Berry Pomeroy

[dancin'hamster]

I've just spent a wonderful weekend in Devon, and whilst there I decided to take a peek at Berry Pomeroy Castle with my best mate.

Well, despite all the hype, it was NOT a creepy, eeire or menacing ruin despite what most web-sites would have you believe.

Mind you - we were there on a beautiful spring day..........maybe if I was there at night and alone things would seem different.........I'd probably kak meself

Anyhoo - this is the general bumff on the place ~

'My first sighting came a year after my first visit when 2 of my friends and their dog came over at about 11pm and asked if I wanted to go up there. I grabbed my coat and torch and off we went.

We parked at the bottom footpath and started heading up. Their dog was anxious all the way up and as we reached the top through one of the slit windows we could see a light as bright as we had ever seen. It was so bright it was lighting up most of the windows inside the main entrance. We thought it might be someone messing about so we went up to the window. What we faced froze us to the spot. No more than 10 feet in front of us through this window was a figure dressed like a guard with it's face staring down at us. We could see right through the figure to the wall behind it. It just stared at us moving his head from side to side. It seems like ages but probably no more than a minute later my friend say "Let's get out of here NOW!". As he said it the face moved right up against the window and gave a really evil grin and we could see most of his teeth were missing we were that close. All this time their dog was frantic. Hair up and backing away from the window.'

'I first went up with 1 friend and my dog. All the way down we could hear a hair standing shriek and my dog was more nervous than I had ever seen him before. We had both heard foxes before but this was waaaay different. We were reluctant to go down and decided to go slow and turn back if this shriek gets any closer. We got down the castle and this shriek was still on the other side of the field. After only a few minutes the shriek had stopped from across the field and in milliseconds was in front of us. My dog went berserk and run at full speed up the footpath followed closely by us.

As we got to the top we saw 18 people pulling up in various cars. We told them what just happened and told them not to go down. They all laughed and said it was a fox. Anyway after 15 minutes of disputing their claim they said they were going down and we should come. I spoke to my friend about it and we were both of the opinion that there is some safety in a group of 20 people and the noise had stopped so we went back down with them.

When we got down to the bottom standing in front of St Margrets Tower was a glowing figure of an old lady. A dozen of us plucked up the courage to go over there so we walked up to within a foot of this figure. She didn't speak but all of us somehow heard her say "Beware of the hour". The time was 00:50

She just stayed there and by now some of the others were scared and I admit I was getting worried also. We walked back to the rest of the group who were by now standing by the entrance to the castle. We were all looking at our watches and as it struck 1am the women vanished and this shriek was back but this time it was deafening and I really mean deafening! As it started the solid, 15ft wooden gate in front of us started shaking so violently we thought it was going to break free. A dozen torches shining on a wooden gate shaking off its hinges without any person near it was enough for 20 of us to run back as fast as we could. We were definitely not welcome there that night!'

'Did you know that 80% of all ghosts at Berry Pomeroy are seen during the day?

I went down with my dog alone around sunset in the summer and there were a few people down there also. After about 20 minutes I noticed a man walking on the other side of the green. He made me look because of the way he was dressed. He was wearing the kind of clothes I would expect someone of the castles hay-day to wear. I put up my arm and waved at him. He stopped, looked at me, then as he took his next step faded out completely. A couple of the other people there saw the same thing and we all walked over. My dog was in front of us and as he got the exact spot we saw the figure he froze. All his hair stood up and he back away whining.'

'This one is probably the scariest Ghost that used to be down there because unlike all other Ghosts Isabelle could leave the confines of the Castle. I was down there with a few friends and we saw the Ghost of a child inside the main building right at the top. There is only the shell of that building left so we knew no-one could go up there. One of my friends must of upset her due to his messing about before we saw her because we all went icy cold and while walking back up to the car we all felt her following us. we got into the car which also went icy cold. We got back to my place and went inside which also went icy cold. She stayed with us for a couple of hours before leaving again. She made her point very clear and I never invited that friend down again.'

'I've seen this one a number of times but on this occasion as we got to the Castle we could see the figure walking along the rampart walk and on this rare occasion we went in. When we got to the rampart walk the figure had disappeared but we could still hear him walking on the gravel and when we looked down at the gravel we could see footprints being formed.'

'I have always maintained that the Kitchen is by far the single most haunted and evil feeling part of the Castle. I don't know why but I once had a very close call. The kitchen is again just the shell of the building at this is going back many years when they had started renovating it. We had seen something moving about in there but couldn't actually see what exactly it was. We decided to go and take a look inside the Kitchen. As we approached it I felt something push hard against my leg and I fell over. I shone my torch down and there was only grass there. Money fell out of my pocket and vanished, around a dozen coins. We entered the Kitchen and we heard an almighty scream echoing all over the Castle and as that happened I heard a noise above me. I glanced up and out of the corner of my eye I saw something falling down at great speed towards me. I dived out the way just before a hammer came crashing down at the spot I was in. It came down at a force so strong the hammer buried itself inside the floor. we shone our torches up at the top of the building and there was nothing there. We decided we were not welcome there that night and left.'

http://www.theghostclubsociety.co.uk/ghostguide/pomeroy.html

http://www.cropcircleresearch.com/enigma/i...e3/pomeroy.html

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/NewboldRevel/Ghosts.htm

If anyone has any more stories or personal experiences I'd be interested to read them!

