Isle of the Dead
Investigation report
Sea View Hotel September 6th 2008
By Denise Bottali and Joan Furman
After a relaxing spell in the bar and a few drinks (soft of course) we divided into two groups, and at 11.40pm commenced the investigation
Group one
Joan
Angela
Bex
Chas
Group two
Denise
Michelle
Woody
Steve
Katy
Group one began their investigation downstairs in the function room
Group two decided to take the upper floor.
Group one report
Function room
This room seemed much warmer than on our previous visit despite it being cold and wet outside and the fact that someone had decided to break the window and there was a hole, the temperature remained pretty constant at 18.5 degrees.
Joan saw what appeared to be a small blue cloud in the centre of the room but nobody else seemed to be aware of it.
Angela began to call out, but with little result, although she did pick up the name Charlie which had been picked up on our previous visit Chas got the name
As there did not appear to be anything other than residual energies in the room on this occasion by 11.55pm we decided we would move to the bar area.
Almost immediately Chas saw shadows move in the area of the Ladies toilets where phenomena have been witnessed before by both staff and customers.
A low sigh was heard by both Joan and Bex who were sitting at the opposite end of the bar; at this point Chas said he could smell perfume.
A few minutes later Chas was given the name Margaret who was asking to speak to Angela.
Angela joined Chas who said that he was picking up on an elderly lady, stooped over, with an accent of some sort which was either Scottish or Irish.
Angela and Joan do have an elderly Aunt and the description given by Chas fits completely but so far they have been unable to verify if she has passed over recently.
The rest of the team joined Chas and Angela, almost immediately Bex saw a blue haze or mist move across the end of the room they had just left.
Chas who had started to pick up on what he thought were two surnames, tailor and
At this point Chas said he felt very cold although the temperature was 20.9 degrees which was slightly warmer than it had been in the function room.
Angela said that she was seeing donkeys, again Joan and Bex saw a light move at the other end of the room, and Joan was given the name Jeremy.
At this point Angela said she felt she wanted to scratch the side of her face, almost as if there were stubble or growth there, like someone who hadn’t shaved for a while.
Joan set up the motion detector on the table where he was sitting but did not get any reaction, when she returned to her seat at the other end of the bar; both Joan and Warren saw a small red light flash near the detector, which could not be accounted for.
Joan suddenly got a blast of icy cold air around her feet which could not be accounted for as no windows or doors were open in this area to cause this, Angela said that she felt there was a dog under the table as she could feel it brushing against her leg.
When Wendy and Joan first visited the Sea View to set up an investigation Joan had sensed a dog in the bar area, it was also picked up by Michelle on the night of the first investigation.
Joan suddenly felt a cold breeze move behind her, this point both Angela and Chas heard children’s voices and Angela picked up on a child playing with a hoop which she felt might be from the Victorian era.
At 12.38 both Joan and Bex heard the sound of a bell which they described as sounding like one of those little tea bells used to summon servants from the area towards the back of the bar, and someone pulled Joan’s hair.
Edgar who was still with us suddenly moved to the area by the pool table
Chas who followed him into this area suddenly felt very cold and slightly disorientated.
Angela and Bex who could also sense the sudden cold, ventured into the men’s toilets where they said they sensed a strange atmosphere.
Chas felt drawn to a spot near the pool table, which strangely enough Angela had felt the desire to stand in a few minutes before. He said that he felt that what he was picking up was related to the spot beneath this area, rather than the actual building itself, as he was picking up ‘below ground.’
He felt that a man had been murdered on this spot, although Angela agreed that someone had lost their life, she felt that it had been a robbery that went wrong, death was not intentional, the man had received a blow to the head and had died as a result of his injuries, although no dates were given both Angela and Chas felt that this predated the present building.
Joan suddenly sensed movement by the door to the ladies toilet at the far end of the bar,
Bex and Angela who went to investigate smelt a strong musty perfume in the area outside the door. They went into the toilet and actually dismantled the air freshener in an attempt to see if it was this causing the smell but said that the scent of the air freshener was completely different, more flower like than the perfume they had smelt outside.
None of the group was wearing aftershave or perfume so we were able to discount that as a possible source.
There was a slight drop in temperature at this point to of just over 1 degree to 19.6 but nothing significant.
After taking a short break the teams swapped, Team One taking the upper floor and Team Two the bar area.
Room One
We decided to begin in room one and all noted that the room as well as being quite cold, had a strange ‘feel’ to it, Joan was given the name Margaret but did not feel that it was connected with the lady that Chas had picked up on earlier in the bar area, she was also given May, but was unsure whether this was a name or time of passing.
There seemed to be a lot of sadness with this room, a sense of loneliness as if someone had spent a lot of time here, Joan felt that they were bedridden, unable to walk, Angela began to cough and Joan experienced a tightness in her throat, Chas felt that the person might also have suffered from pleurisy.
Joan felt that this person might have passed over during the 1920’s sometimes between 1920 and 1923.
Although the room felt quite cold the temperature was actually pretty constant at 19.4 degrees.
