The Lion, the Ditch and the Water Mill

Beeleigh Locks, Essex

Not all researchers follow the common model
In the world of the paranormal, the standard model in relation to suitable locations with a haunting to investigate is usually to identify such a location or, on rare occasions, be approached by someone affected by a haunting or some other form of alleged paranormal occurrence at their property.

Clearly, whilst this model works well for most, it is far removed from the one that we follow, where locations, often obscure and with no previous history of paranormal phenomena, are usually identified, via Laura’s ability to tap into the atmosphere there.

This approach has continued to work well for us, although admittedly it is a stretch to call it a model.

In the general course of everyday life, many such locations, be they buildings or outdoor areas, are identified but often never progressed any further by us.

We simply note what we’ve observed and move on.

The majority of what we’ve written to date takes place after some progress has been made with a location, so we thought that it would be interesting, for a change, to document the beginning of a potential case, so we can share with you how it commences and, hopefully, provide further updates as things progress, if at all.

We are fully aware that documenting a potential case may turn out to be a damp squib from a reading experience, but it may still be of interest to some, who are perhaps leaning towards the model that we follow.

To facilitate this, we will be completely transparent and disclose locations and other identifying factors.  

Some matters will be pending and may always remain so, therefore, with this in mind, if anyone is able to help with any aspect of the case as we progress, we would welcome any contribution to the discussion.

We hope that this will provide some insight.

Beeleigh Locks, Essex – 27^th June 2019

The day started innocuously as any, with the school holidays soon to commence, we decided to take a walk to the weir at Beeleigh Locks, simply for the opportunity to get some fresh air and take some photographs.

Beeleigh Falls

The paranormal could be no further from our mind, so we had no reason to take any recording equipment, although I carried my notebook

The Locks are where the River Blackwater, River Chelmer and, the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation (canal) converge, near to the ruins of Beeleigh Abbey, part of which is now the home of the Foyle family, of renown bookshop fame.

Here, you will find a large weir, known as Beeleigh Falls, canal locks and a couple of pools, as well as the remains of a former Victorian steam powered Corn Mill.

The original weir

The weir that you can see today was constructed in the 1950’s, replacing a previous  weir (the remains of which are a short distance away), which was destroyed on the evening of the 31^st January 1953, in the devastating East Coast Floods.

In the UK alone, 531 people tragically lost their lives that night and remains a grim memory in East Anglia even today.

Turning to the Mill, it was thought likely that there had been a Mill at the location at least 1,000 years, a watermill being recorded as being there as early as the Doomsday Book of 1086. The last mill was destroyed, by fire, in 1875 and never rebuilt, its remains now protected, with plans, well advanced, to reopen as a museum.

A rare image of the Corn Mill, caught in its prime

Approaching the Locks, we decided to stop for a while and take some photographs from the weir, looking down the River Blackwater to Maldon in the distance.

After spending some time in the area, waiting for people to clear so we could take some unobstructed photographs, we decided to take the path to Beeleigh Abbey, following the path through a wooded area, leading away from the canal and, across a bridge, where the sorry remains of the pre-1953 weir lay, scattered beneath the bridge, the debris trail leading down to an old pool.

We continued walking and eventually came to the end of the track, finding ourselves at the end of a metalled road, outside what remained of Beeleigh Mill.

Beeleigh Mill

Whilst we were outside the old Corn Mill, Laura, without warning, began to receive information psychically, over a period of 9 minutes.

The Corn Mill today

As I paused, to take photographs of the Mill, Laura turned to me and advised that she had been given the word ‘Carving’.

Taking notes, I pressed her to be more specific.

Laura felt that she needed to find a carving, sculpture or similar, on the side of a tree.

I asked what the carving was, but she was unable to progress this any further.

As I continued to ask questions, Laura advised that she’d received the name, probably a surname, ‘Clindell’ – this was a male and was immediately followed by the name ‘John’, possibly in relation to ‘Clindell’ i.e. ‘John Clindell’.

Beeleigh Falls House

At this point, we decided to look for the tree with the carving / sculpture and moved on, following the road around the Mill, heading towards Beeleigh Abbey.

An old photograph of Beeleigh Falls House, with the Corn Mill behind it

As we passed the entrance to Beeleigh Falls House, Laura picked up the name ‘Beatrice’, who she advised was connected to the ‘John’ that she’d picked up a couple of minutes earlier. She then she picked up the name(s) ‘Beth / Betherley’ (pronounced Beverley).

