Sinai House

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

The house is made up of two buildings and is grade II listed, it is made up of Jacobean, medieval and 1700s building, half of the house now lies derelict but is under the process of being renovated.

The house as been used as different things, there is some circumstantial evidence it was once used as a Roman stronghold, in medieval times it was a court and trails were there, it was then given to the local abbey and the monks used it as a rest home. After the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII gave it the Paget family, and in 1605 the two separate buildings were joined to make it look more grand. The Paget family owned the house until the early 1900s when they sold it and it was converted to flats, the building was then condemned and it was used for pigs and hens. It is now a privately owned home.

The house is very well known and is a important historical site, and has it fair share of ghosts, many figures are said to have been seen, things are moved around and noises heard, and rumour has that a monk got a girl pregnant so he murdered her and her ghost is seen walking across the bridge over the moat.

First Broadcast: 11th October, 2005

Drum Barracks, California

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

 
Though many do not realize that California was involved in the Civil War, the Drum Barracks played an important part in the conflict. Originally, the Drum Barracks, a five company post was established in January, 1862 and called Camp San Pedro. In December, 1863, the post’s name was changed to Camp Drum, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Drum, assistant adjutant general of the Department of California. It soon took on the name of the Drum Barracks.

At the time, the government was unsure as to whether California would declare itself for the north or the south, as the state was about equally divided in it sympathies. In particular, the southern half of the state, especially around Los Angeles were pro-secession, leading the government to determine it needed a presence in the area. The post was built ostensibly to have his troops fight the Indians, but there weren’t any Indians to fight in the area. Spending more than a million dollars to build the post, an extremely large amount at the time, the buildings, completed in 1863, were very elegant and area locals were very impressed. Situated on 60 acres of land with an additional 37 acres located near the harbor, the post was built to house some 500 soldiers and stables for up to 300 horses. Situated around a large central parade ground, were the hospital, barracks and laundress’ quarters.

The post quickly became the main staging, training and supply base for military operations in the Southwest. Throughout the Civil War, some 17,000 Californians came through the barracks on their way back east to fight for the Union. 

On April 13, 1862, Colonel James Henry Carleton led some 2,300 California Volunteers from California through Arizona and New Mexico to the Rio Grande Valley, which was being invaded by Confederate armed forces from Texas. It was the longest and most difficult march of the Civil War.  In the end, the troops from California secured the territory which is now Arizona and New Mexico for the Union.

After the Civil War was won by the Union, Camp Drum continued to maintain a presence, with its soldiers sent to fight in the southwest during the Indian Wars.

The post was finally decommissioned in November, 1871, but the hospital, which was then considered as the best equipped medical facility west of the Mississippi River, continued to serve wounded soldiers for another two years.

After the hospital closed, the land reverted back to the original owner and the buildings were auctioned off for a total of $6,357.00. Though some were moved, others stayed in place, including the junior officer’s quarters which, throughout the years, was used as a high school, a private residence, and a boarding house.

 
By the early 1960’s, the only buildings left were the powder magazine and the junior officer’s quarters, which was slated to be razed in 1962. However, through the efforts of community groups, it was saved.

In 1987, the restored building was opened to the public as the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum. The building, located in Wilmington, California, a district of the city of Los Angeles near the Port of Los Angeles, is the only major American Civil War landmark in Southern California. Today the museum commemorates California’s contribution to the Civil War and holds a number of reenactments and events throughout the year. The old powder magazine also still stands, located at the corner of Opp and Eubank streets.

If the history of the Drum Barracks is not exciting enough, legend has it that the old building is the site of repeated paranormal activity. Over the years, museum staff and visitors have often reported hearing unexplainable noises, the sounds of chains being dragged, and footsteps throughout the building when no one is present.

More reports claim to have seen a woman, who they call “Maria,” often making an appearance in a Hoop Skirt and smelling strongly of lavender and violet perfume. Others claim to have seen the apparition of man dressed in an 1800’s officer’s uniform, who evidently smokes a pipe, as the sent of pipe smoke is often smelled throughout the museum.

The most active room is the Model Room, where many have encountered the tobacco and perfume odors, as well as hearing items being moved around and footsteps approaching them from behind.

First Broadcast : 4th October 2005

Leonis Adobe, California

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description and Era:
-The original portion of the house was built in 1844. Miguel Leonis extensively enlarged and remodeled it in 1880.

History:
- The site of Calabasas was once inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians.

