A museum with a twist is set to relocate to new premises on Derby Road with the owners hoping to open in January 2023. The Haunted Museum is currently based on the ground floor of Hopkinson's Vintage Antiques and Art Centre on Station Street.
Owners Marie and Steve Wesson had the idea for the museum after collecting items privately for years before opening it to the public. There is something for every horror fan or anyone into the supernatural or paranormal from shrunken heads, and taxidermy rats to a real exorcism kit imported from Ireland. But one of the best items on display is a beautifully preserved Victorian hearse which sits among a graveyard at the back of the museum.
Owner Marie Wesson says this is one of her favourite pieces and it was found in a storage unit. She felt instantly drawn to the hearse after going to visit it. The couple research and visit each item before they invest in them to make sure they are the real deal.
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"The Victorian hearse still has all of its original glass and tools inside. It's also pre-horse drawn which means it was people drawn and it's absolutely beautiful," Marie said.
"We had a phone call from someone who had bought a storage unit and it was inside covered over so they asked if we would be interested. When we went to see it, I fell in love with it."
The hearse also has also been known to go bump in the night as a spine-chilling video captured the handle at the front moving on its own. All of the items will be transported to the new shop, which is the site of the former Windblowers shop on Derby Road.
"The building came up and to be honest, I wasn't looking to relocate but I saw it on the internet and I was instantly drawn to it so I went to have a look," she explained.
The new shop will give the museum a chance to expand as it is currently bursting at the seams in Hopkinsons. There is not one area of the surprisingly large museum not creatively decorated or displaying something unusual or macabre. This ranges from hundred-year-old skulls to vintage stretchers and ceramic inhalers that were discovered in old hospitals before being donated to the museum.
"It will be exactly the same as we do now apart from the displays which will be slightly different. We will have a lot more room as well. The building is from the 1800s so it's really old. Our current building is from the early 1900s and was first opened as an engineers' shop."
As you can imagine, being in an older building surrounded by these items, it can get quite creepy late at night. Marie reports that the atmosphere can change in the shop from day to day but there have been unexplainable events in the past.
"We've had the crying boy painting come off the wall, people have been scratched and things have moved quite regularly. We do also see apparitions walking around," she explained.
"Each day is a different atmosphere but today, there is a really relaxed feeling. Whereas tomorrow it could be completely different and you just don't feel comfortable. It depends on the day.'
Marie also organises ghost hunts around the UK with many happening at the Hopkinson building itself. In the past, locations have included: Strelley Hall, Smethwick Baths and Annison's Funeral Parlour in Hull with many of the events selling out in advance.
"We travel up and down the UK doing paranormal events so the general public gets to experience, in a controlled environment, a ghost hunt. They get to use all the equipment and it's more controlled and it's safe for them."
Marie added: "We've had some of the most amazing activities at our events. Not so long ago, at one event we actually had table levitation and by the laws of physics, it shouldn't have stayed where it was because two people came off and it should have dropped. It stayed so level then it went down so slowly. I couldn't explain that."
Far from being terrified, Marie genuinely loves her job and feels excited when the groups make contact - no matter how big or small.
"I get excited as I love doing what we do. So any activity, no matter how small it is, still excites me even after all the years of doing it. Even if it's a tap to the EMF reader going off, I'm just excited by it all," she said.
