Situated in the village of Bradwell near Hope Valley in Derbyshire Ye Olde Bowling Green is a classic example of an early 1500 Alehouse. As far as we know, it has always been an Inn, however a Slaughterhouse as a sideline. The licence was held by the Bramall family for about 150 years.
There is a local belief that there isp something strange about the inn, and previous owners have been mystified by their names being whispered during the quiet of the afternoon. The atmosphere is, however, very friendly and the “intruder” is known affectionately as “Fred”. Belonging also to the inn is a deep well.
Team Spirit Paranormal Investigation
Myself and the team were quite excited to investigate this inn after doing a brief on the history of the place. We all met up around 9pm and familiarized ourselves with this lovely location. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pitch black countryside, the small village looked so beautiful and peaceful lit up by the odd street lamp and the full moon. We went in the bar, bought ourselves a soft drink, and then on the first level we decided to set up our equipment. We split ourselves up doing different experiments.
Coultous Box Session
John & Phil
Sue & Fiona
Angel Board
Myself (Lell) and John did a brief Pendulum session
John later did some Water Scrying
I then joined Phil to do a session on the Coultous Box EMF meter and trigger objects
Andy, Sue and Fiona did a session on the Planchette Drawing Board
The amazing Automatic Writing/Drawing Board
Suprisingly we all experienced good solid evidence that we were communicating with more than one spirit, both male and female spirits. It seemed like they were trying to emphasize Protection to us. We had the planchette drawing board doing drawings of a few pentagrams, which was truly amazing to watch,,, The pendulum was answering us direct Yes and No questions by moving either Clockwise for Yes or Anticlockwise for No. When I joined Phil at the table doing the Spirit Box and EMF readings, we heard some clear stuff come through the box, words were ” Bastard!”, “Die!”, “Broken light bulb”, to our astonishment, directly up on the wall above us, there was a light, John looked and discovered it had a broken light bulb!! Just brilliant! Not to mention a few extremely angry voices coming through the spirit box too, just like two people were arguing, a male and a female. After checking team witch Kat’s Remote View which she had done for me previous to this investigation, she saw a male and female at loggerheads! Astounding !!
Here are a few more pictures we took inside the inn ( former slaughter house)
Another experiment we did was Water Scrying… This was done by John… After looking back on the video taken, we managed to get these stills….
If you look closely to all three photos, you should see the face of a man?? The bottom photograph we believe is the “grumpy old man” that Andy himself picked up on in the pool room, team witch Kat also picked up on in her Remote View, and astonishingly the nasty shouting coming through the spirit box…. See for yourselves…
The last session of the night here we did was the Ouija Board…
On the board was Andy (who lead the board), Fiona and Sue, I was behind the camera for this one…
What an interesting Ouija Board session…
After communicating with a couple of different spirits through the board, we had a message that either one of us, or all of us, should read Luke 9: Chapter 5…..
You can watch this on our YouTube Channel to see it spelling out Luke 9…. Of course we couldn’t wait to read in the bible what this actually meant…. It means:
“If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them”…
Conclusion
After such an interesting and very suprising night here at Ye Olde Bowling Green Inn, Team Spirit Paranormal really enjoyed this lovely location… We gathered quite a lot of evidence, in photographs, drawings, the pendulum swings, voices, etc…. We hope to return in the future… Amazing place!!
Thank you for reading
TSP Team
You can also find us on Facebook Twitter Instagram and if you would like to watch the videos mentioned up above please visit our YouTube channel Team Spirit paranormal Official
This public house was totally destroyed along with adjoining houses from the flood in 1864 . The Malin Bridge pub that stands today was built from scratch, however this is not the location we investigated. Our location sits just around the corner.
The public house we investigated sits on the corner of the hill and withstood the flood which swept past and down into Malin Bridge, Hillsborough, Hillfoot, through a vast part of Sheffield and even reached as far as Rotherham and Doncaster killing more than 300 people and over 700 animals. This is the worst disaster in Victorian England. This was caused by a crack in the Dale Dyke Dam… Most of the people were fast asleep in their beds unaware of what was about to happen on 11th March 1864 at a few minutes to midnight and didn’t stand a chance.
The public house we investigated which was used as a makeshift morgue for some of the bodies that were stored from the Great Sheffield Flood. The lower windows in the photograph is the area we were locked off in, the oldest original part of the building.
This plaque is outside on the wall of the building
Survivors looking for the dead
Image of the aftermath at Malin Bridge
Team Spirit Paranormal Investigation
The Bar Area
The team had access to the oldest section of the building. So the public were all in a completely different section of the building and not able to come through to where we were. We had an interesting night from RemPods going off on command and even more stranger Rempod activity where team members Lesley, John, Claire, Phil and Peter all heard it going off very faint in an area where it was not even set up which was extremely weird and inexplicable.
Claire picked up on a woman called “Sarah” who walked past in a long Victorian dress and we also had a man called “Bob” who spoke to us through our very own Team Spirit Paranormal ITC App which you can view on YouTube. On reviewing our footage we capture many spirit orbs, although a lot of it was dust.
We set up some experiments such as EMF meters, RemPods, some shot glasses with actual Whiskey in them to try to encourage spirit to communicate with us.
Some experiments we set up on the bar to encourage spirits to interact
Unfortunately we had no success with these experiments throughout the night, so a couple of the team downed the Whiskey, after all it would have been a shame to see them go to waste!!
The Cellar Area
We ventured into the cellar area, which at first seemed rather flat… Team Medium Claire found a door to a small offshot room, which looked extremely old… Team Leader Lesley asked for spirit to show themselves at the side of Team Sceptic David, but we did not see or hear anything at this point. I then asked our team medium Claire to go into the little room… She had barely been in seconds and started to feel overwhelmed and pressure on her head…Claire explained it was not a very pleasant feeling at all and needed to vacate this area quick. Whilst we were down there I myself did some filming, and so did Claire. If you go to our YouTube channel ( Team Spirit Paranormal Official) you can see an unexplained Anomaly which we cannot debunk.
