A PSYCHIC medium who runs ghost hunting events has told of the haunted folk tales that are swamped in St Helens history.
James Griffiths, who runs the Haunted Rooms ghost-hunting events at Rainford Village Hall, said that paranormal activity is rife in the town with guests experiencing this at their event earlier this month.
With the 115-year-old Village Hall used as a morgue during the First World War, and later a dentistry and council offices throughout the century, it has evolved into a location seeped in haunted history.
Looking to investigate the haunted myths and folklore that cloak the Edwardian building and the surrounding area, the Haunted Rooms have monthly ghost hunts at the Hall until next summer.
With the first event taking place earlier this month, James explained that guests connected with the spirits that reside in the building.
The spirit of an old lady was said to be seen wandering the halls, along with knocks and sounds in the old council offices.
A spirit was also connected via a ouija board and shadows were seen next to the hall's fireplace. James explains that further "poltergeist activity" was seen as a jug dropped in a room with no one close by.
Explaining this, James said: "I believe this connections are the spirit world waking up in the hall, and wondering why we are all here.
"The connections were with people who either worked or frequented the hall, and I'm excited for more to come in our next ghost hunts."
In addition to the spooky activity occuring in Rainford Village Hall, James also told of further scary tales that surround the wider region.
Alongwith other psychics and mediums, James has carried out ghost hunts at the North West Museum of Transport, the Theatre Royal and Mill Street Barracks in St Helens - with guests seeing spirits at each of these locations.
Mill Street Barracks in particular is said to be steeped in haunted history. With an underground morgue, apparitions of lost soldiers have been spotted walking in the building and poltergeist activity also reported.
The Stork Inn in Billinge is another venue that is "renowned to be haunted", with underground prison cells and tunnels making the now derelict pub an "extremely active location" of paranormal activity.
Rainford, however, is said to be the most-haunted area of St Helens, with the village the place where the infamous Merseyside Witches were tried and executed in the early 17th century.
In addition to this, Crank Caverns has been associated with numerous haunted myths and tales with the old quarry believed to be used as a game reserve and ammunition storage facility during the Second World War.
James also stated that paranormal activity has been recorded at the former munition store in the fields off Dairy Farm Road, which is rumoured to have been used as a Prisoner of War camp during the Second World War.
With all this haunted history and the host of old pubs in St Helens, James said the town is an "extremely active" hub of paranormal activity.
With their ghost hunts proving ever-more popular in Rainford and across the UK, the team are looking to expand and investigate further haunted locations across the country.
To book one of Haunted Rooms ghost-hunting events, visit this link
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