Original subtitles

We're about 2 miles outside one of the most haunted cities in britain.

Do you think the cities vast history plays a part in the paranormal?

Right that was hq basically there is a woman who has got wind

that we are filming in Chester and wants to meet US tonight.

I wouldn't like to do this place at like 3, 4 o clock in the morning.

Then the third one it disappears.

What the hell is that?

We're about 2 miles outside one of the most haunted cities in britain where we'll be

spending the next couple of weeks investigating some of the cities most historic locations.

From the romans to the civil war, this place has had a huge impact

on the history of this country, it truly is the city of spirits.

The history of Chester dates back almost 2 millennia when

it was founded as a Roman fort known as 'deva victrix'.

This great fort served the romans well and was much larger than any other fortress in britannia

which lead to the suggestion that Chester was destined to become the capital of the province

rather than London.

Deva Victoria was occupied by the romans for

around 4 centuries until the romans left britannia.

Chester's Roman foundations can still be

seen today including the great amphitheatre.

With the romans leaving, the city became adopted and shortly became the

centre point of battles between the warring Welsh and Saxon kingdoms

and later stood as a defensive stronghold against raids from Denmark.

After the Norman conquest of 1066, Chester became

a major port and came under the Earl of Chester.

Chester's Earl's were a law unto themselves, they kept huge hunting

forests and built monastery's, one of which later became Chester cathedral.

Chester's rich tudor history is still very evident to this

day and the city played a huge role in the English civil war

as parliamentary forces laid siege to Chester in September 1645 and one of

the largest battles of the civil war took place at the nearby rowton moor.

The city suffered great damage and it's misfortune did not stop there.

The starved citizens of Chester then bore the full brunt of the plague

with 2099 people dead from summer of 1647 to the following spring.

As the centuries passed, Chester's port greatly declined and by 1840 it could no longer compete

with the nearby city of liverpool but Chester would flourish during the industrial revolution

with many upper class families moving to the city to escape

the industrial sprawls of nearby Manchester and liverpool.

Chester today is a thriving city that attracts tourists from all over the world. Many

of it's Roman and tudor structures still stand and it's memories still very much remain.

Our journey behind the shadows truly tested the team to it's limits, heading to these really

dark locations where the hauntings were severely negative and in some cases terrifying as well.

We had to use methods that not everybody agrees with to try and gain that evidence.

But as we head to Chester, we face an entirely different beast.

Speaking to the research team ahead of this, we could be heading to locations that

date all the way back to the Roman era, the tudor period and even the civil war.

Places that may just hold residual energy instead of intelligent

hauntings.It's gonna be a real challenge for the team to gain evidence here

but it's challenge that we are fully prepared to undertake.

Our journey begins at st John's church which lies just

outside of the city walls on the north bank of the river.

A local historian and tour guide has agreed to meet US here and I am eager to get her views

on the history of Chester and if she believes that this is indeed the city of spirits.

Liz I understand that you have a really unique

knowledge of the history of this city is that correct?

Well I'm one of the tour guides here so we

do get to learn a lot and see a lot so maybe.

Brilliant, so could you possibly tell me a bit about the history of Chester

and why it is considered to be one of the most historic cities in britain?

Well it's certainly one of the oldest cities we've got a 2000 year history starting

when the romans came to establish their fortress here nearly 2000 years ago.

The saxons extended the size of the actual town, the normans built the castle

and by the middle ages we were one of the major trading sea ports in the

country, there was the great port of Chester, sadly no longer existing

and after that we went through the tudor period,

we've got some lovely black and white timber buildings

and then the Georgians and the victorians they came in, they renovated the city,

they gentrified it, turned it into the place to live, as it still is of course.

And then even right up to the current day there's just

so much thats been going on here for the last 2000 years.

Brilliant, it is definitely one of the most atmospheric cities I've ever

visited I mean every corner you turn there are really historic buildings.

Now Liz we are here for the next couple of weeks investigating the paranormal.

Ok.

Erm... do you yourself believe in the

paranormal at all or are you quite sceptical?

Erm... as part of my work I do do ghost tours and I am quite sceptical as a person but I

think it's very difficult to not think of the possibility there could be something there.

