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Newcastle Castle Keep - Friday 22nd May

 

Sunderland Aircraft Museum - 11 places available - Saturday 30th May



The Cooperage - 11 places available - Sunday 28th June

 

Offshore 44, Red House & Bob Trollops all in one night 3 pubs one Price Part of In Search Of Pirates, Smugglers and Wreckers - Ticket Price Reduced! Only £50 pp September 2009


The Hellfire Club Manchester COMING SOON


Old Gorge Inn Newcastle COMING SOON
 

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Castle Keep - Newcastle Upon Tyne - 22/05/09

Case Report: Castle Keep

Location: Newcastle City Center

Origin of the hauntings: Dates from 450ad to 1988, War, Murder, Genral Life, Witchcraft, Plauge.

Foot Note: Amazing location with free car parking after 6pm the location is well known by local ghost hunters and also has one of the most scary ghost walks in England please visit there website and let them know your got the info from G.H.T.UK website and save £2.00 on entry.

Also check out there overnights as they genraly have an overnight here at the Castle Keep each month.

Ghost Photos from Castle Keep:

The Image taken by Trevor Brown G.H.T.UK.

No ghost but somthing was moving around fast and would pass you at speed and this happens during the day in the Gallories.

This photo was shot on 20th June overnight By Ann Louise In the Museum during a food brake.Note the strange light snake. It was in one photo then not the next there is also some Orb action going on.

The Chapel, we have reports of heat spots and a small dark figure that wanders the chapel. On one investigation we had a voice of a man tell us "No black magick" when every one was sitting quite.

The Hub at Castle Keep, This was for a small investigation. we use TVs to monitor cameras on night shot. The cases on the left are for the teams to use, full of paranormal tools. Note the trays of freshly made sandwiches, cans of Pepsi and crisps for all for the guests.

 


 

Was £65 per person NOW ONLY £50, Save £15 per person

Only £50

New date Friday 22nd May 2009

What will we be doing on the night!

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit .

Team Tasks, using the best in paranormal tools

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP, laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look round the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks, we will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location, Every thing from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!

 

 

As featured on the sold out hit DVD series Newcastle Case Files and Paranormal Investigator, Darren Ritsons new Book Haunted Newcastle available in all good book shops .

To find out about Darren's New book (click here) to read more

Click here to buy the book now from Warterstones

 

 

Background: The Castle of Newcastle Upon Tyne stands on a steep sided promontory overlooking the River Tyne. The site has been occupied for nearly 2000 years, with flint flakes and a stone axe head found in archaeological excavations testament to much earlier prehistoric activity.

From the mid 2nd century till the beginning of the 5th century the Roman fort of Pons Aelius stood on the present castle site guarding the river crossing. From the 8th century the site of the fort was used as a Christian cemetery.

The New Castle Upon Tyne was founded by Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror in 1080 and was a motte and bailey type. The castle was rebuilt in stone during the reign of Henry II, between 1168 and 1178. In this time the keep and the curtain wall, with a gatehouse (Bailey Gate) were added to the site.

During the reign of King John (1207 - 1216) an aisled hall was built in the bailey and during the reign of Henry III between 1247 and 1250 a barbican - the Black Gate - was added to the north gate. The town wall was completed in the mid 14th century and the castle became isolated within the new defenses. By 1589 it was described as old and ruinous.


Please read more about the castle and its grounds from this link

Ghost story: This Location has so many ghost stories. One of the main ghost stories are of a civil war soldier who wanders the castle museum and queens chamber There is often a dark figure seen in the chapel. A small boy with ginger hair is sited in the Garrison room and often talks to small children visiting the castle. There is also a very dark entity that haunts the garrison room making people feel sick and some times pass out as our team have witnessed this on more than one occasion. There is also a dark monk who has no eyes, witnesed on many overnight ghost hunts. He will also attack you and leave you wil markings.

There is two ghost men and woman that haunt the roof, one man was blown off the roof while firing a canon. The second man jumped off the roof in 1988. There has also been stories of a lady who was pushed from the roof while the castle was in use. There is a story with NO evidence to back it up that there is a young girl labeled the poppy girl who haunts the castle. This location is one of the most haunted locations in Newcastle

 

Haunting type: Apparition, sounds, orbs, ectomist, stone tape theory moving objects, Electrical problems, violent attacks on members of staff.

Full Investigation undertaken and rated:

Findings: This place is always an amazing investigation with new stuff discovered all the time. some members of our team have investigated the castle over 50 times and things still happen that never happened before. Some of the best things witnessed in this location are a member of staff been physically been slapped across the back of the head and knocked the staff member to the floor. Most recently 28/3/09 2 members where atacked by unseen claws, each member had welts apire and scratching. We know are sure there is one very violint enterty, a monk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scratching red burning marks on Andrews neck

 

The ghost image on the other side of this page taken by Castle Keep veteran Trevor Brown of what some people have described as two men fighting with swords and others have said it looks like a gauntlet glove with jailers keys

Report from Trevor Brown:

At 3 am I was in the Kings chamber talking with the individuals who wereinvestigating that room when the other event marshal came in and whispered to me that I had to “come and see this” I thought she was justmessing about but never the less I had my camera ready. When I turned
and faced the door way out of the kings chamber there it was across the hall and standing on top of the stairs leading up to another room. It wasa large mist like shape and it travelled down the stairs and across the hall towards me and it was as if it was reaching out with its left arm.


