Wymering Manor: A Night of Spirit, Shadows, and Something More
- Dr Iain M Lightfoot
- Jul 12
- 6 min read
There’s something about Wymering Manor that pulls you towards it, a magnetic attraction... It’s not just the history, the creaking timbers, or the cold pockets of air that make no sense. It’s the feeling that you’re being watched. Not malevolently, well not always, but with purpose.
This time, I returned again alongside Paranormal Hunters UK and with DS Haunts to deliver our Paranormal Investigators Course during the day and then run a full investigation into the night. What followed was one of the most layered, energetic, and significant nights I’ve ever experienced in the field.
Maybe, just maybe, we encountered something more than spirit contact. Something dimensional. Something… other.
Starting Strong: Dowsing and Direct Communication
Following the course, we 'kicked off' in what we’ve been calling the Soldier’s Room, beginning with the usual setup. I don’t often use dowsing rods as I’ve been sceptical but something about the energy in the room nudged me to try again. I’m so glad I did.
To our surprise, the response came through quickly and clearly: the spirits didn’t want to speak here. “Room Three,” they suggested instead.
That set the tone. The night would be led, as always, by them, not us.
Once in Room Three, things escalated. Dowsing rods, spirit balls, EVP, and intuitive senses came together to reveal a surprising amount of detail. One presence, a spirit dog, became especially responsive. Each time we called him in a natural, friendly tone, cat balls would light up and we’d hear movement. At one point, I felt the sensation of a small animal jumping on my back upstairs. Was it him?
History Verified: The Cook, the Kitchen, and the Rods
During our session, we made contact with a woman who identified herself as a cook, present over 100 years ago. I assumed, naturally, that the kitchen was where it is today. Yet when asked, spirit strongly disagreed.
Using the rods, I narrowed down the direction, left, right, front, back, until I was suddenly struck by a thought: Was the kitchen in a separate building?
I asked. The rods pointed, clearly, deliberately. Same spot. Twice.
Later, when we spoke with the Manor’s historian, we were stunned to learn that yes, at that time period in history, the kitchen was likely separate from the house due to fire risk and the paranoia over house fires. In fact, the very area the rods indicated is known to have housed it.
Verification like this is like striking gold in our field. It’s one thing to feel something or receive a message. It’s another to have it supported by independent historical fact. We get used to subjectivity and fight hard for triangulation and supporting our evidence with trust, yet we uncovered what was fact!
The Energy Shifts at Wymering Manor
As the evening progressed and guests arrived for the DS Haunts public event, we moved into the up stair's Children’s Room. This space is always emotionally charged. As soon as we called for the spirit dog, orbs lit up the cameras, despite the low light.
Suddenly, I felt it, an intuitive wave of anger. Not general energy, but specific and forceful: a man, arms outstretched, lunging toward me with clenched hands. The rage was immediate and primal. It rattled me. I felt his anger and the need to smash objects and destroy... my word.
We moved quickly into what we hoped would be a calmer space: the Mirror Room, in search again of the Lady in the Mirror.
The Lady in the Mirror
What I sensed was striking. A woman in white, brushing her hair in long, deliberate strokes. She wasn’t a mist or fragment, she felt almost fully formed, 80-90% solid in my vision.
I didn’t know at the time, but later I was told she matched sightings of a well-known white lady often seen in the manor. What made this moment remarkable was how she seemed to exist in her time, surrounded by her furnishings but entirely unaware of us. She wasn’t looking to connect; she was being.
Was I seeing a residual imprint, a psychic echo? Or had I tapped into her space during a moment of overlap? I am unable to explain, some would say that this was my imagination...
The Portal Phenomenon
Then came the moment that has lingered in my thoughts ever since.
In a quiet moment between sessions, we were experimenting with OM chanting and tuning forks, methods we’ve started using to stir energy and vibration. The room shifted. More orbs, colder air, goosebumps, an undeniable buzz.
That’s when it happened.
A guest was behind a curtain in the adjoining space, taking photographs. Barry and I both suddenly saw a bright white strobe of light. Not once, twice. Quick flashes, like a camera focusing or recalibrating, but more intense, more deliberate.
We assumed it must be one of the cameras. We tried to replicate it. Nothing. We looked at the camcorder. It was still. The guest’s camera was behind the curtain, not aimed that way.
The flash had no obvious source and wasn't being used. Then everything stopped.
The activity just ceased.
What Is a Portal?
Let’s pause here. What do we mean by a portal?
In paranormal research, a portal is believed to be a gateway or opening between dimensions, most often between our physical realm and the spirit world, but sometimes described as access points to multiple realities or timelines.
Some describe portals as:
Energy vortexes or cold spots
Locations with frequent crossing-over activity
Places where time behaves oddly
Entry points for intelligent spirits or residual phenomena
Conduits for specific entities to “jump” locations
Others report disorientation, sudden nausea, vertigo, and equipment malfunctions, flashing lights in areas suspected to be portals.
Some believe portals can be opened or closed via trauma, ritual, or even natural magnetism or quartz content in the ground.
Theories aside, many of us have felt them: the shift, the silence, the pull.
Back at Wymering, I can’t say with certainty. Yet I do know this:
Two of us witnessed the same light phenomenon, twice
It looked technological, but had no explainable source
The energy in the room dropped suddenly afterwards, and all activity ceased
This occurred in the exact location where others have suspected a portal
Previous mirror-related sightings also suggest a thinning of the veil in this area
Could it have been a mechanical glitch? Possibly. However, when no device can reproduce the effect, and it happens during heightened spiritual energy... well, we have to ask: Was this the portal activating?
We plan to return with new experimental setups, including laser grids, magnetic field detectors, mirrored alignment tests, and even live chant-and-measure sessions to gather more data.
Whether that light came from our world or another, something shifted. If it was indeed an electronic device - did it trigger a portal? Is Photography activating portals? I know that this seems far fetched, but reflecting and asking the question allows one to seek answers? In both my mind and heart, I strongly believe that it was a camera that created the flashes of light even though we couldn't see them other than in Infra-Red... Exciting at the time, but I do think now fully explainable.
Spirit Dog, Dorothy, and the Power of Small Signs
As the night drew on, we returned to the hall and called for the dog again. The results were consistent with before, cat balls lighting up on chairs or beds, EMF spikes, and guests separately even reporting seeing shadows of a small dog running.
Some EVP responses sounded like barking or animal movement, and I had the strong sense, more than once, of something brushing against my legs when I knelt near the spirit ball.
Later, one guest called out the name Dorothy, and as we repeated it, the energy around us surged. Goosebumps, flashes of movement, and the emotional pull of something close.
We also recorded unusual growls on the spirit box and EVPs that we’re still reviewing, but there was no doubt in our minds: Wymering Manor was alive that night.
A Final Reflection
When I started out, I was amazed to catch an orb on camera. These days, I find myself dismissing the smaller ones in search of more dramatic signs. Still, during nights like this remind me that every experience matters.
The dowsing rods pointing to a historically accurate kitchen.
The lady brushing her hair, unaware of our presence, even though intuitive...
The spirit dog lighting up the ball after his name was called.
The white light, like a blink in time, flashing where a portal is suspected to exist. Then the sudden, total silence after it passed.
It’s not about drama. It’s about connection, validation, and the quiet but powerful belief that there’s something more, just out of sight, just beyond the veil.
Until Next Time…
Wymering Manor never disappoints. This visit reminded me why we do this and it is not for shock nor spectacle, but for discovery, reflection, and the hope of answers to questions we all feel in the quiet moments.
Thank you for reading. And thank you to everyone who joined us.
Our adventures beyond the veil continue...
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