British Waterways Canal Basin Hartshill
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
11th March 2006
All team Members except Sheryl and Dave Blower and Nick and Sarah French, Did not know the location that was being investigated until there were driven into the site by one of the members that knew the location.
This meant that one one could research the location for previous history and names.
The team members on this investigation are:-
Nick, Sarah, Dave, Sheryl, Steve S, Wendy, John A, Mark I, Mark H, John G, Carol, Steve, Ann, Joy & Emily.
Guests are Vicky & Joan from British Waterways & Marcella.
Everyone arrived at about 20.00 & the lads set about setting up the camera’s.
Camera 1 – Office building, room R. In this office block there are various rooms which lead off from two long corridors.
Room R - 0.15 EMF, 68.7% Humidity & 15 Celsius
Room L/R – 1.75 EMF, 69.7% Humidity & 14.2 Celsius
Room L/Straight – 1.7 EMF, 68.4% Humidity & 13.9 Celsius
Camera 2 – Was in the Blacksmiths. The readings were 0.15 EMF, 10.4 Celsius & 46.8% Humidity
Camera 3 – Was on the upper floor back room. The readings were 0.15 EMF, 16.7 Celsius & 66.6% Humidity. The readings in the main area of the Carpenters building was 0.15 EMF, 10.8 Celsius & 66.6% Humidity
Camera 4 – Was up in the clock tower on the top floor, the readings were - 0.115 EMF, 57.8% Celsius & 57.8 Humidity. On the first floor, Room 1 the readings were - 0.15 EMF, 9.9 Celsius & 48.7 Humidity. In the small office area the readings were - 0.15 EMF, 10.1 Celsius & 51.4 Humidity. In the back room the readings were – 0.15 EMF, 9.9 Celsius & 53.5 Humidity.
The outside temperature was 49.5 Humidity & 12.5 Celsius.
We had four teams & all the teams spent 30 minutes in each location & monitoring the locked off cameras on the televisions:-
Team 1 John A, Mark I, Steve C, Joy & Ann
Team 2 Mark H, Steve S, Sarah & Wendy
Team 3 Carol, Ian, Steve, Sheryl, Vicky, Joan & Marcella.
Team 4 John G, Dave, Nick & Emily
TEAM 1
This is team 1’s finding of the night:-
Their first vigual was in the office block, John heard tapping on metal & a squeaky noise. John can visualise no wall to the bottom of the wall but can see a horse & painted cans.
He picked up on Marie the gatekeeper’s daughter she used to live in the little house he thinks she drown in the canal. She seems a happy little girl. John was asked for a date & he came up with early 1800’s. Her mum was called Alice, he is trying to get the dad’s name, her Grandad lived further down the canal the other side of Nuneaton, and she had a little brother. The image John is getting of the Grandad is a thick moustache a nice man very helpful.
The name of the barge is “The Pea green Barge”. Their favourite boat that came past was carrying coal & the people always brought wares of the people here, buckets water cans etc.
John gets the surname of Clayhorn.
John picks up on a grandfather figure that whisked the children from away from here; he could have been the landowner. This building wasn’t here it was all fields, he is not a very nice man & he is not happy about the building being built here around the 1600’s.
The team then moved into the top room. John keeps getting the need to look out of the window, it seems to be a different building to what it is now, he senses that the man used to watch the barges out of the window he is someone in charge (official). They heard a thud! The book keeper’s office.
This man is up set about the loss of something back in the Victorian times the man is in a brown suit, white shirt long collar. He is very straight & organised person.
John feels that the yard was about to be sold & that is why he is looking out of the window & the man is looking at what he is about to loose. John thinks that some where close they opened a more modern yard & they were going to close this one down, but they didn’t in the end.
John gets the name – Richard Farnsworth
John also picks up that at the bottom of the stairs a man had a heart attack.
Team 1 then moved to the Blacksmiths:-
John picked up on a woman being beaten up in here & then murdered. Someone also hung themselves in here. Something fell off the wall, feet are kicking about & thrashing against the wall. John gets the name of Michael / Mick.
