to think something supernatural is going on and want to move house? (Any rational explanations much appreciated!)

[GoldLetter]

6 months ago DH and I bought a detached 4-bed Victorian Vicarage in isolated spot on edge of village, no other houses in sight, woods behind. This had always been our dream. House seemed beautiful and peaceful until we moved in.
Soon after we moved in I started feeling really uneasy when alone during day,as if being watched, but I put it down to house being so big and isolated until bizarre things started happening. In upstairs bathroom there's a trapdoor leading to attics, I've never been up there but one morning I noticed trapdoor was slightly ajar. When DH came home from work I asked him why he'd been up in attic, he said he hadn't been up since putting some boxes up there when we'd moved in months earlier. He was freaked out by the trapdoor being ajar in case we'd had a break-in but he checked attics, nothing amiss. No explanation, and we would have noticed if he'd left it ajar the first time as I used to take bath in there everyday.

A week later, we heard a bang, like explosion, from upstairs and found one of glass shower doors in same bathroom had shattered! Luckily it's safety glass but was all over floor. Its quite new and company who fitted it had no explanation, said it had never happened before. They replaced it but I'm now too scared to go in that bathroom in case it happens again. No window was open and there'd been no sudden change in temperature. Is there anything that causes this to happen?

Last month DH went away for a week and I was nervous about being in house alone at night, but I'm skeptical about supernatural and an Athiest, so I convinced myself I was being silly. The first night he was away, there was a power-cut at 11pm, which tripped all the burglar alarms! The second night I was on phone to friend and heard lots of banging and crashing in attics, like piles of books falling, it was so loud she heard it down phone and asked what the noise was! Was a nervous wreck until DH came back.

My female friends also find the house very creepy, they say they can't sleep and that its always really cold with strange atmosphere.

Other strange things include a long hallway leading to an (unused) porch with outside door that's always locked, there's something so creepy about it I can't bear to walk past hall at night and twice DH thought he heard knocking on the door in eve, shouted to the person to go round to other door, but no-one came and no-one was out there when he checked. We put security lights all around house and garden, but they constantly flicker on and off, DH says they're just oversensitive and get triggered by bats or the wind. He's quite chilled about it all and says it just feels spooky because its an old house, he likes it here and can't understand why Im so scared. He's going away for another work trip soon, I said i'd stay at my friends' and he thinks I'm being totally unreasonable and got angry. He thinks I'm joking when I say I want to move again.

AIBU? Im not usually an anxious person but I'm constantly on edge!

Great post from Fenella. Try to make the place lighter, brighter and warmer.. Put a lamp in the hall, maybe a runner, a few pictures.

The noise in the attic could be squirrels. My in laws had them in their roof space and they were v noisy. Also a friend's roof hatch blew open during not v strong winds breaking the bolt!

I don't believe in ghosts at all but still feel the hairs standing up on my back when going into the cellar at night! Try not to let it ruin the house for you. Maybe the lighter evenings and familiarity with the house sounds might put you more at ease.

Thanks for reassurance and explanations.

Fenella, yes the trap-door is in ceiling, above bath. A bolt's a good idea. You're right, I have got myself into a tizzy over this! For months I kept denying anything was up, but I think its DH's trip thats making me panic. Better lighting and heating is a good idea too. We're thinking to get a wood burner as the heating's oil and not very effective.

DH looked in boxes, he says its just old lampshades, rolls of carpet, tins of paint etc.

do you have a dog or cat or can borrow one? they can usually sense ghosts etc... no help at all here

What is going on in your life at the moment, have there been other changes and disruptions in your working/personal life? I'm not dismissing this weirdness! It's definitely odd. But just wondering if there is a context that might also be causing you to notice little things more, to be on a higher alert level than usual.

I'm wondering squirrels, birds etc. in the attics, time to get up there and look for droppings, nesting signs,chewed cardboard etc. anyway, close off any entry/exit points if you can and remember, rodents can get through the smallest gap you'd never think possible.

Lights - when was the house re-wired? What extra to what you imagine was the previous usage, was running? Eg dryer, dishwasher, etc.

The new shower. Could be possible that just a tiny, almost invisible chip caused a stress fault-this happened to us once.

To the woo...another property, and one I worked nights in, was an elderly residential home so the last home for many..frankly it became quite 'disturbed' at times, and the local priest would come in, do the prayer bit etc. and things would settle - til the next time.

So, check the age of the wiring and correct if necessary, phone your energy supplier and ask them if they have a supply issue,check the attics for non-woo signs, now the shower glass has been replaced I reckon it'll be ok,I'd really guess that the glass fitters hadn't allowed for expansion, check the history of the place(fascinating exercise anyway), and cultivate a loving of heavy rock music and play it loud every night. Guaranteed to drive anyone away

I know it sounds silly and you're scaring yourself but I would, just to be on the safe side ask the locals about any stories re the house. Not to scare you but you never know what happened there before etc.

A friend of a friend in her house (they've moved not because of this) said one room in her previous house (bedroom) was always freezing cold. previous owner had killed himself in there.

Have you considered talking to thin air whatever is there, firmly, and nicely to leave?

The trapdoor thing is really, really common. The loft hatch in our old house did it all the time - it's just the wind. Agree with Fenella - it's human nature to get all worked up, but really, it'll be just the fact that it's an older house.

And yes, not suprised the company that make shower screens said it's never happened before - they're not going to say that is has, are they?

I second the theory of a draught making things shift about. We used to have a loft hatch that moved every so often depending on how the wind blew. It made a bit of a racket but as we knew what the cause was we weren't fazed by it. Someone coming into the house unaware would no doubt have wondered what the noise was.

