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Post by Cheri on Nov 20, 2013 13:32:17 GMT
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!SOLD OUTClick for Facebook RSVP EventSaturday, 7 December 2013 - 8pm - 3am Dudley Castle, Dudley Zoological Gardens, Castle Hill, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 4QF - £45 per person - Over 18s only 2 Haunted Venues would like to welcome you to our fantastic Christmas Special at Dudley Castle in December. Not only is this a seven hour investigation into the unknown in one of England's best known and most haunted castles but also we are providing festive sandwiches, mince pies, refreshments and cakes as well. If that was not enough each guest also goes home with a personally wrapped gift to remember the night by. An unbelievable offer not to be missed and all for only £45 per person. Tickets will sell fast for this one and please visit the website for more details as we will be posting this event on there very soon...
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Post by Cheri on Dec 20, 2013 15:34:23 GMT
From Marc:
{Due to a long text post, please click here to view the full review from Dudley Castle.}Welcome to our Dudley Castle investigation. As always I like to write a review of our paranormal investigation nights and today will be no different. I will always be honest about what has/hasn't happened and give a rating of the night. Well what can I say about Dudley Castle? Firstly its an amazing location. Huge to say the least with many indoor and outdoor areas to explore. The ruins themselves are very atmospheric and spooky with the huge tower overlooking the town far below. The main indoor rooms are part of the museum itself and each one is more interesting than the previous and a joy to behold. Then there is the pub within the grounds that we used as our base room. Again another very fascinating single storey building that holds many secrets within its stone walls. The whole of the 2 Haunted Venues team were very excited about this one and have been looking forward to getting in there for months. Its been a nightmare to organise as we were going to give each guest a Christmas gift, sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and much, much more. With so much to arrange and get setup on the night it took most of the time when we first got there to get the pub ready. Then of course there is the rest of the castle to lock down with all of our equipment and trust me we have a great deal of paranormal gear. Even without the locked-off night vision cameras not being used here it was still a huge mountain to climb to get ready before the guests arrived. Still the team as usual are 100% professional, unbelievably efficient and got the job done. When we first arrived and Amy (who is part of the castle staff and also the historian) let us through the big iron green gates near the Fellow pub car park. We drove into the grounds in the pitch dark (obviously we had the car lights on as that would be silly otherwise) and up to the castle itself. We were all very excited at this point. This is the biggest location we have done yet and our very first castle. This place has been on many television programs like Most Haunted and Great British Ghosts and a reputation of being very haunted. The 2 Haunted team had no idea of what the night would be like or even if we actually would have any activity. We had a plan in place but of course if spirit does not want to communicate with us then it was going to be a very long night. Luckily we was not disappointed. Once we parked in the castle grounds and unloaded the cars we took all of the equipment into the Grey Lady tavern. Its a beautiful place and very atmospheric and if I was going to have a local that would be it It was then time to do a walk around the location and fill the team in with the plan of where the equipment will go and the reason why. We always try to make sure that all of the devices that we have to get activity makes sense in that particular room/space. As the Medium I try to focus on the equipment and what would work well in getting communication with spirit. Mind you even I do not get it right every time. I am not perfect. As my wife. Ha. Anyway once we had finished the walk around the castle we had about an hour before the guests arrived. It is then that the chaos started. Its like a whirlwind of activity as all the team try to get everything setup and in place. We managed it though and when the guests started to arrive the urns were hot and the drinks ready to be poured. Once everyone was in the tavern and settled I did my usual introduction talk. However this time we was against a tight schedule so I only had about 45mins to get all 'the health & safety, all the team, all of the reasons behind 2 Haunted Venues and what we are about' in . Also Amy gave some history of the castle and we had a questions and answers session. It was hard for me not to go on like War & Peace as I do tend to talk quite a lot. Lol. However when we came to 9pm we was all ready to start the night and the investigation ahead. The next hour and a half involved three teams working in the gate house, the tower and the arches (or I like to call them that anyway). We had words come through the Ovilus 3 that could be taken by Amy and the history of the castle which was fantastic evidence. The Spirit Light did burst into life. The Ouija board started to move and communicate with us (none of the team ever go on the equipment so that is down to the guests to be honest and not move the planchette themselves). The K2s also lit up on command and the MEL Meter recorded some dramatic temperature changes at the top of the tower. That last piece of equipment was very interesting as it actually increased in temperature and rose quite considerably but we was all outside in the freezing cold. Also we had a spirit of a child called the 'Drummer Boy' with us and made the K2s respond to our questions but was a timid soul. The laser grids were drained of power and I had to keep changing the batteries which is costing me a fortune. Ha. There were loud bangs for one of the groups in the ceiling of the gate house which was also interesting as no source of the noise could be found. A guest saw a young girl walk past the doorway and then vanish and she also came through the equipment as well to try and speak to us. There were footsteps on the pebbled path as though someone was walking towards us but there was no one was in that area. The writing planchette moved again answering our questions. There