St Mary’s Church, Houghton on the Hill 

26^th January 2008 

History 

You can find the Church of St Mary on top of the hill in Houghton, on the outskirts of North Pickenham near Swaffham. Of the small hamlet once described as Houghton Town, only the church and Houghton Farm remain intact. The last two surviving cottages were demolished in 1994, the remainder of the village is visible only as bumps in the field just to the north of the church. 
 
Built over the remains of a Roman building, the church has stood here for at least 1,000 years. Evidence of a Roman settlement is suggested by the use of Roman bricks in the structure, nearby remains of a villa and its close proximity to Peddars Way 

Abandoned as a church in the second quarter of the 20th century it was rarely used after the 1930's with the last service being held in 1944 (until recently). 
 
On the walls of the nave are many ancient paintings with an image of the Holy Trinity on the east gable. 
 
Recently the font was discovered in a rectory garden, planted up with bulbs, whilst the holy water stoup from the nave was found being used as a bird bath in another local garden. 
 
The church has been featured by TV, radio and the press many times and was visited by Princess Margaret and Prince Charles who enthusiastically climbed the tower. Occasional Christian services are well attended. 
 
The rescue and ongoing preservation of this grade 1 listed building was instigated by Mr Bob Davey of North Pickenham and it is obviously a time-consuming labour of love. The project is now overseen by a steering committee 

(Taken from Home Page of St Mary’s Church Houghton on the Hill) www.saintmaryschurch.org.uk/index.htm 

Investigation Details  

On Saturday 26th of January 2008 six members of Aspire Paranormal Investigations & Research carried out an investigation at St Mary’s Church, Houghton on the Hill.  The team arrived early around 8pm and were met by Bob Davy who has been the driving force and inspiration behind the restoration of this beautiful church.  Bob very kindly took the time to give some history about the church to those who had not visited it before.  The members who had attended an investigation at this location commented that electricity had been connected to the church since then and this was undoubtedly a bonus!  The weather was extremely windy and it was bitterly cold towards the end of the investigation.  The team split in two teams covering two different locations at the same time. 

Investigation Team  

Mark

Vikki

Von

Clive

Jules 

Equipment Used 

EMF Meters

Environment Meters

Laser Thermometer

Digital Cameras

Video Camera

Torches  

Baseline Tests 

 

Incident Log – Team 1 

1^st Location  Outside in Graveyard 

Team Members Present 

Von

Vikki

 Jules 

2020hrs Vigil Started. 

It was extremely windy and cold but nothing unusual seen or heard.  Von picked up small light anomaly on her camera but nothing else to report.

2100hrs Vigil Finished. 

Incident Log – Team 2 

1^st Location  Outside in Graveyard  

Team Members Present 

Mark

Brian

 Clive 

2020hrs Vigil Started. 

2045hrs Unusual EMF reading in southeast corner of churchyard. 

20.55hrs EMF giving ‘spiking’ readings near a particular headstone near porch of church.  No obvious cause. 

2055hrs Mark captures unusual ‘vapour or mist’ with his camera in one picture only.   

2100hrs Vigil Finished. 

Incident Log – Team 1 

2^nd  Location  Bell Tower - Upper Level 

Team Members Present 

Von

Vikki

 Jules 

2145hrs Vigil Starts 

2155hrs There is a temperature drop to 5.1.  Von’s eyes are watering with tears for no particular reason (may have been due to the cold). 

2215hrs Vigil finished with nothing interesting to report.   

Incident Log – Team 1 

2^nd  Location  Bell Tower - Upper Level 

Team Members Present 

Mark

Brian

 Clive 

2300hrs Vigil Starts 

2330hrs Vigil finishes with nothing to report.

Incident Log – Team 1 

3^rd  Location  Bell Tower - Lower Level 

Team Members Present 

Von

Vikki

 Jules 

2300hrs Vigil Starts 

2330hrs Vigil finishes with nothing to report. 
 

Incident Log – Team 1 

3^rd  Location  Bell Tower - Lower Level 

Team Members Present 

Mark

Brian

 Clive 

2145hrs Vigil Starts 

2200hrs Brian sees what he can only describe as the outline of an angel, with orb effects.  The vision did not last more than a moment but Brian was quite sure of what he had seen. 

2215hrs Mark can smell tobacco. 

Conclusion 

Although the investigation was disappointing in as much as nothing paranormal was reported those team members present thoroughly enjoyed their time there and would definitely like to attend another investigation at this location.  Many thanks go to Bob Davey for his help and allowing us to gain entry to the church.  He explained that the ghost of a Carmelite monk has been seen on many occasions; sadly he did not appear to the team that night.