Investigation Date: 5th January 2007
Investigators present: Drew Bartley, Darren Ritson, Fiona Vipond and Lee Stephenson, Nikki Austwicke and guest psychic, Ralph Keeton
On a dark and cold January night we arrived at the 500 year old former manor house that is now known as The City Hotel. It is situated in Durham City and is just around the corner from another famously haunted pub called Jimmy Allen’s. It was with the Ghost and Hauntings Overnight surveillance Team that I came here to investigate with, and our guests for tonight were Ralph Keeton and Nikki Austwicke. We had met Ralph and Nikki at another investigation at the McOrville Inn pub at Elwick and it was decided we should invite them up to one of our investigations.
Ralph Keeton is known internationally as ‘The Exorcist’ and is reputed to be Britain’s number one. Ralph, who has worked with the Most Haunted crew and is friends with Derek Acorah and Richard Felix, agreed to attend this investigation with us and since then has subsequently became a member of the team. It is one of Ralph’s exorcisms that is behind the story of Steven Spielberg’s and Robert Zemeckis classic movie ‘Monster House’, and his website can be visited at www.exorcisms.co.uk.
Not much is known about the City Hotel regarding its history and whether or not it did indeed have ghosts and tonight’s investigation was simply a diagnostic. We arrived in Durham at about 10.30pm and made our way to the hotel where the owner Paul met us. We made ourselves comfortable and waited for Ralph and Nikki to arrive, which they did at about 1100pm. We chatted for about an hour while waiting for the pub to empty and when it did we set about our usual pre-investigation tasks. The baselines were carried out first followed by a reading from our guest medium Ralph Keeton.
For our investigation we were allowed into six of the hotel rooms, the 200-year-old grand staircase (which is actually listed) and the main bar downstairs. Throughout the baseline tests we determined that all areas showed no anomalous readings in regards to the EMF sweeps and the average temperature of the rooms were 18 – 19 degrees. A few windows were noted to have had a slight draught coming from outside and one or two rooms had some very squeaky floorboards so care was taken not misinterpret any possible phenomena that really would have had a natural cause. However the bar showed a temperature of 24 degrees simply because not less than 20 minutes ago it was full of revellers and body heat would have accounted for this.
We began the reading of the City Hotel at about 01.00am and was filmed and recorded for documentation purposes. Our first area for investigation was the front of the bar and this is what Ralph told us.
“In this area I am standing in now there is a young girl. She is about 13 – 14 years old and she has very long hair, very very long hair indeed. She would have been reported, if anyone had seen her as what is called a white ghost! While chatting to you guys she literally floated in here and it is this area in which she wanders. Rather then make the area go cold, this girl does the opposite and makes people feel rather hot and sweaty – it’s a bit like a hot spot rather than a cold spot. I think one or two may have seen her and she is going to come though tonight. She either lived here or been associated to this building somehow as she knows it quite well and we may see a flash of white light in this area as this is how she will show herself to us”
We moved down the bar and stood in the area where the pool table was and continued with the reading where Ralph picks up on the fact that this building was in actual fact two buildings rather than one. Paul, the owner confirms that this is true. He then goes on to ask if a chimney, or an open fire had being taken out of this area and that too is confirmed by the owner. Ralph continues,
“This is going to sound pretty obvious but you are going to have movement around this bar area and wisps of smoke and mist have occurred here. You also have a door that needs slammed closed at times.”
This too is confirmed as correct as they confirm the fire exit door sticks and has to be closed with force.
“Is there a recurring problem in the ladies loos?” Ralph asks.
“No” came the reply.
At this point they began to smile and laugh.
“So why are you laughing?” I asked them.
“Because we have the problem in the gents loos!” They said.
“You see, I am getting the ladies…with me it’s the ladies loos, I am going to go down there, I need to see what I feel when I go down there” Ralph said.