Things do happen and as you walk around the city as you say it's very historic you

can be just doing your shopping and suddenly realise you're in a medieval cellar.

You might suddenly find, gosh there's some Roman remains there.

We do know that erm... some of the timbers in the buildings could be from old

shipwrecks wrecked off the coast, washed up into the port, reused for building.

So it's, it's literally there in the fabric of the buildings.

Yeah definitely, now my question to you is this... now because the history of

Chester runs so deep, do you think that plays a part in the paranormal I mean,

there are so many ghost sightings in Chester do you think

the cities vast history plays a part in the paranormal?

I think, I think it must do I mean you've only got to walk around the

city erm... it's everywhere it's hidden in plain sight, everywhere you go

erm... you might just be doing your shopping but suddenly you'll realise

you're in a medieval cellar, you might suddenly spot some Roman remains.

It's literally all around US it's in the very fabric of the city so I think it would be

very hard not to think that there are other things going on that perhaps we don't understand

erm... but I don't think that you can dismiss it very easily.

Everywhere you turn there is some kind of haunted style building I mean just outside

this church there is a coffin buried in one of the walls I mean that's absolutely crazy!

It is and as we say it's hidden in plain sight I mean even if you

don't believe in ghosts, the coffin is there, why is it there?

Exactly.

Erm... I believe it's even got scratch marks on the inside

yeah we saw it.

You saw that yeah? So you can't ever say never you know, some people ignore it,

some people explore it erm... but I think you really need to keep an open mind,

especially when you're in Chester.

So obviously like I've said we are here for the next couple of weeks, we're going to investigate.

Do you have any advice for US? Any particular hotspots that we should check out while we're here?

Well I think you've come to a really good place to start, this

is st John's church which was the original cathedral in the city.

Seriously?

It's been here for hundred and hundred of years there was an earlier church than

that even erm... we are right next to the remains of the Roman amphitheater.

We do know that the stone from the old Roman buildings would have been reused

for later buildings so who knows what's in the fabric of this very building

some of the stone could be from the Roman amphitheater so who

knows what kind of spirits that could have brought along with it?

Are you saying this place could possibly be paranormally active?

Never say never I mean it really could, I mean

did you feel the atmosphere as you walked in?

Definitely! I mean I feel it right now it's... you

can sense the history of this place it's incredible.

Yeah there's history, there's spirituality but

you know, there could be something else as well.

Liz wish US luck.

You'll need it.

Thank you so much, cheers thank you.

Shortly after our interview we receive a call from our research team who tell me that our

projection Chester is beginning to attract attention and a lady wants to meet US that evening.

We know nothing about this lady and the whole thing seems extremely suspicious.

Right that was hq basically there is a woman who's got wind

that we're filming in Chester and wants to meet US tonight.

Now they don't know anything about her other than her name is Mary

Ann and she wants to meet US on the rows in the city centre tonight.

Now... well...

It's a bit weird.

We don't know anything about this person, this, this is what I'm on about and they don't

know anything so they tried to get details off her and she wouldn't give them any details

which to me just, it's really dodgy.

Erm... what do you reckon we do?

Well I mean we can't really say no she might have some amazing information

for US but it's just a bit dodgy, it's a bit odd, she could be anybody.

Yeah exactly, that's my point

I mean, why not?

Ok... erm... right listen, we've got a few hours before we meet her anyway so

let's go and get some food, chill out for a bit and then we'll go and meet her ok?

Ok.

As night falls we make our way to the historic Chester rows in the city

centre where we are to meet the lady who's name we are told is Mary Ann.

Due to the mysterious nature of this meeting, we

decide to keep the cameras rolling throughout.

Ok so we're meant to be meeting her here on the rows near the cross now

the cross is down there so I presume it's anywhere around this area.

No matter what happens here just keep rolling ok? Because even it's

some absolute weirdo wanting to meet US I wanna get it on camera.

Anything could happen, they didn't give me

anything other than her name is Mary Ann ok?

Ok.

Just keep rolling, if we need to cut and get out of

there then we can do whatever, alright let's head down.

This is a bit creepy down here Dan.

Yeah I know.

And obviously the city life is going on you can hear it but I just don't

like meet and greets with people I don't have a clue do you know what I mean?

