Hampton Court photo: ghost or guest? - News And Comment

Does surveillance-camera footage of" a robed figure at England's famed Hampton Court Palace really depict a ghost, as some have suggested?

The spooky incident occurred at the sixteenth-century home of King Henry VIII, just outside London. The place has a lengthy reputation as a haunted site, and some have heralded a new "ghost" photo as among the best ever.

Although reported during the Christmas season of 2003, the mystery began two months earlier with the ringing of alarms in the vicinity of the fire doors. The doors were found closed, but subsequent examination of the closed-circuit camera footage revealed a robed figure--nicknamed Skeletor--slamming the doors shut. It was reported that the doors were flung open at about the same time (1 P.M.) on each of three consecutive days but that the figure was spotted only on the second occasion. Interestingly one person wrote in the visitor's book that she believed she had witnessed a ghost in the area at the time of the incident.

While some researchers noted what they regard as manipulation of the still image, such as by Photoshop or similar programs, skeptic Richard Wiseman believes the original footage is genuine. Having examined it he states, "It seems unlikely that there has been any digital manipulation of the footage." He believes the events depicted actually occurred and "that the footage is open to various interpretations."

Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University, doubts that palace tour guides perpetrated a hoax and believes that the figure might simply be "a visitor dressed in a long coat" helpfully closing the doors.

My own study also indicated that the image probably depicted a real person. Examination of a high-resolution electronic copy of the published still reveals a solid figure with shadow patterns consistent with an earthly figure photographed in ambient light. That is in contrast to most traditional "ghost" photographs which typically depict ethereal, transparent figures.

Even though the footage may be genuine, the event itself could have been deliberately staged--a possibility suggested by the repeated opening of the fire doors and the pre-Halloween timing of the incidents.

Joe Nickell is author of several books including

Camera Clues: A Handbook of Photographic

Investigation.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group