Ghost hunt at Fort Paull as work to bring former museum back to life gathers pace

Fort Paull is to hold its first event, a ghost hunt, as two business partners work to bring the former tourist attraction back to life.

The ghost hunt will be held on Saturday, July 20, from 7pm to 1am, with ticketed entry only and visitors paying £25 each for the spooky experience with paranormal investigators. From next week, things take a lighter turn at the site in Holderness, as it hosts a summer holiday club for children.

Nick Taylor and Nick Moore, who call themselves the Two Nicks, have taken on the task of restoring the historic site as a heritage and events venue. They have set up a Facebook page, detailing their activities to clear the overgrown fort, and launched a gofundme appeal with a target of £10,000.

READ MORE:

• ‘Monumental’ task but two men are determined to reopen Fort Paull
• Get all the latest updates on food, drink, entertainment and events with our free What’s On newsletter

They have hopes of putting their own stamp on the place, as well as re-opening a museum there. Nick Taylor said: “It’s been brilliant. The response we have had has been overwhelming and it just goes to show how well-loved this place is and how much missed by the local and further community it has been for the last five years.”

The Two Nicks have been documenting their work, showing before and after images at the fort, which was originally built in the 1500s and finally closed in January 2020. A plan to turn the area into a caravan park was turned down, which was when Nick Taylor - who was employed as a temporary caretaker at the site last year - and Nick Moore, a campaigner to keep Fort Paull open, joined forces and were granted permission by the owner to reopen the heritage site.

Nick Taylor said: “I don’t think either of us really realised how much of an impact the place had had on so many different people. I think there is always an element of, are we doing the right thing, is this going to work, when you take on something of this sort of scale.”

While all the ground work is taking place, the men want to secure the future of the site by booking in events, co-ordinated by third-party providers. “We have our first ghost hunt event booked in this weekend – it’s at night-time to make it as scary as possible – and we have a school holiday club starting next week.

“We are hoping to do as many different things to appeal to as many different demographics as we can.” A Christmas Market is also scheduled for the weekend of November 16 and 17, 2024, with arts, crafts and food stalls.

The Two Nicks have had offers of help and would love to hear from such as ground workers, who could assist with laying a road access to the fort’s bar, and roofers, to “plug some gaps to stop further deterioration”. Nick said: “We are raising money at the moment to pay for the access road to the bar to the tarmacked. If we could get in a contractor who would be willing to do the work for free, that would be great.”

He added: “There are no museum pieces left. We have had some donations of World War One stuff, which is good.

“If anyone wants to donate any artefacts we would be pleased to have them. Equally, someone might want to offer us a loan of such as military vehicles.”

The removal of the last Blackburn Beverley plane from Fort Paull – it is being removed, in parts, to the Solway Aviation Museum, in Cumbria, where it will be preserved alongside a collection of aircraft – is almost complete and a “double-edged sword”, said Nick.

“The wings and the propellers were off. It wasn’t in a fit state for anyone to go into. It would have taken so much time and money to restore it.

“It’s really sad to see it go but at the aviation museum it’s going to be in better hands than what we could have done with it here. The Solway guys are cracking guys, they have been living on site and have got to know us really well. We wouldn’t have been able to manage the fort, and the Beverley, not now.