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‘All houses wherein men have lived and died are haunted houses!’

Longfellow

Following the tremendous success of Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah, I was inundated with requests to compile a book of locations throughout Britain and Ireland that are reputed to be haunted – and I was certainly spoiled for choice.

One of the most difficult things when deciding to go on an investigation into the paranormal is finding the right location. Hopefully Haunted Britain and Ireland will take the hard work out of this by suggesting over 100 of the most haunted places in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, divided into areas for ease of reference. No matter where you live or how little you are prepared to travel, there will always be somewhere worthy of a visit if you are on the hunt for a ghost or two.

While I have not yet been able to visit all the places covered in this book, I very much hope to investigate them in the future. Some of these sites may be slightly off the beaten track, but I’m sure all are worthy of the ghosthunter’s attention.

When undertaking an investigation into the paranormal it is as well to remember that there are many different types of ghostly manifestation. First, there are the ‘feelings’ we all pick up from atmospheres. When entering premises, take care to note in which room or rooms you feel comfortable and in which you feel less at ease. Use your basic psychic senses – we all have them – to assist you in the first steps of your investigation by picking up on the residual energies left in a property by previous occupants. Obviously unless you are a trained medium you will not be able to experience specifics, but you should be able to identify areas where you feel there is more likelihood of paranormal activity. As you take an initial walk around the location, make notes on where you feel would be the most interesting sections to concentrate your investigation.

Of course not all ‘hauntings’ are the result of spirit presence. There are a variety of reports where people have described ghosts appearing at the same time on the same date of a year. These are known as ‘anniversary’ ghosts. If you are intending visiting a location alleged to have an anniversary ghost, please go along on the relevant day, as if you do not, you may well be disappointed.

There are also lots of grey ladies, blue ladies and occasionally a green lady or two haunting Britain and Ireland. Sites reporting this type of ghost are always well worth a visit as, although you may not be able to define the clothing or features of the ‘lady’ concerned, sightings are usually quite regular and so you are less likely to be disappointed in your quest.

Then there are the ghosts who walk through walls and disappear in the most unusual circumstances into fireplaces and the like. This happens because a spirit person visiting a former residence does not recognize any changes that have been made to the building – they perceive their former home or workplace as it was when they inhabited the mortal world. So where there was once a doorway, a door will still exist for them and they will continue to use it, thus giving the appearance of disappearing through a wall.

There are also earthbound spirits, i.e. spirits of people who have not moved on from this physical world, and the spirits of people who return in visitation to their old homes or places of work. If they wish, they may allow you to glimpse them. This may manifest itself in a number of ways. You may catch a slight movement out of the corner of your eye as you move around a place, you may see a shadow moving quickly from one part of a room to another or you may see spirit lights – bright lights flashing for a brief moment. All are signs that you are not alone.

The first thing to remember when conducting an investigation is that there are many ways in which the residents of that world beyond make their presence known to us. They may cause items to move, they may make all kinds of noises, they may brush past you or draw close to you, causing the atmosphere to chill considerably. What the investigator then has to do is confirm whether in fact there is spirit activity around or whether there is a logical and more worldly explanation for the movement of objects, the noises or the drop (or in some cases rise) in temperature. The use of a thermometer – and I would recommend the digital variety – will enable you to pinpoint temperature changes to within a degree.

Always make sure that when a noticeable temperature drop takes place you look for open windows or doors, open fireplaces or even loosely fitted window panes. All too often a draught may give rise to much excitement, only for that excitement to be dampened by the discovery that somebody has forgotten to close a door. If, after ensuring that all possible logical explanations have been dismissed, draughts are still felt moving around a room, it is more than likely that there is spirit presence there.

Parapsychologists use electromagnetic field meters to measure fluctuations in energy in an attempt to establish whether in fact there are paranormal events taking place, but I have found that EMF meters are not always capable of delivering an accurate indication of spirit presence.

The source of noises must also be examined before they can be attributed to a ghostly presence. Ensure that nobody is moving around or speaking in an adjoining room. Check to see that the noises are not emanating from the exterior of the building, i.e. cars, animals or passers-by.

Further interest can be added to an investigation by the use of audio recording equipment. Examples of electronic voice phenomenon have been widely reported in the press and you just may be fortunate enough to capture the voices of spirit entities on tape.

Another ‘must have’ on an investigation is camera equipment. A video recording of your experiences is a marvellous addition to your archives, but at the very least a camera of sorts should be taken along. This may enable you to capture different examples of phenomena such as orbs or traces of ectoplasm. It matters not whether the camera is of the digital or flash variety. Point it into the darkest recesses of a room at night and very often you will find that you have managed to photograph some type of paranormal phenomena.

If you are intending to hold a séance at the location it may be a good idea to place a lighted candle in the centre of the table. The flickering of the flame could indicate the movement through the atmosphere of a spirit being, but please do be careful and do not leave the candle unattended. Most importantly when holding a séance, do ask for protection from your guides and door-keepers in the world of spirit. Ask them to guard you and ensure that only the highest and the best spirit connection is made. After completing a séance, it is also important to close the circle down by sending whichever spirit people chose to call back to the light.

Apart from the above, the only other item which you have to take along to an investigation is your common sense. Do make sure that you respect the property of others. Do take along torches and spare batteries if you are visiting a location where there is no electricity connected and do wear suitable clothing and footwear.

With Haunted Britain and Ireland guiding your footsteps around haunted locations in these islands you will have many, many hours of enjoyment to look forward to.

Good luck!