The Storyteller: An unexpected journey with psychic medium Debbie Davies at haunted Old Forde House

In the early days of my investigation group, TIP, a few of us attended a talk at Old Forde House in Newton Abbot, which I was led to believe was haunted. During a break in the proceedings, I approached the organisers of the event, asking them if they were aware of any odd activity in̈ the building, and did they allow people in to investigate? Up to that point, most of my enquiries to have access to allegedly haunted properties, had been met positively, the owners happy to let us in, as they were just as curious to find out what was going on, as much as we were. On this occasion it was a definite no, on both counts. Then along came Most Haunted, who were happy to pay whatever it took to gain access, in order to film their antics for a TV audience, and all the places that were once free to us, now wanted £300-£400 to spend a night there. Suddenly, Old Forde House too had ghosts, and they were more than happy to let us in to look for them overnight...for a price.

Ever since then, it has been on my to do list, as the tales of phantom white ladies, and children laughing, when none are present, have been well-documented by visiting groups, and there is quite a long list of well-known historical figures that have been associated with the place. These include Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange, any of whom could have left their mark. 

This changed when I was contacted by online medium, Debbie Davies, who was on holiday in the area, and was looking for a local tour guide, who specialises in all things spooky...

Debbie Davies describes herself as a natural born Psychic Medium, following in her mother’s footsteps. She has a very large online following, from all over the world, that tune into her daily livestreams to follow her ongoing exploits. She once spent time as one of The Real Housewives of Cheshire, but that amount of public scrutiny eventually took its toll, so she parted company with the programme to pursue her main interest, ghost hunting with her online followers, allowing them to see what anomalies they can pick up during her visits to haunted locations, which she shares with them live, or in the case of some of our tour, via recordings, when there is no Wi-Fi. 

I must confess to not being aware of Debbie, nor her mediumship, but, fortunately for me, my partner, Sarah, and, more specifically, her sister, Claire are. So when Debbie posted on Facebook, did anyone know of any South West ghost stories? Claire tagged me in to the conversation, suggesting I might want to offer my services, so I duly did, not knowing who I was replying to, and I was very pleasantly surprised when Debbie got in touch. After a lengthy conversation, during which we established we had a mutual interest in ghosts and spooky stuff (Debbie just loves dealing with haunted dolls), we arranged for me to act as their guide the following day.

Debbie and her husband, Pete, along with their two dogs, Tino and Daisy, were staying in a mobile campervan on the Dornafield campsite, just outside of Newton Abbot, which is where an English Civil War battle took place. I believe the sound of musket fire was re-enacted, on a couple of occasions, for me to hear, having travelled down the valley on the wind to Berry Pomeroy Castle. I was very excited to have an opportunity to finally visit the old farmhouse, and take some pictures.

Arriving at the site, I parked up, as Pete had offered to drive in their hire car, so all I had to do was navigate and provide the commentary. Debbie’s first request was to visit the aforementioned Old Forde House, as she had heard that, not only was it haunted, but it was also cursed, and she felt oddly drawn to the place. Leaving Pete to dog sit, Debbie and I went to explore, and what a magnificent building it is. Sadly, as it’s used as council offices, it’s not open to the public, so we had to content ourselves with peering in through the windows, like children at a sweetshop, admiring the surviving ornate fixtures and fittings. Whilst Debbie livestreamed our visit to her followers, allowing them to see if they could spot anything unusual as she filmed, she shared with them the story of the curse, whereby all children born into the household, were doomed to die in childhood. I, meanwhile, busied myself with taking some pictures, before it was time to set off for the moors...

Passing through Heathfield, I pointed out the site of the English Civil War battle, on Bovey Heath, which seemed quite fitting, considering we had just visited a building where some of the main protagonists had spent time. Moving on to Haytor and its quarries, I explained that some of the granite had been used in the construction of such notable monuments as Nelson’s Column, and a version of London Bridge, now lying in the Arizona Desert. Turning a corner, we came across the remains of the Newhouse Inn, where my favourite story of Jan Reynolds and his pact with the Devil begins. We wanted to pay a visit to The Tavistock Inn afterwards, where the Devil stops to ask directions to the church at Widecombe in the Moor, intending to claim Jan’s soul there, now his seven years of good luck as a gambler have expired, but we got diverted towards Spitchwick, so we decided to head for Widecombe instead, having lunch there at the Cafe on the Green. It was a good choice, and once we had eaten, I showed Debbie around the village, where she was quite taken by the graveyard, making some intriguing recordings to share with her followers. I told her about the destruction the Devil had caused during his extraction of Jan, and let her compare it with the story of when a thunderbolt struck the church, so she could make up her own mind as to which version is true. After a look inside, we had time to pop into a new gallery and gift shop in the old Sexton’s Cottage. Debbie made a few purchases, and gave the owner a masterclass in how to enhance her online presence, a lesson I was also given, to help boost my business profile. Then it was time to head off to visit Kitty Jay’s Grave, somewhere that many of Debbie’s followers had recommended she visit...

Once at the grave, Debbie started filming me telling the story of Kitty Jay, all about the fresh flowers that are always there, and the coins, plus other offerings that I’ve found over the years. Then we moved on to the figures that I believe haunt that sad little spot, and finished with my theory about the Witches Triangle that I think it is part of, along with the Bowerman’s Nose on Hayne Down, and Granny Mann’s activity on Easdon Tor, areas where I believe witchcraft has been practiced over the years. All this was to be shared with her followers later in the day. 

Finally, it was time for me to head off to Okehampton for the first night of my Summer Season of Dartmoor Ghost Walks, leaving Debbie and Pete to enjoy the rest of their holiday.