Ghosts in Houses ? New Builds vs Period Properties.

[Brendan]

I?m bringing this over from the thread about flats in the general section so as not to get it lounged. I mentioned in that thread that a consideration for me when finding a new home is whether there are ghosts in the place. I was asked to elaborate on this so here you go:

I?m no new-ager, spiritualist or anything like that. In fact I?m not a very spiritual person at all. I am just one of those people in this world who is slightly more sensitive to these things. I seem to regularly see ghosts and have many a time had them verified by other, trustworthy people who have seen the same things. I also know that this is not at all uncommon and I wish that I wasn?t inflicted with it.

Normally it isn?t such a problem. There may be a part of a house that feels a little strange and this may be accompanied by seeing someone standing there once or twice over a period of years but nothing that would make you want to move.

Then I rented one of the many 2 bedroom Victorian split-level flats that make up most of ED and almost every night I would see something. There was a man who stood in the corner of the front-room and just watched you, there was a little girl in the bathroom and a lady in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. All in all very disconcerting.

Thing is I actually felt slightly cheated by the estate agent. I felt the rent should have been cheaper or something. Or at least the advert should have read:

?2 Bedroom Victorian garden flat complete with all mod cons and significant paranormal activity to keep you entertained on those quiet nights in?

Anyway the experience has made me think twice about older properties. I wonder how an estate agent would react if I asked if I could just be left alone in a place for a few hours before I decided to buy it.

Oh and before you ask. Yes I did take lots of drugs as a student but I have been seeing things since way before then when my brain was still clean and innocent.

[SeanMacGabhann]

ooh you did start the thread - fair play

Very creepy - Do you often have to defend yourself against people saying they don't believe you as well?

[Xanadustar]

Excellent thread and thank you Brendan, it really is fascinating. I wonder how many haunted hoses there are in ED, given the large amount of Victorian properties in the srea. Not that I think haunted houses necessarily have to old but I guess many people have lived and dies in these houses and perhaps something gets left behind. Personally I don't suffer from the sensitvity which obviously afflicts you, and am quite glad about this TBH. However, I am open minded that such phenomena exist and am always really interested to hear these experiences first hand.

Anyone else have any ghostly tales?

PS I feel that this thread should be happening at Christmas time whilst we're all sitting round a virtual crackling log fire! The MR James collection is seldom out of my hands during the yuletime festival. Mwahahahahahahahahah.

[*Bob*]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> Very creepy - Do you often have to defend yourself

> against people saying they don't believe you as

> well?

HA HA HA

Sean.. you win 'diplomatic post of the day' award.

[LostThePlot]

Brendan Wrote:

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> Anyway the experience has made me think twice

> about older properties. I wonder how an estate

> agent would react if I asked if I could just be

> left alone in a place for a few hours before I

> decided to buy it.

They'd sell their mother for a commission so will no doubt "Humour" you. If it affects you then don't see why you should not ask. FWIW I shared a large house in Putn*y many years ago, and we had our beds shaken without fail about three times per week. You'd wake up, say "bugger off" and it stopped. Bit like having a pet, but without the need to look after it. Was never worried about it.

My wife's aunty is very suscepible to such activity, and one day, when some young lads had disappeared and were all over the news, she had an urge to walk with her husband to the pub one afternoon, something she never did. Sure enough she had a feeling that the boys were in the corner of a field. They called the police, they found the bodies, and she was chief murder suspect... Needless to say evidence didn't support this, and the newspapers reported "A man walking his dog" found the kids. Now, think about how many times you've read that, and it makes you wonder just how common this may be.

Ask them, they can only say no...or set up as a consultant to them. Anyone who can make money form estate agents deserves it ;-)

[Brendan]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> Very creepy - Do you often have to defend yourself

> against people saying they don't believe you as

> well?

Nah. I never try to force people to believe what I say. Anyway I don?t ?believe? in ghosts (if indeed our cultural perception of what ghosts are is the phenomena that people see) any more than I ?believe? in the chair I?m sitting on. I can however quite reliably tell you that the chair is here or I wouldn?t be able to reach the keyboard right now.

Now if I could just reach some actual conclusions about that cat in the box over there.

[Rolo Tomasi]

Is it dead or isn't it(?) Hmmmmm a tricky one Sean.

[*Bob*]

Everyone's being far too nice.

Ghosts?.. rubbish!

[SeanMacGabhann]

I've reread my post and it does look more cheeky than I meant it

I'm not saying I disbelieve Brendan - but I was guessing that honesty on a subject like this would attract scepticism

I hope others have similar stories - I have had things I couldn't explain happen to me but I've never seen anything so I can't add to the pot

[Brendan]

"Ghosts?.. rubbish!"

There we go. That's what I'm more used to.

[*Bob*]

Glad to be of assistance!

[JoeChuff]

er, funnily enough I do have a similarish story, which happened on Friday, the day posted this!

It's a pretty tame one - my housemate and I got back from the pub to find items of clothing had been moved between rooms. In particular one of his heavy winter coats was lying on my bed, and he found a pair of jeans in his room that weren't his. Our other two housemates were both away. I don't believe in ghosts or poltergeists or any of that, but I cannot think of any explanation at all how the coat got on my bed.

Like I say, it's a tame one, but still...

[ClareC]

ooh this is all very spooky......I want to know if there are any spirits in my house now, cant say as though I have noticed anything yet but its an old house.

[shaman]

This is my line of work, I get called ion when things get out of hand with the little b-------s causing problems. Have lived in variety of haunted homes in my life and help sort out problems between old and new tenants on many occasions. ED and Peckham have quite alot of hauntings over the years some minor some very lively. Generally new builds are on old sites the spirit world don't notice the difference although can get upset if changes are made soon after their departure.