Location: Woodlands Castle

Place: Ruishton, Somerset

Date: 6 February 2010

Time: 19:00 - 02:30

The sleepy parish of Ruishton sits close to the River Tone and is said to take its name from the rushes that would have grown there.  In 1861 the parish was said to extend to 1004 acres with much of the land growing wheat and barley.  The principal owners of the soil were Mrs S P Anderdon of Henlade House, a noble building situated in a fine park, E. Chisholm-Batten Esq., Major the Hon Charles Napier of Woodlands, described as 'a pretty villa residence situated in well laid out grounds and commands a fine view of the Cothelstone Hills' and a Rev. A Gray and Mrs Scott Gould.

Woodlands Castle itself is a Grade II listed building, originally built in 1810.  It has always been a family home, owned today by Sir Benjamin Slade.  The main building consists of four floors including cellar and attic rooms all of which hqve been lovingly restored over the past couple of years. One of the famous names to have lived at this mansion is that of the Fleming family, one of which was related to Sir Alexander Fleming, the Doctor who discovered penicillin.  Fleming served throughout World War I as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps, and was mentioned in dispatches. He and many of his colleagues worked in battlefield hospitals at the Western Front in France. In 1918 he returned to St. Mary's Hospital, which was a teaching hospital. He was elected Professor of Bacteriology in 1928.  When the current owner of the house worked towards restoring the house into there were still apothecary bottles in the basement.

As history dictates, whenever major changes to a house happen, etheral residents usually have something to say about it.  One evening whilst cleaning up after a religious ceremony a staff member was working inside a marquee in the garden.  All of a sudden her dog started to get agitated and bark at nothing when she then heard a loud eerie female voice telling her to 'leave this place'.  On investigation there was nobody else around and no way anyone could have gone past her.  A second reporting of this phantom female was reported by the accountant working in the building alone.  Again, all of a sudden a voice was heard from within the room telling him to leave, again on inspection there was no one there.  The interesting thing too is that the accountant is also a staunch sceptic of the paranormal but to this day still has no explanation.  It's not just the female voice that has been heard there either.  A third member of staff was finishing up one evening with all her colleagues having left.  She was busily working away when she could hear furniture being moved in a room from upstairs.  As this was a common occurance during the day it was a few minutes after that she remembered that she was the only person left in the house!

This event includes:  

• Exclusive overnight access to Woodlands Castle

• Tea & Coffee throughout the night

• Demonstration & full use of "Ghost Hunting" equipment

• Ghost Walk with our Medium

• Mediums & experienced Paranormal Investigators to guide you on your investigation

• Late night vigils

• Paranormal Experiments

• Post Investigation Discussion Session

  NB: There is no food or psychic workshop on this event.  You are more than welcome to bring your own snacks.