Visitors were invited to join the Scottish Paranormal team as they set up and conduct a three hour investigation, where they were involved fully in all aspects of paranormal investigating the Camera Obscura and Ragged School ‘the real way’.  Vigils took place in the old ‘Ragged School’ along with data recording in two specific exhibition rooms; one with a reported heavy and negative atmosphere and the other where an apparition of a lady had been spotted previously. The tower dates from 1620: the ‘Ragged School’ for poor children from 1847.  Derelict for many years, the School is due for redevelopment.  This was the first ever investigation of either historic building.

There were 23 members of the public, 9 ghost-hunters and 2 members of staff attending the event.  The idea was that 6 “hot spots” were to be investigated.  In these places some trigger objects were placed, sound recording equipment and video cameras set up in an attempt to measure any unusual activity.  The public were split into 3 groups and were taken by a sub-team of ghost-hunters round each of the hot spots to try and discover paranormal activity.

Here is a selection some of the findings

• Loud footsteps heard going up the stairs between 2nd and 3rd floor (no one was in the area)
• High heeled shoes heard clearly walking across the shop (no one in the area)
• A loud metallic bang heard on the 2nd floor near the morph machine
• A sensation of coldness felt by several people on the second floor
• In the Ragged School several battery operated equipment suddenly died despite being fully charged.
• Orbs were caught on the 2nd floor by a member of the public with their own video camera

The following all happened in the presence of a very sceptical member of staff:

• A medium who apparently knew nothing about the building told of how the place was used to teach mainly boys how to do wood work and cobbling, these boys all felt that they had no future before coming to the place but after they were here it was almost as if they had been prepared for the outside world. This took place in the basement of the ragged school (a perfect description of the ragged school)
• On the top floor of the school building the same medium picked up on someone called Turner and some sort of connection with the Surgeons Hall Museum. These may not be connected.
• The medium also described in great detail a tall man in a long grey coat, standing powerfully in the far corner of the room.  ( This is strange as it matches very much with a ghostly figure seen only a few weeks ago by a staff member from the ground level of the ragged school).
• In what is considered to be the main hall of the school (first floor of the ragged school building) the medium picked up on a school master/teacher who seems to be getting a little annoyed at all the interruption he has been getting of late.  There was also a clear bang heard by all in the group that could not be explained.  This happened in response to the group asking for any sprits present to left themselves be known.
• The medium also picked up (her strongest and most powerful vision of the night) a ghost cat.  She said that if people were to start working in this place over a long period of time the sense or even the sound of a cat was bound to be heard.
• In the small room off the far right corner of the first floor a stranger meaty smell was sensed.  (Possibly from a brewery in Fountainbridge?).
• Also, and this was the most interesting thing from the evening, a trigger object moved.  A cross had been placed on a white bit of card and a pencil line drawn around it to mark its exact location.  When the group entered the room the object had moved out of its position by a small margin.  This could have been a ghost but the ghost hunters put this down to maybe pressure on the same floor board making it move slightly.  However during the course of our time in the room , about 15 minutes, the object moved another full centimetre.  Now this might seem a ridiculously small movement but nonetheless it was a clear movement.  What is  more compelling is that at no time was anyone in the room go near the object to move it either on purpose or by accident.  For people yet to be convinced, this movement was also caught on video camera and is currently being examined by Paranormal Scotland.

We have been delighted to work with Scottish Paranormal’s team of investigators.

Scottish Paranormal were great to deal with: nice people, very professional, most accommodating and bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help us discover more about our historic premises.  Also their close contact with the media and their enthusiasm for our scruffy old (and historic) premises meant they brought very good publicity to us.  The investigation was a sell out.  The PR was far better than anticipated with three film crews plus Evening News coverage.  In addition they found a lot of paranormal activity in different areas of the building which we had little idea about before.

Andrew Johnson,
Manager

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Castlehill, The Royal Mile,  Edinburgh EH1 2ND
T: 0131 226 3709  F: 0131 225 4239