Bodmin Jail

I will be staying three nights in Bodmin Jail.  Well, the luxury hotel on the site of Bodmin Jail.  This gorgeous hotel is extremely comfortable, although the atmosphere might be a bit oppressive.  I am a believer of energies connecting us all.  I don’t know how or what form it takes, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there is more than just this.   Usually it doesn’t affect me much, but maybe a ghost tour before bed wasn’t my brightest plan?

The guide seemed excellent, legitimate and interested in the stories.  They will apparently be on an upcoming episode of My Haunted Project which he was quite excited about.  The guide led us down to a basement level of the jail, and told stories of the local area as well as the past, and present, inmates of the jail.  

While telling tales in what was the morgue, and is now a display like a court room, the lights continually flickered. It did seem a little fantastical to me, though the guide swears that the lights have all been checked repeatedly and no faults can be found.  Interestingly, the claim was the lights flicker more when the story is told of Sara Polgrean, and when he started talking about other stories the flickering almost completely stopped.  Instinct makes me skeptical, but I want to believe he isn’t the one lying at least.  

We carried on the tour into some cells that have been restored.  I found out we were in the Navy Wing, which means just a few stories below my luxury cell for the night.  We were able to look around the cells. Which also included a macabre example of Victorian Mortuary Photography.  And the story of the one cell that is completely sealed off.  The ghost given the delightful name of Sausage Fingers allegedly led to the swift resignation of many a worker during the renovations.  So after two failed exorcisms the whole cell is now sealed off.  

The tour wound its way back up to ground level, over the land where several of the executed prisoners are buried- don’t tell the school children, that’s their picnic area! Before finishing at the hanging pit.  What was once a public spectacle was eventually moved to an indoor hanging pit to give the prisoners a little bit of dignity.  Apparently it’s still functional, so if England changes the laws again the Hotel may have a new income option.

After the tour ended I returned to the Chapel restaurant for dinner.  It was a lovely steak, but I did find myself feeling a bit down.  Not sure if it was being tired, or someone negative had been stealing my energy, but I decided to head to bed a bit early.  And I offered a deal to any “roommates” I had, I would leave the chair free of anything for them to use, and they could use the bed during the day when I was gone, if they would let me sleep in peace.

I then went to watch TV in bed before falling asleep.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find my go to wind down show, Ghosts.  I hope my new friends weren’t disappointed.