Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:36 am Post subject: A day out in Oxford
On Saturday the 17th of January myself, Mel and two friends from the CHF paranormal team (Thor & Claire) went to Oxford to to have a look around and attend a Fright Nights event in the evening at Oxford Castle.
We arrived mid-afternoon and after exploring the town centre and the fantastic covered market we discovered a very interesting hole in the wall.
Inbetween the shops in the High Street was a small opening with a Chequered shield hanging above. Down this narrow passage you will find a very interesting pub called The Chequers Inn.
To reach it is to take a trip into the middle ages down one of the old medieval passages off the main road. The building here dates back to 1260 as a private house before it became the premises of a money lender, the sign of whose trade was the chequered board. It was rebuilt as a tavern in 1500 and much of that building remains today, known as the Chequers since 1605. In the Eighteenth century curiosities and entertainments were put on at many Oxford Inns. In 1757 a Camel from Cairo, was displayed at the Chequers, and in 1758 it shared the stage with the Siamese twins from Witney. By 1762 the Inn had become almost a Zoo, exhibiting 14 large animals including a sealioness, a camel, a racoon and "a very large fish", possibly a shark.
During the middle ages an underground passage led from this building under the High St to the Mitre Inn across the road. During the dissolution of the Monasteries, soldiers acting for Henry VIII, drove a group of monks into the tunnel and bricked it up at both ends. When the pub is very quiet, it is said, the screams of these dying monks can still be heard.
On enjoying a couple of beers at the Chequers Inn we made our way to Oxford Castle to get our bearings for the event later that evening and in doing so found a board advertising "Bill Spectre's Ghost Trails".
Having a couple of hours to spare we decided to join the tour.
The very theatrical Bill Spectre although sometimes a little corny was very entertaining. He shared stories at various locations in the old city of deaths and hauntings over the last few hundred years. Things from people being burnt in the streets to an apparition of the devil himself to a local priest. Some of the locations were very interesting and you would pass them by if you didn't know about them so it's well worth attending the tour. Some hidden parts of old Oxford are not too dissimilar to the old back streets of the gothic quarter of Barcelona and very rich in history.
For the first time in 1000 years, the secrets of Oxford Castle have been Unlocked revealing episodes of violence, executions, great escapes, betrayal and even romance. Walk through these ancient buildings and experience the stories that connect the real people to these extraordinary events.
The walled site has been used as a place of incarceration since 1071, continuing until the closure of HM Prison in 1996. The old buildings have been preserved and are now open to the public revealing a time capsule – allowing the buildings to tell their story.
Experience the austere confines of the 18th-century Debtors’ Tower and Prison D-wing and the dark atmosphere of the 900 year old underground Crypt; marvel at the Mound of the 11th-century motte and bailey castle with vaulted well chamber; climb the Saxon St George’s Tower, now open for the first time in its history, and enjoy its stunning 360° panoramic views over Oxford.
You will also discover the truth behind the Oxford Castle curse (the Black Assize of 1577) when several hundred people died within the space of 5 weeks, of the terrible conditions endured by the prisoners and of great escapes!
Although not much remains of the original castle the site that remains is mostly what remains of Oxford Gaol. Also (which I have mentioned in another thread), a more modern prision that has now been turned into a hotel.
After meeting our hosts for the night we went on a paranormal/historical tour of the Castle/Gaol. But before we did the magician (or whatever you could describe him as) who would entertain us later in the evening approached us and asked for an assistant for later that night. Claire volunteered by being the slowest one to shake their head. He asked her to write her mothers name, a favourite memory and her occupation on a small piece of paper, which she then folded twice and it was placed in a small envelope and stuck down with selotape. He handed her the envelope to look after until called upon later that night.
We then did the tour and visited some very old cells that were tiny but still housed 20 people at a time. Told various stories of the inmates and then showed various methods of suffering.
After the tour we were joined by the magician or Derren Brown'est entertainer. We were led down into the crypt were he started off performing tests on us using Zener cards. (interestingly these seem very hard to buy now). He then produced a small book which was said to have been found in the prison when they turned it into a hotel and after pulling someone out of the audience, performed various mind reading tricks envolving the book that contain details of the inmates.
He then turned to Claire and asked for the envelope back. He held it between his palms and said he was getting a connection with Claire.
He said he needed a stronger connection and then asked for an item of jewelry, in which Claire handed him a ring. He held that for a moment before handing it back and going on to say out load, Claire's mothers name, memory and occupation. He then handed the un-opened envelope back to Claire which when Mel opened it revealed the exact information.
Then the lights went out and we started the traditional glass divination and seances. The glass moved around with three different groups spelling out messages, one of which seemed to be personal to a woman present.
The seances main events being over imaginative woman saying they were being pulled and pushed etc. One excited person captured an orb on their camera.
Although this section of the evening didn't really interest me. Mainly as it was nothing new and i'd seen this type of thing many times but overall I did enjoy the evening. Maybe not as much as those that attended that will totally beleive everything they are told.
My suspicions were first raised when he asked for the ring. Already holding the envelope that Claire had looked after all night, for a moment he placed the envelope out of sight in a small wooden box on a table. When he returned the ring, he then picked the envelope back out of the box and continued the psychometry of it.
Now the envelope that had been in Claires pocket all night had become crumpled and the one that he removed from the box was new looking.
So you would have to therefore assume that the one that she had been carrying all night was not the one that contained the information.
At the begining of the night when Claire had wrote the information on the paper and placed it in a sealed envelope and handed it back to him. He then placed selotape over the seal and gave it back to her to look after. He had in fact palmed the envelope and switched it with another. She now had one that contained probably a blank piece of paper.
He was then free to read the contents and re-seal it back up.
Switching it back when he used the box during the show, using the ring as a diversion.
It was a very good trick and fooled everyone else in the room. They really thought he had used psychic powers to read Claire.
WHat was the point of trick with the wooden box? Are people such imbecilles that they need cheap parlour tricks on an investigation just to keep their interest up?
You know what? The more I read stuff like this the more inclined I am to say bollocks to the lot of it.
What was the point of trick with the wooden box? Are people such imbecilles that they need cheap parlour tricks on an investigation just to keep their interest up?
You know what? The more I read stuff like this the more inclined I am to say bollocks to the lot of it.
Inferno nights provide intrepid members of the public with a rare chance to test their limits, mixing vigils, magic and psychic terror into a night of paranormal suspense and surprise. Led by one of UK’s psychic illusionists the guests are immersed deep into a powerful and intense evening of dark and thrilling entertainment.
I mean, why?
You either want serious paranormal investigation or you want cheap tricks, why combine the two?
The problem I have with this Kas is that some of the numptys in attendance will think paranormal investigation is like this.
If you want a good night out with a bit of magic thrown in go to my mate Simon Drake who runs the House Of Magic.
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