The Trevor Arms itself dates from 1811, when it took over the function of toll house from an adjacent cottage and also its ale licence when one widow Hignett retired.

The village of Marford sits alongside the "old road", the B5445 Chester Road, midway between the Welsh town of Wrexham to the south and the English City of Chester to the north. At one time it was on the main route between Shropshire and Chester, the village was usually clogged up with traffic – today though there is a by-pass and village life is a little more idyllic. The village is set on the fringe of open countryside, the River Alyn running through there and its most famous feature is its mill which was built in 1588 – it fell into terrible disrepair and has been carefully restored by its present owner to its former glory, a much admired feature of the village by visitors and local alike. Rossett does though harbour a dreadful secret, the village green is said to be haunted for it was here that a robber was hanged and sometimes late at night when there is a full moon it is said that he can still be seen wandering around!

 Marford is surrounded by beautiful countryside through which there are plenty of good walks and the landscape is essentially flat for some 10 miles to the east and north with the Welsh hills rising almost immediately to the south and west. Beyond is seventeenth century Trevalyn Hall, very Jacobean and reassuring. Past a wood and over a bridge and to the left is a waterwheel, undershot with wooden paddles, and its magpie mill, all black and white with drunken timbers. 1661, it says on its façade, though it is much older than that. All much beloved of photographers and amateur artists. This is where Rossett's significance emerged, in water, in milling, in horses and carts splashing their way through a ford, and this is the scene which comes to mind when the name of the village is mentioned. Formerly in the ancient parish of Gresford, today it is part of the parish of Rossett. There are two public houses in Marford - one at the bottom of the Marford hill - The Trevor Arms, the other at the top - The Red Lion. There are no shops in Marford or indeed places of worship but the villages of Gresford to the south and Rossett to the north satisfy the spiritual needs of the community with Christ Church in Rossett and All Saint's Church in Gresford.
Marford is however famous for its quaint looking Gothic cottages, some say these were built as part of the Trevalyn Hall estate in nearby Rossett. Others say that the properties were built by an influx of European refugees in the late 18th Century (nothing changes!) and that the cottages were built in the style of their homeland.
One of the distinctive features of the properties is the strange roof lines or eyebrow eaves, (similar to Rossett Mill) which give the clue to the original roofing material being thatch. The slate that covers the roofs today is not designed to be laid at such low pitches and I suspect that poorly maintained properties might suffer an ingress of wind driven water when it rains heavily.

But the village properties are also renowned for an ingress of a less earthly kind. Indeed several of the houses including the Trevor Arms are reputed to have crucifixes or crosses, some in the form of cross-shaped windows, built into the very fabric of the buildings to protect the inhabitants from evil spirits. Ghost hunting is a fun hobby. It is a nice way to socialise with people from different backgrounds who share this common interest. It’s a great excuse to get together, hang out and share ghost’s stories and unusual experiences. The best place to for such social ghost hunting is at a haunted pub!  This pub is allegedly the most haunted in North Wales and Marford is probably the most haunted village.

Lady Margaret Blackbourne of Rofft Hall is the phantom concerned; she was cruelly murdered by her husband George Blackbourne in 1713, her murder went unpunished and her unhappy spirit took to wandering through the village searching for her husband who had betrayed her and terrifying the inhabitants in the process. George found a new younger wife some six month’s later. And it is said that Lady Margaret's ghost is still sometimes seen. Margaret's body is said to have clawed its way out of the grave and gone in search of the newly-weds, passing each house in the village, tapping and peering in at each window in her quest to find them. Eventually her body was laid to rest after tormenting her former husband, but her spirit still wanders through the village, tapping at windows and peering in...The crucifixes and eyes are said to ward off her vengeful ghost.

Group members attending the investigation

Lorraine Ellis, Andrea Ellis, Kate Lloyd, Tim Cowell, Mike Griffiths and Jimmy Ellis.

