Supernatural News

The Frank Matcham designed Grand Theatre, Blackpool (1894) is the home of Supernatural Events’ Grand Ghost Tours. The first tour took place here on 31st October 2006, Hallowe’en, a very special occasion with 35 intrepid paranormal enthusiasts walking through the Victorian theatre in the dead of night, in total darkness (well, some did bring torches!), hearing the tales of ghostly sightings and investigating areas that the public wouldn’t normally see during the day, never mind the wee small hours around the witching hour!

Derek Acorah brought his hit television show Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns to the theatre and during his investigation into the ghosts of the Grand, he and his co-presenters felt, heard, and experienced strange sounds, movement and sights from beyond. Now you have the chance to follow in their footsteps! Visit backstage where props have been known to move of their own accord. Sit in the darkened auditorium… if you dare!

‘I hope you enjoy your very special tour of the Grand. Maybe you will experience something from beyond, as I did with Ghost Towns. Have Fun!’ Derek Acorah

Many of those who have attended the Grand Ghost Tours at the Grand Theatre have asked if they could return to investigate what they have heard, felt or seen. Occasionally we are able to offer you the chance to do just that with our Grand Overnight Vigils which commence at 11pm and finish at 5am the following morning. Click on Overnight Investigations in the left navigation bar for further details.

For further information on the Grand Theatre, Blackpool please visit their award-winning website: www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk.

Work began on the first of Blackpool’s three piers, the North Pier, in 1862. It was opened on 21^st May 1863, witnessed by around 20,000 visitors to the resort. A landing jetty was added to the main structure in 1864 and three years later the pier was extended further. Two pleasure steamers offered excursions to the Lake District, Isle of Man, Llandudno, Southport and Liverpool.

In 1874 the pier head was enlarged to accommodate the pavilion, a bandstand, restaurant and shops, and in 1875 and 1877 extended yet again with the installation of electric lighting. The Theatre was added in 1903, however it, along with the pavilion were destroyed. The current 1500 seat theatre, built on the site in 1939, survives only through the quick reactions of one of its entertainers. In 1985 singer Vince Hill noticed smoke when leaving the North Pier and, having raised the alarm, assisted in fighting the blaze.

Grade II listed, the North Pier is considered the most traditional of the three Blackpool piers, retaining much of its Victorian splendour and is devoted to the gentler pursuits of promenading and sun bathing rather than the brasher entertainment offered by its newer companions.

Explore with us the interior of North Pier Theatre to see what really goes on when the cast and audience leave, the lights switched off and the doors locked!

For further information on the North Pier and the Theatre, please visit the National Piers Society website, www.piers.co.uk.

Join us for a tour of Blackpool’s Historic Winter Gardens complex and visit three of its most haunted venues:

The Empress Ballroom, designed by Mangnall & Littlewood, was completed during the summer of 1896 and was one of the largest ballrooms in the world. During the Great War, the entire Winter Gardens site was thrown open to the naval and military forces stationed nearby. Early in 1918, the Admiralty requisitioned the Empress Ballroom to assemble gas envelopes for the R.33 airship.

With its spectacular barrel-vaulted ceiling, sparkling chandeliers, pristine parquet flooring and ornate balconies, the Empress Ballroom is a quite staggering venue.

The Arena was originally named the Indian Lounge, due to its beautiful Raj-inspired interior design created by J. M. Boekbinder in 1896. The room survived for 68 years until, in 1964, the faded interior was ripped out and replaced by the Planet Room - a large lounge bar with a cabaret stage. In the late 1980s the Planet Room was revamped in a Roman style to become the present Arena.

The Pavilion Theatre is a stunning theatre in its own right, however it is often overshadowed by the Opera House. In 1885 it received a new proscenium and private boxes, but was extensively altered in 1897 when the floor was lowered and tilted towards the stage.

After entertaining audiences as a cinema with ‘Talkies’ from the early 1930s, the theatre fell into disuse for long periods and only resumed occasional use as a theatre, including old-time music hall shows in the late 1990s when Leisure Parcs took control of the Winter Gardens.

THE SPANISH HALL SUITE TOURS

Tours are also arranged in the Spanish Hall Suite within the Winter Gardens complex incorporating tours of The Spanish Hall a lavishly themed spectacular hall representing an Andalucian village; The Baronial Hall an antiquated hall, designed in the guise of a medieval castle; and The Renaissance Room, an exquisite, period-style hall created with grandeur and glamour in mind in 1931.

For further information on the Winter Gardens, visit www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk.

The world-famous Blackpool Tower opened on 14th May 1894 and was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Situated deep within the Tower is the beautiful Frank Matcham designed Tower Ballroom, which was opened in 1899 to critical acclaim.

It is within the Ballroom that many flock to see the world-famous Wurlitzer organ and dance to its beautiful music.

The floor area is 120ft square and made up of individual mahogany, oak and walnut blocks.

Join us as we tour this gorgeous dance emporium in search of its ghosts and spirits. Follow in the footsteps of television’s Most Haunted presenters to find out for yourself what shadows can be seen in the darkened corners, what strange noises have been heard on different levels and what strange scents have been picked up!

For further information on Blackpool Tower, please visit www.blackpooltower.co.uk.

Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks is located on Central Promenade, Blackpool and is one of the resort’s most popular visitor attractions.

The famous waxworks are owned by Leisure Parcs, who have recently completed phase three of their redevelopment strategy for the attraction which includes the creation of new models including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Tom Hanks in the new Premier Night set, a Hollywood film premiere scene.

