Ghost Reports

Since 2005 Dean has become very well known for his 'Midas' work with Reality TV shows and Sports events but we should not forget he is also a top paranormal Investigator.

Since his Bisham Abbey Ghost hunt in the late nineties Dean has been lucky enough to visit some of the countries most haunted locations, from his 2003 Killhope Mine experience to his memorable nights at the Manor House Hotel.

Listed below are a run down of some of Dean's investigations which he has kindly given to us in his own words, read on if you dare...

Manor House - Scream 4 Charity Ghosthunt

On Friday 8th April 2011 I arranged a Scream style charity ghost hunt at the Manor House Hotel, West Auckland, ahead of Scream 4 being released, with all the proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Society.

Local actor Stephen Quinnell took on the role of GhostFace and after each vigil he duly frightened the life out of the investigators by jumping out from behind doors and hiding in the corridors. He also did a brilliant job of impersonating GhostFace speaking on the walkie talkie, again keeping all the team members scared and on their toes.

Scream 4 Charity Ghosthunt

The ghost hunt itself was very eventful:

A team member was touched in room 6 just as the EMF meter went completely off the scale, room 34 saw two different team members touched at separate times and in room 18 two team members suddenly felt very emotional one minute and had panic attacks the next.

The event was a complete sell out and over £500 was raised for the Alzheimer's Society.

Huge huge thanks must go to County Durham actor Stephen Quinnell who gave us his time for free and dressed as GhostFace, duly frightened the life out of everyone.

He did a fantastic job and is highly recommended.

For more information about Stephen please visit.

Dean & Stephen

The event was featured on Scream websites ghostface.co.uk, hellosidney.com and examiner.com.

I was also honoured to receive this message prior to the event from Fun World Licensing Director R.J. Torbert.

Mr Torbert is the man responsible for naming the mask prior to its film debut, deciding on "GhostFace" with the blessing of Fun World owners Stanley and Allan Geller. The Ghostface design and title are owned by Fun World.

Dean,

On behalf of Fun World, Alan Geller , Stanley Geller and myself.

We wish you the very best in your Charity Event. Fun World believes in the gift of giving to those less fortunate with major challenges in front of them. To those of you who organize events such as this to benefit those in need,.we salute you in your quest to "fight the fight" Your efforts and "giving" of your time and donation is an inspiration to many and I'm sure will encourage others to look at what is truly important in life. You have our continued best wishes for a successful and fun event. With best regards,

R.J.Torbert
Director/Licensing/Product Development.

Update - April 20th 2011

The Official Alzheimer's Society website issued this press release 2 weeks after the event, confirming how much was raised. Massive thanks to everyone who was involved.

Scream Team

The Langdale Chase - Windermere (Filmed for ITV show The Lakes)

The Langdale Chase, apart from being a strikingly beautiful building which overlooks the mountains and lakes, when bathed in sunlight is a romantic palace. But during the night it takes on a different guise. It would not look out of place on a ghost story set. The moment you walk in the hall you feel you are not alone and have numerous sets of beady eyes from the old masters mounted on the wall following your every movement.

Over the years, the hotel has had many reports from somewhat shocked, scared and bewildered guests informing the staff that they were not alone. Particular rooms had more guests or visitors than they were allocated for.

My Good friends, owner Thomas Noblett and General Manager Andrew Tighe called me in and asked me to spend the night with hotel receptionist and fellow ghost investigator, Amy Keogh in the most haunted room, number 3.

Number 3

Please bear in mind, Tom & Andrew would never dream of sleeping in there; they said they prefer to take on the real world!

The night was moonless, windy and lended itself to the long-term residents as me and Amy waited for them to introduce themselves to us.

During the course of the evening, the specialist equipment started to pick up various movements and activity. Photos that were taken picked up plenty of orbs. The team also heard voices at various times, including one saying "They are in there" and then one event that turned laughter into fear.

As the ghost hunt drew to a close the bathroom door in room 3 rattled, shook and as I approached the door, Tom & Andrew burst in...scaring everyone half to death. They had apparently crept up the fire escape that joins on to the back of room 3.

