I smell dead people in the long gallery (not kidding and not funny)

[whomovedmychocolate]

I posted about this previously and it went away but the floods seem to have disturbed something.

Basically I live in a 400 year old house (gorgeous see my profile pics) and work next door in a converted chapel (baptist - wasn't a chapel for long because the villagers turned up with flaming torches etc.) but there are human remains in the gardens (I know because I dug them up ).

A few months ago a funny smell kept appearing. Now it's appearing daily. We have checked out the obvious (dead animals in the roof, infestations, blocked drains etc). but the weird thing is, the smell only comes on in part of a room (various rooms) and seems to move and then it goes.

Today it moved up the stairs and to the long gallery and whenever I go in there it disappears within a few minutes (oh and before you ask no, I do not go around with a can of Febreze or indeed 'ghost away' spray.)

The building spooks me TBH and I don't like to go in there on my own. But I don't believe in ghosts and rationally I think all that stuff is rubbish.

So I need rational explanations please. We have ruled out:

(a) creatures in the roof - no airflow through unless they were in air con vent which we checked today
(b) Sewerage plumbing issues - all checked out and also smell often occurs in parts of the building with no plumbing
(c) Electrical issues - all wires checked - nothing burning/shorting - even cleaned the light bulbs to check it wasn't a dust issue.
(d) creatures in the walls - walls are three feet thick, solid ironstone
(e) creatures under the floors - parquet flooring over stone - apparently it's two foot thick.

Anybody got any ideas?

Expat - I thought that once, turned out they were just the IT support dept

It could be blood,

dont want to freak you,

but when we moved into our old house i could smell 'dead people' in our loo, like off mince

The council had put flooring down, and when we were decorating we pulled it up,

and the floor was stained and rotten ...

The man had died and rotted on the loo floor and instead of taking up the bpaords they'd just put flooring over.

It was disgusting

Doublebluff - all the lights have been replaced recently. Two years ago we did a major rewire and replaced everything and had it all checked. We had an electrician in today and checked again because I thought maybe it was burning wire (and this worried me).

Mine was the bit hwere the lightbulb screws into the lamp, the plasctic was melting but it smelt disgusting.

kitsandbits - urrrrggggh

But no, not unless someone bled through several feet of stone it couldn't be. Although I guess someone could have dug up the parquet floor, buried someone and then relaid it perfectly. Tis unlikely though I think.

Sorry, whomoved, but these two entities are definitely not explainable by any rational means and have been experienced by many students and staff over the years.

Someone may indeed be buried beneath the dwelling and as the summer's been so wet this could explain the smell.

Ah well we have LEDs so there is no plastic I think - just glass and shielded metal. Also, if it was the lights then the smell wouldn't be there when the lights had been off for 24 hours. It's been a bright day so there were no lights on today when the smell appeared.

Expat - I wasn't mocking you.

I believe in something but I'm just dubious about the whole 'people shaped things that were once people' idea.

Tell me though what are they like?

running out of idead.
Were you flooded?
Maybe the floods unsettled something in the church yard and the body bits are rotting or something equally pleasant?

Expat - there are people buried in the front garden - I know that - but there is no smell there. I don't think anyone could be under the chapel TBH - and even if they were, it was built in 1866 - you'd think they'd be dust by now?

Doublebluff - excellent typo!

The gardens haven't been used to bury people for over a hundred years though and it was never an 'official' site. So unless the previous owners had been offing people I don't see how it's possible.

Call in enviromental health..however a bit tricky if the smell isn't always there...hmmmm

I did speak to EH today and they said they'd come and have a look but they couldn't help unless there was a known cause. TBH I think they just want a nose because they are amused by the idea of a floating stink.

Anyone got an idea why it goes when I arrive?

It's entirely possible that there are human remains are under the home - it's way more common than you think - and all the rain has stirred something up.

I thought Expat's post of 21.40 had something in it - even apparently thick walls can have rats burrowing in them, and hence dead rats.

i bought out house dirt cheap and only realised that the guy who showed me it's deceased brother had actually died in my living room when i tried to pull the carpet up and it stuck to the floor in a man shaped shape.

i know you don't believe in ghosts, but whats the harm in talking to them, saying you love living in their house, you'll respect most of the things as they are, ( i won't cut down the rose bush in my front garden, I've a feeling the boys of the house bought it for their mum) but gently explain that they're dead and they have to go now. If the smell disappears when you arrive, chances are they like you anyway ;)

you've ruled outteh sensible things. have a nice quiet converstaion with your dead folk.

is it because you change the nappy?

Ooh thanks Expat - I'll sleep more soundly now

Actually I don't live in this building, it's next door to my house. We live in the thatched house in my profile and work here

maybe the smell dosen't go when you arrive?

i know if i have been in my bounce'd kitchen where my drier is for too long i no longer smell the bounce smell..but if i go and re-enter after 5 few mins i smell it again!

Do you know what i mean??

I've have never believed it till I saw it for myself, Kathy, but they did burrow in.

Just today, we were down in those vaults doing an inspection, because we have builders in, and there's evidence they're getting in through other places

persephonesnape - honestly, you want me to talk to a smell????

Aitch what the blinking flip are you on about???

Expat - if it's dead rats though, surely the smell wouldn't vanish - and it really does go instantly I acknowledge it - I've had DH and various other people notice this and it spooks them too!

It's common in Edinburgh, at any rate.

Land's always been at a premium. For example, Greyfriars has been used as a cemetary for hundreds of years, and it's doubtful that ALL hte bodies were moved before they started whacking up hundreds of flats.

Ditto Leith Links, a known mass burial site during a number of plagues.

i think dd is following you around with a shitey nappy, is all.