I clicked my camera and took the photo. By this time all the hairs on mybody where standing on end and my eyes started to stream. It was allover in a split second but I got the photo. The exact time of the photo was 3.11 am. Being sceptical myself I had several sleepless nights trying to figure out what I had actually witnessed, but to no avail. I know it was not smoke as no one was allowed to smoke in the building and
I thought it could have been my own breath but how could my own breath travel that far away from me to travel back towards me? I do not think about it anymore because it does my head in but I am grateful for the experience.

 

 

 

What's Included

  • FREE Newcastle Quayside ghost Tour Ticket (to use on what ever weekend you like, excluding halloween 09/10/11 )

  • Over night access to the very haunted Castle Keep


  • Full use of ghost hunting tools (EMF meters, Infrared thermo, EVP, Cameras ect)

  • Walk round with guest medium

  • Psychic Workshop

  • Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing)

  • Money off voucher for Isis Mind Body & Spirit Shop

  • Ghost Store UK Shop (paranormal items, Torches, books ect)

  • Ghost Hunters pack lunch

  • Tea and refreshments

  • And most important GHOSTS

    This will be the best investigation you will ever do in the North East.

Duration of the event
From 8pm to 3am-ish


Key information
The minimum age is 18 years.No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.

Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Once you have paid your deposit and booked your place(s) via PayPal you will be re-directed to our website where you can download the information pack (PDF).   Please contact if you have problems with the download.

 

Date: Friday 22nd May 2009

Only £ p45er person

(£25 deposit required)

Payment required to book your place

 

 

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North East Aircraft Museum Saturday 30/05/09

 


 

The full history of the NEAM is detailed in the official museum guide which can be purchased from the museum shop. Below is a brief summary of significant events and History from Sunderland Aircraft Museum.

The North East Aircraft Museum, formerly the Northumbrian Aeronautical Collection, began life in 1974 as a small group of vintage aircraft enthusiasts meeting very informally at Sunderland Flying Club to exchange views and information on their chosen interest.

At this time, the North East was the only major area of the United Kingdom not covered by any form of vintage aircraft group. Indeed, the only enthusiast aviation group in the whole region was Air North which mainly indulged in aircraft spotting. As the number of people attending the informal group meetings began to swell the decision was taken to establish a more formal organization and thus the Northumbrian Aeronautical Collection was born.

The museum can be found very close to it's original site at RAF Usworth, an airfield that subsequently became Sunderland Airport, and started life in October 1916 as a Flight Station for 'B' Flight of No. 36 squadron and was originally called Hylton, although when being prepared it was known as West Town Moor. Due to an increase in German bombing raids and the heavier commitment of RNAS aircraft in France, the Royal Flying Corps took over the task of Home Defence, setting up a number of squadrons, with flights spread over the length of the British coastline. The Northeast was protected by No. 36 Home Defence squadron, which was formed by Capt. R. O. Abercromby at Cramlington on 1 February 1916. Plans for 'B' flight were put in place in 1916 as a consequence of the recent Zeppelin raids on the area. An area of land just North of the river Wear between Washington and Sunderland was set aside for the new landing field.

The occupation of Hylton by No.36 squadron introduced the Wearsiders to the sight and sound of aircraft. However this introduction did not go entirely smoothly. On 24 May 1917, Lt Phillip Thompson took off from Usworth to air test a newly fitted machine gun, over the sea, in preparation for that evenings anti-Zeppelin patrols. On his return from the coast at 8:45 p.m. the pilot observed a crowd on the Green at Southwick. In order to gain a closer look the pilot brought his aircraft low over the Green. Unfortunately whilst flying towards the sun the pilot failed to observe a large flag pole on the center of the Green. The port wing of the aircraft was torn off by the impact, the aircraft falling to the ground at the corner of Stoney Lane. Remarkably the pilot survived the mishap, but unfortunately five people were killed and eight others injured on the ground.

By August 1918 Hylton was in use by 'A' Flight and continued as such until the Armistice when it was just beginning to become known as Usworth. No. 36 squadron's HQ moved here in November 1918, the main equipment now being Bristol F.2b's. The Bristol F2b was one of the best fighters of the War despite being a two seater, it was used as a single seater with a sting in the tail. It was powered by a 275 hp Rolls Royce Falcon inline engine, with a top speed of 125 mph at sea level compared with the 90 mph of t he B.E. 12's.

When the squadron was ready for its new role it moved once more in November 1918 to Ashington leaving a detachment at Hylton and with peace being declared, it was finally disbanded on 13 June 1919.

The only known reminder of 36 squadron remaining in the North East is a stone monument erected on Anfield Plain in memory of Sgt Pilot Arthur John Joyce (9935) who was killed when his F.E. 2b, A5740, crashed on patrol at Pontop Pike on 13 March 1918. Sergeant Joyce had started his fateful mission from Usworth that evening. 

