Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman find themselves in a timeloop in Park Hotel Morecambe, write MJ STEEL COLLINS
Abandoned Park Hotel History and Haunting
The once majestic Park Hotel was built in 1865 by Edmund Park. Although a des res location for the upper echelons of Victorian society to spend their holidays, the place harboured a dark secret from it’s earliest days.
Hotelier By Day, Occultist By Night
The local rumour persists to this day that hotel owner Edmund Park waited until after dark, once his guests had bedded down for the night, before carrying out various occult practices. This went on for years, until he mysteriously vanished in 1899 and never seen again.
One theory is that he was murdered, and cursed the hotel as a result, where his spirit is said to be trapped for good.
Murder Most Foul
Local folklore also has it that a woman named Emma Manson was murdered at the Park Hotel by her husband, who then hanged himself in the hotel tower. The murder is apparently undocumented, but this hasn’t stopped tales of Emma’s ghost walking the building.
Another spirit to roam the hotel is that of a young sailor, who was brought to the building after being saved from drowning in the sea. Unfortunately, he died at the Park. A ghostly child has also been seen about the building.
In the cocktail bar, the apparition of a young man in army uniform has also been encountered.
Struck by Lightening
The hotel’s colourful history also includes the building having been struck by lightening at one point. Owners have come and gone at the Park, with a frequent regularity, none remaining long enough to make a stamp on the building.
Many of the floors of the hotel remain in relatively good condition, still carpeted, and the second floor Parlour even boasting a library of books dating back to the 1940s. Even later in its history, it played host to notable guests, including The Who and The Beatles during the 1960s.
An Unsure Sceptic
Martin Shenton bought the hotel about a year ago, and since then, he and property manager Emer-Jay Van-Gills have had a number of experiences that has left them scratching their heads. Workers have reported all sorts of things, from disembodied footsteps to apparitions.
In the Parlour, the gramophone plays by itself, whilst the room is always cold. Room Two on the third floor has a strange atmosphere, which often leaves people emotional. The Tower Room, in which Emma Manson’s husband was said to have killed himself, has a very negative atmosphere, with people reporting feeling as though they are being strangled.
Paranormal Lockdown
Day One
The investigation begins on the second floor in the parlour, which feels oppresive to Katrina. Both Nick and Katrina go up to the fourth floor to investigate a strange sound, where Nick describes the atmosphere as having a static charge and the energy is getting stronger. He says that feels like he is walking into ‘something bad that has happened’. A hair raising woman’s scream echoes througout the building, which the team thinks originated in the Tower Room.
They then use the Geo Port and get the response, “Up here”. They ask if anyone is present and get a female voice answering, “Yes, he’s here,” followed by “Murder” and “Come down”. They then settle down for the night, Nick choosing to sleep in the Tower Room and Katrina in the Parlour Room as it creeps her out.
Day Two
Nick wakes up and states that it’s very cold in the Tower Room. He goes down to the Parlour to wake Katrina, and says, “Good morning spirits, how are you?”, upon which, the door slams closed on him of it’s own volition!
An ITC experiment is carried out, where Katrina stands listening to an audio device with headphones, while Nick goes into another room out of earshot, asking questions. He firsts asks the spirit of alleged murder victim Emma Manson what happened the night she was murdered. Katrina hears the phrase, “No respect” on her headphones.
Nick then asks what happened to Edmund Park and Katrina hears, “Help, I’m stuck.” When Nick asks for the spirit who screamed loudly the night before, Katrina hears the response, “I’m there. It’s bright.” She also got the response, “We’re together.”
At night, they start in the Parlour, with Nick running Echovox, on which a voice says “Ghosts” when the question what is seen there is asked. Nick feels a pressure and like he is being touched. Katrina states that she feels the phenomena is residual. She also feels a strange energy drawing her to the third floor.
Katrina enters Room 2, and feels apprehensive. She also struggles to breathe and has a strange painful pressure in her chest. When Nick asks if something is affecting Katrina, there is a bang followed by a swoosh outside the Parlour. They go down to find that the door to the Ballroom, which had been left open, has mysteriously closed. Again, Katrina states that the activity appears to be residual, running on a loop. Using the Geo Port, the responses “Get out”, and “Restless” come through.
On the stairs outside the Parlour, both Nick and Katrina feel unbalanced, Nick particularly so. That night, he opts to sleep on the corridor outside the Parlour on the second floor, while Katrina sleeps upstairs in Room Two.
Day Three
Nick has passed a restless night, whilst Katrina is somewhat grouchy. They run the Geo Port while eating breakfast and catch snatches of what appear to be conversations. Katrina has come to the conclusion that the haunting consists of an intelligent entity as well as residual phenomena. Nick says it’s like the building exists on another plane.
An experiment is set up in the Parlour using a 3D mapping camera, that appears similar to the SLS camera. A light panel is placed by the door to detect anything unseen go by. The ghost of the soldier has been seen going between the doors of the Parlour and the room nearby.
On audio, a voice screaming, “I’ll get you” is picked up, followed by some seemingly strange mention of witches, which Nick can’t place as he’s heard no associated stories of witches. N
Nick standing within the Parlour door feels a hand pushing him, followed by a negative presence in the Parlour. Katrina asks if the spirit can go near Nick, upon which, some not very family friendly abuse comes across the ITC. When Nick leaves the room and the doorway and surrounding hallway are empty, the light panel goes off as if someone is walking by.
A strange click is heard from upstairs to see what it is. Katrina is then drawn back downstairs to the Parlour and feels a static energy in the door. The 3D mapping camera starts to pick up something in the doorway next to Katrina. Then the energy dies and everything is calm.
Later on, Nick and Katrina find out on asking the owners about the mention of witches that Emer-Jay is descended from two women hanged as witches.
They are also told about the Pendle Witches and the persecution of witches in that area historically. Nick concludes that the haunting appears to have a lot to do with slips in periods of time.
Conclusion: Verdict
Another cracking episode. And Day Two just goes to show that ghosts, like the living, might not necessarily liked to be disturbed first thing in the morning.
A number of paranormal events are being held at the Park Hotel for those interested in seeing it for themselves. Check your favourite paranormal events company online!