was so much more recorded in that hour and a half that I do not have time to write it all down but proved to be a great start to the night. It was then time to have a supper break and take in some refreshments and talk about what has happened so far. After this time we then moved into the museum itself and the warmth it provided was very much welcomed. Again we split out into three separate groups and using our equipment continued to speak to spirit. There was so much that happened right from the beginning of that part of the night and I was moving between all three groups that I do not even know all the details. But as an example there was a male spirit on the Ouija board that spelt out his name, how old he was when we passed, how many children he has (5), what he did in the castle (servant) and what started the fire (Jacob) that originally burned down part of the castle and all of it was confirmed to be correct by Amy which was amazing. Again none of the team go on the equipment so that is down to the guests to be honest and not moved it themselves. That way we can all rule out foul play from the team and everyone attending knows that we are 100% genuine. The wind chimes moved a great deal and even changed direct on command and there were no drafts in that space as all the heavy doors were firmly closed and for such an old building very secure and solid. All of this was very interesting. The REM Pod did also go off and a great deal of K2 activity. All in all very good and as always a pleasure to witness. There was a gentleman guest that was with us that was also a Medium and he was fantastic with the information that he gave throughout the night and certainly made my job easier so thanks for that He was being followed by a very negative male called Jacob though and was trying to affect him in any way he could. He nearly passed out at one point and also became very angry at me (many people do get like that to be honest and it usually has nothing to do with spirit) and I thought he was going to attack me. He was a big chap as well (I hope he doesn't mind me saying that) so I was somewhat concerned for my safety if he turned nasty. He had to leave the various rooms throughout the night and once in the fresh air felt better. The problem with being a medium is that you need to be able to protect yourself from all these spiritual attacks from negative energy. This is something i am very good at and have years of experience and being a Physical Medium can deal with it. The other Medium however did struggle and all credit to him for holding his own against such a viscous attack. Jacob really did take a disliking to him and especially me as I pushed him to give us a response. Anyway the next hour and a half in the first part of the museum really did prove to be excellent. A great deal of activity materialised and all of the equipment had a response at least once throughout that time. Another interesting experience was when one male guest was doing a lone vigil sitting on a chair in one of the many rooms. He was facing the stone wall and earlier in the evening I had picked up on the energy of a negative male in the form of a robed monk. Considering how warm it was in that museum that particular spot was freezing. So I left the guest on his own, no one else was anywhere near him and as he held onto the MEL meter calling out he was slapped around the back of the head. Now most people would be terrified but he loved it. He was braver than me. Lol. I would say that nearly all of the guests enjoyed that time and had some activity which is good. After that we had another short break and we had a surprise lone vigil arranged for five guests. Two would lie in stone coffins in the terrifying crypt. One was at the haunted cottage in the zoo where a grisly murder had taken place. Another was half way up the tower steps and the final one was sitting in the huge fireplace of the castle kitchen. Now we told the guests that they could not have a torch and would have to be in the dark on their own with only a walkie for company. As you can imagine they were nearly all terrified. What we did not tell them was that a team member was nearby just in case there was a problem. We are not reckless after all. Those people had no idea that someone was with them and spent 15 mins in the dark seeing what would happen. The Medium guest was at the cottage and he saw a face staring down at him in the upper floor window except the building was derelict inside so was unoccupied. He also tasted copper/blood in his mouth and felt pain across his neck. The murder that had taken place there did involve a woman having her throat cut so that made sense. The two men in the coffins in the crypt had experiences as well. One felt he was being pushed down as though someone was lying on top of him. The other fell asleep which shows that he must have been fearless and braver than me. He did not experience anything though which was a shame but that is the way it goes sometimes. The guest in the tower heard footsteps approaching as though someone was walking up the tower steps towards him but no one was there. He also was pushed. The final guest in the kitchen smelt burning which made sense as that part of the castle was in ruins and an old man in spirit inhabits that part of the location and passed there. What was funny though was that she saw a small black shadow rush towards her on the ground and she nearly screamed out in fear but it turned out to only be a black cat roaming the zoo. It did scare her though and made her laugh afterwards. A great experiment all in all and a success in getting paranormal activity. Creeping towards the second half of the night we then lead all of the guests into the second part of the museum and what we like to call a 'free for all'. They can go wherever they want. We setup all the equipment and the team are there as a helping hand but it is up to the guests what they want to do. Not a great deal happened in that 45 mins to be honest except in one room that Amy confirmed to be the most haunted part of the castle. There is supposed to be a young girl in spirit in that space who was very strong and tugs at peoples clothes in the daytime and causes a great deal of poltergeist activity day or night. We had the Spirit Doll in this room and indeed it did light up and as the energy moved around the room you could follow it by holding the doll and walking around. What was terrifying though was that it was not the child but Jacob again. He was not alone though. This time he was joined by a demonic energy that