As we all laughed, the main door handle rattled, very quickly wiping all the smiles off of everyone's faces. I went outside to look, but no one was there.

It was the end twist on a very eventful night at the Langdale Chase.

Team Dean

The Ghost hunt was featured on ITV's the Lakes on the 21st February 2011 and was watched by 4 million people.

Killhope Mine - County Durham

In 2003 Dean became the first ever ghost investigator to spend the night at Killhope Mine in County Durham, It was a night he would never forget.

Below is a copy of Dean's report from the night, this memorable Ghost hunt went onto make the national BBC news.

Killhope Mine was was Britain's richest lead mine from 1853-1910 and was re-opened to the public in 1996 as a museum.

The night started very quietly and around 1.30am we went for a walk in the woods,about a mile in we stumbled across a derelict cottage that had no windows and had clearly not been occupied for some time, the only way to describe it was it looked like a smaller version of the house at the end of the Blair Witch film.

We entered the cottage very nervously and lasted about 2 minutes as it had a very eerie "we were not alone" feeling to it.

As we started briskly walking back I heard a womans voice shout coming back from the cottage, I kept it to myself as I thought it was just my imagination..it wasn't.

10 seconds later my colleague confirmed this by shouting "did you hear that woman shout." We quickly walked back to the Miner's hut on ground level and in the next 15 minutes had the terror of the side door being rattled.

We finally left Killhope at 3am as the cottage and door rattling experience had totally freaked us out and we were starting to hear and see things that were more down to our imagination than down to Ghosts.

Killhope is still to this day the most un-nerving investigation I have ever done.

We were told that Killhope's recorded deaths are as follows: The first being Graham Peart in 1864 who fell whilst working high up on a rise, The second is Thomas Harrison who was killed in 1878 when gunpowder exploded and he was fatally wounded. The most staggering story though is of an unknown woman who went looking for her missing husband in the woods at Killhope only to get lost and was never seen again...maybe her spirit still wanders Killhope Mine and that's who we disturbed on that eerie night back in April 2003.

Here is a link to the story.

Killhope Mine

Manor House Hotel - West Auckland

The Manor House Hotel & Country Club is a grade one listed building built on foundations which date back to the 12th Century.

Steeped in history and reputed to have been Henry VIII's hunting lodge.

I have carried out many investigations at the Manor and so much has happened that I firmly believe that it is one of the countries most haunted venues.

Midas investigates The Manor House Hotel

In room 34 a locked wardrobe door has opened three times and a member of the public claimed to be grabbed by the throat by the ghost of a man dressed like a monk. Erratic emf reading's are also common and on one occasion the lights blew at the same time as the door handle to the room was rattled, when I opened the door seconds later, no one was there.

Other incidents at the Manor include strange knocking noises from unoccupied rooms, someone shouted 'shoosh' behind two team members in room 11 and two people have been pushed in the bathroom of room 18.

The most active room though is the Knights Hall...During a seance one of the team appeared to get possessed and starting asking in a strange voice "where are the children". On the next investigation a little girl's voice was heard on a walkie talkie during a seance in the same room.

Dark shadows and rustling noises are also frequently seen and heard in the room.

On many occasions, noises have been heard coming from the balcony that surrounds the Knights hall and on one occasion a chair was put across the door leading on to the balcony by persons unknown.

One of the most disturbing events that have ever taken place at the Manor took place in the Knight's Hall. After a seance a pencil was found stabbed in to the floor at the back of a chair leg. It was not there before.

In early 2010 before the group started a seance, Team Midas member, Charlotte stood on a chair in the Knights Hall and put her coat over a light. When we finished the seance Charlotte went to get her coat back but the chair was gone, we don't know to this day where it went.

A Monk, children and an old woman are the spirits that have been picked up at the Manor.

Here is one account from 2008 via a reporter from the Wear Valley Mercury.

The Manor House Hotel

Update - November 2010

In November 2010 me and my team were asked to run a charity night for the Butterwick Hospice.

