Faded Footsteps x Dead Serious Paranormal: An Evening at Graisley Old Hall

On Friday 11th September, the teams from Faded Footsteps x Dead Serious Paranormal welcomed a group of guests to Graisley Old Hall for an evening of investigation, experiments and the opportunity to explore some of the history and reported activity within this fascinating property.

After arriving, we settled our guests into the venue before beginning with our usual health and safety briefing. We also introduced everyone to some of the equipment that would be used throughout the evening.

It wasn’t long before we had our first interesting moment.

Our REM bear, Rosie, was activated several times, responding with both lights and sound. However, when we began asking questions in an attempt to communicate, Rosie fell completely silent.

A curious start to the evening.

Vigil One — The Human Pendulum

For our first investigation, we headed into the lower hall and began with a human pendulum experiment.

We also positioned various touch and motion-activated pieces of equipment around the lower floors, allowing us to monitor for potential interaction while the group remained together.

Although we didn’t receive any clear communication during this session, there was a noticeable feeling amongst the group that we weren’t entirely alone.

Several people described a sensation of being watched from a distance — almost as though something was present but was choosing to remain out of reach.

It was a relatively quiet first vigil, but it certainly left the group curious about what the rest of the evening might bring.

Vigil Two — The Blindfolded Séance

Our second vigil took place in one of the downstairs dining areas, where we prepared for a blindfolded séance.

While setting up, we positioned some of our equipment around the room. The Dead Bell was placed in the doorway, followed by a Cat Ball further into the room, with a REM Pod positioned on a unit.

While we were still setting everything up and talking amongst ourselves, the Dead Bell suddenly rang.

Then the Cat Ball illuminated.

Almost immediately afterwards, the REM Pod activated with both sound and lights.

Bell. Cat Ball. REM Pod.

One after another, moving through the line of equipment almost as though someone was walking past each piece in succession.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, everything fell silent again.

Later during the vigil, we began reading out some of the historic names connected to Graisley Old Hall. As the names were read aloud, the Dead Bell sounded on a number of occasions, appearing at times to coincide with particular names being mentioned.

Whether there was a connection or simply coincidence, it certainly caught the attention of the group and gave us another interesting moment to consider.

We then moved on to the blindfolded séance, introducing some old-time music into the session. Some guests reported hearing tapping sounds, although nobody could pinpoint exactly where they were coming from.

A few people also experienced cold spots around the room.

One particularly emotional moment came when a guest experienced a cold sensation around her lower legs. She described the feeling as being childlike, which understandably became quite emotional for her.

As she reached out her hand, she felt the cold sensation move towards it. She then described what felt like a gentle squeezing sensation around her hand.

It was a very personal experience for her and one that stayed with the group afterwards.

Vigil Three — The Spirit Board

For our third vigil, we moved on to the spirit board.

As always, we remained patient and allowed the session time to develop naturally. After some encouragement, the planchette did begin to move, although the movement remained relatively weak and wasn’t enough to form clear words or sentences.

Despite the lack of direct communication, there was a general feeling amongst the group that whatever we may have been interacting with felt very childlike.

There seemed to be a sense of holding back — as though there was something there, but it wasn’t quite ready to communicate openly with us.

Vigil Four — The Estes Method

Our final structured vigil of the evening was an Estes session, which produced some of the most interesting interactions of the night.

During the session, the name of one of our guests was called out twice.

As we introduced ourselves again, we were told that we had already done this before — something particularly interesting given that we had introduced ourselves earlier in the evening.

Then things became even more intriguing.

One of our guests appeared to become involved in what sounded like a conversation between two spirits. The interaction seemed to suggest a mother and child, with the child seemingly being told not to speak with us.

It certainly left us wondering:

Had we somehow overheard a conversation we weren’t supposed to hear?

Of course, there is no way of knowing exactly what was behind the responses, but it was an intriguing interaction and one that gave everyone plenty to discuss.

By this point in the evening, both the guests and the team were beginning to feel the effects of a long night.

We were then told to “wake up.”

Perhaps whoever — or whatever — we were communicating with thought we were getting a little tired too!

Exploring Graisley Old Hall

With our structured vigils complete, it was time for our guests to take the investigation into their own hands.

Armed with a selection of our investigation equipment, guests were given the opportunity to explore the property for themselves, investigating different areas of the hall away from the main group.

This gave everyone the chance to revisit places that had caught their attention earlier in the evening, experiment with the equipment and see whether they could experience anything for themselves.

With the lights low and the building considerably quieter, there was plenty of opportunity to explore the darker corners of Graisley Old Hall and see what, if anything, might make itself known.

Until Next Time…

Overall, it was an interesting and intriguing evening at Graisley Old Hall.

From the early activity around Rosie, to the sequence of equipment activations that appeared to move through the room, the Dead Bell seemingly responding while historic names were being read, personal experiences during the séance and the unusual interactions during the Estes session, there were certainly plenty of moments for both guests and the team to reflect on.

As always, we don’t claim to have all the answers. Our investigations are about exploring, experimenting and allowing everyone to experience the evening for themselves and make their own interpretations of what happened.

Graisley Old Hall certainly gave us plenty to think about.

And we’re already looking forward to returning and continuing to explore the property.

Who are the residents that remain within its walls?

There’s only one way to find out.

We’ll be back.