The Ghost Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Industry | Paranormal investigation and research |
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| Founded | 1862, London |
| Headquarters | London, SW19 |
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Key people
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Alan Murdie Chair Nigel Bundy General Secretary Derek Green Investigations Officer Dr Robert Radakovic Events Officer Rosie O'Carroll Media Officer Mark Ottowell Journal Editor James Tacchi Science & Technical Officer Dr. Paul Foulsham Ghost Club Webmaster & Treasurer Gianna De Salvo Membership Secretary Alex Greenwood Archivist |
| Revenue | Non-profit |
The Ghost Club is a group that looks into ghosts and other mysterious things. It started in London in 1862. Many people think it's the oldest group of its kind in the world! Even today, they mostly investigate ghosts and haunted places.
Contents
The Ghost Club's Story
How the Ghost Club Started (1862)
The idea for the club began in Cambridge in 1855. Teachers at Trinity College started talking about ghosts and psychic events. The club officially began in London in 1862. Famous writer Charles Dickens was one of its early members.
One of the club's first investigations was about the Davenport brothers. They claimed to talk to the dead using a "spirit cabinet." The Ghost Club challenged their claims, showing it was a trick. The group kept looking into spiritualist events, which were very popular then. Members would meet to discuss ghostly topics. The Ghost Club stopped meeting in the 1870s after Charles Dickens passed away.
The Club Returns (1882)
The club started up again on All Saints Day in 1882. A medium named Stainton Moses and Alaric Alfred Watts brought it back. Around the same time, the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) was also created.
The SPR focused on scientific study. But the Ghost Club remained a small, secret group of people who believed in psychic events. For them, these things were real. Stainton Moses left the SPR in 1886 to focus on the Ghost Club. The club had few members, only 82 over 54 years. Women were not allowed to join then. Still, many smart and sometimes controversial people joined. These included Sir William Crookes, Sir Oliver Lodge, Nandor Fodor, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The club's old records show that members' names, both living and dead, were read aloud every November 2. Everyone, alive or not, was still a member. Sometimes, people believed that dead members made their presence known.
The poet W. B. Yeats joined in 1911. Frederick Bligh Bond joined in 1925. He became well-known for his spiritualism studies at Glastonbury. Bligh Bond later moved away and worked with the American Society for Psychical Research. He returned to Britain in 1935 and rejoined the Ghost Club.
In 1919, Arthur Grey, a college leader, wrote a ghost story. It was about a fictional "Everlasting Club" based on the Ghost Club. Many people still believe his story is true.
Early 20th Century Changes
In the 1900s, psychic research moved from séances to laboratories. This made the Ghost Club seem a bit old-fashioned. Harry Price, famous for studying Borley Rectory, joined in 1927. Psychologist Nandor Fodor also joined. These members showed how psychic research was changing.
Fewer people attended meetings, and the club closed in 1936. It had held 485 meetings. The Ghost Club's records were put in the British Museum. They were kept secret until 1962 to protect people's privacy.
Within 18 months, Harry Price started the Ghost Club again. It became a dining event where psychic researchers and mediums gave talks. Price decided to let women join the club. He also made it clear it was not a spiritualist church. It was a group of people who liked to discuss mysterious topics. Members during this time included C. E. M. Joad, Sir Julian Huxley, Algernon Blackwood, and Sir Osbert Sitwell.
After Price died in 1948, the club was restarted again. This time, Philip Paul and Peter Underwood led the way. Peter Underwood was president from 1962 onwards. Many stories about the club are found in his books.
Tom Perrott joined the club in 1967. He was chairman from 1971 to 1993. In 1993, there were some changes within the club. Peter Underwood left to lead another group he had started called "The Ghost Club Society."
Recent Times
In 1998, Tom Perrott stepped down as chairman. Barrister Alan Murdie was chosen to take his place. Alan Murdie has written books about ghosts, like Haunted Brighton. He also writes for Fortean Times magazine. In 2005, Kathy Gearing became the club's first female chairperson. She resigned in 2009. As of May 2022, Alan Murdie was again the club chairman.
The club still meets once a month at a pub in central London. They do several investigations in England each year. Recently, they have also organized investigations in Scotland.
Famous Members of the Ghost Club
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Places the Ghost Club Has Investigated
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See also
In Spanish: The Ghost Club para niños