- In 1795 Franciscan priests from the Mission San Buenaventura traveled across California looking for a site for a mission complex. This trail famously became known as El Camino Real. It is commemorated by a series of mission bell markers, one of which is hung on the front of the Leonis Adobe.
-The area became known as Calabasas in 1824 and quickly gained the reputation of being one of the toughest and wildest spots in the old west. – Miguel Leonis is a legendary historical figure in Californian history. He was one of the early land settlers and pioneers of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. He was born on October 20th 1824 in Cambo les Baines in the Basque Province of the French Pyrenees where smuggling across the French/Spanish border was almost a way of life. The Leonis family were wealthy and well respected so when he became involved in smuggling he was compelled to leave the country at his father’s request.
- He arrived in Los Angeles in 1858 and began working for Joaquin Romero who owned half of Rancho El Escorpion (The other half was owned by three Chumash Indians, Odon, whose daughter Leonis later married, and his two brothers Urbano and Manuel). He was quickly promoted to ranch manager and as Romero’s drinking worsened Leonis managed to persuade him to sell him his half of the ranch in 1861 for $100 including all cattle and sheep.
- Leonis became known as ‘El Basquo Grande’, ‘The King of Calabasas’, he was 6′4 with piercing green eyes, was known by his great physical strength and was feared and despised by many. Even though he spoke little Spanish or English he managed to acquire a small empire of land and livestock, until at his death in 1889 his estate was valued at over $300,000.
- He married an Indian widow, Espiritu Chijulla (or Maria de Santo Cheboya). Through this he handily came into possession of cattle, sheep and horses and 1100 acres of land (the other half of the El Escorpion Ranch) belonging to her family. They were married by contractual agreement. She had a son from her first marriage named Juan.
- Leonis often treated Espiritu poorly and wouldn’t even let her son Juan into the house.
- In 1860 they had a child of their own, Marcellina (named after Espiritu’s aunt) who later died aged 20 from smallpox. Miguel loved Marcellina dearly and always ensured she had the best of everything. After her death in 1880 he was so distraught that Miguel Leonis attempted suicide by attaching a noose from a tree and trying to get his horse to gallop away but the horse wouldn’t budge and saved his life.
- He was well known and respected as a shrewd businessman and took advantage of California’s homestead laws by claiming possession of land in the public domain, grazing his cattle there, building a crude shack on it and dispatching one of his employees to live there as a tenant. He amassed thousands of acres by doing this.
- He also guarded his land with an armed band of Mexicans and Indians and any would be settlers would be shot on the spot or hauled into Los Angeles to Jail and charged with trespassing and stealing. Leonis would then freely dispense drink and food to the judge and jury (in the last 15 years of his life he had over 30 court cases).
- After Marcellina died Miguel had no direct descendant to take over his ranch so he sent for his nephew from France. J.B. Leonis became his accountant but had no desire to take over the ranch
- In 1889 Leonis was killed when his wagon overturned in Cahuenga Pass (the area that is now Universal Studios) following a celebration after winning one of his lawsuits. The coroner’s inquest says he died of Peritonitis three days after the accident. Some suggest it may have been murder but his body was exhumed in 1930 (along with Marcellina’s to be moved to the family plot in Los Angeles) and although there were no bone fractures or obvious signs of trauma to his head and body marks on his upper abdomen are consistent with a Wagon Wheel.
- At the time of his death his estate was valued at $300,000 but he left only a tiny amount to Espiritu. In his will he referred to her as a housekeeper and that she wasn’t entitled to his inheritance. Although there wasn’t proof of a legal marriage between the two of them they lived together for 30 years and had a daughter together. She went to court and eventually won her claim of one half of the estate.
- Espiritu lived in the Adobe until she died in 1909. After Leonis’ death her son Juan and his wife Juana lived at the house. They adopted several children, one, in 1894, was 6 year old Maria Johnson. She lived at the adobe until she was 16 and married Pedro Orsua (see hauntings ‘Chichita’ Story).
- Maria Orsua moved back to the adobe and nursed her adopted Grandmother Espiritu as she was dying. At this time she lived in one room at the Adobe with her husband and 18 children. Three of these children were born in the room at the Adobe.
- Juan Menendez sold the Adobe in 1922 to Lester and Frances Agoure. Juan then died in 1924.
- In 1931 the Agoures lost the Adobe through foreclosure and it was later opened as a restaurant.
- After that it was used as a retirement home and then fell into a state of disrepair.
- On March 28th 1963 Mrs Catherine S. Beachy bought the adobe and began the renovations.
- On May 29th 1975 the Leonis Adobe was entered on the National Register of Historical Places.
Ghost ratings and Spooky experience:
- Unexplained noises are heard throughout the building.
- Sounds of footsteps are heard on the upper floor and the staircase.
- Previous owners have claimed that they were sure the place was haunted by Miguel Leonis.
-Other visitors have heard loud, unexplained banging noises.
- In the 1930’s a family called the Greggs owned the house. One night Mrs Gregg was leaning on the second floor veranda and the rail cracked and was just about to give way when a pair of strong hands pulled her back. When she turned around there was no-one there.
- Sounds of digging are heard outside the house.
- A guest at the house said they saw a figure at the top of the stairs and it was saying ‘Chichita, Chichita’ this is the nickname Espiritu gave her granddaughter Maria Orsua.
- A male figure resembling Miguel Leonis has been seen at the front door of the house.
- In the room that used to belong to Espiritu, an apparition of a woman has been seen standing by the chest with her clothes in. Odd identations appear in the bed and this spirit takes a strong dislike to men visiting the room.
- An actor was performing a monologue in here for a film that was being shot at the property. On each take the sound recordist complained of loud knocking though no one in the room was making the noise.

http://www.leonisadobemuseum.org/

 First Broadcast: 27th September 2005

Hollywood American Legion Hall, Los Angeles

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description and Era:
- – The building was completed in 1929 and its architecture has been described as ‘Egyptian Revival-Moroccan Deco’.
- The building is a Los Angeles Registered Historical Landmark.
History:
- The hall has always been an American legion post but was also the favourite haunted of local artists, film stars and politicians (including presidents).

