Plymouth Gin - The Barbican

Introduction

The History of Plymouth Gin, and the Black Friars Distillery where it is produced, have a long and very interesting past. Black Friars Distillery, the home of Plymouth Gin, is the oldest working gin distillery in England and is situated in the heart of the historic port city of Plymouth in the south west of England. It lies on a small street leading down from the heart of the city to the harbour side. Black Friars Distillery The building dates back to the early 1400's with the most intact part of the distillery, the Refectory Room – a medieval hall with fine hull-shaped timber roof built in 1431, being one of the oldest buildings in Plymouth. It is thus protected as a national monument and is one of the city’s most precious heritages. The Distillery buildings were formally a monastery inhabited by the Black Friars. In 1536 at the time of the Reformation and dissolution of the monasteries, the former home of the Black Friars was put to a variety of other uses including being the town’s Marshalsea or debtor’s prison, the first Non-Conformist meeting place and a billet for Huguenot refugees who fled France for Plymouth.

The Pilgrim Fathers also spent their last night in England here in 1620 before making the short walk down to the harbour to set sail on the Mayflower on their epic voyage to start a new life in America, where they founded a new Plymouth. The Mayflower ship forms Plymouth Gin's trademark label today. Black Friars is indisputably the oldest working gin distillery with records of a 'malt-house' on the premises going back to 1697. However, it was in 1793 that Mr Coates joined the established distilling business of Fox & Williamson and the distilling of Plymouth Gin began. Soon the business was to become known as Coates & Co. which it remained until March 2004.

You can read more about Plymouth Gin here - Plymouth Gin

Investigation

PLACE: PLYMOUTH GIN

DATE: 01 JULY 2006

TIME: 2300 HRS - 0400 HRS

Moon State

Radio

2.4 GHz Channel 1.

Environmental Log

Temperature on arrival:

Weather: Dry and sunny   Wind: Nil

Location: City Centre

Teams

Preliminaries

On arrival BJ and a small team of volunteers began to unload equipment into the rear storeroom.  Baseline of EMF readings, environmental readings were taken from key areas within the building namely:

• Still Room

• Shop

• Refectory

• Toilet Areas

A thermal logging device that had been placed in the Still Room on the 14th June 2006 was recovered and data extracted. No significant temperature fluctuations were noted. The following temperatures were taken as baseline range for the investigation.

• 17.5 ° C - 15th June 2006 2240 hrs

• 23 °    C - 18th June 2006 0400 hrs

• 22.5 °  C - 24th June 2006 2105 hrs

• 26.5 ° C -29th June 2006 0905 hrs

Humidity ranged from 65% 28 June 2006 - 48% 23rd June 2006.  Wireless CCTV cameras were placed in the shop, Street and Still Room attached to a DVD recorder.  EVP recording equipment was sited in the street area.

Medium Use

Two mediums were used on the baseline they were:

Phil Simpson - Haunted Devon

Rev Janet Driscoll ADL BSY (COL) MASC WFSH - Independent

http://www.janetdriscoll.co.uk/index.html

Both mediums were taken to key areas within the building. The walk around commenced in the Still Room behind one of the older stills.  The following is a break down of the key points from all areas:

Still Room

• Phil picks up on running water and that the rear exit was used at one time to bring in grain.

• Janet states that she believed that an accident had taken place and that a man had fallen from the Still.

• Phil picks up on the spirit of a lady in her 20's who was believed to be a prostitute who was believed to enter the building from the rear of the building (Blackfriars Lane).  The lady also brings a boy with her aged 7 or 8 years old. Phil believed that the boy was related to the lady but was not her son.  The lady was grounded in the area of the rear door to the Still Room.

• Phil picks up on an explosion that took place causing a man to be burnt.

• The name John Westerfield was picked up in the area.

• The name George Brooks was picked up in the area.

• The name "Tanner" as a nickname was picked up.

• Two American Army soldiers walked though the Still Room carrying boxes.

Stock Room/Toilet Area

• The name "Mo" was picked up on and someone singing "Row, Row, Row your boat".

• Janet picks up on the fact that several murders had taken place in the area on the stock room.

• Phil stated that the area would have been used by Paupers and that many people died in the area.

• Both mediums feel sick as they approach the female toilets.

• The stockroom was used as an air raid shelter in WW2.

• Phil picks up on the smell of bluebells.

Refectory

• Janet feels that hymn books were being giving out.

• Phil picks up on the fact that the Room may have been divided at some time.

• Phil picks up a piano that sits to the left of the door to the Still Room.

• Phil believes that the Refectory could have been an Officers Mess in WW2.

• Phil believed that someone may have been hung near the beam near the bar area.

Investigation Logs

Conclusion

This was an excellent investigation in one of the oldest buildings in the City of Plymouth - as far as we are aware we were the first paranormal investigation group to have been granted access to the building.  One of the prominent spirits that remain active is the female prostitute "Elizabeth" Lizzie and a young boy.  As will be seen from the investigation log many names appear remain in residual and the building does hold some dark secrets.  The ladies toilets were apparently the scene of a stabbing and the storeroom area was the scene of other deaths both natural and unnatural.

Our thanks to Richard Smith Brand Home Director Plymouth Gin and all staff for making us feel welcome.  Our thanks also to our medium Phil Simpson and guest medium Janet Driscoll for their patience and understanding.  We hope to revisit Plymouth Gin in the future.