Tewkesbury Antiques Centre - April 2007

The first ever paranormal investigation of the Tewkesbury Antiques centre was undertaken by Nina, Steve, Alison and myself, accompanied by five members of the co-operative who run the centre.

This interesting building was originally a chapel and is built on the site of previous buildings and possibly a graveyard. We were invited in to investigate the occurrences experienced by the people working there. It was great to be accompanied by such willing and enthusiastic participants. It is worth pointing out that the happenings at this location are not recorded elsewhere and were only revealed to the sensitives, Nina and Steve, later on in the investigation, though they had visited the location a few weeks earlier and enjoyed the “Aladdin’s Cave’ like nature of the place.

We arrived in the early evening and spent over three hours investigating this interesting location. To start with we carried out a walk round of the location with the lights on. We then explained to the people joining us how the rest of the evening’s activities would be organised. Steve set up a fixed camera overlooking the shop from the balcony and a motion detector at the rear of the shop.

We switched off the lights and carried out a séance; we then repeated this with other participants so that everyone could experience it. The second séance recorded a few temperature changes but nothing of significance. We now split into two groups, with each having an experienced member and sensitive and a couple of the staff, to carry our vigils in different parts of the establishment.

Nina and Steve’s accounts below cover their experiences during this part of the investigation. For my part it was noticeable that there were sudden temperature drops in the storage room (where Nina experienced the feather). These seemed to centre around myself and two members of the shop staff rather than Nina. However, repeated requests to touch someone or make a noise failed to elicit any responses. In addition there were some temperature changes in another part of the main shop area and these showed on the infrared thermometer.

Near the end of the investigation the staff told us about their experiences, which included a dislike of the storage room and a figure on the balcony. Also a light fixture had been seen to swing in the corner of the main shop.

The reports from the sensitives in the group, Nina and Steve, follow.

Steve’s experiences:

I had been to the property three weeks previously to have a look at the items for sale in order to stop them distracting me on this occasion. During that visit I was drawn to the back sales room (behind the main desk) and to a Victorian chair with the feeling of someone sitting in it. I also noticed a feather boa that was placed on a unit just inside the main sales room on the left was moving (but this has since been attributed to the updraft from a radiator).

On Saturday night during our walk around we first went upstairs to the balcony area. Here on the balcony I did not sense anything but was drawn to the dress in entrance to the backroom (where the Victorian chair is) and had a feeling that the bottom of a dress would move at times. I did not feel anything in the main entrance hall nor in the two rooms off this area.

The rest of the main area was checked out and, besides finding creaking floorboards to be aware of, nothing else was apparent, however I did smell coffee at this time. On moving into the backroom I was once again drawn to the Victorian chair located there, and I decided that I would sit in it during the later vigil. To the left-hand side there is a changing area but all I noticed there was a temperature drop. The room to the right was a storage room and as soon as I entered this room I had a feeling of being pushed out and a feeling I was not welcome; this was in fact so strong that it made me leave straight away to regain my composure. Once I had done this I re-entered the room and the feeling was one of oppressiveness and wrongdoing and I did not want to be in this room alone.

We then split into two groups with myself (camcorder in hand) leading one group to the upstairs balcony. After settling in, Alison said that over to the back left hand side (if you are facing into the shop) she felt weird and asked me to see if I could feel anything there. After a short while I felt that there was a little girl playing hide and seek with me, she was wearing a hat similar to a straw boater but with a upturned edge (I do not know what this type of hat is called). I felt that she was dressed in a grey school uniform but in a 1940s style I also had the name Emily in my head but despite calling out nothing was seen on the cameras.

We then moved downstairs into the shop area and moved around but kept to the front so as not to interfere with the other group, but nothing was observed at this time.

We then moved back out to the entrance of the shop where I sat on the stairs and had a strong feeling of emotion flowing up my back and through my neck, but I could not tell you what this emotion was.

After this we swapped areas with the other group and we started with the back of the store. I still was not happy with going into the back storage area but was not going to be a wimp and we all went in. Once again I did not like it in there and did not want to shut the door, and was glad when we left that area after 10-15 minutes, which was enough for me. There was something on the tape but think it might be just an insect. The only other thing noticed in this room was the smell of toast which a couple of others also smelt.

In the back shopping area we all got comfortable and I sat in the Victorian chair that I had been looking forward to sitting in. I let myself drift and felt that the person who used to sit in this chair was your typical grandfather figure (bushy beard and long “Sherlock Holmes” type pipe) who was well respected in his family life and one that people always came to with their problems and to listen to his advice. I felt the sense that this was a reading chair and also that I had a very large heavy book in my lap.

The evening than came to a close and we then talked about what we had found etc.

Nina’s experiences:

I too had visited the shop about 3 weeks ago in order to view the items for sale. During the time when we were up on the balcony viewing items on the top most level I felt movement on the middle level about half way along. Apart from this I did not pick up on anything but was not attempting to.

During the initial walk around, I sensed somebody sitting half way up the stairs with their hands over their face. I also heard what could have been sobbing or laughing. I sensed that there was something in the left hand corner of the main shop area (just as you enter from the main door). 

I entered the storage room and as soon as the door was closed I became quite frightened and had to get out of there. I re-entered but kept the door open – this felt a little easier but I still felt very uncomfortable in there. 

The changing room was cooler than other areas but there was an external door in that area which was probably the cause. I did not sense anything else during the walk round. 

When Graham and I were in the storage area setting up trigger objects and I was telling him how horrible that room felt a feather floated down in front of me.  Graham had not spotted it and I picked it up from the floor. I told him what had happened and we tried to find where this could have come from – we thought perhaps it had fallen from the ceiling from perhaps a roosting pigeon but looking in the light, the feather was yellow, so not a pigeons. I asked the staff if they had anything for sale with yellow feathers and they all agreed that they do not currently and cannot remember ever having. I put the feather in my pocket after discussing the supposed “archangel” theory of them protecting me and that being their sign of doing so.

Before splitting into groups we carried out a séance around a table with a candle in the centre. I felt nothing and didn’t think anything of note happened. We changed sitters and again I do not feel anything of note happened.

We then split into groups and our group started in the storage room.  As I was entering I got an immediate headache. After being in the room a couple of minutes this cleared and from then on I felt absolutely fine.  I no longer found this room oppressive or anything.

We moved into the next room and I sat in the Victorian Chair – I felt nothing here.

Moving into the main shop area and the left hand corner I had identified earlier - this corner felt extremely cold. Two others agreed that this was a very cold corner. We stood for a few minutes and I noticed that the cold had moved from the corner – Graham then felt it move towards him and over to his left.  Nothing further was noticed in this area except a noise from further into the shop.

We then sat on the stairs but again I felt nothing of note.

We went upstairs and Graham moved all the way to the end with the group – I stopped half way along and stood leaning over the top balcony. Graham and the rest of the group held hands and called out – I chose not to partake in this.

I felt nothing from the time I found the feather. Theories for this are that I had not protected myself and my “guardian angel(s)” had done it for me to protect me from whatever was in the storage room! If you believe this then this could also explain why the cold spot moved from where I was stood to be next to Graham.