Post by carbyluva on Nov 3, 2005 18:26:25 GMT
Found this article on the internet. Yvette's talking about her and Karl's home along with loads of other stuff! Found it quite interesting so thought i'd put it up on here for everyone to read!
Here you go. Enjoy!
For most people buying a new home, the main considerations are usually the location, or the condition of the kitchen and bathroom. When former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding and her producer husband Karl Beattie were looking to buy a Tudor farmhouse in Cheshire, their biggest concern was `does it have a ghost?'
As the host of Living TV's hugely successful Most Haunted, now in its seventh series, there isn't a lot Yvette doesn't know about ghost hunting. She and Karl devised the idea for the programme four years ago from their living room in Cheadle Hulme, and despite being rejected by many broadcasters it soon became cult viewing on Living TV.
Each week the investigative team led by Yvette visits a historical property to discover if it could be Britain's `Most Haunted', thrilling viewers with psychic experiments conducted at unearthly hours with night-vision cameras. They have visited over 100 locations so far, which adds up to a lot of sleepless nights for Yvette.
Since launching the Most Haunted Live events, it has become the most watched series on cable television and their last nail-biting Halloween show notched up more viewers than every terrestrial TV channel, which is no mean feat.
Favourite
Hosting Robbie Williams's favourite programme, Yvette has been parodied by French and Saunders, which is an indication of how much the show has settled into the nation's consciousness.
In the new series starting next month, the dedicated team visit the set of Coronation Street and conduct a séance in the Rovers with cast members Simon Gregson and Sue Cleaver, which promises to make interesting viewing.
Even before the idea of Most Haunted was conceived, Yvette claims the couple had witnessed paranormal activity at their previous home, a converted barn in Stockport.
"We'd hear furniture being moved, the kitchen cupboards would bang and the TV would go on and off," she recalls. "Karl had never liked the house and he used to wake up with headaches, feeling depressed. The final straw was when I heard the child safety gate creak open from being properly shut and I thought we had a burglar.
"We got a medium to come around and perform an exorcism. We discovered that when it had been used as a farmhouse, the man who lived here drank heavily and was violent towards his wife. She was obviously unhappy and had died in a fire in our bedroom.
"Thankfully after the house was cleared, all the activity stopped and we lived there happily for another couple of years. The interesting thing is that when we were digging up the back garden, we found a huge well full of old gin bottles."
Perfect
It seems almost preordained that Yvette and Karl would one day stumble across the family home that was so perfect for them in every way.
"We were out for a drive in Cheshire when we happened to look in an estate agent's window," says Yvette. "We saw this beautiful house and were immediately attracted to it. When we came to look around, our jaws just dropped to the floor. It was like walking onto a period film set. The house had been painstakingly renovated with all the original features preserved. One of the things that really struck a chord with us was the names of the first people to live in the house - they were called William and Mary, like our children."
Although Yvette may feel comfortable with ghostly goings-on in her work, she tries to keep her home life as normal as possible.
That said, it seems appropriate that visitors arriving at her wonderfully spooky-looking home are greeted by the macabre sight of the Grim Reaper, Frankenstein and Dracula standing in the garage alongside a guillotine, props from a new television project.
With some parts of the house dating back to the 15th century, the property oozes character from every oak beam. However, after having almost been driven out of their last home, Yvette was adamant that the only spirits present here should be in the living room bar.
"When we found this house I said, if there's anything in it, I'm not living here," she confesses. "People who watch Most Haunted will know that I'm easily terrified. If I wasn't in the programme, there's no way I would watch it because my imagination would run riot. I can't even watch a scary movie on my own. It's a great comfort that this house is a really friendly place."
Magnificent
From the moment you step through the door, the house seems to lure you back in time. The magnificent living room has the proportions of a Great Hall complete with minstrel's gallery, mezzanine floor and an enormous stone fireplace that you could camp out in.
The dining room, with its stone mullioned windows, is the oldest part of the property and has been dressed with a suit of armour and an old organ that was given to Yvette from a haunted house.
