The Ancient Ram

[dancin'hamster]

The Ancient Ram Inn, in Wooten-Under-Edge, is one of the most infamous ‘Haunted Houses’ in the UK. It has featured in several television shows and is to be found on tonnes of web-sites.

The lovely old half-timbered building is over 360 years old and is supposed to have been built on a Pagan burial ground. Several investigators, mediums and a dowser that have visited the pub, now a private house, that there are scores of bodies, some of them children killed in ancient religious rites, buried under the main fire-place.

Plenty of groups organise visits and vigils there, and have reported sudden drops in temperature, dragging noises and bright lights darting across the fireplace. Most visitors and investigators feel that the entities in this pub are negative, even evil.

The owner of the house, John, is rather like Rod Hull and is very passionate about his home. When last heard he feared he may have to sell the Ram after loosing a legal case and having to find a large amount of money to pay costs. Perhaps this is why he welcomes groups so readily? Perhaps *slips into sceptic mode* this is why the stories of the ghosts are widely publicised?

One room is said to be very active and is known as the Bishop's Room. It is also known by other names in various books and articles, but for the purpose of this little thread it’s staying as The Bishops’ Room. Rumour has it that once two men stayed the night in there and had such a bad time that they felt compelled to visit a vicar to exorcise them! The vicar was so shocked he banned them from going back to the building again. Sadly, we have no concrete evidence of this, only hear-say….

“Weird West”, a local website has many articles on The Ram, and was contacted by a Jane Sampson, who visited the Ram Inn.

“My friend Suzanne and I were driving past The Ram Inn one Sunday afternoon in spring 1994. We had heard about the place through GWR radio and were really intrigued by the "phenomena" that was occurring there.

We decided to take a look inside. The owner, John, greeted us. He told us the fascinating history of The Ram as well as try and begin to explain the kinds of things that were happening there.

The Ram is mentioned in many "ghost" articles, which we were shown to us on arrival. John kindly guided us through the downstairs part of The Ram. My first thoughts were not very complimentary!

The atmosphere was awful. I can only describe it as "pure filth" and "dark and heavy". I would like to point out at this point that The Ram is in no way dirty in the house keeping sense. It was just a feeling I had as I walked through. You could cut the air with a knife, it was that heavy. Suzanne also felt the same way.

John took us through to a room called The Men's Kitchen. He showed us where skeletons of women and children had been buried since pagan times.

The Ram is built on a pagan site. He also gave me a heavy metal sword that had been found near one of the bodies. He asked me if I could feel any vibes off it.

As I was holding it, I looked up and saw that a large Jewish type candlestick that was almost as tall as myself was rocking back and forth. This candlestick was about 6 feet away from where we were standing and it was on the opposite side of the room to where we were. No vibration could have made it rock back and forth as it was standing on a solid stone floor.

All John said was, "Oh, I haven't seen it do that before!" After this, we headed upstairs to the Bishop's Room.

This room, we were told, contains and Incubus and a Succubus - male and female ghosts that feed on sexual energy. All three of us stood outside the room and John opened the door. He invited us to go into the room.

We didn't want to go in. The atmosphere again was awful. I would say to the point of evil. I felt pins and needles in my feet and felt it go up the back of my legs. Suzanne said she felt the same. This feeling continued up our necks and reached the top of our heads.

Suddenly Suzanne said to think of "white light" which we did and it went away. John told us "it" was trying to get into us!

By this stage, we had had enough! John took us up to the loft area and told us that "something" has been dragging a very heavy item of furniture across the loft floor.

I honestly don't know how he can live there. I would be a nervous wreck. My parents live in one of Bath's Crescents and have a mischievous ghost or two in their place. However, these spirits seem pretty harmless.

What happened at The Ram when Suzanne and I visited that afternoon was a completely different ball game. Whatever is in that place is evil and it should be treated with respect. I am usually all for going back to a place where I may possibly be able to witness more. However, neither of us feel we should go into The Ram again."

