THE WORLD'S MOST HAUNTED PLACES

SOUTH BRIDGE AND MARY KINGS CLOSE, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

The subterranean vaults of SouthBridge and a disused street called Mary Kings Close where victims of the Black Death plague were sealed up to die is one area of paranormal significance. One 6 April 2001, these three spots were the subject to one of the largest scientific investigations of the paranormal ever conducted – and the results surprised many of the investigators. Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist from HertfordshireUniversity in southeast England enlisted the help of 240 volunteers to explore the allegedly haunted sites in a 10-day study. Chosen from visitors form around the world, the volunteers were led in groups of 10 through the creepy, damp cellars, champers and vaults. Wiseman's team came prepared with an array of high-technology "ghost busting" equipment, such as thermal imagers, geo-magnetic sensors, temperature probes, night vision equipment and digital cameras. Each of the volunteers was carefully screened. Only those who knew nothing about Edinburgh's legendary hauntings were allowed to participate, yet by the end of the experiment, nearly half reported phenomena that they could not explain.

Wiseman tried to be as scientific as possible about the study. The volunteers were not told which particular cells or vaults had previous claims of strange activity. They were taken to locations with a reputation for being haunted as well as "red herring" vaults that had no history or activity at all. Yet, the highest number of paranormal experiences by the volunteers were reported to take place in the very areas that did have the haunted reputations. Reported experiences included:

· Sudden drops in temperature

· Seeing shadowy figures

· A feeling of being watched

· One person reported a burning sensation on the arm

· An unseen presence touching the face

· The feeling of something tugging at clothes