"One of the things that we just couldn't believe was that the previous owners were happy to sell us the house lock, stock and barrel," says Yvette. "Most of what you can see was already here, which is why it looks so right. Even the mirrors are moulded into the wall so you can't take them down. The furniture in our other house was mainly pine and wouldn't have fitted in at all, so we decided the best thing was to sell it. This house was ready to moved into with just our clothes and our personal belongings."
Walking around Yvette and Karl's home is an adventure in itself as the impressive oak staircase leads you under low beams and across creaky landings into each intriguing room.
The master bedroom suite has a sense of period romance with its sloping walls covered in rich red fabric and replica four-poster bed with opulent drapes conjuring up visions of Kathy at the window seat pining for Heathcliff.
Up another flight of stairs and there's more surprises in store - a mummified cat in the bathroom and a priest's hiding hole on the landing.
"The previous owners found this 400-year-old cat when they were doing the renovation work," says Yvette. "In the days before the RSPCA, sealing a live cat under the floorboards was thought to bring good luck and keep witches away.
Delighted
"At the time of the Reformation, every large house in the area would have had a priest's hole which was usually linked to a tunnel outside. We were delighted to find this restored priest's hole, complete with electric light and ladder but I have to say I've never been down there and don't intend to!"
Moving into the sleepy Cheshire countryside has been a complete lifestyle change for Yvette and her family. She has swapped a detached house with modest garden in suburbia for a 17th century farmhouse set in 10 acres of farmland complete with large millpond and a family of 35 ducks and geese. Not to mention the allegedly haunted wood.
"A year ago, I could never have imagined myself living this sort of life," concludes Yvette. "Every morning I have to put my wellies on and venture out to feed the horses and the ducks. If we don't feed the birds, they poo all over the car. This is not just a house, it's a smallholding and I feel like a farmer!
"Finding this house was like fulfilling our destiny. I feel very honoured and lucky to live here. Karl and I know that we will never move, which is such a lovely feeling. We've decided that when we can no longer get up the stairs we'll convert the ground floor into a granny flat!"
Here you go. Enjoy!
For most people buying a new home, the main considerations are usually the location, or the condition of the kitchen and bathroom. When former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding and her producer husband Karl Beattie were looking to buy a Tudor farmhouse in Cheshire, their biggest concern was `does it have a ghost?'
As the host of Living TV's hugely successful Most Haunted, now in its seventh series, there isn't a lot Yvette doesn't know about ghost hunting. She and Karl devised the idea for the programme four years ago from their living room in Cheadle Hulme, and despite being rejected by many broadcasters it soon became cult viewing on Living TV.
Each week the investigative team led by Yvette visits a historical property to discover if it could be Britain's `Most Haunted', thrilling viewers with psychic experiments conducted at unearthly hours with night-vision cameras. They have visited over 100 locations so far, which adds up to a lot of sleepless nights for Yvette.
Since launching the Most Haunted Live events, it has become the most watched series on cable television and their last nail-biting Halloween show notched up more viewers than every terrestrial TV channel, which is no mean feat.
Favourite
Hosting Robbie Williams's favourite programme, Yvette has been parodied by French and Saunders, which is an indication of how much the show has settled into the nation's consciousness.
In the new series starting next month, the dedicated team visit the set of Coronation Street and conduct a séance in the Rovers with cast members Simon Gregson and Sue Cleaver, which promises to make interesting viewing.
Even before the idea of Most Haunted was conceived, Yvette claims the couple had witnessed paranormal activity at their previous home, a converted barn in Stockport.
"We'd hear furniture being moved, the kitchen cupboards would bang and the TV would go on and off," she recalls. "Karl had never liked the house and he used to wake up with headaches, feeling depressed. The final straw was when I heard the child safety gate creak open from being properly shut and I thought we had a burglar.
"We got a medium to come around and perform an exorcism. We discovered that when it had been used as a farmhouse, the man who lived here drank heavily and was violent towards his wife. She was obviously unhappy and had died in a fire in our bedroom.
