GHOST WALKS

Location :  The Cooperage , Newcastle Upon Tyne

Team on site : Steve (Lead Investigator) / Dave (Team leader) / Richy (Team leader) /  Barbara (Team leader/diviner) /  Coop (Events manager) /  Crag (Investigator in training)

Medium for the evening : Rhianne D’Morgyn

Date :  26th Feb 2008

Time : 9.15pm - 4.00am

Out side air temperature : 12c

Inside air temperature : 15-18c

History of location :

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 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 cozy 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 revelers 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 the 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 storey was added around every century using bricks brought in as ships’ ballast. 

The building is rumored 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 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.

Paranormal activity :

The site of the building has past steeped in mystery and from our findings death. We had a vast number of reports before we entered the building every thing from full body apparitions, witchcraft, footsteps in empty rooms to smells of rotting flesh and moving objects. We had reports of things going missing and disco light blowing and befalling electricians. Voices have been heard echoing through the building and crashing about the upper levels when it is closed as if men are fighting. The buildings alarms ring when there is no one in the premises in the early hours of the morning yet there is no resin for this to happen.

There have been sittings of a man in a navel uniform sitting in the fare corner of the 2nd floor close to the door. A lady in rags has been seen leaving from a side door of the building on to the long stares. A man with grey hair smoking a pipe has been seen standing in the middle floor window with ruffles around his neck as if dressed like a gentlemen from the 17th century, A small chilled has been seen running round the bottom level of the building and in the ladies toilets in the middle floor a dark shadowy figure has been sited opening doors and a very deep low growl or whispers have been hard in the men’s toilets while only one person has been in the toilet, Pipe smoke has been smelt in upper levels where glasses have shattered for no resin. With this in mind, we knew this would be one amazing night and we were not wrong there!

Let the investigation begin!

7.30pm : We pulled the van up and stud out side the building with a nerviest stomach and a big cheesy grin on my face. We had all the kit full set up in the cooperage for 9.00pm. I knew this night was going to be good as a rather drunk woman in Rugby shirt heckling me for been some sort of witch and prankster greeted me. As she shrieked out about her sixth sense and that, the children will haunt us! With her words in my head and the foul stench of her breath, burning my nostrils I made my way to the first floor where coop our events manager was biting her tong.8.00pm, In the side, room through the second door on the first floor we set up the chill out area where we had sandwiches, fruit, pot noodles and the Isis Mind body and spirit shop set up. It was calm and cozy with large leather chairs but little did I know what was going to happen later in the very room.

There is a doorway leading into the bar on the first floor where we had the TV and laptop set up with a radio camera transmitting a great picture to the screen. The camera was placed in the 2nd floor doorway looking in to the back bar seating area where spirit has been seen. And this was a place that made my hair stand up on the back of my neck and same place I had witnessed a man in a blue cote with ruffles around the neck but pulled to one side with Gray short cropped hair and facile hair. He was seated next to the door as if you where to enter the 2^nd floor in to the dance hall from the seating area, but he was seated as if sitting in the frame of the chair that exists there now. The feeling I had was of ruff and not so much as evil but tuff and weathered. I also got a strong smell of stale urine and it was not the building as this was only brief but potent. There were also lots of tables and stools tipped on to the seating for the cleaners; this in some way added an eerie feeling to the room.

8.10pm : Back on the 1^st floor the team where going through the briefing as Dave was still setting up some EVP recording gear. When the camera started to pick up a faint figure in the room and some strange light anomalies A slight shriek noted to us that something was going on so we all rushed in to the room to see the camera start to move then fall to one side braking the signal the as the hissing started through the TV and a dry almost robotic voice was herd repeating “Get out”. I know it sounds cheesy but we definitely herd this

Richy been not scared of any thing started up to the dark 2^nd floor to where he approached the camera then it was dead before he got there.

The battery which was brand new had drained in a mater minuets. So we switched to an extension lead and power. The camera had been ripped from the wall and thrown about 2 feet from where it was placed with no one on the 2^nd floor at the time.

9.00pm :  We got the team together where we made our way out the building and up the long stares to the Castle Keep where we always start the Newcastle ghost walk. As we got there we found tow members freezing in the 10 - 12c air temperature with moderate winds and a almost full moon.

Standing in the darkness of the castle steps!

9.15pm :  Every one is in here and the crowd look stocked and so are we.

9.30pm :  We start the ghost walk with the stories of the haunted Castle Keep and life in old Newcastle, just to set the scene for a what was going to be one amazing ghost hunt.

9.45pm :  Rhianne picked up on a girl in rags peering round the corner of the train arch with scratty hair. As Rhianne was telling about the lady and that she had been following the groups around on past ghost walks and was responsible for touching people in the archways and had died hear as it was some sort of building and Dave the dark one was enthralling the crowd with the history of the roman Empire of England a crushed can was kicked at us from out of no where, Richy instantly was of looking for the culprit but there was no one there apart from the wind.

10.00pm :  We got to the black gate where we sent five people into the underside of the black gate as this is our very own poltergeist spot.

The team members where led by Dave and Richy with our medium Rhianne.

As soon as the team got in to the pit they tuck some basic readings. The EMF meter was not reading any thing at all as the group formed a small circle and started a small séance. The EMF meter started to peak just as Rhianne had sensed a darkness not allowing the grounding exercise to take place. Then a small chilled was picked up and was noted to be very scared of the tem and a male energies wanted them out of there. Then Derry one of our Ghost Hunters in training felt small kikes to the back of her legs and this is something that is reported by ghost walkers all the time, ever since I had started the ghost walks back in October 2007.

