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Haunted Construction/Renovation Projects

Tempest63

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Dec 19, 2009
Messages
2,971
Having worked in U.K. construction for over 40 years, both major and small projects, you often hear of hauntings or weird occurrences. Here are a few that immediately spring to mind.

For instance I was told of a plasterer working on a wall in the Old Vic theatre during renovation when a face emerged out of the wet plaster directly in front of him. Apparently he fled and never even returned for his tools.

When 1 Canada Square (Canary Wharf Tower) was first finished a night security guard actually filed a report stating he saw a woman and child in Victorian dress standing in the lobby, soaking wet and dripping over the floor. He went to investigate whereupon they disappeared. Historical records purportedly detail that a couple of ships collided close to where the tower now stands and a number of passengers including men and women drowned.

During refurbishment of the BBC at Great Portland Street a figure was repeatedly seen walking the floors at night but when guards or the night shift went to challenge them they found no one there.

It is common for such sightings to be reported by security guards and on one project in Alie Street on the edge of the Cityof London, it was noted that a particular security guard wasn’t doing his rounds, they have a hand held device that they touch on data points to record their patrol and he was not doing it. It transpired that he never saw anything but felt a presence follow him around during patrols so he took to locking himself in the security room during the night hours.

You often hear of strange happenings when houses are refurbished, modified or extended but it also seems to occur on much larger projects.
 
Had it been the general manager of the old vic who saw an apparition I may have understood as he had a Heath Robinson greenhouse behind the famous roof crest in the 80’s where he was growing marijuana B0C2B145-21B9-4EB3-8281-4975E0088D24.jpeg
 
Having worked in U.K. construction for over 40 years, both major and small projects, you often hear of hauntings or weird occurrences. Here are a few that immediately spring to mind.

For instance I was told of a plasterer working on a wall in the Old Vic theatre during renovation when a face emerged out of the wet plaster directly in front of him. Apparently he fled and never even returned for his tools.

When 1 Canada Square (Canary Wharf Tower) was first finished a night security guard actually filed a report stating he saw a woman and child in Victorian dress standing in the lobby, soaking wet and dripping over the floor. He went to investigate whereupon they disappeared. Historical records purportedly detail that a couple of ships collided close to where the tower now stands and a number of passengers including men and women drowned.

During refurbishment of the BBC at Great Portland Street a figure was repeatedly seen walking the floors at night but when guards or the night shift went to challenge them they found no one there.

It is common for such sightings to be reported by security guards and on one project in Alie Street on the edge of the Cityof London, it was noted that a particular security guard wasn’t doing his rounds, they have a hand held device that they touch on data points to record their patrol and he was not doing it. It transpired that he never saw anything but felt a presence follow him around during patrols so he took to locking himself in the security room during the night hours.

You often hear of strange happenings when houses are refurbished, modified or extended but it also seems to occur on much larger projects.
Cromer pier is supposed to be haunted, TV's Most Haunted even did an episode there except I know loads of people who've worked there and admit they've never experienced anything ghostly. The pier currently has scaffolding around it and a ribbon of windows was briefly exposed .. if the old renovations boosting huntings thing is true, our group are pondering on it being a good time to do a lock down in there.
 
Having worked in U.K. construction for over 40 years, both major and small projects, you often hear of hauntings or weird occurrences. Here are a few that immediately spring to mind.

For instance I was told of a plasterer working on a wall in the Old Vic theatre during renovation when a face emerged out of the wet plaster directly in front of him. Apparently he fled and never even returned for his tools.

When 1 Canada Square (Canary Wharf Tower) was first finished a night security guard actually filed a report stating he saw a woman and child in Victorian dress standing in the lobby, soaking wet and dripping over the floor. He went to investigate whereupon they disappeared. Historical records purportedly detail that a couple of ships collided close to where the tower now stands and a number of passengers including men and women drowned.

During refurbishment of the BBC at Great Portland Street a figure was repeatedly seen walking the floors at night but when guards or the night shift went to challenge them they found no one there.

It is common for such sightings to be reported by security guards and on one project in Alie Street on the edge of the Cityof London, it was noted that a particular security guard wasn’t doing his rounds, they have a hand held device that they touch on data points to record their patrol and he was not doing it. It transpired that he never saw anything but felt a presence follow him around during patrols so he took to locking himself in the security room during the night hours.

You often hear of strange happenings when houses are refurbished, modified or extended but it also seems to occur on much larger projects.
These are fascinating - have you got any mre stories & have you experienced anything directly?
 
These are fascinating - have you got any mre stories & have you experienced anything directly?
You do hear of lots of supposed haunting and odd going’s on. Most are just a cursory “did you hear old jack thought he saw a ghost on the 6th floor” type of thing, so the ones I mentioned are those that really stick in the memory.

