MJ STEEL COLLINS looks at Paranormal Lockdown’s visit to the extremely haunted Drakelow Tunnels near Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman’s adventures in UK haunted spots takes an eerie and potentially dangerous turn…
Drakelow Tunnels Haunted Location Background
World War Two Work Horse
The Drakelow Tunnels, located in Kidderminster, were constructed in 1941. It was used for the manufacture of aircraft engine parts, employing 700 people; 2,000 people were involved in the excavation and construction of the 3.5 mile facility.
Classified
Later on, Drakelow Tunnels became a top-secret location, serving as a nuclear bunker that was decommissioned in 1993. Nowadays tours and training are held at the location, which can also be hired for filming
Buried Alive
Four or five officially recorded deaths took place at Drakelow during its construction, when a tunnel collapsed, burying labourers working in the area alive. People still report seeing their shadowy figures
Half Dog?
Other ghosts reported include the apparition of a woman with a child seen by the canteen. It is believed a demonic entity haunts the back tunnel, with people either reporting feeling as if they are a half man-half dog figure, covered in hair, or see such a figure.
This section is also located under an ancient hill fort, and during construction of the tunnels, an ancient burial site was disturbed here, giving rise to the belief that this might be the cause of paranormal activity.
Oswald
In Tunnel One, there is a ghost nicknamed Oswald by the site manager Sid Robinson, thought to perhaps be one of the men who perished in the cave in.
Sid has worked at the location for 20 years and has many experiences of Oswald, including one where he was pushed off a ladder in the tunnel, breaking his foot in three places. He said it felt like there was a pressure on his shoulder, as if there had been a cave in.
Most Haunted
Drakelow Tunnels is regarded as one of the most paranormally active locations in the world.
Paranormal Lockdown Day One
Nick and Katrina begin by investigating Tunnel One; their kit includes the Afterlife connected to a radio. Responses include something saying “Hi”, before asking “Who’s that?” and saying that Nick and Katrina were “Americans.” Nick feels as though they’re being followed and sees a shadow figure turn the corner at the end of the tunnel.
Katrina notes that the conditions of the tunnel can mess with a person’s head. It is very dark and dusty. Something is thrown and hits Katrina – a small pellet.
They conduct an experiment with the Afterlife program connected to a tablet. The words “Killed”, “Appear” and “Computer” come through. Lots of energy is detected.
Katrina chooses to sleep Tunnel One, and hears a noise as if someone was heavy breathing, but likens it to a machine.
Nick, meanwhile, has a restless night in the half bunker, in the vicinity of the ancient burial ground, also where reports of the half man-half dog figure come from. He sets up lasers to see if anything will appear, but then is treated to the sounds as if someone is moving around and a large bang emanating from the back of the bunker.
He feels that he is not alone.
Paranormal Lockdown Day Two
Nick and Katrina investigate the canteen, where a lot of paranormal experiences have been reported. Katrina says that she feels safer in the tunnels than in the canteen, and that it’s as if she is in a roomful of people. Everyone then hears the sound of something walking in the distance.
This leads them to the Back Tunnels, where Nick sets up lasers and they call out to the entity. Katrina asks them to do something and tell them where to go.
They are startled by a loud noise, and in entering the kitchen by the canteen, Nick finds a door closed that wasn’t closed before. Slamming the door makes the same noise they had heard from the Back Tunnels.
Katrina remains in the canteen, while Nick returns to the Back Tunnels with Rob Saffi, the cameraman. Katrina feels uneasy, and asks the ghosts to make a noise. Nick and Rob hear the sound of several people running and they head to the canteen to check on Katrina.
That night, Katrina sleeps by the canteen, while Nick sleeps in Tunnel One, where the cave-in occurred. He again passes a restless night, hearing footsteps and feeling like he’s being watched. Katrina somehow sleeps well, despite her sleeping bag being wet.
Paranormal Lockdown Day 3
Nick gets lost trying to find Katrina in the morning, and has an alarming experience, where he feels something is watching him. He progressively gets more alarmed, as his lights fail and he can hear footsteps. He also sees a shadow figure of a man standing at the end of the tunnel, which he captures on camera.
Meanwhile, Katrina realises Nick is missing, and searches for him. It’s easy to get lost in the tunnel, with the added risks of injuries and falling ill, it being a very dark, dusty and maze like place. They soon find each other, and return to where Nick was lost to conduct experiments in an attempt to connect with what he saw.
Nick sets up two infrared lamps across the width of the tunnel, with a LED light board between. It forms a force field, and anything walking there should set off the lights. The Afterlife program is attached to a speaker in order to gather intelligent responses.
When Nick walks back and forward over the light board, inviting the ghosts to repeat his actions, the Afterlife program gets the response of “Into a trap”. It also says “Sid Sick” – it later transpires that Sid Robinson was unwell during the lockdown. When asked if the location was a secret bunker, the response obtained is “It is.”
The light board goes off as if someone walked over the top of it when Nick asks if he is talking to the entity he saw. A brick is thrown in apparent poltergeist activity, creating a loud bang. When asked who it was who threw the brick, a voice comes through on the Afterlife, “It was him.”
The topic of Oswald, the ghost of Tunnel One, knocking Sid off the ladder is brought up, and a voice comes through the Afterlife saying, “Sid sorry.”
Verdict
A solid episode and highly entertaining. The suspense was high on whether Nick would get out of the tunnels or would be doomed to walk there ever more in the company of Oswald.
