suggested spirits is most active around Halloween.

The Mirror reveals The Court Oak’s problem with a ghost called “Corky”. According to Nuala Gallagher, who works for Sizzling Pubs, Corky smashes wine bottles unless they’re of good quality.

“It isn’t so much things that go bump in the night as things going smash in the night at the Court Oak.

“People have spotted the figure of a man, aged about 60, behind the bar and the staff have felt his presence numerous times over the years.

“But it is Corky’s insistence on certain wines that set him apart as a spirit.

“It only ever happens at this time of year when Halloween is in sight. If the pub has a house wine that is not to his liking, he makes his feelings known by smashing bottle after bottle of it in the cellar until it is changed for a wine he approves of.”

Before this week’s story, Lillian Campbell had given permission to paranormal investigators to examine the pub. The group looked into the legend that a woman was tried and executed on the harge of infanticide. It is believed the woman was hanged even though she was innocent.

In Pure Spirit

Do you believe in a Halloween ghost that appears just in time to ensure customers of the pub get good wine?

Have you been to the Court Oak pub in Harborne? Did you sense anything odd about the building while you stayed there?

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In the 16th century the Mermaid Inn was involved in hiding Catholic priests fleeing the Reformation. You can still see the forbidden letters J.H.S (Jesus Homnium Slavtor) carved in the wooden panels of one of the rooms.

In 1735 the Mermaid was scene of a historic brawl. The smugger Thomas Moore was released from jail on bail, collected some of his men and marched straight to the Inn where he captured the Bailiff of the Sheriff of Sussex, dragged him down to the harbour and to a ship. The Bailiff was rescued by the Commander of the ‘Amelia’, a Rye Revenue Sloop. By 1751 the famous Hawkhurst Gang of smuggers were frequent visitors to the Inn.

Hauntings at The Mermaid Inn

It is said that Judith Blincow, co-owner of the Inn, once found a couple of guests sleeping in on the couch in the lounge. According to local lore, the guests had seen ghostly shapes walk through the walls of the room and refused to return to their room.

Another Rye legend tells of the time when a medium approached a previous owner to discuss the idea of organising a ghost hunt. The medium walked around the inn and then returned to the bar to speak to the owner. Before anything could be said two ghostly figures appeared, duelled with swords before the ‘surviving’ spirit appeared to flee out the front door.

Others believe that the Mermaid Inn is haunted by a lady in grey, the ghost of a murdered chambermaid, killed by a smuggler concerned that she would reveal his secret. She is most often associated with room five.

Other sightings report that clothes, even those left by the fire, become wet – as if they had been drowned, bottles have flown off shelves, rooms suddenly get cold and chairs move by themselves.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to The Mermaid Inn in Rye? What was it like? Do you believe the reports that there may be as many as five ghosts haunting the building?

Image credit: Harry Vale

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It is believed that the de Lathom family occupied Turton Tower around the year 1200 – when it was part of the barony of Manchester. The famous pele tower was rebuilt by the Orrells in 1420. In 1628 Humphrey Chetham bought the tower. A few years later (1642) the Civil War broke out; Chetham sided with the Roundheads and allowed troops to be garrisoned inside the estate. The Orrells, however, were Cavaliers.

It is now owned by the Blackburn with Darwen Council.

In November and December of this year small groups of visitors will be given ghost tours. The tours range from 3am and 4am visits and are for 18+ only.

Hauntings at Turton Tower

It is said that two skulls are kept in the Towers that have been linked to previous hauntings elsewhere – in particular the appearance of two ghostly men who appear to be duelling.

A woman dressed for mourning is said to stalk the staircase of the tower, sobbing and shuffling slowly. A security guard is reported to have gone to the aid of a woman leaning against a fence – only for her to disappear as he got close.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to Turton Tower? Do you think it’s haunted? Do you think the council are doing the right thing, raising money for its keep by letting ghost hunting tours inside?

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Chavenage House is perhaps best known for the stay of Oliver Cromwell after the Civil War. Chavenage’s owner, Nathaniel Stephens, was an MP and therefore a Roundhead but he had been one of the less radical ones. He did not support the rough treatment of the captured king Charles I.

In fact, Oliver Cromwell called on the house in person to speak to Nathaniel Stephens about his support and loyalty. It is said that Cromwell left the next day and Stephens had dropped his objections to executing the king; to the disappointment of his daughter.

Charles I was beheaded by the Roundheads. A few months later Nathaniel Stephens fell ill and died. The uncharitable suggest that his own daughter had cursed him.

The ghost story of the headless horseman is actually of a headless carriage driver. The story says that on the night of Nathaniel’s death a ghostly carriage, with a headless driver, and waited while the ghost of Nathaniel Stephens climbed on board. Once the Stephen’s soul was in the coach, the headless driver cracked the whip and drove off. Legend says the carriage burst into flames as it crossed the boundaries of Chavenage’s grounds before fading from view.

It is said that any of the family who die in Chavenage House can expect to be collected by the headless coachman.

Who was the headless horseman? Could it have been Charles I himself?

Other ghosts at Chavenage House

It is said that the room Cromwell slept is haunted to this day – as the room once used by Princess Louise. The ghost in Princess Louise’s overnight room is believed to roam from room to room and likes to watch sleepers.

There is an 18th century chapel that stands adjacent to Chavenage House. It is said by some that a ghost of a monk haunts the chapel. Witnesses to this haunting include many RAF pilots covering after the Battle of Britain.

A White Lady, the ghost of a young woman, is also said to haunt the lands between Beverstone and Chavenage. Beverstone Castle is about two miles from the House and was held by the Royalists. The Roundhead Colonel Massey became suspicious that the Castle always seemed to know when an attack was planned. He discovered a young woman – the chatelaine of Chavenage – was using a candle to signal to her lover in the Castle when it was safe to leave his garrison and visit her. Of course, this meant her lover, a Commander Ogglethorpe, also knew when an attack was planned. The girlw as found out and locked up at Chavenage House. The Roundheads lit a candle in her window to trick Ogglethrope into thinking it was safe and then attacked the castle. The attack was successful, the Roundheads took Beverstone and Ogglethrope’s dead body was put on shown on the castle ramparts. When the young woman found out what had happened to her lover she took her own life.

In Pure Spirit

Have you visited Chavenage House? Do you think it’s haunted? Have you heard of any other stories of murder, death or mystery in this historic house?

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Local legend has it that inn was haunted and so a group of staff decided to raise money for the charity North West Ambulance Service by staging a sleep over.

Jenny Barnsley, who works behind the bar, explains what happened;

“We decided to have a sleepover and seance to find out for ourselves if the pub really is haunted as everyone says. First, we lit candles and asked if anyone was present and we immediately heard scratching and banging noises coming from upstairs.”

Barnsley goes on to explain the first sighting of a ghost;

“Chloé then saw a man in the doorway of the front bar and shortly afterwards, we took a picture as the room had gone cold. We were amazed to see what looked like separate images of a man and a girl in two different pictures.”

The photograph taken by the group has been released to press. Here it is.

If you’re curious about the inn itself, here’s a creative commons picture of the outside. You can also check out the Inn’s website.

In Pure Spirit

Do you think the charity sleep over actually encountered a ghost? Did they get spooked, encounter a common camera defect and now think it was a ghost? Or is this all part of a PR stunt?

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