Any self-respecting journalist will tell you that when you work on a story, or go to interview someone, you have to put your own personal views to one side. Regardless of how you may feel about that subject, it is the mark of a professional when a subject can be tackled objectively, despite having particular views before you start. Saturday 10th July was such an occasion for me.

One of the girls in the office here is a big fan of the TV programme ‘Most Haunted’, and she suggested that a group of us spend the night in a haunted castle to see what happened. After a few phone calls, it was arranged that three of us would spend the night at Carew Castle together with a team from Ghosts-UK, who investigate the paranormal, and who were to carry out an investigation in the castle.

Carew Castle is primarily a Norman castle, with additions to the building made during Tudor times. It is operated and maintained by the National Park Authority, by whose kind permission, we were allowed to stay in the castle. It has a history of purported hauntings, the most famous being the Welsh Princess Nest, as well as a barbary ape, not to mention a celtic warrior and kitchen boy. So we could have been in for a busy night.

The event had been organised by Kelly Burnell from Crystal Serenades, a publishing house specialising in the occult, dark fantasy and horror books. As sponsors of Ghosts-UK, they were keen to gain hands-on experience in ‘ghost-hunting’ and organised visits to supposedly haunted locations across Britain. The previous night, the team had been staying in Pembroke Castle as part of an ITV series entitled ‘Haunted Homes’ to be screened in the Autumn.

Ghosts-UK has been investigating the paranormal for any years, and was set up by the brother of one of the members present at Carew, Timothy Bowers. They have just over 4,800 members and travel across, not only Britain, but also Europe, investigating the paranormal.

Upon arriving at Carew, Janet, Jan and myself were introduced to the team, and were shown video footage of an investigation that they had carried out at the Maes Artro village and Museum of Bygone Days eight weeks earlier where a ‘table-tipping’ experiment had produced startling results.

Steve Graham was a investigation leader for the evening, together with George Lowe, led different groups around the castle and the Tidal Mill site, setting up equipment such as infra-red cameras and trigger-objects.

There was much discussion about the programme ‘Most Haunted’, with particular attention to the topic of ‘orbs’, which are purported to be part of a spirit entity. Steve believed that 95% of ‘orbs’ photographed would be dust or moisture particles reflecting the light from the camera flash, with maybe the remaining 5% requiring further investigation.

The art of paranormal investigation has clearly changed over the years. Suitcases of equipment consisting of Electro-Magnetic Field meters (EMF) that are calibrated to a particular spectrum believed to be that which paranormal activity takes place; and ultra-sonic Envelope detection systems which are used during séances and purportedly picks up only voices above our normal hearing spectrum, whilst eradicating ‘white noise’, amongst other items of equipment were used. The previous evening in Pembroke Castle, a significant reading had been recorded during one of the séances held there.

Modern-day equipment also includes the use of laptops and video cameras, but 35mm SLR cameras are the only choice for self-respecting investigators, as the negative cannot be manipulated as digital images maybe.

Both Tim and Steve made it clear that it was proof that was required, and proof that could not be manipulated. Dowsing or divining rods may be used as a means of communicating with any spirits present, and many people have spectacular results with them, but obviously, it is possible to manipulate them with slight of hand.

Steve wished to make it clear that they did not evoke spirits in the sense of ‘ghost-baiting’, and indeed, séances held in our presence were very respectful and polite to any spirit who may have been in attendance.

During the course of the night, there were many experiments carried out, and although the group that we were with did not achieve many results to note, the other group had recorded activity during a séance, which would be investigated on and any evidence written into the report, which follows every event.

I cannot complete this article without mentioning the incident in the Undercroft.

Shortly after midnight, Steve led about eight of us to the Undercroft, an area under the Hall that had been used as a food storage facility during the castle’s history.

We were seated as a group at one end of the Undercroft when Steve asked if anyone wished to try dowsing. I am always interested in trying new experiences and so I volunteered. I stood in front of the group, facing them with the dowsing rods in my hands. Let me explain that dowsing rods are used for yes and no answers, and to obtain information from any ‘spirit’ using a process of elimination, beginning with defining yes and no responses.

From the very first question, the rods were responding, and despite Steve asking if I was making them move, it was a pretty unusual experience for both myself, and those watching. One of our party was a guide who worked at the castle, Teresa, who, after initial questions had ascertained that it was purportedly a female, aged 38 and who had been a member of the family living there, obviously we felt that it may have been Princess Nest. After asking specific questions about who was the present King, who she was married to and the number of children she had, the other group and team leader were called down to witness the event.

I was not aware of feeling anything unusual during the experiment, but I was aware that as soon as I had asked a question, I knew instinctively what the answer was going to be.

I was again asked if I was manipulating the rods in anyway, which I categorically denied. I cannot see any point in ‘faking’ any investigation and certainly would not even know how to start making these rods move without making it obvious.

When everyone had settled down again, I was asked to repeat the questions. This time it was obvious to me that something was different and so I started the questions again from the start. This time it appeared to be a male, 32, married, and who had been a visitor to the castle and was possibly a soldier. At this stage the experiment was stopped.

Later on in the chapel with a different group, I was asked to repeat the dowsing rods, and again had responses, but this time I felt very uncomfortable during the event and there was a tingling sensation in the rods in my hand, and when that turned to a throbbing, the experiment was again stopped.

I cannot explain what was happening during that particular time in the castle and it will go down as one of those unexplained mysteries. The whole time that I was using the dowsing rods was recorded on video camera, as well as on many other different recording equipment that the group had brought.

Other members of the group had experienced different reactions when entering various parts of the castle, but there was, at the time, no evidence to back them up.

Reports following an investigation take up to six weeks to process, as all video footage has to be checked through twice, with any unusual phenomena thoroughly checked out.

The investigation was very interesting, despite much groundwork having to be carried out prior to holding a séance for example. Base room temperatures, scanning for dense static or negative ion pockets all have to be carried out prior to any further investigation, and the names of all those attending the investigation also need to be recorded.

There are many groups across the country that organise events such as this, including Glamorgan Paranormal Investigators who had been invited to send two of their members, Austin and Kevin, along to Carew.

If you are interested in taking part in any similar type of investigation, please make sure that you are doing so with someone who knows what they are doing. Not only is it safer, but you will also get more out of the experience.

Reputable investigating teams do not offer ‘fright nights’ only bona fide investigations into the paranormal.

*Footnote
At six in the morning, when most people were either asleep in their cars or clearing their equipment away, I went back into the hall to collect my bag. There was various bits of equipment still lying around the hall and I could hear Austin and Kevin chatting in a room off the hall. Then I heard the sound of pots and pans clattering together so I guessed that they had popped down to the kitchen for maybe one last look around.

I came back to my car where a couple of people were chatting.

“Just waiting for Austin and Kevin are you?” I asked, “they are in the kitchen, but they probably won’t be long.”
“But Austin and Kevin left about twenty minutes ago,” replied Teresa, “there was no-one in the castle apart from you.”

Maybe the spirits thought that we deserved breakfast and were getting the pans out for a nice bowl of porridge…who knows!


by Catherine Collins of Pembrokeshire Times