In this video footage this unexplained anomaly appears from out of nowhere moving from the middle of the picture left to right. The strange shape has been ringed for you to see here.
We return back to the Bar Area
A close up of a strange light anomaly captured by TSP Investigator John
TSP Investigators Andrew, David and Sue conducted a short Automatic Writing Board session, but unfortunately no spirits came through on this occasion.
TSP ITC Session
We decided to run our app and had some amazing results come through! We spoke with a lady, who sounded Scottish. After we ask which area we are in a female voice says “Loxley”… And just after that a male voice says ” Malin Bridge” much to our astonishment. Again you can watch this footage on YouTube.
Claire did a quiet walk round later on in the evening, and had some great RemPod results on command two or three times. Also caught some good spirit orbs later too.
Conclusion
The team had an eventful night with certain methods of spirit communication, however not all were successful…but that is how it goes and we are always grateful to spirit for communicating in any way they chose to do so.
A couple of things happened that we cannot explain or debunk, so all good… We truly believe there are sadly some of the victims who lost their lives in the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864 and we all pay our sincere condolences and respect to all of them.
You can find a lot of information on the flood online if you would like further and more indepth reading of what happened on that tragic night.
Thank you for reading.
Written by Lesley Hudson
Team Spirit Parnormal
Lesley Hudson, Andrew Froggatt , Claire Powell-Pepper, John Williams, Philip Williams, David Westerman, Susan Westerman, Fiona Beck & special guest Peter Willis
Andy from the team was in the area and decided to pay a visit to this amazing location…..
This stone built inn was built in 1705 as a cattle drovers’ lodging is situated at the northern end of Loch Lomond and 27 miles from Rob Roy’s grave.
Legend has it the infamous Scottish outlaw Roy Roy himself enjoyed the hospitality at the inn.
Rob Roy
Ghosts of The Drovers Inn
FrontEntrance to The Drovers Inn
In the late 18th century, the winter of 1792, a young crofting family were removed forcibly from their home, after their landlords decided that the land would make much more money if it was used for sheep farming. Later this year became known as ‘The Year of the Sheep’.
Sadly, this poor family then had nowhere to live, and little money to support their young child, they had no option other than to head south in the hope to make a new life for themselves in the Scottish lowlands. They were even faced with immigrating to one of the new worlds.
On their treacherous hard journey in the winter months, one particular night they got caught in a real bad heavy snow storm. Their aim was to reach safety at The Drovers Inn, but unfortunately because they were so exhausted and visibility was so bad, they took a wrong turn. After desperately trying to get back on the right track to the Drovers Inn, they tragically all froze to death.
Over many years, people have reported witnessing the young family wandering the land in the winter months attempting to seek shelter. On more than one occasion, they have even appeared to a few on arriving at their fateful destination.
Reportings on strange happenings in the inn
Account 1/ Room 2
A couple who were staying in Room 2 were both woken in the night with a cold shiver. On waking up they were shocked to see a young family stood at the foot of the bed, seeing their cold breath. The little boy waved at the couple, looking happy to see them.
Account 2/ Room 6
On the night of Friday October 21st, a young man and his girlfriend stopped off at the inn on their way up to the Isle of Mull. The man had stayed here many times before, however it was a first for his girlfriend. The lady loved the place just as he did. They stayed in Room 6. After eating at the bar, they decided to retire up to their room for the night. During the night, the lady woke up to discover flickering of the lights. At first the man who was half asleep after his girlfriend had woken him to look at the lights, he basically told her it was probably the flashing light which was on the rooms smoke detector that she could see… but after she asked him to look again, he was surprised to see “numerous tiny white points of lights dancing around in mid-air”! He explained , ” at any one point I could see between ten to twenty lights”, he said ” although these lights were very small, they were pretty intense, moving randomly disappearing then reappearing”. Apparently the room was pitch black with no other light source causing anything to reflect. A week or so later, the couple could not come up with any rational explanation for these lights at all.
Ghostly Child
One Thursday evening a lady with her daughter and friends stayed at the inn for a birthday treat. She took plenty of photographs of their celebrations. On looking through her snaps a few days later, she ended up emailing the Drovers asking them if they could tell her who the little girl was in a pink dress on the stairs? She said the child was not with their party, and they had not seen any children whatsoever in the hotel that night. Her daughter who had taken the photograph said there was no one whatsoever on the staircase where the photo had been snapped. After confirmation by the staff, on that night there were no children staying at the hotel or even visiting!
The Girl who Drowned
In the early century there was a young girl that stayed nearby. In the waters placid waters of River Falloch with her beloved doll Annabel. The river runs just behind the Drovers Inn. On this particular day there had been quite a bit of rainfall,so the river was pretty high and had stronger undercurrents. The girls’ doll fell into the water so she tried to get it back…but tragically the young girl got swept into the river, and by the time anybody noticed, she was gone, taken by the icy waters.
River Falloch
A search party made up of her family, local farmers, and cattle drovers eventually found her just downstream, but sadly was too late to save her… They carried her lifeless body to the inn and laid her on the bed in Room 6. She remained there while the family grieved, and prepared the burial ground in the graveyard nearby.
Since that terrible day, it is said in the inn that many guests have experienced being woken up in the middle of the night and felt a small icy wet body beside them on the bed. Also, there have been strange sightings of the doll…..
There have been other reports of strange happenings and sightings in the inn.
Andys experience in the inn.
Andy was straight away drawn to an area ….. He had a feeling of constantly being watched…especially on a corridor which led towards the stairs up to the rooms. He was drawn to this stuffed seal in a cabinet… Do you see it?… After close inspection of the photograph, we do not think this is a reflection.
If you look closely there is something to the left of this picture,… after close inspection, we are ruling out any reflection….
Here are a few more photos taken inside the Drover Inn
There was an old portrait of a family in the inn, we think it maybe a previous Land Lord and his family, but are not certain.
Family portrait displayed in the inn
As a team we have not investigated this amazing place. It most certainly would be a great location, so watch this space.