10.20pm :  The EMF meter is responding to questions in the pit as it will increase when asked and go low when asked to.

The team report a stone been thrown and start feeling sick.

10.45pm :  We cut the ghost walk short and get the castle steps that go down to quayside. We stop here for some tails of murder and the tails of Hennery Hardwick a cooper that was supposed to have been killed on the long stares or the castle stares it’s here under the arch way police have been called with regards to a man been stabbed and coved in blood with dark eyes peering into the unlucky person who set there eyes upon Hardwick’s ghost.

We make our way down the steps after feeling like I had been overcome by depression. 10.50pm, by the time we got to The Cooperage the feeling of sadness and loss had lifted and I started to become happy and really up for the evening investigation.

10.55pm : we entered The Cooperage and got people settled and the cups of coffee & tea was flowing and every one seam to be relaxed.

11.15pm :  we got all team members into the first floor bar area where we ran through what we will be doing for the event.

11.20pm :  Team where introduced and we played some EVPs from our Ghost Hunters Course as some of the Students where here from the course. The first EVP was a direct response to our question. Q = “WE DON’T ME YOU KNOW HARM”.

A = “THERE TRUE” and then the second EVP, question asked, Q = “IS ANY ONE HERE, WHAT ABOUT DAVID CAMMRON” A = “AM HERE”.

And with each answer the microphone boom picked up a high pitched scream as is it was in a direct Magnetic field, and at the end of the scream the EVP was recorded.

With this in mind we set about grounding every one on and Rhianne opened up the team’s chakra points to allow any spirit communication to come through and to keep all the member’s safe in spirit and mind.

11.35pm : Rhianne was going to start the psychic workshop but as we where to do this I noticed a man step forward, he was a dark looking man as if African in look. He stood and watched what was going on and Rhianne felt as if this would not be the time to do this as there was negative energies and this would not give clear messages and the messages we tried to receive where vile and vulgar and quite threatening.

As I had picked up on a woman in the building and she was calling people cheep and was constantly rambling about the members. So we went straight in to the equipment and showed the teams how to use the tools.

11.50pm :  we split the members into teams of five.

We will refer to the teams as number and a team leader name.

Steve Team 1

Went up to the 2^nd floor dance hall where we waited until all teams where in there locations and spread all around the building.

12.00 am : Lets go dark

I sent the message out and the building lights went out, all you could see was the fire doors and the out side yellow street lights shining into some rooms.

Steve Team 1, started in the back of the dance hall where the reports is of a lady seen coming and going from the door way on to the long stares.

Air temperature was reading 15c next to the door. Also note “There is a small draft coming from the door”. Then we sit on the stage and get our self read to ask out. As we are doing this one of the members of team 1 noticed a dark shadow changing shape and even when we put our torch on light on to the shadow it was there for about half a second the faded away. The temperature started to drop from 16c where we where sitting down to 14c down to 13c, down to 11c, This was about a 4c drop in seconds we the witnessed small flashing lights go across the back stage, and as this happened Steve, Team leader 1, picked up a man who was in shock and pain as if hurt badly from an accident with his arm. The air temperature started to rise back to average room temperature of 16c. The full team could all feel a presence of something nasty next to the doorway.

12.10 pm :  we moved to the door way and stage.

I could feel this negative energy and every time I tried to link in with this energy it was just blocking me out as if it wanted to watch us before any thing was to come forward. The EMF meter started to read, 3 Milligauss and the energy was getting stronger the team member in change of the EMF meter was standing still to get a direct reading and this was increasing the Air temperature started to drop from 15c, next to the DJ stand and door, to 12c. The EMF meter peeked at 10 Milligauss. Team 1, started to ask out and with direct response to our EMF meter.

We asked to make the EMF meter go quiet and it did it dropped down to about 3 Milligauss and then stopped. We then asked if the spirit could come back in contact with EMF meter and make it make a sound. Nothing happened at first then the EMF meter peeked at 10 Milligauss. The air temp, was now reading 10-11c, and was cold. We then herd what sounded like footsteps coming from the back of the stage with no one there. There we where standing close to the DJ box and this does contain electrical devices. But upon inspection all items where turned of at the wall. And we had to put the EMF meter directly upon the sockets to get a reading. So this ruled out the obvious.

12.20 am :  where herd a large crash as if some one had fallen from the ladder that led to the loft space. But upon inspection the place was empty and Team 2 David’s Team where at the bottom of the steps asking out as this sound filled the upper level

12.30am :  Change over. The Teams changed over

Team 2 -  Shelly, Sandra, David (AKA The Dark One), Allyson and Louise

12:20pm : 1st floor corridor
Crash from the loft, which was by then empty of bar staff.

Upon inspection there was no one there except Steve’s Team 1, who had just arrived to see what had happened.

12:27pm : The EMF meter went crazy by the door then stopped.
12:30pm : Temperature was 21.2 degrees C.The sound file on the recorder was 02 and the times when the decibel measurer randomly went up were: 03:30, 05:37, Then moving onto file 03: 00:04.

After inspection we had some thumps and bangs on the recorder but no direct EVP.

12:35pm :  Allyson took the photo on the stairs that appears to have orbs on it.