What time are we on now about 9 o clock? Quarter past 9?

Yeah.

Erm... Dan.

What?

There's a figure in black walking towards US.

My god, right ok I think this is her just keep rolling no matter what ok?

Ok.

Em just keep rolling no matter what alright?

Hi are you Mary Ann?

I hear you're researching the ghosts of Chester.

That's right yeah we are here for the next couple of weeks investigating Chester erm...

look I received a call earlier today saying that you wanted to meet US here is that correct?

I know all the ghost stories of Chester both the new ones and the old ones.

Really? Erm... ok maybe you can point US in the right direction then?

You could start with the old kings head on lower bridge street, that's got 3 very active ghosts,

so active that if you stay the night there and you have ghost experiences, which you probably will

they'll ask you to write about it in their file.

Yeah we're quite aware of the kings head actually erm... really

haunted place. Is there anywhere else that you could recommend to US?

Right where you're standing near the cross you are surrounded

by ghosts and on this row alone there are 8 ghosts.

Are you serious?

I am indeed, in every shop virtually on this row

there's a ghost, in one of them there's 4 ghosts

right here?

Yes and in that shop with 4 ghosts if you go in they'll show you the cctv footage.

Ok erm... like I said we're here for the next couple of weeks, we're trying to

prove that Chester is indeed the city of spirits, would you agree with that?

It's the most actively haunted town in the country.

Wow erm... ok, look thank you so much, this was a bit out the blue we weren't sure who

we were meeting really erm... so I do really appreciate you giving US some advice erm...

So yeah, thank you.

Goodbye.

My god.

Ok, erm... should we go?

What do you make of that?

It was weird I'm not gonna lie to ya.

See the way she just walked off at the end without even shaking my hand?

Yeah, she kinda made me feel like she might be a ghost of the city herself.

Apart from the complete weirdness of that interview she did bring up some

interesting points like bringing up places that we already kind of know of

I mean kings head obviously.

I didn't know about these rows though, 8 ghosts on this row.

No I know and it's kind of creepy to think that we are stood here right now at night.

Yeah.

I mean, these rows are really atmospheric anyway, they're all

across this city centre you can tell how sort of historic they are.

Look guys it's been a really weird and whacky day, let's go

and get our heads down cos we've got a busy, busy day tomorrow.

Let's go yeah? Jeez.

The following day we head to the south end of the city to one of

the most famous haunted locations in Chester, ye olde kings head.

Back in 2017 we had the privilege of investigating this historic inn and with US returning to

Chester, I was eager to pay a visit to our old friends and find out if the paranormal activity

was still as high as it was back then.

Harry how's going mate.

Alright how are you buddy?

Nice to see you again.

And you as well.

Are you well?

Yeah, yeah good, good, my god I can't believe how much the place has changed.

Yeah, we're all geared up for Halloween now and we've just

finished breakfast so, good to see you what you doing in Chester?

Erm... we're back and erm... and we are filming a bit of a paranormal

documentary in Chester trying to prove that it's the city of spirits basically.

I mean you know all the history of this city, all

the hauntings that are said to go on here, I mean...

Since we were here, 2017 wasn't it?

Really? Ok.

Yeah 2017 erm... I mean, what's the activity been like?

Do you know, from the guests point of view so much

activity, loads of interest obviously since the last show.

Erm... loads of different photographs, for me personally it seems to be quieting

down, I don't get as much activity because they seem to like me in here but

I've had televisions turn on in the room, hair dryers come

on at the same time erm... people whistling in my ear but

not as active as it once was but I think it's

because they're quite content with me at the moment.

Yeah.

Yeah so...

I always remember this back bit being crazy, Beck do you remember this back bit?

My word, it is so different

yeah it looks a bit different from the last time you came doesn't it?

All this is completely new.

I've had it all built on site but it seems obviously as

you know, when you do start doing activity to the place and

erm...

Doing renovations, it, it does alter the atmosphere in here and it

does, this room in particular does seem really active all the time.

You should come back.

Mate!

We should.

I'd love to! I'd love to!

Are you in Chester for a bit now are you?

Yeah, yeah, so we're here now for about a week and a half to 2 weeks erm... obviously we've got

a few locations that we want to visit but we just thought that we'd come back here but I mean

if you've got availability for an investigation?

