Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Ghostly figure at Croxteth Hall could be Grand National earl ... or a bird.

Ghostly figure could be Grand National earl  Liverpool City Council has called in experts to study CCTV footage which appears to show a glowing white figure making its way through the grounds of 400 year old Croxteth Hall.

Jason Karl, presenter of Living TV's Most Haunted, is among the ghost specialists drafted in to investigate, and described the CCTV evidence as "intriguing".

He said: "Video footage of phantoms is very rare, and if this stands up to scrutiny it could be a very important piece of spectral evidence for the worldwide community of paranormal enthusiasts."

Councillor Berni Turner, Liverpool city council's executive member for the environment, said she was keeping an open mind about the investigation. "I'm a huge believer in the paranormal and think this footage is really interesting," she added. "It's great to think that we may have ghosts walking around these beautiful grounds."

City bosses have suggested that the site could be haunted by the 7th Earl of Sefton, Hugh William Osbert Molyneux, who lived at the hall until his death in 1972.

via Ghostly figure could be Grand National earl - Telegraph.

I'd like to see the actual video. These things always turn out to be a moth walking around on the lens of the video camera or something else entirely non-ghostly. I've seen a ghost, but I still don't believe in them.

Here is a video tour of Croxteth Hall in the daytime:






Ah, found it.






Interesting shape. Based on the shape, the direction of travel, and the fact that it is on the screen for about 8 seconds, I think this is most likely an out of focus humming bird with dark wings. I do not know if there are humming birds at Croxteth Hall, but there are birds:

The historic Hall and Country Park provide a great resource for days out and leisure activities for all ages. Formerly the home of the Earls of Sefton, it is now one of the stars of Liverpool's fine cultural heritage.
At its simplest, the Park is a great place for a peaceful stroll on paths around the historic pastureland and woodland. It makes a good venue for bird-watching and generally enjoying the countryside on your doorstep. - liverpool

3 comments:

Bill said...

ive been to Croxteth Hall many times, and there are certainly no humming birds around! Its clearly a spider in front of the lens of the camera, as the movement is near the camera.

Pete Tiernan said...

The movement on the camera certainly looks like an insect very close to the camera lens, this would explain why it is very bright and out of focus.

Xeno said...

I did consider a spider, perhaps one carrying an insect it caught and wrapped. A close inspection of the camera or even a close up photo of the camera where it is mounted would be very interesting. Are there bird nests around it? Spider webs? A bat perch?