The Public House is probably one of the most archetypal of English images and its role as an important centre of both urban and rural social life remains little diminished in the 21st Century. Many of the country's Inns and Ale Houses can trace their origins back over the centuries and have stood as silent witnesses through changing times and historic events. Perhaps it is their unique position as common ground where anyone with the price of a pint is welcome that has led to so many of them gaining a reputation for being haunted. Could it simply be that having so many people through their doors over the years, makes a ghostly guest who would really rather linger longer, more likely? Whatever the reason, from Cornwall to Northumberland, the "Haunted Pub" is almost so commonplace as to be a tautology and wherever the visitor may travel, there is almost certain to be a local tavern with its own ghostly tale to tell. For centuries pubs and inns have been at the heart of communities, places to meet and greet, or simply places for the lost or weary to rest up and shelter for the night. Many have been witness to historic or horrific events, and some would have us believe that many of those momentous events have left their indelible mark on those buildings and North Wales has a great tradition of folklore, ghosts and hauntings. Some of those accounts have lived on over the years to become the stuff of legend. Some say spirits frequent the Trevor Arms Hotel because of its rich and long history, others say that they are attracted here because of the villages bloody and haunted past. Guests staying at the Trevor Arms Hotel have frequently reported hearing footsteps, unexplained movement of doors and other objects, one guest felt an unseen force hold him down his bed in bedroom 16. "Ghosts have a habit of appearing in places that have known either great happiness or great misery - and as pubs tend to see a lot of these emotions, it's why many can be haunted.” Sudden drops in temperature, faint flickers of light and mysterious goings-on are just an average night for the locals. The Trevor Arms Hotel is haunted by at least 5 different spirits that have remained at the Trevor Arms long after their deaths. The first step we take when investigating a location is to perform a tour of the site with the owners of the property present to describe their paranormal experience. Based on this, the team then sets up their electronic equipment in the paranormal "hot spots" as indicated by the owners' tales. On our previous visits we made contact with the spirit of what was thought to be a Cavalier, instead he turned out to be a civil war soldier from the mid-sixteen hundreds he had shown a great interest in contacting Mike our medium with clear information about just who he was and where he had lived, he had even tried to contact us while we performed a séance and investigation at an old cottage close to the Trevor Arms a week before our first visit, hopefully this soldier by the name of Thomas Willoughby will try and make contact with us once more.

 A young Victorian girl in a white dress with long blonde ringlets by the name of Sarah had also made herself known on one of our previous visit. Spirits are around us all the time; spirits becomes attached to objects, homes and even people. There are some spirits who are comfortable enough with you to make them selves known. Then there are other spirits whom you would need a medium to tell you they are there. On this return visit we hope to make contact with most of the spirits we know reside at the Trevor Arms, and you never know we might even find new ones. Jim had done a base line test in all the rooms prior to the start of the investigation. A base line test involves the use of an electro-magnetic field meter or EMF Detector, these are great! EMF Detectors can pick up electronic fields over different frequencies, where there are spirits there are usually disruptions in the electronic field.

Whether or not you believe that spirits exist or that it was paranormal activity is for you to consider and perhaps debate, but only you can decide. We also respect those sceptics that say “Seeing is believing " and that's fine, but you must always keep an open mind on the subject.

Most of the early Spiritualists agree that there is no great change with the spirit body; it is lighter and more responsive to commands of will. Spiritual bodies are young and beautiful; age, infirmities, and injuries are no longer visible. Although bodies are not of material flesh and blood, they still feel solid and real. Spirits can assume their earth identity in order to be recognised, although it may require skill. A spirit has more power to appear immediately after death than later on when it becomes completely separated from physical matter. We do not escape from ourselves when we leave our bodies; neither do we gain all knowledge immediately. Death is viewed as the birth of the soul, which retains the mind, knowledge, experience, habits of thought, and inclinations that one had on earth. There is no loss of memory; ties and affections are the same, as are the moral and intellectual status of the individual. After death, the mind continues to think and has the same identity and attributes; the same emotions are experienced. Changing the texture of the body does not mean that one immediately becomes all wise. Even though the surroundings are better, there is no sudden perfection. As we are in the spirit body, we continue to develop special talents and interests and to grow and progress in our development. Free will is never overridden, just as on earth. All experiences of love, compassion, and kindness are the basis of life in the spirit world. The longer you are on the spiritual plane, the happier you become. The longer that you live on earth, the less you have to learn of it in the spirit world, and can therefore pass on to higher studies. It is easier to do your work on earth and have time to cast aside errors and vices. Evidence from the spirit communicators about the transition from the earth to the spirit world is similar to what we have learned from those who have had near death experiences. Some of these characteristics are being aware of being out of the body, travelling through a tunnel, seeing light, and being met by loved ones. We are guided to the spirit realms by guardian angels, and then have a reunion with relatives. We are met by loved ones, who appear as they did on earth so they will be recognised. They then introduce us to a new life. Recent entrants to the spirit world have periods of rest and sleep to adapt to changes; this may require an average of two to three months in earth time. More sleep may be required if death is by violence or suicide, or there has been a long illness or history of maladjustments. Deep sleep is way to restore strength in the spirit realms, just as on earth. Preliminary instructions may be given before the time of rest, or in some cases, it may be after. Many people may be puzzled and confused at first, particularly if their method of transition is sudden. In these cases, various methods are used to make them feel at home. Often people pass over and do not realise it for weeks; they think they are dreaming. New arrivals are left alone to meditate and realise their new conditions, then are allowed to follow their own inclinations. Free will and choice is the same as on earth. The amount of universal love expressed on earth determines placement in the spirit world. After a time of rest, instruction, and meditation, a spirit naturally gravitates to the proper place. One can be held back, however, by the excessive and hopeless grief of those on earth. Minds in spirit life can affect those on earth, and vice versa. Most dreams and impressions of those on earth are visions of immortality. Spirits are always with us.

