Whitstable Castle 21st June 2024

Description

History:

Come join Ghost Hunt Uk for a fun and exciting night of the paranormal. So what does Whitstable castle history hold at this amazing location?

This dates back to the early 15th Century.  The history claims that the site was once used to look for a mineral called alum this was used back in its time to fix dyes in cloths so the colors did not run. When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne she gave permission to search for any deposits on site. What they found was a product called Copperas. They made a great deal of money and built a copperas house which is now the almshouse,Other smelting works were built where the bowling green is, and also by the Harbour and on the site of the Castle Tea Gardens, on Tower Hill.

It has been called that the workers had to wore small metal masks which did very little to protect them.
The resulting green vitriol crystallised to form copperas. The whole process was very hazardous, and a report in the News of February 1788, describes how a worker slipped into a vat and died 26 hours later.

The family used to regularly visit from there London home. Charles Pearson died in 1828. His son Charles Pearson Junior, born in 1786, inherited the estate and carried on using the house as a summer residence. The Tower fell into neglect and he sold it to his cousin by marriage Wynn Ellis.

Wynn Ellis had the most significant impact and made the greatest contribution towards shaping the building and its grounds. In 1897 Tankerton Castle, as it was now known, was sold to Thomas Adams. He added a billiard room to the North of the original tower. This provided a good room with feature fireplace on the ground floor with servants’ quarters upstairs but obstructed the fine sea views of Whitstable Bay. Later this became the Council Chamber.

In 1921 the Castle passed into the hands of Mr Albert Mallandain. A paper manufacturer, he and his wife used it as a summer residence. Changes were made in the building, with a fine new staircase and extensive additional oak panelling to match original designs. The Whitstable Urban District Council, despite some some opposition, bought the Castle for the town in 1935.

Following the local government re-organisation in 1972, the Castle remained empty until 1975 when at the instigation of The Whitstable Society the “Castle Centre Association” was created with the aim of using The Castle for the benefit of the people of Whitstable. In 2004 a new committee with its first Castle Co-ordinator began a complete interior upgrade and Weddings and Civil Ceremonies could commence. This brought in much needed income to regenerate the Castle and enable it to return to its original role as a venue for family celebrations, major local events and community activities. A heritage Lottery Grant enabled a new Trust to be formed in 2008 to take over the running of the Castle and Gardens.

Investigation Includes:

When you arrive, you will be greeted by one of our team and you will be placed into a small group. Once introductions have been made and the team have run though the health and safety. You will explore different parts of the building throughout the evening with your team member. You will get the chance to conduct some amazing experiments such as Ouija Boards, Table Tipping, Glass Moving vigils and our up-to-date ghost hunting equipment. We will be using the most active areas of the venue throughout the night and you will be guided through this terrifying process by our friendly and capable team. Included near the end of your evening you will be able to go off and explore for an hour using what equipment you would like. Do you dare to explore the unknown?