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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 21, 2005 18:18:15 GMT -5
Where would you like MH team to do an investigation..Is there anywhere near you ? Or a place that you have had something strange happen too you ? And if the mh crew done a live show would you go to it ?
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 4:36:13 GMT -5
Not sure if this has already been done or not but I would like to see them investigate the moors further. There are hundreds of different ghost stories for Dartmoor and Exmoor, so would be great to see them out on the moors and investigating some of the ruined buildings.
Or maybe the old coal and tin mines...??
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 22, 2005 7:56:40 GMT -5
I would love MHL to go to the village of Pluckley in Kent, reported to be the mosy haunted village in the UK : All villages lay some claim to fame, or at least distinction. But little Pluckley, near Ashford, got a bit carried away when it claimed to be the most haunted village in England. Nobody seems to know quite how many ghosts do haunt Pluckley. There is always someone who knows of one the others hadn't heard about. Jack Hallam, in his Ghost Tour (1967) put Pluckley at 'very near the top of the league table for the most haunted village in England.' In 1975, Andrew Green wrote in his Shire Album of Haunted Houses that it was 'the most haunted village in Britain.' Peter Underwood, in Ghosts of Kent in 1985, decided there were 'about a dozen' ghosts that haunted or had haunted the immediate area. However many there are, they include a schoolmaster who hanged himself, a highwayman who was run through by a sword at (appropriately enough) Fright Corner, a mysterious Red Lady, a member of the formerly prominent Dering family who searches for her child among the churchyard gravestones, another Dering lady whose spectre wears the red rose her adoring husband dropped into her coffin, a former miller, a monk, and an old gipsy water-cress seller who burned to death when she fell asleep and dropped her old clay pipe onto her straw bedding. There has even been a report of a complete fife and drum band marching through one house, and in the seven hundred year-old Black Horse Inn furniture has been said to rearrange itself. it all seems a bit excessive, especially as Pluckley could just as easily have settled for its distinctiveness upon those intriguingly domed Dering windows that are a feature of several of the local houses, including the Black Horse. There is, of course, a legend attached to them. It claims that one member of the Dering family discovered that a forebear of his during the Civil War once escaped the consequences of his equivocal politics by leaping through a window of that shape. Deeming such windows to be lucky for his ancestor, 19th century Sir Edward Cholmeley Dering had all the windows on the whole estate replaced with ones of the favoured pattern. The family home, Surrenden Dering, was burned down and only the stable block now remains, parts of which have been converted into private homes around the old cobbled courtyard and the family is remembered today, as well as by the Dering windows, by the black horse family emblem that still remains on several of the vanes and cowls on top of local oast houses.
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 7:58:20 GMT -5
that sounds like a good place!!
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 13:25:51 GMT -5
yeah that does sound good ..also i would like the team to do it at clappem wood.....sorry don`t know how to spell it.. the woods are meant to hold loads of witchcraft bits and bobs plus murders...that would be good.
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 13:40:05 GMT -5
sounds good DM!!
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 13:49:58 GMT -5
i want to go there and spend the weekend there with my mates just to see if its all true about the witchcraft and the hauntings ..we would have 9 digital cams all night vision put in all different parts of the woods too. think it will be good ;D
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 15:13:02 GMT -5
Let us know if ou do it!! You can post the piccies on here!!
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 16:26:01 GMT -5
i`ll send ya the videos babe,,,just hope we get something lol,,,not a cold tho ;D
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 16:49:00 GMT -5
excellent - can't wait to see them!!!
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 17:24:00 GMT -5
thats if they all go,,,i won`t go by myself
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 17:26:28 GMT -5
I hope your friends want to do it so I can see the tapes!!! ;D
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 17:47:17 GMT -5
same here.lol
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 17:55:02 GMT -5
Most haunted Live will be coming from Brixham, Devon in March 2005.
Among the pretty seaside towns of Southern Devon lies a dark and mysterious secret history. Since records began one particular headland and bay have been a haven for paranormal sightings and unexplained phenomena.
Town streets shudder with shadows and presences and many of the ramshackle houses have their own hidden secrets. Stories of mysterious loss of life, murders and savage attacks fill the region with a foreboding atmosphere.