Room Four.
The team now moved to room 4 which was a lot colder than the rest of the building but this was almost certainly down to the fact that there was a window open.
Although Warren who took refuge under a quilt said that he still felt icy cold even under the quilt, and that it felt as if someone had just prodded him in the neck with their thumb.
Chas was given the names John and James who he felt were monks and a connection with a chapel, although whether this was in connection with
He also picked up on a lady called Freda who he felt did not belong to the building but was actually standing in the small park area across the road from the hotel.
Both Joan and Chas were able to see her quite clearly and she was dressed in an Edwardian style costume black or quite dark in colour with ruche bodice that had a high neckline and small buttons down the front. Chas felt that although she was not connected with the hotel as such that she would have sometimes bought food to the occupants of this room, he could see her holding a small basket.
At this point, Chas said he would like to move to another area as he was being told to go to Room 2.
Room Two
As the group reached the door of Room 2 Chas suddenly said he could taste a mixture of TCP and Aniseed.
As we entered the room the emf meter began to give off very high readings, but sadly we discovered this was down to a video recorder that was switched on, once it was switched off reading returned to a normal level and there were no further incidents.
As we entered the room a temperature reading was taken and it was recorded as being 19.1 degrees, which was certainly a lot warmer than the room we had just left.
Angela who was sitting on the floor by the window, suddenly got an urge to giggle, she said that she felt really happy, and was being given a bunch of violets. She said that she felt that the atmosphere in this room was very light; playful almost in fact she said she was feeling really mischievous.
Chas said that he felt that at some stage this room was used as a playroom, as he could sense children here.
Chas asked for the temperature to be dropped, which it did from 19.1 to 17.0 in a short space of time. I would stress that we were not using a digital laser type thermometer but a normal LCD readout type.
Joan got the feeling several times that there was someone outside in the hallway, and sensed movement just outside the door.
Angela was picking up on a children’s nanny who she said not only looked like a right dragon, she was.
She could also see a toy that she described as a tin can with a handle that you turned to play a tune. Joan said that she could remember playing with a similar toy when she was a child, although Angela had no memory of such a toy.
At this point several members of the team heard a loud thud from within the building but were unable to determine where it had come from.
Room Three
As activity appeared to have died down in this room we decided that we would move on to room 3
As soon as we entered the room, both Joan and Chas commented that they didn’t like this room; Bex said that as she tried to close the door it felt as if someone was pushing against it from the other side.
This room seemed a lot colder than the others, particularly by the fireplace, but there did not appear to be any draughts to account for this.
Chas felt almost childlike as if he wanted to suck his thumb, and felt that there had been a baby in this room, which had sadly been stillborn so had not even been given a name. He was given the name Jill Turner, but it was not clear whether it was in connection with this child or not.
Although we spent some time in this room the team did not pick up anything further and decided that we would rejoin the others downstairs.
A closing prayer was said and the investigation was brought to an end.
Group 2 Report
Team comprised of Woody, Steve, Denise, Michelle and Katy
Before we began the investigation proper, a little earlier in the evening we noted that at 10.50pm Michelle had seen a figure standing in front of the mirror in the Main Bar area. Denise saw a figure go through the doorway that leads to the main staircase opposite the Main entrance door at 10.50pm.
Room One 11.40PM
Michelle led a protection circle to those of us present in Room 1, and sent protection to the members of Team 1.
As we entered the room we all stated that it felt very oppressive. The temperature ranged from 18.5, to 17.6 to the right of the door.
Michelle immediately felt her head being touched and began to shudder. Denise felt as if she wanted to cry 'to bawl her eyes out'.
Katy stood by the door and felt that she could not move and that the door was in the wrong place. This was someone's area.
Michelle could see horses and carriages and Katy felt that the room would have originally been over an arch where horses and carriages would have gone through. The room would have been like a hay loft and people, probably those who looked after the horses would have slept there amongst the hay. It had a barn like door.
Denise sensed the feeling of wanting to cry earlier had come from a woman. Katy felt the woman didn't know where to go.
Both Katy and Denise said at the same time 'waiting for something or somebody.
Woody then noticed the temperature was falling from 16.2 to 13.2., rising again to 15.4. Michelle saw the lady as being in her 30's, small, slim, a servant, late 1800's to early 1900's. She was the one waiting.
Both Denise and Katy said together 'she was pregnant', Katy going on to say that she felt suspended in time, and was given the name of Mary Ann or Marianne. Michelle's hair was stroked.
As Denise and Katy heard a clicking sound behind them, Katy saw a white light go across the ceiling and Michelle saw a flash of light in the corner of the room.
Woody noted that the temperature had dropped again to 14.3, and asked if she was looking for her baby.
As he said this Katy thought she could see a dark shadow move in the corner of the room but upon further investigation it was found that the shadowing had been caused by the laser thermometer.
Denise felt the lady say she was 24, with this Denise moved away from where she was sitting as she felt uneasy. At that moment Katy could smell TCP and saw a swirly white mist above the dado rail.
