An Evening at Oxford Castle and Prison

This was my first paranormal investigation, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't expecting to go home with a photo of myself with three shadowy figures in it, and to be planning my next ghost investigation with some fellow guests. The evening started with a prosecco reception in the crypt before the group was divided into two smaller groups. One group was led into the punishment cells from the 1780s, while the other group was taken up to the mound, to where the castle would have once been situated. It was actually a perfect view over the city of Oxford with fireworks and Diwali celebrations taking place over the weekend.

I felt that splitting us up into two groups was a smart move because it allowed each group to ask questions regarding each aspect. With being in the first group, I firstly explored the mound, which was interesting as we learnt about what it would have once looked like. The counterbalance of happy and tragic events was also the subject of an intriguing discussion. For example, do celebrations not contribute to the creation of a balance between the bad energy that ghost investigators experience?

I was excited to explore the punishment cells because they are largely closed to visitors. However, I felt a great sense of sorrow for those who would have been imprisoned in these dark dank rooms. One of the cells still had the wooden brackets that inmates would have been chained too. The original lock bar that would have been placed across the door to keep criminals locked within was still in use, which was an intriguing aspect, as many things like this end up in museums on display.

As I stood outside these cells, I wondered if any of the convicts were aware of these cells or that fellow inmates were brought here before being likely executed. If a prisoner had been caught or accused of a wrongdoing during a time when execution was a common practice, you may have assumed that they would have been put to death straight away, but instead they may have been segregated from other inmates, leaving them to worry further if they would ever see the light of day again.

Following an interesting start, we were shown inside the prison, where we were served a two-course meal in a beautifully presented dining area, which was once used by the prison. Everyone had the chance to talk to one another, sharing their experiences, and their interest with the paranormal. I became friends with Alicia and Ella, as well as a couple, Dan and Vicky, who I spent the second half of the evening with.

We were divided back into groups after dinner. Group one was further split up into smaller groups and placed in separate cells, while the other group was left to explore the crypt in the dark. Myself and the others that I spent dinner with were placed in a cell in the prison's debtor’s Tower. Alicia used a spirit box app called “Ghost Tube”, which allowed us to speak with the dead, through her phone. As we stood in a circle, holding hands, the name Bobby came over the phone, and then I felt something brush against the side of my hair, close to my ear. Even though I wanted to leave, I stayed. It wasn’t long before we were moved to another larger cell. We all spread out across the cell; I was standing alone in the left-hand corner. Dan decided to take a picture of the space I was in, and the picture showed a shadowy figure. The spirit box app also mentioned the names of Harry and Larry.

Our group then swapped with the other group in the crypt. We discovered that monks once used this area, which made us think of the shadowy figure in Dan's photo. Our five-person group recommended the whole group hold hands, Alicia's spirit box app did say a few words such as "leave" and "foolish." As much wasn’t happening, we then broke back into our small groups. I felt that I was being drawn into the far-left corner of the crypt, it was while our group of five were holding hands in the corner that the spirit box used terms such as "leave", "foolish” “witchcraft” and “Rosary beads”. We all found this a little strange considering that the area was used by monks.

As the evening came to a close, both groups gathered together, and Ciaran shared with us some pictures and stories of other people’s experiences of Oxford Castle and Prison. The cell that the five of us were locked in is known to have been mostly associated with a person called Robert or Rob, this is particularly strange as the name that appeared on the spirit box app was Bobby, which is known to be a nickname of Robert!

Even though you might not encounter anything paranormal at places such as Oxford Castle and Prison, you will undoubtedly meet individuals who share the same interest as you. I am thrilled to have met the five individuals who I was sealed in a cell with, as we are now organizing our own paranormal investigation!

Since returning home, I've actually lightened the image of the second cell we were all in, and it looks like there are two other individuals in addition to the initial shadowy figure. There appears to be one sitting on the box and a face near to the door.