Home is where the hart is. (From Swindon Advertiser)

Home is where the hart is.

8:29pm Tuesday 25th November 2008

After a short, enforced break of two months from paranormal investigations I was out and about again with Wiltshire Phenomena Research.

A last minute change of location had dulled a few spirits, but the new location, which had been arranged by one of the team founders, appeared on the face of it quite an interesting place. The building does not feature in the endless lists you find on ghost sites and perhaps that influenced my mood as I packed my equipment for the nights work ahead. I wasn't expecting much from the location, but I left Swindon at 10pm and headed off to meet the other members of the team.

This investigation was quite local for me, so it only took thirty minutes to reach the old coaching Inn. I am usually faced with at least an hours drive to and then back again on these investigations and this was a pleasant change. Driving back at three or four in the morning, exhausted from the nights activities can be very daunting.

I met the rest of the team in the car park of the Inn. A heavy metal tribute band was in full swing in the building and the heavy beat of AC/DC and other rock bands filled the air. We entered the building, strangers to the locals and sat in the corner being carefully watched by the patrons. Someone announced quite loudly that the 'Whooooo' people had arrived which prompted further looks in our direction. One of the team members braved the bar and returned with a round of cokes. We really know how to party!

The landlady, a seasoned and no-nonsense woman led us from our seats in the bar across a paved courtyard and into the building opposite. The Inn was built in a square with the aforementioned yard in the center. Two large archways, the access points for the horses and coaches of yesteryear, lead out to the streets, but were firmly locked.

We entered the building, ducking under the low doorway and trooped upstairs to the area that would serve as base camp for the evening. It was a large room, complete with bar, disco glitter ball and DJ station. We unpacked our gear and made ready for the guided walk around this large Inn. Two of the team departed for the tour, leaving three of us in the base camp sorting out cameras, camcorders, microphones and other equipment. We witnessed the first anomaly here. While chatted idly about a large saucer UFO spotted near Warminster a white light spot flashed across the ceiling. There were no light leaks or windows in the room and we could not explain the source of this spot of light. We explained the experience to the rest of the team.

There were many rooms to investigate in the building. The part of the building were we in was unoccupied so we decided to start at the bottom in rooms one and two and work our way back up. Activity had been reported in both these rooms so switching on our equipment we made our way to the first room. We choose room two, a small bedroom with ensuite bathroom and bare stone walls. It was cold, but not unnaturally so, despite our call-outs and presence we experienced nothing and soon moved to room one. This had been nicknamed the posh suite and on opening the door it was obvious why. A large four poster bed dominated the room and tall dark wood cabinets lined one wall. The bathroom was to the back of the room, hidden away behind a blind corner. This became a feature of all the ensuite rooms in the Inn, due mainly to the shape of the original rooms.

As I stepped into the room a feeling of anxiety overcame me. It may have been the dominant four poster or the dark wardrobes, but I did not feel comfortable at all. As I moved into the area and closer to the bathroom the feeling grew. I did not want to be in there!

With two members near the door, myself in the center and two near the bathroom we started the vigil. One of the team founders who was sat in a chair near the bathroom called out and almost immediately turned to another team member to ask why they had pulled her arm. The team member was confused responding that they had not done anything. The room went deadly silent. One of the team who was closest to the door suddenly pulled it open and ran outside. He was convinced he had heard someone climbing the stairs. Despite searching, nothing was found. We called out again but there was no reaction. We changed positions with different team members sat in the chair near the bathroom, but still the room remained silent.

We moved around the Inn over the next few hours conducting vigils in many of the rooms. We arrived at one particular room where a light anomaly had been reported by another investigation team. It took only a few minutes to realise the reported phenomena of a light spot moving around the room could easily be explained by car headlights and reflective materials in the bathroom. Anomaly explained? Most likely.

We descended to the cellar and walking through a cobweb strewn arched passageway we found ourselves in the original 17th century vault. A well-worn stone staircase that used to lead to the upper floors before being sealed off in years gone by dominated one end of the room. We realised we were below Room One and I felt a shiver run through me. There was something about that room I really didn't like.

We moved from the cellar and as the team took a coffee break in the bar of the Inn I went out into the freezing courtyard. It was here that a full body apparition had been reported on several occasions, right next to room one. What was it about this room that seemed to attract all this activity? As I entered the courtyard a blue light spot, about the size of a football shot across the courtyard and vanished outside the bathroom wall - of Room One.

We returned to this room and took up our positions. Another team member and I stood by the door, one stood in the center of the room, one sat on the chair near the bathroom and another in the bathroom itself. We called out and heard a loud retching noise. We thought it was our team member in the bathroom in trouble and quickly moved to see if he was OK. He looked puzzled, a reaction confirmed by the team member sitting on chair. They had both heard nothing. We checked the camera, which we keep running through the investigation. The beginning of the choking noise could be heard and then the picture fizzled out as if being interfered with by some force! What was going on?

The investigation ended soon afterwards and with our minds firmly made up to come back and investigate room one more thoroughly, we packed up our equipment, bade farewell to our host and returned to our homes.

The investigation was far more active than I expected. Although the main Inn and all its rooms were quiet and displayed no paranormal activity, Room One was different. What caused the sleeve pulling and the noises? What caused the camera to malfunction and why did the room have such a foreboding atmosphere?

We will be returning to the location in 2009........

Home is where the hart is. (From Swindon Advertiser)

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