-Humphrey Bogart was often seen and heard in the basement bar and many films and television commercials have been filmed here.
-In the memorial shrine bronze plaques show the names of members who have died, these names include Clark Gable and Gene Autrey.

Ghost ratings and Spooky experience:
General
- A helpful ghost is often seen by TV and film crews. He offers to help out with moving equipment and then vanishes.

Stage Area
- One of the staff used to be an actor and was practicing his ‘Julius Ceaser’ audition speech once late at night whilst on his own at the legion. He was standing on the stage and once he finished heard clapping from the auditorium – he fled the building.

Downstairs Bar
- A DJ (also a army veteran) was loading his stuff into the lift and twice saw an apparition. The first time he thought he was just tired, the second time the apparition was more opaque and said ‘Can I help you?’ he fled, leaving a note that he’ll never come back in the building. When Terry got there the DJ’s gear was strewn everywhere.
-Other visitors have heard loud, unexplained banging noises.

Atrium Room
- Two locals were there late at night and heard men and women’s laughter, although they were shocked they weren’t scared as it was fun laughter – as if the man was chasing the woman around the balcony.

First Broadcast: 20th September 2005

Tretower Court & Castle, Wales

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description and Era: – The first castle on the site was a timber Motte and Bailey constructed at the end of the 11th century (Approx 1081 when the Normans came to Wales). The original stone building was built in around 1150 and subsequently modified, the tower being added inside existing stone walls at a later date as extra fortification.

- The Court (manor house building) was started by John Picard in around 1300 but the existing house was built in approximately 1450 by Roger Vaughan.

History:
- The castle was held by a Norman Knight, the first baron Picard in 1103. Six generations of the Picard family lived in the castle.
- The Picard family line died out in the mid 14th century and became the Herberts by marriage.
- It was then taken over by Richard Marshall of Pembroke c1230 and rebuilt c1245. The castle was returned to English hands after the Welsh rebellion was quashed.
- The castle was seized again during a Welsh uprising in 1322 but was back in English hands in 1403 when it was listed as a defensible fortification for Henry IV. A year later the owner, Sir James Berkeley, successfully withstood an attack by Owain Glyndwr. Not long afterwards the castle passed to Sir Roger Vaughan.
- Roger Vaughan was known as the wealthiest ‘commoner’ in Wales. He was the ½ brother of William Herbert who built Raglan Castle. During the War of the Roses Roger Vaughan changed sides but managed to end up on the Yorkist side, for his help in the war he was Knighted.
-It was William Herbert who gave Tretower to Roger Vaughan.
- In the 1450s, Sir Roger Vaughan began to build a handsome stone manor house, a fine example (rare in Wales) of a substantial late medieval country residence. An earlier manor house had been built in the 14th Century but the Vaughan’s rebuilt it as a sign of their wealth and standing.
- Roger Vaughan’s son, Sir Thomas, who held the manor in the last quarter of the 15th Century, continued developments at Tretower.
- By the early 15th century, the castle had probably been partially abondoned in favour of the new house.
- The house was added to and developed over a period of many years, the north range being essentially 14th Century, the west 15th Century and the gethouse and wall walks on the south and east added later in the 15th Century. All were modified at later dates and the courtyard was modified by Charles Vaughan in the early 17th Century.
- Tretower Court replaced the castle as the lord’s residence and became one of the best examples of a fortified manor house in Wales. The Court remained the residence of the Vaughan family until 1783.
- The famous writer and poet Henry Vaughan was the nephew of the owner of Tretower and often visited the manor.
- The building passed out of the hands of the Vaughan family and became a farm.
Ghost ratings and Spooky experience:
- The vast majority of the sightings in here are of a Lady dressed in white, the staff would really like to find out who she is. Main Bed Chamber
- A woman has regularly been seen pacing in here and walking out of here on to the gallery.
- A woman has also been seen sitting by the windowsill – all the other sightings of the woman around the house have described her as anxious, when she is seen by the window, people have mentioned that she seems very calm and peaceful – is this a different woman?
- People feel very uneasy in this area.
- One ex member of staff refused to come up here at all, even if accompanied by someone else.

Bedroom 2 – Opposite Main Bed Chamber
- The ghost of a woman has also been seen in here. She is described as wearing white with green eyes. She is said to be anxious but not aggressive.
- A visitor once came back several times as she was worried about the woman in white.
- A rigger from a film crew who were filming here recently saw her and refused to return to the area alone.
- Current staff speak of feeling very uneasy in the area around the bed chambers, gallery and the stairs leading up there, they feel that there is something there.

