The long dark, winding roads set the scene for the night. Mark, Lynda and I were headed to Woodchester Mansion, a famous abandoned mansion about 35mins from Gloucester. I refrain from finding out too much about the venues so I can work from a clean slate. It is highly rewarding for a medium to later learn that the information retrieved during an investigation matches up to the history or information of Spirits from other investigations. We met up at the village pub at 8pm to meet the guests who have bought tickets to attend. The pub was about five minutes away from the mansion. As this was a last minute event, to help out another group that were not able to run the event, we had to ask the staff for the best way to the mansion.
It was cold and damp outside which made me feel a tad anxious that I wasn’t wrapped up warm despite my four layers. We were also warned the restrooms were in a temporary building across the carpark. Once everyone was ticked off the list and important announcements were out of the way, the Fright Night’s official car led the convoy to the mansion. The caretaker was waiting with the gates open. We were told to drive carefully and to beware of scouts walking around in the woodlands. It was 1/2 a mile in from the gates to the house. The road was littered with potholes, dark and very atmospheric. I suppose it was the type of approach you would expect in a Hollywood scary film. I was really excited so I kept doing little breathing exercises to keep my emotions at bay. I couldn’t wait to rush out of the car to have a closer look at the house.
Unfortunately the rain, earlier had made the ground muddy and slippery so we made our way to the entrance as slowly as possible. There were lots of “oohs and ahhhhss” as the guests tumbled out of their cars. Some has come as far away as Manchester and Portsmouth. Paranormal fans are a dedicated lot and some even come with their own equipment. Woodchester Mansion is well known within the paranormal community and has been featured on TV shows apparently. The expectation was high and the energy was building up. The guests went off for a venue tour while I sat in the quiet to meditate and quieten the mind. Mediumship and Spirit communication takes focus, mental clarity and deep concentration. I always take a few moments to just do that and open my senses to the spirits around. It is a nice way to manage your energy and put you in the right frame of mind to work. 
Mark led our guest investigators for the evening back to the base room for a cuppa before we headed out for a quick walk through with me, to see what I sense and where. We went upstairs to the bathroom which was pretty impressive size wise. I straightaway sensed an older gentleman bent over with a walking stick in his pyjamas. What was interesting was that I felt the room layout was different and that one of the walls was built to cover or alter a passage way. I wasn’t sure if it was connected to the building on the site now or before. Often during investigations, the information that pops into my mind, is not restricted to the existing building. I remember the Ostrich Inn, took my back to beyond the 11th century. Spirits have no limit therefore anything goes!
I couldn’t help feeling there was layers to the history of the land before this building was erected. Down the stairs to the kitchen, I sensed three Spirits, one of whom was more prominent. He was blond, lean and had trouble communicating. It felt like he had trouble fitting in and this was in a regimented group of men who were far from home. I saw that they had taken their own lives by means of hanging. I felt very sad and I could see them being bullied and being misunderstood. They were a long way from home and young men who missed being with their family.
In the kitchen, the cook was handing out water biscuits or something similar that were dry and horrible. He also told me about how the people in the surrounding area brought in potatoes and other produce from their farms. He made me aware of being “abandoned” and that there were not enough supplies which caused the soldiers there considerable distress. They were isolated and in the middle of war and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were “forgotten”. 
We went down to the cellar which had lots of little rooms which were cold and dark. I heard Irish music straightaway and felt there were at least four Irishmen who had worked in the “house” as general labour. The downstairs area was where the staff would have lived along with the animals. They told me about how they would play the music, dance and make the best of a difficult situation. The energy was light in the corridor but as we moved into the room to the right, it changed into a heaviness that most of our guests felt. There was a mix of energies and it felt like the room had been used to incarcerate men at some point. There was a sadness and defeat in this room.
I felt really drawn to work in the last room in the cellar for the “mediumship” session. Fright Nights tries to give their guests a full experience during their events so you get to take part in the mediumship seance with a medium, various divination methods, and the technology aspect using K2 meters, devices using radiowaves and so on. So we gathered the troops to the cellar after our well deserved cup of tea.