HISTORY Brixham is a very old and historic town. It is full of legends and ghosts. We warmly welcome our visitors and our new inhabitants, but beware, you cannot call yourself a Brixhamite until you have at least three generations of your ancestors buried in the churchyard here.
Wherever you go in Brixham, there are reminders of the old days. In summer, you will be invited to Cowtown carnival, but you won’t find this address on the street map. Its name is a reminder of times long ago when Brixham was two separate communities, with only a marshy lane to connect them. Cowtown was where the farmers lived, at the top of the hill, while, about a mile away, the seamen made their homes near the harbour in Fishtown. To-day, the ancient rivalries have (mostly) been forgotten, but old Brixham is still there, and, if you keep your eyes open, you can find it.
FISHING In the Middle Ages, Brixham was the largest fishing port in the South-West, and at one time it was the greatest in England. Known as the "Mother of Deep-Sea Fisheries", its boats sailed all round the coats and helped to establish the fishing industries of Hull, Grimsby and Lowestoft. In the 1890s there were about 300 trawling vessels here, each owned by one man who was often the skipper of his own boat. There is still a big fishing fleet, and you can seen them coming in and out of the harbour, followed by flocks of seagulls. The fish market is open to the public on two special days in the summer, when the finer points of catching and cooking fish will be explained to you. The modern boats are diesel-driven, but several of the old sailing trawlers have been preserved and are being brought back to life. It is not uncommon to see them under sail in Torbay, and you may be able to take a trip yourself.
There was once an important boat building industry here, as well as all the associated trades such as rope walks, anchorsmiths, iron founders, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, sawyers, chandlers, coopers, riggers, sail lofts and so on. Walk around the narrow streets behind the Tourist Office and see something of the area long ago, or visit Brixham Heritage Museum to look at the tools used in building the ships, models and pictures of them and a reconstruction of a fisherman's cottage living room.
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 17:56:00 GMT -5
STORMS AT SEA People who live by the sea know how dangerous it can be. It may look calm and peaceful from on shore, but storms can come out of nowhere. Hundreds of ships have been wrecked on the rocks here. Brixham men always have known the dangers but even they were taken by surprise by the terrible storm that blew up on the night of January 10th, 1866. The fishing boats only had sails then and could not get back into harbour because gale force winds and the high waves were against them. To make things worse, the beacon on the breakwater was swept away, and in the black darkness they did not know where they were. According to local legend, their wives brought everything they could carry, including furniture and bedding, to make a big bonfire on the quayside to guide their men home. If their husbands and sons perished, there was no future for the rest of the family so what did it matter if they burnt all their poor possessions. Fifty vessels perished and more than one hundred lives were lost in the storm; when dawn broke the wreckage stretched for nearly three miles up the coast.
Hearing of this tragedy, the citizens of Exeter gave money to set up what became the RNLI's Torbay lifeboat, which has rescued hundreds of people. You can visit the boathouse and look at all the memorials to the brave deeds; on special occasions you can go on board, see how survivors are cared for, and wonder at all the high-tech equipment. You may perhaps, one day or one night, hear two maroons fired. That is the signal for the lifeboat to be launched and within a few minutes you will see the crew, rushing from their jobs or their beds, ready to save the lives of strangers with no thought of any danger to themselves, as they have done for the last 130 years.
At one time, every port had a unique design for the knitting of its fishermen's jumpers. This was so that if a corpse was found, people know where he was from and could inform the sorrowing family.
BRIXHAM SMUGGLERS There have always been smugglers at Brixham. It was more profitable than fishing, but if the men were caught, they were hanged. There are many legends about the local gangs and how they evaded the Revenue men. One humourous poem describes how a notorious local character, Bob Elliott, could not run away because he had gout and was hidden in a coffin, but later that same night the coastguards were frightened by meeting what they thought was his ghost. (For the full story of "Resurrection Bob", see the website of the Smugglers Haunt Hotel, Brixham). Another old villain was caught in possession but evaded capture by pretending to be the Devil, rising out of the morning mists. On another occasion when there was a cholera epidemic, some Brixham smugglers drove their cargo up from the beach in a hearse, accompanied by a bevy of supposed mourners following the cortege drawn by horses with funerial muffled hooves.
