Mystical Shires
Margam Castle
Margam Castle is a large Victorian era country house, built in Margam, Port Talbot, Wales, for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803–1890). It was constructed over a ten-year period, from 1830 to 1840, on a site which has been occupied for some 4,000 years and which, from the 11th century until the dissolution of the monasteries, was an abbey.
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​Margam Castle was visited by the television programme Most Haunted in its 2006 series and also by SyFy's Ghost Hunters International in 2010. It has become a very popular venue for paranormal investigation events and groups.
In 2013 the Margam Ghost Walk (which seeks to explain the stories of the reputed hauntings but which does not undertake paranormal investigations) became the most popular attraction in the Neath/Port Talbot area.
Top floor area
We have not been able to find any credible video evidence for this area, however, there were some personal experiences and this single EVP. Seven investigators out of ten heard this, the other three investigators were in the next room, which had no door, and three out of five recording devices picked it up but no one else that was in the building heard it. Apologies for the language.
Staircase area
In the staircase area we had plenty of photographic evidence, some video evidence but no credible EVP’s.
In the photo, to the left, there is a light anomaly, which could have been caused by a bat. (Watch the video below the photo).
After the photo below was taken the investigator went up the stairs and looked around the area and found that there was absolutely nobody around!
These two photographs were taken on a Sony Xperia Smartphone. The videos were taken using a JVC Everio with IR lighting.
In the photo below you can see a line in the picture, in the video you can see a similar line, now these could have been caused by an insect flying around or they are light anomalies.
The photograph was taken using a “Full Spectrum” Finepix A610, and the video was the JVC Everio, both using IR lighting. The video sequence shows the original footage followed by the same footage that has been enhanced.
Abbey Ruins
In the Abbey area, there were no significant video or photographic evidence found. However, one of our investigators felt that someone or something had walked past him at a quick pace.
Another of our investigators heard some Latin verse, in particular the word "ilnostrum" or "nostrum".
Upon further investigation, it was found that the monks, who once occupied the site would have possibly said the following:
Ctniversis Christi fidelibus ad quos presens scriptum pervenerit.E.Dei gratia Landavensis episcopus salutem.gratiam.et benedictionem. Quoniam ex offitio Dobis injuncto justis petentium desideriis et precipue. Virorum religiosorum.animo nos decet benigno condescendre.universitati vestre presentibus duximus significandum.quod nos concessimus dilectis filiis nostris abbati videlicet et con ventui de Margan at in grangia sum de Melis divina possint celebrare. I't auteme que auctoritate nostra concessa sunt firmitatis robur optineant in perpetuum.presenti scripto sigillum nostrum apposuimus.
If anyone can correct or translate this for us then please contact us.
This final piece of evidence had us baffled for a while, initially we thought it was chanting, then we thought it sounded like money being handed over. We now think it could be our investigators unwittingly too close to the recording equipment, even though there were thick stone walls between us, and we were at least 80ft away. However, that still does not explain the other noises that can be heard on the recordings. You do hear foot steps on gravel at the end of each recording, as the recording equipment is collected.
