This is an event that SouthWest London Paranormal are all looking forward. Due to another project being cancelled we have been able to book both of these wonderful venues for July 2012.

Bodmin Gaol was designed by Sir John Call and built in 1779 by prisoners of war and was operational for 150 years, during this time it saw over 50 public hangings.  It was the first British prison to hold prisoners in individual cells.

The Debtors Act of 1869 abolished imprisonment for debt, so the prison had spare space that was then taken over by the Admiralty for naval prisoners.  Eventually, the naval prison occupied an entire wing of the building before it was closed in 1922.

During World War I the prison was deemed worthy of holding some of Britain's priceless national treasures including the Domesday Book and the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

The first hanging was apparently in 1785, but the finishing date of the jail was in 1788.  Executioners were paid about £10 a hanging.  The last person to be hanged was in 1909, subsequent execution then took place in Exeter Prison.

The jail finally closed in 1927.  Since that date there has been no prisons within the county of Cornwall.  Much of the jail remains in ruins and presents a forbidding aspect when seen from a distance.  Some parts have been refurbished and these now form a tourist attraction with exhibitions telling the history of the jail and of the offenders imprisoned within it.

The Jamaica Inn originally a Public House and now an Inn, this is a Grade II listed building in the civil parish of Altarnun, Cornwall, UK.  Located near the middle of Bodmin Moor and close to the hamlet of Bolventor, it was built as a coaching house in 1750 as a staging post for changing horses during stagecoach runs over the moor.  It is accessible in present-day by the A30 road.  The hill named Tuber or Two Barrows which is 1,122 feet (342 meters) in close-by.

The Inn is famous for being the base of smugglers in the past and has gained national renown for allegedly being one of the most haunted places in Great Britain.  It is also known as the settling for Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name, which was published in 1936.  The young author at the time, was inspired to write her novel when, having gone horse riding on the moors she became lost in thick fog and sought refuge at the Inn in 1930.  During the time spent recovering from her ordeal, the local rector is supposed to have entertained her with ghost stories and tales of smuggling; he would later become the inspiration for the enigmatic character of the Vicar of Altarnun.  The novel was made into the film "Jamaica Inn" in 1939 by Alfred Hitchcock and later in 1983 made into a television series also called "Jamaica Inn" starring Jane Seymour.  In addition, to its use in literature and film, the hotel is referenced in "Jamaica Inn"

It is often commonly thought that the Inn takes it's name from the smugglers who smuggled rum into the country from Jamaica and stored it at the Inn.  However, the name of the Inn is actually said to derive from the important local Trelawney family of landowners, of which two family members served as Governors of Jamaica in the 18th Century.

The Inn was built in 1750 and extended in 1778 with a coach house, stables and a tack room assembled in an L-shaped fashion.  The Inn became a smugglers' stopping point while they used approximately 100 secret routes to move around their contraband.  Originally, the half-way house was alone on this part of the moor, but later a church, parsonage and a school was added by Mr Kodd, the proprietor of the land, satisfying the area's residents.

A full report, along with video on both of these wonderful places will be posted as soon as possible after the event.