Stoke Park Investigation
Stoke Park Estate - 6th & 27th October 2012
We were invited to investigate Stoke Park Estate along with the many stories and myths that surround this historic site. There is an endless amount of history about Stoke Park which goes back hundreds of years and with stories of people seeing and experiencing strange things in the grounds. The most well known story is that of The Duchess of Beaufort who fell of her horse and died on the estate and is now said to haunt the grounds.
As there was plenty of ground to cover we carried out two investigations to make sure we included all the locations of interest. On our first investigation we arrived at around 8.30pm with Damien, Matt, Trixie and Ellen making up the team and set off across the field above Dower House and headed into Long Wood. We set up around the camp area and it instantly felt eerie with all of us hearing what sounded like people walking around in the bushes. We put this down to the abundance of wildlife and the fact that once we turned our torches off it was pitch black which got the adrenaline pumping.
We carried out some EVP work around the camp but did not hear or experience anything, however on review of or audio we caught what sounds like a child’s voice but cannot work out what it says, a very faint reply when Damien asks for a name and a strange whisper while we are all talking. We cannot say if this is anything paranormal but they are defiantly not any of the team and when we were in the middle of woodland in pitch black darkness we find them very hard to explain?
At around 9pm we moved back to the main path between Long Wood and Hermitage Wood and arrived at a small bridge where the park ranger had an experience. He was alone and walking across the bridge when he suddenly felt a strong feeling of dread and had the image of a lady in Victorian dress and holding a parasol, he told us he had never felt anything like it before and has not since and cannot explain it but he left the area pretty quickly after his experience.
During some EVP work at this location Trixie suddenly feels like what she describes as someone poking her in the back. Our video catches her reaction and you can clearly see she is stood still with no branches or anything near her. Straight after this happens Damien asks if that was anyone touching Trixie and although we did not hear it at the time, on our audio footage there is a clear female vocal that seems to respond to his question. We know this is not any of the team as none of us talk while a team member is carrying out EVP work so again find it hard to explain. Apart from Trixie’s experience there was no other activity at this location on the night.
We moved on walking through Hermitage Wood until we arrived at the path dividing Hermitage and Barn Woods which is where the park ranger told us of another experience he had. When he was younger he told that he was at this location and suddenly all the bushes and trees seemed to move at the same time but in a way that seemed unnatural, this startled him so much he ran and didn’t stop until he got home. We did some EVP work in this area but had no experiences and nothing to report.
We entered Barn Wood and made our way to the Duke of Beaufort monument at around 10pm. This area had an uncomfortable feel about it and while setting the cameras up Matt kept hearing what sounded like someone walking around in the woods nearby, he was so sure that we had a good look around with our torches but could not see anyone. It was so dark that night that there is no chance anyone could navigate without a torch. While Damien was calling out he seemed to get nervous and suddenly jumped back so much that he startled Trixie at the same time. He explained that he felt like something was touching his hand and his reason for jumping he could only describe like someone being right next to him. He carried on calling out and again he jumped saying he felt the same thing, like someone was right next to him. On review of our audio from this location we caught a deep male vocal while Damien is calling out and just before he jumps.
We left the Duke of Beaufort monument and walked past Dower House and down the path towards Duchess Lake. From the top of the path we could see a thick blanket of mist had covered the entire field below and with the moon rising above Dower House it was the perfect setting, it was a shame that because of all the moisture in the air our cameras could not capture the scene with the flashes reflecting off all the mist. We arrived at the entrance to Duchess Lake but as we could now barley see a more than a couple of meters ahead of us decided not to investigate this location for safety reasons.
As the weather was deteriorating we decided to end our investigation around 1am.
We arrived at Stoke Park Estate around 9pm to carry out our second investigation with Damien, Ryan and Morris making up the team. We headed straight for The Duchess of Beaufort Monument as we missed this location out on our first investigation. After setting up we carried out some EVP work and there was a sudden drop in temperature that we all felt, we put this down to nature as the temperature can drop rapidly around this time but it did occur while calling out to Elizabeth Somerset. On review of our audio from this location we caught a very clear whisper voice very close to the voice recorders microphone, we cannot explain this as you can hear the team talking in the distance at the time and not near the recorder.
We left the monument and headed down the hill towards Duchess Lake where there is a story of a young boy who drowned there. We researched this story but could not find any information or the name of the boy. On arriving Damien was setting his camera up and was changing the battery but found that all of his batteries had lost their charge. This can be put down to the cold and moisture but he did not have this problem on the first investigation. Unfortunately the noise from the motorway made our EVP work almost impossible with no results. Apart from the odd quack from the ducks there were no experiences or activity to report.
We left the lake and proceeded up the path past Dower House and into Barn Wood arriving at The Duke of Beaufort monument. While calling out Ryan hears what sounds like someone walking in the woods in front of him, this was in the same location Matt heard movement on our first investigation at the monument. Ryan also feels uncomfortable and is so unnerved that he was glad when we left and was on edge for a while after. Damien did not tell Ryan of his experience from the first investigation prior to this and it is interesting that another team member felt strange around this location. We had no results from our video and audio this time.
We carried on through the woods and set up for our last session of the night at the camp area. There was a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere at first but once we started our EVP work Damien and Ryan felt an ice cold breeze between them and the whole atmosphere changed becoming quite intense with all three of us feeling on edge. We started hearing noises in the woods around us and were so unsettled we all just sat there in silence looking around. This seemed to pass after about ten minutes and we ended our investigation bemused and trying to explain what we had just experienced.
Investigating Stoke Park Estate was very interesting and has many of the team scratching their heads about some of the experiences they had there. Avon Paranormal Team would like to thank the parks ranger and his team for inviting us and sharing their wealth of knowledge of the area. It was an honor to investigate such a historic landmark of Bristol, we will definitely be back again.