Occasionally, DS Haunts Team Members venture to Investigations without the crew - this happened on Friday, 19th September, when one of our team was at Shepton Mallet Prison and I ventured to one of the newest, and perhaps most intriguing ever investigated—The Old Convent in Andover. With its sprawling 80 rooms and layers of history, this eerie site is a paranormal investigator’s dream. There have been a number of paranormal happenings and experiences here before, but this night promised to deliver more than ever, and it certainly did.
I arrived at the Old Convent with a full arsenal of ghost-hunting equipment, ready for a night of exploring the unknown. My strategy was simple: cover as much of this massive building as possible, while focusing on hotspots that have shown paranormal activity in the past. What unfolded over the next few hours was nothing short of incredible.
The Basement: A Hotbed of Activity
Having began the evening with watch-and-wait vigils in two key locations: the basement and the sitting room. Right away, the basement lived up to its reputation. Multiple team members reported the feeling of someone standing behind them, along with mysterious tapping noises. These weren’t the usual creaks and groans of an old building, but distinct, targeted sounds coming from different corners of the room. To add to the unsettling atmosphere, several female guests felt as though their hair and arms were being touched by unseen hands. My intuition told me that the spirit preferred playing with female guests for the own satisfaction; I also felt that the spirit was tall and thin with a unique hat and piercing eyes... Most of which fitted the descriptions by those who have seen the spirit manifest.
After a short break, we returned to the basement with more focus, other groups dispersed across the building’s four floors. Equipped with K2 meters, cat balls, and a Rempod, the groups recorded a flurry of paranormal activity. The cat balls responded intelligently to questions, lighting up on command — this was a classic sign of an intelligent haunting. For me, interactions were spread across 4 cat balls... what is the likelihood and probability of those lighting on their own accord to requests for specific balls to light? The Alice Box also provided timely and accurate words that seemed to relate directly to our questions. One of the groups received particularly compelling responses, with the cat balls lighting up in sync with their queries, reinforcing the idea that something—or someone—was communicating with us.
The Bar: Connecting with the Past
Moving to the ground floor bar, some of the group conducted Ouija board sessions. Almost immediately, the board began to reveal names and ages from the late 1800s and early 1900s, corresponding with the time when the building served as a convent and later as a school. The sense of history was palpable, with many of the messages referring to soldiers and the war, a nod to the Old Convent's time as a World War II American hospital.
The energy in the room shifted as more information came through, and the connections we were making began to feel more personal. The idea that spirits from different eras, soldiers who once recuperated here, and possibly even the nuns who ran the convent, were still lingering was hard to shake.
The First Floor: Faces from the Past
The first-floor bedrooms offered some of the most fascinating activity of the night. Here, we used red light scrying and dowsing rods to connect with the spirits that called this place home. The dowsing rods were particularly effective, as guests managed to communicate with a spirit who identified himself as a grumpy soldier from Salisbury. His story unfolded through the rods: he was in his twenties during his time at the convent, his gun is now displayed at the Rifles Museum, and he had a reputation for being, in his own words, a “grumpy old man.” The humour of the exchange lightened the mood, but it also felt deeply authentic.
Meanwhile, a cat ball resting on the mantelpiece flickered to life on demand, responding to specific questions. The activity didn’t stop there—guests using a spirit box app reported what seemed to be real-time communication, with the app responding in sync with the dowsing rods.
Red light scrying also produced intriguing results, with guests’ faces appearing to morph into different, often unsettling, forms. One guest felt as if they were being pushed forward, while another reported a sensation of smug superiority, as if they were embodying someone from the past.
The Top Floor: A Brush with History
Our investigation took on an even more intense tone as we moved to the top floor for Double Estes sessions. Here, guests wearing noise-cancelling headphones and blindfolds responded to questions through the spirit box, and the results were eerily consistent. Words relating to World War II and the American hospital period of the convent’s history surfaced repeatedly. Playing the American national anthem seemed to heighten the responses, drawing a clear connection to the soldiers who once recuperated here.
In addition to these verbal responses, the cat balls on the top floor were especially active, lighting up in areas associated with tragic events. Random K2 spikes added further proof that the energy on this floor was more intense. The most chilling discovery of the night? Several barefoot child’s footprints leading to what had once been the playroom. This haunting image was a powerful reminder of the lives that passed through these halls, some of whom may still remain.
A Young Girl's Laugh
While I was investigating the hallway and stairwell on my own. Another of the team quickly came to me rather shaken. "I have heard a girl's laughter behind me, unmistakeable, I have it on my phone, I pressed record and got out of there" he said, trying to steady his breathing... We looked at the recording and it had not been captured by the phone, this seems to be the case with spirits, they do get their timing perfect! "Let's go back" I said to him, already climbing the stairs... he was hesitant but having two people provide a sense of safety. Investigating all the rooms, we didn't hear anything much to my disappointment.
Wrapping Up: The Spirits Still Linger in The Old Convent
As the night came to an end, it was clear that The Old Convent still holds so many secrets. The activity we experienced was far too consistent and intelligent to be dismissed. From the basement’s eerie touches and intelligent responses, to the Ouija board’s revealing messages, to the top floor’s connection to American soldiers, the girls laughter, the night was filled with moments that left even the most sceptical investigators rethinking their beliefs.
For those of us regular investigators, The Old Convent began a journey of understanding its haunted history. For the first-time guests, it was an unforgettable introduction to the world of paranormal investigation. One thing is certain: the spirits of The Old Convent have much more to say, and I / we will be back to listen.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience a real ghost hunt at a location steeped in history and teeming with paranormal activity, The Old Convent is the place as it offers something new, and as we continue to investigate, we know that more stories will emerge from the shadows.
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