PRESS RELEASE
THE GHOST CLUB INVESTIGATES FULHAM PALACE FOR
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
The Ghost Club carried out their first paranormal investigation of Fulham Palace on 5 September
2014. The six investigators stayed overnight as part of their ongoing research, using various recording
equipment to monitor for any activities in the Palace’s public rooms. Rumours and reports of
hauntings of this Grade I listed building date back as far as the 1780s, with seemingly unexplainable
sights, sounds and smells throughout the Palace continuing to be reported to this day.
On Wednesday, 29 October at 7pm, visitors will have the opportunity to experience something
spooky themselves on the first ever Fulham Palace Ghost Tour. During this exclusive after-hours tour,
guests will be led by torchlight throughout the historic rooms of the Palace and hear tales of
hauntings by bishops and other Palace residents. After the tour, attendees will enjoy light
refreshments in the Drawing Room Café and have the chance to find out more about ghost hunting.
The cost is £20 per person and booking is essential. The minimum age for entry is 14 and under 18s
must be accompanied by an adult.
The tour will include the Tudor Great Hall, the oldest surviving part of the Palace. Over the centuries,
the Hall has served many purposes, the most sinister being as a room for torture during the Tudor
period, when Bishop Bonner was in residence. Known as Bloody Bonner for his role in the
persecution of Protestants during the English Reformation, he was later incarcerated during the reign
of Elizabeth I and died in prison. One Ghost Club investigator who claims to be psychically sensitive
reported the impression of a young male dressed in Tudor era clothes in the Hall. In the 1990s, a
Palace staff member reported seeing a similarly dressed man stride across the Great Hall before
disappearing through a wall. The staff member later discovered that during the Tudor period a door
had been in the exact location where the man disappeared.
Another room featured on the tour will be the Victorian Chapel. Situated above the cellars where
Bishop Bonner’s prisoners were kept, the Chapel was originally built in the 1860s by Bishop Tait to
commemorate the five children he lost to scarlet fever. It is also the only part of the Palace which
sustained substantial bomb damage during World War II. Two Ghost Club investigators on separate
occasions claimed to have heard singing during their time in the Chapel, as well as chanting and
whistling. Later, while reviewing the monitoring equipment, the sound of an unexplainable ‘deep
breath’ could be heard on both the audio and video recording from the Chapel, though no visual
images were captured.
The final stop of the tour will be the rooms now occupied by The Drawing Room Café. During the
Ghost Club’s investigation, one investigator claimed to have psychically seen a “man dressed in black
like a 19th century clergyman”, while another investigator sensed a “manic male presence”. Both
investigators in question claim to be psychically sensitive. Interestingly, it was these rooms that were
used during World War I as wards for injured soldiers who were patients at the Freemasons War
Hospital Number Two, located at the Palace. Fulham Palace’s winter exhibition, Fulham Palace
through the Great War, tells the full story of Palace during this turbulent time in British history, and is
open from Sunday 26 October through to 16 April 2015. FREE
For younger children, on Friday, 31 October, 2pm to 4.30pm, the annual Hallowe’en Crafts and
Parade in Bishop’s Park returns with themed crafts, face painting and the pumpkin parade. Bring a
pre-carved pumpkin and any musical instruments or noisy objects to make some noise to scare away
the ghosts and ghouls on a pumpkin parade around the Park at 4pm. FREE with a small charge for
face painting.
Fulham Palace has a wealth of things to see and do all year round, from exploring the Museum that
charts the Palace’s eventful history to having lunch in the Drawing Room Café followed by a walk
through the Palace’s beautiful grounds, including the recently restored Walled Garden. Admission to
Fulham Palace and its grounds is free of charge, except for special tours and events. The Palace is
available to hire as a stunning venue for weddings as well as private and corporate events.
About Fulham Palace
Fulham Palace is the historic home of the Bishops of London. For centuries, the Palace and
surrounding estate served as a country retreat for the bishops and their families before becoming the
bishop’s permanent residence in the early 20th century. The last bishop moved out in 1973, and the
Palace and 13 acre botanical garden are now managed by the Fulham Palace Trust, an independent
charity dedicated to the ongoing preservation, restoration and interpretation of this historically
important site.
www.fulhampalace.org
www.facebook.com/fulhampalacetrust
@fulham_palace
October 2014
For further information and press images please contact:
Elizabeth Bishop, Fulham Palace Trust:
+ 44 (0)20 7160 7167. [email protected]
Notes to editors:
Full details, booking information and cost (where applicable) on all events at Fulham Palace can be
found in the ‘What’s On’ section of the Fulham Palace website.
http://www.fulhampalace.org/visiting-whats-on/events/
Fulham Palace through the Great War, 26 October 2014 to 16 April 2015. Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday 12.30pm to 3.30pm
Sunday Midday to 4pm
FREE
Closed from 22 December 2014 to 3 January 2015. Open all bank holiday Mondays.
How to get there:
Main entrance: the end of Bishop's Avenue by gates to Bishop’s Park
Bus: 14, 74, 220, 414, 430
Tube: Putney Bridge (from the station follow the Thames Path west along the river through Bishop’s
Park, midway through the park is the Bishop’s Avenue gate, exit through gate and immediately right
into Fulham Palace grounds)
Parking: metered parking on Bishop’s Avenue