Castle hosts ghost 'interviews'

Paranormal investigators at a 15th century castle want volunteers to help them 'interview' resident ghosts. Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire is said to have a number of spooks who make their presence known. But as castle records were destroyed by fire in the 1920s, no-one knows if the spirits are from a former school in the grounds or a wartime military hospital. Paranormal investigation team member Laura Whitley said: "We use various divination methods, like an interview." She added: "Once we establish there is someone there, we use the various methods to try and get a conversation going. "We use a series of "yes - no" questions to establish who's there and what their story is. "We don't necessarily have the records to attach names to whoever comes through, so there's a lot to find out." The castle, set in 260 acres (105 hectares), has one verified gruesome incident to its name - the discovery in 1829 of human bones set into a wall near one of the chimneys. The find was noted in the diary of Sir John Hay Williams, whose family owned the castle for around 200 years.

During World War One, the estate was used as a recuperation hospital and was last used as a private girls' school for more than 60 years. The venue's marketing officer, Viccie Beech, said volunteers for the paranormal investigation team would help out with evening and overnight vigils attended by the public. She claimed using an upturned glass - not an Ouija board - had proved the most successful method of allowing spirits to communicate. However, other techniques were also used include dowsing rods, spinning crystals and an electronic detector.

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