If you explore the picturesque narrow streets, you will see how the smugglers could dodge the preventive men, by running up the steps, going through the old courts and alleys, slipping from house to house, in at the front door and climbing out of a back window. The town might all have been specially designed for the purpose.
SHIPS IN TORBAY Warships have been seen in Torbay from the days of the Vikings up until 1944 when part of the D-Day fleet sailed from here. In 1588 Brixham watched Sir Francis Drake attacking the Spanish Armarda after he had finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe, and we saw, anchored in Torbay, the enormous galleon, “Nostra Senora del Rosario” that he had captured. Today in Brixham harbour there is a full-sized replica of the ship, the “Golden Hind”, in which Drake circumnavigated the globe, and you can go aboard to see how his sailors lived.
For centuries, ships going down the English Channel have come into Torbay to seek refuge from the storms and to get food supplies. Sometimes these were merchants, taking cargoes to far away places and bringing back exotic goods and rare spices; sometimes they were carrying pilgrims, or gentlemen on the Grand Tour.
During the long series of wars against the French that began in 1689 and lasted until 1815, the Navy often came into Brixham to get supplies of fresh vegetables, beef and water. There might have been twenty or so of the big men-o'-war lying at anchor in Torbay, recovering from exploits of the sort described in the books about Hornblower, Bolitho or Jack Aubrey. As you walk along the harbourside towards the marina you pass a grey stone building on your right which today is the Coastguard headquarters; then, it was the King's Quay where His Majesty's vessels were provisioned. Local farmers brought vegetables to ward off survey, and a great number of cattle were slaughtered and their meat packed into barrels. The water came from a big reservoir situated near the crossroads in the middle of town; from there a pipeline carried it under the streets and under the harbour to the King's Quay.
Many of the well-known Admirals of the day were here. Not only Nelson, but also Lord St. Vincent, Cornwallis, Hood, Rodney and Hawke. There was also Earl Howe, who earned the nickname of Lord Torbay because he spent so much time ashore in Brixham. Our most notorious visitor at that time was Napoleon Bonapart himself, who, as a prisoner on HMS “Bellerophon”, spent several days off Brixham waiting to be taken to exile on St. Helena.
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Post by pixi on Feb 22, 2005 17:56:33 GMT -5
BERRY HEAD Ever since the days of Henry VIII Brixham has played a part in the defence of the Nation. The beautiful headland known as Berry Head is now a National Nature Reserve, but it is also a famous military site where guns were once positioned to defend the naval ships that were re-victualling at Brixham. Twelve guns were put there during the War of American Independence, but were removed when peace came in 1783. Just ten years later, when we were at war with France, guns were again deployed around the town. The major position was at Berry Head, but this time fortifications were built to defend the gun positions. These can still be seen, and are now some of the best preserved Napoleonic forts in the country.
During the summer, conducted tours of the forts are carried out every Wednesday afternoon by the Berry Head Master Gunner. For further information about the forts or to arrange tours at other times, ring 01803 654416.
QUARRYING AND MINING Apart from fishing, most of the other local industries were connected with our rocks. Limestone was once quarried extensively. It was used to build the breakwater, for houses and roads, and was sent to Dagenham to make steel for Ford cars. It was also burnt in limekilns to reduce it to a powder which was spread on the land in other parts of Devon as an agricultural fertiliser. You will see the old quarries and the limekilns as you walk around the town.
Another mineral found in Brixham is ochre. This gave the old fishing boats their "red sails in the sunset", but the purpose was to protect the canvas from seawater, not to be picturesque. It was boiled in great caldrons, together with tar, tallow and oak bark, the last ingredient giving the name of barking yards to the places where the hot mixture was painted on to the sails, which were then hung up to dry.
The ochre was also used to make a very special paint. This was invented in Brixham in about 1845 and was the first substance in the world that would stop cast iron from rusting. None of the well-known scientists of the day could find a way of doing this, and, when the paint began to be made here, it sold all round the globe. Other types of paint were made here as well, and the works were in existence until 1961.
There were iron mines at Brixham, and for a while they produced very high quality ore but the last one closed in 1925. Most of the sites have been built over and there are now no remains of this once important industry.