Denise felt the lady had been raped and didn't even know his name. She agreed with Katy that this had been done by someone who was travelling through.
Michelle and Denise agreed she had died in childbirth, Katy emphasising that she had been alone at the time. Denise had her hand touched as if being held and said that she looks out of the window and has been seen. She stays on this side of the room, where us girls are, because she wants to stay away from Woody and Steve. She is wearing a mop cap.
With this we heard a clicking noise in the other corner of the room. On asking if she had moved to the corner, we heard another clicking noise as if in response. Katy felt as if the lady wanted to pass her but her feet were in the way.
Denise then felt very sad because the lady had a local boyfriend but when he found out about the rape, he abandoned her.
Michelle was given the name of Peter and Parsons connected to the boyfriend.
With this, we thanked Mary Ann for speaking to us and left the room for a break at 12.45am.
Cellar - 1.10AM
Katy felt the presence of a vicious dog and said that it felt very nasty in here. We all went through a door into a 2nd area of the cellar Woody thought he could see one of the plastic pipes move. Denise thought monks walked down here and also got Templers.
Michelle felt this to be the oldest part of the property and that they used to pray in cellar in hiding. She also said that the cellar had also been badly flooded.
We moved back through to the first part of the cellar and Michelle had her head touched and felt as though someone had been shut down in the cellar, a child who was fed a little and left as a punishment. Michelle, Katy and Denise felt the child was a boy of about 10, called Thomas, and he was small for his age. He was born not right and they were hiding him. We believed this could have been Mary Ann's child who was damaged during childbirth due to a lack of oxygen. Michelle felt he had a reign or harness across his chest.
We all felt that this was just memory or residual energy held within the cellar and that the boy's spirit was not present.
Michelle then went onto see a man, standing in the corner of the cellar; he belonged here a long time ago and was connected with the sea. He had connections to smuggling and this cellar was a 'safe house'.
Woody felt his ear being touched and Steve felt someone touch his arm. Denise sensed someone standing next to Steve and was given the name Joseph. Michelle said Joseph had a racking cough and shortness of breath.
At 1.40pm we moved back up into the Bar area.
As we went to do so, Michelle felt her wrist being pulled as if someone did not want us to go.
Woody again felt his ear being touched and the hairs on Steve's arm moved.
We sat in the part of the room next to the Gents
Michelle thought there would have been pew like benches as seat once. We all heard a noise and Katy and Michelle likened it to the sound of cracking glass. Michelle saw a slim man at the opposite end of the bar near the Ladies; he would have worked here in the 1950's.
Denise heard a 'jangly' noise like the sound of keys rattling and Michelle felt very cold.
We heard a rushing sound come from the Gents and on investigation found it to be the Urinals flushing.
On asking afterwards it turned out that they did this on a timer.
Michelle could sense an old gentleman who came here for his Sunday roasts.
At 2.10am, an alarm went off but this proved to have come from another property in the street outside.
2.40 am We brought the Investigation to an end with a closing circle led by Michelle.
Conclusions.
The night proved to quite interesting, and certainly far more active than on our first visit although many of the things picked up on do not appear to refer to the present building but rather activity on the site itself and sadly cannot be verified very easily as records of the earlier period prior to 1800 are not available.
Sadly our investigation did not produce any photographic evidence, but as we all know, spirits do not perform to order. (Unfortunately)
It is known that before it was developed as a resort town with the coming of the railway that Birchington was in fact a farming community, and that there were many farms in this area.
On our earlier visit Michelle did in fact pick up on a farmyard and barn in the area that is now a garden, and in the garden itself there are some outbuildings which are believed to be older than the hotel.
There are also several wells in the garden (long since filled in) that were connected with these earlier dwellings, and coins have been found near these dating back to the middle ages, so there is quite a lot to support evidence that the site had been in use for a long period of time prior to the construction of the present day building.
Sadly we were not able to investigate the outside areas as once again the weather was against us.
We know that the land itself had since medieval times belonged to the church and it is interesting to note that both groups independently picked up on the presence of monks.
It is also strange that the smugglers were picked up in the cellar area which seems rather odd as one would have thought it unlikely given the age of the present building.
But from our research we have discovered that in earlier times this particular area of Birchington was rift with smuggling and many of the older buildings do have bricked up smugglers tunnels in their cellars., so it is not impossible that some of these old tunnel are still in existence in the area of the present building as builders do not have to conform to quite as many building regulations we do and it wasn’t uncommon to build over an existing structure. In fact in those days I doubt very much that it was even necessary to apply for planning permission which might explain the lack of written records.
I have found a map of 1688 which does show several farms in the area, and as the community began to expand no doubt many other buildings such as labourers cottages would have been required, but again sadly we have no records of the period between 1688 and 1862 when work on the present property began, but I think we can conclude that chances are it was not a vacant site.
Once again we would like to thanks Mike and his family for allowing us into their home, and trusting us with all those really nice friendly spirits behind the bar.
It was unfortunate that we were unable to investigate the outside area as we would have wished but the weather once again was not on our side so perhaps we might have better luck at some further date.