Woman worked here with horses was the one that was murdered. John feels that someone would have heard someone scream in here before. John now understands why the man was kicking at the wall because he feels that someone has pulled him up be the neck.
When a living person was in here at sometime, a hammer has fallen from the window sill, the spirit is telling John that he didn’t mean to knock it off. John can here someone coughing & the shuffling of their feet, they are not happy that we are in here.
John is saying that a barge pulling up someone & they are being carried off covered in a blanket they were brought into here & died they were crushed. John is getting pains in his chest. John feels that he needs to shout out “Bartholomew”
Team 1 then moves into the Carpenter’s Store-
John say’s that they used to store contraband in here from smuggling. Pirate type people used to hide things in here these items had been robbed off the canal. He is getting the name of “Dick”.
There is a funny noise coming from bottom corner like a rubble sound. There was an outside store, sacks grain, outside doorway in side wall. There is a man standing in the store with only one leg, small man. John has got pain going across his eyes. John has said that this is generally a busy site, lots of people.
Team 1 then moved to the Clock Tower-
The team go up stairs to the clock tower. John picks up on a man who visits here who used to maintain the clock, ho loves the sound of the clock and checks to see that the time is correct. He is getting the name of “George” he has always needed the clock to be the right time 7 he is very proud of it.
George was watching the clock being repaired last year. John is being told that they had trouble with replacing a part. George was watching the clock being fixed. George came from the village, he didn’t work here, he just came to do the clock, he was an older gentleman who loved the canal, and he would come here to do the clock & to see the canal & all the workings.
John was told that Carl & John are doing the clock now & George is proud that they are doing a good job.
George loves to stand in this room & look out the window, as it is tranquil.
TEAM 2
This is Teams 2 findings of the various rooms.
The first visit was to the Blacksmiths –
The name of Christine Smith-Worthy came up, also John & Harold Dumpries/Humpries, these brothers used to fight but this is not how they died. They dealt with horses but one had a better job that the other. It is a happy room enjoyed working here it was built late 1800’s, family run business
Mark needed to ask out “where’s the cat”. Mark seems to think that the bell in the blacksmiths hasn’t worked for years it seems to be frozen.
There used to be labourers here aged 12-14 years old.
Steve thinks that at certain points the chains move – an Orb has just gone from the chain.
A young girl aged 16-17 years old called Henrietta, people have seen her Mark gets the year 1874 but not sure what it is related to. Mark gets the feeling of being pushed
Steve say’s his bottom has been touched.
They pick up on a Man called Joe Washington being killed on the bridge due to a motorbike accident 1974.
Mark picks up on little Bobby drowned in the canal; Bobby was playing hide & seek he fell in & drowned.
Team 2 then moved to the Carpenters Room –
Mark is picking up on Eric. Eric is telling Mark that this wasn’t always a carpenter’s room. Bobby was Eric’s son who drowned when he was 5-7. Eric was in his 30’s he worked here as a general labourer until his son drowned. There is lots of sadness about this room Mark senses a lady called Grace.
Mark can sense two horses here & a cat. A big fat black cat.
They also pick up on a Nasty old git from 1742 called David, he was going to Bosworth, and he controlled the area.
Team 2 then went to the Clock Tower –
Mark picks up on a man called Ted he walked with a limp, Mark is getting back pain down the left side. Ted is an old man in his 60’s-70’s. 1878 was being picked up. Mark is getting really bad back pain, his back is icy cold. Mark gets the name Edward Charlton; he is saying that it is a hard job, not easy doing the clock. He lived in the lock keeper’s cottage, a cheerful person he worked at the pit. Ted died of a heart attack but he keeps coming back to make sure the clock is done properly.
Mark is getting the feeling of being stabbed in the leg
There is a smell of carbolic soap & the room has gone icy cold. Steve’s hand has been touched.
Mark is picking up on a nasty person here he thought he was a gaffer, but he was only the foreman. He makes himself known to people. He doesn’t fit in with the rest of the family as he is only a foreman. He is an active spirit but he won’t give his name. The battery is draining on the camcorder. Mark feels that the spirit was a murderer.