CHURCHES As you look into Brixham from the harbour, you see the tower of All Saints' Church standing guard over the town. It was founded in 1815, and its most famous vicar was the Rev. Francis Lyte, composer of "Abide with me". He lived at Berry Head House, now a hotel, and when he was a very sick man, near to dying, he looked out from his garden as dusk fell over Torbay, and the words of that beautiful hymn came into his mind as the evening of the day and of his life approached.
The main church in the town is St. Mary's, about a mile from the sea, it is the third to have been on the site, which was an ancient Celtic burial ground. The original wooden Saxon church was replaced by a stone Norman one that was in its turn built over in about 1360. Many of the old Brixham worthies are buried in the churchyard, but, remember, it is very unlucky indeed to walk widershins, or anti-clockwise, around the church.
Apart from St. Mary's and a small Victorian chapel, all the other Brixham churches and chapels - and once there were seven of them - were built near the harbour. Perhaps because this was the area of greatest population growth, or perhaps because those who earned their living from the sea felt a great need of Divine protection.
LOOK OUT FOR There are many interesting things to see in Brixham. Can you find the Old Coffin House ?
The coffin house reflects Brixham humour: it is coffin-shaped and when a father was asked for the hand in marriage of his daughter, he said he would 'see her in a coffin, before she wed'. The son in- law to be bought the coffin-shaped property, called it the Coffin House and went back to the father and said 'your wishes will be met, you will see your daughter in a coffin, the Coffin House'. Amazed by this, the father gave his blessing." The street names tell you about the history. Pump street is where the village pump stood. Monksbridge was a bridge built by the monks of Totnes Priory. Lichfield Drive reminds us that this was the route that the dead (from the Anglo-Saxon ‘lich’ meaning a corpse) were taken for burial at St Mary’s churchyard. Salutation Mews, near that church, dates from when England was Catholic, and the salutation was to the Virgin Mary. Similarly, Laywell Road recalls Our Lady’s well. The first building that you see when you come into Brixham from Paignton is the old white-boarded Toll House where all travellers had to pay a fee to come into the town and to keep the roads repaired. Just what the government is thinking about introducing today. What’s new ? The past is all around us, especially in Brixham.
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 22, 2005 19:46:26 GMT -5
now thats a long read lol..but can`t wait to see what MH will say about it.
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Post by LittleAngel on Feb 22, 2005 20:55:11 GMT -5
I would love for MHL to come to any haunted place in Scotland and that way I'd definately go
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Post by pixi on Feb 23, 2005 4:22:24 GMT -5
I know - sorry there's a lot there!!! ;D I am goign to try and get tickets as it is close to where I used to live so can stay with friends. Fingers crossed I get some!!!
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:15:14 GMT -5
DM, I live near Clapham Woods and they can be spooky. If I am having a good day we usually go for a walk through the woods but never let the dog of the lead and dont go into the woods at night. Strange noises can be heard, sometimes its the wildlife, but at others you can hear like a murmuring and see strange lights. Here is some local info;
Anyone with an interest in the occult, and a few who have no interest, will have heard of the incidents which have taken place at Clapham Wood and Chanctonbury Ring in Sussex. There are however many other sites which are, in some cases, far less well known by many people for their importance within occult circles. Some have been mentioned briefly in the past, but because much of what goes on at such sites is rarely detected they never attract the attention which places such as Clapham have. Some of these sites have been the subject of my research in recent years. Such places as the West Kennet Long Barrow, Rollright stone circle, Glastonbury Tor and numerous locations in Devon and Cornwall. There are of course a tremendous number of other sites throughout the country. Some are used regularly whilst others are used at particular times of the year, such as the Summer Solstice.
Many people will doubtless object to these places, many of which are well known historical sites, being associated with the occult and macabre practises. However in most cases there is more than just verbal evidence to indicate that this is the case. Very often proving that such activities take place at a specific location can be difficult. Blackmail, sex and drugs are used to ensure security within occult groups such as the Friends of Hekate, who have regularly used Clapham Woods for their meetings, is maintained.
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:16:50 GMT -5
The quite village of Clapham, Sussex, had its peace shattered in the mid 1960's when stories in the local press gave details of unidentified flying objects which had apparently been seen in the vicinity. Suddenly local ufo enthusiasts were descending on the village at all hours, day and night, in search of evidence of ufo landings, of which several were reported, as well as local witnesses to the sightings. It has to be said that there were very few local people who had seen anything. Or is it that they were reluctant to speak of their experiences? It is difficult to say.
