Scala Cinema Ghosts Ilkeston - Lights, camera and Hauntings

Scala Cinema

Are You Sitting Comfy let the Ghosts begin

FOLLOWING the revelations of a haunting at Ilkeston's JD Cafe Bar on South Street, another old building is set to have its history examined for spooks.

After taking her mother's memoirs away to write a book on her maiden name, Bronwyn Hayes of Brinsley found journals written by her mother detailing scary sights at the Scala Cinema on Pimlico.

Bronwyn's mother Vambria Walters worked at the Scala 20 years ago in which time she saw apparitions and heard noises on a regular occurrence.

Her husband Arthur Walters said:

"She would often come home and tell me about seeing people walking down the stairs while she was cleaning the Scala, people who were not really there or who would vanish. One time she saw a man on the stairs and he then walked in the front door."

The story goes that the former owner of the cinema Mr Brailsford haunts the building and started making more appearances when the foyer was changed to modernise its appearance.

The Scala was in the Brailsford family for a long time so it is unknown which member of the family is still 'active' on the site.

Jack Phillips, Parapsychologist, lives a few minutes walk from the Scala on New Lawn Road and is keen to investigate.

He said that the reason behind the haunting is not unfamiliar:

"There are two kinds of impression left by a spirit. One is a paranormal one which can't be explained and is related to a spirit that is present trying to right a wrong. The other is a supernormal psychic impression which is left when particularly strong emotions are experienced in a building and the energy transfers into the walls. It is most common in stone walls and lime.

"There have been incidents when spirits have made themselves known when somebody changes their environment and they don't agree with it.

"Imagine when people grew up in one home and it was passed onto them when their parents died. They will have had a 'family home' so when it is disrupted and changed they make their unrest known."

Jack will now research the cinema site and then look to conduct tests with the new owner's consent.

The Scala cinema is over 90 years old and is one of the earliest purpose built cinemas in the country. Originally built on the site of a graveyard this building has more than it,s fair share of Ghostly activity. Once owned by the Brailesford family it is said that Mr Brailesford still haunts the corridors and rooms of this listed building in the heart of Ilkeston , Derbyshire.

Are YOU Brave enough to venture into the Projectionist room where much Activity has been experienced? or are YOU a Seasoned Ghost Hunter enough to sit alone in one of the HAUNTED Auditoriums Armed only with a video camera and a torch to keep you company?

Join US as we go in search of more than things that go bump in the night, where Evil lurks behind every corner of this Haunted Location.

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The story of the building being built on a cematary is part of urban legends so we set out to prove, or disprove it. On maps of the 1880's we found the land to be referenced as belonging to the chapel and there was a path through it. After some digging we found reference to the construction of the building and indeed it was a graveyard.

In an artical in the advertiser dated 06/01/1989 we found stories of the reverend of the late 1800's offering a Christian burial to the bodies in the yard, moving the stones to the St Marys Graveyard. We also found that there was a man, who was old enough to remember before the cinema was built, and indeed it was a walled graveyard, with around a dozen stones.

CL Paranormal Feedback

The Erewash Museum was a very quick sell out & very eagerly anticipated.

Everyone arrived propmtly at 8:00pm to begin the night. We started with a workshop and a history tour. Many people had been to the Erewash Museum during the day but on the night what secrets were

hiding? Each group had its own individual happenings going on, all of which have been recorded and collated.

Reviewing the video evidence and notes by the 'ghost hunters' revealed that each group had VERY similar stories by the end of the night.

Bangs, taps, noises, voices & strong evidence of activity all factored in to the night. With 2 people experiencing VERY similar feelings in one room particular we cannot wait to investigate this location again.

We are keeping the information of what happened on the night to a minimum so we do not release the secrets of The Erewash Museum.

We hope to get similar results on our next visit here.