In late 2006,
after a phone call from the owner of Crowley
Hall in the north of England, ghost hunter
Arron Kasady did some research into the history
and strange occurrences that have happened
there. There were no witnesses to the noises
heard there, and only a couple of people that
were there during the ghost sightings have
been found. The only other evidence, that
was discovered in the nurses quarters, was
a photograph taken in 1974.
In early 2007,
a small team of paranormal investigators led
by Arron Kasady, entered the building to conduct
some preliminary tests. Photographs were taken,
that produced images of strange orbs in certain
rooms, particularly the old children's nursery.
Erratic temperature readings were recorded
throughout the hall, and the team had the
feeling of being constantly watched.
Following on
from this initial research, Arron decided
to conduct a full investigation into the ghosts
that apparently reside at Crowley Hall. It
was hoped that conclusive evidence of paranormal
activity and ghosts could be gathered during
their stay there. The whole event was filmed
and photographed for a documentary entitled
'The Ghosts of Crowley Hall'.
Story
by Arron Kasady
Crowley Hall,
situated in the north of England,
was built in the late 19th century.
It had originally been built as
a hospital and served that purpose
until the 1920’s, when it
was reformed and renamed as ‘The
Crowley Home for the Criminally
Insane’. Run by head practitioner
Dr. Bernard Leys and his wife Beatrice,
it was one of the key centres for
mental illness and criminal behavioural
studies in the north of England.
There have been many
supposed Ghost Sightings at Crowley
Hall in England. During it's life,
the Hall has had a number of paranormal
incidents suggesting the prescence
of ghosts, and there are Ghost Stories
dating back to the the 1950's. Recently,
a Ghost Photo was recovered during
renovations at the hall, and this
had prompted a full Ghost Investigation
there. This Investigation is being
made into a Feature Film due to
be released towards the end of 2007.
Leys ran Crowley Hall for 32 years,
before dying in mysterious circumstances
during an examination on one of
the more seriously deranged inmates
at the asylum. It had been claimed
that Leys died after being attacked
by the inmate whilst carrying out
an operation. The inmate had apparently
not been fully anaesthetised, and
woke during the procedure. In the
ensuing chaos, the inmate stabbed
Leys in the neck. Official records
state however that Leys died of
a heart attack while during the
operation.
During Leys’ time at the
hall, rumours of serious malpractice
were rife. Stories spread of experimentation
on some of the most violent inmates,
including beatings and starvation.
Upon Leys’ death, an investigation
into the rumours was conducted.
However, the findings were inconclusive,
as many records of the time had
been destroyed when a fire broke
out during the investigation.
In all the investigations I have
done, I can truly say that I have
walked away thinking that maybe
there was a scientific explanation
for everything I have witnessed.
I am a ghost hunter, I should always
come away questioning what I have
seen that way I can separate what
I believe is true paranormal activity
from what isn't. However when it
came to the location I am writing
about now, I can honestly say my
beliefs were turned upside down
and inside out.
We heard about Crowley Hall when
the owner of the location called
us about some problems he was having
whilst carrying out renovations.
The workers he had employed had
been suffering at the hands of sever
supernatural activity, and during
a particularly nasty attack had
downed tools and gone on strike.
Well, when the team hear this sort
of thing, it is like music to our
ears. Plus we had recently been
discussing the possibility of shooting
a documentary of one of our investigations,
but nothing had come close to the
possibilities that Crowley Hall
could have. So once everything had
been organised we were on our way.
When we finally reached the building,
I was excited to be doing something
a
bit different from the norm. Not
just carrying out an investigation
with such a history as Crowley Hall,
had but also being able to document
it on film. The building itself
was a grand old place. Inside, although
the upper floors had the look of
a recent children's hospital, the
lower floors still held the atmosphere
of a building that had been around
for more than one hundred years.
In fact this was probably the biggest
building we had
investigated.
My excitement was matched by the
other members of the ghost hunting
crew. This was a new experience
for us and you could feel the atmosphere
was electric. Unfortunately this
wasn't a feeling that was going
to last very long.
Everything was going smoothly until
Annabel, our spiritual medium, whispered
in my ear that she had grave reservations
for the evening's activities. She
had felt that Crowley Hall had something
in store for us that evening and
she was extremely worried for the
safety of everyone involved. She
asked me to make sure that I was
spiritually protected alongwith
the rest of the crew.
I should have listened.
Annabel was uncomfortable about
the whole thing from the very beginning.
She had picked up on the spirits
of both Alfred and Doctor Leys.
She had told us that Doctor Leys
was angry at us for being there,
and he was going to show us just
how angry he was later on in the
evening. I really should have listened.
Maybe it was the excitement of
making the documentary that dulled
my own feelings towards what could
happen. Maybe I was just caught
up with making sure the filming
was going as planned to think clearly.
Everything was going well. We had
heard some sounds and caught some
'orb' footage. The evening looked
like it would just progress as it
had done in most other haunted building
we had been in. The shooting was
going smoothly, interviews were
filmed and a couple of vigils held.
In my mind nothing more was going
to happen, until we held the séance
in the old children's ward. In retrospect,
I probably shouldn't have pushed
as hard as I did. I shouldn't have
said what I did. Annabel had been
there to warn us of all this and
I ignored the warnings.
What happened later on that evening
will stay with me forever. A lot
of the team couldn't sleep properly
after that night. I couldn't sleep
for days afterwards. I keep questioning
what happened, always thinking back
to the séance, always asking
whether I could have handled things
differently. constantly blaming
myself.
It was the first time we have ever
had to abandon an investigation
halfway through. After what happened
to me I knew we had to get out of
there. We had been scared so much
we couldn't face spending another
moment in that place. It has made
me question a lot about my own beliefs,
made me think about what is actually
out there. A majority of us think
of life after death as a few footsteps
in a dark building, or a few light
anomalies flashing across a camera.
We always hope for that full spectral
manifestation to prove that ghosts
are real, but after Crowley Hall,
I don't think you need a ghost to
come right up to the camera and
say hello to prove it exists.
We have been making plans to go
back and finish what we started.
Two
thirds of the crew don't want to
return, and I don't blame them.
I don't want to go back, but I need
to find out if what happened that
night wasn't just my imagination.
The thought of going back scares
me, and I don't mind admitting that
for the first time in my life. I
am truly terrified. The ghost hunters
did return to Crowley Hall, and
the second part of the investigation
there was completed in the early
hours on 12th August 2007.
More strange paranormal activity
was witnessed and recorded by the
team, including moving objects,
strange noises and more orbs. Delving
into parts of the Hall previously
unexplored, Dr. Leys' home was investigated,
and some of the findings were quite
incredible.
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