Dartmouth Castle

Baseline Report

Guardroom

Entrance orientated: north

Number of floors: 1

Build material: stone /granite

Floor material: wood

Area: open plan except for stair well

Air conditioning: natural

Air vents: none

Number of windows: 15 – glazed open slits / arched windows – centre opening glazed sash with metal shutters /some glazed drop sash.

Connecting doors: none

O/S door: wood /triangular brace – recessed butt hinges – modern lock – dead bolt mortise

Staircases: one –going down to lower level – spiral construction – stone

Heating: none

Mains power: lighting / fire alarms / safety lighting

Alarms: fire with visible detectors in ceiling

Other information:

Temp on arrival: 59.9 f - leaving - 53.2 f

EMF readings: none detected

Draught's from door and windows – some poorly sealed

Area clean and reasonably well maintained.

Open fire place: appeared sealed at roof level.

Casement Area

Entrance orientated – south

Floors: 1

Build material: brick /stone

Floor material: slate trough out – some modern concrete

Plan: passage way with small rooms off used originally for storing ammunition /powder – connecting door to gun battery area about half way up passage – lighting passage on far side of wall – consisting of long single passage way with wooden “doors “ set into wall at various points .

Air conditioning: none

Windows: none

Connecting doors: 1 to gun battery – wooden cross braced – standard butt hinges – modern construction –lock indeterminate – locked at time of investigation

Heating: none

Power: yes – for lighting

Alarms fitted: fire with visible detectors in ceiling.

Other information:
Temp on arrival: 56.4 f - no reading taken at end of evening – insufficient time.

EMF: none detected.

Area clean and tidy – some dust on floors.

Victorian Gun Battery

Entrance orientated: SE

Number of floors: 1

Build material: brick / stone

Floor material – mainly modern concrete with some remaining granite features.

Plan: 3 large open rooms – containing various cannon - arched ceiling construction – whitewashed trough out.

Air conditioning: none

Air vents: 4 – set into walls

Connecting doors: 2 one as previously described to magazine: and main double doors _ wooden – possibly original with period furniture.

Staircases: none

windows: 5 – these where various “gun slits “ that have been bricked up in some instances – all covered by metal shutters – would most likely have been open originally – may be modern glazed – unable to determine – though no appreciable draughts where felt – access restricted for investigation by ropes to keep public out /off of cannons .

Heating: none

Power – lighting – fire alarms – emergency lighting

Alarms: fire – with visible ceiling fitted detectors.

Other information:

Temp on arrival: 57.0f – no reading taken later see above.

Features: arched ceiling – whitewashed trough out – open fireplace fitted – appeared sealed from above:

EMF: none detected – but curious RF signal @ 1228.9 MHz detected – this was odd given that no transmitters near by and signals at this frequency do not penetrate stone /brick well – also confined to middle area – conclusion – unexplained . NOTE the general prominent RF signal on the site was between 600 & 800 MHz – this is constant with TV transmissions – no other spurious signals detected – and no radios on site bar castle staff – ( not being used ) and HD radios ( 446 MHz – low power ) .

General: area well maintained – some dust on floor and in air owing to concrete floors.

Old Tower

Area # 4of 4

Entrance orientated: SW

# Of floors: 3 + decked roof (modern timbers)

Build material: stone

Floor material: wood trough out – appears mainly modern – highly polished in some areas.

Plan: tower with 3 levels connected by modern wood spiral staircases

Air conditioning: none

Air vents: some

# Of windows: 42 – glazed openings – various – mainly inaccessible for further inspection .some possibly original leaded light remain.

Connecting doors: none

Staircases: 3 and granite spiral to roof area – plus one modern wood to small “lookout post “on roof

Power: yes – lighting – alarm – fire etc as in other areas – cupboard containing fuses /switch gear in corner of middle floor

Alarms – fire – detectors visible in ceiling

EMF: none – other than strong reading in/near switch cupboard – owing to mains power

Other information: area clean – well maintained – but has been modernised for tourist /visitor access some apparently original features – difficult to determine

Temp at arrival: 57.7 f – again no readings taken at laving owing to time constraints.

Exterior Environmental Readings

The following was observed /recorded – again some essential readings where not completed owing to time constraints at end of evening.

Time: 1805 bst

O/s temp: 63.5 f

Humidity: 72 %

Barometric pressure: 1018 mb

Weather conditions: humid and damp – rain at times during day wind gusting 5-10 knots – SS/E VARIABLE.

Moon state: dark /new

Geomagnetic: quiet

Solar state: normal

Visibility 2- 3 miles

RF status – max signal in area 503.72 MHz – TV.

General comments: castle faces sea/river mouth and is backed by steep wooded hill – this may have some bearing on perceived wind direction at ground level.

Experiments

Discharged capacitors where placed in the 4 areas above and trigger objects in the magazine and old gun tower – consisting of coins and brass crosses placed on white card and marked round with pen to determine placement .

Results: capacitors: guard room + 0.1 milli volt

Magazine: (Arnold) + 2.5 milli volts

Gun battery area: 124 milli volts

Old gun tower: 2.3 milli volts

Belt worn (all areas) 24 .0 milli volts

All where confirmed as discharged by Brett and Brian at placement using tested multi meter – and having been earthed down and shorted for 3 days prior to investigation – to eliminate any residual charges / capacitor soak .

Conclusion

The gun battery was considered to be the most active by ALL team members the discharged capacitor read 124 mv at close of the investigation we are not sure where this came from. The technical team insist that "spirit energy" can be sufficient to charge and certainly the results seen to display this. Hopefully the team will be able to enhance the technique for future venues. The trigger object placed in the OLD TOWER was discounted as there was the opportunity of outside interference. My thanks to the team for this report.