For several weeks there was an almost constant stream of sightings, although not all of them made news in the local press. All night vigils were a regular thing throughout the summer months, when hardly a weekend went by without there being at least ten people wandering through the woods and village hoping to see something. Most reports at that time were what is these days considered to be a classic sighting - 'strange lights in the night sky'.
Occasionally stranger and less easily explained sightings were reported, although it has to be said that these were almost always made by those involved in the investigations. Those already convinced that ALL the reported sightings were genuine. One such sighting occurred in the summer of 1967. Mr Paul Glover, a well known local ufologist, was walking with a friend over the downs towards Clapham. At about 10pm they both noticed a large black mass in the sky moving at speed towards them. In written statements made later the described the object as boomerang-shaped. It moved fast but silently across the sky. After a few minutes their attention was drawn to two bright objects. One of these 'ufos' released a smaller object, which made its way towards and eventually entered the second object. Within seconds it left and disappeared from sight. As they continued their walk across the downs they saw more objects, a total of six that evening.
Mr Glover's own group investigated this case but they could find no explanation for what he and his friend had seen. The case remained on their files as unexplained. After a while ufo sightings like this became less newsworthy. They were it seemed common place and there was really nothing new to report.
Peace was not about to return to the village however, as a new mystery began to unfold. Reports of dogs disappearing in certain parts of Clapham Wood attracted new interest. Dog owners reported that their dogs had wandered off in to the woods and were never seen again. In other cases dogs appeared to go mad in certain parts of the wood, running round in circles and foaming at the mouth. When they were taken out of that particular area they recovered fully.
Mrs Rawlins of Worthing lost her labrador dog after taking it for a walk in the woods. Entering a part of the wood known as the chestnuts she waited until she was well away from the main road (A24 Worthing to Arundel road) before letting her dog of his leash, allowing it to run free. The dog disappeared in to the woods for a short while, returning with no problem when it was called. It was not until she returned home that she noticed that there was something wrong. The dog appeared to be paralysed from the middle of it's back down to its rear. It came on so suddenly and Mrs Rawlins decided to call her vet. After a brief examination he decided that there was nothing he could do and as the situation was getting worse there was no choice but to put the creature down.
The following day Mrs Rawlins re visited the area where she had walked the dog in the hope of finding out what could have caused her dog to become paralysed. She found nothing. As far as the author is aware the body was not examined and therefore no explanation for this sudden illness was forthcoming.
For the ufo enthusiasts the disappearance of the dogs was just what they had been looking for. There were reports of ufo landings at about this time and they were quick to conclude that there must be some connection between the two. This is something which most people looked upon as a joke. They could not accept that ufo's were anything more than natural phenomena, i.e. planes. weather balloons etc, let alone that creatures from outer space would want to steal dogs. What on earth would they want the for?
Despite the instant dismissal of such a suggested connection the subject continued to be newsworthy, and for much longer than just plain ufo sightings. However whilst all this was going on there were some serious investigations taking place in to the disappearances, and the first thing that had to be established was whether the reported disappearances were fact and whether they could be explained away naturally. Perhaps the dogs had been shot? Could it be that they had been caught in a trap? Had they eaten something used in the control of pests? All of these possibilities were considered and investigated when it was possible to establish the exact area where the dogs had gone missing.
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:18:14 GMT -5
In time all of these possibilities had been dismissed. So what was the explanation? At that time there did not appear to be one.
Throughout all of this I had been working on my own, attempting to follow through the various reports etc. Although I had been able to collect some information regarding the various phenomena reported my files were by no means complete. In many cases the local ufo groups had got to witnesses before me and either they were unwilling to discuss the subject any further or they had made an agreement with such organisations not to pass information on until the investigations they were conducting had been completed. Either way at that stage the situation was preventing me from carrying out my research. For this reason I decided that the best course of action was to join one of these groups. That would at least give me access to their files and at the same time allow me to be in at the start of any new investigation.
