Places: Bodmin Jail

Bodmin Jail

Situated in the town of Bodmin in Cornwall, Bodmin Jail was a working Civil and Naval prison from its opening in 1779 until its closure in 1927. The buildings fell into disrepair and dereliction for many years, until it was bought by its current owners in 2004. Since then, the Jail has been undergoing extensive renovations and currently houses a 6 level museum of sorts, which allows visitors to learn about the crimes, their perpetrators - from delinquent children to serial murderers - and the punishments given to them during the prison's history. 

Victim and murderer

Whilst that might sound a little bit boring, it's actually pretty interesting - entertaining even - and many of the cells now contain models / mannequins and scenery depicting both the crimes committed and the punishments exacted, complete with explanation signs on the walls next to them. It's not a fairground haunted house, by any means, but the dark, strangely lit models and passageways coupled with the echoing sounds, low / strangely-angled ceilings and shiver-inducing temperatures give the museum portion of the building a somewhat eerie atmosphere. 

 A priest and nun with a corpse in a coffin

In addition to the museum, Bodmin Jail is said to have quite a lot of paranormal activity and also hosts ghost walks a few times a month. There were certaintly lots of deaths and executions on the grounds including a prisoner that committed suicide outside the prison gates in 1839 and the double hanging of brothers for murder, which approximately 25,000 people attended in 1840 (as a source of entertainment). The execution pit used for hanging still exists and the Jail website invites visitors to:

"Come and see the only working execution pit in the UK. Discovered during renovation works in 2005, the pit has now been restored to its’ full working order, with the able assistance of Gary Ewart, one of the UK’s leading authorities on hanging."

A hanging exhibit

In addition to the museum area and execution pit, there are also grounds (temporarily closed for renovations at the time of writing), stables artifacts, a film room and a bar / restaurant. The bar had a rather unusual, fake jackalope head adorning one of its shelves (pictured below), which along with other such amusing eccentricities like the mannequin hands in the corner of the jail ceiling (pictured after cut) and the outside door with the address "001 Cemetery Lane" (pictured after cut), make the site more fun to explore.

'Jackalope' in the bar

For more information about opening times, entry fees (for the museum) and other details you can visit the Bodmin Jail websites:

Bodmin Jail Website
Twitter

YouTube

More photos after the cut below↓:

Events & Fundraising: 'Sponsored Scare' for Russell's Hall Children's Ward

About the Event & Team:

On November 12th 2011, 8 souls will brave a night in the infamous 'Station Hotel' in Dudley, UK, in order to raise funds for Russell's Hall Hospital children's ward. Long-time fan of all things dark and spooky, Becky Hill will lead the team, which consists of ghost hunt novices Lisa & Drew Watson, Carrie Mackenzie and Dudley-based company 'Teet Shirts' (who kindly donated the Sponsored Scare t-shirts) employees Amy, Tony, Gill & Gaz. The intrepid 8 will also be joined by spiritual medium Dave J Williams, who will provide them with guidance and use of professional ghost hunting equipment. Dave J Williams has previously worked with "Help For Heroes, Acorns Hospice, FMS and GBS charities, as well as fundraisers for more local based and private charities".

About the Location:

Station Hotel, Dudley, was initially built in the early 20th century and has a history of famous guests, including Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy, Bing Crosby and George Formby. Although the original building was demolished, the newer, larger version stands on the same location and is still a beautiful working hotel. 

However, it hasn't all been glamorous at the Station Hotel and various grisly murders and suicides have occurred there over the years. These unsavoury events are said to be partly responsible for the reported paranormal activity, which is said to include poltergeists that shake the beds, move furniture and turn the lights off and on, as well as the spirits of murdered children that scream in the cellar and a girl that walks the halls. The location has gained a lot of attention over the years and previous investigators have included the Most Haunted team and BBC Radio Stoke. 

About the Cause:

Russell's Hall Hospital is part of the Dudley Group of Hospitals Charity. All funds from the event will be given to the hospital's children's ward and, depending on how much money is raised, used to "buy new medical equipment, provide specialist training for staff and improve patient comfort".

Get Involved:
You can get involved by spreading the word about the event, sponsoring the team, buying a "Sponsored Scare" t-shirt or if you work for a company, maybe you could even offer a service or product to help with promotions before the event or even something for the night of the ghost hunt.

Websites: 

• Sponsored Scare page on Just Giving (donate & buy shirts here) - http://www.justgiving.com/sponsoredscare
• Sponsored Scare on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sponsored-Scare-2011/134179486661407
• Becky Hill's Twitter Page - http://twitter.com/Mrsskull
• Dudley Group of Hospitals Charity - http://www.dgoh.nhs.uk/our-charity/
• Dave J Williams Official Website - http://www.davejwilliams.co.uk/
• Teet Shirts - http://www.teetshirts.com/ (Sponsored Scare shirt)

Halloween: Oxford Castle Ghostfest

With only 50 days left until Halloween, we've decided to post Halloween-related events and places, from all over the world, so that all of you little horrors have something to do on the spookiest of special nights!

1 - Oxford Castle Ghostfest (UK)

Photo: Henrique Godoy

Set in a Medieval castle, built in 1071 and run by Haunted Happenings, Halloween is the second night of the Oxford Castle Ghostfest (the first night is October 29th and runs from 9pm - 4am). Oxford Castle Unlocked describes night two of the event as:

Our second night hosted by the Haunted Happenings Paranormal Team and Psychics at the very haunted Oxford Castle for our Halloween special. The medieval crypt and its foreboding atmosphere will really test your nerve as you carry out some amazing experiments in an attempt to make contact with the dead.

Photo: Joe Dunckley

With access to Oxford Castle and prison, Haunted Happenings promise to take you on a ghost hunt, complete with a tour (the castle's horrible history included), seances, a workshop on using dowsing rods, crystals, EMF dectors, temperature thermometers etc., a walk around the castle with a professional medium, time working with the Haunted Happenings team, plus time alone to explore the castle for yourself.

The event runs from 7pm - 1am and costs £59.00 per person.

Haunted Happenings Ghostfest page