In Paranormal Kent, historian Robert Bard guides readers through the county’s most haunted sites. Spooky Isles chats with Robert about discovering its chilling tales and ghostly legends
Robert Baird discusses Paranormal Kent
When Robert Baird set out to explore the haunted past of the “Garden of England”, it wasn’t merely curiosity that drove him. His journey into the paranormal began with personal experiences that left him both unsettled and intrigued.
As he recalls, “I’d just returned home from a late flight when I saw my pilot’s hat fly across the living room. It left me frozen to my seat”.
Then there was the time on his yacht when a teaspoon seemed to fly out of an empty cabin, turn mid-air, and land in the sink in front of him.
“Stunned horror would be an understatement,” he adds.
These strange events marked the start of a fascination with the supernatural that would guide Baird through his research into the unexplained corners of England.
Baird’s first book, Paranormal Berkshire, was a leap into whether the paranormal held any real substance. “Most of the interviews left me curiously, sceptically interested,” he admits.
When the chance came to write Paranormal Kent, he was eager to see if the county’s dark legends would live up to their fame. One of the first places he explored was Pluckley, known as England’s most haunted village.
But rather than being swayed by Pluckley’s extensive haunted lore, Baird remained cautious. “Walking around, it felt more like legend piled upon legend,” he recalls. Despite its storied reputation, he didn’t sense the eerie atmosphere he had anticipated.
However, a brief detour to the nearby ruins of St Mary’s Church at Chart presented a different experience. “It was spectacularly eerie, with an overgrown graveyard and a bombed-out church,” he explains. “It just felt haunted, and further research revealed that others had experienced inexplicable events there too.”
Baird’s historical background shapes the way he investigates and writes about ghostly tales. He approaches every story with a critical eye, balancing documented history with local folklore. “The paranormal doesn’t lend itself easily to proof,” he acknowledges.
While Baird is sceptical about some tales, like cryptid sightings or UFOs vanishing into portals, certain events have caught his attention. He recounted an encounter reported by police officers near the Thames, involving a strange wolf-like creature – a story that seemed to defy easy explanation.
These accounts raise intriguing questions for him: Are some people more attuned to such events, or are they simply witnessing something beyond rational understanding?
One theory that Baird finds particularly compelling is the idea of time slips – moments when people claim to have briefly crossed into another time. “Modern shops turning into their 1930s selves, with people from that era visible – it’s fascinating,” he says.
For Baird, timeslip stories may hold the key to understanding some paranormal sightings. “Are there broken seams in the fabric of time? Could that explain why some people see phantoms that others don’t?” he muses. It’s an idea he plans to explore further, hinting at his next potential project.
Despite his adventures, Baird remains a self-described “open-minded cynic”. His experiences as a pilot and yachtsman have made him cautious yet curious. He joined The Ghost Club and took part in ghost-hunting vigils, including a particularly long night at a reportedly haunted site near Dartford. “It was a fascinating night, but ultimately inconclusive,” he admits.
Still, the search continues. Even after countless interviews and personal investigations, Baird remains hopeful that he might one day encounter something truly beyond explanation.
With Paranormal Kent, Robert Baird has crafted a narrative that draws readers into the murky waters between historical fact and folklore. His methodical, thoughtful approach offers a captivating journey through haunted churches, ancient ruins, and eerie village lanes.
While he may still be searching for definitive proof, his work leaves the door tantalisingly open to the possibility that the unknown may be closer than we think.
Paranormal Kent by Robert Bard is available from Amazon
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