was terrifying to say the least. Now if you are a sceptic or a none believer this is where you will either stop reading the rest of this write-up or laugh out loud. It does not matter though if you believe or not as the energy was there never-the-less and felt by all of the people in the room. By that time nearly all of the guests were there and it became very cramped in that small space. I was standing in the middle holding the doll in my right hand as it burst into life and the room felt very oppressive even with all the extra bodies. Someone or something was with us all right and all attending could feel it. It started to turn nasty, escalating and I decided it was time to go into the crypt and hold a séance. We all went into the crypt very excited about what was to come. It was quite a large space so plenty of room to move around though. We had a single table in the centre of the room and five chairs around it. I had one of my ornate lamps on the table and once everyone was in place either sitting with me at the table or resting on the many benches or resting in the two coffins I began. I called out to spirit to come forward. To come into the space. To communicate with us and the whole room then fell into silence. Someone was approaching. Someone or something was coming near and nearly everyone could feel it in the air like electricity. There were some strange sounds that could have been bangs. There were some flashing lights in the dark and the guests in the coffins could feel someone close to them. The guest who was a Medium was in the larger of the two coffins and he had to be pulled out in the end as he could not breathe and a huge pressure was pushing down on him. The other guest was very emotional and felt the same. I called out. I challenged it to come closer to me in the dark. The table slightly moved as though it was vibrating and the light in the corner flashed again. This strange phenomena interested me greatly so I focused on it and it happened a few times more. Now as a team we are always honest and as investigators will look for a logical explanation first. As it turned out there was an electric heater in that part of the crypt and when it turned itself on it sparked a little making this little light so we had to debunk that in the end. There was however more strange sounds and some of the guests felt very uncomfortable. Some had a pressure against their throats, some felt ill and shockingly enough one was then physically attacked. The energies that had come into that room was very negative and one was at least Jacob who had followed us all night. The other was this demonic entity and the third was connected with one of the stone coffins. It was very intense and as I asked them to affect me they couldn't. Now as responsible Medium I open up at the beginning of the night in a circle of protection. I 'white light' the guests and tell them to speak to me throughout the night if there are any problems. I can take that energy off them and push it away if required. Even this can never guarantee that something as strong as demonic energy cannot come forward. Everyone in that room was there by choice and aware of the risks. In this case one of the guests on the table with me was scratched across his right cheek. He was ok though and our First Aider attended to his wound. The scratches were not deep, just surface wounds and only just broke the skin but they formed four perfect lines. It looked like that of a small hand with sharp nails. It was light enough around the table for everyone to see that no one had done it. All of our hands were firmly placed on the top of the table. It was time to get that guest out of the space and make sure he was ok. After that the air started to turn even more uncomfortable. No one hurts any of my guests and gets away with it so I pushed that energy back. I warned it that I will trap it in the 'white light' and force it out of that space. However one by one the guests were forced out of the crypt and at least six people had to leave due to feeling uncomfortable. It was a very intense experience and I made sure that everyone attending was happy to stay throughout the séance before continuing. With these séances it is VERY important to make sure that all the guests are willing to participate. If not then one of the team will take them somewhere else. No one stays unless they want to. It was scary. It was amazing, aggressive and extremely strong. I made sure that the guest with the scratches was alright and he was fine in the end. Everyone attending knows that and they enter these nights at their own risk. It was then that we all headed back to the Grey Lady Tavern and I did a 'close down' so all the guests knew they would be safe when they leave for the night. Afterwards the team packed up our equipment and feeling very tired decided it was time to go home. 2 Haunted Venues would like to thank Amy at Dudley Castle for her support and kindness towards us and she even said we was in the top 2 of her favourite groups that have done investigations at the castle. That is saying something when she has attended over 600 ghost nights throughout her many years at the location. Thanks Amy. That means a great deal to us. I would also like to thank the guests for their passion and 'up-for-it' attitude that made it a fantastic night. Without them we would be nothing. Finally I would like to thank the 2 Haunted Venues team. You guys are totally professional. Totally committed and the best people I have ever worked with. Well done team. We will be going back to Dudley Castle next year and I have unfinished business in that crypt. No one hurts one of my guests and gets away with it. Its now payback time... WE HAVE NOW ADDED AN EVENT NEXT YEAR DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND. Click here for the event page!
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Post by Cheri on Dec 20, 2013 15:36:52 GMT
Snippet of some of the most impressive footage from Dudley Castle. Let us know what you think of our EVP, Luke (Video guy!) showed me, the rest of the team, guests and staff at the museum this footage/audio at our Hinckley Museum venue the weekend after, and we were all well and truly amazed by this capture!
And the highlights from the visit, which include a spirit by the name of Murphy who worked brilliantly with us all night (and was a bit of a comedian actually). Check it out for yourself below!
Please tell us what you think, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like!
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