In 1750 the Board of Ordnance purchased 40 acres of agricultural land from Jane Priddy to construct an earth rampart as part of the defences of Portsmouth Harbour, which were completed in 1756. In 1771 a magazine, office and cooperage were constructed, with Officer's houses and large gardens added in 1777. As the Navy grew in size and importance, Priddys Hard Royal Naval Armaments Depot was one of a network of ordnance yards and gunwharfs to supply war ships with their guns, ammunition and associated services. During the Napoleonic Wars the magazine complex was extended and in 1848 a laboratory complex was built to the south of the office block specifically for testing the quality and condition of gunpowder. In 1861 "C" Magazine was built and in 1879 the largest magazine, "E" Magazine was constructed. During the 1860s the fortifications were strengthened incorporating brick gateways and carponniers after which the site was altered continuously during the early 20th century. The complex was fully utilised during the 2nd World War with the introduction of 2,500 women workers who filled jobs vacated by men on active service, and it was last used for significant naval activity during the Falklands Conflict. Now the Priddys Hard site is home to The Museum of Naval Firepower. The untimely deaths that have happened at Priddys Hard have been as a result of accidental explosions and in one case an unnatural gust of wind, rumoured to be the evil spirit of a convict labourer who died in the same spot. Sightings of many of the past unfortunate souls have been rumoured by former workers of the Royal Navy Armaments Depot over the years including more recently security guards that have looked after the listed buildings. Recent investigations witnessed a set of heavy chains swinging for no apparent reason and a white shadow seen coming into "C" magazine. The area around room 309 is also said to be active in that phantom footsteps have been heard along with a banging noise against a locked door.

This was my second visit to the museum, but my first investigation there with Paranormal Tours. My previous visit was a generally uneventful one with ISP, so I was looking forward in anticipation that this night would bring about some more tangible evidence of a haunting, more in hope than expectation however. We were joined my by my good friend Marc Richardson who would be our Medium for the night, and if the evidence of of other investigations I have worked with Marc on are anything to go by then my hopes may well be realized.

The night began with the usual walk around with the Medium where Marc was typically accurate with all of the information he gleaned from the energies of the building, however the first real activity took place at the conclusion of Marc's talk where we decided to hold a group séance in the top floor of the Admin Block. With all members of the group holding hands in a circle Marc asked out for a sign that would prove the presence he felt was drawing close to us. As if on perfect cue a stone was then thrown across the room, landing in the circle. The origin or landing place of the stone could not be seen due to the darkness of the room, but in what little light there was I was convinced nobody had broken the circle, and everyone agreed that they had all remained holding hands. The force and trajectory of the stone was also not consistent with falling masonry, so we could quickly rule that out. Whatever the source of the object it was indeed an interesting start to proceedings. I have to also admit that I thought I saw the outline of a shadow stood behind Marc during this time, although it must be considered that the low light conditions of the room may have made my eyes play tricks on me.

The vigils for the might would see each group leader remaining with the same team as is normally the case when we have a 3 team, 3 vigil event. Starting with the Grand Magazine, which resembles a contemporary and modern museum there was very little activity of note. Some of the team suggested hearing footsteps and banging, however the acoustics of this large, sprawling labyrinth of a museum can certainly play tricks on you. There was however an interesting piece of footage recovered from one of our EVP recordings on the Dictaphone, where it seemed that a sound resembling a woman taking a sharp intake of breath could be heard - at least that was our interpretation of the noise, while it did not resemble anything heard by the naked ear at the time of the EVP experiment.

For the next vigil we were joined once more by Marc in the Admin Block where we had earlier witnessed the stone throwing, which is a common occurrence around Marc since he started working with Paranormal Tours, and one which he is still perplexed by. The team connected with a number of names in the building and some suggested feeling sick and experienced aching shoulders. Of greater interest was the fact that another shadowy shape was witnessed by team members during this vigil, while another stone or pebble appeared to be thrown while Marc was with a few team members on the top floor - again the origin of which could not be verified. Again the Admin Block seemed to be the heart of the activity and we were not the only group to experience this. In Kevin's team they also attempted an EVP experiment where Kevin is heard asking if a female spirit who they believe they had contacted was beaten by a man there. Upon reviewing the footage you can clearly here a woman's voice on the recording saying "Yes" as Kevin finished the sentence. They also recorded possible poltergeist activity as when they left the vigil area they noticed that an artificial flower which was earlier seen on the stair case was now sitting proudly in the middle of the entrance to the room. The team members were convinced that none of them had moved it, and were generally puzzled by the discovery.

We finished the vigils by visiting the hangar which is also known as Room 309. Earlier while we were acclimatizing ourselves with the vigil areas it was suggested by some of the crew that they had heard a clear whistling sound was we all exited the hangar. It was therefore decided that during this vigil we would split into 2 teams across the hangar and try very short and simply whistles as a way of communication. On a couple of occasions the teams would suggest that the number of whistles and timing of these were not consistent with the sounds being made my each team, and were convinced that somebody or something else in the room was interjecting and whistling with us. This was however a fairly uncontrolled experiment and this was not something I personally felt was evidence of anything paranormal. At night had rapidly come to an end, and on reflection I have to say that in terms of potential activity the night had brought about more than its fair share of evidence to suggest that there may well be some merit to the stories of unexplainable occurrences at the Explosion Museum.