WHAT HAPPENED HERE??? a, b, c or d, e etc ~ various theories outlined here below this story ~ Let me know what you think! ;-) The Witchery ~ Every Witch Way but loose I just returned from a summer break with my fellow psychic and partner Brian Hunter. Travelling up from London on the train after meeting Brian from Heathrow, all seemed well. We were all set for a catch up time and I was greatly looking forward to a couple of nights in the famous Witchery Hotel Suites. I used to live in Edinburgh, and the Witchery was all part of the gothic mystique of this aptly called *City of Ghosts*. I was not a Goth I hasten to add, but I have always loved the dark and ancient magical feeling this city conjures up. The Witchery Restaurant founded in 1979 by entrepreneur James Thomson, has a great reputation for service and high class food. But it was the haunted suites, upstairs and across the cobbled street, we were here to investigate. The Witchery, situated on Castle Hill is appropriately named. Built on the sight of the burnings and persecution of hundreds of female witches centuries ago, The Witchery is not surprisingly haunted. The active atmosphere hits you as soon as you walk down the ancient Boswells Close to reception. It is like stepping back in time. At once charming and creepy. The reception staff check you in from a church pulpit, and the style is informal but decadent. Classed as a five star hotel, this is where celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones stay when they come to savour the Old Town delights of Auld Reekie. Dannie Minogue has called it a *lust den*, and Andrew Lloyd Webber believed The Witchery Restaurant to be the prettiest restaurant he has ever seen. *Is this the prettiest restaurant ever? I think so!* The Observer newspaper highlights The Witchery as *A place for those who like their beds four poster and baths designed for two*. Harpers and Queen magazine describe the Witchery as being *almost as famous as the Castle itself*. The popular Old Rectory suite, which can be booked up as much as nine months in advance, is described by The Times as the most romantic love nest in Britain. *A pure unmitigated pleasure palace*. The Witchery has nine specially designed and renovated suites called various appropriate names, such as The Armoury, The Old Rectory, Sempill, The Turret, The Vestry, and The Library. The names, the setting and the general atmosphere feel like a live enacted game of Cluedo. During our stay it began to feel like it might end up being Ms Sarah in the Inner sanctum hit over the head with a mallet by a statue of Queen Victoria. On arrival we were met by a somewhat leprechaunian camp, delightfully hospitable scotsman called Roxy. He informed us we had booked a *cracker* of a suite. And on stepping across the threshold of the Sempill suite I have to say we were both gobsmacked. Basically we had booked a five star type apartment for the price of a good hotel room. So either it is much cheaper comparatively to do the penthouse thing in Scotland. Or The Witchery is an acquired taste and does not suit everyone. I have to say I am not sure I would recommend it to my God loving church going parents. But judging by the guest books in the suites, it does a roaring trade for romantic couples on honey moons and anniversaries. Plus those quizzically looking to get spooked if at all possible. We did not inform The Witchery staff that we were two known reputable psychics as we wanted to enter into the proceedings without prejudice and expectation. I am sure Roxy had lots of ghost stories if only we had asked. But we wanted to stay open minded and receptive to what our experience was going to be. Upon entering Sempill, we were amazed at the colouring and tastefully chosen antique furniture. Plus the four poster bed was probably the best bed I have ever seen and (theoretically) slept in. We had an early check in, so simply enjoyed the suite and the surrounding streets of The Royal Mile, George IVth Bridge and The Grassmarket. As an added bonus we came out of Saint Giles Cathedral just in time to see The Queen of England making her return car ride from the Castle to Holyrood Palace after meeting with various dignitaries. This is a historical time in Scotland as the nation prepares to vote for independence from England during September. I imagine Elizabeth II is playing her PR role and Scottish connection to the max in a bid to assist David Cameron. We returned to the Suite at night fall, which comes late in Scotland. The land of the midnight sun does not feel far away in this country where night descends reluctantly at 11pm and dawn brightens the sky just after 4 am. We had already put out our breakfast request on the little witch door knocker. We were fully looking forward to that wonderful bed and the sumptuous bathroom with roll top bath and power shower. As we ate the chicken kebab takeout in the small sitting room, I could see energy flickerings in the long corridor. The hallway of the suite is clearly haunted and I began to feel a little uneasy. The room we were eating in had a presence of an old woman, and I was sure I needed to keep the light on in that room throughout the night. It was not a very uncomfortable haunting. But it was very real, and I did feel more uneasy as bed time approached. I had a bath and looked up at the ceiling. I could see what looked like spots of blood spilling through the ceiling. I also heard a lot of rattling, which thankfully turned out to be the air conditioning servicing the main bedroom. As I got into the bath I heard Brian call my name VERY clearly. I jumped out the bath thinking he had seen something interesting. But no, he was organising his clothes and assured me he had not called my name. Hmm... I finished up my bath and told Brian about the apparent old dried blood spots. He shared that he had sensed a murder upstairs many hundreds of years ago, and that the blood had leaked through the ceiling into this Sempill apartment. I was continually aware of the spirit in the hallway throughout our stay in this suite. And Brian woke up giggling because he heard a drunk Scottish ghost singing the psalms to him on his side of the bed; *even though I walk through the valley of death, yet will I fear no ill* was what this drunk was singing! These hauntings all make some kind of sense, and even though spooky, they are sort of within a norm of acceptability. The Witchery and The Royal Mile are built over an ancient street which housed many businesses and was a refuge for the poor during the plague. Edinburgh has many layers and many hauntings, and even the main street holds secrets below. Tours are regularly available of the underground caverns and vaults. And of course Edinburgh has more than its fair share of ghost tours. Our night in Sempill was comfortable enough, although it clearly is haunted. But it was nothing compared to what we experienced in The Inner Sanctum Suite a couple of nights later. We enjoyed a trip through to Stirling Castle in the interim, and