Gallery/Battlements
- A woman in white is seen pacing up and down here and anxiously looking out over the battlements as if looking for someone to return.
Courtroom
- There is a bricked up door to the outside where it’s thought that the public were brought in when the building acted as a ‘Lord of the Manor’ court. It’s also thought that it acted a Judge’s Chambers. In later years the building also acted as a farriers.
- A little boy has been seen sitting by the door of the courtroom.
- Oppressive feelings are felt in here.

First Broadcast : 13th September 2005

Hellens Manor, Ledbury

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description: The original hall was built in approximately 1250 but it was heavily modernized in Tudor times to the building we see today. The inner courtyard dates from 1290. The house was last modernized during the reign of Charles the 1st (the Staircase Hall and Music Room was added at this time).

History:
The Manor at Much Marcle was started by French Monks in the 11th Century. They were sent here from Carmeilles by William the Conqueror to educate the locals. There is a legend of a secret tunnel under Hellens that may contain treasure hidden by the monks when they faced hostile Britons (after WW2 Malcolm Munthe tried to find it – even using table tipping to try and find the location of the tunnel from the ghosts of Hellens).

17th September 1275 De Balun’s younger brother Walter de Balun took over the manor. Walter married Yseult Mortimer the sister of Roger Mortimer. When Walter died Yseult claimed Hellens as her own, as did Walter’s brother Reginald causing conflict. Roger Mortimer often visited the manor and Yseult remarried his good friend Hugh Audley. The manor was now known as ‘Much Marcle Audley’.

Hugh set up a Baron Court there in 1301 and gallows were set up in the grounds. 13th March 1306 Sir John de Balun was executed (hung) at Hellens for ‘felony’.

The King granted Sir John’s part of the manor to Lord Roger Mortimer. At this time the manor was often called ”Helionhome’ or ‘Helinham Castle’ after the Seneschal de Helion who looked after it.

Yseult carried out many modifications her front door, ‘Mortimer’s Door’ still remains today.

Lady Katherine Audley, the widow of Hugh’s cousin came to live at the manor. Her son Tom died there in 1307, his wife Eve fell in love with Yseult’s son James Audley and bore him two ‘bastard’ sons – Peter and James.

On the day of Edward 2nd’s Coronation the pressure became too much for Lady Katherine and she went missing and ended up living as a recluse in Ledbury.

Yseult’s second son Hugh, married Piero Gaveston’s widow, the king’s niece, Margaret of Gloucester and so he became, Hugh Audley, Earl of Gloucester.

15th March 1322 – Battle of Boroughbridge, Hugh Audley and Roger Mortimer were captured. Hugh was free within weeks but Roger was taken to the Tower of London. Queen Isabella and Yseult famously helped him escape and flee to France. In 1325 Hugh Audley died a broken man stripped of all his dignities as a peer.

Roger and Queen Isabella fell in love and plotted to overthrow the crown. By 1329 Roger was virtually King of England (Edward 3rd was still a young boy). He captured Edward 2nd and took him to Berkley Castle where he was interrogated and butchered. Roger killed the King’s Uncle, Kent. He and Isabella went to Nottingham where Edward 3rd and Lord Salisbury broke into the Queen’s bedroom and found Mortimer in a cave below the castle – Roger was taken to London and hung.

In 1333 Hugh and Yseult’s son James died in Gascony. Although the manor was officially owned by Hugh it was to be James’s for life, the annual rent was fixed at a pair of gilt spurs to be paid each Easter.

James was very close friends with Edward third’s son, the Black Prince. In 1344 James was Sir James and one of the first Knights of the Garter. In 1346 James fought with the Black Prince at Crecy, on his return the Prince stayed at Hellens (his crest is on the fireplace in the stone hall) and ate at the stone table in the hall (used to be an altar). They returned to France where James was the Prince’s right hand man and ‘Hero of Poitiers’. James died in a subsequent attack and the Black Prince organized his funeral.

The Earl of Gloucester’s Daughter, wife of Lord Stafford took over Hellens but never lived there. She gave it to her Granddaughter as a present on her marriage to John de Helion (it was at this point it became known as ‘Helions’ or ‘Hellens’.)

Johanna gave it to her son Thomas Walwyn in 1399. His daughter Margaret was governess to the Princes in the Tower. Walwyn refused Henry 8th’s knighthood and had to pay a huge fine.

Richard Walwyn inherited the estate. In approx 1525 Princess Mary (Mary Tudor) visited Hellens. When she was queen they prepared a room specially for her (it’s still there today) but she never returned.

Richard’s wife Dorothy died and he remarried. He also took in a monk who was homeless in new Protestant Britain.

