Storyteller: Berry Pomeroy - one of the most haunted castles in the country

My good friend, Matt, is obsessed with Berry Pomeroy Castle.

A few years ago he set up a Facebook page, where people can share their spooky experiences of visiting the place, as well as posting their odd photos of orbs, and other anomalies, for people to comment on.

He now has quite a collection.

Recently, he collaborated to make a video for YouTube, and produced a short documentary, utilising some of the clips and photos from his page, giving a potted history of the paranormal activity alleged to take place at the castle, while bringing to life some of the many legends that are attached to it.

This only came out at the end of last year but Matt was already keen to make another, promising it would be much longer.

And so it was, on Easter Saturday just gone, that Matt managed to gather together a group of 12 people, among them mediums, historians and sceptics, all of whom have had some connection with the romantic ruins in the past, and all willing to be part of his ongoing project.

I was there to act as interviewer, giving people a focus, while they were being filmed, and to throw my own tales into the mix as the day unfolded.

It was back in 1987 that my own obsession with Berry Pomeroy Castle began, after I’d arrived in Torbay to take part in my first summer season, fresh out of drama school in London, at the Palace Avenue Theatre in Paignton.

While growing up, I’d always had an interest in ghosts and hauntings, making a point of seeking out the local ghost book whenever I went to visit somewhere new. I would take Dad’s road atlas, mark on the maps all the haunted locations in the vicinity, and then insist that we visit as many haunted houses and castles as we could. I also carried out this same procedure once I’d settled into my new job.

Imagine my excitement when I marked Berry Pomeroy on my map, realising I had only gone and landed on the doorstep of one of the most haunted castles in the country! At the earliest opportunity, I suggested a road trip to some of my fellow actors, taking in a visit to Dartmoor, where I got to climb my first tor, and then paid my first visit to the castle, after dark, walking down the tree-lined driveway, before it was revealed to us in all its glory, by the light of the moon. I was hooked.

Since then, I have visited many times, both by day and at night, but I would never dare to trespass, climbing over the wall out of hours just for the thrill of it. As a result, I’ve had several odd experiences, that even I have difficulty finding a rational explanation for.

On a couple of occasions, once during a daytime visit with my family, the other while walking down the driveway in the dark, I’ve heard the sound of gunfire coming from a distance. It wasn’t modern guns, more like muskets being fired in volleys, similar to a skirmish from the Civil War.

Historically, such a thing never happened around the castle but it did at Dornafield, a campsite located up the valley outside Newton Abbot. Maybe I was hearing the playback of an event that happened there many years ago.

My other personal experience occurred during a night-time investigation inside the ruins. We were one of the last groups to officially be allowed, by English Heritage, to hold such an event. As we walked down the steps on the far side of the mansion house, I glanced upwards at the windows, and, in the bottom left-hand corner, I momentarily saw a light. It disappeared quite suddenly, as if someone had closed a door on it, but there are no floors or doors on that level to allow anyone living to do such a thing...

On Easter Saturday, we started our filming by interviewing a lady who has taken many photos throughout the grounds, some of which have produced curious images of things that might have been associated with the castle in the past. The problem is, they are never seen with the naked eye.

If you rule out obvious causes like mist, smoke or breath, what are you left with? Check out Matt’s page and judge for yourselves.

Next, we spoke to my good friend Bob Mann and his partner, Barbara, both of whom related memories and experiences of visits over the years. Bob recalls accompanying his mother and sister there when he was much younger, and of feelings of anxiety, when he heard that others were making plans to visit too. He feared for their safety, in case tales of the curse of the White Lady were true.

As well as discussing the history of the castle, we contemplated the idea that the area’s haunted reputation pre-dates any building on the site, and that the atmosphere of uneasiness that overtakes people upon entering the bubble of influence that spreads into the surrounding landscape, might be due to the fact that underground ley lines cross at this point, the energy from which is often claimed to cause paranormal activity.

Moving on to the rampart walk, scene of alleged sightings of the White Lady, we interviewed some more good friends of mine, Paul and Sandra, who, along with many experiences of their own, were also present on the night of our last official investigation there.

As we reminisced about these occasions, we all became aware of a very pungent smell wafting around us, the stench of putrefaction that I often come across, up on the moors, when a dead animal is nearby. Nothing was obvious in the vicinity but the smell did seem to accompany us throughout our visit, as we moved among the ruins.

Taking up residence in the bottom of St Margaret’s Tower, we were joined by Kevin Hynes, a fellow investigator and medium, who also runs his own ghost walks around Plymouth, one of which I had the pleasure of joining him on several years ago.

He told us about his many experiences from castle visits over the years, and also shared with us what he had been tuning into that very day, using his mediumistic gift, as he explored afresh.

Finally, we met up with another medium, called Lee, who had never been inside before, although he had viewed it many times from the outside. Matt filmed, as we walked around together, recording what Lee was picking up on, while we tried to put his findings into some sort of historical context.

This all made for a most fascinating way to spend an Easter Saturday, in such great company. Matt is already planning his next visit, with another group of mediums, who couldn’t join us the other weekend, and their findings will be added into the mix, and released on Matt’s Facebook page later this year.

If you get chance, it’s worth a look, and if you have your own experiences from visits to Berry Pomeroy Castle, we would both be most intrigued to hear from you.