Thornton Heath Poltergeist

Overview

In an averagely-sized house in Thornton Heath, England, a poltergeist terrorized a family by exhibiting violent paranormal activity ranging from simple levitation of things to moving furniture, from loud footsteps to physically attacking the members of the family. The poltergeist was apparently the ghost of a mid-1800s farmer who once lived in the same spot as the family’s house. For their peace of mind, the family decided to have their house blessed, only to be welcomed by worse poltergeist activity.

The First Paranormal Activity

In 1972, a family in Thornton Heath in England, whose names were not revealed to the public for their own privacy, was living a rather normal life. However, during one November night, they were suddenly awoken by a very loud garbling that they later realized to be their radio.

When the father checked, the radio was broadcasting a foreign station blasting a foreign program. The volume was on maximum so that it woke up the whole family. Thinking it was only one odd and isolated incident, the family ignored it. However, they were shocked to have another odd event occur a few days after the radio happening.

While the family was taking a rest, the lampshade in their living room was knocked down but an unseen force. According to them, the lampshade did not simply fall down, it seemed like it was forcefully pushed. No matter how many times they erected the lampshade, it would still fall down of its own accord.

Christmas and New Year Hauntings

On Christmas, the father was sitting on the couch when an ornament from the Christmas tree allegedly flew straight at him. The Christmas ball hit him straight in the face with such an incredible force that he fell on the floor. As he was trying to stand back up, the whole family witnessed their large Christmas tree moving violently as if someone was taking hold of its trunk and shaking it.

The terror of the poltergeist did not leave them even after the New Year. The poltergeist activity in the house only increased tenfold. Loud footsteps were often heard all over the house especially in the dead of the night. On one occasion, loud footsteps were heard in the master’s bedroom even if all of them were together in the living room.

The son was awoken one night by a feeling that someone was watching him. When he eventually opened his eyes, he saw a man in his 50s or 60s standing at the edge of his bed. The man wore old-fashioned clothes and was looking at the boy with such contempt and anger. In his fright, the boy stayed in his bed until the apparition disappeared.

Probably one of the scariest paranormal activity in the house was during one particular night when the family invited a number of guests for dinner. They were having a peaceful meal when loud pounding on the door startled the group. When the father stood up to open the door for the rather impatient visitor, the door burst open and a strong gust of air blew in. Almost at the same time, the lights all over the house lit up.

Mr. Chatterton’s Ghost

Disturbed by the activity in their house, the family decided to call for the help of a priest. After some investigation, the experts found out that the poltergeist in the house was the ghost of a farmer named Mr. Chatterton. Historical files were found and reviewed and indeed, a man with the surname Chatterton once lived in the same spot as the house during the middle of the 1800s. It is said that the farmer was angered by the ‘trespassing’ of the family on his property and that he wanted them to leave the place.

Increasing Poltergeist Activity

A number of religious rituals and blessings were done in the house; the exorcism of the house did not seem to take effect. However, the opposite happened and the ghostly activity continued to worsen. The loud sounds coming from different parts of the house added to the loud footsteps. There were noisy rappings on or seemingly inside the walls and crashing sounds at odd times of the day. There was a time when an earsplitting smash was heard; as if heavy furniture was slammed onto the floor of the bedroom.

When they came to inspect, the room was as peaceful as they left it. Random things from all over the house, especially kitchen utensils, would often levitate and sometimes be thrown at the family members.

Almost ironically, just after the house was blessed, the whole family saw the apparition of what seemed to be Mr. Chatterton’s wife. The family described her as a middle-aged woman with a gray hair bun. She would appear in parts of the house and when one laid their eyes on the apparition, she would slowly fade away until she completely disappeared.

The increasingly violent activity of the ghosts in the house drove the family away and they decided to leave the house for good. Up to this day, the identity of the family who experienced the haunting is still kept a secret.