July 2009 Archives

From medieval dungeons to modern American penitentiaries, prisons are truly frightening places - and they remain frightening long after the last inmate has finished his porridge.
One former prison that sees a lot of paranormal activity is Derby Gaol, owned by ghost expert and historian Richard Felix.

Derby Gaol was built in the 1750's on a traditional, and very busy, execution site. Death and suffering were associated with the building right from the start.
England at this time was experiencing a massive crimewave caused by terrible poverty and cheap gin which large numbers of the population were addicted to.

The gap between rich and poor was immense and the ruling classes were not about to let the peasants get their grubby hands on the family silver. If you were poor and committed a crime you could definitely expect brutal punishment.