08/10/2026
This fantastic artefact is an early 20th century spirit trumpet, an item that would have been used within séances in order to help the production of paranormal phenomena. Reports from inside of séance parlours allege that such trumpets were used by spirits to manifest their voices as audible sounds, and also that these cone-shaped oddities would levitate and fly around darkened séance parlours upon request. Indeed, this example even features contemporary glow-in-the-dark tape bands, which were used to spot the trumpet as it conducted its gravity-defying performance.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the sensationalism of these reports, there was room for fraud within spirit trumpet usage, with magicians at the time taking it upon themselves to debunk how the so-called supernatural phenomena may have been produced. That said, the Rowtons can attest to having seen a wide variety of strange and otherwise unbelievable paranomal activity across the course of their careers, including objects moving and manifesting on their own. And so, whilst most spirit trumpet stories might be questionable, they would say that nothing is not entirely impossible...
Rowtons' Museum will be open today (Thursday) from 10am, with this spirit trumpet available to view within our Victorian séance parlour. For more information about tickets and where to find us, visit: rowtonsmuseum.co.uk
We look forward to welcoming you soon.
