Warley Woods, on the border of Birmingham and the Black Country, is a lovely, green open space, a welcome escape from the surrounding urban area.

It is popular with walkers, runners, cyclists and footballers. Dogs love to take their owners for a mad romp around the trees. It is so popular, in fact, that some people never want to leave.

Not even after they have died.

Many local people, especially if they attended Abbey Road School, will have heard of the 'Grey Lady' (who seems to have a ghostly sister at Dudley Castle).

Pupils at the school have scared each other for decades with stories of the Grey Lady of Warley.

Read on, if you dare ...

Poltergeist: A ghost or other supernatural being supposedly responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around.
. -- ORIGIN German, from poltern 'create a disturbance' + Geist 'ghost'.
(Oxford English Dictionary)

The term Poltergeist was first used by German paranormal researchers and simply means 'noisy ghost'. A polt seems to be an angry or mischievous spirit that may be unaware it has passed on from physical existence. It bangs on walls, throws objects and even scratches people in an attempt to get itself noticed. There have been numerous reports of poltergeist activity all over the world and they all seem to behave in a very similar fashion. Interestingly, a poltergeist haunting is often connected to adolescents - girls especially. Researchers believe they can draw on the energies of young people to carry out their sometimes quite disturbing pranks.

In the last Blog we paid a visit to Warwick Castle, so today let's take a look at its more dishevelled cousin in Dudley.

Dudley Castle, built in 1071, has seen more than its fair share of death and destruction, and is a prime location for ghostly happenings.

During its long history, the castle has been owned by many Lords and Ladies, some of whom are still said to be residence - despite being dead for centuries.

One of the most notorious Earls of Dudley was John de Somery, who spent most of his life terrorising the local people. In order to rebuild the castle in the early 1300s, he stole everything he could lay his hands on and thought nothing of killing anybody who got in his way.

When he died in 1321, the good people of Dudley breathed a huge sigh of relief and thought that was the last they would ever see of him.

His stone coffin can be seen in the chapel undercroft of the castle. What is intriguing is that only half of the coffin remains and that only the bottom half of de Somery's ghost can be seen.

Another medieval apparition that people have reported seeing is that of a monk in a black habit.

This could be due to the fact that some of the stone used to build the castle keep has been taken from nearby Dudley Priory, a Benedictine monastery - whose inhabitants apparently wore black habits.

Some paranormal experts believe in the "Stone Tape Theory".

It is thought that stone may have the properties to absorb the emotional energy of a living being and "playback" the image or sound of that person or event.

Is the black monk some kind of medieval video recording?

Warwick Castle, dates back to the year 1068, and was built on the orders of William the Conqueror - the Norman King. The Earldom of Warwick was created in 1088 by William II and was given to Henry de Beaumont, who later changed his name to Newburgh.

The medieval stone fortress is said to have its own resident spectre. The ghost of Sir Fulke Greville, who was murdered by his discontented manservant, allegedly walks around the rooms where he often stayed -known rather aptly as the 'Ghost Tower'.

Sir Fulke was an English poet and courtier - who was granted the castle in 1604 by James I, and owned the castle as the 1st Baron Brooke. Fulke died on the 30th of September 1628 after having received a vicious knife wound inflicted upon him by his manservant, who by all accounts was disappointed and angered at not being named in his master's will. His ghostly footsteps have been heard walking around the bed chamber and through the corridors that lead to other rooms within the tower.

"Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing."

-- Thomas Henry Huxley

The Three Tuns Hotel, in Sutton Coldfield is an interesting place indeed. This 16th century coaching house is said to be haunted by a Cavalier, who has been seen roaming about the cellars.

The cellars are reputed to be part of a network of tunnels spreading underneath the High Street. One of these tunnels is now bricked up and was supposed to lead from the medieval church of Holy Trinity to the dark, dank cellars of the Three Tuns.

One of the many rumours associated with the maze of tunnels was that of monks. Could the tunnels have been a route for escape from persecution, or perhaps a retreat?

Much speculation has arisen over the years about the Cavalier.

Why does his lost soul apparently haunt the cellars of the Three Tuns?

Was he murdered there, or wounded and later died within the building?

All over the country there are numerous stories about haunted pubs. Birmingham, of course, is no exception.

In fact, we have a host of reputedly haunted public houses and hostelries.

One of the pubs we investigate on a regular basis is located in Erdington, north of the city.

The pub has a long history dating back to the 1400s. Dendrochronology (analysing the ring patterns in timber) has verified the age of the pub, thanks to local historian and Birmingham University lecturer Peter Leather and his team.

The Lad in the Lane pub has been recognised as Birmingham's oldest house, once known as the Old Green Man.

