Ghostly Goings On Caught On CCTV At Shepton Mallet Prison

Shepton Mallet Prison have shared some strange security camera footage captured at the allegedly haunted former prison in Somerset that appears to show a rail of clothes crashing to the floor in the gift shop.

The CCTV clip was caught on Monday November 22, at just after 2pm in what was formerly the jail's visits room, where inmates would have had the chance to meet with friends and family from the outside world. Part of the room now servers as a small museum and gift shop.

Staff from HMP Shepton Mallet, which is now a visitor attraction, shared the clip with the explanation "Nicola was working on the front desk when she heard a loud crash coming from the centre of visits. She walked from the front desk around the corner to find that the clothes rail had fallen to the ground!"

Sadly, the clip has only been shared as a wobbly, handheld recording of the CCTV system's screen, which means it's not the clearest footage, but the the haunted attraction's staff could tell from the footage recored in the room that the rail had not been touched for over five minutes. They wrote, "we can tell from the CCTV that no one else was in the room," they also added that no windows or doors were open at time.

Also known as Cornhill, the infamous grade II listed former prison in Shepton Mallet was the oldest operating prison in the UK when it closed in 2013. It is known for its paranormal activity and the venue hosts regular paranormal and ghost hunting events. With almost 400 years of detaining murderers, violent criminals and notorious gangsters, it's no wonder it is said to be the most haunted prison in the country.

But not content with just labelling the weird clip as being paranormal, the staff as the prison first tried to debunk it. They said, "the following day we tested to see if it could fall by becoming unbalanced with the clothing pushed to one side. However it did not fall down, but stayed upright the entire day."

This isn't the only paranormal investigation to take place at the prison since it closed to inmates. The vast, high-walled site has been visited by several high-profile teams include US investigators Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman in an episode of the ghost hunting series, 'Paranormal Lockdown'.

Over the years there were plenty of deaths in this formidable prison, including murders, suicides, accidents and executions. The body's of the condemned weren't allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, so they were laid to rest in unmarked graves within the walls of the prison.

The areas of the prison which are said to be the most active are the prison's eerie kitchens, the general's office, and the exercise yard. A cell in A Wing is reportedly haunted by a former inmate who was murdered there, while visitors to B Wing report an overwhelmingly oppressive feel.