Oooooeerrrrrrrrrrrr

Imagination? Was it the fact that these women were expecting to encounter something the very reason that they did?

Another account produced here by kind permission from Wiccan Tradition.

’From the outside the building looks old but strange, it has been altered several times over its history, this is obvious in its architecture. The original front entrance was down some steps straight from the main road.

The owner claims it was one of the stop off points for the Pilgrim Fathers, on their way to the Mayflower moored at Plymouth. The Ancient Ram Inn is reputed to be the most haunted (Ex) Inn in Britain. It is thought to have more than a dozen ghosts.

You must enter the property through the back entrance, as soon as I entered the property I felt something, I don't think it was ghostly but more the atmosphere. A stale musty type smell hit the nose as you walk in the door. This atmosphere wasn't helped by the decor within the property, it had been kept very old looking, as though you were walking into an antique shop or stepping back a century or two.

In one of the rooms downstairs, it would have been the lounge bar, I felt a strange presence, it is said this room is haunted by the ghost called the grey lady, because of the way she is dressed. I suppose this would be the traditional image of a female ghost.

Upstairs one of the bedrooms, known as the Cavaliers room, is said to be haunted by a cavalier, a shepherd and dog, an incubus and succubus. We recorded strange temperature fluctuations in this room but we saw no ghosts. On my second visit to the property, I found strange tapping noises running through my video tape which was left recording in this room. The noise was almost like someone tapping on the microphone area of the video recorder with a pen. The door was closed and measures were taken to ensure the room couldn't be entered without us knowing about it.'

http://www.wiccantradition.org.uk/pararaminn.html

for pictures http://www.cotswoldedge.org.uk/w-u-e/the_ram_inn2.htm

The photo at the bottom of the page is the most famous picture, and was taken a few years ago by a couple who were investigating the house. And now this is embarressing....I've totally forgotten their names *cringe* ........ sorry! It is one of them-thar 'vortexes' that paranormal investigators like to talk about. Or is it a smudge on the lens?

Have any of you ever been there?

Are the hauntings genuine or just a publicity stunt?

Hammy x x x

Edited February 13, 2004 by dancin'hamster

[Cufflink]

Bloody hell. Not somewhere I'd fancy going.

Does the atmosphere in the pub put the locals off, Hams. Maybe that's why the owner struggles financially. The interior certainly is creepy looking.

I do agree that people can panic themselves into feeling something, but some buildings have an atmosphere, and some people can sense them. The owner does add to the atmosphere, by keeping things olde world , but that would only affect people's imaginations, and not any actual hauntings.

I suspect it's the usual mixture of legends, a grisly past, genuine hauntings, and over-active imaginations.

And I would not fancy staying the night there.

[dancin'hamster]

What?

Are you kidding?

I would LOVE to spend the night there - just to prove that it was all hooey!

[Thistle]

I would LOVE to spend the night there - just to prove that it was all hooey!

Ooooooh me too !!!!!!!!!! Sounds like fun.......although unlike fearless Hammy, I would probably require the company of several people ( to hide behind in case it got too scarey ) lol

[Fluffybunny]

Ooooooh me too !!!!!!!!!! Sounds like fun.......although unlike fearless Hammy, I would probably require the company of several people ( to hide behind in case it got too scarey ) lol

Yes, several people...Lots of flashlights with new batteries...Good comfortable running shoes...and a change of undergarments, just in case...

I don't know why, but ghosts(or the fear of...) are the one thing that really get to me. I'd rather have to deal with a grizzly bear than a ghost...uggghhh....

[dancin'hamster]

LMAO!

And I am not fearless!

When something breathed in my ear on my last investigation I think I broke the three minute mile

But I did go straight back and look for the logical explaination. Then I was informed that Karina had experienced the very same thing in the same spot hours before. So that made me even more determined to find out what it was.

[crosis]

I have to say that i was very skeptical about this place, there just seemed to be too much activity.

so my group paid a visit.