As an aside the Alie Street one was quite amusing as another security guard got caught in the early hours doing his rounds stark bollock naked. Sacked!

There is something weird about these guys who do extremely unsociable hours consistently. Some are not shift workers, they just prefer the nights.
 
You do hear of lots of supposed haunting and odd going’s on. Most are just a cursory “did you hear old jack thought he saw a ghost on the 6th floor” type of thing, so the ones I mentioned are those that really stick in the memory.

As an aside the Alie Street one was quite amusing as another security guard got caught in the early hours doing his rounds stark bollock naked. Sacked!

There is something weird about these guys who do extremely unsociable hours consistently. Some are not shift workers, they just prefer the nights.
Think i'd rather take my chances with the ghost unless the security guard looked like David Gandy!
 
What interests me in these cases is where the ghost is described as appearing partly embedded in the floor, or disappearing through a wall, where a door used to exist. Such accounts would appear to add authenticity to the description.
Is there also a suggestion here that renovation work, or constructing a new building on the site of an earlier one will somehow "stir up" the ghosts into making an appearance, even if they no-longer match up with the position of doors and floor-levels etc?
 
@Tempest63, do you remember the details of the collision between the ships? It sounds like the Princess Alice disaster except that was much further along the Thames, out towards the estuary. Of course, bodies could have drifted and found their way near where Canary Wharf is now located.
 
@Tempest63, do you remember the details of the collision between the ships? It sounds like the Princess Alice disaster except that was much further along the Thames, out towards the estuary. Of course, bodies could have drifted and found their way near where Canary Wharf is now located.
I have a feeling that name rings a bell.

Could the deceased have come from the area haunted?
 
What interests me in these cases is where the ghost is described as appearing partly embedded in the floor, or disappearing through a wall, where a door used to exist.

Forst time I came across this were the reports of a roman in the basement of the York pub I think.
 
What interests me in these cases is where the ghost is described as appearing partly embedded in the floor, or disappearing through a wall, where a door used to exist. Such accounts would appear to add authenticity to the description.
Is there also a suggestion here that renovation work, or constructing a new building on the site of an earlier one will somehow "stir up" the ghosts into making an appearance, even if they no-longer match up with the position of doors and floor-levels etc?
I have read a story about a Roman Legion {ghost Legion} seen walking down a road, all only being observed from the knee upwards. But according to historical research ,the original Roman road would have been at a lower level.
 
It was the Treasurer's House, round the back of York Minster.

Went I was writing my ghost app, I came across a lot of ghosts whose feet were below floor level - and on rare occasions, where they were walking above the current floor.
 
It was the Treasurer's House, round the back of York Minster.

Went I was writing my ghost app, I came across a lot of ghosts whose feet were below floor level - and on rare occasions, where they were walking above the current floor.
Does this mean the basement of the house has sunken through the years, since the ghost was a living person?
 
No. The ghosts were walking on a level with the old Roman Road which hadn't been excavated fully in the cellar, from what I remember.

That's my understanding as well ...
 
No. The ghosts were walking on a level with the old Roman Road which hadn't been excavated fully in the cellar, from what I remember.
It was this sentence I was asking about: "Went I was writing my ghost app, I came across a lot of ghosts whose feet were below floor level - and on rare occasions, where they were walking above the current floor." which is more general than about roman legions.
Actually it is strange it's not more usual with "above current floor", since houses sink through the years. Why they are below the floor level is almost a mystery if trying to explain it rationally.
 
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It was this sentence I was asking about: "Went I was writing my ghost app, I came across a lot of ghosts whose feet were below floor level - and on rare occasions, where they were walking above the current floor." which is more general than about roman legions.
Actually it is strange it's not more usual with "above current floor", since houses sink through the years. Why they are below the floor level is almost a mystery if trying to explain it rationally.

Some of the early road pioneers in the UK (McAdam, Telford etc.) built their patented road surfaces along the routes of old Roman roads. Given the natural sinkage of the Roman infrastructure after 1800 years or so, I'm guessing that, along at least some of the route, the new surface would have raised the height by 60cm or so.
Hence the account of ghostly Roman soldiers seen marching from knee-level up, would conceivably be consistent with their sandled feet being at the original level.
 
It was this sentence I was asking about: "Went I was writing my ghost app, I came across a lot of ghosts whose feet were below floor level - and on rare occasions, where they were walking above the current floor." which is more general than about roman legions.
Actually it is strange it's not more usual with "above current floor", since houses sink through the years. Why they are below the floor level is almost a mystery if trying to explain it rationally.

I'd guess that more modern houses have floors that are raised on joists and boards, whereas years ago houses had earth floors that were just laid on the ground that house was built on. Which might be why some ghosts are perceived as walking below current floor level.
 
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