The beautiful Cannon Hall near Barnsley in South Yorkshire lies amidst the eastern foothills of the Pennines on a site which has been occupied for over 700 hundred years. Over the centuries the building gradually grew in importance and status until it was purchased in the 1600's by John Spencer. His family remained in occupation at the hall until it was bought by Barnsley Corporation in 1951 and opened to the public as a museum some six years later.
The hall has been home to so many notable families and hundreds of servants and estate workers over the centuries and so many souls have laughed, cried, lived and died at the building that some would say that it comes as no surprise to learn of the plethora of ghostly activity and haunted happenings which appear to have plagued the property since Victorian times.
Distinct sounds of digging in the early hours of the night have often caused security staff to mount a full investigation only to find there is no explanation
Ghost of a man in uniform who stands by the fireplace in the Ballroom
The solid apparition of a woman thought to be that of former owner Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope - fondly known as Betty - is often seen about the property. Does she return to keep an eye on the place she once loved?
First recorded in Victorian times the ghostly image of a tall frock-coated figure was seen to appear in the grounds and following many reports of the sighting the local vicar conducted an “exorcism” in 1881 as documented in public records. Did it work?
When unlocking the doors between dining and terrace rooms and the hall is empty museum attendants often feel resistance as though something heavy pushing is back against the doors and preventing them from being opened.
Several museum staff witnessed the chandelier in the dining room suddenly and mysteriously start rotating whist the supporting chain remained still. The hall was not open to the public at the time and there were no activity in the rooms above which could have caused a vibration. A lady visiting the next say and with no knowledge of the bewildering occurrence commented that there was “something not right” with the room.
Many visitors have fled in terror when lights have switched on/off and a WC has flushed by itself in the facilities outside the Butler's Pantry. Is there a playful spirit who likes to have a little fun?
The Victorian bedroom and adjacent corridor seems particularly active and staff have heard the door latches clicking, the sounds of female voices in conversation, strange tapping noises, chairs have been rearranged and a the figure of a woman has been glimpsed walking across the corridor and into one of the rooms. A ghostly woman has also been glimpsed gliding into the Green bedroom
A member of staff had a spine chilling experience when walking up a narrow back staircase. He first had the feelings of walking into icy cobwebs and then saw a pair of legs belonging to a man further up the staircase above him which then disappeared!
Poltergeist activity, feelings of being touched, ghostly laughter, whispering voices, unexplained food and tobacco smells and cooking odours and slamming doors.
Join Chris Conway Most Haunteds Tvs Medium & the team for what promises to be a thrilling night of ghost hunting. We have access to all the haunted areas of this grand building for the first paranormal investigation ever to be permitted. We will take a tour of the building and later break into small groups for vigils and séances using ghost detecting equipment in the most haunted parts of this fascinating and historical place.
"....We went to another ghost evening by another company and it was so unbelievably amateur that we wanted to make sure that we go with yourselves again. You were so organised and knew which group were going into which room but most importantly you listened to sceptics and tried to explain away noises to logic.... Thanks again." Karen J - February 2011
"Each room seemed to have a distinct atmosphere and colour and because of this Cannon Hall simply oozed memories and emotions. In one room, I visualised a small dog and moments later, the medium confirmed the presence of a dog. Trigger objects left in key locations appeared to have moved and attempts to provoke communication via radio static seemed successful – as did moving glass experiments conducted in the war museum part of the hall.A brief break soon after midnight to stock up on food and drinks and then we returned to the darkened rooms for more investigation, this time in our three smaller groups where we performed more focused investigations in key locations.
The Ouija board yielded some interesting and unexpected results, particularly in the kitchen where we received apparently meaningful answers to a number of questions. We also detected some spontaneous and significant fluctuations in electromagnetic fields, as confirmed by our medium Mike who suggested that he had sensed a spirit presence in the corner of the room.
3am came around rather quickly and after a final drink and goodbyes, we all made our way back out into the pitch dark of the night.
I greatly enjoyed this evening and felt impressed with the good organisation and smooth running – especially seeing as Rachel, our host, told us that she herself had done the organisation for the first time!
Looking forward to more investigations!" Brett Buckley Cannon Hall 28th May 2011
Now Brett works with The Ghost Night Events Team!!!!