Hammy x x x

[ShadowKnight]

those stories were hilarious! I never laughed so hard!

[AnimangaBloodThorn]

ShadowKnight, why do you find them funny? Even if a few seem a little fake, they really aren't that funny.

Anyway, all most all of them had a dog in the story! Sorry, I couldn't help but point that out. I love animals. A few of those stories seem pretty cheesy. They are a good read though. I can't really think of anything helpful to say. ^^;; Good job on finding the stories.

Cya!

[Agent_21]

I have only seen the castle on hot summer afternoons. Good for climbing the walls, but not for finding ghosts. The atmosphere can change abruptly, apparently; and I've wondered if the energy of the site has a rhythm of its own. Midsummer is supposed to be a good time for sitings Sightings, although I can't think of a good reason why this should be so.

Anyway, all most all of them had a dog in the story! Sorry, I couldn't help but point that out. I love animals.

Providing a kind of verification of what the people experienced there.

Edited April 6, 2004 by Agent_21

[PurpleStuart]

I went to Berry Pomeroy in '93 with my family, and took a load of photos - when i got them developed one of them, a picture of my parents on a spiral staircase, also has what looks like the head of a ghostly hooded figure in it.

Its probabaly just the light hitting the camera at an odd angle or my finger over the lense. I don't recall feeling very spooked out there.

I'll have to hunt around for those photos

[Agent_21]

I was certain I'd picked up a skull-like profile on the Rampart Walk in one shot. On closer inspection it turned out to be the pattern of trees seen through an arrowslit.

[dancin'hamster]

ah.........well I was hoping for a few more stories or anecdotes.

Purple - I would love to see the pics if you can find them?

The story of the hauntings was apparantly made up by local people after the castle fell into disrepair, so why do the stories persist? The lady in the ticket office was adamant that the place was haunted but wouldn't reveal why......When a film crew was filming a programme about the castle, they suffered many failures of lights within the castle, though the lights worked perfectly outside. Such reports are common in ghost research as have been noticed by professional TV, radio and film crews.....

On wandering around the castle we found several patches of melted wax on the deep stone window-sills where candles had obviously been burnt. Is it this type of mundane discovery that can cast doubt on the alleged 'haunitings'?

Hammy x x x

[Agent_21]

On wandering around the castle we found several patches of melted wax on the deep stone window-sills where candles had obviously been burnt. Is it this type of mundane discovery that can cast doubt on the alleged 'haunitings'?

Or rituals had taken place which over time have encouraged some kind of malign force to build up there?

[PurpleStuart]

i'll see if i can find 'em.

[Agent_21]

I remember reading an account in a magazine many years ago of a woman journalist who drove to the castle one evening with a friend who was a medium. They parked in full view of the Rampart Walk and as the evening progressed the medium became aware of the White Lady 'Pacing up and down the Rampart Walk.' The other woman saw nothing. They brought their vigil to an abrupt end when something unseen began shaking the car.

That was not the end of the nights events though. Back at their hotel both woman spent an uneasy night due to scratching noises at the head of their beds.

[Agent_21]

The story of the hauntings was apparantly made up by local people after the castle fell into disrepair, so why do the stories persist?

Were they? Any concrete ideas why? Obviously to keep people away, but for what reason specifically, I wonder?

From what I can tell, the castle was became almost deserted around 1800. Most of the restoration took place in the '80 but is possibly ongoing.

The much repeated story of the Blue Lady of ill repute and the castle steward was said to be her final appearance as the steward was the last person to inhabit the castle. But this does not seem to be the case. Elliott O'Donnell reported another sighting related to him in 1913.

A Mrs King of Torquay had a brother, an army officer, who visited Berry Pomeroy while on leave. Whilst wandering through the ruins he saw a beautiful young woman beckoning to him from one of the lofty ivy-clad walls. She wore a quaint but 'becoming' blue costume. Supposing her to be frightened to move, the soldier hastened to rescue her. However, having scaled most of the wall, the masonry began to crumble and give way beneath his feet. Only by sheer athleticism was he able to prevent a potentially dangerous fall and clung on until he was eventually seen and rescued.

[dancin'hamster]

Perhaps the rumours were started to keep people away from the ruins at night. This could be for several reasons. Firstly, because all the good bits of pieces of building materials could be poached and sold on. Then, how about using it for smuggling? Remember, all along the coastlines in the UK, smugglers have created legends of ghosts and ghoulies to keep superstitious locals from venturing forth on dark nights and to keep them un-awares of the dubious activities going on.

And because it makes a cracking good story

As to the candles, they were placed at the arrow-slits and gun-slits on the side facing the car-park..........so anyone who perhaps visited the castle at night would see flickering lights shining out. If it was ritualistic they would be in specific points, not just clumped together att he nearest side to the public entrance.

Hammy x x x

[Hammys Teddy]

*peers at thread from toybox*

'Candles' Slits', Oooerrrrr matron........

*falls back in toybox laughng hysterically *

Teddy.