I'm available tonight erm... tomorrow night if you fancy it?

Tomorrow night?

Let's do it.

That would be awesome mate!

Good stuff.

Erm... well yeah, let's have a chat in a bit

ok.

Erm... gonna have a bit of an explore round if that's alright with you?

Of course it is yeah.

Erm... but yeah definitely I'd love to come

back tomorrow night erm... let's do it.

Superb good stuff.

Good man, thank you, cheers.

So our journey had began and after the crazy interview with Mary Ann and then heading

back to ye olde kings head it suddenly brought back all these fantastic memories from 2017

it's such crazy location.

We had a few hours to kill before Charlie and rox arrived in Chester and I

remember Beck and Emma getting quite twitchy you know, cmon let's do something

let's investigate now it's time.

So I thought it would be beneficial to spend a couple of hours inside ye olde

kings head doing some evp sessions ahead of our investigation the next night.

Now we'd had amazing success with evp's back in 2017 so I thought... why not?

As we awaited the arrival of Charlie and rox, Emma, becki and I conducted a number

of evp sessions at ye olde kings head before heading back to the team hotel.

Unfortunately we captured no evp's and after arranging our investigation for the following night

we set off to meet Charlie and rox at the hotel and prepared to head back to the city rows.

With investigators Charlie and rox arriving in Chester it was time to head

back to the historic rows where the night before, we had met Mary Ann,

a local lady who told US that paranormal activity

and sightings had been witnessed on the rows.

Right where you're standing near the cross you are surrounded

by ghosts and on this row alone there are 8 ghosts.

Are you serious?

I am indeed, in every shop virtually on this row

there's a ghost, in one of them there's 4 ghosts.

Ahead of our first investigation the following night at the famous ye olde kings head, we would

attempt to try and document any activity on the rows which have existed since medieval times.

It is unclear why the rows were built in this way many centuries

ago but it is believed they were built on top of Roman foundations.

We split the team to cover different parts of the rows

with Charlie, rox and Emma heading to Watergate street

whilst becki and I returned to where we had met Mary Ann the previous night.

With the city centre still reasonably busy, the use of

digital voice recorders and emf detectors would be pointless

and so we decided to concentrate all our efforts on documenting any strange

visual occurrences on the rows such as strange heat sources or light anomalies.

Charlie,rox and Emma would use a thermal imaging camera

whilst becki and I were armed with a full spectrum camera.

Don't you think it's weird being back here now where we met Mary

Ann last night, I mean this was the very spot that we met her.

Yeah, and it's a really creepy part of the

city like, these rows are actually quite dark.

I know, now obviously they span throughout the entire city as well, they go all

the way back there, Charlie, rox and Emma are all the way on the rows over there.

The job now Beck is to try and document what Mary Ann was saying, that there

are indeed 8 spirits, ghosts on these rows, I'm very sceptical about this but...

We've got the full spectrum camera now let's try and see what we can get.

Now obviously my plan is here is to take hundreds and hundreds of

pictures and just go through them when we get back to the hotel later.

Charlie, rox and Emma have got the thermal imager.

It does look really creepy down there.

I know.

I'm kind of glad that I mean, obviously as you can hear things going past here, I'm kinda

glad that there are people still wandering around, I wouldn't like to do this place at like

3, 4 o clock in the morning.

I dunno, I'd quite like to in a weird way.

So last night when we met up with Mary Ann she told US that

apparently there's 8 ghosts that walk up and down here.

Is that documented or is that just people, eye

witnesses saying that they've seen 8 ghosts on here?

Well apparently it's quite a few eye witnesses,

it was a very strange interview, very strange.

Use the thermal then for a bit and see

whether we can actually get anything but...

Yeah, but we've gotta remember as well just obviously it's about quarter to 10

it is still people walking around so we need to keep a close eye on the thermal

and make sure there isn't nobody on here while we're filming.

You can imagine though like people who've been up here in the middle of the night like if

they've been looking down, like if they've got shadows moving and stuff it would creep them out

god yeah.

You know, it's so higgledy, piggledy and winding that...

Higgledy piggledy.