The building still retains much of its olde worlde character, with its blackened beams and darkened corners. It remains an important part of the city's medieval history. Only some churches are said to be dated earlier.

It is believed to have been owned by a wealthy landowner, and perhaps became a pub in the 1780's.

Many stories have come our way concerning the pub, including that of a highwayman, who is said to have visited the pub on more than one occasion.

Could this visitor have been Tom King, Claude Duval or Dick Turpin perhaps?

We know that the Chester Road isn't that far from the Lad and this, we understand, used to be an extremely travelled road favoured by highwaymen waiting along side the road, hidden out of view, waiting for their next victim.

A dark shape of a man dressed in a long cloak has reputedly been seen sitting in the lounge, as if waiting for someone.

One of our team members thought they had seen something similar in the same area where the ghostly shape is said to appear.

I had my own encounter at the Lad and it happened quite unexpectedly. I was in the main bar area talking to a colleague, when suddenly we both heard footsteps walking down the hallway.

We stood for a moment in disbelief before heading off to investigate. On our arrival the footsteps came to an abrupt end. Nothing could be heard, nothing could be seen.

We looked at each other with a puzzled expression. We looked outside to see if we could see anyone walking about, but there was no-one.

The rest of the team, I might add, were in a separate building, so it couldn't have been them. There was also another incident that happened whilst we were all seated during a break, writing out our report notes.

We had placed a small pile of spare paper on a bench seat in the lounge next to where we were seated. Incredibly, the top sheet of paper on the pile rose at one end and shifted at an angle before falling flat to its original position.

We still can't explain this or the sound of footsteps in the corridor.

Another story is about the boy, hence 'lad', who disappeared in the lane where the pub now stands. Some say he was abducted, whilst others say he was murdered.

Some believe he met a ghastly end within the pub and is buried somewhere within its confines. Whatever the story, the boy was never found. It may be folklore and legend. Who knows?

BGAH has been very fortunate in carrying out many experiments at the Lad. It has become one of our best-loved sites and has shown to be active on a number of occasions.

One of the experiments we use at the pub involves the placing of a trigger object that is left in a locked room during the investigation. We have conducted this experiment three times and twice we have got results.

The trigger object moved on both occasions from its original position

We can say with certainty that the experiment was not contaminated by any human involvement. At first, we thought it was maybe vibrations caused by passing vehicles that had caused the object to move. We tested this theory but it became evident that this was not the case.

We realised after much investigating and analysis that we were unable to come up with a plausible answer. So what did cause the trigger object to move on two separate occasions? The search for a possible answer continues.

More recently, we captured an interesting shape in the cellars. It was seen by nearly half the team members before disappearing.

We plan to go back and recreate this shape, if we can, as part of our debunking strategy.

We'll be looking closely at the pipes that lie overhead to see if they cast any weird shadows. We will use different measures available to us to see if we can find any explanation as to the cause.

The Lad in the Lane public house is under continuous research and study for paranormal phenomena. We have been asked to emphasise that other paranormal groups will NOT be allowed to conduct investigations on these premises.

This is the express wish of the pub's owner and proprietor. DO NOT contact the pub direct. All enquiries will be dealt with by Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings UK.

Paranormal investigations can be long-winded.

But if you have a dedicated desire for the paranormal you will inevitably not notice the long hours endured in dark, dank cellars surrounded by creepy crawlies or outside trekking across frozen fields in the midst of winter.

Forgetting your thermal underwear can be a hindrance but it's all part of being an investigator. The most exciting thing for me personally is expecting the unexpected.

But the key to any investigation is preparation and this alone can take time to organise.

It's always a good idea to carry an extra supply of batteries for equipment. We've experienced on many occasions loss of power in areas where phenomena are said to have taken place. A torch is an essential piece of equipment we always carry due to obvious safety issues.

We normally spend five to eight hours at the locations we visit, often finishing at five o'clock in the morning. We will have a quick discussion about the night's events and compare notes with each other before heading back home to analyse all data collected.

This is the start of a long process of scrutiny which can take months to complete. We don't want to miss anything.

The people who own the locations we visit get a comprehensive report of the investigation. Some locations we visit time and time again because they are so interesting and so much seems to be happening. I'll tell you about one of them next time!

We use several meters, including the EMF meter, which measures the electro-magnetic field. This meter is important to any serious paranormal investigator.

Some groups believe that when a 'ghost' tries to manifest, it leaves a detectable EMF. This claim has not been proven, at least not yet, so I feel it inappropriate to call this piece of kit a 'ghost detector', as wrongly advertised as such on some internet sites.

We use it for the detection of EMF emissions around environmental and electrical sources.

A person may experience a feeling of 'being watched', sensing a presence or being touched. Some people can suffer from headaches, nausea, dizziness, and even out of body sensations.

