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This 600 year old building has a well-deserved reputation for unexplained happenings, which is why it has attracted paranormal investigators from all over the world. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to host PI groups but, on this page, you can read about some of the strange things that have happened here in the past. |
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Paranormal Happenings, Investigations & Reports
Here, in descending date order, are photographs, videos and reports of just some of the things that have happened to Moot Hall staff, and to PIs during paranormal investigations.
23rd September 2023
Our last investigation, was carried out by Andrew Fazekas' PI group Luton Paranormal.
Toward the end of the evening, the group set up an infra-red SLS camera in the 'Exhibition room, facing through the doorway into reception room. (This doorway has been the site of more paranormal activity than anywhere else on Moot hall.)
The two videos below show what they recorded.
The camera is facing east and, in the first video, the blue rectangular shape in the centre of the frame is the western end of the reception desk. In the second video, this is shown as a purple rectangle.
A figure appears to be sitting on the floor. Its back is against the end of the desk. Its size is consistent with that of a five year old child, so is assumed to be our 'resident ghost' Thomas Cox who was the son of a member of the Manor Court jury during the 1750s, . The figure is facing investigators through the doorway, as if looking directly at them.
Its movements, highlighted by the device's 'stick-man overlay, are erratic - and appears to be almost constantly moving its legs. If this figure is Thomas Cox, this sort of movement is consistent with previous videos of him (see - October 19th 2019, below) in which he also fidgets about quite a lot.
Our last investigation, was carried out by Andrew Fazekas' PI group Luton Paranormal.
Toward the end of the evening, the group set up an infra-red SLS camera in the 'Exhibition room, facing through the doorway into reception room. (This doorway has been the site of more paranormal activity than anywhere else on Moot hall.)
The two videos below show what they recorded.
The camera is facing east and, in the first video, the blue rectangular shape in the centre of the frame is the western end of the reception desk. In the second video, this is shown as a purple rectangle.
A figure appears to be sitting on the floor. Its back is against the end of the desk. Its size is consistent with that of a five year old child, so is assumed to be our 'resident ghost' Thomas Cox who was the son of a member of the Manor Court jury during the 1750s, . The figure is facing investigators through the doorway, as if looking directly at them.
Its movements, highlighted by the device's 'stick-man overlay, are erratic - and appears to be almost constantly moving its legs. If this figure is Thomas Cox, this sort of movement is consistent with previous videos of him (see - October 19th 2019, below) in which he also fidgets about quite a lot.
3rd December 2021
One of the members of a small PI group was sat upstairs in Moot's main hall, with her new camera standing on the big central table, the lens facing toward the stairwell. She was taking random pictures, to see how well her new camera would perform in very low light levels. There was no person, nor any physical object between the camera and the chairs at the side of the stairwell. Yet one image she captured appeared to have a large dark human-shaped side-on shadow in it - despite there not being enough light to cast such a shadow. The image was enhanced to heighten the contrast and shows what looks like the silhouette of a seated figure, possibly hooded and gowned, facing left.
This picture has been examined by a photographic specialist who ruled out any camera effect but who could offer no explanation for this shape appearing in the picture.
We think it looks rather like a nun in silhouette - take a look and see what you think.
13th August 2021
19th October 2019. Members of the PI group Beyond This World returned to see if they could again capture infra-red images of the boy Thomas. They had captured him on camera month before, but a few days later, the video file had simply vanished. So, this time, they videoed and photographed what appeared on the infra-red camera's screen with multiple phones.
Having sensed the boy was present, they positioned one investigator near the west end of the hall and asked the boy to stand near that person. Then they set their 'Stick-man' infra-red camera running. (This device can detect heat sources in the dark and, in the case of the heat source being vaguely human-shaped, the device has software that tries to overlay a stick figure so as to aid detection of such figures and to show any movements such figures may make.)
The following pictures and video of the camera screen show what it was picking up at 1207am. The PI is visible in the first photo and, standing next to and somewhat behind, is a child-sized figure. Moot Hall's curator can attest that there were no (live!) children, nor any very small adults, present at this investigation.
Pictures and video by kind permission of the members of Beyond This World ©
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21st September 2019. Members of PI group Beyond This World made a video, of a child who identified himself as 'Thomas', sitting (and fidgeting about) on the large table in the upstairs hall. They used an infra-red camera equipped with software which assists the viewer to identify human shapes and movements by overlaying a 'stick man' type figure onto the infra-red image. The film of this boy was shown to Moot Hall's curator during the debrief session at the end of the evening and the owner of the camera promised to email us a copy. But, when the owner of the camera went to review the film the next day, the file was gone! Apparently, pictures and videos taken during paranormal investigations often 'disappear' from devices soon after. (A baffling phenomenon in itself!) The PI group decided to return a month later and try again (see the above report) when they did again manage to film a child-sized figure. It is a great pity that the first recording was 'lost' as, in that film, the infra-red shape of the child was very distinct, whereas, in the later videos, one can hardly see the infra-red images of the investigator and the child. However, the 'stick' figure overlays (created by the camera's software) are very clear and show both the position of an adult and the much smaller, child-sized, figure standing beside her. Note; there were no (live) children or very small adults present during this investigation.