We will be investigating this location for the first time ever, why not join us only £55 per person.

What will we be doing on the night!

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit .

Team Tasks, using the best in paranormal tools

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools
of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP,
Laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look
around the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out
information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks, we will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location, Every thing from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!

 


 

The Usworth Ghosts

"carried out a number of investigations at some of the most haunted places in the North East, but the aircraft museum is the most active so far"


Watch Most Haunted- S8E11- North East Aircraft Museum.avi in Entertainment Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

"Most Haunted At The Air Museum "

The aircraft museum is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the pilots and ground crew who served at the base when it was used during both world wars – and by the pilots of the planes which are now on display there.

It is also believed to be haunted by the ghosts of Roman plague-victims who were buried there. One of the more famous museum  was that of Czech collaborator Gustav Pultiz, who was sent to Britain by the Nazis to steal a plane.

Posing as a pilot fighting for the allies, he gained access to the airfield and took the base commander's personal Hawker Hurricane. But he came to a nasty end when he was killed by the Czech underground at the end of the war.

"We picked up the Czech pilot that was there – the spy who was captured.

"When we were there one of the group said they started to feel tight round the throat – it wasn't until afterwards that we found out when he was executed he was hung."

A man called Shaw, a pilot who was once based at RAF Usworth, is reported to wander around the museum and it's hangers. His journey eventually leads him into the workshop, where his footsteps can be heard, and into the adjoining canteen where a cupboard containing the smashed up parts of an old engine can be found. Shaw, allegedly, died in action and when people retrieved his corpse from the wreckage of his crashed aeroplanr, they found everything was present - except his boots.

Shaw can be spotted around the North East Air Museum - or at least his legs can. There have been numerous reports from witnesses claiming to have seen a pair of black-trouser legs (no boots) walking around the main hanger when people have looked underneath and through the aircraft stored there. It is also said that Shaw calls out for people asking for help - perhaps to help him find his boots? - and also is said to throw things at people to get their attention.

There is also a story of a woman and a man connected to the site from when it was a World War II airfield. Her husband was away fighting for King and country on some campaign during the war and the lady - sadly we have no name for her - was having an affair with another man based at RAF Usworth. She used to meet with him within the main hanger as previously there was a medical center attached to it - perhaps she was a nurse stationed there? Unfortunately, they both died in a car accident and they can be heard talking to each other as well as seen walking together throughout the hangers and are also said to be responsible for flashing lights in the hangers.

Another story regards a spirit they call George. It is said that one hot summer during the war the man whom they call George, was sunbathing on the roof of one of the hangers, fell asleep and then woke with a start, rolled and fell to his death.

Finally, there is the story of Frank. There are 3 Franks associated with the site but the Frank we are interested in had an injured leg and used to get around with the use of a walking stick. There have been many reports of the click-click-click as Frank still walks around the hangers using his stick for support, today.

The above story comes courtesy of the Northern Ghost Investigations team.

Haunting Type: Apparition’s, Ghostly voices, Investigators said they had stones thrown at them, witnessed strange sensations and at one point felt as if they were being choked. unseen but herd foot steps, ecto-mist, orbs and funnel vortex. This location is amazing for the Ouija board and for forms of divination.  Energy: cold spots, Hot spots moving around locations

Full Investigation undertaken and rated:

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's Included

  • FREE Newcastle Quayside Ghost Tour Ticket

  • First time GHTUK ever to investigate these buildings 
  • Over night access to the museum


  • Full use of ghost hunting tools

  • Walk round with guest medium

  • Psychic Workshop

  • Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing)

  • Money off voucher for Isis Mind Body & Spirit Shop

  • Ghost Store UK Shop (paranormal items)

  • Ghost Hunters pack lunch

  • Tea and refreshments

  • And most important GHOSTS

Duration of the event
From 8.30 pm to 4.30 am ish


Key information
The minimum age is 18 years.No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.

Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Once you have paid your deposit and booked your place(s) via PayPal you will be re-directed to our website where you can download the information pack (PDF).   Please contact if you have problems with the download.

 

Date: Saturday 30th May 2009

Was £65 per person
NOW ONLY £55
Save £10 per person

(£25 deposit required)


Payment required by PayPal to book your place
 
 
 

 

Trust our site by using paypal to make your payments.

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See terms and conditions before booking



 

Cooperage Sunday 28/06/09


 

  

 

Location : Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newcastle Quayside

Origin of the haunting: Murder's

Foot Note: Grate location with free night time parking just over the road. The down stairs bar will not close untill 1am then its open for investigation. The maximum amount on an overnight for this place would be 15 or 20 people at a push if it was for profit. not to badly priced for an overnight and not accesible on weekends as this is a very busy Newcastle bar and night club. It's well worth checking out the Newcastle Ghost walk if your in this location as thay have some tails and reports from this location plus there is a grate small investigation involved in the ghost walk.

 

 

 

The Above image was caught by Steve Brownlee investigator in training we have looked into this photo and the report stated that a spiral of mist came down and formed a man hanging. Steve snapped the shot as it was dispersing.