Richard’s son was Dick, Dick’s son was Ely. Dick died of worry trying to raise money to satisfy the new Lady Walwyn and Ely took over the estate. In 1602 Ely married Anne Cooke (her father’s coat of arms is in the Cordova room) in 1603 their son, Fulke Walwyn was born. In 1616 Ely died and Hellens was in a state of disrepair. Fulke moved in with his godfather Sir Walter Pye. In 1619 Fulke married Margaret Pye (she was pregnant at the time) and returned to Hellens. The baby was John Walwyn. They restored the house, putting in the Staircase Hall and Cordova Room (which was Fulke and Margaret’s bedroom). The caretaker at the time was an old monk. The house today is very similar to how it was then.

During the civil war John Lingen had his leg shattered in battle nearby and was brought into Hellens where he died. It’s thought he’s buried in a secret tomb inside Hellens. Many rooms have deep chambers between the floorboards and beams below – is his one legged body still buried in one of these chambers?

There was a secret Cavalier HQ at Hellens, however, the roundheads got in and cornered the monk in Bloody Mary’s Bedroom where he was killed – again it’s not known where Margaret and Fulke buried the monk.

In 1649 John Walwyn took over Hellens. WhenFulke died the great gates were closed never to be reopened. ‘Fulkes Farewell’. John married but she died 2 years later. She left him 2 daughters Frances and Bridget. John’s second wife was Mary Winnington who gave birth to Margaret and twin boys Thomas and Fulke who were described as ‘idiots from birth’. One of the twins died aged 12.

At the end of 17th century Hetty Walwyn (thought to be Bridget though there is some confusion over this, she’s known as Hetty or Hettabel Walwyn)ran off with a young man who was beneath her socially it didn’t last. By the time she was 20 he’d either died or deserted her and she was forced to return home where she was branded a social disgrace and unmarriagable and locked in her room for 30 years. She used a diamond ring to engrave on a window-pane ‘It is part of virtue to abstain from what we love if it should prove our bane’ – it’s still there today. On the outside is scratched John Pearcel 1702 – we don’t know who he is. In a book about Hellens it is also speculated that Hetty was Bridget and it’s said she went mad.

Margaret’s Scottish husband a man called Nobel took over Hellens, their son William ‘Walwyn’ died unmarried. So his sister was given the estate and they changed their name to Walwyn. They had no sons so the Pytts family and then the James family took over by marriage.

There was a fire in the South wing in 1789 and it was rebuilt as only two storeys by Edward ‘Walwyn’ James. He died in 1831 and 2 distant heirs to the Walwyn estate clained Hellens there was a big lawsuit and it was used as farm buildings.

In the first half of the 20th Century the house was owned by Lady Helena Gleichen she was a painter and had a very cosmopolitan group of friends – this was something of a renaissance for Hellens. In World War 2 Helena started the first Home Guard.
During the War Helena died of Heart Trouble , her friend Nina also died in her sleep shortly after.

Hilda Pennington Mellor Munthe took over the estate with her husband Axel Munthe. They had two sons Malcolm and Peter, Malcolm’s son Adam now owns Hellens.

Ghost ratings:
- The resident’s of Hellens have always lived with its ghosts.

- The ghost of a monk (see below related incidents) is often seen in here and visitors staying in Bloody Mary’s room often complain of having their sleep interrupted by an elderly gentleman in a dark hooded gown who stumbles into the room as if by mistake. Whilst staying in this room during the Hay festival Simon Callow saw the ghost of the monk.

- Back in the ’40’s Malcolm Munthe tried table tipping to get in touch with the spirit of the monk in order to find the secret tunnel – the only definite answers he could get were that he did haunt that room and other areas in the house but nothing about the tunnel.

- In the ’20’s a guest left after only one night later complaining of being disturbed several times by a ‘dotty old member of the family who had escaped from his keeper’ – it was widely thought at the time he’d seen the Monk.

- Nick has been woken to see the ghost of who he believes to be Hetty standing by his bed. He describes her as small and says that she was as clear and real as any other human. Recently they have been experiencing poltergeist activity up here. China cups fly off the shelves, things are moved in the kitchen and pictures fly off the walls and cooking pots are thrown to the floor.

- The ghost of a man, thought to be Sir Philip Musgrave (his portrait hangs at Hellens) has been seen in the music room.
Spooky experiences:
- Adam’s grandson recently spoke of seeing a little girl in what sounds like Victorian clothing here – he’s only two.

http://www.hellensmanor.com/

First Broadcast: 6th September 2005

Tissington Hall

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description: The hall was built by Francis FitzHerbert in 1609 (this replaced a moated manor house that was to the north of the church). However, the top floor of the house wasn’t added until 1700 and Joseph Pickford (a well known Derby Architect) remodeled the West Aspect in 1780 by adding a projecting central bay and open arcading on the ground floor. The Library and Billiard Room wing was completed by the architect Arnold Mitchell for the 5th Baronet (The Rev. Sir Richard FitzHerbert) in 1902. He also joined the Servant’s house to the main hall, this was then converted into two separate flats in 1994.

History:
The hall has always been home to the FitzHerbert family and has served as their main home for nearly 400 years though the family has lived in the village for 500 years.

The FitzHerbert family originally came to England with William the Conqueror and settled in Derbyshire when William FitzHerbert was granted the Manor of Norbury in 1125.