We walked to the bottom of the corridor and immediately Ralph turned to the wall on the left hand side and said,
“I want to go that way.”
“You cant, we don’t know what is in there, but we do know it used to be part of this building.” Came the reply.
“Yes, I can feel it” Ralph said. “I feel like a want to walk that way. I also feel sick down here too because I have the feeling that anyone coming down this way may indeed feel sick and that is due to the presence that is down here. He is a prankster and likes to joke around by making people feel ill at ease and it is this guy that blocks up the loos, he is a total joker and we are going to have some fun down here later on.”
“Its quite interesting that you said the word he ” Nikki said.
“Did I?” said Ralph…”That is Interesting, I must be subconsciously picking up that this is a male then.” Ralph said.
We then venture back into the main bar and Ralph then picks up on a spirit presence that has just come to him. As it turns out this was a reading and a spirit that turned out to be all too significant to the pub, the owners, bar staff and locals so due to personal reasons I will not elaborate on what was picked up and who came through to Ralph. What I will say is that this reading was almost perfect in every way and things were sensed and picked up on that no one could have known except the pub owners and barman. The look on the barman’s face after the reading said it all. He then picks up on the date 1840 – 1842 and tells us that a hangman or executioner once stayed or lived on these premises. Then he begins to talk about three creaky steps on an upper level and asks if there are any. He feels someone walks on these stairs and when they tread on these three particular stairs people are aware of the presence. He then asked to go upstairs to continue his reading.
We reach the 200-year-old listed stairwell and almost straight away he decides everything is all wrong.
“I am all disjointed, I don’t feel right here”. Said Ralph. “The layout, the walls are all in the wrong place and feels the grand staircase should go down where the floor is now situated and again I just want to go this way”. Pointing to the wall.
Again Paul, the owner confirms this is correct and tells us that there was indeed more stairs that lead down where we were standing. There was also another area of building, which was not there now. This is where Ralph had wanted top go.
“Beeston or Beaton” he then said “Who is Beeston?”
He then told us that we would get some activity down the corridor, which lead to rooms 4 – 6 so we all had a walk down. He subsequently told us of a large slightly deaf woman who was very domineering and bossy to say the least. He also told us that the level of the floor was not at its original height and said it should be far higher up. Then he said there is a weird ghostly smell connected to this area and at that point I then feel a cold draught or breeze blow right across my face. Drew Bartley feels another cold draught while sitting in room 4.
This is where the reading starts to become rather odd for me in more ways than one. He explains that this domineering woman has an affinity for me and is drawn forwards when she hears my voice. He said there is a Scottish connection with her and she attached herself to me when I came to this area. I then felt dizzy and disorientated and found it hard to focus but said nothing just yet. I thought it might have just been me feeling odd yet in the same respect I thought maybe this was the spirit woman making me feel this way as it has happened before on other investigations. Ralph then said to my utter astonishment that people would feel disorientated and dizzy while up in this area!
“I’ve got swords.” He said. “Two swords crossed over.”
I began to think for some strange reason that Ralph was beginning to read me because I own two swords. One wooden one called a Bocken, and a steel samurai sword from Japan. I told him about my swords.
“You have two swords?” he said surprisingly.
“Do you have problems with your Jaw or your tooth or some problem inside your mouth at the minute?” He went on to say.
“I do indeed” and I went on to tell him what I had been experiencing lately.
“Right, we are going somewhere with this. The woman we have with us here recognises these similarities between you and herself and that is why she likes you” Ralph said.
“So this hand” he goes on to say, “I am talking about this finger, which is your left hand and middle finger is sore. A joint or knuckle that has been broke or dislocated and is now in pain”.
I tell him that this very knuckle was broke during some martial arts training a few years ago. It all seemed surreal as what he was saying tied in with lots of different little aspects of my life.
“So why has she latched onto Darren?” Drew said.
After a few seconds of deep thought and concentration Ralph said,
“Its his voice, she recognising Darren’s voice. The more you speak the more she will come forward as she finds you very interesting”. He said.
