Cornish Estate Opens Its Haunted Farmhouse For An Unforgettable Halloween Ghost Hunt
October 28, 2024 1:00 AM ‐ Halloween • Paranormal
This Halloween saw a paranormal night with a difference debut in Cornwall. Hosted by Shadow Tor Studio, a local creative team behind several spooky games, the event near Looe gave almost 100 guests the chance to hunt ghosts and immerse themselves in the history of one of the area's most atmospheric buildings.
Kilminorth is an estate just outside of the coastal town, which today comprises several holiday lets in converted farm buildings. At the heart of the site is an old farmhouse. Yet to be renovated, its forgotten rooms and untouched appearance made it the perfect place for a ghost hunt, especially since staff on the site have reported witnessing strange sounds in the house and seen lights turning themselves on and off.
The Kilminorth Paranormal Night was no ordinary ghost hunt. The event was hosted in the stunning grounds of Kilminorth in the shelter of a huge marquee that normally serves as a wedding venue. The marquee served as the event's hub, where guests could browse quirky stalls, watch films about Kilminorth's history and paranormal tales, and enjoy music by local singer, Laura White.
There was also a chance to soak in some ghost stories and local myths while toasting marshmallows around Kilminorth's purpose-built firepit on the edge of Kilminorth woods. Meanwhile, local historian Mark Camp gave guests a detailed guided tour of the site's history, something the team felt was crucial to the event, firmly establishing the location's history and the names associated with it before trying to find any of those lingering spirits.
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But the highlight of the night was the chance to try your hand at paranormal investigation in the old farmhouse. The eerie tour of the derelict house was conducted by the experienced ghost hunters from Shadow Tor, Matt Clark and Jonathan Boakes, who were armed not only with a wealth of knowledge on the history of the hauntings but also an array of ghost hunting gadgets that guests could try for themselves.
According to the stories linked to the house, there was plenty of reported paranormal activity to investigate. Matt told BBC Radio Cornwall, "There are so many reports of doors opening, lights switching on by themselves, footsteps being heard across floors - this building is normally locked apart from one room that's used as reception, and the activity's happening all the time."
Not only have present-day staff reported strange phenomena, but previous residents have also experienced strange goings-on there. Ahead of the event, Shadow Tor met at the house with Grahame Rickard, who grew up in the house. It was the first time in 20 years that he'd been back inside. Grahame's visit was captured and was one of the videos available to watch in the event hub, adding to the eerie legend of the building and setting the mood for the ghost hunters' night ahead.
Grahame recounted seeing a dark, hooded figure standing on his landing. He also saw spectral dogs fighting at the bottom of the stairs, which were strangely blue in colour, and heard growling. Friends that came to stay also heard creaking floorboards and sensed a presence.
You can watch the video of Grahame's return to Kilminorth below...
But would the guests pick up on any of these experiences? We were taken into the house in small groups. There was little to see downstairs upon entering, but by torchlight we were guided up the stairs to the infamous landing where Grahame had had the majority of his experiences.
The Shadow Tor team had placed various motion sensors and specialist ghost hunting devices around in the hopes of catching anything strange should it occur. The whole house was also being watched over by CCTV that streamed live night vision footage back to the hub, where it was shown on a big screen in between the history films.
We were shown into a pitch-black storeroom where, in recent years, a shadow figure has been seen walking across the room before passing through the wall into the adjoining bathroom.
Walking along the landing, we found ourselves in Grahame's old bedroom, a room that on the night had become known as "the rocking horse room," due to the presence of a large wooden horse in the middle of the room. The rocking horse was intended as a trigger object, hoping that a spirit in the house might cause it to rock.
This room proved to be the most active of the night, not least for the bats captured flying around the room on the CCTV cameras. During the event, ghost hunting devices were regularly triggered here, sometimes seemingly on demand and in response to guests' questions. Members of the public, if feeling brave, had the chance to conduct a lone vigil in the room.
We descended a precarious flight of rickety stairs at the back of the house, which brought us into a large room that was once Grahame's living room, before stepping out into the warm glow of lights that line Kilminorth's grounds and meandering pathways.
With food provided and a variety of activities to take part in, Shadow Tor's debut event at Kilminorth broke the mould for paranormal experiences, offering the event at a very reasonable price. The event was well organised, fast-paced, and set in a stunning and very fitting location.
The team at Shadow Tor has teased guests with a promise of more similar events in the future, perhaps events taking on location in the heart of historic Looe itself. In the meantime, you can check out the highlights from their 2024 event below...
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