But I just think that there's a lot of like you know you've

got lights from the city that could just cause shadows and...

What people think might be ghosts actually just could

be like lights playing on you know a very creepy dark,

it's almost like a corridor, an alley way corridor

it, it's so easy to let the, let, like this exact setting here like you've just said it's like a

creepy alleyway, some of the rows are not actually like this there more sort of modern I would say.

So it's dead easy for a row like this to play ticks on your imagination.

It looks like it should be haunted so therefore do people

think it's haunted because it looks like it should be haunted?

Exactly.

Imagine though being pitch black, on your own walking around

the town and actually seeing something walking up and down here.

Suppose you wouldn't know what's real and what's not though.

No, creepy.

This is the thing I don't think there's one place in

Chester that's not actually haunted when you think about it.

Every single parts got so much history.

True.

It's just a reflection I thought there was something...

Yeah, I was looking at it, I didn't know if it was making

a figure out to the left hand side there but it's not.

It's just got a bit of warming air.

I'm very interested to see if Charlie,rox and Emma measure

any sort of like cold sources or, or unexplained heat sources.

I cannot wait to get back to ye olde kings head tomorrow.

I mean just heading back there today,

doing an evp session there it just brings back memories of...

It's such a good place to investigate.

You know, back in 2017 when we investigated there

coming back to Chester now it was a place that we just had to do.

One thing I'll say though for the city is

you are literally surrounded by history and every turn of the city

you know like, the, the buildings are so old, they're so ancient

you can really close your eyes and almost like imagine what would have been like

in like the 16, 17 hundreds.

Well it was exactly like Liz said to US at st John's church,

you know you could, you could walk into a

shop and stumble across like Roman remains.

Yeah.

You know just even down there like,

it just looks so old.

What becki and I don't realise is at this moment whilst I am taking pictures on

the full spectrum camera, we have just captured something absolutely incredible

and later we will discover what that is.

It is worth noting that off camera the entire team had stated on

the way to the rows that none of US expected to see anything at all.

Hear those church bells?

Yeah.

Think of the history here though from that time

period as well what would have happened along here.

Yeah.

You know.

Saying that I think they do the reenactments

as well don't they still, around Chester?

Yeah I think they do.

So would that be making things stay here as well?

Do you know with all the romans walking up and down?

Yeah, when they reenact.

That could be doing something as well.

I mean it could be something that's triggering the

activity that people are seeing things on here.

Yeah I know that's true.

Did you see that there?

No I think that's somebody walking past.

Was it here?

Well that there is the window downstairs.

So shall we check now when somebodies walking past now.

It hasn't picked them up.

Hang on wait for them to walk past the window.

See this side here is this railing here.

And it was like hotspot.

Well the railings are quite high so it shouldn't

but the hotspot was just by here.

Keep walking cos I know where you're on about.

It was like it popped out here.

But there could have been someone walking past

there but it was just briefly, just small.

Interesting.

Have to have a look at it back on there.

We'll have to review the footage on the thermal.

Charlie spots a heat source appear by the railings but after reviewing the

footage we believe this is people walking on the opposite side of the street.

What do you think?

Ok,

erm... I think we meet up with Charlie and rox and Emma, I think, I think

they'll be meeting US here I did tell them to come down and meet US about 10ish.

Ok.

Erm...

We'll go off, we'll take some other pictures on different

parts of the rows and then we'll get back to the hotel.

We've got a really early start tomorrow

obviously it's big investigation day tomorrow.

We get back to the hotel, review the thermal imager, review all this.

Sort of plan the rest of the week out, I

need to call hq as well early in the morning.

Got a really busy day tomorrow so...

Ok.

We continued explore the city rows recording footage on both the thermal imaging

camera and the full spectrum camera before heading back to the team hotel.

A creature that is content.

Chips and cheese.

Chips and cheese took you long enough didn't it.

I know yeah he put me fresh chips on.

Why do we always have to freeze for your needs?

Cos I is fat!

So glad we got that street scene that looks so good.

My god Dan, Dan hold on minute mated you know when you were on the

rows and you were taking pictures with the full spectrum camera?

Yeah, yeah?

Erm... well it seems like we've come across an apparition.

On the full spectrum so if you check this first picture here have a look.