Thanks for reading
Written by Lesley Hudson of Team Spirit Paranormal
TEAM SPIRIT PARANORAMAL are:
Lesley Hudson
Andrew Froggatt
Susan Westerman
Philip Williams
Fiona Beck
Dave Westerman
John Williams
Find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter
First started off as a “pocket farm” evolving through the centuries on the Pennine pack-horse routes of the 1700s to a fine gentleman’s residence set in four acres of mature gardens and grounds during the reign of Queen Victoria.
The first ever records found showed that a Michael Marsden and his wife and eight children lived here in 1851. In 1871 the hall was taken over by a fishmonger from Barnsley called George Chapman with his wife Elizabeth and three children. By the year 1901 George had moved to live back in Barnsley at the age of 78.
In 1901 the hall was taken over by George Lockley along with his five children. One of their daughters, Florence, visits the hall in spirit, and is fondly known as “Flo” their “resident ghost”. People including staff and visitors have reported sightings of “Moving shadows”, and have heard a “lady crying”. Upstairs in one of the guests rooms some have felt an unseen person sitting on the end of the bed, lying down on the bed or even trying to get into the bed.
As years went on the hall became an orphanage which closed in 1973. There became less and less sightings of Flo. People to this day still visit the hall who grew up in the orphanage.
Inside Cubley Hall there are two photographs on a mantlepiece, one of The Lockleys and one of Flo Lockley’s wedding.
Lockley family photograph
Florence Lockley
Flo’s wedding day outside the hall
Flo married John George Morrell at the hall and they had 2 children. One a boy we believe to have fallen down a well.
TSP Investigation
I firstly met up with our Team Medium Jo, and her friend Lisa in the conservatory section of the building ( which was added on years later, so pretty recent). We were relaxing and chatting amongst ourselves, as Jo started to open herself up to spirit, she straight away said she was picking up on a lady and children, also animals. We had a little walk around the area which led down towards the cellar. Myself and Jo both had a very cold feeling round the bottoms of our legs in this area which we could not explain.
We familiarised ourselves with more of the building, and then when the rest of the team arrived, we used a room called ‘The Blue Room’ as our base. After having a relaxed chat, we decided to have a walk over to another building just to the side of the main hall, The Barn.
The Barn
We set up the Automatic Writing Board and called out… After ten or fifteen minutes, maybe longer, we got nothing and decided to have a walk down in the cellar.
We hadn’t been down long until our medium Jo started picking up on a child sat next to her on the steps crying. The child was telling her he hadn’t been naughty…that was the reason why he was crying.
Andy then found a hole at the opposite side, shoved his hand through taking a couple of pictures, as it was too small to physically climb into and very dark. Here is the picture below.
Just below all the bottles you can just about make out a circular shape.. This was a well… That had been filled in. We later discovered whilst calling out on the Ouija board that Flo’s child had fallen down a well, after being sent down the cellar with another child… which tragically ended his life, so they had the well filled in. All confirmed on the board later that night.
So, we started up with the Automatic Writing Board in The Barn, and we had nothing at all come through after a good twenty minutes or so… Lisa who was a guest picked up on a large dog, and later on we discovered that a large dog had passed only a couple of weeks ago there. Also, Jo kept coughing, and apparently a lady had choked to death in this barn, a couple of years ago, whilst dining here. Jo also said she was getting a strong link with a stable boy aged 12.
Because we had nothing come through on the board, we then went back into the hall. We attempted the writing board one last time in The Blue Room, where we had set up as base. We received absolutely nothing in this room, so I suggested we move to another room. The room we went to was called ‘The Lockley Room’. This time we agreed on setting up the Ouija Board. Medium Jo and guest Lisa went for a wander around the rest of the building, whilst John was behind the camera, and Myself, Andy, Sue and Phil were on the board. It was so slow to begin with…but after a while the energies started to come through…
After questions and questions later, we had some amazing results. We had a George come through, telling us he was ‘Sad’, it spelled out ‘S A D’ 3 or 4 times. We learned that George had hanged himself in the attic, not intentional, it was an act gone wrong. We discovered he was homosexual, and back in those times this was very much so illegal. When Jo came back from her visit to the attic, she told us about a “hanging gone wrong” and George being gay. We were all absolutely gobsmacked buy our confirmations. Along with strong spikes from the EMF meters.
All night long, Andy kept saying he felt like he had a broken neck, even before we had results come through about the hanging. Jo, told us that ‘George’ was stuck..and we had to pass him over… She asked myself, Andy, Sue and Phil to help her. It was extremely emotional. It took a short while, but eventually he went through to the light…And to no suprise, Andy’s neck returned back to normal. An amazing night had by all.
Here are a few more photographs I took in this fascinating place.
Main Entrance Cubley Hall
Main Staircase
Team Spirit Paranormal will hopefully be returning to this history steeped Hall in Penistone. I shall be adding more information to this article as more unfolds.
Thank you for reading.
Written by Lesley Hudson
Team Spirit Paranormal are Lesley Hudson, Andy Froggatt, Philip Williams,John Williams, Sue Westerman, Dave Westerman, Jo Nettleton, & Fiona Beck
Each time I have visited the picturesque small village of Bolsterstone it is always quiet and peaceful… After hearing a couple of experiences and strange sightings to ourselves Team Spirit Paranormal I decided to meet up with part of my team to have a walk around in certain areas of personal interest.
The village stands on high ground between Stocksbridge and he Ewden Valleys and is around 900 feet above sea level. It is believed that the village may have originated as an Anglo Saxon settlement.
On this visit I parked up waiting for the rest of the team to arrive opposite the Village Hall, in itself a lovely building.
Bolsterstone Village Hall
Between the Village Hall and graveyard runs a long lane… When the rest of the team joined me we had a little walk down the lane… I have a keen interest in this lane as a “ghostly white lady” has been witnessed moving up and down the lane. An ex team member used to play down this lane as a young boy, many moons ago with his friends, and every time he had to go home, if it was dark, he would “leg it”, looking straight ahead, not left or right, especially not left as it is the graveyard…it would be pitch black as there weren’t any street lamps. Once at the top of the lane he felt much better.