There are also new films sets with favourites such as the Titanic scene with Leonardo and Kate on the bow of the doomed ship, and of course King Kong and a host of dinosaurs from your favourite creature features!

One of the most popular areas is the Chamber of Horrors, which we will of course be visiting on our Grand Ghost Tours of this wonderful attraction. Was that a person I saw over there? Or a model? What was that shadow? Did Freddie Krueger move? Am I seeing things? You’ll have to come with us to find out!

For further information and a fascinating history on Blackpool’s Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks, please visit www.louistussaudswaxworks.co.uk.

The present Opera House is actually the third Opera House to have been built on the site. The first, designed by famous theatre architect Frank Matcham, who also designed the Grand Theatre and the Tower Ballroom, was named Her Majesty’s Opera House and opened on June 10th 1889.

The second Opera House was demolished 27 years later and in its place was erected the present 3,000 seat building which opened on 14th July 1939. Possessing the largest stage in the country, it was designed in a modernist style with a sweepingly curved proscenium.

Join us as we tour the auditorium, circle, above and below the stage and even the original projector room!

For further information on the Opera House, Blackpool please visit www.leisure-parcs.co.uk.

Blackpool Zoo was the first location for a Grand Ghost Tour not held at the Grand Theatre. The zoo, which opened on 6 July 1972, has quite a history of paranormal activities occurring; and that is not surprising when you look at the background of the buildings and the land it was built on!

It was constructed on the former site of the original Blackpool Municipal Aerodrome, which was built in 1929 and opened in 1931. The aerodrome became the Stanley Park Aerodrome In 1939 and when World War II broke out, on 3 September of that year, the RAF requisitioned the aerodrome. Originally there was an air traffic control building and one hangar, however an additional four hangars were built where Wellington bombers were assembled and flown from during the war years. When the war finished the aerodrome closed and was never used for flying again.

Many of the original aerodrome buildings and hangers are still standing; the A-Zoo nursery and keepers flats are housed in the old air traffic control building with the hangars being used to house the elephants, for food storage, quarantine and maintenance of the zoo site itself.

For further information on Blackpool Zoo and Dinosaur Safari, please visit their website: www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk.

Below is the current list of Supernatural Events and Grand Ghost Tours. Many of these have now sold out, but do not worry… a series of events for May to September 2009 is being finalised and will be published shortly.

MARCH 2009

Saturday 7th - Overnight Investigation, Spanish Hall Suite, Winter Gardens, 11pm to 4am - SOLD OUT!

Monday 9th - Blackpool Tower Ballroom Ghost Tour, 8pm to 10pm - SOLD OUT!

Friday 13th - Friday 13th Ghost Coach Tour to Samlesbury Hall, near Preston  - SOLD OUT!

Wednesday 18th - Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Ghost Tour, 8pm to 10pm - SOLD OUT!

APRIL 2009

Tuesday 7th - Blackpool Tower Ballroom Ghost Tour, 8pm to 10pm - SOLD OUT!

Wednesday 15th - Winter Gardens  Ghost Tour (visiting the Pavilion Theatre and Empress Ballroom), 9pm to 11pm - SOLD OUT!

Wednesday 22nd - Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Ghost Tour, 8pm to 10pm - few places remaining - book now!

Wednesday 29th - Blackpool Zoo Ghost Tour, 8pm to 10pm - few places remaining - book now!

MAY 2009

Monday 15th - Overnight Ghost Walk with Ian Lawman at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool, 11pm to 4am. Limited availability. Call 01253 290190 to book your place.

The search made by Supernatural Events for a haunted home in Blackpool for the television series Living with the Dead was successful. The team which included psychic mediums Ian Lawman and Johnnie Fiori, have now filmed the Blackpool episode which is due to be aired on Tuesday 31st March on LivingTV. The Blackpool Gazette have spoken to the home owners and Ian Lawman about their experiences. You can read more on the Gazette’s website including why the home has been dubbed one of the most haunted homes in the UK, by clicking HERE.

Supernatural Events with Original Productions UK and LivingTV and are searching for the Fylde Coast’s most haunted home!

Original Productions UK will be filming the spooky second series of the hit television show Living with the Dead starring psychic medium Ian Lawman in early 2009. In association with Blackpool-based Supernatural Events they are searching for people from the Fylde who are experiencing paranormal activity in their homes to appear in one of the episodes.

Living with the Dead is the show which confronts spirits, ghosts and poltergeists who have moved into ordinary family houses; unwanted, uninvited, and not of this world. When families need help, the Living with the Dead team step in and help these restless souls back to the other side.

The first series aired on LivingTV in 2008 and received magnificent reviews and praise for its ground-breaking filming with its team of experts who include psychic mediums Ian Lawman (a regular visitor to Blackpool working with Supernatural Events on ghost walks and investigations and past co-presenter on Most Haunted and I’m Famous and Frightened), and Johnnie Fiori (also appearing in the West End musical Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle), and paranormal investigator Mark Webb.

The backdrop to the stories Living with the Dead tell isn’t in darkened rooms, the dungeons of abandoned castles or damp and dingy basements spookily lit in the dead of night. It is ordinary homes in ordinary towns, where behind the net curtains horror lurks.

If you believe there is unexplained phenomena occurring in your property and you want Living with the Dead to investigate the strange goings-on, make contact with the spirits, or even get rid of them from your home for good; then Supernatural Events wants to hear your story as soon as possible.

Email your story (no photographs please) to stories@supernaturalevents.co.uk and who knows, you could be appearing on the next series of Living with the Dead. Remember to include contact details including name, contact numbers as well as your email address. Original Productions UK will decide which haunted homes will be picked for inclusion in the series.