Team 2 then moves on to the Offices –
Mark feels like laughing he wants to be happy & jolly.
Mark feels pressure on his back
The name Beth is picked up that is short for Elizabeth. Someone is pushing Beth around as she has to do as she is told.
They think the office’s used to be a canteen at sometime.
Mark wants to sing “Raindrops keep falling on my head”
TEAM 3
This is team 3’s findings –
We arrived in the Carpenters workshop at 22.55. The room feels very calm to us all, there is no atmosphere. Carol asked if this building was used for horses?
Carol asked if there were children in here, her legs have started shaking & knocking, her leg feels funny
23.00 Sheryl asked out for any spirits to come forward – no response. Carol’s leg is still feeling funny & shaking.
23.00 Sheryl asked out again – no response. Carol is drawn towards the roof
Carol went into the store room. Carol is picking up that this area used to be ruins, something was dug up here, a man has told carol that it was from the 12th century, but this building wasn’t built until the 17th century. As we went out of the room a nail feel to the floor
23.05 We are still in the storage room & Carol is picking up that children used to sleep in this room. Sheryl asked out -no response. Carol cam up with the name “Lewis” as a surname. Carol’s legs now feel better but she has a headache. While we are up the stairs in the store room Steve gets an orb at the bottom of the stairs. Carol & Ian have heard a creaking noise.
23.10 Sheryl asked out again-no response. Carol keeps sensing something under the building, she say’s that someone got hurt badly. Vicky & Ian both went outside to check out the ground line of the building. Carol asked if someone had died here in the last 20 years? Carol doesn’t like the top part of the carpenters loft, she gets a really depressive feeling, and did someone die here or hang themselves?
Carol is still sensing rooms under the floor in the storage section. The name “Lewis” still keeps coming back to Carol. Vicky & Ian have comeback into the carpenters building & they have said that the dry dock runs under the building.
When anyone stands near the rail at the stop of the stairs they start to feel unwell-
Joan keeps feeling sick, Carol’s legs keep shaking, and Vicky’s stomach keeps feeling really funny
23.30 Sheryl asked out again – Carol is now shaking all over.
Team 3 move to the Clock Tower -
23.35 The team moved to the Clock Tower, had a good look around to get the feel of the building, We went into the back room, Steve feels really drawn to this room, he felt as if someone is on his shoulders.
23.45 The team moved up stairs to the clock tower (there were bats in here earlier) Carol picks up on children playing in here; they are running round playing hide & seek. Sheryl asked out but no response. There seems to be a strong smell of horse manure.
23.50 Asked out again – no response, Steve can also smell the manure in here.
Team 3 went back for refreshments & to watch the locked off camera’s. After that they went to the Office’s
00.35 The team walked around the various rooms, ended up in the front office where the desk is, this room seemed very cold. Carol’s stomach feels as if it is being ripped out. The alarm has gone off on the door (this happens when it opens & someone comes in) all the team is accounted for no one has come in the door. Ian checks & it is slightly open, Ian closes it & comes back in the room. Carol’s Dowser is going mad; she can sense a little boy has just come into the room. Carol is speaking to the little boy & he has told her that there is a man here with him as well, he doesn’t like this man. We ask what the little boy’s name is; Carol gets the name “Peter”. Peter then ran off down through the offices. Carols stomach is still feeling quite bad. The team move the newer part of the building, where Peter ran to. Carol gets the feeling that something is missing from here, something has been taken from here, and Carol is being told that they want it back!
00.45 The door alarm has gone off again, the team move back up the corridor to the see who has come in. The door is slightly open again & the security chain is moving. Carol say’s there is a man standing at the door; she has asked him to open the door more to prove he is here. Some of the team can hear low voices in the building but the team are all accounted for. Carol keeps getting the name “Lewis”, Vicky & Sheryl have gone really cold. Steve is getting stabbing pains in his chest. Carol can hear a male’s voice talking low, he is talking about “the road to Oldbury” he is saying that Oldbury Road links to the Parish. Carol gets the name of “Drew”-“William Drew” someone has stolen his work & why should they get away with it. The team move to the shed at the back of the offices, while they were in there Carols 12 hour battery has gone flat. After a few minutes the team went back in to the offices but are standing in the corridor just discussing events & Vicky’s torch comes on but it is the big light on the top it has to be turned on via a knob it isn’t a switch that could have been caught. Weird!