Heads Lane Old Coach House
Graveyard left of Heads Lane
We didn’t stay long on the lane as we were being attacked by hundreds of midges so decided to have a look at the beautiful church.
Just outside, on what would have been called the “greens” there is what we believe to be an old Water Tough….
Ancient water trough.
The Church and the Lych Gate
St.Mary’s Church
The church stands on the site of earlier places of worship and was built between 1872 – 1879. There is evidence that a place of worship has existed on the site since the 12th century. It is located 13km NW of the city centre and is a Grade II Listed building.
The first documented place of worship on the site of St. Mary’s was established by Sir Robert de Rockley in 1412. At this time the church was within the large parish of Ecclesfield. The chantry soon turned into a public chapel as it became a popular place of worship for the locals.
From it’s early days the chapel was used as a day school for local children, this practice stopped in 1686 because the building was deemed unsuitable.
In the 18th century the chapel had fallen into disrepair. Reverand Thomas Bland had the church replaced it in 1791. A vicarage was added in 1862, in 1870 Bolsterstone became a parish in it’s own right and included nearby Deepcar and Stocksbridge. Bland’s church was unpopular and lasted barely 80 years before the vicar William Reginald Wilson decided to replace it in 1872. Wilson was vicar between 1867 and 1914, a tenure of 47 years, making him the longest serving incumbent in the church’s history.
The Lych Gate
The Lych Gate was erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1897 and the present gates to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
The two Bolster Stones on entry to the church yard
Bolster Stones situated in the church yard of St.Mary’s
The two Bolster Stones have a couple of theories… One being that the village actually gets the name from these stones, however others seem to believe the origin lies elsewhere. The stones were moved here for safety from nearby Unsliven Bridge and possibly formed the base for twin Anglo Saxon Crosses… Others believe it may have been the base from a local Gibbet.
In 1921 a war memorial was erected by the side of the Lych Gate; it records the names of 48 people of the parish who were killed in conflicts in the 2oth century.
A new stained glass window was unveiled in the church in July 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a coach crash which killed nine people on a coach transporting the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir to a music festival in Holmfirth.
The memorial of the nine lives that were lost in 1947.
Here are a couple of photos I took in the church yard….
On entrance through the Lych Gate
The Great War Memorial
The rear of the church
Rear of the church
Inside St.Mary’s Church
The Parish Bell Ropes
Looking down towards the Alter
We witnessed quite a few unexplained experiences inside this church. We both heard bangs which we couldn’t debunk, Fiona felt something/someone brush against her left arm twice, We both heard a male voice chattering for quite a while, The EMF meter spiked a few times on command, we both heard a female hum, Fiona felt a definite cold spot, and we both experienced a pain in our right temples. Amazing!
We conducted a live stream on Facebook whilst inside this beautiful church. We gathered some very interesting evidence. On reviewing the live footage once back home, I discovered a strange unexplained light anomaly shoot across. This was screenshot for readers to see here.
Here it is circled before it disappears off to the left.
Stocks and Whipping Post
Stocks and Whipping Post
The village Stocks are situated to the left of the Lych Gate against the church wall, which I have seen many times and find fascinating! Originally they would have stood alone on what was the Greens. They consist of two stone uprights and a wooden fall slide with provision for three occupants. The largest of the uprights has an iron ring near the top which leads us to conclude its use as a whipping post.
The iron railings were placed around the stocks in 1905 to stop people damaging them. They were originally made by Henry Steele , the blacksmith at the time, who worked at the Smithy and Forge across the road.
These stocks and whipping post were put up in the 17th century. For hundreds of years most towns had a set of stocks. A statute of 1351 had made it law for every township to provide and maintain a set of stocks. They were used to punish people for minor crimes, as was the whipping post.
After our walk around the graveyard and having a good look at the Bolster Stones themselves, we decided to head over to have a walk onto find the old Porters Lodge.
Porters Lodge
Porters Lodge (also was known as Hannah Parkin’s Cottage ( Hannah was a widowed pauper who lived here in 1851) situated on Walders Lane, Bolsterstone.
This amazing building is always locked up, so to our detriment we were unable to see inside.
The lodge is Medieval, but extensively re-modelled in the late 19th century.If you look closely at the photograph you can depict where there once was a medieval archway…
Where the old archway would have been.
We had to be rather quiet and careful as surrounding the lodge are private cottages… Beautiful cottages may I add… The old boarded up lodge, what a stunning building… I would love to get us in it to conduct an investigation…
Hannah Parkin, a widowed pauper lived in the lodge in 1851. The lodge was then known as “Hannah Parkins Cottage”. Later it was used as a reading room, then a base for the church’s youth club. Most recently as a changing room for the Stocksbridge Rugby Club.
The door to Porters Lodge, sadly all locked up.
Old stone face carving
Porters Lodge Plaque
We were really pleasantly suprised to see the date on the plaque… A.D.1250. !!
As we walked back out of Walders Lane after looking at the lodge, I spotted what appeared to be maybe storage spaces… We wern’t sure, but we even guessed maybe where they kept the pigs??
Very old stone building, were these used as pig styes? Storage spaces?
Further on our walk around we decided to find the area which we were told by a friend of Andy’s that she had been driving up the road which leads up to Bolsterstone, at 10pm one evening… She approached the junction so waited a she saw what she first thought was another cars headlights nearing…. She was suprised to realise it wasn’t another car, but could only describe it as being a bright white light, in the form of a woman… She could even see the detail of the woman’s face and hair blowing in the wind…. The woman was just looking forward, still….. then after approximately 30 seconds, just as you would turn a light out in your house, the light just disappeared!! Gone!! So we thought we would do some calling out in the area where this apparition was seen along with our EMF meter….We didn’t take any other equipment as it was just an initial walkaround…..
We placed the K2 meter on the bench in the area where the white lady was seen…..
