Twilight Shadows (North) Paranormal

St Briavels.

 

On the 1st November 2008 I was privileged to attend an overnight investigation at St Briavels castle (just on the edge of the Forest of Dean) with my very close friends from Wessex Paranormal research team.

 

We arrived at the castle at about half 4 - 5 o’clock in the afternoon and after a little look around we were allowed into the castle to have a good look around the place.  Wessex had visited the castle the year before but this was my first time here.  They soon helped me get my bearings and after a bite to eat it was soon time for us to start some of the evening’s activities

 

Before we did that though, we were allowed to go into some of the rooms and do a few vigils before more groups turned up.  We chose the Oubliette room.  Oubliette is French for forgotten.  This room had a trap door in the centre that was an opening to a room below that is believed to originally to have had a 60 foot drop to the floor (this is where people were thrown into and literally forgotten).  Understandably this room had plenty of potential for lots of activity.  After taking a few base line tests we decided to turn the lights out and ask out.  The room definitely had an atmosphere about it and a few light anomalies were caught on infra-red camera and stills digital camera.  Just as we felt we were getting somewhere we were disturbed by a group of girls.  After this interruption we carried on for a bit but decided to join the hub to get our next instructions as it was nearly time to start the evenings activities.

 

First up, we did the state apartments.  This room Dave W from Wessex had a very strange experience in and he described it as feeling disembodied and disorientated.  He also went on to stare out of the window and describe a hunting scene to the other guys present.  This room felt a bit flat to me to be honest.  I sat on the floor and the guy’s positioned themselves around the room in various places.  We started to ask out and after a while I noticed that I felt a bit breathless and my heart started racing.  We only had half hour in each room and it was soon time to leave.  I noticed though that I felt so disoriented I was having trouble concentrating on what was being said to me.  By the time we got back to the hub I had started to feel a bit better but it took a while to get back to normal.

 

We then got sent to the hanging room.  This wasn't where people were hung but this was where people were kept who were sentenced to be hung.  After doing a few tests base line tests we positioned ourselves in the room and started to ask out.  I felt that there was no activity in this room what so ever.  Neither did Dave.  I thought I would try my crystal pendulum which confirmed for me that there was no one present.  At this point we were joined by a few others that seemed to be sensing hot spots but we couldn't feel them.

 

Next we did a lone vigil.  I got to sit on the stairs which led up to the guards and hanging room.  I didn't feel too bad as Dave was just down a bit sat by a table next to the prison.  I felt a bit edgy and didn't like the top of the stairs.  I felt compelled to keep looking in that direction.  Dave suddenly startled though as there was a loud rapping noise on the table he was sat on.  I heard this but thought it was him moving something. 

 

We then regrouped back at the hub and this time we got the chaplains room.  This was in the east tower and we had to climb a very high steep stairwell.  We were joined by a man called Ben and we soon had some strange readings with one of the EMF readers.  It was showing very high readings by a wall by a bed.  But, when tested with other EMF readers of the same make, they did not register these readings.  I started to feel like there was energy of a child building up.  I rarely sense what sex or age a person is when they are stepping forward but to me this time I was very sure.  I started to ask out and naturally found myself over by the door on the far side of the room.  Ben started to exclaim that he could feel the bed moving like someone was jumping on it.  It was then that I noticed you could feel the floor judder very distinctly like someone was pushing the floor from underneath you.  As Tim was on the other side of the room and could not feel this where he was stood, I swapped places with him and started to ask out.  It seemed that the energy got stronger every time I spoke.  This went on for about 10 minutes.  We were then joined by 2 women who also felt the floor move and then a member of staff came to get us who also experienced this. 

 

Back at the hub, we were given new instructions and some of the staff members went off to see if they could experience this judder like floor sensation.  Our newest room was the Prison.  This was the room that the guys slept in the year before.  In this room they heard a dog growl and also Dave experienced a dense black shadowed shape lean over him and Tim on the top bunk.  In this room there is a curse etched into the wall from a prisoner of long ago and it is still there for all to read.  This room felt a bit quiet and flat.  There were a few orbs caught on infrared but not much else. 

 

We then decided to miss out the next vigil and have a bite to eat.

 

On our return we had an opportunity to try some scrying in the guard room.  I really do not like scrying.  It is one of the experiments that I always try to avoid.  Dave had a go first and I was shocked to see that I could see his face altering too.  His face took on an almost demonic look and one side of his face seemed to drop and have a scar down it.  His hair changed to white also.  His voice seemed to alter too.  Next up was Dave H.  He also took on a very similar mean looking face.  I and Tim had a go next.  I could see what looked like a mask or gag over my face which covered my forehead, nose and mouth.  I didn't like this so I didn't have a go for long. 

 

It was soon time for us to go to our next room and this time we did the King Johns room.  This room has a grand fire place featured in it and down one side there are a series of grooves cut into the stone work.  This is where apparently; King John struck his sword after he had passed sentence on the wrong doer.  Almost immediately Dave thought he saw something at the window move.  We turned out the lights and started to ask out.  At this point I was very tired and I think far too tired to sense any energy present.  We captured quite a few light anomalies in this room and Dave seemed to have trouble with his camera.  We stayed in this room for quite a while, but it was soon time to regroup and listen to past events of the castle and events over the weekend that could be verified.

 

After we could either go to bed, or carry on, on our own.  I decided I needed caffeine so went and got a coffee, some of the others went up to the chapel to watch some of the footage that had been captured.  I decided to go and sit in the old kitchen and drink my coffee by a nice fire that was roaring in there. 

 

The others were soon back and very excited and said we must go back to the state apartments.  That evening some very exciting footage had been captured in that room of the bed sheets being straightened and at the same time, a member of that team said they could see a woman doing that to the bed.  We managed to get the room to ourselves and we did get some light anomalies but nothing else happened.

 

We decided as it was nearing 4 am that this was a good point to turn in.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my visit to the castle and really hope to be able to go back soon. 

 

J Wicheard ©