The first group saw one of the ladies being pushed just as I was in the middle of communicating with a hooded monk. He was tall at least 6′ 5, strong and wore a black hood over his face. I sensed that he would have taken the vow of silence or something similar as he was reluctant to speak or was unable to do so. She was pushed twice and the other two people by her side, holding her hands, felt it as well. We switched her to the other side of the room and let her sit down. Spirit can be as overwhelming as someone living who is very intense. We have physical reactions when they step into our auric field. this is why some of us feel goosebumps, feel cold or sometimes even feel heaviness. I felt the Monk was just unaware of his own strength and was too close to the lady but meant no harm. She felt the push again but then a warmth going up her leg. I connected with the energy and felt it was her left leg and it was a dog. I kept seeing a light brown and a dark brown/black dog. I wasn’t sure if it was one or two. When I said this aloud, the lady said she had a mixed dog with exactly the same type of parents. Obviously the dog(s) sensed this and was attracted to her. In the other groups, I sensed a lady called “Jane” who would have run or administered the household staff. There was a feeling arrogance or self importance with her. She had the flapper look that was prominent in the 20’s and there was a love of parties and organising with her. I was also aware of a rich gentleman who would have been a lot older than her. He had white snowy hair and was “old money”. She had put her hopes on his money however he would have passed before anything was signed. Again I couldn’t stop feeling that this was not to do with this house. I couldn’t hone in whether it was from somewhere nearby or whether from a different time in the land use e,g there was another house/building where the original stands.
The corridor also looked very rough, narrow and darker than it was today. It felt very different and unrefined. In the last group, we had some knocks and there was a light that flashed inside the corridor. We had trigger items all around but none of these were activated. There were no other light source so it was an interesting moment. In the last group, I saw a big bronze or brass eagle emblem or crest on the wall where I saw the Monk. It was dark but shiny and well kept. I also saw Lady Justice, who is often seen as balancing justice e.g scales of justice.
I wondered afterwards if it was to indicate an American link to the land but I have to say I dismissed it as my logical mind kicked in to say “what are the chances?. I haven’t checked the details yet but I would be interested to see if there was an American link to the place. Update: I have been told Canadian/American troops set up camp at the site during WW2!
The highlight of the evening was when we went out into the corridor with the last group. There were a bunch of enthusiastic guests from Manchester who have been to the house who were feeling a man around them, change in temperature and noises in the corridor. We stood on opposite sides of the wall in the dark, asking Spirit to communicate with us. I kept seeing faces in front of me and sensed at one point a man standing right close to me. It was like they were coming around us to take a look. I saw one of the Irishmen step out from one of the rooms with his fiddle. A guest asked about his job and the Irishman responded in my mind, by showing me heavy sacks on the back of a carriage. I saw him in his long workmen boots and a vest with a leather back and a cap. I felt the weight of the sack he was carrying and felt things like onions and potatoes in them. He felt like such a fun character, full of life and such a character to get to know. He told me he was originally from Cork in Ireland and that his “mammy would be so proud”. His name sounded like “Patrick” but it wasn’t exactly that but sounded similar. I am not too familiar with Irish names. A number of the group members felt the presence of spirit but then the real highlight was about to start.
We were looking at the fire escape at the end of the corridor when I started seeing orbs moving across towards us. Eventually a green/blue light appeared like the Northern Lights between us. It was simply stunning and I was pleasantly surprised that some of the guests were also able to see it. During the free time, the guests went about the house on their own with devices such as trigger items. They were all very tired but also seem to be very impressed by their experience.
If I thought that was the end of it, well I was about to be surprised. I took some photos whilst waiting for everyone to leave. I was rather surprised by what I captured.
The photo was captured by my Samsung Note 3 camera with flash. There was no mist or cloudy air around this area which was close to the house. It was very obvious on my phone screen but it needed a little light for clarity. There you can see the darker dog straight away and next to it on the right, you need to turn it around, the lighter dog. There is also a woman’s face on the smaller circle at the top. There were a few other light streaks but this was just amazing so I had to share. The team and I stumbled home about 4am or so, totally exhausted but thrilled that we had such a good night!
I hope this has been an interesting read and it gave you an idea of what it is like to be a medium at an investigation and also the stories of the people who have lived before us. Their stories are as rich, eventful and meaningful as ours. Please do drop me a comment if you have had similar experiences, if you want me to investigate a property or if you want to join the Fright Nights team at our next event.