Fiona calling out just beneath the area of the bench where the white lady was seen……
Team Spirit Paranormal shall be returning to the areas we visited in Bolsterstone at night to carry out a full investigation…. We hope to encounter the white lady…..
Thanks for reading
Written by Lesley Hudson
Team Spirit Paranormal are:-
Lesley Hudson
Fiona Beck
Claire Powell-Pepper
John Williams
Phil Williams
You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & YouTube
I decided to do a blog on local Stone Circles near to where Team Spirit Paranormal are based in South Yorkshire, as we shall be visiting a few in the future.
Barbrook One
Barbrook One
Barbrook One is a stone circle on Ramsley Moor in the Peak District.
An embarked stone of the Bronze Age. It has one large standing stone which is 1 meter high, and has 11 smaller stones, approximately 5cm to 25cm high. The circle has an entire diameter of 13 meters, surrounded by a rubble bank 3 meters wide. The entire area is covered with cairns (cairns are a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, usually on a hilltop of skyline).
Barbrook One is one of the best preserved stone circles in the Peak District. Nearby are two other stone circles, Barbrook Two and Barbrook Three.
Barbrook Two
Just 260 metres to the northnorthwest of Barbrook One circle lies its sister Barbrook II. Although it is embanked, like other Derbyshire stone circles what sets this one apart is that the stones are now set into drystone walling contained within a rubble bank. Although it may have been built like this originally, what can be seen today is the result of rebuilding work undertaken around 1989.
The nine stones (it is thought there were originally ten) within this wall are typical of the area, all less than a metre in height, with a larger stone to the west, very similar to Barbrook One and the circle has a diameter of around 14 metres with an entrance to the northeast. Inside the circle, but to the west are the remains of a stone piled cairn and just next to this cairn is what is believed to be a cist cover that has three or four cups and a faint chevron carved into it.
Barbrook Two
The third of the three true stone circles on Barbrook Moor (there are also two circles which are now thought to be ring cairns, Barbrook Three is also known as Owler Bar and stands on a plateau in the northeast corner of the moor close to a reservoir.
Looking like a secluded stone fairy-ring this Bronze Age circle almost seems to disappear beneath clumps of grass during the summer as the tallest stone is little more than half a metre in height. Despite the small stature of the stones it is actually one of the largest circles in Derbyshire, consisting of a flattened circle of twenty-one remaining stones set within a very faint bank, the diameters of the ring being 26 metres by 24 metres. It is suggested by Victoria and Paul Morgan that there are three breaks in the bank and that one to the east-northeast may have formed an entrance.
Barbrook Three
Nine Ladies
Nine Ladies Stone Circle
Also called ‘The Grey Ladies’ these stones are part of an embarked stone circle with at least 10 stones and are part of a complex of 70 prehistoric stone circles and standing stones on Stanton Moor dating back to 3000-4000 years ago. Legend has it that 9 ladies were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath and that king stone, which also includes the name “Bill Stumps”, is also mentioned in the Pickwick papers by Charles Dickens. To this day Druids and Pagans still visit the site to celebrate Summer Solstice. Little evidence has been uncovered to suggest maybe why or when this stone circle was built and how it was used, just like other stone circles. Suggestions include a peace for ceremony or burial, a link between the earth and the sky, and the living and the dead. This site is on Ley Lines.
Legend This set of stones, also called the Grey Ladies, was thought to come alive at midnight (or midday) and dance on the nearby moor. Others have said that hundreds of fairies come to the stones to dance and party.
UFOs UFO sightings have also been reported here, along with abductions, strange objects flying through the sky… Could UFO’s have a connection to Ley Lines?
Arbor Low
Arbor Low Stone Circle
Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument set amid high moorland.
This is how it would have looked…
Legend Locals talk of a boggart that haunts the area of the circle – whomever spends time here after dark risks upsetting the entity. Also strange unexplained green lights have been seen and reported.
In a ditch, a circle of 50 white limestone slabs, now all fallen, surround a central stone ‘cove’ – a feature only found in major sacred sites. Nearby is Gib Hill, a large burial mound.
Gib Hill burial mound
Gib Hill took it’s name from it’s use as a hanging hill for a local murderer ( ‘Gib’ was taken from ‘gibbett’). After early excavations , revealed was a stone cist ( an ancient coffin or burial chamber made from stone or a hollowed tree) which contained a small clay urn and burned human bones. On a more mystical theme, it is said that Ley Lines run through it.
Doll Tor
Doll Tor Stone Circle
Doll Tor stands on the western flank of Stanton Moor. It is near a range of Prehistoric remains, both in association with agricultural and ritual activities. Unfortunately this is now privately owned and is not open to the public.
Archaeological excavations found evidence for burials of various human remains. Again, linked to the Late Bronze Age.
In the 1850’s, excavation revealed three or four urns, of the Pennine type, along with incense cups in the centre of the circle.
Later in the 1930’s, a burnt flint knife was revealed, again in the centre of the circle, and at the southern east edge of the circle a “thick plain urn”. Also in the area found was charcoal mixed with ceramic pieces and bones of a child. In the centre of the cairn a large stone slab had been placed above the remains of a cremated adult, most likely a woman, as found with the bones was a faience bead with a dark red base colour.
At the southern side was a small urn, containing a few “very small ” pieces of bronze, three unburnt flint scrapers and “very few bones”. The human remains in this area were determined those of a child. At the northern area of the circle was a pit containing the remains of an adult believed to be a male. Again a faience star bead was found with the bones. It was suggested that this bead was ultimately of Egyptian origin. At the northern east of the cairn were more remains of a child, with fragments of an urn, positioned beneath the large flat stone.
In the late 2oth and 21st centuries Doll Tor attracted modern Pagans. They would come and perform rituals, sometimes placing offerings, such as flowers and fir cones…Saying this, Doll Tor did not attract as much of this behaviour as the Nine Ladies stone circle.
