But, back then, behind the imposing exterior, Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions offered pretty basic accommodation. Our work was just ‘tomorrow’s fish and chip wrappers’ after all, as the old hands frequently reminded us cub-reporters if we showed signs of getting above ourselves.

Throughout all this, Doris Stokes never became anyone other than who she was: a kind, generous, and down-to-earth woman with an extraordinary gift, and a fondness for a nice cup of tea. All she wanted to do was to help and heal those suffering from grief and show them that their loved ones, as she always said, ‘Are only a thought away’.p>Read about how we’ll protect and use your data in our Privacy Notice. Doris Stokes was a celebrated medium who confounded sceptics by the uncanny accuracy of her readings. She countered that her work was done for God, [4] and in accordance with the Bible's injunction to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4. This, as the name suggested, was a newspaper devoted entirely to psychic and spiritual stories, and I could find the number through Directory Enquiries.

The belief in ghosts, witches, fortune-tellers, and strange, non-human creatures that lurk in the dark has clung on down the centuries. In later life, Doris became quite frail, but back then she was a tall, strong-looking woman – taller than her husband – with a halo of thick, springy grey hair that she was forever trying to subdue. The book examines the extraordinary phenomenon that Doris unleashed at the time, which is still continuing to this day. Doris Stokes possessed an amazing gift - exceptional psychic powers that over the years of her extraordinary life brought joy and comfort to thousands of people.Yet, strangely, no amount of intellectual scorn, disapproval, and – occasionally – insult appears to dent the stubborn enthusiasm for all things psychic.