We went during the day just to have a look around and carry out a small investigation ( i say small, 5 of us went).

The reason for going in the daytime was to see if the building felt the same and if our reactions were the same as they were on the previous visit (some of our group have been there on an all nighter).

I have to say i was looking for hidden electromagnetic coils and rigged doorhandles but found nothing, then things started happening, both in the bishops room and the witches room.

To name a few, a rattling doorhandle, a growling outside the room, misty patches appearing and our trigger object moving during a seance, but all of this means nothing as we cant proove a bloody word of it. All our video cameras were acting up (switching off) my digital camera wouldnt stay switched on and to top it all of our thermal imaging system went potty giving really odd temp readings.

so all in all i say, if you are in the area then pay a visit its a very interesting place and well worth a look round.

incidently we are planning a return visit for an all nighter...............i'll keep you posted.

[dancin'hamster]

Ooooohhhhhh any spare places?

*gets ready to pack bag*

[crosis]

Sorry we got more people than places at the mo.

Still you never know what the future may bring

[SilverCougar]

No... no... no no no...

*shakes her head* I'd never go...

Mmm mmm no.... You'd have to drag me by my tail to go there.

[tired_dad]

While I agree that several of the "happenings" need to be further investigated, the photo of the "vortex" looks suspiciously like a camera strap that fell in front of the lens as the picture was being taken. The angle is right, as it looks down a staircase and gravity could pull the strap into the photo as the individual adjusts for the picture.

But then I could be totally misled by the voices in my head!

[dancin'hamster]

Hmmmm.......to be fair - the pic isn't really shown to it's best advantage here. In other enlarged shots it looks like a spiral, or coil of light.......

[Guest Lottie]

Hi

I went to The Ram Inn last year on invo and found the place very quiet and almost peaceful, we were probably lucky! I know other people who when they have been and there all hell has broken loose and a group even ran out of the building. I felt there was alot of stonetape replay in there. I am not sure whether it is all hype and suggestion about the haunting. I know too many people who have been there and experienced very strange paranormal events. How ever as I said before when we went in other than the odd anomoly that was discounted as moths and at one point a very opressive atmosphere in the Bishops room, all was relatively quiet.

Oh and it really is a lovely building its very very pretty and John who owns the place is a lovely and accomodating gentleman.

Lottie

[vlcreations]

Love your posts Hammy(and the hamster in the pic-ain't they cool?!).

However I try not to read them before I go to bed-too spooky!

Sue

[Spartan]

Yes indeed,

i would go there for my honeymoon

maybe i know some of them

if the place is a very well known haunted site,,then yes it could very much be a vortex somewere

[the Yank]

One room is said to be very active and is known as the Bishop's Room. This room, we were told, contains and Incubus and a Succubus - male and female ghosts that feed on sexual energy.

Wow! They would turn into GODS if my girl and me showed up!!!

Real or Hoax?

I would have to do a first-hand observation... which could turn out to be very interesting!!!

[leggyladyinks]

so is it real or a hoax i was watching most haunted and it showed in the barn that one of the four men was thrown on the ground and attacked another man tried to pull him up and he said he got thrown back and the guy that got pulled onto the floor started getting beaten by some unseen thing he said was very very powerful when they tried to carry the guy out they said whatever it was was still coming after them like something was pulling at the 4 of them and not wanting to let em go i will say this though they would challenge the whatever it was they knew whatever it was was supposdly evil i dont think its a good idea to challenge the unseen unknown evil do you?

[GoblinKing]

so is it real or a hoax i was watching most haunted and it showed in the barn that one of the four men was thrown on the ground and attacked another man tried to pull him up and he said he got thrown back and the guy that got pulled onto the floor started getting beaten by some unseen thing he said was very very powerful when they tried to carry the guy out they said whatever it was was still coming after them like something was pulling at the 4 of them and not wanting to let em go i will say this though they would challenge the whatever it was they knew whatever it was was supposdly evil i dont think its a good idea to challenge the unseen unknown evil do you?

. ,