High levels of EMF can influence the brain's bioelectric activity and cause these feelings to occur. Prolonged exposure can be a health hazard, so the use of these gadgets can be very important.

A new EMF meter called the K2 first came to light on US TV programme Ghost Hunters. Psychic medium Chris Fleming, on an investigation with the T.A.P.S team said spirit energy can communicate through the device by affecting the lights on the meter.

We have since integrated the meter's use on investigations to test this claim.

My first impression was one of utter fascination. I was impressed by the way it appears to correspond when asked questions in supposed haunted locations. Could the claim be true?

Another favourite of ours is the thermometer, and we use two types - a non-contact or IR, and a probe. The first will measure surface temperature, whilst the latter will measure ambient air, or room temperature.

We compare the results taken throughout a vigil, and they are then logged and collated for future reference.

Night-vision camcorders are a must for capturing any visual or audio evidence. We only use cameras with 0 Lux, which will produce better recordings in total darkness. Using an infrared light will enhance the clarity of night vision filming and will illuminate darkened areas for a broader investigative purpose.

Analogue or digital sound recorders are very useful in capturing EVP (electronic voice phenomena) and can be used in conjunction with a small TV without the aerial, producing white noise to aid the experiment.

BGAH has a wide range of equipment that we use on location. It's a bit of a chore trying to lug it around with you, but without it we wouldn't be able gather data for further research.

It's an imperative part of the investigation to capture, analyse and catalogue all evidence for future reference and knowledge. So for the moment our equipment list grows longer, and so does our wanted list, which includes a thermal imaging camera.

We meet some lovely people on our travels, people who have had a brush with the paranormal and who are genuinely intrigued by their experience. We always listen and, if need be, offer advice.

We're not experts, but then who is? We don't believe there are experts in the paranormal field. If there were, then surely we'd have an explanation by now.

It's too easy to say: "It's all in the mind" and dismiss the possibilities. Yes, sometimes it can be explained away, but not always.

I believe ghosts do exist. They remain in their own reality, another dimension that sometimes coincides with our own.

Working with sensitives and scientifically-minded people produces results, and this is how Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings operates out in the field. Why should we separate scientific and psychic investigation or experimentation? Both of these disciplines can complement each other.

We continue to learn and educate ourselves in the field of the paranormal.

Fear is created by a lack of knowledge and understanding - nothing more.

Hi, I'm Joanne Morris

And we are Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings UK, or BGAH for short.

As the name suggests, we're located in Birmingham and we spend whatever time we might have free, investigating hauntings and ghostly sightings around Brum, the West Midlands and sometimes further afield.

At the moment we have ten investigators involved with BGAH, all of whom have had their own personal experiences with unexplained phenomenon.

I hope you will join me each week as I talk about what BGAH does, how we work, what we hope to achieve, and what we hope for the future regarding paranormal research.

I will also be covering topics such as the highs and lows of being an investigator, the equipment we use, past and present investigations - and interesting historical information about the area.

Well, I guess we should get the boring bit covered first by introducing myself.

I'm the founder of BGAH. I have been interested in the paranormal, particularly ghosts, all my life. This fascination stems from my childhood.

I grew up in Harborne, a leafy suburb of Birmingham. My family and I lived in a Georgian townhouse, not far from the High Street.

It was here that my interest in the paranormal began.

My whole family and unsuspecting visitors witnessed unusual occurrences during the time we lived there, and even now, years later, I cannot find any logical explanation.

This house may well have been haunted.

Strange noises and sightings happened on a fairly regular basis.

But when I finally left that house, I continued to encounter these strange experiences - and my curiosity grew ever deeper.

For a long time I had been looking, without success, for a local paranormal group to join. I eventually decided to set up my own group and was very much surprised by the amount of interest it generated.

Now it has become almost a full-time job. We spend most weekends out on location in pubs, museums, offices, theatres and sometimes people's own homes.

It is fascinating work and we've made many friends along the way.

We have been on many investigations and have seen, and heard, some pretty strange stuff indeed!

Although some of what we encounter can be explained, there is plenty that can't.

Mysterious balls of light, doors opening and closing of their own accord, footsteps in empty corridors, just to name but a few.

Our recording equipment has picked up voices of unknown origin and our locked-off video cameras have recorded strange movement.

Are these paranormal events and if they are is there a common denominator that links them ? We hope to find out.

It is not the aim of BGAH to convince people that the paranormal exists. We simply want to explore the possibility that there is something out there we don't quite understand yet.

We will let people know the results from our research - and they can make their own minds up.

It's time to break down the barriers and search long and hard to determine what exactly is going on. Why do so many individuals witness things they perceive to be paranormal?

We combine psychical and scientific approaches in our work, pushing the boundaries, looking for the answers. Join us on our trip into the unknown.