 

The Above image was caught by Louise Mary Smith there was 2 hand prints that seam to show up on film but not in real life there on the wood posts to the left of the image.

 

What will we be doing on the night!

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit .

Team Tasks, using the best in paranormal tools

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools
of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP,
Laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look
around the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out
information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks, we will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location, Every thing from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!


 

 

As featured on the sold out hit DVD series Newcastle case files and paranormal investigator, Darren Ritsons new Book Haunted Newcastle available in all good book shops

To find out about Darren's New book (click here) to read more

Click here to buy the book now from Warterstones

 

Background:  The Cooperage is a large historical timber framed Newcastle pub dating to the 14th century. Previously it had been used as a Coopers workshop (hence the name) and supplied many of the barrels used in the cites other pubs in the 18th century.

This building has been variously a merchant's dwelling, a mayoral residence, a prison for pressgangs a warehouse, and of course a barrel factory (cooperage).

There is a cosy atmosphere in the pub with two small bars on either side of main entrance. The bar has a timber framed ceiling with wooden beams. Old pictures of Newcastle adorn the walls. The pub attracts students, locals and Quayside revellers and it can be busy at most times due to its reputation for excellent real ales, and especially at the weekend

The Cooperage is the only survivor of these timber framed houses and is one of the oldest houses in Newcastle, dating from the 15th century. It stands almost below the piers of the High Level Bridge. The building backs onto a steep slope and when the various owners wanted to extend they had to go ‘up’ instead of ‘out’. A story was added around every century using bricks brought in as ships’ ballast. 

The building is rumoured that its wooden frame was recycled from a ship that sank in the Tyne.

It is thought there may have been a Cooper here earlier but John Arthur started up in in 1853 and it continued in the same family. They are still in business but not making wooden barrels. Business would have been brisk during the 18th and 19th centuries as barrels were the essential cargo container. Hailed as an ingenious invention they are far more complex than they appear.

Haunting Type: Apparition’s, Ghostly voices, unseen but herd foot steps, smashing glasses, violent attacks, ecto-mist, orbs and funnel vortex. This location was a grate for the Ouija board and for forms of divination as we had spirits coming from a time when the land was just land and there where no housing. There is an evil spirit by the name of Vincent as he called him self and confessed to been a kid killer and that he had murdered 2 kids in Goteshead, now known as Gateshead and was hung for this his body was displayed where the pub now stands. There is reports of a man in a tall hat standing next to the 2nd floor window smoking a pipe. We also had 2 little girls come throw that just wanted to talk about Christmas and that there dad was killed on the side steps and used one of the girls as a shield against an attack of a cooper that worked there in the location.Energy: cold spots, Hot spots moving around locations

Full Investigation undertaken and rated:

Findings: The location was an amazing place to ghost hunt although the place was quiet noisy and the floors had to have a member of staff in each location. The night was good with plenty of activity and sittings. The best thing that we had witnessed was throw a night vision camera that did not record this point and still cant figure out why. We witnessed team 2 undertaking an Ouija board experiment on the 2nd floor where we noticed an extra person sitting at the table. on contact vie the walki talki's they confirmed there was no one sitting next to them although the air tem, had dropped from 16c down to just 9c and the spirit that they had contacted was a small girl and this was what we could see a small girl sitting and moving. She would move and vanish then partly show her hair the face and then side then she was gone Egan. We also had the ladders from the attack fall down on us and nearly knock one team member down the steps.

EVP: There was no EVP recorder due to noise and for some reason the equipment kept messing up.

 

What's Included

 

  • FREE Newcastle Quayside ghost Tour Ticket

  • Over night access to The Cooperage before it closes its doors for the last time!!

  • Full use of ghost hunting tools

  • Walk round with guest medium

  • Psychic Workshop

  • Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing)

  • Money off voucher for Isis Mind Body & Spirit Shop

  • Ghost Store UK Shop (paranormal items)

  • Ghost Hunters pack lunch

  • Tea and refreshments

  • Team Tasks and quests
  • And most important GHOSTS

    This will be one of the best investigation you will ever do !!  

 Duration of the event
10.30 pm to 4 am ish


Key information
The minimum age is 18 years. No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.

Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Once you have paid your deposit and booked your place(s) via PayPal you will be re-directed to our website where you can download the information pack (PDF).   Please contact if you have problems with the download.

 

Was £65 per person

OW ONLY £50

Save £15 per person 

(£25 deposit required)

Payment required by PayPal to book your place

 

 

Trust our site by using paypal to make your payments.

Paypal Verifide

See terms and conditions before booking


 

Marsden Grotto In Search Of Pirates & Smugglers Saturday 11/07/09

 

In search of Pirates Wreckers & Smugglers

In the North of England we very rarely here stories of slavery or pirates although we all know they where here. We have searched high and low in history to find a name related to piracy, but now we may have one. As we go on the search for Edward Robinson, a man born and raised in Newcastle in around 1690s, he became part of a Stede Bonnet’s "The Gentleman’s Pirate" crew and eventually ended up hung in Carolina USA  for his crimes in 1718, but within his life he sailed with Blackbeard and wrecked many ships and killed many men.

