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Search forPoltergeists, vampires and ghosts.... all mean city is most spooky
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 11:30
There have been 315 reported sightings in Derby over the past 40 years, according to a new study.
This averages at 14 sightings per 10,000 people of the city's 233,700 population, making Derby the best UK city to visit if you want to spot a spook or glimpse a ghost.
The Supernatural Britain Report was conducted by supernatural writer Lionel Fanthorpe.
He said the reports in the area were varied and included vampires in Ascot Drive, Alvaston, spirits in St Peter's Church, Chellaston, and poltergeists in Sadler Gate.
Mr Fanthorpe said: "A lot of sightings are not even seen. Often people report a smell, like a lavender perfume.
"Sometimes you have a cluster effect where a person will report seeing a ghost or vampire, and then others will go to the same location and report the same thing."
His report was put together following months of research, where he trawled through archives, numerous websites and his own reports to identify sightings and reports to produced a comprehensive list for the UK's 40 biggest cities.
Chester and York were joint second with 11 reports per 10,000 people, with Leeds coming bottom of the ghost haul.
The findings are little surprise to Richard Felix, former presenter of Living TV's Most Haunted programme, as he has spent 15 years claiming Derby is Britain's spookiest location.
"There isn't a day that goes past in Derby when someone isn't recalling the time when they saw a ghost," he said.
"Just recently a staff member at the Old Bell Inn in Sadler Gate reported being hit by a coat hanger when no-one else had been in the room.
"I've also had an 85-year-old man tell me of a time when he turned round and saw a ghost vapourise in front of him. At 85, he's not going to make up stories."
Other popular spook destinations include the Georgian House Hotel, in Ashbourne Road, where a ghost in a pin-stripped suit is said to slam doors and push items off mantle pieces.
Mr Felix said one reason why Derby is the most haunted place in the UK could be because of its traumatic past, dating back over a thousand years.
"It's a very old city and has seen a lot of trauma from the Romans, Saxons and Vikings. You need trauma to create ghosts, such as the Battle of Derby in 917AD."
Despite the sightings, Mr Felix said there are occasions when people are mistaken by what they've seen.
He said: "I'm sceptical and believe eight out of 10 sightings can be explained as something like steam from the dish washer or car headlights."
However, he remains certain that ghosts exist and said they are formed through the recording of energy from tragic, traumatic events which are encapsulated into the fabrics of a building.
"Some materials like silica are used to record information from computer hard-drives, and some buildings contain the same magnetic, holding material," he said.
Mr Fanthorpe's report coincides with the release of Supernatural Season 3 on DVD, released on Monday.
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