Old Bell Hotel
9th April 2005
Team
Chris, Eleanor, Sue, Tina, Phillip, Ann, Frank & Mark
Weather
Dry and mild with light wind
Orientation
The manager took us around the area we were to investigate, we were shown to a room we could use as a base and also where the toilets were. The floor that we were to investigate was the top floor, it is an unused area and if fact is almost derelict. There is no electricity and therefore in turn no lighting, we had to work with torch and candle light, and rely on our senses. Room 29 on the top floor is reported to be the most active room in the building.
11:45 to 12:20 Base line readings
11.45 We assembled our equipment and returned up to top floor taking baseline, EMF and temperature readings, there were no EMF signals picked up. The temperatures were 9 degrees in room 29, 6 degrees in the room next door and 5 degrees in the final room. Because of lack of light source we placed a lantern on the window ledge in room 29, whilst we were standing around and talking the lantern fell onto the floor. On further inspection a piece of cotton was found to be attached to the lantern, however the cotton was thin and we all felt that if it had been pulled it would have snapped rather than pull the lantern off the shelf. There was broken glass on the floor and as it was dark we decided to clear it up and place it safely on the left side of the window ledge at the opposite end to the window which was stuck partly open. We completed the readings and went downstairs for a coffee before we started the investigation in earnest.
1.15 am to 2.00 am – Glass Divination in room 29
Members involved were: - Phillip, Sue, Anna and Frank with Eleanor asking questions and Sue and Chris on camera and taking temperature measurements.
When we first started the glass was not responding very well, it was moving and turning but very slowly. The spirit that we were in contact with was a young woman in her early 20’s called Victoria. She was unsure of us and we all got the impression she was more than a little frightened. As we continued we all heard a door bang and one of the members of the group saw someone go past the doorway, thinking it was a member of the Bell Inn Staff coming up to see us, we looked but no one was there, we called out and no one answered us. The staff member at this time (as we found out later) was down stairs in the Regency Room talking to his manager, as to our members, we were all accounted for in room 29 we can only say that there were no humans in the corridor at that time. As we were getting no joy out of the glass moving we did not continue and made our way down to the Regency room.
2.00 am to 3:50 Regency Room.
We started by talking to the manager and member of staff who would remain with us in the Regency Room. They were telling us a little about the history of the building and some of the activity that has been experienced in the past. Several photographs were taken by Sue some of which contained orbs.
At 2:30 we started a séance. The sitters involved were Eleanor, Tina, Ann, Sue and Phillip, Mark was on audio and Chris and Frank were taking temperature and EMF readings.
It was not long before there was activity in the Regency Room, Tina and Eleanor were aware of a small white Scottie dog running around the room. A rather pompous looking gentleman dressed in smart brown three piece suit together with a bow tie in 1930’s style stood by the bar, he would not give his name. He approached the table and tried to kiss Phillip who said he felt someone kiss him on the lips, as the man did not appear to get the desired result he moved over to Eleanor. This gentleman said he was a previous owner of the Bell, Sue began to feel pins and needles in her hand and pains in her chest, the gentleman said he had died of a heart attack. Sue said she could hear children playing over on the far side of the room, they were singing ‘ring a ring of roses’. Eleanor confirmed they were playing with spinning tops and a hula hoop. A lady named Lillian who worked at the Bell as a servant made herself known first to Tina then Eleanor, she had to hide behind Phillip when the owner came over to the table. A cancan chorus line was noticed by several of the sitters, they were performing in the corner of the room. Simmone from the line approached Phillip and asked “what he would like” he answered “a dance and a hug” and felt an icy cold band around his waits. During the séance Mark was picking up on the dripping of water in the room this was not understood until a man who was dressed in denim jeans came through. This man was a friend of one of the staff, unfortunately he passed away by drowning in a surfing accident, he wanted to pass to his friend a ring with the initial M or W, the message was passed on and he confirmed he had a friend who had left the area and died soon afterwards whilst surfing. The whole team said they could hear dripping water while this spirit was communication with the circle, further investigation of the room left us unable to find and trace of water dripping in the room.
During the séance Frank noted that the temperature in the immediate area around and beneath the table, despite the heat produced from the bodies of those around the table, decreased gradually by up to 4 degrees centigrade but increased after the séance back to the ambient temperature of the room.
4.45 am Room 29
As we entered room 29 one of the team stood on glass on the floor, when we checked we noticed that pieces that had been placed on the window sill were no longer there.
Glass Divination
We made contact again with the young lady called Victoria who died during child birth, she had already lost at least two babies during pregnancy. Victoria was the daughter of a man who likes to stay in the room next door, he gives the impression he was not a particularly pleasant person and treated his daughter badly. The glass did move slightly but once again it was at a very slow pace, the spirit seemed to have very little energy. One question we asked was do you want us to help? We got a no, however we received an answer of yes when we asked if she is happy where she here. We decided to close the glass divination and move onto a different method of communication.
The Rocking Sprit Board
Team members included were: - Phillip, Sue, Anne and Frank on the board, Chris on Camera, Eleanor asking the questions with Tina and Mark watching. Victoria answered some of the questions, she seemed to be frightened of her father and when we were asking questions about the children she would not answer and just kept on saying “bye” meaning we had to close the board. Apparently the father had given her something called Laudanum to try and cause her to miscarry, but on later research this apparently was a drug to try and control pain relief.
Spilt vigil
We decided to split into two groups, male and female; the females moved into the next room and the men stayed in room 29. Eleanor, Tina, Anne and Sue stood in the room with again just candles, we immediately sensed we were not alone, the presence was Victoria’s father; he was just outside the room and was communicating through Eleanor who was saying “you cannot hurt me”. He then started to threaten us by saying it will start with Tina first then Sue followed by Anne and save the bitch (Eleanor) till last. With the combined energy of all four of us the father stood no chance. Anne had a relative trying to communicate with her and there was one more spirit outside the room with the father and she was a lady named Glen who was passing by and decided to come in and say hello. In the meantime the lads were in room 29 trying glass divination however very little movement was happening. The men did notice that the glass appeared to keep moving towards a candle that was standing on the table. We all joined forces in room 29 as Sue stood by the table holding a red candle she started to pass the candle to the person next to her who she thought had held their hand out for it, but it was then she released that there was no one there. The hand looked solid and was reaching out for the candle, it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, and it was amazing Sue said “I will never forget it”.
Glass Divination
Chris wanted then to try out glass moving but with the females only, trying to put a finger onto the glass was strange it felt like broken glass and they could not leave it on there for long. The glass again moved very little so we closed the session and started to clear up our equipment.
Conclusion
This is an active and interesting location, we all experienced some unexplainable happenings, the lamp falling followed by the broken glass being moved then Sue trying to pass a candle to a hand she was certain had reached for it. We also had a strange incident with a vase in room 29, when we first arrived we moved it to ensure it was out of harms way but when we were clearing up ready to leave we noticed it had been moved back to it’s original location under the window. All in all we had an interesting and eventful night and after ploughing through out media and carrying our further research we will probably pay a second visit.