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'I invite ghost hunters to my haunted house'

Kian Boyle/BBC A man with white hair and a white beard is wearing a black fleece and standing in what looks like an old house at night time, lit by a lamp not seen in shot. There is a suit of armour behind him.Kian Boyle/BBC
Nick Evans said he did not really believe in ghosts before moving to the old inn

A couple who believe their house is haunted have begun inviting ghost hunters to come in to check out the apparent apparitions.

Nick Evans said 34 ghost hunters had visited his home, The Old White Horse in Hockliffe, Bedfordshire, after a visit by TV ghost hunter Barri Ghai.

Most of the building had stood since 1642 but parts dated back to about 1420, Mr Evans said.

"Yes, we have a few ghosts - but when we moved in, I wouldn't have necessarily believed in ghosts," he said.

Mr Evans, 68, and his wife Maria, 62, moved into the house, a few miles from Leighton Buzzard, in 2018 after it had been empty for four years.

The retired couple first became aware their new home could be haunted when their granddaughter seemingly made friends with the ghost of a little girl.

Mr Evans said: "We thought she was having us on. She was aged two when we moved in, but other people have picked up on the same ghost with the same name."

He said his granddaughter's new friend was called Olive.

"Olive was a scullery maid and died here of scarlet fever, aged nine," said Mr Evans.

"She's a bit cheeky - she has put handprints on the mirror quite often and we used to tell the grandkids off."

However, the handprints started appearing when the children had not been staying, he said.

Kian Boyle/BBC A dining table in a dark room. It has table mats on it, a bear ornament and is surrounded by dark wood chairs. The walls behind are brick and there is an open fireplace with candles on the mantleKian Boyle/BBC
The couple have filled the rooms of their home with old furniture and artefacts

For about 300 years the building was used as a coaching inn, but now the retired couple run a tearoom on the site.

Ghost hunters had detected other entities in the property, Mr Evans told the BBC.

A ghost called Michael apparently haunts a priest hole in the oldest part of the house.

And a groom, named Jack, has also been detected.

Mr Evans said once he turned the television off to go to bed and it turned back on again.

He believed one of the ghosts "wanted to watch the rest of the film".

He added that the ghosts in the house had extinguished candles, jingled keys and moved objects around.

Maria Evans A large brick building that used to be a pub but is now a house and tea room. It has a tiled roof and the windows are black and white. There is a car parked outside.Maria Evans
Parts of the house date back to the 15th Century
Maria Evans Maria and Nick Evans sitting next to each other, smiling at the camera. She has shoulder-length hair and is wearing a purple top. He has white hair and a beard and is wearing a pink T-shirtMaria Evans
Nick and Maria Evans said they were not afraid to live in their apparently haunted house

The couple have declined monetary offers from people wanting to remove the ghosts.

Mr Evans said they had "been offered mega bucks" for such a service, but added "we like them, we want to keep them."

They started inviting ghost hunting groups to the house after TV ghost hunter Barri Ghai highlighted it on social media.

He did not wish to say if he charged the groups to spend the night wandering the corridors.

Maria Evans A bare room with brick and plater walls, old saddles are placed on a wrack and there is a large bicycle wheel on showMaria Evans
Tours of the house and cellar are offered to interested visitors

"We've got a cellar; they love going in the cellar because it's spooky even if there's nothing down there," he said.

Asked if he or his wife were at all wary about living in their apparently haunted house, Mr Evans said no, but Mrs Evans recounted she once thought she felt something get into the bed with her.

"I think one of the ghosts maybe came for a cuddle because they were scared," she said.

Mr Evans added: "When we moved in, it felt like the friendliest house. They are very friendly ghosts - they're great."

LISTEN: Investigating the supposed paranormal activities at a 17th century Bedfordshire coach house

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