It soon became obvious, even if I had any doubts, that there was not even the slightest thread of evidence to connect the ufo sightings and the disappearance of the dogs. The ufo sightings in themselves were interesting, particularly as it appeared that detailed investigations had been carried out in almost all cases and still about 30% remained unexplained. The data in the files of the particular group I had joined was, like all other groups before and since, no nearer to providing an explanation for the sightings, unless of course you are prepared to seriously consider that these dazzling discoids come from another solar system.
What I became very interested in whilst looking through the various notes relating to Clapham Wood was the reports of the dog disappearances and the fact that a number of people had reported strange feelings whilst walking through certain parts of the wood. Such cases had, although I was not aware of it before, been reported some time prior to the first ufo sightings. Many people had always felt that there was something strange about the wood but they were not quite able to explain it.
However having established myself within the group I was able to extract information from the files and visit one or two of the people who had reported their experiences. What I was particularly interested in of course were the experiences which had been reported before the publicity began, and there were quite a few cases.
As far as the dog disappearances are concerned they seemed to occur in two definite areas, there were one or two exceptions to this of course. The main area was along a footpath which runs from the Arundel Road through the village of Clapham. A short way along the track (from the Arundel Road) four footpaths meet. In this vicinity a number of dogs had disappeared, unfortunately there is no accurate record of the exact numbers, and a dozen or so people have reported feeling sick, suffering from stomach cramp and vertigo. The second area was in the vicinity of the church, which is on the edge of the wood and slightly isolated from the village.
Looking through the recorded cases there did not seem to be a set age group, more males than females or visa versa, or fixed dates when this happened. These were all factors which I looked at in an effort to find an explanation. I even checked the phases of the moon and the general weather conditions, if they had been recorded, in an attempt to explain what had happened. There did not seem to be any obvious explanation. However their files were not complete and there had been so much publicity regarding the possible ufo connection that a great many people were reluctant to come forward with any information which they might have.
The only way I could see of getting this information was to make it known that I was interested in all aspects of what had reportedly taken place there, and this meant further publicity. The media was still covering stories and articles reporting recent experiences and this gave me an opening I had been looking for. I began writing letters to the local papers pointing out my interest in the subject. At the same time I had received some information regarding a possible connection between the strange feelings which, by this time, a considerable number of people had reported, and possible occult activity in the area.
The occult is something I had always been interested in but I must admit that I had not, at that time, thought of connecting what had been reported at Clapham with the occult. I had been so busy collecting together information and looking at all other possible explanations, and at the same time trying to convince those attempting to connect all of this with ufo's that there was no connection, that I had actually overlooked the occult as a possibility.
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:19:19 GMT -5
My letters to the press, together with additional publicity, prompted replies from all sorts of people. Some were serious and provided valuable comments and information which I was to use in later investigations, whilst others (probably the majority at that time) contained somewhat stupid comments and were therefore of no value. Unfortunately when dealing with such matters as ufo's and the occult you are bound to attract idiots and fanatics who very often hamper serious studies because they are able to attract publicity.
However in November 1978 the lead I had been looking for came along. I received a telephone call from a well-spoken person asking me to meet him in Clapham Wood that evening. The location of the meeting was to be at the crossroads along a footpath known as The Chestnuts, a place where several strange things are reported to have happened in the past. The meeting, if I was prepared to attend, would be half an hour from the time of the telephone call. Not a lot of time to consider whether I should go or not. I had received telephone calls before offering information but I had never attended simply because the callers just did not sound sincere. On this occasion however there was something about the tone of the voice that told me that I should take the caller more seriously than the others I had received.
After some brief thought I decided to go. It might just be worthwhile. The idea that I might be in danger never entered my head. It was not until after the event that I realised the stupidity of going without telling anyone about it. Although I had been communicating with one or two other serious investigators there was no time to get in touch with them on this occasion, and even if I did there was no guarantee that they would be able to drop what they were doing at that moment and join me. Anyway I set out for Clapham Wood, which was just a short cycle ride from my home. I had no other means of transport at that time.
I rested my cycle against the large gate that blocked the path to motor vehicles and began walking up the track towards the meeting point. As the light from the vehicles passing a long the main road gradually disappeared from sight the atmosphere of the place began to creep up on me. I began to feel totally isolated for a while. Had I not been able to pull myself together slight fear could so easily have turned to panic and I might have ran back to the road and cycled home without ever finding out what the mystery caller wanted. However I managed to control my feelings, convincing myself that it was just my imagination and nothing more.
