Is it time to call in the ghostbusters at BTO's 'haunted' head office - The Nunnery - in Norfolk?

                                                          

What's on the the other side of the library window? Could it be . . ? 

HALLOWE'EN can be a nervy time - especially after dark- at the BTO's head office in Thetford, Norfolk.

The Nunnery is said to be a haunted building where mugs and other items jump about on shelves, and various squeaks, thuds  and scratches are sometimes to be heard.

According to one report, the remains of long-deceased nuns were inadvertently unearthed when a new floor was laid in the 12th Century chapel.

Curiously, though, the only 'ghost' is not female. 'It' is  a phantom male butler.

Between 1994-96, David Lindo, the Urban Birder, worked as head of membership at the BTO, and was slightly unnerved by the tales he heard.

In a conversation with longtime BTO employee and head of communications Mike Toms, David said: "I was a little bit scared.

"Nothing untoward happened to me, but when you come from London to work in  the countryside, it's understandable to be a little apprehensive - especially if  you're fed stories of certain nightly scenarios.

"It's like that film, Zombies, as soon as the light started to fade, I jumped into my car and was away!"

In response, Mike Toms conceded that the chapel had a certain 'ambience' but insisted: "I've never felt threatened.

"On the contrary, there is a welcoming feeling -The Nunnery is a wonderful place to work."

* David Lindo's conversation with Mike Toms can be viewed on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQqQJna7Dw&t=2563s

                        

Nothing to fear! These fearless birders took part in  last month's BTO Young Leaders course. But to be on the safe side, it was held not at The Nunnery but a guaranteed spook-free site in the New Forest.