In May 2009, the Slough Observer opened its doors to paranormal investigators after witnessing one too many strange happenings.

During the first part of the three-week campaign to decide whether the office was haunted, Slough medium Nigel Townsend, then 43, claimed to have felt the presence of a monk and a maid - but said staff "should not be alarmed".

Investigators from far and wide were invited to the Slough Observer office which was situated in Datchet Road, Upton Court. The building is now known as Upton Grange School.

A series of overnight ghost hunts took place, with specialist equipment including electromagnetic field meters, a thermal imaging camera, a digital camera and a dictaphone used to detect signs of the paranormal.

During their investigation, Southern Paranormal claimed to have made connections with a large, important man and a woman gazing out from a window, waiting for a gentleman.

Observer staff said: "It was difficult to not be spooked."

The team's first finding was in the ground floor's great hall, where they reported seeing an imposing figure of a large man seated on a raised dais.

Paranormal investigator Elias Kupfermann told the Observer: "He was of some importance and we felt obliged to bow to him."

Observer staff reported feeling nothing, but female investigators said the spirit, reportedly called 'Egbert' and from the 14th century, thought communicating with women was beneath him.

Throughout the night there were four reported sightings of a spirit walking towards the ladies' toilets and the sound of footsteps.

Upstairs in a store room, the group sensed the presence of a 19th-century woman waiting for someone.

The group picked up that her name was either Eliza or Elizabeth, consistent with former investigator Nigel Townsend's findings of a maid called Elizabeth.

Ghost Club were the final group to visit the office, with some of the biggest findings being uncovered by the 11-strong group during their night of investigating.

They claim to have discovered a gruesome past of rape and violence - having made contact with a victim of crime.

While none of the high-tech equipment picked up on anything paranormal, one group member said they had learned about a shocking ordeal one woman went through - having had the spirit contact him.

The contact was made in the great hall, where Southern Paranormal had reported seeing an imposing man.

Marcus Kennard, from Kent, told the Observer: "A young woman in her late teens to early 20s made herself known to me immediately.

"She had been raped and violated and was desperate for us not to go any further up the stairs."

Marcus could not pinpoint a date for the attack and said he was "overwhelmed" by activity as he ventured to an empty upstairs room where he sensed the woman.

"I felt sick and dizzy," he added, as he added there was a strong presence of two men in their late 20s to early 30s also.

Marcus said he challenged the men on the attack and felt the temperature of the room "dramatically drop".

"I think it would be impossible to work in that room because they are very dominant and act like bullies," he added.

Another creepy finding was the sound of piano keys seeming to be coming from downstairs when inside a top-floor room known as the solar room.

A vigil was held in the room later in the night, with many finding temperatures significantly lower in that room and a chandelier seeming to sway from side to side in an uneven rhythm.

Overall the investigative group said they had not come to an official conclusion.

Ghost Club newsletter editor, Monica Tandy, said: "We are a scientifically based club but we do have members who would be considered to be 'sensitives'.

"We record all these impressions as part of our reports, but these would only really become relevant if they were found to have some historical truth about them, or backed up by other things like a photograph.

"This was considered to be a quiet night overall."

The Ghost Club was founded in 1862 and past members included Charles Dickens and WB Yeats.