In 2015, I visited The Cage for an investigation. The Cage is one of the most actively haunted houses in England. I was fortunate enough to meet up with another paranormal investigator (Michael Rawlings) who had investigated the house on previous occasions and who had experienced much activity in the house. The Cage is situated in St Osyth village in Essex; It’s located next to an alley called ‘coffin alley; where bodies were carried to the cemetery during medieval times. The house has a dark and notorious past; In the 1500s it was used as a prison to hold women accused of witchcraft. Skeletons of those who died or who were killed in the prison have been found on site. At least one suicide has recently taken place in the house. Around the time of my visit the current owner had moved out, being unable to take any more of the negative energy in the house; she has experienced growls and scratching noises under the floor boards, apparitions including that of a menacing shadow person. Taps and electrical equipment have turned on and off, objects have flown off the table, door latches and wardrobe doors have moved by themselves. The owner has also been physically attacked by something unseen. The house is rife with poltergeist activity and the spirits of a jailer, young children, a recent suicide victim, and Ursula Kemp, one of the best known witches known to be imprisoned there, are all believed to be active there. It’s thought that a malevolent goat-like demonic entity may also be present in the house .
Some of the activity experienced by other investigators, includes, women being physically pinned onto the toilet seat, unable to get up, seeing shadow figures, hearing and seeing apparitions of small children running around. Some people have been physically attacked in one of the bedrooms and have been left with physical marks (such as scratches and bites). People have seen a lady and a child looking out of the window of this same room.
On my visit the house certainly lived up to its haunted reputation. The whole house felt unusually cold inside for the weather outside. I was told that it was always cold in the house no matter what the weather outside.
After spending some initial time in the kitchen, I approached the threshold to the living room. Something didn’t want me to go any further. I was alone in the house at the time and as I went to step into the living room, as I did, I heard 2 loud thumps coming from upstairs, then the whole house vibrated to the extent that it felt like a small earthquake and I had to hold onto the door frame. Apprehensively, I crossed into the living room. As soon as I stepped inside I felt as if something had rushed up behind me and I experienced an intense cold feeling all the way my spine. During the investigation of the downstairs area, a GAUSS meter which was placed on the kitchen table would start to slowly tick away then go off suddenly at full blast, the kind of level of EMF I had never experienced before or since, the meter would then go off just as suddenly and dramatically as it started. It really felt as if there was a strong presence there with us when this happened and one the time when this happened I was able to pick up an evp of a ladies voice sounding somewhat distressed. I had an equally eerie experience while standing at the top of the steep staircase. I felt strong presence of someone or something there and as if someone was watching me, and the whole time the GAUSS meter kept ticking at whirring at a low level indicating the presence of EMF in the area. I started to worry that I might be in danger and that something might potentially push me down the stairs, so much so, that I decided to move quickly down the stairs to safety. I captured many other EVPs in the house.
While in the upstairs bathroom I picked up a possible a voice in response to my question “is anyone there?” I captured a clear voice saying what sounds like “Perhaps he is hiding, yes”
One of the EVPs I like the best is of a lady singing what sounds like an old fashioned tune like someone might sing while doing household chores. I hope that I may have captured the famous Ursulla.
The small bedroom upstairs is the room which was used by the goaler when the building was a prison. It’s the room I heard the loud banging from when I went to step into the living room on my arrival and it’s a room that some people have claimed to have heard children. I got and unusual tapping noise on my voice recorder when asking question to the goaler, Phil (aa man who had fairly recently committed suicide), or the children. The tapping was as if someone was trying to respond, this happened multiple times when asking questions.
The larger bedroom is the one associated with numerous physical attacks. Whilst I was in the room I took a picture what looks like a hazy cloud like substance coming in through the door.
In this bedroom one of the owner’s friend (a 22 stone man) was thrown into the cupboards in the room. Other paranormal investigators have felt intense pain, one lady reported feeling as if a sword has been struck through her. Other reports include blood coming from one investigator’s eyes and another has had blood from his ears. Some people have been left with physical marks (scratches and bites) and one person with no medical history of seizures had a seizure whilst in this room. While I was investigating this room I began to experience a burning pain in my shoulder. I didn’t take much notice at the time, but after I went downstairs, and on my drive home, my shoulder and part of arm was still burning. When I arrived home, I checked my shoulder in the mirror and observed a red mark which I was alarmed to see what looked like a possible bite shape. I’m 100% sure this mark wasn’t on my shoulder before I went to The Cage. By evening the mark had faded and by the next day it was gone. I did find it a little disturbing that I may have been physically harmed as a result of being in the house.
On arriving home, one thing I noticed was how completely exhausted I felt. The time spent in the house appeared to have totally drained all my energy.
From my own brief experience of the Cage and from the film evidence I’ve seen, the stories I’ve heard about what happens there, it’s like no place I’ve been; Paranormal activity is really heightened here, It felt like a portal to another dimension. I also believe that there was something negative and malevolent lurking in that house at that time.
The Cage was up for sale and was sold in 2019. I wonder how the new owner is getting on!
Here is a blah blah blah EVP
(this story was also written for Haunted Auckland)
Comments