Introduction:
Carlow Lodge, commonly known as Blair Castle, is a significant historical site nestled on the outskirts of Culross village. The current structure, an early 19th-century classical mansion, replaced an earlier castle associated with notable figures from Scottish history. The site's rich history, coupled with numerous eyewitness accounts of paranormal activity, makes it a compelling location for paranormal investigation. This report seeks to document the observations and findings from our recent investigation at this location, focusing on the historical context, reported paranormal phenomena, and the data collected during our investigation.
Historical Context:
Blair Castle, a Category 'A' listed building, is built on or near the grounds of an older structure dating back to the 16th century. The earlier castle was constructed by John Hamilton, Archbishop of St Andrews, although he was later executed in 1571 for supporting Mary, Queen of Scots. Over the centuries, ownership transitioned through various hands, including the Millars, who were made Barons of Inchyra in 1962. The Fife Coal Company acquired the estate during World War I to secure the mineral rights. In 1927, the mansion and its surrounding 28 acres were gifted to the Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan Welfare Committee, marking the beginning of its service as "The Charles Carlow Miners' Convalescent Home." The earlier building was demolished around the 1830s, making way for the current mansion. The grounds now feature an ornamental lawn where the older building once stood.
Reported Paranormal Activity At Carlow Lodge:
Prior to our investigation, Blair Castle had been the subject of various paranormal claims. Eyewitnesses have reported a female spirit on the back Servant stairs, particularly near the top, and also possibly frequenting the rooms and apartments in that vicinity. Additionally, a dark shadow figure accompanied by a globe of lights has been seen on the top level. A male figure has also been reported looking out from the top window of this area. There are also accounts of ghostly children, particularly active within the building. Room 7, in particular, has drawn attention due to reports of an energy perceived to sit on the bed. Both staff and visitors have described the location as highly active with spirit sightings, audible phenomena, and peculiar smells. One witness, a local from the historically haunted village of Culross, described Blair Castle as the "MOST HAUNTED" location they had ever visited.
Investigators and guests have reported unusual light phenomena, unexplained sounds, and interactions with various entities; thank you to Nathan Graham for your impressions. The figures include:
John Wilkie, a gardener with ties to the Boer War.
Mary, a curious maid from the castle's original establishment.
George, a young miner who died in a pit accident.
Several others such as Johnny, Frances, Whiskers the cat, and Denise, a child spirit.
Investigation Observations:
The investigation team, including Greg & Ryan, encountered unexplained scents, such as cigar or pipe smoke, particularly in the servants' quarters. Technological interactions with equipment such as the Footstep Tracker, Rempod, and SPOD, alongside visual sightings of apparitions and light anomalies, substantiate claims of paranormal activity.
Activity Collected:
EVP recordings, particularly a male voice expressing discontent.
A balloon seemingly moved by an unseen force during a conversation with Gail Porter.
A music box activated spontaneously, despite being turned off prior.
Direct communication with what is believed to be a matronly figure in Room 7.
Ryan O'Neill - Servants Quarters & Overall Investigation
Our investigation at Carlow Lodge was a complete success in terms of data collection and monitoring. We employed complete protocols that we have refined over two decades of experience conducting full investigation and research cases. The process was lengthy, taking 24 hours, but allowed us to collect hundreds of hours of footage and masses of environmental data, along with impressions, thoughts, experiences, and every angle we could cover to gain knowledge about the location.
To ensure that we had a comprehensive view of all areas, we set up a working base room monitoring area, also known as The War Room. This allowed us to watch all areas and record them to HDD, along with our laptops with specialized software for analysis. We also had full briefing notes and flip charts explaining exactly what had been reported and our reason for being there.
During the investigation, we conducted four sessions in one part of the Servants Quarters with members who joined us for the in-depth investigation, analysis, and observation of the lodge. We focused on ITC, using the Panasonic DR60 recorder, a recorder we have used with great success and tested stringently in different conditions ranging from Faraday Cages to collection of recordings in both claimed and not claimed to be haunted locations throughout Scotland.
