Thorpe Park (2011)
February 2011: Construction of a ride at Thorpe Park called the Storm Surge has been put on hold and shifted to a new location as the original site was said to be haunted. The following article by Mike Morton entitled ‘Bosses Move ‘Haunted’ Theme Park Ride’ appeared on Sky News 7 February 2011.
Bosses at a Surrey theme park have relocated one of its new rides after workers reported ghostly goings-on at the site.
Staff building the water ride at Thorpe Park said they had encounted several strange phenomena, including what appeared to be a headless monk.
There were reports of objects being moved, workers feeling like someone was watching over their shoulders and sudden cold feelings being experienced.
A paranormal detection agency was called in by park bosses to carry out tests and found that an ancient burial ground or settlement could have been disturbed.
Managers at the theme park decided to relocate the ride to another area and also called in a forensic team to carry out further investigations.
Storm Surge, a 20m- (64ft-) tall water ride at Thorpe Park, was originally meant to have been built in an area on the site known as Monk’s Walk.
The old footpath has linked the ruins of nearby Chertsey Abbey to Thorpe Church since the year 666 AD.
The ride’s foundations would have been over 15m (49ft) deep in an area of the theme park where stone coffins have previously been excavated.
Paranormal expert Jim Arnold, who carried out tests at the site, said: “Results were picked up immediately, with orbs, ghostly images in photography and ouija reaction results being strongest around the site where they were proposing to build Storm Surge.
“The results were so strong we felt the only explanation could be that an ancient burial ground or settlement was being disturbed, prompting the extra paranormal activity.”
Forensic geophysicist Peter Masters has now been called in to analyse the site, using deep ground radar.
He said: “From the preliminary investigations, we have picked up signatures similar to that of a burial ground – possibly ancient.
“Although this could simply be an old building, with Thorpe Park’s history the investigation is definitely worth continuing.”
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
Mike Vallis, divisional director of Thorpe Park, told the Daily Mail, "It became apparent that something strange was going on when teams started clearing Storm Surge’s initial site. Staff reports of eerie goings-on shot up and the only physical change in the park, at that time, was the beginning of ground preparation work for the new ride. As employees were getting freaked out, we decided to call on an expert…"
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
I find it hard to believe that a major construction project would be put on hold because of the results of some pseudoscientific god knows what. Orbs? Ouija Reactions? This is the evidence they used to say it is haunted? It is more likely that if an ancient burial ground was located at the said site then archaeologists would halt the construction for further investigation.
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
You can find footage of the Storm Surge construction on Youtube here.
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
I agree, there is more to this. Such a construction project would be a few years in the planning and would require land surveys and permissions. Once underway it would be difficult to suddenly relocate. Could this be a stunt to attract publicity?
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
There certainly is more to this than meets the eye, but not in the way I think you mean.
Thorpe Park is rigt on the boundary of what used to be Chertsey Abbey, and St Anne’s Hill. Both have a history of being ‘haunted’ by the locals, to the point where the local population will not go to either site after dark.
I use St Anne’s Hill frequently, and I have myself wittnessed many strange goings on up there, which I find fascinating, rather than frightening.
I think you will find that the ancient graveyard was not known about until this work started, to build the ride, and it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that they had odd going’s on up there. The site is at the end of an ancient track that leads to Chertsey Abbey called ‘Monks Walk’ locally, and although little evidence is there to show it’s where abouts, I can assure you it existed, and is recorded on maps and in the local library.
Along Monks Walk, the track crosses the local river at the spot where all the monks from the Abbey were killed by Vikings in about 700AD. Every year, because of the hauntings, the local Russian Orthodox Monastry have a ‘Blessing of the Water’ there to ‘Quieten the souls of those pour monks’.
If anyone is near enough to come and visit, let me know and I’ll be glad to show you around, it doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, you are likely to experience something odd.
Re: Thorpe Park (2011)
An article by Jamie Pyatt called ‘Ouija believe it‘ in The Sun from 15 October 2009.
The workers at Thorpe Parke carried out a Ouija board session on the horror themed rollercoaster SAW – The Ride after the opening night of their creepy Halloween themed "Fright Nights".
The group chose the park’s newest ride, which boasts gruesome features mimicking the sinister torture scenarios from the grisly film SAW, as the scariest place in the park to hold it.
But bosses didn’t see the funny side when they heard staff had tried to communicate with the spirit world through a talking board which has been blamed for subsequent paranormal going-ons.
A Thorpe Park insider said: "Guests started to report an extreme drop in temperature when they walked into the ride building where the seance was held and others unusual happenings.
"Lights started to go on and off with no explanation and the special effects would start up even after being switched off and there were reports of footsteps with nobody there.
"Doors could be heard banging and it was then news of the Ouija board session came out and the members of staff responsible have been spoken to and suspended from work."
Thorpe Park in Surrey has now called in Rev Lionel Fanthorpe, the UK’s leading authority on the unexplained, who is currently examining the ride for evidence of paranormal activity.
He says if he finds any signs of spirits "crossing over from the other side" he will carry out an exorcism.
Rev Fanthorpe said: "Many people believe that the Ouija board is just a game but its power should never be underestimated as it may be a very dangerous tool if not used properly.
"It opens a gateway to another dimension and when people who are not experienced spiritualists play with Ouija boards, mischievous entities can get through as may have happened here.
"If there is something causing fear and bewilderment at Thorpe Park then I will take care of it and if deemed necessary I will carry out an exorcism to remove any mishievous spirits".
The source added: "It was a pretty strange sight to see a priest walking around Saw – The Ride holding a bible in one hand and a crucifix in the other – he looked like a part of the attraction!"
A Thorpe Park spokesman said: "On the evening of Monday October 12 an unauthorised Ouija Board session was conducted by six employees at SAW – The Ride after we closed to the public.
"A full investigation is under way and the six employees have been suspended pending the outcome of this enquiry.
"We take staff and guest feedback very seriously and for this reason we called in Rev Lionel Fanthorpe, a leading paranormal expert, to help us investigate reports that have arisen from this situation.
"The ride has not been closed down and the Halloween Fright Nights are continuing as normal."