I was able to stir up the memories from my time at University there. On Sunday we were excited to return to The Witchery and our booking in the first original Witchery Suite. The Inner Sanctum was the only room available above the restaurant for quite some time. But it became so popular and so much in demand that the proprietor slowly expanded the property and bought as much real estate surrounding the restaurant as possible. Now there are nine incredible rooms to stay in, and we plan to investigate them one by one, gathering together all possible ghost stories to assist the marketing and intrigue of the place. Before our stay, the staff were aware of three hauntings in the various buildings. In The Secret Garden restaurant, Derek Acorah, the famous medium, who worked on *Most Haunted*, verified the existence of a little girl ghost. The Secret Garden is built on the site of an old school play ground. Apparently this little girl ghost did not die painfully and is quite happy as she goes about her day (night). But she does leave a trail of little wet feet sometimes across the restaurant floor. Also in The Inner Sanctum, a monk has been seen, and the temperature in the room is known to drop around 3 am each night. I sensed that the majority of people who have stayed in The Inner Sanctum are not totally sure if it is haunted or not. We can absolutely assure them that it IS. In the night ahead, we both experienced one of the most spooky and unsettling events that has ever happened to either of us. Brian is not easily impressed and I am not easily spooked. But what happened next left us both someone bemused and reflective! On entering The Inner Sanctum I immediately sensed the male ghost in the first seating area. I am not sure I would have said it was a monk. But I definitely saw energy and sensed a male presence as soon as I stepped into the suite. I sensed quite a tall head master or rector type of energy, which makes sense as at one point this building was once the rectory to a near by church and it hosted many important meetings for The Church Of Scotland. I was not too bothered by this male energy right at the door of the suite. I just assumed the night would be much the same as the night we spent in The Sempill Suite the couple of nights previous. I could not have been more wrong. In The Inner Sanctum the first thing you notice is the bust of Queen Victoria. It is a larger version of the figurine you will see on the set of Eastenders and it totally dominates the suite. I was puzzled by the presence of Queen Vic at first. But on researching how much Queen Victoria loved Scotland after her beloved Albert died it made sense. Even though Queen Victoria wore mourning clothes for the rest of her time on earth, she found comfort in Scotland and in her close relationship with her man servant John Brown (played by Billy Connolly in the movie Mrs Brown). Something about the statue troubled me as we settled into the suite and I used a crystal abd herbal cleansing liquid called Serapis Bey, (Aura Soma) around the statue. I felt the energy around it was heavy and not quite right. I perhaps should not have done anything. But in a way I felt justified with what then happened during the night. Both Brian and I awoke at 4 am, and even though it was light outside, we began to experience a major haunting. Brian noticed there were hairs growing out of the Queens chest! We both saw this and were somewhat repelled and fascinated. Interestingly neither of us got up out of bed to check it out. But the chest hair was very visible, and I think it ws important we both saw it. I had already noted that her crown looked like horns in the night time light. So the mark of the beastly hairs was rather troubling in addition. In retrospect I am surprised how cool we both were. Not much phases Brian. But I can tell you if he had not been there I would have vacated the room fairly quickly. We fell back to sleep and a couple of hours later Brian woke me up for a cuddle. I immediately noticed that the statue had turned a 90 degree angle and was now positioned looking straight into our bed! Even more disconcertingly she seemed to be looking at me with disapproval. At this point, if you check the photographs I took, you will see a marked difference in the energy of the statue. On our arrival in the room, she was very much Queen Victoria and the lace around her head was apparent. She was looking as feminine as possible you might say. But by the end of the night, the statue had become something else entirely. It was much more male, intense, brooding, and I am reluctant to say it, demonic. I think we ressured ourselves at the time by saying it was a trick perhaps the hotel played on guests. But in reality it was not this at all. It was something much more sinister. There was no sign of any remote control device upon waking. At check out I told the hotel receptionist manager about it and he said *thats a new one*. He looked puzzled and there was no reference to a similar event in the guest book. I am sure Brian did not move the statue and I certainly did not. It actually took two of us to move it back around to its correct position in the morning. SO Hmm... I am not overly dramatic as a psychic and take it all in my stride. But there was definitely something off whack with the energy of the room after this event. I am left wondering, did I stir the beast with my clearing gesture. Or was I in fact correct to attempt to shift this energy out of the place. I felt a strong connection between the statue of the devil which dominates the restaurant below, and the Statue of Queen Victoria in our bedroom. This was very much an alarming event. It seems we were for some reason singled out for this experience. I have to say it affected me quite deeply and is sobering too. The force it muct have taken to move the statue was incredible. It indicates a dark and powerful energy, Not one that you would want to mess with. What on earth do you make of this experience? Do let me know, and dont forget to email me your ghost stories to sarahdelamerehurding@gmail The Theories a) Queen Victoria was THANKING me ? (for clearing her and bringing her a healing? lol) b) Queen Victoria was highly annoyed at me? (for splashing some hideous smelly substance around her) c) This statue was used by the devilish statue in the basement below to make an energetic link? (this is my opinion on what happened) d) The place is haunted and some spirit perhaps even that of Mr Brown himself was trying to make contact with the two mediums present ? (Mr Brown was into the occult and this was a common interest he shared with Queen Victoria) e) Something else entirely? f) A trick of the hotel (no it definitely was not...no sign of any remote or device... .when told about it they said *oh thats a new one*) g) Someone moved the statue? No it took two of us to move it back with effort ....its heavy!
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 18:45:40 +0000
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