Our September ghost hunt at the atmospheric Warmsworth Hall in Doncaster began with a fascinating update from Events Manager, Eddie on the latest paranormal activity which has been reported at the haunted building. Now used as a conference centre by various businesses and organisations the place had recently been booked for staff training by senior members of the DFS furniture company. Two senior managers were retuning to the hall after a break when they spotted two young children both wearing caps looking out of the Cusworth room windows. As the children seemed to be trying to attract attention in an attempt to get out of the building the two managers assumed that they had inadvertently been locked in. Upon raising the alarm they were however astonished to find the room completely empty and to be told that no children had been even near the hall throughout that day. So who were the mysterious children and if they were in fact two of the many apparitions seen at Warmsworth Hall just what had happened to them during their stay at the place?

Eddie also told us that he was enthralled when a gentleman visited the hall and told of his family connections with former occupants when it had been a home. He explained that he had done a large amount of research on the people who once lived there and had discovered that a six-year-old boy who had worked at the property and been killed in an accident was in fact a relative of his. Eddie, who has been present at most of our ghost hunts at the hall, recalled that we had previously appeared to make contact with a child of that age who had died in an accident whilst working at the house. He issued a challenge to the surprised man and asked him to write down the child’s name and stated that he would do the same. Eddie confidently made a bet that they would come up with the same name and quickly wrote down “James” - the name “given” to us during previous séances. The man was taken aback to see that this matched the name he had also written down himself after having it confirmed in his research on Warmsworth. Our team were thrilled to be provided with such incredible verification of facts which appeared to have been independently communicated in what appeared to be contact from the other side.

During our paranormal investigation we again heard the most amazing growling noises in addition to the sounds of rasping breathing which the whole group noted in one of the upper floor rooms and which seemed to get progressively louder. We have experienced this strange phenomena on previous ghost hunts during vigils in other rooms but interestingly this was the first time we had heard it in that particular area. The various groups reported strange lights, tapping on the table and table tipping in addition to strong smells of cooked food and cigar smoke which we could not account for. One of our team leaders froze during a séance in the attic and former servants’ quarters when she clearly felt “someone” playing with the tightly tied belt to her top. Although very experienced and having witnessed many forms of paranormal activity in the past this felt a little close for comfort and she was not surprised when she discovered at the end of the vigil and her belt had been fully untied - something which she claims has never happened before. One of our experienced ghost hunters was completely flabbergasted but totally thrilled by an amazing occurrence which took place when he was participating in a séance - also in the attic. He told us later that he had felt a distinct movement behind him when he suddenly realised that a towel had suddenly appeared and had been placed on the back of it. Neither he nor the whole group could understand how or why this had happened but everyone confirmed that the towel had certainly not been present before and had seemed to appear from nowhere!! Fascinating!

During a number events held by Ghost Night Events Warmsworth Hall has always shown itself to be very paranormally active and rife with ghostly and unexplained goings-on. The hall’s comfortable and cheery surroundings seem to compete with a foreboding and mysterious air which appears desperate to communicate its beguiling past to anyone who is willing to take the time to observe. Perhaps that is why so many of staff members of the nearby Holiday Inn which shares ownership and the grounds steadfastly refuse to enter its doors!!! We are not so easily put off however and will definitely be back in the new year.