Hidden in a secluded Cotswold valley, untouched by time and the modern world, lies Woodchester Mansion, an unfinished masterpiece of Victorian building. Designed by the brilliant young architect Benjamin Bucknall for the wealthy Catholic William Leigh, the mansion is a remarkable synthesis of French gothic revival theory and the local Cotswold tradition. In 1868, after 16 years of building, workers inexplicably stopped and walked out, leaving many of the 27 rooms unfinished. Fireplaces remain at great heights waiting for floors to meet them, while doors lead nowhere and upper corridors end suddenly at ledges with views to the ground below. The mansion is said to be home to a headless horse and a floating coffin. Staff working for the charitable trust that now owns the mansion have reported strange noises, banging, and ghostly voices echoing throughout the building.

This was a long awaited return for me to the only location which in my 5 years of investigating had truly captured my imagination. A near derelict but beautiful sprawling gothic masterpiece which carried all of the hallmarks of a true haunted mansion. Buried deep within the valley, surrounded by a watchful and eerie ring of trees the building looms down on you as you approach down the mile long track leading to the house. Gargoyles and the imposing tower of Woodchester greet those who turn that final corner at the base of the hill and already you can feel the hairs on your arms standing on end. This night was also like no other as we had the great fortune of being in the company of Ian Lawman, probably the most compelling and down to earth medium I had ever had the good fortune to work with. This would be my third event with Ian, and considering the location I had high hopes for the night before us.

The evening began with our usual workshops, followed by Ian's gripping and fascinating talk about his life. Hot on the heels he then took the teams for their first real look at the vigil areas for the night ahead, and divulged his own personal impressions of the history and haunting of Woodchester. We were then ready and raring to go for our first vigil of the night. For the first time we had decided to pair the team leads with a single group and I was fortunate to be working with my friends Gogan, Rapinder and Liz, together with my mother and two other investigators. We began along the top floor corridor where things were for the main relatively quite. This area of the mansion is much harder to investigate owing to the fact that only a single corridor is accessible, and the area is open to the lights and sound of the floors below, so there was quite a large amount of external noise to contend with. Despite that we attempted some divination and a couple of brief séances but with little reward for our efforts. Some of the team suggested smelling a sweet perfume smell in certain sections, and after discounting any members of the team it certainly had a few people wondering.

Our next vigil took place in the cellars - a location notorious for darker male energies, and specifically a withered and spindly individual believed to a mischievous and deceitful creature who dwells in the dark corners. We attempted a linked séance around the pillar in the far room to begin with, where apprehension and fear became the greatest obstacles for some of the team to overcome. I then left the team in the room to attempt some glass divination while I ventured alone throughout the other rooms in the cellar. I was hoping to try and encourage the darker male energy by evoking responses to my taunts and suggestions that he was an inferior and weak individual. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful in provoking him, at which point Liz had decided to join me. I asked Liz to stand in the centre room while I stood out in the main corridor facing towards the room in the pitch black. Again I tried to goad a response, and at first it appeared that there was a slight shuffle or scratching sound as if tiny pieces of grit had been disturbed in the doorway. I took this opportunity to shout for this energy to throw something across the room. It only took a few more requests at which point I was surprised by what appeared to be a small stone landing at my feet. Liz exclaimed that she had not moved a muscle, and sure enough a stone which I had not noticed before was roughly a few inches away from me upon the floor. Of course owing to the darkness neither of us had actually seen the stone move through the air towards me, so in all honestly there was no proof of something paranormal, however the timing and obscurity of the event certainly had me thinking. I proceeded to try and repeat the incident by requesting that another stone was thrown, but to no avail. The vigil had certainly given me something to think about, but I admit to being slightly disappointed that nothing more profound would follow.

Our penultimate vigil saw us paired with Ian on the first floor. We took our places in the bathroom, a location believed to be linked to the former house which stood on the grounds where stories of a woman being drowned in the bath have become legendary. Ian immediately connected with this, initially being drawn to a man named John who he felt would have been both the man of the house, and the perpetrator of the crime. He felt that this woman would have been his mistress, and was also carrying his child. He also felt that John and another assailant has violated her sexually before drowning her in the bath. John was apparently with us in the room, pacing up and down, aware of our presence. It was shortly after that Rapinder screamed and jumped up from her position opposite me where she was sat alone against the far wall under the window. She explained how shortly beforehand she had felt a poke in the lower part of her back which she never really thought too much about. However almost immediately after this she felt a firm hand grab her backside, which was most unnerving as she was sat up against a solid wall. Ian felt that this was one of the two gentleman making themselves known because they were attracted to her and that the women in the room should be vigilant of their presence. A little time after this Gogan started to feel unwell and began shaking, expressing that she had pains in her stomach. Ian was convinced that these were the conditions of the woman being impressed upon her. After a short while the feelings dissipated, and I then suggested that Rapinder lie in the stone bath to see if she could experience anything similar. While laying down she began to suggest feeling hot, and towards the end a sensation of burning around her neck. Of course, much of this could be put down to auto-suggestion of the drowning, and especially after the incident earlier there could be no doubt that Rapinder was slightly on edge. Nevertheless both incidents seemed genuine enough, and although those were the only things of note it had certainly been a more eventful vigil than most.

The final location for the night was the ground floor, where we started by linking hands in the kitchen and asking out for signs of activity. At first we started to hear what sounded like faint rustling coming from the corridor behind us. The sound then became clearer and more persistent, so I left the group in the kitchen to investigate. After a while I noticed a plastic notice cover hanging from a board on one of the doors along the corridor. Unlike the other notices which were pinned down, this sheet was flapping up and down as the breeze ran through the building, and this was enough for me to account for the sounds that we had heard. Not all of the team were as convinced as I was, but the sound was very similar and the most logical explanation for the rustling. We then moved into the main corridors where we found a large mirror rested up against the wall. Here I worked with some of the team to introduce them to "scrying", which is a form of divination where a person stares at themselves in the mirror under low light conditions in the hope of seeing impressions and features of a spirit imposed upon their own. This is a highly ambiguous experiment which is open to much criticism as the fact that you cannot see your own features clearly will force the mind and eyes to try and interpret the reflection. This has the effect of a morphing and changing of the face which is more a mental response to the situation than anything paranormal. It was however and enjoyable and rewarding experiment for those who tried it.

Our night had finally come to an end, and as before the location had not brought any proof of the supposed hauntings, however just to spend a night there was something of a privilege. We had experienced a few small things which could not be instantly explained away, and that is probably as much as we could ever ask for. Now I just have to look forward to a return visit some time in the future where I can resume my fascinatiing bond with this glorious and spellbinding location.