Team 3 then move to the Blacksmiths (which is opposite the Offices)
01.05 The team are in the blacksmiths it is very cold in here
01.10 Sheryl asked out – no response. You can hear the team above in the clock tower. Team are looking around, Carol has said that the man that was in the door way of the office’s has followed us over here, she had been asking him to open the door, the door has opened slightly, but it is quite breezy outside & the Blacksmiths sign on the wall is swinging. So we close the door again & put it down to the wind. Carol has picked up this building burnt & there is a false wall & that there are 3 false walls up stairs in the clock tower. She comes up with “1235”. This building was built in 1848-1855 this is also when the fire happened. Carol still keeps being told “Parish Road Oldbury”, “The Bishop of Chester” & the name “John” he was a worker here, something strange happened he may have stolen something? Peter is his child (Carol picked up Peter in the offices). There is a confrontation between John & William. Carol keeps picking up on dripping water. Someone in the team has noticed the door has come open again. Carol & Sheryl ask for the door to be pushed open more, it moves slightly, They ask for more again, again it moved slightly which could be the wind. Carol told the spirit who she believes is opening the door that we are going to close it & if there is someone there to really push the door open as proof to the others that he is there. Steve closed the door; Carol & Sheryl ask out again, this time the door swings wide open (all the girlie’s scream). Steve again closed the door, Carol, Joan & Sheryl asked for the spirit to do it again, IF he opens it again they promised that they would leave him alone, after about a minute the door flew open! That team all thanked the spirit & left as promised. Steve made sure the door was shut behind them when they left. About 15 minutes later when all the teams had gathered in the hub, Sheryl & Joan went down to check to see if the door had opened again, to see really if it was the wind that had opened the door, & the door was still shut.
TEAM 4
This is Team 4’s finding of the night –
The first vigual was in the Carpenters building. John is picking up that on the second level on the right between the beams was someone’s work space, worked with his hands, specialist. He is wearing an apron & a leather apron, Ginger curly hair, there is timber stacked & he takes pride in his work & tools, lots of chisels in a rack, other men would come into his space when he wasn’t here & it could cost them their jobs. He used to do Paintings with reds, greens & yellow making what looks like a seat, buckets & figure heads for boats & houses. Everything he made he was asked to make as a special one off job. Strong smell of wood.
The team moved into the small store room, John picked up that something bad had happened in this room, people won’t come in here unless they have to. John is picking up that the spirit that is in here doesn’t want us here, a man in his 30’s, he is nasty, he was born he was deformed he had humps on his back & people used to laugh at him & take the micky due to his deformity, he was put in here out of the way of people, but one day a younger lad came in his name was Ben, David hit a man for laughing at him he hit him with a piece of wood & killed him. People would call him humpy he hated it, his name was David.
David was an intelligent man; he is scared to move on. He sometimes moves things in here, John gets the surname of “Cornwall”, and he lived up the hill by the ruins 1920’s. When the murder happened here he was taken to an asylum with bars at the windows. He is telling John that he couldn’t go walking. He was happy here until Ben laughed at him. Ben was younger than David; he won’t go to the light because of meeting Ben again. John sensed that David was in the room with them, he didn’t like women because they may have laughed at him. One of the team members Dave asked John if David was near would he touch him, John said he might so Dave put his arm out. After a short time Dave felt his right hand tingle & go warm which then after a few seconds went up his arm into his shoulder. John asked if Dave was ok & if he wanted David to stop, Dave said no as it wasn’t hurting him & he had never had this type of experience before, Dave’s arm then started to ache & become heavy. This feeling left Dave after a short while.