There are two sides to the family – one side using a capital ‘H’ and he other side without – the side without (the Fitzherberts) live in Staffordshire. The capital letter means that the two sides of the family can be distinguished whilst still retaining the same surname (the Fitzherberts being the Roman Catholic side of the family). Captain William FitzHerbert fought for the Royalists in the English Civil War.

The estate at Tissington came into the hands of the FitzHerbert family when Nicholas FitzHerbert married the heiress Cicely Francis in the late 15th Century.

Colonel Sir Ralph Knight fought for the Parliamentarians in the Civil War (the Knights are another branch of the family tied in with the family estates in Warsop – there are portraits of them at the hall.)

Sir William FitzHerbert was given a Baronetcy by George 3rd in 1784 for acting as Minister for Woods and Rivers and for his role as Gentleman Usher to the King.

Sir William’s Brother – Alleyne FitzHerbert later became Lord St Helens. He was ambassador and plenipotentiary in Russia, Spain, France and other European countries in the late 18th and Early 19th Centuries. During this time he collected much of the art and furniture that is house today.

The first Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son, Anthony in 1791. Anthony’s brother, Henry (1783-1859), inherited the manor as a minor in 1798 and built extensively in and around the village during the 60 years he was there. He built most of the cottages standing in the village today.

Ghost ratings:
- The library contains 3,016 books, many old books belonging to previous baronets. Unexplained noises have been heard, temperature drops felt and a lamp seen to move with no-one near it.

- According to Sir Richard when a ghost group were in the snooker room carrying out experiments their dowsing rods and crystal ‘went nuts’. Also a piece of picture frame was found on the floor – the dowsing suggested the spirit of ‘Mary’ did it.

- Part of the paneling in the Drawing Room had to be replaced after the fire that left Mina FitzHerbert with fatal injuries. Her ghost has been seen here.

- In the West Drawing Room Sir Richard was with some members of the public and a man asked out for Wilhelmina to show herself, as he did it there was a huge flash of light, he asked again and the same happened.

- In room four a camera caught the image of someone falling backwards, the tape has been lost. People have felt the bed rocking and felt a presence standing over them and smelt the scent of lavender.

- The ghost of a man called ‘Williamson’ walks in the Cellar. Sir R doesn’t know of a man with that name but says so many people have worked here over the years there’s no reason why not
Spooky experiences:
- On 20th August 1862 Mina (Wilhelmina) FitzHerbert was caught in a fire. Reports conflict as to whether it occurred in Bedroom 4 or in the Drawing Room. Unfortunately she died from her injuries around the 15th September 1862.

http://www.tissington-hall.com/

Peterborough Museum

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description: The building was built in 1816 as a private house by Thomas Cooke. However, the Cellars are part of a far older house that was built on the site in the 16th Century.

History:
The Orme family owned a house on this site from 1538.

Thomas Cooke (a local magistrate) and his wife Charlotte built the existing building and used it as their townhouse from 1816 – 1856. Thomas Cooke used to hold trials in the kitchen of the house.

Thomas and Charlotte divorced apparently amid a lot of scandal. It was then sold to 3rd Earl Fitzwilliam who gave permission for the building to be used as the city’s first hospital. It was The Peterborough Infirmary from 1857 – 1928.

There was apparently a big fire in the building in 1884. The building was then bought by the Museum Society and became a museum in 1931.

Ghost ratings:
- There has been a massive increase in reported activity recently, this increase is thought to have been triggered by electrical work that has been going on at the museum.

- In January 2005, 2 visitors (one a young child) saw a dark figure in the museum (the child ran away screaming). This has been seen regularly before.

- After 6pm when the museum was closed, Stuart (Marketing and Events Mgr), heard loud banging on doors but no-one was there.

- In the week beginning 27/09/04, a staff member was working alone in the museum at about 6.30pm when she saw a male figure ‘flitting’ down the corridor.

- In the Exhibition Room Gallery people have been pushed, one work experience girl was pushed so violently she fell to the floor.

- In 1916 when the builiding was being used as a hosptial a solider was brought here and died – his ghost has been seen walking up the stairs. He’s described as being about 30 years old, brown haired and wearing a green or grey suit.

- On 11/09/04 a paranormal investigation was held here with members of the public. 4 people separately saw and heard a lady in a Georgian dress walking down the stairs and the sound of a woman called ‘Lady Charlotte, Lady Charlotte…’ after her.

- In mid-November 2004 – A group were being given an evening tour and were standing on the stairs when they heard 5 distinct footsteps at the top of the staircase. The guide and 2 of the people on the tour went up to have a look but no-one was there, just a cold spot at the top – there was no-one else in the whole building.

- In the Archeology Gallery a ouija board – picked up a Roman Soldier in this room – possibly connected to the sword kept in here rather than the building itself.