Pagan OfferingsPagan Worshipping at Doll Tor
In June 2020 Doll Tor had been vandalised. Several of the stones had been moved and fires lit. Historic England described the act as a “Heritage Crime”, urging anyone with any knowledge about these crimes to come forwarded and tell the police. Claims on Social Media had been reported that othr prehistoric sites around Britain had also been vandalised at this period just as the country was easing out of the first Covid 19 lockdown.
Many believe that Doll Tor Circle is a Portal to the other side.
I am pretty optimistic that these sites could be interesting in the paranormal sense and hopeful to visit these amazing locations with the full team when it is possible to get back out investigating… It is certainly very interesting for historical purposes and paranormal research… so watch this space~!
Before embarking on your ghost hunting adventures, make sure you have all your necessary supplies. Going back to Old School, it’s important to take a pen and paper to keep track of any observations. Also take a camera, flashlight (plenty of batteries is a good idea). Take your mobile phone incase of any emergencies or to track time. Also, if you have no EVP recorders, your phone has a voice recorder which is just as good, if not better sometimes.
Dress suitably , especially if it is outdoors, goes without saying to be fair.
To locate sources of energy, investigators take higher quality materials, such as videos cameras, audio recorders, digital laser thermometers etc. Because this equipment can be extremely pricey, beginners should perhaps test the waters with basic kit before investing lots of time and money.
Research
A lot of fellow investigators prefer not to do any research, unlike myself, I love getting my teeth into research and find it so interesting and a must! In my opinion, even investigating your own home, it is a good idea to research its history. This can prepare you for potential challenges and learn more about the strange unexplained sightings in an area. For example, if sightings commonly occur at a certain time, its always a plan to conduct the investigation around that time.
TIP Most paranormal interactions take place near Battlefields, Forts, Cemeteries, Schools and Houses – so you will want to check out these locations in your area first.
Never Investigate Alone
Team Spirit Paranormal never investigate alone. We work as a full team of seven or at least two of us. Not only is it a lot more fun, but also much safer. You never know if you are going to have a situation where you hurt yourself physically, or how many spirits, or what kind you may encounter, so taking others along is advised. Take special precautions in secluded areas or at night. Terrain maybe unfamiliar and your sight maybe impaired in the dark. Also if you spot something unexplained, it is always better to have another’s senses for proof!
This is my wonderful team!!
Permission
If a property is not yours it is a must you ask for permission if you can. Also, if the property owner consents, it is better to get it in writing just to avoid any legal troubles due to trespassing. If the owner doesn’t want you to investigate a certain area, there is probably a good valid reason for it. TSP always have an ID badge if needed at any point of the investigation.
Safety
Be safe and cautious. This is paramount. If you are well prepared , like we are, your exploration should be exciting and safe. It’s always a good idea to take along a First Aid Kit, just in case!
Photographs
Whenever TSP go on investigations, I personally make sure I take plenty of photographs, whether on my phone or camera, because from past experience, you could be looking at a certain area, see absolutely nothing, and then on reviewing them back at home, you can discover odd things in your images. Burst shots are a great idea on mobile phones.
Pre-Investigations
I personally think it is a good idea to check out a location during the daytime, before any night time visit. This is because you can familiarise yourself better in the day, where you can see things clearer and know where things are.
Follow your instincts, and don’t just go charging in.
Protection
Protection Prayers are a must for us too. I usually do one before I leave my house, then another one when I meet up with the team. Just as important as a Protection opening prayer, is a closing down prayer. We do this as a team before leaving, and when I get home, I also do St.Michael’s Prayer without fail. In my opinion, if you do not do these, this could prove extremely dangerous. You do not want to be taking an attachment home with you!
Crystals are also something I take on every investigation we go to. I wear three bracelets, a Black Tourmaline, Tigers Eye, Clear Quartz, and I have crystals I take also, like Tigers Eye, Labradorite, and a Clear Quartz crystal that has been blessed by a Shaman. These always go with me. There are other crystals also for protection you can use.
During Investigations
Always go with respect. Let the spirits who you are inviting to communicate know you mean them no harm. Invite spirits to come forward. Invite them to make a noise, appear in front of you, or on a photograph. If they do respond, have the courtesy to thank them.
It is important to explain the equipment to spirits, as ghosts from hundred years ago won’t recognise tools like a spirit box or EMF reader, so a simple explanation can help spirits feel more comfortable. When you leave, thank them for having you – and ask them not to follow.
If you ever feel an overwhelming feeling urge to leave , take it as a serious warning that you shouldn’t be in that space. You could maybe take some sage and do a short chant to cleanse any negative spirits.
Protection Prayer when back home
St.Michael’s Prayer
I always read this prayer when I arrive home. A very powerful prayer.
Morecambe Winter Gardens is a Grade II listed building and what a stunning piece of architecture it is! Originally built in 1897 as a Victorian Pavillion Theatre, also an extension to the now demolished Winter Gardens that previously existed.
The building was listed in 1977 and also closed to the public this year. A campaign has been going on since 1986. The original complex, back in 1878 included seawater baths , bars and a ballroom. Declining profits in the following decades led to it’s closure in 1977. The ballroom building was demolished in 1982.
In 2008, the Winter Gardens featured on the tenth series of Most Haunted. They returned in October 2009 for eight nights broadcasting Most Haunted Live!
Paranormal
Lancashire’s Winter Gardens Theatre is one of the most infamous places in the UK for ghost hunts and has a reputation for very sinister paranormal activity. Stones have been thrown beneath the stage by an unseen force, footsteps heard on the gravel when no one is around, and shadows have been sighted upstairs on the upper balcony.
Sure to frighten even the most hardened sceptic, this place never fails to disappoint. The building is said to have a “good side & evil side”… The stage in the main auditorium, especially, is subject to this good/bad divide. People on one side of the stage are sometimes harassed by a spiritual entity with enough anger to push, poke or even slap them!
The building has also been used by the RAF. The airforce is also in the paranormal encounters and alongside heat spots, some visitors have reported seeing a woman dressed in a RAF uniform.