Team 4 then moved to the Blacksmiths-
John picked up that the stone wheel possibly a grinding wheel might move in hear & the chains that was like a pulley from the ceiling would move as well. The bench on the left under the window was possibly thicker but in the right place this may have been replaced some years ago. This was defiantly a work shop with original steel forge in the wall. Near the forge there was a block (possibly original tree trunk) in the ground & the anvil would have been placed on top with the hammer stored in the arch. The anvil is late WW2
There is a big man in the atmosphere he made the horse shoes here & the one hanging on the wall is an original of his. The blacksmith had a big red face a man in his 40’s but looks a lot older than he is, he is between 6”3 -6”4 his trousers look like mole skin, like old miners. His boots were like clogs with no steel front or heel in the boot. Early 1900’s – 1910. There would have been children in here working the bellows.
Team 4 moved to the offices-
John picks up on a man in here, he is quite impressive he doesn’t work on the boats, his desk would have been on the back wall, he would sit there filling in sheets, his work was very neat & every thing had its place. In the middle of the room the temperature seems to drop. John gets the name “Jack Thomson”, he also senses some else in the atmosphere. Jack thinks of himself above the barge men, this was around the first WW. His coat would always be on the stand with his hat a trilby. He was like a clerk he would give the work out. There would have been another desk in here that a woman would work at, she had her hair in buns either side. No name for her but she was a Miss, a spinster kind of woman who had feelings for Thomson, but he was already married, she would have liked to have been the mistress, but nothing happened.
There is the scent of Lavender in the air, John gets the name “Rose” this is possibly her. Jack would call her Rose. Jack doesn’t belong here. John gets the feeling that the passage way wasn’t here that this room should be wider or more offices. John was to good to mix with the workers so he would give the work to “Jacob” to pass to them.
Jacob was an oldish man, small about 60 or older, he always used to work on the boats but he got his leg crushed either between two boats or a boat & the wall. He has no movement in his knee, he used to have a high desk & chair where he would lean rather than sit, in front of a hatch to pass the work in & out. There was another hatch that the paperwork would then be passed through to Jack Thomson. Both men come here in visitation rather then being grounded but Jack comes here more than Jacob
John asked out for someone to give us a sign – no response
Team 4 then moved to the Clock Tower-
The team was on the first floor in the far end room where the pendulum of the clock is. John picked up on a male spirit a dark person kind of sinister & he doesn’t like people in here, it is as if he has something to hide. John said that this room is the only bit with the original floor exposed as the rest has been boarded over. Someone was killed or badly injured in here near the clock room by the door. This could have been a child boy aged 14-15. John said that the spirit in here is evil he is dark shaded he hides under a cover. John asked for a sign to either stop the clock or shut the door – no response. Dave asked out asked him to show himself, he then tried to wind him up telling him he was a coward/girlie after this had been going on for a while John had the sensation that he was being strangled. They left the room & went up to the Tower. John got had pains in his head as if he had been hit they lasted for a while & then went away. Nothing else happened in here to this team.
All the teams gathered back at the hub for refreshments at about 02.30 it was decided for everyone to back to the office to try to get a glass to move on the table. At the table was Sheryl, John Dave & Steve. They were there for about 30 minuets asking out for a spirit to come forward, they asked out for names that had been picked up over the night for these spirits to come forward such as William Drew, Peter, George & Bobby. But there was no response.
At about 03.15 Nick, John G, Ian, John, Steve C, Sheryl, Dave, Mark I, Sarah & Steve all went to the blacksmiths as earlier teams had activity as in the door opening when requested.
Steve asked out –No response.
Sarah saw an orb near the door
Steve asked out again – this time the door swung open. Steve & Sheryl asked for more proof, there was a clanging noise near the fire as if something had been thrown. Steve & Sheryl were still asking for proof & the door to open again – response. Steve was asking for proof again but still no response. We had been in here for about 30 minuets & left with mixed feelings between the team as to whether a spirit had opened the door or the wind even though the door had been closed when we were all in the room prior to asking out.
Every one on this investigation had a very enjoyable night, we all look forward to doing further investigations at British Waterways Sites.