Spooky experiences:
- Sergeant Thomas Hunter was born in Newcastle in 1880 but emigrated to Australia when he was a young man. He worked as a coal miner in New South Wales before enlisting with the ANZACs at the start of WW1 serving in Gallipoli and on the Western Front. He was seriously wounded in June 1916 and the field hospital that treated him decided that he needed more specialist treatment in Britain. He was shipped back to Britain and put on a train North but his condition worsened and the train stopped at the nearest station and he was taken to the nearest Hospital, what is now the Museum. However, treatment came too late and he died in the building on 31st July 1916. He’s buried in the Broadway Cemetery in Peterborough.

- One of the Doctors who worked here when the building was a hospital pioneered the use of x-rays, however, he accidentally radiated himself and died on the premises.

First Broadcast: 23rd August 2005

Smithills Hall, Bolton

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

Description: There has been a building on this site since the 13th Century. The oldest part of the building dates from 1335, it was then extended in the fifteenth century and again in Victorian times. It is now a Grade 1 listed building.

History:
The major families associated with the hall were the Radcliffes, the Bartons and the Ainsworths.

Little is written about the first two families although we know that Radcliffes fought at Agincourt and in the War of the Roses – on the Lancastrian side.

The Bartons supported Bolton as a Parlimentarian town in the time of the civil war.

In 1335 William Radcliffe bought the Manor from the Hulton family, in turn his Son, Grandson and Great-Grandson, all called Sir Ralph Radcliffe inherited the estate.

The third Sir Ralph had only one child, a daughter Johanna who married into the Barton family, therefore the estate passed to her cousin, another Ralph Radcliffe. He died leaving a 12 year old daughter Cecilia, so Johanna married Cecilia off to her son John. Therefore in 1485 the estate passed to The Barton Family.

Through marriage the estate passed to the Bellasyse family in 1659 but they had other possessions and didn’t really need this estate so it entered a period of relative decline (Princess Diana was a descendant of this family).

The estate was sold in 1721 and then sold again in 1723 this time to Joseph Byrom. Smithills wasn’t the Byrom’s main concern (they lived at Kersall Cell, Salford) and they rented out parts of the building.

In 1801 Richard Ainsworth bought Smithills. The Ainsworths were successful bleachers, a family made wealthy by the Industrial Revolution. ” Richard’s son Peter inherited the hall in 1833 and built a grand southwest wing. Richard Henry Ainsworth inherited the estate in 1870 and employed the architect George Davey who remodelled the 16th Century parts of the house and added further wings. Nigel Ainsworth inherited the hall in 1926 and it was he who sold it to the County Borough of Bolton for £70,000 in 1938. The oldest part of the house was opened as a museum in 1963 and the rest was used as a residential home and day centre.

Ghost ratings:
- In the Great Hall energy is felt, particularly by far door, a strong, cold breeze, whooshes past people and blows tablecloths.

- Many people have had their bottom pinched and been touched particularly whilst on the stairs between the Bower and Solar rooms. – A lady in 17th Century Dress has also been seen on these stairs. – People have smelt burning wood in the Bower Room. – Orbs caught on camera. – The spirit of a small boy with long dark curly hair has been felt in the solar room, perhaps called Tommy. The spirit of a young girl has also been picked up on.

People in the Withdrawing room have seen people walking past the window outside – possibly Royalist Soldiers

- In the Church a Grey lady has been seen sitting in the front pew, a figure has been seen kneeling at the altar and orbs and strange lights have been caught on camera.

- George Marsh, a local Curate, was tried in the Green Room for being a Protestant, he was then taken to Lancaster and then on to Chester where he was burnt at the Stake. At the bottom to the staircase up to his room is a footprint left in the flagstone. It is said that George stamped his foot here in outrage after his trial to leave a mark as a declaration of his faith. The footprint looks as though it is facing the wrong way. This is said to be because previous owners removed it, however, after they did this they experienced such extreme paranormal activity that they put it back – but the wrong way round. People experience the feeling of extreme unease and many won’t even enter the room saying it has a malevolent atmosphere.

Spooky experiences:
- Recently, a figure with black hair and clothes has been seen crouching by the counter in the Tea Room by one of the guides. He later looked at ‘Foxe’s Book of English Martyrs’ and was surprised how similar to the picture of George Marsh was to the figure he saw. On three occasions when the hall has been closed the shop manager has been looking into the large Pugin Mirror on the wall and has seen a male figure with white bushy hair and dressed in black standing in the doorway and on one occasion on the stairs.

- When the house was a home for old ladies in the 1950’s one of the night wardens said she regularly heard horses galloping past the front of the house in the middle of the night.

http://www.smithills.org/

First Broadcast: 16th August 2005

Elvaston Castle

Posted by admin as 6: Season Six

The true love story of the Elvaston estate as we know it today really begins in the early 1800s but the full history of the Elvaston estate can be traced back to the 11th century and earlier with ownership changing hands several times in the proceeding centuries. Records show Sir Thomas Hanselin as one of the original estate owners before it passed into the hands of the Musards of Staveley, followed by the Frenchvilles before being purchased by Sir Walter Blount in 1420.