There are a couple of locations in particular within the building where it is said paranormal activity is much more frequent. On the first floor , which is the former ladies’ toilets, is said to be an area where muttering can be heard and shadowy presences felt. There have been reportings of the dressing room, saying a seamstress who aspired to be a professional dancer who failed to achieve fame haunts it. Psychics pick up on this strong presence.
The bar is also said to be haunted by a dark entity; it does not like people lingering in it’s space. The stairwells are haunted too, one in particular that connects down to the large basement area or up to the large basement area or up to the circle of the auditorium.
One staircase is subject to a story of a possible murder and haunting. It is said that the woman who fell to her death, after having a row with her husband, lingers in spirit on these stairs. People have reported hearing raised voices and then a scream! Was she killed? Her husband said she fell, or could he be covering up the fact he possibly pushed her to her death? Murder?
The basement is full of activity. Objects being thrown, EVPs and sounds of a dog growling.
There was once a flood in these cellars, some people believe that when the cellar flooded, it could have caused the possibility of a portal to open. Reportings of blue swirling mists, coldspots and the feeling of the spirit of a small child.
After some researching about this amazing place, as a team we are planning to visit here and carry out a full investigation when it is safe to do so. At the minute we are in Tier 3 Restrictions due to the Covid Pandemic. We look forward to this stunning building, and to what we may capture.
This once magnificent building is now in total ruins. Abandoned, known as a death trap, now with unsafe floors, outside and in.
History
Built in 1855 as a hunting lodge, in later years as a children’s orphanage. The architect remains unknown, however I have done some research into this fantastic place.
During the 1850s a flyer was found, reading that 105 acres of land, beautiful and charming, 7 acres of which were green grass and pure comfort. A local businessman, William Jessop saw this ad and decided to buy the property. Owner of William Jessop & Sons steel company. The company did in fact belong to his ancestors, 50 years prior to William in 1774.
As William got older, his four sons had to take over where he had left off. His sons were called Montague, Henry, Thomas and Sidney. Not long after William had died, so did his eldest Montague. Then did Henry at the young age of just 41.
Thomas and Sidney lived on to prosper. The two younger brothers continued the business and became much respected in the steel production industry. Because the business was thriving, they decided to open another devision in Manchester. This is how Sidney found out about the manor, during his many trips on the road to Manchester.
They would wait every year, on the 12th of August, which was the first day of hunting season. Thornseat Lodge became Sidney’s favourite place for hunting. He would sponsor groups of fifty people to go grouse hunting.Later, just like his father and two brothers, Sidney fell ill and died in January 1871. Thomas became the only owner of William Jessop & Sons and the new owner of Thornseat Lodge (then named Thornsett Lodge).
All of us Sheffielders have heard of Jessop’s Hospital for Women, well this very hospital was established by Thomas himself! Sadly in 1887 Thomas passed away.
Thomas had a son, also named William (1856-1905).
Hunting was in the Jessop’s blood, so not suprisingly the lodge became William’s favourite place and his final destination. William became ill, he suffered a throat condition leading him to travel across the world to find a cure, but sadly was unsuccessful. He was to spend his final months at Thornseat Lodge.
After the passing of William, the lodge was sold to SHeffield City Council. They had a completely different idea for it and turned it into a Children’s Orphanage.
Here are some photos I found from when it was during this time.
War loomed over Europe and in May 1939, the announcement came that the lodge would house children from Herries road Nursery. The children enjoyed the fresh country air. Around this time also is when the name Thornsett changed to Thornseat. A swimming pool was built to the rear of the lodge and in 1973 it was described as a home for sixteen emotionally disturbed ( or “difficult” children of all ages.
The old swimming pool as seen today
By 1979 it was listed as an Intermediate Treatment Centre. It accommodated at this time twelve young people, but not for very long. It closed in 1980. In the 80’s were difficult times for Sheffield. In the 90’s the house was used by the Sheffield Gingerbread Group as a place for families on low incomes to go and stay.
As the millenium approached, little was done to save Thornseat Lodge. Difficult in the severe moorland winters, it quickly fell into disrepair, and would be more and more unlikely that anybody would be interested in buying it. In 2004 Sheffield City Council finally sold it to Hague Plantation Excavations.
Thornseat Lodge has become a perilous ruin, has no listed status, and it’s future is bleek. Could there be salvation for the lodge? Looks unlikely, and for what purpose?
In 2016 a new company was formed called ‘Thornseat Lodge Ltd’. We are uncertain of it’s purpose, but it would be amazing if the house had a happy ending! I, for one, hope they can salvage it, but do not think it is likely. I wonder if any ghosts and spirits continue to wander through the open corridors and crumbling stonework?
Unsafe
After researching this location, I have learned that it is terribly unsafe, and described by a few as a “deathtrap”. Very unsafe underfoot, not only inside, but outside too.
Here are some photographs of how it stands today…
SONY DSC
As for investigations, not sure if it is safe any more… But never say never!
Kirkcarrion is a historical landmark in Bowbank, England. It is a copse of pine trees surrounded by a stone wall, on a hilltop near Middleton- in -Teesdale, County Durham, England.
The trees cover an ancient burial ground, a barrow, which is said to be the burial place of a Bronze Age chieftain. These trees were planted in the Victorian period. The official name of Kirkcarrion is Lunedale Ridge. Before the trees were planted the hill held great significance in the area. A rocky outcrop keeping watch over the valleys where the two rivers meet.
Discovery
Back in 1804 some local men came to the ridge to take some stones for building walls. As they were digging they discovered what is believed to be a stone lined burial chamber. Inside it was an urn containing a cremation and tiny bone fragments. It was obviously an ancient barrow, and had a lot of stones piled up from a long long time ago. People believe it was the grave of a prominent person. The urn and it’s precious contents did eventually find it’s way to the landowner who was at that time the Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorn. It was kept at his home, Streatlam Castle (near Barnard Castle). Streatlam Castle was demolished in 1959. Sadly there is no record or sign of the urn and it’s whereabouts. Lord Strathmore did however, have the pine trees planted in a circle, out of respect, to mark the discovery. This is indeed still a mystery, Who was it who was ceremoniously buried up the hill? Once it was believed to be a roman, but the name tells us to go even further back. Kirkcarrion is said to come from Prince Caryn of the Brigantes. Before the romans came, much of the North of England was ruled by Brigantean tribes of the Bronze Age.