Now we are in search of Edward Robinson the Newcastle pirate and supposed ship wrecker, so we have arranged 2 paranormal investigations to search for this man, the first to be held in Red House, Offshore 44 and Bob Trollops where we believe he could of spent time on the site as a young man in what we believe to have been a house for abandoned children, then here at Marsden Grotto the well know location for smuggling and wrecking, pirates and murder!


So join us as we search for the real pirates of Newcastle and the North East England and we use Psychic art, mediumship as YOU  hunt out a very dark past!

 

Location : The Marsden Grotto Coast Road South Shields Tyne and Wear NE34 7BS

 

Origin of the haunting: Murder's, Smuggling, Piracy, Suicide, Tragedy, general life

Foot Note: This has to be one of the best locations in the North East, but its a hidden gem and not really supported by the local council. This place is a must for visitors, just to see the beach and the caves but if you visit, get a book on smuggling and Marsden sit with an ice cold drink and let your imagination run free. There is a ample size car park and its not far from the main beach at shields.

About Wrecking:

Wrecking was well known in Devon and Cornwall where the rocky coastline, and strong prevailing onshore winds helped wreck many merchant ships and warships, but it is rumored that ships were sometimes attracted by false lights on the shore around Marsden were lights have been said to be used sometimes to lead ships into disaster. Then, rather than helping shipwrecked sailors, the wreckers often murdered and stripped the unsuspecting crew of any valuables and possessions. A 12th century law had said that if no man or animal survived a wreck then the owners had no claim on it, so the coastal communities had no incentive to rescue seamen - in fact quite the opposite. In 1735 a law was passed to make it an offense to make false lights, but no one was prosecuted as a result. In 1769 William Pearse was hanged at Launceston in Cornwall for wrecking. It was not until after a case in the Court of Appeal in 1870 that rewards were made for rescuing people.

 

About Smuggling History:

Picture by G Morland

The history of smuggling, wrecking and piracy could not be written without reference to its illegal seafaring association in the Tyne and the Wear area. There are many legends of the activities of smugglers operating in the area, as Marsden was a key landing place to smuggle goods into the area. 18 miles to Newcastle and 8 miles Sunderland, the smugglers  had a finger in every pub, Inn and tavern in the North, there was whiskey coming in through border smuggling and ships dropping goods near Souter Light House.

Hovering:

Ships of all sizes, both foreign and english, sometimes hovered off the coast for several days while gangs were organized for an illegal landing, and until the first of several "hovering" acts was passed in 1719 there was nothing the customs men could do. If questioned by the skipper of a revenue vessel, the captains usually claimed they were bound for some place which was of no concern to the officers, such as the Channel Islands, France or Holland.

The act made hovering illegal within six miles of the coast and many smugglers now found it safer to bring their goods ashore immediately and, when necessary, hide them among rocks, in hedges and ditches and coastal cottages, or even bury them on the beach. A useful alternative in the case of smuggled wine and spirits was to dump them in the sea and collect them later - a method which was to become standard practice among later generations of smugglers and which became known as "sowing the crop".

 A Ghostly tail from the Grotto:

One day a smuggler walked into the Grotto Inn off the beach and ordered some ale . He was still drinking at the bar when a soldier entered. The smuggler , mistaking the soldier for a Customs Officer , flattened him , and took to his heels along the beach . Getting to his feet , the soldier raised his musket and discharged its load hitting the fleeing smuggler in the back of the neck . He fell to the sand - stone dead . The landlord drained the the mans tankard and nailed it directly onto the cavern rock around the bar saying "This tankard is cursed . Let no man drink from it otherwise evil will befall them too ! " . From that night on , the ghost of the smuggler visits the Grotto Inn . So often has it been seen that landlords have left a drink in the tankard at night and by morning it has been drunk !! .

Methods of smuggling in the second half of the 18th century

Customs records show that in 1764 ships of the East India Company smuggled tea into this country estimated at seven million pounds annually.

Smugglers had by now refined the art of hiding goods and of avoiding duties on their imported goods. Below are some of the methods used:

Tea cases were fitted between the vessel's timbers and were made to resemble the floors of the ship.

18 lbs. of tea could be hidden under the cape or petticoat trouser worn by the fishermen and pilots of the vessels.

Cotton bags made into the shape of the crown of a hat, a cotton waistcoat, and a cotton bustle and thigh pieces carried in all 30lbs. of tea.

Tobacco, another taxed commodity, was valuable contraband. Made into ropes of two strands, it was coiled with the real rope in the lugger, and was even put into a special compartment in casks of imported bones which were used for manufacturing glue.

The wooden fenders slung over the sides of a ship were hollowed out and filled with tobacco.



Spirits, both brandy and gin, had intriguing journeys into our ports.

Brandy was chiefly imported from France. Excellent cognac was shipped from Roscoff. Gin, popular with the troops who had taken part in the Dutch wars, was imported from the Low Countries. Flushing exported gin chiefly to the East Coast.

Brandy or gin tubs, roped singly or in pairs and anchored with sinking stones, could be cut off easily and left with markers if Revenue Cutters were in sight.

