THE LOCATION

The Knottingley Town Hall ghost hunt was one investigation that was preying on my mind for quite sometime. I know only too well what this location is capable of. This is where I have witnessed some of the most intense activity throughout all the ghost hunts I have completed over the years.

As we made our final approach in the car and turning the corner, we were immediately presented with the full view of the building. This is like no other. It looks like any run-of-the-mill building. However, as you look, it genuinely feels as though you are being watched. The sense of onlookers staring back at you does make you feel uneasy. This is the only location where I don’t seem to be able to be outside on my own.

PRE EVENT WALKAROUND

Once you pass through the large double gates and cross the threshold, you are presented with a long corridor with big archways. This ground floor area was once the council workers’ quarters. There is, even to this day, the council boardroom with large wooden tables and big wooden chairs. It actually feels like a courtroom and at the head of the table you even have the plinth and desk where you can imagine a head councillor conducting their duties.

Moving beyond the ground floor, you can either go up to the ballroom area, or down into the vast cellar area. The upper floor, as mentioned, is the ballroom with a large dancefloor and a stage area which is sure to have entertained hundreds of people over many decades. The cellar area, on the other hand, gives no indication of such the happy times that would have been present in the ballroom. As you walk down the large solid stone staircase, you feel as though you are stepping through a layer of invisible mist where the atmosphere intensity cranks all the way up.

With any of the events, we do often put the feelers out. Simply making ourselves known to any spirits that are present, and by inviting them to come forward. On this occasion, we did this with the lights off and right off the bat, there were those subtle ghostly activity nods happening as if to say, yes, we hear you and we are here!

Suddenly, and in a diagonal line, the cold blowing on our hands, moved away, followed by the K2’s on the table quickly flashing, and then the haunted doll on the floor at the other side of the room all triggered in very quick succession, all this came together as I had that feeling of being dragged across the floor by my feet!

Pushing on after a very short restroom break, we continued on in the ghost hunt, and it appeared that the same playful behaviour of shadows, touch and icy cold breaths was still very much the preferred interaction style. As playful behaviour was the way, and with the continual call outs seeming to produce moments, we continued to do so. The difference this time, I was quietly asking for spirit to go to the other group and do something to them. Make them jump, touch them, do a big gesture to them, touch them now. Seconds later, a loud scream was heard, followed up by someone just touched me.

With the night drawing to a close, and still willing more activity to experience. The atmosphere felt much calmer, the thick and heavy feeling had gone with only small waves entering. That was until a member of the group mentioned a caretaker who sadly lost his life while in the building. This appeared to tie in with a validation response I often react to. We continued on the story of the caretaker, with the same validations affecting me. Immense, full body shivers and shuddering. When the group member was talking aloud around the person’s final moments, I found myself gasping loudly for breaths. No sooner had this strange occurrence began, it had gone again.

Myself and the group, we did try to encourage more, but nothing further was witnessed. We decided to call the investigation to an end and have a quick group debrief to go over the night’s findings. It was at this point that the other group who were in the cellar confirmed that my earlier experience of being dragged by my feet was when they had uncovered a possible monk being dragged by his feet and hanged on the land around. They had also asked for this spirit energy to affect the group I was with.

The final moments, after our guests had left, and we were about to lock up the building, myself and the other members of the team witnessed the loud noise of a door banging shut as we turned our backs to walk out the entrance, this sound echoed down the councillors corridor and we took that as whoever was remaining in the building was glad to see us finally leaving, and having the final last word of goodbye.