The Winter Gardens at Morecambe is a beautiful building even tho it is in the midst of being saved from dereliction. It has great character and charm and you can see how impressive it would have been in its hey day. I'm looking forward to seeing it fully restored to its former glory and hope it will retain its grandeur.
Its a very interesting venue for a paranormal investigation as it has such diverse areas. The main theatre area is large and open with dark corners where the boxes are. As you climb the marble staircase into the circle areas and then into 'The Gods', you get a real sense of what the place would have been like, bustling with excited theatre goers.
The bar areas, although now bare of their fittings, still retain a feeling of ambiance, and the galleries that run behind then onto an open air veranda evoke a remembrance of what it would have been like to 'take the air'. The views from the veranda are spectacular, across the bay and over to the restored Midland Hotel.
Now behind the scenes, the atmosphere changes. Again, the areas are bare of fittings, but you can still imagine the cast and crew running around, preparing for performances and getting on with their jobs. Up in the 'flies' you get a real feel for how precarious the job would have been, working 100 feet above the stage.
Moving to the lower levels, again the atmosphere is very different. Some of the theatre is built on the old Baths and you can still see the old plumbing and tiled floors. This part of the Winter Gardens feels like the public baths rather than the theatre. Its damp and floods in wet weather so the smells are very reminiscent of what it would have been.
Our tour over with the lights on, we went back to the main auditorium and split into 2 groups.
Our group started off in the back stage areas. It was a very windy and wet night so there was a lot of rattling and flapping from the safety curtain and the plastic sheeting on the roof. We split off again into 2 smaller groups, and we went up into the 'flies' and upper dressing rooms. As the wind blew and rain lashed, I could only think how nice the areas would be as a refuge from the weather. We joined our group again then moved onto the circle and 'gods' areas. While sitting in the circle area, some of the seats appeared to have been placed in the down position as if someone had sat on them. We couldn't confirm if the seats had just fallen down or whether some spirit was sat waiting for a show. We decided that maybe to 'provoke' some reaction from the spirits there, the girls would go to the Gentleman's bar area, and the boys would remain in the Ladies bar area. We tried to invoke a spirit of the eras by singing songs of the times, but this just resulted in hilarity on our part!
Our final destination for our vigils was the under stage and cellar areas. The other group had experienced a lot of activity in the cellar areas so we all crammed into the small area that was the baths area. Once the lights went out, this area was pitch black, unlike the other areas where lights from outside crept in. Some of us joined a circle and called out for what ever was there to communicate with us. Some people in the group began to see swirling blue mists, shadows and shapes.
I saw non of this but began to feel strangely detached from the group even tho we were holding hands. I also began to feel really sad, I could feel my face pulled into a miserable frown and tears welling up. Others in the group also felt sad and tearful. The lady next to me was shaking, I'm not sure if it was fear or cold. As we asked for contact, I felt myself swaying a little, probably because of the standing in the dark and feeling tired. As we decided to break the group, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a deep feeling of fear and I gripped tightly to the hands either side of me.
Now this is where it gets weird for me. It was as tho I was standing behind myself. My feelings weren't my own. My body was rigid, but it wasn't my body. I couldn't move or speak, I was crying but these weren't my tears.
I use the first person here, but what happened next wasn't me, so perhaps I should use the third person. There was a feeling of absolute terror and desperation, not wanting to let go of the circle because it felt safe in the circle. If the circle broke, they would be dragged back to where they were unhappy and miserable. Clinging to someone in front, desperately trying to ask for help, trying to make words form. Sobbing uncontrollably. The sense was of a child, someone who didn't know who they were or where they were, lost and alone and frightened, feeling trapped, not wanting to leave the safety of the room and the people in it, knowing there was someone there who could help. Looking round seeing faces not recognised, so many people. Then a feeling of peace, of release.
It's then I felt as tho I stepped forward into my own body again, and felt the energy drain away from me. I felt exhausted and drained of both physical energy and emotion. I was taken outside, still dazed and confused about what happened. I remember the feelings but cannot connect them to myself. Again, I have a clear recollection of not being myself or being detached from myself.
After a long sleep, the feelings are still with me, but I know the feelings weren't my own. I'm still trying to make sense of what happened.
