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?

rofl at this thread!
Particularly keen on definition of drummers...and respectful of your dd's healthy attitude towards them

I would definitely veer towards daed thing rather than dead person, and also agree that your nose does get 'used' to smells and stops 'noticing' them.

If you have syneastheia (god that is SO not how it's spelt is it!? That's just a random collection of letters ) - could you be 'smelling' the colour of the walls or similar???

The threads I miss when I have a night off MN!

Just for info (and possibly to freak you out a little more wmmc), we have had a lot more spiritual activity in our house since the floods. It seems to have had an effect on ALL the residents

I was aware that we had at least 1 child here, but since the deluge he has appeared regularly AND brought his 2 brothers along for good measure. I had to have a stern word with him when I came back from my hols as the builders complained that stuff kept going missing whilst they were working and then reappearing in weird places.

No Tigana but the smell is very blue black.

Aitch you are incorrigible. right back at ya!

....a drifting unpleasant smell...in a room frequented by drummers...you know what I'm thinking don't you ?

Having spent some time with farting musos, it could be a possibility, couldn't it?

I looked up synesthaesia, having never heard of it befor, and found with this explanation: "it's cross-sensory perception where a link in the brain which should have been destroyed whilst developing in the womb remains, hence their senses become muddled and people can taste colours, etc". Could you actually be sensing a colour of light generated by the stone walls - or indeed sound vibrations from the walls and experiencing them as smell? Then, having experienced it, your brain over-rides it and re-routes it to the appropriate sensors and you lose the sense of smell?

I have to say for a stern 'not funny' thread, parts of this have made me howl - esp the activity in the hot airing cupboard!

Blu - the bit that got me was

"By whomovedmychocolate on Thu 16-Aug-07 21:41:49

In answer to the question about dead people, I worked in a morgue as a work experience placement (yeah I know, I put on my form 'I want to work with people' - should have been more specific I know!)"

So sorry WMMC but that bit had me ROFL!

You mention in your profile pics that you have bats...

They really stink. Their droppings are high in ammonia, and from a distance it smells like rotting meat.

It could be that you have a roost above the rooms in the roof? The smell may appear to dissapear as you get into the room as your nostrils ajust quite quickly to the scent.

??

Blu - it's not just me so no. If it was just me I'd say yes that's probably a good explanation because I have experienced a yellow wall as a funny smell before (much to the consternation of my DH who I forced to take me to a different restaurant because this one was raspberry scented apparently )

Ludaloo - the bats are in the house loft, not the studio - the studio has nothing in the roof - because we checked yesterday - there is no trap or anything but I was so sure there was a logical cause I had to go up my big ladder, pull away the boards and look with a torch - aside from a load of spiders, nothing.

We are having a big party in that building tomorrow. I do hope whatever it is doesn't stink it up.

misspiggy - I wasn't particularly chuffed with that turn of events either and really regretted taking the piss out of the careers officer the previous week

In retrospect, it was hugely funny, those that work with the dead always have a wicked sense of humour!

Blu - actually I'm not totally synasthesic and it only affects me badly if I'm tired or pregnant and I only see some sounds, flavours and smells as colours and vice versa. It's hugely helpful in the music industry because you can just remember the colours of a song rather than tones and never go out of tune etc. But a bit freaky when confronted with a Dulux colour chart

WhoMoved, my mum can tell when people are pregnant!
Horses won't go anywhere dodgy either - how about asking your local pony club if they want to ride up the stairs into the long gallery and see what happens?!

Bloody Nora!
Read the thread, turned round to speak to dh & discover he's gone up to bed & the room's gotten pitch black! All the hairs just stood up on the back of my neck

Greebos - what's that over there in the corner???

Bluestocking - ha bloody ha! My hand carved elm staircase would not support the weight of a stallion, it barely carries the fat bassists!

I did try and get the dog to go back in today, stood behind it and pushed and it just sat and whimpered until I gave up. Which wasn't very long TBH, I think the dog quite sensibly has decided there is a vet in the building or something!

Anyway, no smell today - perhaps it's gone again for a bit - which if it was flood related is odd because it's been really wet here for three days!

Ho hum. Maybe things will kick off tomorrow -with 80 odd witnesses (perhaps I should call Most Haunted Live and ask them if they want to join us - they could chuck some spoons about ).

See how it goes when it starts raining tomorrow.

'I see dead people.'

LOL!

It's a party for studio engineers. If the dead rose and walked among us, do you think anyone would notice?

I see dumb people.

A party for studio engineers? Do they do 'social' round your way then

Love the image of aproduction assistant standing just off-camera with cutlery drawer under arm

please insert ? at end of 1st sentence in that post - cheers.

Shit...2nd sentence I mean...dammit...should really go to bed!

Tigana - have the ghosts stolen your grammar?

Yes I know it's weird, apparently it's a national thing and it's our turn. Doh!

Have made lots of cake though.

whomoved... do you want it to be a ghost? i think you do.

Aitch!!! There you are!!!

Ach, Aitch, I'm a bit pissed and surrounded by po-faced folk.

Glad to see you around .

Piss off expat and go sleep it off, there's a love