The Dolphin Inn, Littlehampton 21/11/09

Duration: 21.30-04.30

Members: 12

Weather: Cool, Rain & Wind

SPRG had been chasing this location for some time, so expectations were high as the team headed to Littlehampton braving the elements! Clint S & Lorraine S had arrived early and met with Denise who works with the paranormal group based in Littlehampton. Denise would be our host for the evening. Denise took Clint on a brief tour whilst the rest of the gang arrived and got a quick dinner and parked up etc. Clint S had experience some odd goings on way before we had got started. He was taken into a particular room, one of which we would be going to later. He said as soon as he walked in he could hear loud banging noises coming form above him in the ceiling, no more floors, that's as high as the building goes. He seemed a little stunned as this rarely happens to us. We were shown to our base camp which was interesting enough anyway. It was on the first floor, and perhaps at one time would have served as a reception or music room, certainly had a feel to it. We all had the grand tour and decided that it wouldn't be practical to set up our camera equipment, so it was decided to go with free cams for the night. The Inn serves as a hotel too, and has done for some time, we were told of three specific rooms that would be worth investigating, for the benefit of the staff and anyone intending to stay there in the not to distant future we shall not be revealing the room numbers or locations. The first room we were shown was your average basic hotel room, small but cosy. In here Angie began to feel as if she was being choked, and that she needed to escape, quick. This was later verified Another room had the feel of a female prescience and then took on a feel of nastiness. The final room we were shown was a room now no longer used by the Inn as a room to stay in, simply due to the fact that the room has given many a punter a sleepless night, so much so it was deemed "unstayable" honestly! This was later revealed to be the room that Clint S was shown when he first arrived . In this room Angie picked up on a male presence, not a nice one. Ben seemed to think that guns and the cleaning of gun barrels was significant also, as well as children.

After a quick coffee and the toilet rounds completed it was time to get underway. Clint D took 5 people into one of the rooms, and Angie took 5 into another. We would have to wait for the pub to shut to be allowed access into the cellar and bar areas. On the first vigil, Angie's group were constantly picking up on this male figure who seemed to want to "be in charge" the feeling of unrest also set in amongst a few members. In one of the other rooms, April was convinced she could make out a figure in between Adel and Clint D on the bed, she was adamant that one of the other guys had sat in between them, this wasn't the case. There seemed to be different temperature fluctuations too. Clint D seemed to feel that a kind female energy was around this room, caring for children, but the same word was being repeated "he's a horrible man" Clint D and Ben seemed to pick up on books and an old writing bureau, and some sort of struggle. It was later confirmed that in that very room, the lady of the house at that time in history was caught up in a struggle, by a man and thrown to her death form the window. Was this residual energy left behind, playing over that same moment again and again? Was this the man who Angie and Ben had picked upon earlier?

A quick catch up and time for vigil 2. Clint D's group took a room on the second floor in the same corridor leading to the "abandoned" room this room was sandwiched in between a fire escape passage and a room that is actually lived in, the only on in the building. Angie's group took the same room that Clint D's group had been in first. Angie felt that the name Emily was of some importance aged between 14-15, the year 1829 is also thought to be of some importance. This information is yet to be clarified. In the room on the 2nd floor all appeared to be quiet until the sink in the room which was right next to the two Clint emitted a noise as if a metallic object  had struck it, immediately both Clint's were accusing one another of making the noise, it was then discussed among the group that it was neither of them, although near it, they were not in line of making any physical contact. Very interesting. The wind and rain was really playing up at this point so we were trying to ignore that, as it was creating extra noise. Then there was a noise outside the door that seemed to resemble shuffling or walking, followed by a noise like a pole or large pipe being dragged down the wall outside in the fire passage, this naturally seemed to realistic. Assumptions were made that it was the man who lives in the room that we had been told about, only when the vigil ended to our amazement were we told that he was away for the weekend! The noise was so audible and you could feel the vibration through the wall that we naturally thought someone was in the hall and dragging something in the fire passage, if only we had the door open!

After an excited catch up and quick refreshments, the group decided to all go into the abandoned room as one. Up on the second floor the room is at the end of a corridor which really feels unwelcoming. The room itself is a fair size, and generally does not have a nice feel to it, the Halloween paraphernalia didn't help either! We decided to sit in a circle on the floor, in the dark along with Denise and call out to see what we could get, the door to the room was left slightly ajar. There is also a nice rocking horse in the room which is said to move by itself, Clint D and Ben were sitting right by it....great. After some meditation and concentration we took turns to call out. There seemed to be some shuffling outside the door which did sound pretty close to the mark, and then what sounded like a male clearing his throat down the other end of the corridor, we were two floors, up, all the staff are females and no one else was staying in the Inn. Then followed the jumpy bits, a series of bangs, drags and what sounded like heavy rolling objects then become happen above and below us this had poor April leaping into Helen's arms, it was certainly some of the best auditory phenomena we had heard. We were trying to debunk it, maybe it had something to do with the weather? Then again the noises weren't outside they were inside coming form above and below. It was later confirmed that this was the room that our "nasty" man inhabited cleaning his guns, it was also thought o be a workshop of some kind, whether or not form the same era we do not know. These noises went on for a good half hour or so then seemed to subside. I think we had enough for the time being.

During our extended break we were trying to go over what had just happened, all seemed a bit surreal, apparently other groups had experienced this also. By this time the pub had shut so we were granted access to the cellars and back of house areas. first we were taken to a passage that went under the stairs out the back this led down to a little boiler room, it turned out this this room was used many years ago as storage or even smuggling. Ben picked up on men, that were plotting or trying to plan something unpleasant, a dog was picked up on also. Just as the group left that room both Clint's looked around at the same time at an old door propped up in the room it had an old fashioned knocker on it. Both Clint's were convinced that it knocked all of its own accord, they both heard it and questioned this, again no explanation for this. Our last stop was the main cellar, very fascinating as one particular small room there seemed to house a lady spirit who is known to throw things. We didn't experience anything on this occasion, sadly being the cellar the beer and soft drink pumps were all working so it was difficult to concentrate or pick anything up. We decided to give THAT room upstairs one last go, this time around it all seemed to have fallen silent, quite enough for one night. We had one last drink, closed down, packed up and made our way home in the early morning rain with our heads spinning. Had we encountered energies form a particular period that was playing itself over and over? Was the banging and dragging a sign, telling us we were not welcome? We certainly wont forget our night in Littlehampton in a hurry!

Big thanks to Denise and the team at the Dolphin for showing great hospitality, and being a great host we don't know how you do it every Saturday! Thank you also to our astral beings who made them selves known, in more ways than one. We send our love out to you. Until next time.

SPRG 2010