Oi film this, film this both of ya.

Take this first picture, second picture...

And then the third one it disappears.

What the hell is that!? Go across.

Yeah and actually that's good point, the sensor light comes on as well.

What am I looking at?

My god! My god, I was taking pictures in 3.

1, 2, 3 yeah.

My god what is that!?

There.

My god!

Oi listen,

that is a full on figure!

That's on the full spectrum isn't it?

Yeah that's the full spectrum.

I was taking pictures every 10 seconds in three's, so within 10 seconds

I was going 1, 2, 3 so that, did you say that's the middle picture?

That's the middle one.

My god! So that's appeared within 10 seconds but then, there's,

there's before there's nothing and after there's nothing?

So the one before there's nothing there, the second one you've captured what

seem's to be a woman in black almost like, like a victorian mourning dress yeah.

Yes!

That's what it seems to look like and then on the third picture it's disappeared.

We need to look at the filmed footage.

Yeah you were filming me.

There was definitely nobody walked up towards

US because we were looking at it the whole time.

Definitely not.

You guys were on the far other end of the rows, we, we were, we were

shooting there and there was literally nobody disturbed the scenes at all.

You can clearly see it there's like a woman in black.

Zoom right in.

So if I zoom in again.

Just drag it slightly here.

That is insane, that is actually, that's you're absolutely right, that looks like victorian

mourning dress and like she's got, it's like she's got her hair on the top of her head.

Yeah, like they'd wear them big vails over as well when they're mourning they do, they

did say didn't they back in them days the women would mourn the dead for a long time

especially if it was a family member.

That's insane!

Do you reckon, like I don't want say this but do you

reckon we've actually caught an apparition there?

Well going off...

Well it's 3, 10 seconds 3 photos so unless somebodies got super

powers and get by a doorway and then run off within 10 seconds.

Of you snapping pictures, can't say, what we need to do is as you

said becks review the footage and see if you see anybody walking up.

We need to review the footage to be sure but that...

Look, I am pretty certain because I was, you were filming me from the side

you were looking straight ahead the whole time.

I was taking shots in three's and there's no way I

would have took a shot if anybody actually walked up.

No and you'd be able to see them more than that if that makes sense?

And it's what she's wearing look at that, that's a full on dress.

My god.

Here is the moment we capture the unexplained

figure on the full spectrum camera.

At the time I saw nothing on the camera and was even unaware

that a motion sensor light on the row had been activated.

Watch carefully as becki pans the camera to where I was taking

pictures and you will clearly see that nobody is on the rows.

Here are the 3 pictures in order.

Had we just captured a full bodied apparition on the city rows? We cannot

debunk this as I was taking 3 pictures every 10 seconds at this stage

and as you have just seen, it appears in only 1 of the 3 pictures, nothing else

was captured on either the thermal imaging camera or the full spectrum camera.

Now looking back at the picture that we caught

even to this day is just blowing my mind.

It was just so unexpected, you know these rows were not a place that you'd expect

to find any paranormal activity, they're right in the middle of the city centre,

there's people moving around on their phones, shouting,

it was really messy to film there to be honest.

But we just thought after what Mary Ann had said, we'd go up there with

the thermal imager, the full spectrum and see if we could document any

weird heat sources or strange light anomalies.

We did not expect to capture a full bodied apparition

and thinking back, we spent so long trying to debunk it

and it was just impossible because there was nobody there, I remember I was facing

forwards taking pictures, Beck was at the side filming and I wouldn't have even

bothered to take a picture if anyone had started to walk up.

I didn't even get on to the fact that it had set off a motion

sensor at the time which is even more crazy when you think about it.

It was madness and to think that we've actually caught that....

Is, is amazing really.

It was a crazy start to our time in Chester.

Things were about to get even weirder!

Next time on the haunted hunts.

Man's voice, watching you.

God.

Can you do that again?

Cold static breeze.

How many ladies

man's voice, three.

You are joking me!

What the hell was that?

That was a bit of a weird noise.

Play a game with US.

Woah what was that, what, what, that was a noise behind me.

Woah.

What?

What have you just seen?

Did you not hear that?

It's who? Who is it?

My Jesus Christ Emma what the hell was that?