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Greyfriars Ghost Hunters - The Mackenzie Poltergeist - The Final Part

Greyfriars Ghost Hunters - The Mackenzie Poltergeist - The Final Part

3,092 22

Lawson McCulloch


Free Account, Musselburgh, Scotland

Greyfriars Ghost Hunters - The Mackenzie Poltergeist - The Final Part

The Mackenzie Mausoleum is the tomb with the rounded roof.

http://www.cityofthedeadtours.com/the-mackenzie-poltergeist/

In December of 1998, a homeless man wandered through Edinburgh’s storm-lashed streets. Seeking shelter from the night’s downpour he staggered into Greyfriars Kirkyard and broke into one of the old mausoleums in the Covenanter’s Prison section—no doubt attracted by its intact roof. Inside, the vault was pitch-black and the brave (or foolhardy) vagrant decided to explore his surroundings with what meagre light he possessed. He removed an iron grate in the floor and descended a short, twisting, stone staircase and entered a second chamber. There, he came across four wooden coffins. Perhaps looking for valuables to steal, the man began to smash open the dusty caskets. As he did so, a hole suddenly opened beneath his feet and he fell through a wooden division into a third chamber—the existence of which had been previously unknown. The unfortunate intruder landed in a deep pit that had been used for illegally dumping those that had died from the plaque. Despite being hundreds of years old, the pit had remained well-sealed and the corpses that greeted the luckless tramp were far from skeletal. Semi-putrefied and covered in green slime, the rotten carcasses had sunken features, ragged clothing, matted hair and emitted an overpowering stench.

Not surprisingly, the man desperately fled the tomb, not stopping even when he cut his head on the tomb’s entrance in his reckless flight.

A nearby security guard and his dog had heard strange noises coming from the Covenanter’s Prison and were in the process of exploring the graveyard when they saw the wailing vagrant hurtling towards them. The sight of a bloody, filthy and bedraggled man charging out of a crypt in the middle of a stormy night was
too much for the guard and both men fled separately into Edinburgh’s darkness.

Comments 22

  • Elke 14/12/2014 19:55

    Great story and great picture! Best wishes, Elke
  • Christian Dolle 09/12/2014 22:10

    A little bit scary but beautiful. Well done.
  • Impressionen vom Niederrhein 06/12/2014 12:15

    Fantastic!!!!
    Your black / white photos are great!!!!
    LG Helmut
  • Renzo Baggiani 30/11/2014 18:05

    Atmosfera gotica con appropriato lavoro di B&W.
  • pednaval 30/11/2014 10:05

    Me gusta++++++
  • alexander stefanatos 28/11/2014 12:05

    Excellent dull and gloomy monochrome to comply beautifully with the Poe like piece of horror fairytale..
    regards alexander
  • Matthias Moritz 27/11/2014 9:29

    a haunting place ...
  • photodh 25/11/2014 19:10

    Bonne image
    A+
    Daniel
  • Mirjam Burer 25/11/2014 9:56

    Sad story to this creepy image Lawson...
    but a great picture it is with the tones, the uncanny mood...compliment
    lg, Mirjam
  • Elvina Benoist-Audiau 24/11/2014 21:27

    Fantastic mood - where are the ghosts ? very beautiful capture of this cemetery - Greetings, Elvi
  • Jenipher Baker 24/11/2014 14:28

    The editing of the scene fits wonderfully to the story .........both TOPS
    lg Jenipher
  • s. sabine krause 24/11/2014 10:19

    : ))))))))))))))))) what a hilariously gruesome story! love it!!! i don't blame either one for running! i probably would have died of shock right among them – yuck!! but plaguing the dead by disturbing their peace? rotten idea!! ; ) at least the age-old corpses weren't contagious! because if they were, the city of edinburgh might be in deep bubonic trouble by now… ; )) what a fun and interesting series this is, lawson! and i love the composition of this shot with the headstones in the foreground providing great depth and making the viewer stand back and gaze reverently, looking at the tomb from a distance, which makes it seem twice as notorious! ; ) those little recesses on its sides… the remind me of eyes! greetings, sabine.
  • Harold Thompson 24/11/2014 9:39

    Spooky and interesting info
    :-)) Harold
  • Mark Billiau. 24/11/2014 8:41

    Very well presented in great tones !
    Your story sounds like a new Indiana Jones movie :-))

    Mark
  • Sue Thompson 24/11/2014 8:40

    Dark....and scary.........

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Camera NEX-7
Lens Sigma 19mm F2.8 EX DN
Aperture 5
Exposure time 1/40
Focus length 19.0 mm
ISO 1600