I will be going back to the Winter Gardens to see its restoration progress and maybe do another investigation, although I'm not sure about joining a seance circle again.
TEAM PROFILE
INVESTIGATOR (training). OCCUPATION - Business Analyst
Hello, I'm Jacqui, a member of SA. I've known Kathy for years and share her interest in all things paranormal. I have always believed there is so much more to us than simply skin and bone, that we have spirits that remain once our mortal bodies have passed. I've had a fascination for unseen things all my adult life.
My curiosity has drawn me to television programmes such as Most Haunted, Crossing Over and others like that. I remain skeptical of these representations as I’m sure they are over worked for entertainment purposes. I prefer to see and experience the evidence myself before I make a firm decision one way or another.
Why have I joined SA
I’ve always shared Kathy's interest in the paranormal, and when she formed SA and asked me along on an investigation, I jumped at the chance. My first thoughts were whether I would remain calm in the dark, what I would do if anything actually happened, what the other members would be like.
As it turned out, they are a great bunch of people, all well grounded with a sense of humour and great fun to be with in the wee small hours in a dank, dark cellar.
I found myself wondering about the history of the place as we explored, listened and recorded the areas to be investigated.
During the investigations, my curiosity continued and when sounds were heard, my logical mind just made sense of them. So I know from my first experience that I can remain calm in the dark.
It's one thing believing in the paranormal; it’s quite a different thing investigating it. As an analytical person, I see things logically and scientifically; the creative and spiritual side of me accepts that there is more to life than this life.
My philosophy
I truly believe that our essence, our spirits exist regardless of the physical body they occupy during our time on this earth.
I simply cannot believe that when our bodies die our spirit dies too.
I am certain of a spirit world and that our lives on this earth are only a part of our lives as a whole. I think we are allowed glimpses of the spirit world through those that have passed over, and I am certain that we will all be together again in the spirit world when our time on earth comes to an end. I also believe that we keep a connection to those we love and care for.
As for spiritualists and mediums, I’m still undecided.
I’m certain some people are more sensitive to the world around us, the world we see, and the world we cant see, but I think in this hyped media age, more is made of spiritualists and mediums than is truly warranted. I am willing to be proved wrong though.
Hello, I'm Jacqui, a member of SA. I've known Kathy for years and share her interest in all things paranormal. I have always believed there is so much more to us than simply skin and bone, that we have spirits that remain once our mortal bodies have passed. I've had a fascination for unseen things all my adult life.
My curiosity has drawn me to television programmes such as Most Haunted, Crossing Over and others like that. I remain skeptical of these representations as I’m sure they are over worked for entertainment purposes. I prefer to see and experience the evidence myself before I make a firm decision one way or another.
Why have I joined SA
I’ve always shared Kathy's interest in the paranormal, and when she formed SA and asked me along on an investigation, I jumped at the chance. My first thoughts were whether I would remain calm in the dark, what I would do if anything actually happened, what the other members would be like.
As it turned out, they are a great bunch of people, all well grounded with a sense of humour and great fun to be with in the wee small hours in a dank, dark cellar.
I found myself wondering about the history of the place as we explored, listened and recorded the areas to be investigated.
During the investigations, my curiosity continued and when sounds were heard, my logical mind just made sense of them. So I know from my first experience that I can remain calm in the dark.
It's one thing believing in the paranormal; it’s quite a different thing investigating it. As an analytical person, I see things logically and scientifically; the creative and spiritual side of me accepts that there is more to life than this life.
My philosophy
I truly believe that our essence, our spirits exist regardless of the physical body they occupy during our time on this earth.
I simply cannot believe that when our bodies die our spirit dies too.
I am certain of a spirit world and that our lives on this earth are only a part of our lives as a whole. I think we are allowed glimpses of the spirit world through those that have passed over, and I am certain that we will all be together again in the spirit world when our time on earth comes to an end. I also believe that we keep a connection to those we love and care for.
As for spiritualists and mediums, I’m still undecided.
I’m certain some people are more sensitive to the world around us, the world we see, and the world we cant see, but I think in this hyped media age, more is made of spiritualists and mediums than is truly warranted. I am willing to be proved wrong though.
Sunday 24 August 2008
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