The basement had been the creepiest part of the house so far.
As the group of men carefully wandered the thin halls in the decaying lower levels, one of them noticed something at the end of one corridor. It was a smooth stone slab – something that shouldn’t have been down there.
The group is called Exploring with Fighters – a Youtube channel about urban exploration.
Also known as Urbexing, the team has been to abandoned theme parks, underground caves, scary hotels, and forgotten factories. But, they were ready to do something bigger.
The exciting target? “Hook End Manor” located in the small town of Gallowstree Common.
If it doesn’t sound familiar, maybe this name does … Pink Floyd. Yes, the group was going to scout the famous abode of guitarist and singer David Gilmour. They were about to step onto holy ground.
It started as a 4 am train ride to Oxfordshire. The sun wasn’t up as the cars jittered and rocked back and forth.
They rechecked and organized their gear while chatting about what amazing things they might find. They also planned their route of entry and escape or how to deal with the cops if they showed up.
The walk through the 25-acre property was already enough to put them into a happy frenzy.
But when they laid eye on the massive Elizabethan mansion, they all stopped and stared in awe. Even in its rundown condition, it was glorious, intimidating … and a little creepy. What were they about to discover within?
The inside was indescribable.
It was a mix of cozy decorating, wooden walls, stone floors, and expensive area rugs. Another thing that stood out was the spider webs. They were everywhere and a clear sign that no one had been there in a very long time – which made the rest of the tour all the worse.
It wasn’t like anything they had been in before. It was like the entire space was frozen in time.
Valuable china lined the dining room as if dinner was about to be hosted. A snooker table already had the balls racked up. It was as if the place had been abandoned overnight but waited for someone to return.
A few more noteworthy things included a pile of pillows and blankets (the rest of the house was in pretty good order, so it was weird to see a random mess).
There was also a huge amount of water damage. Paper hung and curled from the walls, plaster was bubbled and cracked, and parts of the ceiling looked ready to fall. Next was exploring the basement.
They could only fit one by one. The small corridors felt more like a cold, wet maze.
There was also a strong smell of must and dust. One of them turned the corner and called the others. His voice was a mix of surprise and nervousness. “Uh, you guys should see this.”
It looked like a stone slab at first. It carried the same heavy dust like everything else, but when they looked closer, they could see an engraving.
“Little Jack. April 17th, 1909. Age seven years.” THIS stone should not have been there … were they standing on … No. it couldn’t be.
It was enough. The mansion already had rumors of being haunted.
Plus, it wasn’t just the ghost vibes they all felt, one key element in their exploration was not to stay too long. Even though there was so much more begging to be discovered, they quickly vacated. On the train back, they planned their return.
They hadn’t even found the area where the famous recording studio had been.
There also must have been at least one secret room. Maybe there were more structural gems they didn’t even know about. It ended up another 4 am trip to the manor. But this time, they weren’t alone.
Sitting in the driveway were several cars. It seemed that someone (or “someones”) had come back.
There were hints of the yard and brush being clean up and possibly internal care as well. Whatever it was, the new mission wasn’t going to happen. The new obstacle was the owner.
After the episode aired, the likes and views went through the roof.
It had become an online sensation – with a far enough reach to find the actual owner, who was not happy at all. “[The owner] seemed pretty angry at first, but said he’s got nothing against the hobby,” Dixon said.
Although most of the episode comments were positive, there were some questions on the illegality of the situation.
The team said the maximum penalty would be a small fine. They also hoped their spotlight lead to the owner’s return and upkeep of the property. As for Little Jack … there are still no answers.