Our conclusion is that the device provides unexplained audio data that, when taken into consideration with the historical data and local information from experts in their fields, is worthy as part of evidence gathering. This is especially true when used in conjunction with other means of data collection such as environmental recordings and change in atmospheres registered by an array of indicators set up under full proper Scottish Paranormal Protocols.
It's important to stress that it's easy to discount other people's methodologies, techniques, and ways of collecting data without understanding the full facts. Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance, as Albert Einstein clearly emphasised. We have sufficient knowledge and decades of experience working in conjunction with our colleagues in the field to understand psychological connections such as confirmation bias, priming by information or environment, or audio pareidolia. These factors are very much accepted, but we never use them to discount techniques we don't like without thorough analysis and participation in these areas.
Overall, our investigation was conducted with complete professionalism, and we are confident in the data we collected. We believe that the evidence we gathered supports our conclusion that the location is unique and worthy of further investigation.
Throughout our investigation, we made several attempts to communicate with the device in order to collect audio data for our report. We were able to capture a very clear male voice saying "I'm sick of this". This could be identified as the gentleman that has been witnessed by many here and is certainly something we will investigate further in the future. Additionally, we observed a common theme among the visitors, both mediumistic and regular guest investigators, in which they reported being pushed. We saw clear Rempod & SPOD action with changes in the environment around these devices, indicating a change. While we cannot say for certain that it's paranormal, it is interesting to note that something had altered the area. This is in conjunction with EDI+ Data, noises we were hearing, and the different techniques being used throughout the sessions gaining hard data.
While we did hear various noises attributed to the window, we would like to note that the slight wind could be the cause in conjunction with moving certain ways on the floor causing a similar vibration and noise, making it very inconclusive. However, we did have a clear noise in one session behind me, where it seemed something wooden had been moved. There was no clear indication of what could have caused this, and it was also in conjunction with asking particular questions.
We understand that our event investigations can be challenging due to the lockdown of locations and the collection of pristine data, but we are confident that each and every person played their part wonderfully and made for an interesting evening. We gathered various pieces of information, and we strongly believe that this location needs much more observation in the future.
Investigative Sessions: Greg Stewart – Servants Quarters
Methodology:
Estes Method and Yes/No box used for communication.
Observations of physical phenomena including cat ball activations and temperature fluctuations.
Findings:
Spiritual Communications:
John: Identified as the father of a deceased little girl. He feels culpable for her accidental death which may have occurred due to her falling over the banister or down the stairs during a family dispute. It was psychically intuited that this dispute may have arisen from John's affair. He communicated his age at passing as 57 years.
Catherine: Possibly the mother of the little girl, who remains in the property burdened with blame towards John for their daughter's death.
Little Girl: Her spirit is seemingly trapped in the aftermath of her parents' conflict, unable to find peace.
William: Displayed anger, nature of his connection to the property is unclear but strong emotional responses were noted.
Henry: A potential groundskeeper or gameskeeper, his presence was noted but details remain scant.
Physical Manifestations:
A consistent activation of a cat ball in the corridor leading to a small adjacent room.
Guests reported sensations suggesting that something negative occurred in the small room.
A pink glow observed emanating from beneath a door and through a keyhole, followed by the shadow of a figure and the subsequent opening of the door. The room was found empty upon Investigation, ruling out the presence of any individuals, and discounting the possibility of the light being from Ryan's equipment, as he was engaged in a live session elsewhere with different coloured lighting.
An audible cry of a female was heard by attendees during discussions about the tragic fall, suggesting a direct environmental response to the investigative prompts.
Lee Dunn - Spiritual insights
Methodology:
Personal intuitive impressions and observations.
Utilization of REMpod for interaction.
Glass and table tipping techniques for physical phenomena.
Findings:
Spiritual Entities and Impressions:
Henry (Hat Man): Mid-19th century figure, either a former owner or a person of high societal standing. Characterized by his tall stature and black attire. Likely the source of shadow sightings reported by staff and visitors, displaying a stern and challenging demeanour.
