As you read this, on the day of publication, 9th January, we are commemorating two events that loom large in the paranormal calendar of our region. Firstly, the anniversary of the Battle of Bovey Heath, back in 1646, which is said to be re enacted on this day, should you happen to be in the right place at the right time.
On the eve of the skirmish, Cromwell marched his army into the town before confronting the enemy the next day. To mark that occasion, I’m hosting one of my Ghost Walks, which I’ve been running throughout last year, to see if we can pick up any traces of activity from the past. The battle itself took place during the day and was over by teatime, so it was not a convenient time for a ghost hunt, especially as it coincides with the second event that I’m interested in, namely the death of the actor, John Slater, back in 1975, who famously haunts Brixham Theatre, having spent the last years of his life managing it and directing productions there. This has inspired me to relaunch the Brixham Ghost Walk to commemorate his passing and see if anything happens on such a noteworthy day as we perambulate the town…
I have fond memories of the original walk, which used to be run by Dastardly Dave in his undertaker’s outfit. He was ably assisted, firstly by Loopy Liz and then by the Black Widow, who was very creepy. She would walk with the group in complete silence, dressed as if she was attending a funeral, complete with widow’s veil, and whenever everyone stopped to listen to a story, she would sidle up to the males present and make eyes at them. Dave said she had buried several husbands over the years and was now in search of her next victim/suitor…
It has been suggested that I might care to step into the vacated shoes and try my hand at resurrecting Dave’s walk, as there is a gap in the market. I have had a go, over recent years, with small groups, and after my success last year with my Dartmoor walks, I feel now is the time to take the reins and add it to my repertoire.
Although we might look similarly dressed, with me in my steampunk gear, the walks will be completely different. Dave concentrated on the known haunted history of the town, moving from one location to the next, whilst I can add in my experiences from the many investigations I’ve carried out over the years with my group, TIP, which used to meet weekly just outside of Brixham at Churston Court. Now we meet monthly at Chelston Manor in Torquay.
Using the anniversary of the death of one of the most famous resident spectres of the town seems the ideal time for a launch. Although he died in London on 9th January 1975, he had spent the two previous years managing the venue, putting on shows, and even performing in them himself. He had all but retired from film and TV work, his most famous role being that of Detective Sergeant Stone in the ever-popular 60s/70s TV series, Z Cars. Younger TV viewers, from back in the 60s, like myself, will also remember him as the human face of the string puppets, Pinky and Perky, and one of the many storytellers on Jackanory.
Above: The memorial plaque on Bovey Heath
During his short stint at the venue, John Slater had fallen in love with the place, saying he had spent some of the happiest times of his life there. So is it any wonder that he chooses still to frequent the stage in spirit form?
Several times, I’ve been asked to help out with charity events at Brixham Theatre, taking the form of psychic nights, with displays of mediumship, followed by a ghost hunt. On one such occasion, my partner, Sarah, was sitting in the auditorium with a group, holding a vigil in the dark, when someone from spirit walked on to the stage carrying a cane and straw boater, blacked up like a minstrel, and preparing to sing an Al Jolson number. Sarah knew nothing about the history of the theatre’s ghosts prior to that night, but just as we were leaving, and all the lights were back on, she spotted a photograph on the wall of a character wearing the same outfit, but without the black makeup… Sarah had seen the ghost of John Slater on his beloved stage…
The walk will start at 6.30pm, outside the museum next door, which is another location TIP has investigated and is of particular interest, as it possibly has a connection to a vigil we held at the old Royal British Legion Club on Bakers Hill.
Brixham Museum is housed in what was once the town police station and comes complete with an old detention cell, but the room of most interest, now filled with display cabinets, was once the officer’s mess. This was where the bobbies would come to relax in between shifts. It even had its own full-size snooker table, which, we are led to believe, was moved to the Conservative Club next door when the station was closed down.
We were invited to investigate the British Legion Club when odd, orb-like objects were constantly being seen on a CCTV monitor located in the basement area, which housed a full-size snooker table that was allegedly haunted…
We thought the orbs were just dust, but the story behind the snooker table was most intriguing. While games were being played, objects moved around, in particular the chalk blocks, and now and again a voice would be heard saying, “Get out of my way!” including during one of our vigils, when it was heard by two of our mediums, one downstairs, actually standing by the table, the other having just reached the top of the stairs. It would appear there was a snooker fan attached to the table! After a bit of research, we were left wondering if it could be a policeman who had possibly used the table back in the days when it resided at the police station. The management of the Legion didn’t know where theirs had come from, whilst the Conservative Club didn’t know where theirs had gone, so could they be one and the same? Sadly, the Legion is no more, and when all the fixtures and fittings were moved out, the table was destroyed…
Moving on from the museum and the theatre, we will head up towards the Smugglers Haunt Hotel, which has a sad story attached to it that attracted the attention of the Most Haunted team when they were planning their Terror in Torbay live investigations weekend back in 2005, and, at the time, not everyone appreciated their visit…
On to the harbourside, and the now-closed Rising Sun pub, which we were asked to investigate by the then landlady, whose brother was a fisherman and who had been lost at sea. Her young son was seeing his ghost appearing to him in the bathroom. The place had almost been condemned back then, as it is built into the rock face above and deemed unsafe for habitation. We were invited to look around, and what a creepy place it was…
Across from the statue of William of Orange, and tales of his landing in Brixham, at the start of his march to London, and his connection to a spooky little investigation we once carried out in Totnes Museum…
Just around the corner is the Coffin House, with its touching origin story and resident old lady ghost, that we once investigated as part of a live Halloween broadcast, back in the days when my friend Maia and I were regular guests on the John Govier Late Night Radio Show on Radio Devon… We even made the Spotlight News!
Back up the main street, to the Globe Inn, which also featured on Most Haunted, and, as a result, we got to investigate as well. Our good friend Ian, who is a psychic artist, made a drawing there that night, which no one could recognise. Several years later, during an investigation at Dartmouth Castle, he spotted a likeness of the person he’d drawn at The Globe amongst portraits of contemporaries of Drake, who would have frequented the pub back in their day…
We will finish the walk with tales of the infamous Black House and a couple of other properties nearby that we believe have a haunted connection to the tragic tale of the squire’s son, who hung himself in the garden of his home when he came across his true love being married to another…
For those that are interested, we may have time to visit a pub for some refreshment and for more tales of our old haunt at the nearby Churston Court, which we found to be very active during our many evenings there…
If my brief summary of my intended Brixham Ghost Walk has whetted your appetite, then why not meet me outside the museum tonight, 9th January, at 6.30pm…tickets cost £10 each…and kick off the start of a spooky New Year!