I decided to let Laura continue and said nothing as we walked, as not to disturb her focus.

Laura then received ‘Quaits / Quaites’, but unsure as to its context.

Nothing further was forthcoming for now, the flow of information had ceased.

As we were unsure as to how much further along the track the Abbey was, being unfamiliar with the area and not planning to spend as long as we had on our walk, we decided to turn around and retrace our steps back to the weir.

Back to the wooded area
Upon reaching the path back through the woods, adjacent to the Mill, Laura picked up ‘Candle Maker’, but nothing else.

The track through the wooden area, looking towards the Corn Mill

I took the decision to let Laura walk along the track a bit, whilst I scouted around for a carving (or similar) on any of the trees in the area, but with no luck.

Dejected, I briskly walked along the path and soon caught up with Laura.

Reaching Laura, she told me that she’d been getting the word (or possibly the name), ‘Clean’ or ‘Clein’ – pronounced clean,  during the entire time that we’d been in the area, but just couldn’t get the context.

We continued walking.

A little further along the path, before we had reached the bridge over the remains of the original weir, Laura picked up ‘Hedgerow Drive’.

Laura then stopped and turned to me, advising that she was sensing an ‘old style car – white’, ‘an American style square car’.

As we were in the middle of the English Countryside, not stateside, I immediately thought of a Mk1 Ford Cortina.

I described the vehicle to Laura, but she wasn’t sure. This was something that we could easily check back home, so I parked it......

Next, she advised that she was observing the car travelling towards her, along a road that had two bends (see Laura’s sketch below) – with two people in the car.

Mark’s writing, Laura’s sketch, we hope to improve both our
writing style and artistic skills soon....

Nothing else was forthcoming and we soon left the wooded area and retraced our steps along the canal path.

As we continued our walk, passing Maldon Golf Club Clubhouse, Laura advised that she had been picking up the name ‘Ken D’ since we arrived at the weir, until we left the area.

Summary
At home, adopting my usual practice, I soon set about reviewing my notes and summarising what Laura had picked up.

With no audio recorded, I had to take the timings from the photographs that I’d taken along the way and noted that Laura had received all the information from 09:52am to 10:01am (not including the information disclosed on the walk past Maldon Golf Club), a period of 9 minutes, as previously discussed.

Altogether, I had noted that Laura had picked up the following information:

1.       At the Steam Mill, Laura got:

a.      the word ‘Carving’; and

b.      ‘Clindell’ – name of a male, followed by ‘John’, possibly in relation to Clindell.

2.       At the entrance gate to Beeleigh Falls House, Laura received:

a.      the name ‘Beatrice’, who was connected to ‘John’; and

b.      the name ‘Beth / Betherley’ (pronounced as Beverley).

3.       Just past Beeleigh Falls House, Laura was given ‘Quaits’ or ‘Quaites’

4.       Back at the start of the path through the wooded area, next to the Steam Mill, Laura picked up:

a.      ‘Candle Maker’; and

b.     advised that she had been getting the word, or possibly name ‘Clean or Clein’ (pronounced clean) throughout the time that we’d been in the area.

5.       Along the path through the woods, Laura received:

a.     ‘Hedgerow Drive’;

b.     sensed an ‘old style car  – white’, ‘American style square car; and

c.      observed the vehicle travelling towards her, along a road with two bends, with two people in the car.

6.     Walking along the canal path, as we passed the Maldon Golf Club Clubhouse, Laura commented that she had been getting the name ‘Ken D’ since we arrived at the weir.

Satisfied that I had noted everything, I then turned my attention to attempting validating each piece of information, to determine whether or not this case was worth pursuing any further.

Initial Fact Find

To my disappointment, my attempts to tie any of the information down was frustrating, the only positive being the positive identification of the vehicle noted in 5 b. above – the old, American Style white car.

As I alluded to in my notes, my initial feeling when Laura first mentioned this vehicle was that it was an early Ford Cortina.

Finding some shots of a white example online, I asked Laura to take a look, who immediately verified the vehicle that she had ‘seen’ as a white Mk1 Ford Cortina, which was available in the UK from 1962 to 1966 inclusive.

A white, Mk1 Ford Cortina, this example was registered in 1965

However, for me, this was not enough to proceed any further with what Laura had picked up, so my notes were completed and filed away for safe keeping.