“If you do a vigil up here later on and you ask for phenomena you will get it, that I promise”. He said.
At this point I become very dizzy again and nearly loose my balance. I feel unwell with it and this time I tell everyone.
“This is what I felt too”, Ralph said. “This lady has made a very strong connection with you, the more you speak the more she comes forwards towards you”. He said.
At this point in the proceedings I decide to leave the area because I can now barley string a sentence together through being disorientated and dizzy, combined with feeling quite apprehensive and unnerved. We leave this area and for the time being end Ralph’s reading. Little did I know that this was the start of something incredible.
After a short break we decided it was time to split into groups and investigate the building to see if we could document and experience any paranormal phenomena. Drew, Jason (a guest) and myself went back to the corridor to rooms 4 – 6 to see if indeed we would get any signs, while Lee Fiona and Jonathon went to rooms 2 and 3 and Ralph, Nikki and Andy went along the corridor next to the loos. Since time was getting on we designated ourselves 30 minutes in each location before coming back down for a break. We arrived back upstairs and more or less straight away I began to feel disorientated and dizzy again so I called out to this spirit lady in the hope she would give us a sign. After a while nothing was happening so I tried again. It was then Drew swept me with his EMF meter and we ascertained a reading of 2 MG.
We then go into room 4 and sit down for a while. I call out again and ask for signs and it was at this point at 02.49am both Drew and myself clearly heard someone whistling from down the corridor. Now we know for a fact that no one was down there at the time so who whistled we could not say…yet!
The rest of this vigil was quite interesting as we all heard a loud bang or a series of bangs, which sounded like a rumbling noise at which we were at a loss to explain. Our guest, Jason described it as furniture being dragged across the floor. It seems Ralph’s prediction for phenomena in this area due to my being here was proved correct! We then ventured into room six along the corridor and held a séance during which one or two light anomalies were caught on night vision video camera. After the vigil had finished we returned down stairs for a short break. We returned up to this location only this time we decided to bring Ralph to see if he could continue his reading of the area…and maybe me.
At 3.30am Ralph begins to tell us that this spirit lady is only coming forward tonight simply because I (Darren) am present. He tells us that this is her area and this is where she will stay. In other words she will not be coming home with me after the investigation. (Which in all honesty I was rather pleased to hear). At this point in the investigation I was leaning against the wall with my right arm while listening to Ralph when all of a sudden it was pushed from behind at the elbow making me stumble forward a little.
“You were just pushed there”. Ralph said.
“It sure felt like it”. I said.
Then within the space of five minutes the same thing happened again only this time it felt a little harder. At this precise time a light anomaly was filmed behind me right at the crucial moment. I then felt weirdly exhilarated and delight came all over me for whatever reasons I could not say. We moved back into room six and the reading and the investigation continued.
“Now, I am going to tell you what I got when I was talking to the others downstairs, I am getting the impression that this building was used for pirates, now when I say pirates I don’t mean the seafaring swashbuckling vagabonds that sail the high seas in search of treasures, no! I mean it was a place for storage of illegal things and I must stress its not recent. We are going back a good few years here! At this point I decide to call out to the atmosphere in the hope that this lady gives us another sign and then I start to see little light anomalies with my naked eye floating about the room. These anomalies were not the usual kind and when I say that I mean they were not white, or bright ones but rather the opposite. These little orbs of energy I was seeing were Black in colour! I thought it may have been my eyes playing tricks in the dark but Ralph assured me that there were such things as Black orbs. Black orbs, he went on to say were a negative energy.
Ralph then said that the sprit lady who has the affinity with me (Darren) was standing close by and seemed to be leaning over me as though she was pressing herself upon me. He then gets the sensation of absolute pain and agony coming from her and said this pain goes back to about 1827. She is now next to me and is touching my head.
