Marsden Grotto - Ground Floor

Built into the natural rock, the ground floor bar area offers unique areas for drinks and dining. The front part of the bar is a pretty normal bar you'd find in any pub or inn anywhere in the country, while the back part of the bar creates a special enviroment for anyone to visit. A front terrace sits at the front of the Grotto and allows access to the beach and beyond the caves that the smugglers once used to use.

Baseline Report

Environment Readings

You will find in the table below the baseline readings that were taken at the beginning of the night for The Ground Floor.

Next, you will find a series of graphs showing subsequent readings (including baseline) that were taken through the night.

Group Vigils

What follows are the group vigils that took place in this location.

Note : These vigils are presented purely in Group Order and in no way reflect the order
 in which each group visited the location during the night.

Group 1

NGIers - Jay, Claire, Carol, Mark

Mark one again seated himself in the back bar Cave area to monitor the environment.
Mark set up his camera in the back part of the restaurant, which is built within the cave itself.
2.36 am - Claire enters the Back Bar and complains that she is finding it harder to breath in this area. Best way she can describe it was as though she was in an area with a limited supply of fresh air, and this was the first signs of it starting to run out, the air had become warm, thick and stale and deeper breaths were required. Claire felt this strongly, and commented on it to Mark and Carol, as she'd been in the cave several times on the pre vigil stuff and not felt it. People were constantly in and out of the bar going outside all night on and off, and the doors from the bar directly to the veranda (think they wee fire doors) were wedged open slightly.Carol asked if it was like how you sometimes get on a plane, and remarked on the smell you can get. Claire said she did smell a foisty smell but had put that down to the fact they were in a 'cave' and the rock walls. As Claire had never been on a plane she couldnt commment. They chatted about this for a while, then Jay came in. Jay commented that previously he had felt a "pressure" pulling down on his head when he was in this location, earlier on in the evening.

2.42 am - Mark hears a slight tap from the front bar, however there is a fly killer in this area which occasionally makes a noise.

At around 2.42 a.m. a "clicking" sound was heard by Carol and Mark. It was on Carol's left hand side, near the barrel where Mark's tankard was placed. Carol went to try and ascertain where the noise came from. It seemed to come from behind the cave wall, in the bar area on the other side. It was thought that this clicking noise may very well have been from the beer pumps in the bar, it was heard several times after that.

2.43 am - Mark feels as if someone is touching the top of his head. He calls out for whatever is causing it to do it more but comes to the conclusion that it is just his hair standing on end that is causing the sensation.

2.45 am - Mark attempts a glass divination and is soon joined by Jay. Nothing of note is reported. Mark and Jay try again but instead place their fingers on the side of the glass rather that the top. This again produced nothing of note other than more unconsious movement of the glass.

2.46 am - Claire went and sat where Jay had spent time earlier and said apart from the toilets it was the only place where he'd felt anything.This was at the seated bay window area at the other side of the lift, towards the kitchen area and stairs.

2.51 am - Claire heard 'nyak nyak' repeated for about 1 min in her head.

3.00 am - Mark, Jay and Claire take a walk down the beach to try and reach the 'caves' and look for 'smugglers'. Carol stayed on the veranda alone, as she she said she didnt have suitable shoes on. If Claire felt anything at all on the beach it was overshadowed by pain hehehehehehehe! Not the best idea to try and walk across big slippy rocks in 4 inch heels.........Claire would like to thank Jay for helping her out there, otherwise she'd still be there now hehehehehe!

The cave wasn't found (turns out they didnt go far enough along the beach).

There were rumours of paranormal activity on the patio, but Carol felt nothing worthy of note, nor did any of the others in the group on their return. Carol went upstairs while the others in her group were still on the beach, and joined the rest of NGI who were carrying out their vigils upstairs, to see how they were getting on. On the return of Carol's group she rejoined them in the downstairs cave restaurant that they had been in previously that evening.

On returning to the veranda the female staff member said as she'd been sat reading in the bar area on her own she'd heard what sounded like rubber soled footsteps coming from the empty area the other side of the lift donwstairs.

3.35 am - Mark re-enters the Back bar Cave area and hears a 'rasping noise' on entering as if someone is clearing their throat. There is no one else present.Claire went and sat back in the seated area and heard a loud noise,which she traced immediately to the vent on the wall. She heard and saw the slats move a few times, and she could see how this could be interpreted as rubber soled footsteps, as at times it only made a single,quite quiet noise which did sound to Claire a bit like footsteps. Claire waited for it to do it again, when she would get the staff member and ask if that was exactly what she heard, however the vent didn't make the noise again, or consistently enough for Claire to ask.

Jay joined Claire and she mentioned about the 'vent, although it didnt do it when Jay was present. Claire asked him if it had done it when he was sat there at any time earlier in the night, to which he answered it hadn't. Claire also said that it hadnt done it when she'd been sat there prior to going outside on the beach.

Jay went to the hotplate area and Claire moved to sit on the settee with her back to the main bar area. After about 15 mins after hearing the Julie, Phil, Bekki and Lee had left, Claire rejoined the others in the cave, and the investigation was wrapped up.

Group 2

NGIers - Lee, Julie, Bekki, Phil

12.50 am - The group began their investigation on the terrace. The Ouija Board was their first choice of communication. In the still, warm night Julie began by calling out in an attempt to get the board moving. As there was no response the group took a turn in seeing if it made a difference – but no. The board was as dead as the atmosphere.

The famous pebble beach has a number of interesting features, such as the now ruined Marsden Rock and caves along the cliff face. The group decided to stroll along the beach to see if the atmosphere changed. Known for being a place for suicide jumpers they wondered if they’d pick up on this, but again there was nothing.

The group then walked along the beach a little, and this is when Bekki recalled coming out earlier and seeing what looked like a lady on a horse riding down the far end of the beach, not that this could be confirmed as paranormal as riders often do ride down there.

1.15 am - Back in the Grotto the group sat in the downstairs cave. In a corner reputed to have activity, they set out the Ouija board and began calling for spirits to communicate with them. After about 5 minutes and a lack of response they attempted glass divination but again, there was no response. The group all commented on how flat the atmosphere felt.

1.30 am - The group decided to split up individually and see if they could sense or experience anything rather than pursue the group activity.

Lee took snaps of the bar and restaurant areas, sat quietly in various places and allowed his thoughts to drift.

2.00 am - The team gradually drifted back together and they discussed the Grotto, reminisced about the locations that had been interesting and theories as to why Marsden Grotto seemed to lack any kind of 'atmosphere' whatsoever.