Tubs of spirits were packed into the hollowed keels of boats, hidden under false bottoms, or fitted into rafts or punts which were floated on a flood tide to persons waiting on the shore.

A half-anchor spirit cask with ropes for sinking - in Dorset County Museum

"The kegs of spirits, roped together, were sunk and marked with a float, about one quarter of a mile from the shore, The kegs were floated ashore by Smugglers, as by this way it was easier to sink them if a coastguard arrived.

 

 

What will we be doing on the night!

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit .

Team Tasks, using the best in paranormal tools

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools
of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP,
Laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look
around the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out
information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks, we will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location, Every thing from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!


 

Why not buy this book by Mike Hallowell

The House That Jack Built: The True Story Behind the Marsden Grotto and the Search for Roman Treasure (Hardcover)

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-That-Jack-Built/dp/1848680678/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221944071&sr=1-4


"Death was never far from Peters abode and even today lives are lost in the area of the Grotto . In 1836 workmen found a skeleton with a leaden bullet lodged within the ribcage proving beyond doubt that Marsden was indeed a violent place in days gone by . Visitor's have been cut off by the tide and many a life has been lost trying to scale the treacherous rock face"

Background:  The History of this unique cave bar, gastropub and restaurant is steeped in the colorful, bygone days of cruel seas, hard-bitten smugglers, rowdy wenches and cantankerous ghosts.



A man who became known to locals as ‘Jack the Blaster’ was the first to live in
the caves. Originally an Allendale miner, he moved to Marsden in 1782 to work in the local quarry.

Out of a small cave, he blasted his way to a bigger one which he and his wife made into a home. It is thought he was already eighty years old when he moved into the cave. He and his wife made an unusual pair, known for their eccentric choice of habitation, and it didn’t take long for people to start visiting the curious pair in their strange new home.

The steep, zig-zagging stairs are thought to be his handy work and were often referred to as ‘Jack the Blaster’s stairs’. 

Obviously one to make the most of an occasion, Jack the Blaster began supplying food and drink to his visitors, for a profit of course.

It has been variously suggested that he was embroiled in many nefarious smuggling activities. Not difficult to understand since the coastline’s caves had long been a practical place for smugglers to hide their contraband cargo. Jack’s grotto must have been an ideal place for weary smugglers to shake off the cold, fill their stomachs and sink a tankard or two.

While Jack and his wife were certainly the two to found the grotto, it was its second resident, Peter Allan, who had the spirit and foresigh
t to make a far more accessible and developed enterprise of it. He too had worked in the local limestone quarry and struck upon the notion of living in the cave while similarly providing refreshments to the many visitors who came to the beach. Winning a modest sum at the races, he set up his rudimentary enterprise and, in 1828, used the profits to set about a proper large scale excavation of the cave which Jack the Blaster had begun. 

His venture drew unfavorable interest from the HM Customs office, since his claim that his was to be an honest enterprise was somewhat questionable given the history of the coast and the Grotto.

Although under close scrutiny, he persisted and was grudgingly granted a license to carry and sell ale. His excavations took years, but he eventually succeeded creating a cave of two-story height which included a kitchen and a ballroom i
tself. Like Jack before him, he may well have participated in a few illicit dealings.

(Bellow The original Ballroom , later to become the Main Lounge)

He turned Jack’s original cave into an inn. During the excavations, some 18 skeletons were discovered. Their presence was quickly ascribed to the all too common end of those engaged in unlawful dealings.

In 1848 a dispute over land ownership resulted in Allan being charged rent for his home and inn. This caused him a great deal of misery, leading to a funk which endured until his death the following year.
However, his family of eight children and a wife ran the business successfully until 1865 when a cliff face collapsed and did considerable damage. Although they saw to the reinforcement of the inn to safeguard against further damage, they eventually left the area in 1874.

Various companies set up business in the Grotto and did lots of refurbishment to the interior and to the outside building, cosmetically and structurally, but it was Vaux Breweries who finally installed the lift and used the Grotto for over a century.

No story of smugglers, skeletons and a character named Jack the Blaster would be complete without a ghost. Indeed, the place has more than one.

 The most popular local legend is that of a smuggler who betrayed his confederates to HM Customs. Upon being found out, his old friends hung him in nearby cave called Smuggler’s Hole to taunt him and pelt him with whatever was at hand.

It is said that his wails can still be heard. The Grotto’s
reputation for being haunted aroused the curiosity of Paranormal Investigators who have claimed they found no less than seven separate tortured souls.


Haunting Type:

 Apparition’s, ghostly voices, wailing cry's, unseen but heard foot steps, men chanting, violent attacks, ecto-mist, orbs and black shadows.

Full Investigation NOT yet undertaken:

Findings: TBA

EVP:TBA

 
 

What's Included

 

  • FREE Newcastle Quayside OR Castle Keep ghost walk Ticket

  • Over night access to The Marsden Grotto

  • Full use of ghost hunting tools

  • Walk round with guest medium

  • Psychic Workshop

  • Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing psychic art)

  • Money off voucher for Isis Mind Body & Spirit Shop

  • Ghost Store UK Shop (paranormal items)

  • Ghost Hunters pack lunch

  • Tea and refreshments

  • Team Tasks and quests
  • And most important GHOSTS

    This will be one of the best investigation you will ever do !!  