Young Girl: Approximately 7 years old, seen in white and blue attire. She appears to reside on the stairs, observing the comings and goings. Her connection to a fatal fall is implied by her holding her head, suggesting a neck injury.
Soldier: Estimated to be around 30 years old with ties to both the military and mining sectors. His era of service is presumed to be around World War II, transitioning into mining work post-service.
Nurse: The female entity on the back stairs and upper levels is perceived to be a nurse, indicative of a caretaking presence.
Sensations and Environmental Responses:
A pervasive sensation of inebriation along the ground floor passage is indicative of an environmental or spiritual influence.
Chest discomfort in the lounge area, possibly linked to a spirit with respiratory ailments.
Detection of an elderly male spirit with a limp and a leg injury, suggesting a residual energy imprint.
Physical and Audible Evidence:
Interaction with a REMpod device indicating a presence during sessions, although the overall activity was subdued.
Successful indications of movement via glass and table tipping experiments.
Recommendations for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) sessions and shadow detection due to consistent reports of such experiences by multiple participants.
Guest and Investigator Feedback:
Multiple testimonies detail experiences ranging from emotional impacts, physical sensations, and direct spirit interactions. Participants reported feelings of being pushed, hearing distinct voices, observing objects moving without cause, and experiencing sudden equipment activations. Notably, the library and servants' quarters are identified as significant hotspots for activity.
Personal Experiences - Stefanie Ihlenburg:
During a sound healing session, Stefanie perceived visions of ancient rituals and encountered the spirit of a young soldier named Gearróid.
She reported unease in several areas of the lodge and noted environmental and physical disturbances.
Communication with spirits was achieved, including responses to Irish language prompts.
Additional Testimonials:
Scott McCord's Experience:
Initial encounter with the aroma of pipe smoke upon arrival.
Physical sensation of being poked in the back near the top flat stairs, with no one present to account for the contact.
Reported a vision of creatures climbing up the walls during the sound journey, uncertain if it was a dream or a spiritual sighting.
Carole McOmish's Account:
Footsteps heard in the early hours alongside Melinda & Trudy, distinct from any known presence.
Beeping sounds intermittently heard, origin undetermined but possibly the footstep tracker.
Library activity with the yes/no box indicated the presence of a young female spirit.
Gillian Burgan's Observations:
A man’s voice saying “Hello” during Sharron’s healing session in the library.
Sensation of footsteps and the sighting of a man in a black coat in the library.
Personal phone displaced and found under her pillow with depleted battery, contrary to the charge level before sleep.
Unexplained presence of a chair against the bed in room 5, not previously noted.
Lisa Sproat's Insights:
Tobacco scent in the servant’s area on the initial team visit.
Experiences of dizziness and the presence of negative male energy on the top floor.
Auditory phenomena such as taps during a Q&A session in the pool room and various unexplained sounds captured on recording from the top floor.
Pauline Bradley's Statements:
Visual sighting of a little girl and a pair of legs walking into a wall near the kitchen area.
Compulsion to jump from the upper balcony, attributed to a spiritual influence.
Difficulty traversing an area by the loft ladder in the servants' quarters, described as a strong force field.
Claire Philp's Reflections:
Auditory confirmation of a man's "hello" in the library session.
Whistle heard during a session with Lee and sensations related to the presence of a little girl near the stairs.
Feelings of dizziness, pressure, and pains in various parts of the body in the room used by Louise, which subsided upon exiting.
Louise Walker's Contributions:
Contrast between daytime calmness and evening experiences of dizziness, breathlessness, sadness, and fear.
Observations of equipment turning back on and relevant information coming through the apps during the investigation.
Initial Conclusion:
Carlow Lodge, with its deep historical roots and abundant reports of supernatural occurrences, remains a significant point of interest for paranormal research. The collected data and personal accounts support the hypothesis of an active spiritual environment, possibly linked to the property's past inhabitants and its storied history. The investigative team's findings contribute valuable insights into the paranormal phenomena at Blair Castle and serve as a basis for further exploration.
Analysis continues and is a lengthy process with so much collected data. This report will be updated.
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