Is the Sunderland Royalty Theatre haunted? Our thoughts

It's nearly Halloween. Yes, it's that time of year once again where we get in the spooky spirit, carve pumpkins and hoard sweets or in my case, go on a ghost investigation and hope I don't give myself nightmares for weeks.

As one of the only members of The Northern Echo team who doesn't immediately shun the paranormal world I was once again the guinea pig and volunteered to do yet another investigation at the Royalty Theatre in Sunderland on October 5 in the spirit of Halloween.

Ghost investigation at The Royalty Theatre, Sunderland. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) This follows my investigation at The Reproduction Centre in Hartlepool last year, a furniture store and warehouse with strong links to the war.

However, this time around I joined the group Spirit Seekers, who have conducted multiple investigations across the region's most paranormal locations including Vane Tempest Hall in Durham and Charlton's Village Hall in Guisborough.

"You are the investigators", remarked one of the group's leaders, Gillian Martin, as I sat pensive on one of the several sofas dotted around the lobby during the briefing about what was dubbed to be a "fantastic venue".

It was dimly lit as the group of around 20 of us listened to the plan for the evening and what was ahead. The way it was going to work, they said, was that we would split in to two groups. They'd take upstairs first and we'd be downstairs.

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous. It was one of those moments where I questioned how I had managed to get myself here.

Ghost investigation at The Royalty Theatre, Sunderland. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) As a Sunderland native, I have always driven past the rather unsuspecting looking theatre and wondered what was inside but had never found out more. It's rather unique in the fact that it was made from four buildings into a theatre in 1969.

In 1914, it was a hospital for First World War soldiers. Then in 1943, it was almost victim to a wartime bomb that is said to have bounced off the road and hit the back of the building. 

Quite a colourful history, I thought, as I braced myself to first investigate the auditorium where we made ourselves at home on the stage. The group has, I must admit, a real wide variety of equipment.

A teddy bear that lights up to touch and a ball of the same variety was placed on the ground as well as temperature gauges to see if any spirits would cast a chilly wind as we tried to make contact.

Ghost investigation at The Royalty Theatre, Sunderland. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) We did all feel like something was around us, and the temperature devices did drop dramatically whilst we were there and we did catch a few tapping sounds.

Next we moved along to a different room on the ground floor where they brought out the Ouija board. Now, I know what you're thinking - it's not real.

Well, I have no fear in saying that that was my opinion too for many, many years. I was a total sceptic and was convinced that it was people pushing around the wooden arrow.

But let me tell you - it's 100 per cent real. In a previous investigation, I saw this board answer so intelligently and this time was no different.

We were able to make slight contact with a reported spirit at the theatre - a seven-year-old girl named Alice. There did however seem to be a flurry of spirits all trying to come through one after the other - even a woman's mum came through to chat.

After a quick break we went upstairs which was said to be the more active part of the building - and where I was going to be thrown in the deep end.

In the name of journalism and getting involved I had signed myself up to try what is described as the Estes method. Essentially, you sit in a dark room alone with headphones on listening to a spirit box. 

Ghost investigation at The Royalty Theatre, Sunderland. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO) The box scans frequencies and you can hear voices come through sometimes. Now the point of all this is that those not in the room will be asking questions - they then see if any answers come through to me in the dark room with my headphones on.

I was terrified.

Plugged in, I did manage to hear a man's voice who decided to throw a few colourful swear words at me through the frequencies but I felt absolutely spooked being in that room. Apparently, some of my answers even lined up with the group's questioning.

Very much an interesting experience - and one not for the faint hearted.

It was later in that same spooky room which, mind you, was filled with authentic props from pictures and furniture to antique radios making it basically a mini museum.

Taking part in an experiment again, I felt like I was feeling a ball of energy in front of me. It was hot and cold at the same time, and I wasn't the only one who could feel it. 

I kept saying: Am I going crazy? Many reading this will say yes - absolutely.

Recommended:

• Ghost investigation at the Reproduction Centre, Hartlepool

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But still - I could not believe what I was feeling. You know that saying of 'it has to be seen to be believed'? With this, it has to be felt to be believed - and that's the key.

So - this Halloween I'd urge you to take a step into the unknown and head out on an investigation.  You may come out a believer or even more of a sceptic - but you don't know until you try.

All that's really left to say is, as the Echo's unofficial ghost investigator, where to next year?