Paranormal investigator claims he can smell ghosts while exploring haunted sites

It’s an unusual career for someone who trained as an electrician.

But when Harvey More fell into a ghost-related TikTok hole during lockdown, he realised he was closer to the spirit world than he had originally thought.

Long before he began investigating haunted locations, he says he repeatedly saw a mysterious figure walking across the upstairs landing of his parents’ West Midlands home.

‘When I went upstairs onto the upstairs landing, I would see a man dressed all in black, walking from one bedroom door to another. It happened a few times, and I could hear unexplained footsteps outside my bedroom,’ the 23-year-old said.

It was Harvey’s first spiritual experience. When he told his parents, they told him that vicars used to live at the address, and that it was likely to be their spirits.

‘I thought, there is definitely another world out there that we don’t know about,’ he said.

‘That experience was just crazy. From there I have believed there is something out there, that there’s an afterlife.’

Harvey started watching paranormal live streams on TikTok during a boring lockdown and became intrigued.

He decided he wanted to find out more and immersed himself in learning about crystals, spiritualism and what he describes as alternative realities.

Today, the content creator spends his time investigating locations believed to be haunted, searching for evidence that spirits are still present.

Harvey believes he has witnessed things that cannot be explained.

‘I have seen apparitions, from white mists to black figures in the corner of the eye. But when you look, they vanish,’ he said.

‘And I’ve experienced random smells and scents coming up out of nowhere.’

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After filming footage, he often notices noises on the edits that he didn’t originally hear.

‘You often hear taps and bangs that you didn’t hear at the time. You might hear a lady humming or a droning sound,’ Harvey added.

‘Once I heard a girl laughing when none of the team heard it. But when I edited I picked it up again. It is amazing the things you pick up.’

During investigations, Harvey and his team ask what they believe are spirits to make their presence known.

‘When they go on a hunt, they ask the spirit world to affirm their presence with a noise,’ Harvey, who hosts the Unexplained Mysteries Paranormal podcast,’ said.

‘Often we get unexplainable footsteps and knocks. You can tell when it is something paranormal. The majority of what we catch is supernatural.’

One location that continues to draw him back is a former 17th century burial ground near his home which has since become a public park where families picnic and children play.

‘I have always felt that there is an energy there that has called me to investigate. Every time you go there, you pick up new information, evidence of the spiritual world.’

Harvey says one investigation there produced what he considers some of his strongest evidence. Using a paranormal voice box, a handheld electronic device that paranormal investigators believe spirits use to manipulate radio signals, he started picking up words to do with crime, justice, water and pipes.

‘When I got back and started researching who I was connecting with. It emerged that Richard Jesson, who is buried there, was a well-known attorney. And he was one of the founders of South Staffs Waters, a water work company,’ Harvey said.

‘I couldn’t believe it. I always go to a location with an empty head with no background. Any information I get I then go back and research it. Nearly every time it links to historical records.’

He also visited the site of Jesson’s grave, where the temperature dropped ‘significantly’ and his team detected ‘a really strong, musky scent, almost like incense, even though nobody was around us’.

Harvey said investigations rarely end when the team decides to leave, as often spirits will try to pull them back.

‘There are some spirits that are reluctant to come forward and communicate, whether they’ve got low energy or they just don’t want to talk to us,’ he says.

‘But when we’re leaving the location, when we’ve turned our backs, things get thrown at us. I’ve had twigs, stones and other debris thrown as I tried to leave. That is the point of an investigation where we have to set up a boundary and say “no more”, because it takes our energy.’

His most frightening experience was at Cannock Chase, a Staffordshire beauty spot known for ghost stories and alleged sightings, where his car was unlocked while he was investigating.

‘I saw a light in the corner of my eye. And I saw my car unlocked itself. That frightened me. I thought, it’s messing with the car. If it wants your attention it can go to your property.

‘Thankfully the battery hadn’t gone flat. It was completely dark and we contemplated abandoning the investigation and going home. That will stay with me for the rest of my life because it was so bizarre.’

Despite the unsettling moments, Harvey says paranormal investigation has brought him comfort rather than fear, particularly after the death of someone close to him.

‘Paranormal investigation brings me so much peace. It’s not all scary and spooky. I have been able to contact spirits who have left a legacy. Being able to connect with roots of where I am from is comforting,’ he said.