Dead interesting: Ghost detective brings chilling tales to Northamptonshire
Paranormal investigator to reveal the county's spookiest stories
Believers and sceptics alike are being invited to uncover Northamptonshire’s haunted history this Halloween as paranormal investigator Adrian Perkins shares ghost stories, investigations and supernatural legends.
Tonight's event takes place at Wellingborough Museum, housed in the former Dulley's Baths, a Victorian swimming pool built in 1892 that later served as a shoe factory. Today, the museum is home to artefacts spanning local history, from Roman times to the town's famous footwear industry.
Known as “The Ghost Detective”, Mr Perkins will be joined by parapsychologist Louis Deva for a talk exploring reported hauntings, unexplained events and supernatural tales from across the county.
The event, taking place on Halloween night, will offer audiences two different perspectives on the paranormal, with Mr Perkins presenting accounts from his investigations while Mr Deva provides scientific explanations for unusual experiences.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Perkins said: “He is a non-believer, I am a believer and the audience get both sides of the argument.”
The Northampton-based investigator has spent more than 30 years researching reports of ghosts and spirits across the UK and said interest in the paranormal has grown significantly during that time.
“Probably when I started over 30 years ago, they would give you a discount in a hotel if the room was supposed to be haunted,” he said.
“Today, they will triple the price.”
Mr Perkins believes the fascination with ghosts comes from two different motivations.
“There’s the people who want the rollercoaster effect, where they like to be frightened and scared and get the adrenaline running,” he said.
“And there’s the other group of people who genuinely want to find out what’s going on and what ghosts and spirits really are.”
Local stories and ghost-hunting equipment
Although it will be his first visit to Wellingborough Museum, Mr Perkins said he has previously investigated reports in the town and plans to share a local ghost story during the evening.
He will also bring along some of the equipment used during paranormal investigations, including thermal cameras, giving audience members the chance to see how investigators search for evidence.
“Probably a lot of people haven’t seen thermal cameras,” he said.
'We’re not there to scare people'
“We use them on investigations for hot spots and cold spots. If you were doing an investigation in a forest and heard something in the trees at night, you could use a thermal camera to see if it’s a person or an animal.”
As well as discussing his experiences, Mr Perkins hopes visitors will share stories of their own.
Currently writing his tenth book, he said he is always looking for new locations and accounts to investigate.
Open minds encouraged
Mr Perkins said the evening is designed to be informative and entertaining rather than frightening.
“We just want to give them an understanding about ghosts and spirits because a lot of people think that ghosts are scary and they’re not.”
Audience members are encouraged to come along with an open mind, whether they are firm believers or committed sceptics.
“People can make their minds up for themselves,” he said.
“If they come as a sceptic, they might feel it confirms what they already thought. If they believe in ghosts and spirits, they may feel the same. They get both sides.”