Also so have a TV aerial fixed to the chimney stack by big steel bands.For some reason that too moves in the wind and the noise travels down the chimney and reverberates through the house. We have a smallish house compared to yours so if you magnify the sounds in a larger loft /chimney space you might well end up with 'ghostly ' sounds.

I would investigate the door knocking during the day when you have some company to help. Again its probably something (letter box/door knocker) loose making unexpected movements in the wind.

Ooh Fenella I think I might have a crush on you after reading your post

High pitched noise is likely to be in your eat. A sort of temporary tinnitus. I've experienced something similar quite often and the noise does seem to move.

Here you go re shower screens.

Sounds like some sort of animal or bird getting in your loft, maybe not rats, but something. Older houses often have little holes that small creatures can get into. That would explain the loft hatch being ajar, the bangs in the loft, and possibly the power cut if said creature peed on the electrics in the loft. It also might explain the lights being triggered all the time. (Oh and the people in the house across the road from us have annoyingly sensitive outdoor lights that are always going off when others in the street aren't).

That some rooms are a lot colder than others is normal in older houses unfortunately. DD's bedroom is freezing compared to the rest of the house, even if we have all the doors open upstairs (so you would expect the room tempuratures to even out), but it's a corner that gets the wind and is over the stairs, not over the living room like our bedroom or over the dining room/kitchen like DS's. Old houses cost a fortunate to heat, that yours is cold a lot probably just means you've got crap insulation, normal for an old house! What was the energy ratings like when you bought it? Turn your heating up.

The creepy back hallway, is it dark? Re paint with brighter colours, put in new lighting with a 'warm' feel to it can completely change the feel of a space.

The shower door, don't know, but things break, and if you weren't so spooked, you'd just assumed you got a faulty one and complaining to the manufacturers.

I would set a plan of action, 1) put down rat poision in the loft/get someone in to redo insulation in loft. 2) Get someone in to look at cavity wall insulation if that's possible, or else turn your heating up more (you will have to have it on for longer than in a modern house for the same level of warmth). 3) repaint the back hallway and change the lights. 4) Ask a friend to stay for this trip away.

failing all that, then you might have to move, but I suggest you might be more suited to a "new build box" type house than something with beautiful period features that come with history!

I know you said you were an atheist, but you could get a local priest to come in. How many times has this house been sold in the last few years?

Whatever you do, don't watch the film Sinister.

Personally, I'd get an energy-healing type person in to suss it out, just make sure you get someone who'll be straight up with you and not in it for the money. Some energy healing can work wonders, and like another poster said, if it IS spirits and they are bothering you, you can just ask them to go away. Mine always do.

Not being funny but isn't it worth noting that no one ever sees a ghost in a Kappa tracksuit...

OP, I do understand the 'being watched' thing, I used to get it on my stairs in my old house until I realised that through the banisters at certain angles, you could see photos of my DS on the landing and the eyes lined up.

I'm normally a very rational person but I would be freaking out so YANBU

I have seen some spooky things in my own family, while I don't totally believe in all that stuff, I think it can never hurt to suspend disbelief

Perhaps walk around the house (especially in the bathroom) and have a chat with whatever might be there. Say you don't want to destroy the house or disturb them, you are nice quiet people, etc. Maybe that will help.

Have you googled your house to see who has lived there before, whether anything spooky attached to it?

Otherwise my rational brain says it's probably an animal in the attic. Squirrels and such can get in through incredibly tiny holes and cracks that you can't always see.

Fenella is spot on! You need to come to terms with the house. Either with a friend or DH go round all the places that freak you out, get used to them, make sure lights are on in all of them, leave lights on (energy bulbs) at night, eg in the spooky porch. Now your head thinks this, it will find evidence to escalate it.

I remember being in my exps house, being suddenly spooked, dog started growling at the hallway, I hot foot it upstairs, dog closely at my heels (dog wasn't allowed upstairs at all) lock myself into toilet, dog lies across door hackles up. 5 minutes pass, dog starts whining to be let out, feeling gone, dog fine, I'm having a mild heart attack.

It only happened once to me, but had apparently happened to his mum and sister in exactly the same scenarios more than once

mine always do

In my old house, we once had some strange knocking on the door and when I went to look, it was a goose! We also had a seagull who would knock on the fire exit door in the office - I think it liked its reflection.

Oh that is spooky.
But listen to PPs and calm down (meant in a nice way!) and start enjoying your beautiful house.
Old houses are noisy and draughty.

But do get rid of the previous owner's boxes, just in case a demon has attached itself to something in those boxes and wants to play.

OP, it's most likely just a big, massive old house in the woods. It's an old house, which means lots of small holes through which drafts and animals can get it. It's also wood and metal bits that will expand and contract quite rapidly with changes of temperature (e.g. in late evenings, as the house cools down), causing all kinds of creaking and snapping noises. The banging in the attic is most likely mice, rats, birds or squirrels. Squirrels can stomp about like elephants. You live by a wood, which means lots of furry and feathery creatures about who would be happy to get into your warm attic. I would just enjoy your house. It's clearly integrated into its natural surroundings, it interacts with the natural environment.

Certainly don't worry about the glass: you get tiny imperfections in sheet glass, called occlusions and they can cause it to shatter like that. It happens quite a bit in big glass buildings. Can understand why you're spooked, on top of all the other things, but it does sound as if you're freaking yourself out.

I used to hear running up the stairs in my old house always between 1am-3am. If I was home alone i'd sleep downstairs so I could leg it out the house if something made a grab at me . I still don't have a clue about the running as lady next door was well in to her 80s and not very mobile so highly doubt it was her. I do believe our minds play tricks on us too