“Fish, Fish…she hates fish” Ralph said as he began to hold his throat.
“Why is she telling me to tell you that?” he then went on to say.
At this point in the reading I go white as I am overcome with surprise and shock. That day at work while eating my lunch which consisted of a scabby portion of chips, some pile of mush those at work call peas…. and a battered fish, I had a large fishbone stuck and lodged in my throat and I literally thought I was going to choke to death on it. It was lodged for about 25 minutes until it became dislodged and swallowed with some dry bread I was told to eat by a woman at a neighbouring table. I subsequently left the rest of my lunch and decided I was going to give fish a wide birth from that point on!
“Well she has literally told me to tell you this, she wanted you to know this”.
He then said to me the strangest thing.
“Why have you cried? Have you been crying?”
Again you could have knocked me down with a feather. Just that morning before I went to work there was an incident at my home involving our [then seven-month-old] daughter Abbey that resulted in myself and my partner Jayne shedding a few tears. I will not elaborate in what actually happened but I did indeed cry a little that morning. I had never cried or shed tears for a good few years and did that day and for Ralph to pick up on that really did astound me. He said to me,
“I am seeing through your crying eyes”.
I explained what had happened and he went on to say that this woman knew you had been crying when you came into her domain this evening and she wants you to know that everything will be right in regards to what happened. Now, writing these words a few weeks after the event I am glad to know that Ralph, and the lady in question was indeed right and my daughter is absolutely fine, as are myself and Jayne. In retrospect thinking about everything that went on in that corridor makes me really think about the whole ‘psychic’ thing and convinces me even more than ever that there is indeed something in it. The vigil then comes to an end and we all re-group in the bar downstairs for a break.
Tonight’s investigation is one I will not forget in a hurry and my experiences with the reading I received from Ralph combined with my ill-at-ease feelings earlier on really made me think hard about everything and had a very profound effect upon me and the night was not over yet. We still had one more investigation location to steak out and that was the corridor that leads to the toilets. After our final break we headed off to our last location. We headed down the corridor to the toilet area and made ourselves comfortable and started to call out to the atmosphere in the hope that we got some good paranormal activity. It was so dark down there you could not see your hand in front of your face and as I began to attempt spirit communication we all became aware of what sounded like a man’s guttural breath or someone clearing their throat. It was certainly not one of the investigators and it came from directly behind where I was standing, which was with my back facing into the gents loos as I was peering round the corner along the corridor.
After a discussion of what, or who it could have been we called out again to this spirit man. It is interesting to note that when Ralph was reading this area earlier on he claimed the spirit down here was indeed a man. It looks like he was right again. The time went by and nothing else seemed to be happening until we all heard the shuffling of footsteps coming from the opposite end of the corridor. Upon inspection of the area we found nothing untoward and no one was around to account for shuffling we heard. It seemed this vigil was producing some good results. The trigger object we had placed down the corridor failed to move and the EMF and temperature surveys provided no anomalous readings. The end of the vigil and investigation quickly came so we tied up our loose ends, finished off the experiments, gathered up the equipment and headed off home for some well-deserved rest.
In summary the investigation as a whole was rather good for me personally as I was subjected to what I believe was some very strange phenomena. Along with the reading from Ralph, it certainly made this an investigation to remember. The rest of the group’s investigations unfortunately provided me with very little in the way of information as a quiet night was had. There was the occasional knock and bump, feeling of coldness but nothing that could have been deemed as credible paranormal phenomena, as one of the investigators told me. I guess working with a medium most of the night does break the monotony of what may otherwise be a dull and long evening with only few possible phenomena encountered. Having said that working without a medium can be just as rewarding if one is patient, and tenacious. Tonight’s investigation was very satisfying and this report will feature in Darren W Ritson’s book ‘In Search of Ghosts’ which was released in early 2008. Indeed I also look forward to a second investigation at this, one of the oldest and most historic hotels in Durham City Centre.