The Most Haunted crew heads to Chatham Dockyards in Kent to discover maritime ghostly experiences, writes JOANNA HAGUE
Episode Title: Chatham Dockyards
Location: Chatham, Kent
Series: 4 Episode Number: 9
Originally broadcast: 18 May 2004
Review of Chatham Dockyards Most Haunted
Murder, suicide, and a headless apparition, Yvette itroduces the episode while walking through the dockyard. Chatham was an important dockyard for many years; Royal Naval ships were made and repaired there, including the famous HMS Victory, which was Nelson’s flagship. The dockyard was at the forefront of modernisation until 1984, when it closed its doors.
Some of the spirits that appear are a young boy who was murdered and decapitated, two duelling cavalier soldiers, dark shadows, and the sound of dragging chains are just some of the noises that have been heard throughout the yard.
In the commissioners house, the apparition of the Port Admiral has been seen, along with the ghost of a grey lady on the stairs and landing. A man is believed to have been thrown from the tower, and a woman in a long dress has been in the flag room. The duty manager of the dockyard conducts ghost walks, and they have seen the apparition of a woman believed to have taken her own life, called Mary, in the commissioner’s house.
Richard Felix explains that in the joiner’s workshop, there is a dark evil figure who lurks in the shadows. People experience a sense of foreboding when they enter. Cold spots can be felt, and people have experienced the sensation of being pushed over.
The most haunted place in the dockyards is the commissioners house. A young girl hung herself, filled with grief over her lover being killed in battle. Screams and cries have been heard late into the night, and dark shadows have been seen moving around. Sightings at the commissioner’s house can be dated back to the late 17th century.
Derek Acorah is the medium on the show, and they start in the commissioner’s house. He becomes aware of a woman’s energy as she moves between rooms. Derek goes on to say that if they move to a different room, he will pick up on her energy more. This spirit is seen moving through the walls. Derek says she is a very bossy woman who he feels is grounded in the house. He says he feels that the woman died in 1956, but as always, without a name, she cannot be traced.
Derek then expresses that he would like to go higher in the house up to the attic, and he immediately picks up on the energy of a male that stalks the attic level. There are a lot of audible sounds that can be heard up there: screams, footsteps, and dragging noises.
Derek consults with Sam, his spirit guide, who offers the information that there is a woman up on the level with the male energy; she is responsible for the shadows that people see. Phil confirms that while he was conducting his baseline tests, there was a handle that was thrown in the room, and there was no one else up there with him.
Psychic artist Brian Shepard is left in the attic. He picks up on a woman who seems to be taking blankets out of the cupboard but later feels that she is then taking a rope. Brian then picks up on a stronger male presence; he feels this man is full of remorse. This is a high-ranking male who paid a price for something.
Brian picks up on the name Peter, and information comes up on the screen saying Peter Pett was the commissioner in the 17th century when the docks were attacked by the Dutch. The drawing Brian has done is a photo of Peter Pett, and they are very similar.
Ghostly Activityi in the Attic
Over in the joiner’s workshop, Derek picks up on a male presence that is causing most of the activity in there. Just as Derek is saying this, a noise can be heard, and this makes Yvette jump out of her skin. Derek picks up on the energy, not wanting them to be in there; this makes Yvette feel more on edge, and she says she doesn’t like the feeling in the building.
The energy of a soldier in uniform makes Derek jump, and then he begins trying to possess Derek. He says this person is not nice; they are a bad one. The soldier does not belong in the area, and he then becomes very aware that this person has killed someone.
As they move around the workshop, Derek expresses to Sam, his spirit guide, that this spirit belongs outside, but he is aware the team is in the building and is listening to them.
Just as he is saying this, a crew member jumps as something clips his ear. Derek calls out, asking for him to show himself. Tom feels something on his back as they are walking in the middle of the room.
Karl is in the commissioner’s house on his own; noises can be heard in the background as he is spinning around searching for the sounds; an orb can be seen; and he makes the comment that the temperature seems to be dropping. Karl then picks up a dragging sound in the room, but he cannot find a source for it. As he moves to another room, the door slams shut by itself.
Back with the team in the joiner’s shop, as Richard and Yvette were talking, dragging sounds could be heard. Being brave, they set off to find the location of the sound. Phil starts explaining that dark shadows have been seen in the shop, and Yvette begins to freak out as she hears a shuffling sound behind her. As this is happening, Richard calls out for the apparition to appear, and Yvette freaks out even more. It is quite funny that she scares so easily.
Karl is still in the commissioner’s house; up in the attic, he can hear noises, but he thinks this is the wind outside. There are then loud banging noises from inside the room. He begins to ask out as he can hear sounds all around him. The door upstairs slams shut again and scares him.
The teams swap over, and Yvette heads to the commissioner’s house and Karl heads to the joiner’s workshop. In the workshop, he can hear dragging sounds but then makes light of the situation, saying that he has left his cuppa upstairs! A loud banging sound can be heard, but he is not sure if this is coming from the door.
Yvette’s team is up in the attic of the commissioner’s house, and Derek, out of nowhere, begins laughing in a deep voice. They pick up on a young boy named Barney, who is nine; no links can be found to the name or the building. Derek also picks up on a woman named Lizzy; he becomes very aggressive when the crew tries to push him for more information. Yvette brings him back into the room, and Derek discusses how Lizzy made him feel.
Various crews begin recapping the night’s events; they look at it rationally and think that some of the noises that can be heard may have a rational explanation. Yvette concludes the episode with her signature sign off, “Until next time, sleep tight.”.
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