Posted on 30 June 2010
Ghostly apparition in Gregynog courtyard
After years of recurring reports of paranormal activity, The University of Wales Gregynog Hall recently went under investigation by the Mid Wales Paranormal team - the findings of which are to appear in an episode of Living TV’s Most Haunted at 10pm, (Wednesday) June 30.
Growing reports of strange happenings and apparitions in the hall - mainly reported by staff – coupled with a high level of public interest, has swayed the new Director, Karen Armstrong, to reveal more.
The Mid Wales Paranormal team described the hall as ‘a hot-spot of psychic and spiritual activity’ – their conclusions having been drawn from their own experiences of the hall, and from anecdotal evidence. With their interests piqued, the team decided to go in search of Gregynog’s spiritual realm.
One member of the investigating group maintained having seen light orbs in the hall, along with further anomalies and movement in an upstairs room.
Stranger yet, a superimposed photograph taken in the library seemed to display the visage of a skull-shaped orb.
A number of ghosts are purported to haunt Gregynog – these include, among others: a black-clad man called William who is followed by an ethereal dog; a female servant who wears a blue staff uniform characteristic of the Davies sisters’ period in the Hall (1882-1963) and guests have also given accounts of a crying child who resides in room seven.
Some even hold that a rather frolicsome ghost resides in Gregynog’s cellar bar, which reportedly shut one of the Most Haunted team in the hall’s safe!
Within the hall’s historic Courtyard, a vapour resembling a horse has been ‘photographed’ by a local, which now adds to the ambience in the courtyard café.
In the first room on the top floor, a lady has been seen from the outside when it was closed to the public. Some say that she was a nurse looking after wounded soldiers when the hall was used as a Red Cross convalescence home in the 1940’s. Her life ended in tragedy as she jumped to her death from the top floor window. Others suggest that her deceased soldier lover wanders the upper corridors looking for her.
It could be argued that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for these apparitions, though Director of Gregynog Hall, Karen Armstrong – a sceptic herself - maintains that certain occurrences are inexplicable such as birds flying into relatively inaccessible windows and brand new camera batteries ceasing to work almost immediately inside the hall. She adds:
‘Many of our staff members have worked here for a long time and they keep telling the same corroborated stories. Whenever I remind them that ghosts don’t exist, they knowingly smile at me. However a recent report that the Davies Sisters have been seen is clearly fabricated as no one but a local reporter has ever mentioned this.’
The Gregynog episode of Most Haunted will be shown on Living TV at 10pm on Wednesday, June 30.
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Notes to editors:
The Grade 1 listed gardens at Gregynog are now open to visitors with a Courtyard café serving light refreshments. Admission is administered via a car parking charge of £2.50 and the grounds are open from 8am to 8pm or dawn to dusk in the winter.
For more information about Gregynog Hall and the University of Wales please visit:
www.wales.ac.uk For more information on The University of Wales please visit:
www.wales.ac.uk For press and media information, please contact Tom Barrett, Communications Officer, University of Wales:
t.barrett@wales.ac.uk