"Thankfully after the house was cleared, all the activity stopped and we lived there happily for another couple of years. The interesting thing is that when we were digging up the back garden, we found a huge well full of old gin bottles."
Perfect
It seems almost preordained that Yvette and Karl would one day stumble across the family home that was so perfect for them in every way.
"We were out for a drive in Cheshire when we happened to look in an estate agent's window," says Yvette. "We saw this beautiful house and were immediately attracted to it. When we came to look around, our jaws just dropped to the floor. It was like walking onto a period film set. The house had been painstakingly renovated with all the original features preserved. One of the things that really struck a chord with us was the names of the first people to live in the house - they were called William and Mary, like our children."
Although Yvette may feel comfortable with ghostly goings-on in her work, she tries to keep her home life as normal as possible.
That said, it seems appropriate that visitors arriving at her wonderfully spooky-looking home are greeted by the macabre sight of the Grim Reaper, Frankenstein and Dracula standing in the garage alongside a guillotine, props from a new television project.
With some parts of the house dating back to the 15th century, the property oozes character from every oak beam. However, after having almost been driven out of their last home, Yvette was adamant that the only spirits present here should be in the living room bar.
"When we found this house I said, if there's anything in it, I'm not living here," she confesses. "People who watch Most Haunted will know that I'm easily terrified. If I wasn't in the programme, there's no way I would watch it because my imagination would run riot. I can't even watch a scary movie on my own. It's a great comfort that this house is a really friendly place."
Magnificent
From the moment you step through the door, the house seems to lure you back in time. The magnificent living room has the proportions of a Great Hall complete with minstrel's gallery, mezzanine floor and an enormous stone fireplace that you could camp out in.
The dining room, with its stone mullioned windows, is the oldest part of the property and has been dressed with a suit of armour and an old organ that was given to Yvette from a haunted house.
"One of the things that we just couldn't believe was that the previous owners were happy to sell us the house lock, stock and barrel," says Yvette. "Most of what you can see was already here, which is why it looks so right. Even the mirrors are moulded into the wall so you can't take them down. The furniture in our other house was mainly pine and wouldn't have fitted in at all, so we decided the best thing was to sell it. This house was ready to moved into with just our clothes and our personal belongings."
Walking around Yvette and Karl's home is an adventure in itself as the impressive oak staircase leads you under low beams and across creaky landings into each intriguing room.
The master bedroom suite has a sense of period romance with its sloping walls covered in rich red fabric and replica four-poster bed with opulent drapes conjuring up visions of Kathy at the window seat pining for Heathcliff.
Up another flight of stairs and there's more surprises in store - a mummified cat in the bathroom and a priest's hiding hole on the landing.
"The previous owners found this 400-year-old cat when they were doing the renovation work," says Yvette. "In the days before the RSPCA, sealing a live cat under the floorboards was thought to bring good luck and keep witches away.
Delighted
"At the time of the Reformation, every large house in the area would have had a priest's hole which was usually linked to a tunnel outside. We were delighted to find this restored priest's hole, complete with electric light and ladder but I have to say I've never been down there and don't intend to!"
Moving into the sleepy Cheshire countryside has been a complete lifestyle change for Yvette and her family. She has swapped a detached house with modest garden in suburbia for a 17th century farmhouse set in 10 acres of farmland complete with large millpond and a family of 35 ducks and geese. Not to mention the allegedly haunted wood.
"A year ago, I could never have imagined myself living this sort of life," concludes Yvette. "Every morning I have to put my wellies on and venture out to feed the horses and the ducks. If we don't feed the birds, they poo all over the car. This is not just a house, it's a smallholding and I feel like a farmer!
"Finding this house was like fulfilling our destiny. I feel very honoured and lucky to live here. Karl and I know that we will never move, which is such a lovely feeling. We've decided that when we can no longer get up the stairs we'll convert the ground floor into a granny flat!"