The estate then passed through several other families before it was transmitted to Sir Thomas Stanhope of Shelford in the reign of Mary I, and his grandson Philip, the first Earl of Chesterfield, commissioned a new house which was built in 1633. A branch of the Stanhope family took up residence in the house and oversaw various developments of the property over the next century.

In 1742, the Elvaston Stanhopes took up the title of Earl of Harrington and proceeded to commission more rebuilding. But the house as we know it today really started to take shape when the third Earl of Harrington, Charles Stanhope, commissioned James Wyatt to remodel the old house. Wyatt didn’t live to see his plans to fruition, the designs instead being executed by Robert Walker between 1815 and 1829.

Amongst the changes designed by Wyatt (pictured right) were the gothic façades which still grace the house today. A new great hall was added to the west and a new wing added to the north-west. Much of the existing interior was also Wyatt’s design, including the spectacular screen of four-centred arches, niches, fan vaulting and pendants in the great hall.

The fourth Earl of Harrington, Viscount Petersham, was nearly 50 when he inherited the title and estate in 1829. He had a reputation as something of a Regency buck, renowned for his stylish dress, tall and handsome looks, charming personality and way with the ladies.

When he finally married in 1831, it was to Maria Foote – a Covent Garden actress seventeen years his junior. Prior to their marriage, their affair had been the talk of the town in both London and Derbyshire and their relationship had been heavily frowned upon by the previous Earl and many other members of the family.

Lord Petersham and his wife (pictured right) took up residence at Elvaston shortly after their marriage. The couple were inseparable and besotted with one another. The Earl would never allow Maria out of the grounds – nor would he allow visitors in – such was his love and obsession for his wife. To that end, the Earl set about creating an private and secluded oasis of great beauty for himself and the love of his life – a Gothic paradise designed as a symbol of his undying love for her. It is here that the Elvaston estate as we know it today began to take shape.

The final phase of building at the house began in 1836 when Lewis Cottingham was called in to rebuild the south front with the brief to give the facade, still the original from 1633, a more harmonious look to match the rest of the newer building work on the house.

The Earl also commissioned the work on the surrounding grounds. Respected landscaper Humphrey Repton had originally been called in by the third Earl to oversee the project, but Repton turned down the commission, daunted by the unerring flatness of the estate. So, in 1830, the fourth Earl turned to previously untried gardener William Barron.

Barron (pictured right) spent the next 20 years working on the surrounding gardens, woodlands and pleasure grounds, introducing many revolutionary designs and techniques to the grounds including spectacular topiary, intricate drainage methods and a pioneering technique for transporting fully-grown trees from one location to another – a method necessitated by the Earl’s impatience to see his gardens in full splendor which forced Barron to bring in and plant full-grown trees for instant impressive effect rather than planting saplings. Barron’s work at Elvaston established him as one of the most respected landscapes of his time and he and his successors enjoyed much prominence in the business for the next century. The gardens today, deservedly so, retain Grade II Listed status.

Following the completion of Barron’s work, the estate remained shrouded in privacy as the Earl and his Countess craved their seclusion. However, following the death of the Earl in 1851, his successor, Leicester Stanhope – the Fifth Earl of Harrington – finally opened Elvaston to the public. The estate had amassed a huge reputation of the preceding years and thousands flocked to Elvaston to see the glory of the house and gardens finally revealed.

The estate remained under the ownership of the Harringtons for the remainder of the 19th century and for much of the 20th, being occupied by the Harrington’s kinsmen the Lillingstons up to the onset of World War II. During the war, the house was taken over by young women and turned into a teacher training college after the original college in Derby was evacuated for safety. The college vacated the house in 1947 and it remained mostly empty for the next two decades.

With the house in a state of neglect and the grounds mostly unkempt and overgrown, the estate was finally put up for sale by the Harringtons in 1966. Derbyshire County Council and the then Derby County Borough Council were the joint purchasers. They set about a restoration project which brought much of the grounds back to beauty (although sadly, some were beyond restoration back to their full former glory) and the estate opened to the public as a Country Park, the first of its kind in England, on Good Friday, 1970.

New features were added to the estate over the following years, including the Working Estate Museum which opened in 1980. The top stable yard building were also redeveloped to provide visitor facilities such as a information centre, shop and educational centre.

But, by 1990, a combination of increased visitor numbers but dwindling finances were starting to take its toll on the estate. Much of the pathways began to show signs of erosion, as did the castle building itself. By the late Nineties, the castle had fell into such disrepair that much of it was closed to the general public, reopening only on occasions for rare open days.

By 2000, Derbyshire County Council had admitted that they could no longer afford the ongoing running costs of £500,000 per year, let alone the estimated £3million repair costs to the estate. The Council therefore opened up bidding for the lease of the estate to private bidders – a process which has since lurched from failure to failure for the past 4 years.

Now, in 2004, the castle is desperately in need of restoration. The council, in a bid to save money on the estate, have closed many of the facilities including the Estate Museum and stables and now seem intent on leasing the castle and grounds to a hotel group who will inevitably close much of the remaining grounds to the public

http://www.elvastoncastle.org.uk/

First Broadcast: 9th August 2005