Ghostwatch
Spooky but true..
Fernhill has an active Ghost watch programme
Visitors to our Museum have often said that they:
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“ feel a coldness in the air “
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" get `goose bumps’ on their skin"
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" have had a strange spooky feeling that someone’s watching them".
Our staff have seen...
a shadowy figure roaming the corridors
Pictures have jumped off the wall..
with shattering results.
Now only senior staff are happy to work by themselves at night, as they are aware of the ghosts bumps and bangs or should we say they know what parts of the house to avoid after dark!
With so much history in the building its only natural that we have ended up with a ghost. So if you want to know the background, to our spectacular spectre the staff will fill you in on the ghostly goings on.
Who roams the library at night?
Fernhill ghost makes timely appearance - By Joanna Valley
North Belfast News, Saturday 18 September 2004
The term ’history coming alive’ may be truer than it seems at Fernhill Museum, where ghostly sightings have been making visitors uneasy.
The Museum in Glencairn Park, which explores the history of the Shankill area, has been the site of serie goings-on for some time.
Local woman, Paula Corry described what happened to her at the museum.
“in the first room, I was standing on my own looking at the caveman exhibit when I suddenly felt a blast of cold air, which left me shivering.” Said Paula.
“When I went into the room with the model of the 1930s house I was looking at the doll when I felt the cold air again... all of a sudden I got a poke in the back and nearly jumped out of my skin,” said Paula.
Paula is not the only one to have been spooked at Fernhill. Maureen, the assistant administrator of the Museum claims that a ghost was captured on videotape a few years ago.
“We sent it off to Queen’s University to be analysed. It was a woman running out of a wall of the Museum,” said Maureen
“We have also had pictures falling off walls and lifts moving up and down by themselves.”
Maureeen had no idea who the ghost might be, but as far as she knows it has always been a woman who has been sighted. Fernhill certainly has a long history.
“Fernhill was the site of a a fort and there is a “Circle of truth’ in the garden outside where Stone Age men buried their dead,” she said.
The Fernhill estate was originally owned by the Cunningham family, who were Belfast stockbrokers and owned the Northern Whig. They were heabily involved in the rise of Unionism and Orange culture. Local historian Joe Baker was able to shed more light on the former inhabitats of Fernhill House.
“It was the home of Samuel Cunningham, the youngest of three sons of Josias Cunningham, who lived in Clencairn House on the some state, “said Joe.
“A fore bearer of Samuel was killed in a fight with a French privateer in 1796, when involved in ‘West India trade’, which is slavery to you and me. As far I can make out, he was the only one directly associated with Fernhill House who did not die of natural causes,” said Joe.
Determined to make some good come out of the misfortune of Fernhill’s ghosts, Paual Corry is organising a sleepover at the Museum in aid of the USPCA. The sleepover is scheduled to take place on October 2, if Paula can find enough brave souls to take part.
“The plan is to break into four teams of five with torches.” We will do a tour with the lights on first and I have got to agree that, although there is a no smoking policy in the museum, there will be a room set aside for smoking on the night,” said Paula.
Meanwhile a new exhibition of war memorabilia, will take place at Fernhill House Museum on Friday September 17 at 10.15am. The exhibition will include gas masks, poster, badges, uniforms and other historical items, all donated by private collectors.