The remains found up here in the urn are believed to be of Prince Caryn.
Kirkcarrion the old celtic name was Carreg Caryn. The burial rocks of Caryn. Today, Welsh for rocks is ‘Cerrig‘.
All evidence leads to a burial chamber for a Bronze Age Chiefain.
Ghosts & Legend
As a result of the remains of Prince Caryn’s remains in the urn being disturbed and removed , it is said that his ghost haunts the area. There have also been reportings of unexplained lights that have been seen hovering over this landmark.
There is a legend that within the circle of trees is a spot where no winds blows , no matter how bad the weather. This spot, interestingly , is said to be always shifting, making the assertion a tricky one to disprove. It has also been claimed that the mound is on a ley line.
Team Spirit Paranormal hopefully shall be paying a visit to this strange place in the next year or so… Should be an extremely interesting place to investigate.
Still standing and used now as a commercial business, this amazing building goes back to the 1700’s. Not exactly certain on when it was originally built, however it looks quite different to the building when it was first erected… A lot narrower in size for one… It has been knocked down and rebuilt. It was originally used as a Sunday School, linked to the Methodist Church on Scotland Street, Sheffield.
The old Sunday School building in centre of photograph at the bottom of the street.
Paranormal Reportings
As I found out more about this amazing building, a staff member began to tell me of strange experiences some including her own. Years ago, she began work here as a cleaner. Sometimes her son would go and help her. She and her son have both witnessed strange goings on such as on her second day she heard a voice as clear as crystal say in her ear “mummy” and her son also heard in his ear a voice say “help me”. Two nights after they had heard these voices, they were both there again, this time using Walkie Talkies… The lady was downstairs and her son was upstairs… All of a sudden the boy spoke to his mum on the Walkie Talkie saying ” Come up here quick!”… Mum ran up to the second floor and found her son trembling in a corner of the room and described her son “as white as a sheet”. She asked him what was wrong, what had happened, and her son told her he had seen a tall dark shadow of a man go across the wall to another room. On asking her if she felt like it was anything negative, she replied no.
Another reporting was of another lady who works here. She was working alone one night and the toilet door just suddenly swung wide open for no reason. TSP have checked this door on arrival, it is a heavy door, and would have to be physically moved. There is also the spirit of a man on the first floor known as “the stomper” as you can hear him stomping around loudly as if wearing heavy boots.
Going back to the lady who was telling us all about the building, she has witnessed a full apparition of a young boy ( aged around 5 or 6 years old) peaking at her from behind the toilet door whilst she was cleaning.
Here is where the apparition of a young boy has been seen peeking around the door of the toilet, just watching…
We did do an EVP session here, but unfortunately no EVPs. However on our initial walk around Philip did get spikes coming from the EMF.
Many times children are heard running around and you can hear their voices. And orbs have been seen and various loud bangs. Also a 6 foot shadow of a man has been seen walking down one side of a room on the first floor and round the corner to then just disappear.
Team Spirit Paranormal Investigation
We arrived at the building to a warm welcome where we had a good look around the outside before going in.
When we entered the building, we had a look around all the floors to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings.
We conducted a Drawing Board session and Spirit Board session with interesting results, and we believe we were communicating with F.V Wolstenholme, who was a superintendent of the methodist church on Scotland Street, as his initials were spelled out… His memorial is on the wall just inside the entrance to the building along with three others.
The memorial plaque just inside the entrance to the building.
Here are photos of our Drawing Board and Spirit Board sessions in the building
I did get touched on my left leg whilst doing this session.
Later on in the evening John, Phil & David went upstairs to place trigger objects and do some ITC including the SBox Ghost Scanner and the Red Ridge X App.
Philip and John setting up the camera to film the Red Ridge X App session along with trigger objects placed on the floor.
While the guys were upstairs, us ladies conducted another Spirit Board session, we were given ages of the children spirits, a 6 year old, a 3 year old, a 2 year old and a nine year old. also through the App and SPB11 the name ‘Mark’ came through and ‘Jasmine’.
Another strange thing happened whilst we were there, and we did get it on recording, was one of the monitors randomly switched itself on. All the monitors had been switched off, every single one, and for one to switch back on would have to be done so physically, so we were thrilled about this.
Here are some photographs taken down in the cellars, unfortunately we didn’t have time to run any ITC or Spirit Boards in this area, however we are hoping to return at some point in the future.
TSP Conclusion
We had a fantastic evening in this amazing building that was originally used as a Sunday School many moons ago. In conclusion we definitely had some great activity on the Automatic Writing Board & Spirit Board, along with Cold Spots, Physical touch, Spikes on the EMF, Monitor switching on totally by itself, Names coming through the Red Ridge App and Spirit boxes (SBox & SPB11)… We were not disappointed and are hoping to return soon. If anything else does come to light, it shall be added. An interesting night for all who were present, including the spirits! They were happy we were there!!
Update 7th September 2020 Today I had a chat with the lady who accompanied us on our investigation, she told me that a couple of things odd had happened since we went. The reason I had to go back today was to collect my TSP I.D Badge. There was only one place it should have been found, as we used a small reception area as our base, on opening my case, I could not find my badge to wear, so it should have been in this area, however, it was found nowhere in this area, but near the ladies toilet! Could this have been one of the children maybe? Or the little boy spirit that has been seen peeking around the ladies toilets door? And another occurrence, in the day time, was of two of the staff saw one of the door handles moving when there was absolutely no one near it which totally freaked them out! You can draw your own conclusions guys! I shall update when I can xx
Thank you for reading
Written by Lesley Hudson (Team Spirit Paranormal founder)
Team Spirit Paranormal
Lesley Hudson
Andrew Froggatt
John Williams
Philip Williams
Susan Westerman
Fiona Beck
David Westerman
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