This night and the blog has been broken into two posts - one for the Ghost Tour and one for the Investigation. Why? Simple. The amount of activity to write would warrant a short story!
So let's start with Part 1: The Ghost Tour
The night began with brief introductions and a walk around the museum style entrance foyer, which housed interesting artefacts from both J-Ward and Aradale Asylums. Everything from arts and crafts, to syringes and electric shock therapy apparatus.
Our hosts Natasha and Richard gave us a brief run through and then after about fifteen minutes, the group moved into the newest building, the West Wing. The West Wing was where medical patients who were less threatening and more stable were accommodated. There were approximately ten single cells off a long hallway. Here we stopped for about twenty minutes as we attempted to connect with the matron who regularly patrolled this hallway. We had several hits on the K2 meters and I (and other guests) felt tingles through the lower part of my legs.
At the far end of the hallway and off to the left was the shower block. This block lay twenty metres from the West Wing through a caged walkway and to the right of the hallway was the entrance to the main cell block. The cell block was a double story building with approximately twelve cells on each floor. The ground floor had a refurbished chapel and although the stories were interesting, no activity was noted. The cells have images and stories on display regarding notorious inmates and they are well worth the read. We moved upstairs to the gallows, where we were informed that J-Ward was the site for three hangings, before descending back down to the ground level and moving outside to the exercise yard area. Originally there were four separately fenced yards, where as now, one fence stands separating the Pool and Arts and Craft building from the rest of the yard space. The yard is pretty much untouched with original fences, tables, benches and gazebo. The dreariness, the lack of colour, nature or life, is unnervingly apparent.
The guide Natasha, moved us over to one corner of the yard where three plaques were attached to the bluestone walls at approximately waist height. These plaques were dedicated to the men whose bodies stood buried deep into the wall. Notice I use the word 'stood'. These men were not laid to rest. Instead they were buried standing up, never to rest, facing north, so never to see a sunrise or sunset, embalmed in lime and encased between the bluestone layers. It was also at this point, the smoothness of the bluestone was pointed out to us. Patients would come to the yard and to this wall which basked in the suns rays. They would rub their straight jacket buckles against the warm bluestone bricks, heating the metal buckles and in turn, heat their jackets and warming their cold bodies. Over time, the rough exterior of the bluestone had worn down to a surface, smooth as porcelain.
We then moved through a small gate in the wall which connected to a separate yard. A set of external circular stairs led us down to an underground cavern ..... the original kitchen. In this kitchen it was alleged there were up to five spirits haunting the dark and dreary abode. Three children, a German cook and the Governor. The Governor who died on the steps to the bathroom and then fell in the doorway where he took his last breath.
Here we had a number of K2 hits and a few people claimed that their hands were touched or their hair was played with. Off the kitchen was a hallway and a stone staircase .... cold, dark, ominous and heavy. No writing or words could explain this space, so I have included the image. It was one of the most terrifying spaces I have ever seen.
We returned to investigate this space later in the evening and captured video and electronic voice phenomena of potential demonic entities and I have shared those experiencs in Part 2: The Investigation.
From here we moved up the stairs which led back to the museum foyer, where we gathered for a documentary and interview by Mike Willisee in the 1970's. Seeing real patients, pacing, swaying and lying in the yard ..... waiting their lives away, was just so very sad and I was totally overwhelmed with empathy, sorrow, heartache and disgust, all at the same time.
One particular patient George, who believed he was the Queen's brother, spoke candidly about the murders he committed, his life and his 'eye for an eye', where he engaged in self-mutilation and gauged his own eye from its very socket. Due to George being such a threat to others, he was caged in his own private yard for safety. His peering face through the bars was spine-tingling.
To see someone so mentally ill and the life he had ..... I just can't explain it. It was just so very, very sad.
Criminally insane patients who castrated themselves, amputated every finger and toe from their own bodies, or even those who had autism, were committed to a life in the Asylum. What I find hard to fathom is this type of treatment and facility was active into the 1990's - just thirty years ago. Unbelievable!
After supper of pizza and drinks, we moved onto our individual investigation.....now this is where it gets interesting and leads to Part 2 of the blog.
Would I return to J-Ward for another tour and investigation - well, I have already booked for one in the new year! Need I say more....
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