   Duration of the event
10.00 pm - 4.30 am ish


Key information
The minimum age is 18 years. No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.

Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Once you have paid your deposit and booked your place(s) via PayPal you will be re-directed to our website where you can download the information pack (PDF).   Please contact if you have problems with the download.
 
 

Only £50 per person

(£25 deposit required)

Payment required by PayPal to book your place

 ON SALE SOON

 

 

 

Trust our site by using paypal to make your payments.

Paypal Verifide


 

Red House, Offshore 44, Bob Trollops, Newcastle Upon Tyne  SEPT 2009

 

In the North of England we very rarely here stories of slavery or pirates although we all know they where here. We have searched high and low in history to find a name related to piracy, but now we may have one. As we go on the search for Edward Robinson, a man born and raised in Newcastle in around 1690s, he became part of a Stede Bonnet’s "The Gentleman’s Pirate" crew and eventually ended up hung in Carolina USA  for his crimes in 1718, but within his life he sailed with Blackbeard and wrecked many ships and killed many men.

Now we are in search of Edward Robinson the Newcastle pirate and supposed ship wrecker, so we have arranged 2 paranormal investigations to search for this man, the first to be held in Red House, Offshore 44 and Bob Trollops where we believe he could of spent time on the site as a young man in what we believe to have been a house for abandoned children, then here at Marsden Grotto the well know location for smuggling and wrecking, pirates and murder!
So join us as we search for the real pirates of Newcastle and the North East England and we use Psychic art, mediumship as YOU  hunt out a very dark past!

 

Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne, The Sandhill Newcastle Quayside

Origin of the haunting: Murder's, life, tragedy 

Foot Note: Amazing food, good ales and wines, every Thursday there is an alternative night in Offshore 44, Bob Trollops is a vegetarian restaurant with best food in town. These pubs are all featured on the haunted pub tour of Newcastle. This is a very busy Newcastle bar and night club. It's well worth checking out the Newcastle Quayside Ghost walk if your in this location as they have some tails and reports from this location plus there is a  small investigation involved in the ghost walk. The Bessie Surtees exhibition illustrating the history of the houses is on the first floor. This site is maintained by English Heritage Open Monday-Friday 10am-4pm.

The Buildings Built in the 16th Century and used as a sea merchant’s house, it’s also thought to have been used as a home for abandoned children in the  early 18th Century; the place just opposite the location is a site of many hangings The building is a fine and rare example of Jacobean architecture still standing today. Next door to the building is the famous Bessie Surtees house with its romancing tail of Bessie’s elopement with John Scott to Scotland.

Bessie Surtees House Next door to the locations you will be investigating:

Bessie Surtees House is two merchants' houses on Newcastle's Quayside that were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. This house is famous for a romance. 18 yr old Bessie Surtees had fell deep in love with a no body named John Scott, her parents were unhappy about this as they had someone older and richer for her to wed, she wanted non of this as she was deep in love with John Scott and been of a young age she had no choice but to run away and leave all she new and loved. She made a plan that she and John (Picture bellow) would leave together for Scotland to be married so her family could not stop them, plan was that John would steel a horse and caught and head down to her home on the water front with a horse drawn caught left close to the town moor.  John waited in the darkness of night just watching his loves window., he seen her farther coming back from the Inn when john herd shouting and smashing, he tried to get through the door of the house but I was locked and her farther would kill him. The window flung open and out cam a sheet full of clothing and food, she climbed on to the window ledge and jumped into Johns arms they fled along the quayside to the Dogleap steps, to where they made there escape  Scotland to where they would marry.

The window where she jumped or used a ladder to get down and fled by horse with John Scott and galloped away into the sunset to be married in Scotland. After the Surtees family fell on hard times they begged there daughter back and excepted her husband as had became very successful eventually becoming Lord Eldon, the same one the Square is named after. The ghost of Bessie Surtees is still said to haunt the building and she is witnessed at the window she escaped from. Staring into the empty street

We will be the first paranormal investigation team investigating this location for the first time ever!

What will we be doing on the night!

Psychic Workshop - The investigators on the evening will work to give a reading using Psychometry or perform a task using dowsing rods or a pendulum. The medium will also attempt to contact spirit .

Team Tasks, using the best in paranormal tools

Ghost Hunting Kit Demonstration - Next you will be shown the tools of the ghost hunter's trade. They will include an EMF meter, EVP, laser Thermometer, Ouija, Dictaphones and an Infra Red PIR Motion Detector. Each team will receive an equipment pack to record your findings throughout the evening.

Ghost Walk/ History Walk - This is your chance to have a good look round the haunted locations. The Medium, She will give out information on the energies they are feeling in the locations. A local Historian will try to validate the information given with what they know about the property.

Vigils - Now you begin your own hunts for paranormal phenomena. In small teams led by an experienced member of staff / Paranormal investigator, you will move around various hot spots at the property, recording findings using your investigation pack.