Within a few minutes I reached the point where the four tracks meet and, in the limited light, began to look a round for the person I was supposed to meet. I could neither see nor hear anything and began to wonder whether I had finally fallen for a hoax call. I paced up and down the track, twenty yards or so either side of the crossroads, four or five times. Just as I was about to give the whole thing up a voice coming from behind some bushes on my left told me not to attempt to look round. 'Just listen to what I have to say', he said.
Hearing this voice so suddenly coming from the darkness and silence I had experienced for the past twenty minutes or so made me feel fear again. I was frozen to the spot yet felt like running as fast as I could. What was going to happen? 'What an idiot', I said to myself. 'Why on earth had I let myself in for this?'
After a few seconds of silence the mystery person began to relate information regarding the activities of an occult group in the area. He also indicated that they used a sacrifice regularly at their rituals. The group was called the Friends of Hecate and they were devoted to the Goddess Hecate whose close association with dogs meant that such creatures were being sacrificed in her honour.
He went on to tell how the group, whose activities he said were of a satanic nature, was formed in Sussex and had been using Clapham and the surrounding area for some time. They had been responsible for taking the dogs and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The dogs, and occasionally other domestic and farm animals, were sacrificed at their monthly meetings. He also added that they would stop at nothing to protect the identity of their members and the activities of the group.
The meeting ended as abruptly as it had started. I did not hear him leave but when he failed to respond to my attempts to ask questions I assumed that he had left, or at least that the meeting was over and made my way back to the main road and home from there. It was not until I arrived home that I gave any serious thought to what might have happened. I could have been in real trouble. Fortunately this was not the case and I soon got down to analysing what had actually happened.
Why had this person decided to give me this information? He had also warned me not to pursue my enquiries any further. Surely he did not seriously think that I was going to leave it there, not after being given a possible explanation for one of the mysteries, which, by this time was almost constantly in the press. I am not one to go looking for trouble but I could not let this go. It was potentially far too important for that. If what I had been told was true these people had to be stopped, if that was possible.
The reasons for this person passing on the information is something which I had discussed with a number of people. One of the conclusions reached was that perhaps he was not entirely happy with what had been going on. It may also be that he was trying to get out of the group or perhaps he realised that I would not leave it there and hoped that in time the group would be exposed and their macabre practises stopped. That really remains a mystery.
What was not a mystery was the connection between thee Goddess Hecate and dogs. She is depicted as a triple headed Goddess, one of the heads being that of a dog. When invoked she is said to appear followed by a pack of hounds and in the past dogs were sacrificed in her honour. Once Queen of witches her fearsome spectral image was said to frequent graveyards and, according to some sources she has control over the dead.
I had established a connection between Hecate and dogs but I still had to find out whether or not there was any occult activity in and a round the village of Clapham. I was already in contact with someone who had a friend living in Clapham so I asked them if they had heard anything. Although they were aware of the reported ufo sightings they had not heard mention of 'witchcraft or anything like that'. On my behalf they made some enquiries and met with a very hostile response. In fact so much so that there was a feeling that some body was hiding something. Certainly there are a great many people living in and a round the village that are not aware of what has been going on. However it is equally certain that the Friends of Hecate had and probably still have at least one if not more contacts in the village. It would not be possible for the group to operate in the way they do without 'someone on the inside' so to speak.
Every time I attempted to obtain more information about the group I came up against a brick wall. It seemed to me that there was no way of confirming the presence of an occult group in the area. It was at about this time that I met up with fellow researcher Toyne Newton. He had been studying press reports and speaking to some of the witnesses with a view to writing an article for 'The Unexplained' magazine. We had both been working independently up to that point but, after some discussion, decided that if we were to get anywhere we would have to work together. There was little point in us both going our separate ways, particularly as we discovered that our opinions of some of the reported incidents were roughly the same.
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:22:21 GMT -5
The main problem we have at Clapham at the moment is that the council want to build there and destroy the woods . Ancient Woodland, Hedgerows + Meadows for the Chop
A MASSIVE battle is shaping up to save unique ancient woodland in West Durrington near Worthing in West Sussex which is under serious threat from property developers and road builders. Titnore Lane and the redevelopment site is located to the north east of Highdown Hill between the A27 and A259 to the South. To the north of the site and the A27 lie Clapham Woods (the largest dip slope unitary ancient woodland complex on the South Downs) and the South Downs where the ground rises to above 300 feet.
