Friday, 27th January, 2006

By CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN

The Old Station House Cromer, is an impressive Victorian building, built in the late 1800s and now converted into a bar and restaurant. With its mock Tudor exterior and gabled windows, it looks very much like an old station and is fairly imposing, even before you know that it is supposed to be haunted.

When inside the building you can still see some of the old features, including an impressive galleried staircase leading from the main entrance up to two balcony rooms which overlook what must have once been the main waiting room and ticket office.

Some rather prominent orbs (top-left and top-right) on a staircase which is supposed to be haunted by a rather aggressive male spirit.

I had come to see if I could convince myself once and for all, of the existence of ghosts and to take the opportunity, provided by Haunted Weekend, to see what I could discover about what ghost-hunters really do; what scrying is and whether my insatiable appetite for tracking down something that may or may not exist could be satisfied!

The evening, with a team of professional mediums and ghost hunters from Haunted Weekend, as well as roughly 45 paying guests, was eased gently into the evening with a very good carvery dinner, and as much nerve-settling drink as was needed. I decided to keep my wits about me – I didn’t want anything to hamper my ability to sense things, and to keep focused. As well as being a very good meal, it was an opportunity to meet some of the people with a similar interest (often it is hard to find somebody who doesn’t start whistling the theme for Ghostbusters or is trying to hold a straight face as you tell them this is what fascinates you).

I chatted to several people, including a mother and daughter who own a shop in North Walsham which is haunted by a very mischievous spirit of a young girl, and who the daughter has actually seen standing behind her, reflected in a window! I felt like I was in good company for my first delve into the world of professional ghost-hunting!

After the meal, we were split into three groups each led by a medium, to investigate different areas of the building using a variety of established methods. Now, I have never got my hands on any of this kind of stuff before, let alone had the chance to use it - not that I would want to try it at home and discover that there was a ghost living in my flat! The first thing we did was scrying, where you look into either a bowl of water or a mirror, in fairly dark surroundings, and see if your face changes shape.

Against the back wall of the bar area, and ruled out as a reflection of the bar, can be seen a washing line hanging old fashioned clothes such as long johns and a petticoat.

Now even though I am convinced of the existence of ghosts, I still have to try and rationalise my experiences before turning to the world of the paranormal for my conclusions. I looked and I looked, but nothing seemed to be happening. My partner said that my face changed shape on a couple of occasions, and at one point resembled that of an old lady, however I didn’t see this.

Next, we were introduced to glass moving with our medium, Jackie, controlling the circle. This amazed me, as the glass spun around the table in response to Jackie’s questions and, using yes and no as signifiers, seemed to present himself as the spirit of the recently deceased husband of one of the guests around the table.

Without staying longer and asking more questions, it would be hard to establish that this was the truth. What I am convinced of is that nobody around the table was pushing or controlling the glass in any way, it was far too free-moving.

Other sections of the investigation included table tipping – a terrifying event where the table seemed to respond to our every question, apparently being controlled by the grandmother of one of the guests who lived locally; the use of a planchette, and a chance to look at the equipment that professional paranormal investigators use, courtesy of Tracey Monger from the Norwich Paranormal Society.

My personal favourite however, was being shut in the lady’s toilets in the dark, with only a locked-off camera and a couple of equally jumpy comrades for company. This was the real thing, waiting in the dark for something to present itself in whatever form it chose; and although no taps turned on, no banging was heard and nobody appeared in the mirror, I felt like I was really doing something exciting, I wanted more.

During my time in the dark there were a couple of incredibly cold draughts across my hand from no obvious source, and watching the tape afterwards several orbs floated across the screen in the same direction as the draughts. Am I reading too much into it? I hope not.

A close-up shot of the washing line hanging old fashioned clothes such as long johns and a petticoat.

In an attempt to catch something extraordinary on camera, much of the evening was spent snapping away at various different locations within the hotel, during different parts of the investigation. I have captured a couple of rather prominent orbs, notably one on a staircase which is supposed to be haunted by a rather aggressive male spirit.

However it was my partner, David, who took the photo of the evening. Against the back wall of the bar area, and ruled out as a reflection of the bar, can be seen a washing line hanging old fashioned clothes such as long johns and a petticoat.

This certainly became a talking point in the Old Station House that night and, although it would take a more in-depth investigation of the photograph to determine the origin of the washing line, I have to admit it is very impressive. But paranormal? What do you think?

The evening culminated in a grand séance, in which the mediums and a couple of guests made up the central circle, with the remaining guests around the outside. It was quite special to finally be involved in what is so often a crucial part of a professional paranormal investigation, and a fitting way to end both an informative and entertaining evening.

I would definitely recommend one of Haunted Weekend’s evenings, as an introduction into the paranormal and a way to meet like-minded people. It has only left me wanting to investigate the supernatural further, and to hopefully experience something that will confirm my beliefs once and for all… so watch this space!!

LOCATION