The week before their visit a member of the public left the room he had just checked in to and refused to go back in to the hotel. He paid his bill on the road just outside the Manor. He told the receptionist that the whole hotel was haunted and he could not stay there any longer.

One week on and this ghost hunt turned out to be one of the most eventful & active nights at the Manor since me and my team started investigating their back in 2007.

I put the 14 charity volunteers in to 3 teams, from that moment on all hell broke loose...

A woman's voice was heard on two separate occasions in room 34 as well as a shadow being seen by a whole team, orb like lights and a tapping noise on a table from the other end of the room was also seen and heard, throughout the night the readings from the various EMF meters were also erratic in the room.

4 team members were touched at separate times and in different areas of the hotel.

In room 6 a noise was heard and 2 team members felt the urge to jump on the bed and became giggly and child like, both were at separate times.

In the knights hall the activity was beyond belief.

A child was seen by 2 people, a light flickered on for 10 seconds when all the power was off, shadows were seen, a person was seen kneeling in a praying position, EMF meters also went crazy in 2 separate areas of the room.

In room 18 people felt sick, complained of headaches, a girl had her necklace pulled by something unknown and a weird picture (below) was taken.

The day that this write up was added (November 15th 2010) I was contacted by the hotel to be advised that a guest had checked out early that morning because he was woke up in his room by a woman who had him pinned to the bed shouting "What are you doing here" when he shouted back, she disappeared.

This was the 3rd major incident at the hotel in less than 10 days...

The Manor House Hotel

Update - October 2011

During an investigation in October 2011 my team heard creaks, random noises and the sound of the main door in to the hall banging. That was just the start.

Then 'something' started walking in the balcony area of the hall, footsteps were clearly heard by the whole team.

In all my time ghost hunting, I have never, ever experienced anything like it, the footsteps were still going even when I shone my torch on the area, I shouted to whatever was there, but got no reply.

The night porter then went to check out the area but he said there was no one around and no guests were staying in rooms at that end of the hotel.

Helme Park Hotel - County Durham

On Friday 3rd July we investigated the Helme Park Hotel for the first ever time..it was a night that we would not forget in a hurry.

All we knew about the hotel was that it was built in 1643, the management & all the staff refused to give us any further information about it's ghost stories and sightings, in fact up to and including this report (July 6th 09) their is nothing on the web detailing the hotel's spooky origins.

The manager gave us some room keys & left us to get information & evidence, to add to this he stayed with Ian's group so he could hear and give feedback on any queries or questions we had at the end of each vigil.

My team spent the first vigil in the 'South Tyneside' room (number 233), team two headed by Ian were in room 235 down the end of the corridor with the manager.

Now what happened in the next 50 minutes is I have to say my top ever paranormal experience.

Firstly the walkie talkie came on randomly with a foreign voice which Julie in my team said sounded German (more on that later) then the corridor door opened, footsteps went past our door, the emf meter on the bathroom floor lit up solid Green, 10 seconds later the footsteps came back, at this point I said clearly to my team I felt that "someone was outside looking in" then the footsteps walked away and the corridor door went again.

Now a few minutes went past when I said to the group "I thought the manager said this end of the hotel was empty."

Whilst all this was going on Ian's team had a strong 'musty' smell coming and going in their room and the emf meter kept randomly going off, we later found out that when the footsteps went past our door, their activity stopped completely.

Before we met the manager told Ian's team what guests and one other ghost team had experienced in room 233...

In the next 5 minutes the manager told us that a spirit known as the Green Lady walks down the hotel corridor by room 233, goes to the end turns and comes back and then stops outside the door looking in...exactly what I had sensed and said to the group.

He also confirmed she was of German origin, the voice on the walkie talkie was German.

Add to this a door that keeps being opened on the ground floor near the reception desk then The Helme Park hotel has to be respected as one of the north-east's most haunted venues.

This was an unbelievable night and we can't wait to go back to the Helme Park Hotel in the coming months.

Update - August 2009

Sometimes when you return to a venue after having so much activity, the follow up investigation can be a let down...but not this time.

