Darren Sarsfield, co-founder of Manchester Paranormal, talks to Spooky Isles Podcast about his investigating haunted locations, blending traditional ghost-hunting methods with modern technology to uncover eerie and unexplained phenomena
For more than two decades, Darren Sarsfield has dedicated himself to uncovering the mysteries of the paranormal.
As the co-founder of Manchester Paranormal, a team that has been active since 2003, he has explored some of the UK’s most haunted locations, from ancient castles to eerie town halls.
His approach balances traditional ghost-hunting methods with modern technology, though he remains a firm believer in the power of personal experience.
Darren’s preferred technique is simple – relying on his own senses. “Your best piece of equipment is your eyes and ears,” he says. While his team does use various gadgets, including video cameras and temperature sensors, he insists that technology should never replace human observation. “You can get so focused on the tech side of things that you miss what’s happening right in front of you.”
Despite his preference for old-school methods, Darren has recently experimented with newer paranormal investigation tools. One of the most intriguing is the SIS camera, a device that maps stick-figure representations of detected entities.
During an investigation at Antwerp Mansion in Manchester, a place with a long-rumoured ghost story of a child who fell to her death, the camera appeared to detect a small figure on the stairs – exactly where Darren had felt an unexplainable cold spot. Even more chillingly, when he asked the figure if it wanted to hold his hand, the SIS camera showed it raising its tiny hand in response.
Listen to Darren Sarsfield Interview
“People argue about this kind of equipment, but when you get real interaction, it makes you wonder,” Darren says.
Over the years, Darren has had his fair share of eerie experiences, but full-bodied apparitions are rare. “In 21 years of investigating, I’ve only seen two figures with my own eyes,” he admits.
One of those sightings occurred at Bodelwyddan Castle in Wales, where he and his fellow investigators watched as shadowy figures moved around an old Victorian library table. Another unforgettable moment happened at Bolling Hall in Bradford, where he briefly glimpsed a ghostly man in ragged clothing before he vanished in an instant.
But perhaps the most extreme case he ever encountered was a suspected poltergeist in Stevenage. The case involved an adolescent boy whose presence seemed to trigger bizarre activity – objects flying across rooms, glass shattering, and even a car being struck by an unseen force. At one point, a large stone was mysteriously thrown at a nearby vehicle, leading Darren and his team to flee in fear of being blamed for vandalism.
“It’s the only time we’ve ever dealt with something like that,” he says. Unlike classic poltergeist cases such as the Enfield Haunting, there were no eerie voices or aggressive spirits, but the sheer force of the disturbances was enough to leave a lasting impression.
One of the most intriguing experiments Darren has conducted involved the idea of “time slips” – moments where past and present seem to overlap.
At the Royal Court Theatre in Bacup, he and his team attempted to recreate the energy of a past performance. Their method was simple but effective: their teammate Peter, a professional singer, took to the stage and performed a song from the early 1900s.
As the music filled the empty theatre, strange things began to happen. Laughter echoed from unseen sources, and most startling of all, a theatre seat slammed down as if someone had just taken a seat. “It wasn’t a slow drop,” Darren explains. “It was like someone had forcefully pushed it down.”
The experience has inspired him to return to the theatre and try the experiment again, hoping to capture more evidence of this strange phenomenon. “Was it just a coincidence? Or were we entertaining an audience from another time?”
Despite all his years of investigation, Darren remains open-minded about what he encounters. His philosophy is simple: he presents the evidence and allows others to draw their own conclusions. “We don’t claim to have all the answers,” he says. “We just put forward what we experience and let people decide for themselves.”
Whether it’s exploring historic buildings, investigating private homes, or experimenting with time slips, Darren Sarsfield remains committed to the unknown. And with Manchester Paranormal still going strong after 21 years, it’s clear that the search for answers is far from over.
You can listen to our interview with Darren Sarsfield on the Spooky Isles Podcast.
Would you spend a night investigating with Manchester Paranormal? Share your thoughts in the comments!