The Investigation

Paranormal investigations can be long-winded. But if you have a dedicated desire for the paranormal you will inevitably not notice the long hours endured in dark, dank cellars surrounded by creepy crawlies or outside trekking across frozen fields in the midst of winter. The most exciting thing for me personally is expecting the unexpected. But the key to any investigation is preparation and this alone can take time to organize. It's always a good idea to carry an extra supply of batteries for equipment. We've experienced on many occasions loss of power in areas where phenomena are said to have taken place. A torch is an essential piece of equipment we always carry due to obvious safety issues. The people who own the locations we visit get a comprehensive report of the investigation. Some locations we visit time and time again like the Trevor Arms Hotel because they are so interesting and so much seems to be happening. It's an imperative part of the investigation to capture, analyse and catalogue all evidence for future reference and knowledge. So for the moment our equipment list grows longer, and so does our wanted list. We meet some lovely people on our travels, people who have had a brush with the paranormal and who are genuinely intrigued by their experience. We always listen and, if need be, offer advice. We're not experts, but then who is? We don't believe there are experts in the paranormal field. If there were, then surely we'd have an explanation by now. It's too easy to say: "It's all in the mind" and dismiss the possibilities. Yes, sometimes it can be explained away, but not always. I believe spirits do exist. They remain in their own reality, another dimension that sometimes coincides with our own. Why should we separate scientific and psychic investigation or experimentation? Both of these disciplines can complement each other. We continue to learn and educate ourselves in the field of the paranormal. Fear is created by a lack of knowledge and understanding - nothing more.

Due to a time restraint the group decided to focus their investigation on contacting the little Victorian girl by the name of Sarah. The policy that the group rigidly adheres to is to always send a grounded child spirit over to the light in order for them to be with their loving family again.

At the start of the investigation all group members along with staff members entered bedroom 16, which is across the car park and in earlier times used to be a stable block, to try and make contact with Thomas Willoughby the Civil War soldier whom our medium had contacted on a previous visit, some of the group used their digital cameras and caught many orb photo’s with one showing what appeared to be a ghostly apparition standing at the side of the building.

On returning to the main building the group split into two teams with Tim and Lorraine checking the top floor corridor and a child’s playroom with a voice recorder and a K2 meter, they experienced bangs and knocks along the corridor but when they went to check for the origin of the sounds they seemed to hear the same sounds from the other end of the corridor as if someone was playing games with them, they also used a digital camera and caught many orbs. Throughout their investigations the K2 meter lit up indicating electro magnetic interference which is the sign that spirits are present. The rest of the group went into bedroom area with a voice recorder and K2 meter and experienced similar electro magnetic field fluctuations.

Two staff members and two group members set up a table with dolls, marbles and a K2 meter placed on top of the table in the hope that young Sarah would be attracted to them. Mike called out for Sarah to step forward and affect the table by vibrating, shaking or even tipping it up. At first nothing seemed to happen then suddenly the table began shaking and moving, it became more and more violent the marbles and dolls fell to the floor, the K2 meter lit up to its maximum spectrum setting of red and stayed that way while the table rocked back and forth. Mike called out for the movement to stop and it stopped immediately and the K2 returned to its normal setting. Everyone involved was left in a state of shock and nervous excitement. This was repeated a little later in the evening with the same result.

The group turned to the Ouija board in the lounge area of the bar to try and talk to Sarah. A Victorian lady we had encountered on our last visit came though to our medium and she gave the name Grace Castle, we had believed that she might be Sarah’s Aunt but she said through the Ouija board that she was in fact Sarah’s Grandmother. She was asked if she and Sarah would like to be sent over to the light and she spelled out, yes. Mike picked up Sarah’s Surname which was Evans.

Thomas Willoughby also came through but appeared to only want to talk to our medium and wasn’t too bothered about talking through the Ouija board so for this investigation and lack of time left we all thought we would leave him for our next visit to the Trevor Arms. Many messages came through again for those sitting around the table.

At the end of the investigation the only thing left to do was to form a circle and send Grace and Sarah over to the spirit world to join her family.

The Findings

We came to the conclusion that spirit activity is rife throughout the Trevor Arms Hotel. This really is an exceptional Inn and we believe it to be very haunted. Strangely, though, despite all the paranormal activity, on this occasion the group thought that the Inn was a rather peaceful and welcoming place, but we did catch an anomaly which looks like a ghostly figure on a digital camera that we look forward to analysing and studying closely.

It's very difficult when tables move or lift, or when the investigator has been affected physical in some way by spirits, because the sceptic will always think that it was done for show, but with some paranormal activity the facts are that some things just can't be easily or rationally explained away.

Whether or not you believe that spirits exist or that it was paranormal activity is for you to debate, and for you to decide. Like I have already said we respect those sceptics that say “Seeing is believing” that's fine, but you must always keep an open mind on the subject.

Thank you to all those at the Trevor Arms Hotel for the hospitality shown to us during the investigation