Newsgroup: it.discussioni.misteri
Titolo: [GHOST] Hampton's ghost is given the cold shoulder

Salve a tutti,
interessante ricerca che riassumo per i non anglofoni: il gruppo di
lavoro di Richard Wiseman (responsabile della Perrott-Warrick Research
Unit nello Psychology Department dell'University of Hertfordshire in
Inghilterra) ha studiato il caso della presunta galleria infestata di
Hampton Court, individuando la causa di alcune esperienze inusuali
(diminuzione improvvisa della temperatura) in due punti con
temperatura piu' bassa del resto della galleria, dovuti a porte
murate.
La Perrott-Warrick Research Unit ha un sito web:
http://phoenix.herts.ac.uk/pwru/
Saluti zetetici,
Roberto
***
Telegraph, 29 march 2001
Hampton's ghost is given the cold shoulder
By David Derbyshire and Celia Hall
GHOSTBUSTERS have solved the mystery of Hampton Court's gallery, said
to be haunted by Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII.
Paranormal investigators have discovered that the gallery contains two
"cold spots", linked to the presence of long concealed doors. Many
people walking through one of the columns of cold air experience a
sudden drop in temperature which could be confused with a ghostly
encounter. The findings, presented at the conference, come from the
first serious investigation into ghosts at a palace and may help
explain chilling encounters in other haunted homes.
Catherine, who was beheaded, was held prisoner at Hampton Court. One
day, she escaped her guards and ran through the 40ft gallery to the
king's door to beg for mercy. But she was captured and dragged
screaming back to her cell. She was executed at the Tower in 1542.
Over the centuries visitors and palace staff have reported dozens of
ghostly encounters in the gallery. Some witnesses claim to have seen
Catherine running in terror, others have heard her screams. But most
have reported unusual, chilling encounters with a ghostly presence.
Recently, two healthy women fainted in the same part of the gallery
after complaining of a sudden drop in temperature. A team led by Dr
Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in
Hatfield and expert in the paranormal, was asked to investigate. They
measured the temperature, currents and electromagnetic fields in the
chamber to find any architectural anomalies. He also asked 450
visitors to walk through the gallery and report any strange
encounters.
Half of the visitors reported an unusual experience, with most
complaining of a sudden drop in temperature or presence. One in five
of those visitors believed that they had encountered a ghost. Thermal
imaging cameras revealed that the gallery contained two unusual cold
spots, a degree or two lower than the rest of the passageway, he said.
"The haunted gallery has a lot of concealed doors and they appear to
be causing some unusual patterns of cold air," he said.
"Some of these ghostly encounters may have been people walking into a
column of cold air. If you suddenly feel cold for no apparent reason,
and you happen to believe in ghosts, you may believe that you are in a
haunted place. That could cause an even more extreme experience such
as hearing a scream or seeing a ghost."
Dr Wiseman is about to carry out similar experiments in Edinburgh
Castle, another popular haunt for ghosts, and two other haunted parts
of the town. "We haven't fully explained what is going on when people
see a ghost, but this could explain some unusual phenomena," he added.

 encounter. 
Cioè, in un posto c'è gente che afferma di aver sentito spirare aria
fredda (sostenendo per chissà quale sorta di equivalenza che aria
fredda=fantasmi), arriva un gruppo di 'scettici' e scopre che
effettivamente spira aria fredda? ;-)
Insomma, quand'è che gli 'scettici' la smettono di correre dietro alle
pagliacciate e non fanno delle inchieste serie? Solo in Italia è pieno
di posti dove sono state osservate delle presenze (e non certamente
descritte come folate d'aria gelida...).
Bye Krmel
---
"La massima cultura accessibile all'intelligenza umana non sara',
se essa rifiuta a se stessa ogni risorsa che le proviene dalla sua
coscienza spirituale superiore, che un procedere preparatorio,
in confronto a cio' che potrebbe diventare se, con le facolta'
sufficientemente sviluppate, potesse entrare coscientemente in
relazione col piano o con gli aspetti iperfisici della Natura".
William Scott/Elliot, "Storia dell'Atlantide"

 descritte come folate d'aria gelida...).
Ma tu sei scettico o no?
Pamparun

descritte come folate d'aria gelida...).
Mi chiedo: piuttosto che nessuna inchiesta, non sarebbe meglio almeno
un'inchiesta simile a quella di Wiseman, che ha permesso di
individuare la causa di alcune esperienze insolite ("We haven't fully
explained what is going on when people see a ghost, but this could
explain some unusual phenomena")?
Saluti zetetici,
Roberto