Objects moving in my mum's cottage near Bodmin - help needed

My mum's been experiencing some genuinely unsettling stuff in her cottage about 6 miles outside Bodmin, and she's getting quite distressed about it. Started about 8 weeks ago. She'll come downstairs in the morning and find furniture shifted - not knocked over, but moved. Her armchair in the lounge was pushed about 18 inches away from the wall, and she lives alone so obviously she didn't do it.

The odd thing is she says she sometimes hears footsteps at night, always in the hallway. No creaking floorboards, just distinct footsteps. She's 67 and quite sound mentally, not given to flights of fancy. She's terrified it's something supernatural and wants me to help her figure out what to do. The cottage is old - probably 18th century - and we don't know much about its history.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? She's refusing to stay there alone now, which is breaking my heart because she loves that cottage. I'm keen to either find a rational explanation or figure out how to help if it really is paranormal. Any suggestions?

First things first: get a surveyor and a pest control company in. Cornish cottages can have all sorts of issues - subsidence, timber movement, rats in the walls. Rats will cause objects to shift if they're nesting underneath furniture. Footsteps are often pipes expanding, especially in old places with dodgy plumbing. Get these ruled out first, then we can talk about other possibilities.

Cornwall's got a lot of history, especially around Bodmin way. Not to spook your mum further, but have you looked into the cottage's background? Local library or historical society might have records. If it turns out to be genuinely paranormal, knowing who or what you're dealing with can actually help - you can address them by name, set boundaries, that sort of thing. Some activity calms down once acknowledged properly.

She's 67 and quite sound mentally, not given to flights of fancy.

Fair play for saying that. Look, I'd suggest your mum keeps a detailed log anyway - dates, times, what moved, what she heard, weather conditions. Even if it turns out to be structural, you'll have data. And honestly, having her stay with you for a bit might break the pattern. Sometimes poltergeist activity feeds on anxiety, so reducing her stress could help regardless of the cause.

Have you considered staying over to see if anything happens while you're there? Not to debunk her, just to have a witness. If nothing happens when you're around, it's likely psychological or environmental. If it does, well, at least you've got something concrete to work from. Either way, your presence will probably help her feel less alone about it.