The investigation was aired live on the Paddy MacDee show on BBC Radio Newcastle and right from the start things started to happen.

In the Harperley room Charlotte said her arm was touched twice and whilst that happened in room 235 Jean's team heard a toilet flush and taps turn on from the room next door, thinking it was empty they never thought anymore of it until the manager passed them on the stairs and said the room was not occupied, he even let them to see for themselves...empty.

But without any doubt the highlight of the night was the previously un-investigated Waskerley suite.

Waskerley Suite

When we first walked into the room Julie said she felt uneasy and that the made up bed looked bare and was just a mattress, at this point something really strange happened and I am glad Julie, Gemma, Charlotte and Andrea were there to witness me going through it.

I plainly heard 3 knocks on the window, the knocks were as if someone wanted to get in, just as I said to the team "did anyone else hear that" the walkie talkie went weird and the emf meter went off and lit up solid green.

Then as the walkie talkie intermittingly went off someone came through and said 'shush', Julie plainly heard it as did Gemma and Andrea.

For the rest of our time in the room the walkie talkie kept going off randomly BUT strangely when Jean's team spent some time in their after us, it never went off once.

Massive thanks as ever to Paul the manager, who on both occasions has made us feel very welcome.

Update - September 2009

This press piece went regarding Dean's investigation at Helme Park

The team and I went back to Helme and yet again some unexplainable things happened.

Most of the nights activity centred around the Harperley room.

4 of the team said they got touched on the head whilst being in the room and Charlotte even discovered a small scratch on her hand that was not previously there.

The name 'Hannah' was also picked up in the room and when asked if we were not wanted, a loud bang was heard in the corridor, with no one else around.

Another eventful night at Helme...

Helme Park Hotel

The Morrit Hotel - Greta Bridge

Me and my team visited the late 17th Century Morrit Hotel on Halloween night 2008, the only thing we were told is that a headless ghost was said to haunt the hotel.

On arrival we were given 3 sets of room keys, we were given no further information at that point, so after getting the team prepared we set off, my team went to room 11, Charlotte's team went to room 22.

After 45 minutes we met back up in reception to report our findings, In room 11 we picked up on a woman spirit and a young child, one of the team was touched on the leg and whilst I carried out a Live Halloween phone interview for a local radio station the team said the dowsing rods went crazy, spinning in different directions and crossing over, when I stopped they stopped. strange.

Room 22 was quiet and the team picked up nothing.

Back at reception a member of staff said nothing had ever been seen or heard in room 22 which was good for my team but a woman spirit had been seen in the corridor leading to room 11, exactly what we had picked up.

One of two little things happened in the ground floor restuarant but the night ended in a spooky fashion when during a seance in the hotel bar I picked up on the name Annie, 15 minutes later whilst the team were in different area the deputy manager came to let us know she was going home, I asked if she knew of an Annie? she replied "I am called Annie" silence. she asked where I had picked up on this and I advised her it was in the bar area. "I was the bar manager for 8 years before I became deputy manager" Annie replied.

The Morrit hotel is haunted, it is a lovely beautiful hotel, but it is haunted.

Thanks to the owners Barbara and Peter for allowing us to spend the night at their property.

The Morrit Hotel.

Darlington Civic Theatre

At the 99 year old theatre we heard a noise like someone walking up a ladder on the back stage wall, something that manager Peter said has only been heard on "very rare occasions", three different groups in different areas all heard a woman, including me and in dressing room 12 a team member left in tears after seeing the ghost of a small girl in the mirror.

Update - 5th August 2011 Charity Night with ReConnected

Dean, his team and Midas act ReConnected did a Ghost hunt at the Theatre in aid of St Teresa's Hospice on Friday 5th August 2011.

Here is the list of what happened on the very active night.

ReConnected Lead singer Harry Mondryk saw a young girl in the mirror of Dressing room 12.

A loud breath was heard on the walkie talkies by all three groups in different areas.

Faces were seen in both VIP boxes.

A group saw a man kneeling on the stage, who then disappeared.

