What can I say about my visit to the Bull in the Torn and where to start? After many many hours working on the website for Haunted Happenings, I was invited along to this event for an all night vigil and being a sceptic decided to go along just for the experience.

Once arriving at the Bull I decided to take a look round the building before all the other guest arrived I must say that I did not feel anything or even see anything, perhaps this was because I had my mind closed and was not willing to let any suggestions from the unconscious come forward and perhaps impair what I was seeing in the building in general.

I then took some photographs of the dining area before the room was set for the evening meal, I must say that when I checked my photographs on my laptop that there were no unusual abnormalities on any of them. I then helped the team set the room up for the night’s event which gave the room a great feel and atmosphere. Once this was done I turned back to the camera to capture the scene because the room looked so good.

As the guests started to arrive I set up my laptop to transfer the photos that I had taken earlier and I noticed a strange round object sitting on one of the tables, which I have no explanation for, I had discounted dust as it did not take on the form of dust which I have seen many times before on photographs I have taken. Many of the guests took a look and they thought that this was an orb. I took some more photographs around the building and this shape appeared a couple of times more, being the same size and shape as the first one.

At that point that is all I can say about anything strange or abnormal happening to me and it was not until later on that the first experience of the paranormal happened to me, It was when the guests were split up into groups for vigils or sittings (not sure what they are called) in separate rooms. I joined the first team in the throne room as I think it was called, for a glass moving experiment.

I must say that nothing seemed to happen much except that the EMF meter went of the scale a few times for no apparent reason, but other than that there was not much happening while I was in there. There was one strange feeling or thought I kept having over and over again, it was like someone was talking to me and I kept hearing a voice saying “say the name George”.  I thought it was my imagination, so I left the room and went to the bar to watch the sitting in there.

Whist I was in there people were reporting that their hair was being pulled by someone or something. After this vigil and after the medium Craig had finished talking to the other guests I asked him about  what I had heard, bearing in mind I did not got go on the history walk or around with Craig when he spoke about what he felt in the building.  When I mentioned the name George to Craig he explained that earlier on in the tour he picked up on this name and spoke about him. Was I hearing a spirit?

I went back to the base room for a coffee and to examine some more photographs I had taken and had a chat to some of the other guests about what they felt. After some time I was intrigued with the hair pulling so I went back into the bar to watch a new group and to listen to what was happening to them.  I was asked to join in at first I declined but then decided that I would. 

I sat between two ladies the one on the right was having her hair played with and pulled and then all of a sudden to the left of me was a very bright blue flame or light about the size of a five pence piece moved across the lady next to me and over her shoulder this was roughly the same time as the hair pulling stopped. Again this is something I cannot explain and I must admit I found it very fascinating to see.

Again after coffee I joined the same team in the pool room, so far the room with the most activity being reported.  Here we made a circle around the table all holding hands and Claire, one of the hosts, started talking.

Several times Claire was interrupted from the other end of the pool table in which we were standing around, by some of the guest reporting seeing two figures standing in front of them in the middle of the pool table, on several occasions the room seemed to lose any faint light our eyes had adjusted to and the only way I can describe this is jet black or a void.

After a while my hand was being squeezed harder and harder by Holly the lady next to me until she started to laugh uncontrollably, which, whilst this was funny it was also unnerving. We broke the circle and she started to struggle to breathe, I took her outside for about 10 minutes it appeared she was being sick or was choking. After a drink of water we returned to the room to be sited in different locations.

Once Again Claire got talking and again guests started to see strange figures, I had not heard at any point Claire suggest what these figures look like and I later found out that these were described by different people throughout the night and they all saw the same. About 10 minutes after being back in the room Holly start to laugh again, but this time it did not last very long, a couple of minutes passed and she went quiet. We found her sitting on the floor with her eyes closed and it appeared that she was not with us. Once we got her to her feet she was taken out of the room. This time she refused to go back in or even go near it, I would say that it really appeared as if she was scared of either the room or what was in there.

Later on when all the sittings had finished I decided to go in the pool room on my own with an EMF meter to collect any reading. Now this is where I would say it got weird for me as I entered the room and turned the meter on there was nothing, I tested the whole room and found a faint single in the corner and just above my head.

So as I had heard the mediums talking and ask questions, such as ‘if anyone can hear me please give me a sign’ I gave it a go and within minutes the meter started to move, I continued and it seemed to get closer and closer to me with the meter continuing to climb. I tested the space around me and nothing, yet directly in front of me was a very strong field. I stepped back and the meter fell I started to ask whoever it is to come forward and the meter started to rise again. I continued like this for several minutes so then I decided to get some help or I should say a witness.

I was accompanied by two other people who stood at opposite ends of the room; I demonstrated the meter and the lack of readings and then started talking. As before the meter came alive we stopped in the room for 10 minutes or so with the field following me around the room, I tried to leave the room and to get (I don’t know what to call it) energy to leave too but as it tried it just faded when it got close to the door. As I went back in sure enough it came back.

This has no way changed my view about the paranormal, but I experienced things I cannot explain and I look forward to the next encounter and this time I will have a more open mind than before. I would say I am still a sceptic but have a different view on the world of the paranormal.