Tasks, we will be sending some of you off to do task's deep in the hart of the location, Every thing from Black Scrying mirrors to been locked alone in a haunted location

"After all we are alone in the dark"

Post Investigation Discussion - After the vigils all the teams will discuss and compare their results of their vigils, in particular to note any similar occurrences between teams, that's assuming of course that you have made it through the night!

 

 

As featured on the sold out hit DVD series Newcastle Case Files and Paranormal Investigator, Darren Ritsons new Book Haunted Newcastle available in all good book shops .

To find out about Darren's New book (click here) to read more

Click here to buy the book now from Warterstones

 


 

 

"The site which houses Offshore 44 and Bob Trollops has its place in a very dark history of Newcastle, it is site of Roman occupation and many executions"

About The Haunted Buildings

 

Offshore 44: The Staff have witnessed footsteps behind them in the bar and smashing glass to find there is no one around or any broken glass. Strange smells can follow you around the location and a babies cries have been heard in the upper levels, the back wall is one of the original castle outer walls and has been used to display rotting corpses on and hanging body's. There is said to be a dead body under the floor of the pub. on a event held in the location in 2007 by Alone In The Dark Entertainment and G.H.T.UK they had a wooden box thrown at them, and one member witnessed the light bulb swing left to right with force then stop dead and stop working. down in the brig room a woman has been witnessed in a mirror and the smell of candles been extinguished has filled the empty room. A man in an old seaman’s outfit has been witnessed at the back of the bar.

Red House: there is said to be a small boy by the age of 7 years old that haunts the back room and a group of woman have been heard talking and  cackling in very thick Gordy accents but when checked on the sound just fades away. A man in rags for clothing has also been witnessed in the bar along with dogs and cats, cold spots and objects that like to move by them self. A black mist that will make you ice cold and follow you all the way out of the building, this pub is used in The haunted pub tour of old Newcastle upon Tyne and they have done experiments on people as they have been in there and one woman whilst in the experiment had her hair pulled and she got up to get out of there as she was alone, a ice cold hand grabbed her shoulder and she spun around falling to the floor, she then heard a laughter of a man

Haunting Type: Apparition’s, Ghostly voices, unseen but herd foot steps, smashing glasses, violent attacks, ecto-mist, orbs and funnel vortex. This location is amazing for the Ouija board and for forms of divination as we had spirits coming from a time when the land was just land and there where no housing. Stone Tape theory

Energy: cold spots, Hot spots moving around locations

Full Investigation NOT yet undertaken :

Findings: TBA

EVP:TBA

 

What's Included

  • FREE Newcastle Quayside ghost Tour Ticket

  • First time ever to investigate these buildings 
  • Over night access to 3 haunted pubs all joined in one big building


  • Full use of ghost hunting tools

  • Walk round with guest medium

  • Psychic Workshop

  • Experiments where you become the ghost hunter (Scrying, Ouija, Dowsing)

  • Money off voucher for Isis Mind Body & Spirit Shop

  • Ghost Store UK Shop (paranormal items)

  • Ghost Hunters pack lunch

  • Tea and refreshments

  • And most important GHOSTS

    This will be the best investigation you will ever do in the North east. NO OTHER PARANORMAL GROUP HAS EVER INVESTIGATED THIS LOCATION! 

Duration of the event
From 11pm to 5am-ish


Key information
The minimum age is 18 years.No alcohol or drugs are allowed, including any medication that may cause drowsiness. You must be fit enough to climb stairs. No qualifications or experience are necessary.

How many in a group
There will be a maximum of 25 people at this event, PLUS TEAM.

Spectators
Sorry, you can't bring friends or family along to watch you do this activity.

Why not bring your camera!

Information packs
Once you have paid your deposit and booked your place(s) via PayPal you will be re-directed to our website where you can download the information pack (PDF).   Please contact if you have problems with the download.

 

Date: September 2009

(day to be confirmed)

Only £50 per person

(£25 deposit required)

Payment required by PayPal to book your place

 

Trust our site by using paypal to make your payments.

Paypal Verifide

 

See terms and conditions before booking

 

 




Why we are the best for you !

Our Company Promise 

We take pride in what we do and we have a passion for what you want.


We offer a number one customer service that we are proud of.


We know what you want, value for money and a genuine experience.


We give you full use of all paranormal tools and allow you to use them in every location on overnight ghost hunts.


We supply only the best in food and go that extra mile to make sure you get what you want.


We only use the Board of Paranormal Entertainment locations ( BPE registered ) which are graded as a location with full insurance cover and a good heath and safety record and which is known to have unexplained activity.


We have a full insurance cover of £5000000 with Royal Sunalliance to give you that extra peace of mind.


All our staff are heath and safety trained and our security hold full licenses.


All our staff have passed criminal record
and background checks to give you a  real sense of security.


We are not a bunch of hobbyists trying to run an event, we are the best at what we do and we pay our staff so they give you the best service they can provide.


We strive to give you amazing value for money with offers, discounts, savings plus much more.


We guarantee you will have a night to remember!


 

 


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