9th March 2019. During a paranormal Investigation by the 'Paranormal Sisters' group, some incredible images were recorded, in Moot Hall's Exhibition room - at 22.09pm, a short video clip. was filmed. (See the link immediately below this report.) In the first few seconds of this video, a figure appears to move from right to left, dodging behind the upright stud timber (in the centre of the picture) toward the Elstow Pulpit. The film is somewhat dark, as the only lights on at the time were the investigators' torches, but there is clearly something, about the height of a man, that moves from right to left and a clear head shaped shadow moves across a white notice on the pulpit.
The figure was not seen live by the investigators - they only saw it when reviewing the video a few minutes later. They then took screenshots from that video. These show a figure - shadowy but fairly distinct - standing between the Bunyan Pulpit and one of the vertical timbers which divide that bay from the bay in which the photographers were standing.
In those screenshots (below) the image on the left is taken from the video and timed at 22.12pm. The centre picture is a slightly enhanced version and, on the right, is a picture taken in daylight, from the same position, in order to show the location more clearly. In the first two pictures, what looks like the head of a human figure fully obscures the bottom third of the white notice on the Bunyan pulpit, enabling us to estimate the height of that figure at about 5'6" to 6' tall.
The investigators were certain that the figure was not one of their group because, at the time when the video was being taken, half their members were engaged in a vigil in the cellar below Moot Hall, whilst the rest of the investigators were standing behind the videographer. Also, no outsider have entered the building without the investigators knowing, because there is an alarm on the main entrance of the building. which sounds when the door is opened The figure in the film emerges from the right, where there is only an outside wall and external door - which is nailed shut!
| video_9th_march_2019_10.09pm.mp4 |
The Bed Cover
Upstairs, in the north-east corner of the main room, is a 17th century bed. On numerous occasions, Moot's caretaker - Gary Fuller - entered the hall to find that the far corner of the bed's heavy cover had been turned down, in the manner that is done in hotels. At first, Gary thought this must be one of the other members of staff playing tricks on him. But, when asked, all denied doing so. So Gary made a note of the times and dates when he found the cover turned back. He also, on his timesheets, had records of when he, on locking the building up, had switched the alarm on. After three further incidents of finding the cover turned down, Gary telephoned the alarm monitoring company, which keeps an electronic record of the dates and times when the alarm is set and when it is switched off. Gary, gave them three sets of dates and times - those occasions when he had locked up and then had had returned to find the bed cover turned back. He asked the company to check their computer records to see if anyone had been into the building between those times - ie had anyone turned the alarm off and then on between his visits. The alarm monitoring company informed him that their alarm records showed that no-one had been into the building between his 'before and after' visits. This proved that no human could have turned the bed cover back between his visits.
A few years later, Clive Arnold (the museum's curator) was showing an music events organiser round the building. She asked him if there had ever been any paranormal activity in the building, so he told her about Gary's experiences with the bed and the confirmation by the alarm company that no human could have entered the building to turn the cover down. She asked Clive if he had ever seen the cover turned back and Clive informed her that, whilst he would have liked this to have happened to him, it had not. Clive explained that, crazy as it sounded, he suspected that the cover was being turned down by Moot's resident ghost - a 5 year old boy called Thomas Cox. Clive told her that he even asked Thomas several times if he would turn the cover down for him, but his request had never been granted. Clive also explained that Thomas appeared to enjoy playing tricks on the staff but that Thomas didn't seem to want to do things if he was asked to do them - he only did things when he knew it would surprise the staff. Whilst Clive was telling the events organiser this story, he had been leading her up the stairs and then toward the bed, at which point the bed was in his full sight. Then Clive stopped and turned his back on the bed, so as the face the lady as he completed the narrative. At this point, where he had stopped, meant that his body was (albeit inadvertently) blocking her view of the bed. She asked him which corner of the cover had been found turned back by the caretaker. In response, Clive turned around, telling her that; 'Gary said it was that far corner.' To Clive's astonishment, in the short time that his back had been turned, the corner of the bed cover had been turned down! Proof again that Thomas likes playing tricks on the staff?
A few years later, Clive Arnold (the museum's curator) was showing an music events organiser round the building. She asked him if there had ever been any paranormal activity in the building, so he told her about Gary's experiences with the bed and the confirmation by the alarm company that no human could have entered the building to turn the cover down. She asked Clive if he had ever seen the cover turned back and Clive informed her that, whilst he would have liked this to have happened to him, it had not. Clive explained that, crazy as it sounded, he suspected that the cover was being turned down by Moot's resident ghost - a 5 year old boy called Thomas Cox. Clive told her that he even asked Thomas several times if he would turn the cover down for him, but his request had never been granted. Clive also explained that Thomas appeared to enjoy playing tricks on the staff but that Thomas didn't seem to want to do things if he was asked to do them - he only did things when he knew it would surprise the staff. Whilst Clive was telling the events organiser this story, he had been leading her up the stairs and then toward the bed, at which point the bed was in his full sight. Then Clive stopped and turned his back on the bed, so as the face the lady as he completed the narrative. At this point, where he had stopped, meant that his body was (albeit inadvertently) blocking her view of the bed. She asked him which corner of the cover had been found turned back by the caretaker. In response, Clive turned around, telling her that; 'Gary said it was that far corner.' To Clive's astonishment, in the short time that his back had been turned, the corner of the bed cover had been turned down! Proof again that Thomas likes playing tricks on the staff?
Moot's mysterious 'self-opening' door.
The door between reception and the exhibition room has been the site of many strange occurances - download the Word document to read a full account.
The photographs, below, show the door ajar, its pneumatic closer and the heavy steel drop-latch.
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Other Paranormal Investigators' written reports
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