I live in a very old part of the world. My town has bronze-age roots and my family home was built in 1794, during the reign of Mad King George III. Recently, a family friend was visiting, who happened to take an interest in the catacomb-like cellars that sit under the house. This subterranean space is very unusual, in so far as its size and shape do not fit the house above. The walls appear a lot older than the rest of the building and there is at least one door that has been solidly bricked up (I have no idea where it leads). A few people have speculated that the cellars probably predate the house.

My friend made a chilling observation whilst he was looking around the gloomy, damp space. The smallest room in the cellar has a raised, waist-level platform, which is as wide as a single bed. When he saw this he became convinced that the room had been kept aside to lay out deceased occupants, before they could be buried. Even if the cellars do not predate the house’s construction in 1794, the house itself certainly predates the modern age of “hospital death”. Until about 50 or 60 years a go, it was common for the dying to remain at home with their family, so my 218 year old house will have seen about 160 years of domestic passing.

I think this makes my family home a good candidate for a haunting. That said, in all the time I have lived at the property, I have never really experienced anything that could be said to be persuasively paranormal. In fact, the only convincing paranormal experience I have ever had happened in a house that was less than 50 years old at the time. Nonetheless, whether it is the weight of history or my awareness of the many deaths that are likely to have taken place in my home, I am gradually becoming more and more convinced that there is a spiritual presence in the house.

My question to any readers is – should I attempt to communicate with possible ghosts in my home? Is it a good or bad idea to communicate with spirits if they are not making their presence known? Does anyone have any advice or stories they could give me on this? The last time I attempted communication with the deceased was via a ouija board at a friend’s house and the outcome was really unpleasant. At the time, I swore I’d never do it again. So should I give it a miss altogether, at least as far as my own living space goes? Let me know what you think. I’d really appreciate any input.

Read more about communing with the spirit world.