Titnore Lane for many years has been a rat run for traffic commuting between the two major south coast trunk roads - now made even worse since being classified an 'A' road when the A27 Patching spaghetti junction was built - but its origins date back into prehistory as a droveway. From those very earliest times the Lane has been an important feature in the life of community's, whether it be for moving animals, food or timber the chances are that it has always followed the same meandering trial. But not anymore if the planners get there way.
The first stage of the horrific plans which are due to come before Worthing Borough Council involve 850 new homes outlined in red - together with the widening and straightening of Titnore Lane to cope with the increase in traffic between the A27, A259 and the new developments.
The proposed road works would plough through rare ancient semi-natural woodland that has been there since the last ice age. It has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) and is completely irreplaceable. Several hundred trees would have to be felled, many over 150 years old and comprising oak, ash birch and willow. The woods are home to many protected species of wildlife, including bats, crested newts, dormice, slow-worms etc.
These trees are part of one of the last remaining areas of ancient woodland on the coastal plan and ironically the developer accepts that the ancient woodland is of great conservation importance as it is known to support a considerable variety of bird species, Long Tailed Tit, Blackcap, Treecreeper, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. They also accept that the Oaks along Titnore Lane are of lichenological interest and include Schismatomma quercina which is very rare in Sussex and the uncommon species Arthonia vinosa
Titnore Lane itself is part of our cultural heritage, reaching back at least to the Anglo-Saxon period and most probably way beyond that. It was part of a longer track that reached northwards across the Downs and is rich in archaeological remains. The woods below Highdown, the important iron age hillfort, are an important amenity for local people and the quality of life would be severely affected by the massive housing estate - and by the increase in traffic.
But that's not all. Although The present development application covers over 125 acres - some within the Countryside Agency's 'Boundary' for the proposed South Downs National Park but crucially much is outside. The full area threatened by future development is bordered by the A27, Adur avenue, Fulbeck Avenue, Titnore Way and Titnore Lane The central OS Grid Reference is TQ 10499 05317.
The area contains the Grade 1 listed Castle Goring, it's historic parkland and lake, together with Roman and prehistoric archaeology as well as the unique ancient woodland. It is worthy of note that in his report, the inspector who carried out the recent Local Inquiry into the Worthing Draft Local Plan stated: 'Proper recognition should be given to the importance of the Castle Goring Conservation Area'.
Finally the full horror, even for the present nasty scheme, would be clearly seen from Highdown Hill (National Trust) and once the tree canopy is removed as the trees are felled, the willful vandalism of the widened Titnore Lane would dominate and destroy the setting of the South Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty towards the north.
May we please urge you to:
Object to this development by writing / e-mailing to:
The Head of Planning, Portland House Richmond Road Worthing West Sussex. BN11 1LF.
e-mail: planning@worthing.gov.uk Quoting Application No: WB/04/00040/OUT
Please feel free to copy this text to anyone you think may be interested enough to write.
Please send your comments / campaign suggestions to:
info@protectourwoodland.fsnet.co.uk
Link to a Crook
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Post by clooneychic on Feb 23, 2005 9:33:00 GMT -5
OMG I thought Pixie's was a long thread It's really interesting that whitetiger what a lot of history there is there. I hope you cut and pasted *lol*
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Post by whitetiger on Feb 23, 2005 9:37:31 GMT -5
Took a while but I got there *goes to get a much needed drink*
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Post by pixi on Feb 23, 2005 9:48:08 GMT -5
Wow.... interesting read (glad I'm not the only one with long posts!!!) ;D
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 23, 2005 10:55:33 GMT -5
whitetiger thats well good history..thanks babe i can`t wait to go there now,,wooo hoooo my mates are up for it so we will be spending the weekend in the woods..just hope i don`t bump into any occult groups
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Post by pixi on Feb 23, 2005 11:11:30 GMT -5
Just make sure you don't look like a dog!!! ;D ;D Run Rover run!!!!!
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Post by DragonMaster on Feb 23, 2005 13:53:07 GMT -5
yeah lol hahahahahah ;D
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