Eastwood Hall is a Georgian period house that was initially constructed in 1810 by the wealthy Plumptre family who owned the nearby Plumptre Colliery. The town of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire is one of many towns around the Erewash Valley region renowned for its success in the coal mining industry, dating as far back as medieval times. Originally the Monks of Beauvale Priory had the rights to mine in the area, which slowly branched out to companies and other businesses as centuries went by. By the 17th and 18th centuries, coal mining was a booming industry, that grew even further at the turn of the 1800s when the Industrial Revolution truly took shape.

 

The Plumptre family decided to sell on the Eastwood Estate and in 1830 it was purchased by George Walker whose family were involved with the Barber Walker Company which operated majority of the local coal mining collieries. George wanted alterations made to the Hall as he enjoyed the Italianate look, so he offered the job to a local builder named William Rowe. The Hall we see today was completed in 1832 and George was immediately listed as the Principle Landowner and Lord of the Manor at Eastwood Hall, making it the permanent home of the Walker family.

 

George Walker was Squire of Eastwood Hall for nearly 20 years and lived here with his wife Emma (nee Crawfurd) and their three children. On the 13th March 1851 at the shocking young age of 45, he suddenly passed away. His young and only son Thomas Walker succeeded his father as the new Squire. In 1865 Thomas married a young girl by the name of Eleanor (nee Bourne). At the time of the marriage, Thomas was aged 19 and Eleanor was aged 14. Together a few years later, they had a daughter named Mabel Zoe Walker (1869-1934). Tragedy eventually struck the Walker family home again, because in 1871 at the even more shocking young age of just 26 years old, Thomas Walker Esquire died. His wife Eleanor predeceased him, which left Mabel Zoe Walker an orphan. She was sent away to live with Thomas' aunt Frances in Middlesex, later was looked after by Colonel Davidson and his wife. Eastwood Hall was drafted as being a beautiful family home for the Walkers, but in reality it cursed them to early graves; truly a melancholic story.

 

Thomas P. Barber and his friend Thomas Walker were both high-profiled businessmen, who had coal mining interests and businesses in the Erewash Valley, which included places like Strelley, Awsworth, Newthorpe, Langley Mill and Bilborough. They were granted the lease for coal mining in these areas in 1790, and this founded for what became the Barber Walker Company. The BWC went on to open new coal mining pits in and around Eastwood, which helped them to the top of the industry, although a large portion of their employees labouring the pits consisted of children as young as 13. In 1917, nearly 130 years after the partnership formed, the Barber Walker Company based its headquarters at Eastwood Hall, re-establishing its connections to the house of the Walker family.

 

Interestingly at the beginning of World War 1, Eastwood Hall was partly used for a few years as a convalescent home for Belgian soldiers, who were recovering from severe injuries suffered during the Great War. In 1947 the coal industry was nationalised, and the new National Coal Board acquired Eastwood Hall as its headquarters. Planning for the national miners' strikes took place here, but sadly the strikes weren't enough, and in 1985, the last coal mine in the area closed for good.

 

Today Eastwood Hall is an upper class hotel, wedding and corporate venue, and with Brookes Paranormal it is the exclusive home of all things paranormal.

Eastwood Hall may appear on the outside to be a luxurious hotel and events venue, but inside after darkness falls, strange happenings and unexplainable activity takes place.

 

There have been a few deaths documented at the Hall, including George Walker in 1851, his wife Emma Walker in 1865 and Thomas Walker in 1871. Are their energies still wandering around the old Hall like a recording in the building's fabric?

 

The ghost of an elderly gentleman has been seen upstairs in the corridors. He is described as being hunched over carrying a walking stick with a distinguishing moustache. No one knows who this spirit is or why he makes his presence known. Some speculate he used to work for the Barber Walker Company. Could we find more information on this male apparition during our investigation?

 

At times when the warm temperatures in the rooms suddenly turn icy cold, the lights tend to flicker dramatically for no reason. Then when the rooms become warm again, the flickering stops. Electricians have carried out multiple tests and can find no explanation for why this happens. Is this phenomena the workings of the spirit world?

 

The spirit of Thomas Walker is believed to haunt Eastwood Hall as well. On our previous investigation here, multiple groups picked up on the name Thomas Walker through paranormal methods like the spirit board and table tipping, and through equipment such as EMF Meters. Responses when calling out to Thomas appeared intelligent, and after researching his history a lot of the information matched up (his death year and age at death especially). Why does Thomas still roam Eastwood Hall? Does he have a message or story that needs to be told?

 

Various auditory phenomena has been reported at the Hall, from loud heavy footsteps walking the corridors, disembodied voices echoing from empty rooms and tapping noises heard in response to talking about Eastwood Hall's depressing history.

DATE: Friday 6th September 2024

 

TIMES: 9:00pm - 3:00am (arrive 15 minutes early and wait patiently outside reception until a member of our team greets you for registration)

 

LOCATION: Eastwood Hall, Mansfield Road, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire NG16 3SS

 

PARKING AT EVENT: Car Park on site.

 

REMAINING BALANCE: Needs to be paid FOUR WEEKS prior to the event date. Failure to pay your remaining balance before this deadline will result in you forfeiting your places and your places will be sold on.

 

WHAT TO BRING: A torch, a warm coat/jacket, sensible footwear, any equipment you wish to bring along (your responsibility), your positive and open-minded energies.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Bringing alcohol or drugs to this event is strictly prohibited. If anyone arrives at the event under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they will not be allowed to stay for the night and will be asked to leave immediately.