Michelham Priory, set on a medieval moated island, was founded as The Priory of the Holy Trinity in 1229 by Gilbert d'Aquila. In 1388 the threat of French raids led Prior Leem to surround the Priory and its grounds with a moat and built a gatehouse. The Priory was dissolved in 1537 and the church and the east cloister range were pulled down for their building materials. In 1896 the Priory was bought by James Eglington Gwynne who set about restoring the medieval buildings. After 1924 the well-known conservationist architect Walter Godfry carried out further restoration and in 1959 the Priory was given to the Sussex Archaeological Society. Michelham Priory is surrounded by tranquil gardens with the moat providing beautiful reflections. There is a kitchen garden, a cloister garden, a psychic garden, fine old trees and an orchard. Paranormal activity at the Priory include the visitation of a young girl dressed in a tattered dress with ribbon in her hair. Also a maid has been seen and a monk has been heard, together with the smell of incense wafting down a corridor. Strange lights have been captured in a Priest hole, the sounds of a phantom harpsichord have been heard, strange shadows have been seen moving throughout the buidling and doors have been seen opening by themselves.

There was an air of anticipation before the investigation as I walked the magnificent grounds of this wonderful location. For the first time on an event we were privileged to visit a place where there actually were velvet ropes in many of the rooms, cordoning off a plethora of valuables and ancient artefacts. From our base in the gatehouse we made our way over to the Priory for the first set of vigils, which found my team investigating the downstairs kitchen and gallery. We started by asking out for any sign of spirit presence, with little reward, followed by a linked séance while sitting on the floor. The only activity of note was the room's motion sensor occasionally flicking on and off, even though none of us were moving. For our 2nd vigil I remained with a team in the gatehouse where we attempted automatic writing with the planchette. We appeared to connect with a woman and were given the initials B and C. When attempting to decipher her first name myself and 2 of the team said the name 'Beatrice' out loud, which appeared to be a strange coincidence. Switching to glass divination we appeared to maintain the link, revealing some further detail behind this supposed individual, while one of the team suggested that she had been lightly touched on the shoulder. For my 3rd vigil I took a team to the Dining Room and Music Room, where unfortunately apart from a strange cold breeze felt by all directly between the two rooms, all remained perfectly quiet. The final vigil saw us move upstairs to the Priory Room where we attempted some more glass divination, without success, while we concluded by monitoring a radio we had left on white noise in an attempt to encourage EVP communication. Our frustration at the lack of activity lead us all to attempt an Earth Noise experiment, chanting the 'Om' mantra aloud in the hope of attracting a spirit presence. Almost instantly the radio came to life, and the clear voice of a man bellowed out from the silence. It was with some disappointment that we all realised that this was nothing paranormal when the voice began to relay information regarding a flight to Valencia......we had picked up a local air traffic control station! With that our night concluded, with a tinge of regret that little had happened, however it just reinforces the fact that when investigating the paranormal you may find that some nights will pass without any activity whatsoever.