A silver stage curtain fell 30 feet on to the stage, on it's own and Theatre manager Peter Tate had no explanation...THIS HAPPENED LIVE ON BBC NEWCASTLE.

A dog was heard barking in the theatre, a whistle was heard backstage with everyone in the auditorium.

The scariest event of the night happened when Max Mondryk got slapped on the back whilst he was sat on the stage, people 10 feet away in the seats even heard the slap.

To top off a great night, £235 was raised for St Teresa's Hospice. Thanks to everyone who attended, especially Midas act ReConnected.

ReConnected with Midas

Darlington Railway Museum

Listen to the audio from this scary night.

Click here for a video.

Schooner Hotel - Alnmouth

Voted the most haunted hotel in the U.K 2002, I found out very early on why. We had an 8 degree temperature drop in a room full of hot radiators, feelings of sickness and constant feeling of being watched.

Chillingham Castle - Northumberland

A night never to be forgotten when someone coughed loudly in my ear in the tortue room, I turnt round expecting a fellow team member but was very much alone, very eerie place.

Castle Keep - Newcastle

In my many visits here Ive heard footsteps walking past me in the Galleries, My EMF meter going crazy during a seance in the Garrison room and took a picture which clearly shows a face in mist.

Washington Old Hall - Tyne and Wear

Another venue I have visited on a many occasions and the only venue where I have encountered my closest ghost sighting, Me and Drew Bartly saw a mist hovering in the Panel room just off the main hall, It was their for seconds before it disapeared into a wall.

At Halloween 2011 Dean took DJ's Colin & Matt from Amazing Radio on a Ghosthunt at Washington Old Hall as part of a X Factor forfeit. Watch the video to find out what happened...if you dare.

Ravensworth - Tyne and Wear

The cellars here are one of the scariest places I have been to, During an Investigation one of my team saw a bright light come from out of a wall, Then a visiting Gamekeeper was pushed and was sent running for his life. Another venue where you dont feel alone.

Souter Lighthouse - South Shields

Me and my team clearly heard footsteps walking down a corridor only to find no-one else around and on a different occasion I heard children`s voices near to the engine room.

Jiggery Pokery Shop - Northumberland

Five of my team all heard what sounded like an iron being switched on at least 3 occasions down in the fabric room.

Richmond Castle - Yorkshire

During a Live Halloween radio broadcast on BBC Radio Cleveland in 2005 a childs voice was clearly heard down the phone during the live phone link but there were no children aound either area at the time. Here is the link, Please click and listen for yourselves:

Beamish Hall - County Durham

Whilst in the Shaftoe Hall corridor I clearly heard someone coughing in the toilets only to find they were empty and on another Investigation the emf meter went crazy at the bottom of the Shaftoe corridor for 10 seconds then stopped and never did it again.

Other Cases

I have also been to numerous other places which include Lumley Castle, Kings Head Hotel,Darlington, Redworth Hall,Walworth Castle,Urqhuart castle on the banks of Loch Ness, Blackpool Ghost train, London Dungeons, Bisham Abbey in Berkshire, Newcastle theatre Royal and Tyneside cinema both in Newcastle`s city centre,York Dungeons and Clifford tower both in York, Marsden Grotto, South Shields, Dilston Castle and many other private houses and businesses that I cant mention due to privacy reasons. Some of Dean's investigations were mentioned in a press piece about the north's most haunted places.

Please note, do not visit any of these places unless invited.

Midas Investigators: Left to Right: Jean, Andrea, Charlotte, Dean 'Midas' Maynard, Gemma, Karen and Julie

This 8 minute video was filmed in the Spring of 2005 and features Dean's first Midas case, Sunderland AFC, Amityville and various Ghost reports. Thanks to Jimmy France of http://www.luk-lukproductions.co.uk/.

Site Design & Development - © 2008 Andy Fear

Dean 'Midas' Maynard's work is for entertainment purposes only

Disclaimer: Please note that Dean offers tips but cannot guarantee the results. All gambling is at your own risk and Dean 'Midas' Maynard cannot be held liable for any money lost as a result of following the tips. By using tips from this website you are deemed to have accepted this disclaimer.