And that, we thought, was that.

Everything changes – 9^th September 2019

A couple of months later Laura was helping one of our elderly neighbours de-clutter their house, putting some books aside to take to the local charity shop later in the week.

Amongst the books set aside, there were a few covering the local history of the area, some scarce that I’d only seen referred to in later books, so Laura placed these to one side as she knew that I would be keen  to add these to my library rather than dispose of them.

Later that evening I cleaned the books, removing all the dust and cobwebs, and had a quick look through them.

Selecting a book at random – Maldon and the Blackwater Estuary, by John Marriage (1985), I opened it and it fell open on a series of postcards covering Beeleigh – there, top right, was a photograph of ‘The Lion Tree’ an unusual deformity to be found on the trunk of an Elm Tree, located in the hedgerow near Beeleigh Mill.  

The Lion Tree

The growth was said to resemble the side profile of a Lion’s Head and was much admired by Victorians, who dubbed it ‘The Lion Tree’.

It proved so popular that the track around the Mill was often referred to by the local people as ‘Lion Avenue’.

Had I finally found the carving / similar that Laura needed to find, albeit by pure chance?

I discussed the discovery with Laura, who immediately confirmed that she could accept that this was what we should be looking for.

Progress, finally.

However, there was just one minor inconvenience that remained, which we needed to overcome.

The tree (or what was left of it), had been removed in 1934 and no longer existed.

Picking up the pieces, do trees come back as ghosts? – 12^th September 2019

Over the next couple of days I began to research the tree, with the hope of finding its former location.

Over the course of our journey we’ve frequently found that it’s not the object itself that’s important, it’s the location. Hopefully this would prove correct in this case and Laura would find what she needed there.

I undertook an extensive search, online as well as in the reference books that I held in my collection, for any commentary relevant to the Lion Tree.

Sadly, I found few mentions of the tree and, even fewer clues as to where it once stood.

In total, I was able to find three clues as to its location, listed below, with the reference text included:

1. Maldon and Heybridge in old picture postcards – Peter Came 1st February 1994

As you pass through a five bar gate into the grounds of Beeleigh Falls House a Gothic cottage is passed on your right. Almost immediately opposite the cottage stood a remarkable elm which had developed an excrescence resembling that of the head of a lion.

2. Essex Field Club:

The tree was in a hedgerow near the entrance to Beeleigh Falls house, at Beeleigh near Maldon.

3. The website of the Chelmer Canal Trust  (http://www.chelmercanaltrust.co.uk/nl31.htm)

A hundred years ago this ancient deformed tree near Beeleigh Mill was a well-known local landmark.

The picture of the tree comes from a photograph that is truly one hundred years old. Beeleigh mill house is just visible at the far end of the road in the picture.

Not much to go on but, in the scheme of things, a lot more than what we started with almost three months ago.

Positively, the descriptions of where to find the tree appeared to be consistent. I concede that this could be as a result of sharing the same (unknown) source, but at least it gave me hope.

Less could be said as result of putting my quest to the mercy of social media.

An appeal to the wider community
I then decided to cast my net further and seek possible assistance from a local history page on Face book, in my own name, to avoid revealing the true nature of my request - the page had been set up by a local historian and, in the past, our own experiences had shown that sadly, history and the paranormal rarely mix, so discussing the real reason for my post would not be wise at this formative stage.

The post gained a healthy amount of interest, but only three responses with regards to the former location of The Lion Tree.

Two of these were entirely left field, although they both placed the tree at the same location in (Beeleigh) Abbey Chase, a side road off Abbey Turning. A map was also helpfully included, where ‘X’ marked the spot in true treasure map style!

X marks the spot.....

However, the road was aligned in entirely the wrong direction and it was impossible for the Corn Mill to be seen at the end of the road, as indicated by the Chelmer Canal Trust Image - unless the description accompanying the image was wrong and it was actually Beeleigh Abbey that could be seen at the end of the track. This could not be dismissed as a possibility.

It was also curious that two complete strangers had placed the tree a distance away, although it was, of course, entirely possible that the information had again originated from the same source

Then, the next day, there was a final reply that confirmed that the tree had actually been situated in the area that the reference texts had indicated.

I appeared to be going around in circles, there was clearly only one way to clear this up, we needed to pay another visit to the falls and attempt to search for the location, hinted at in the Chelmer Canal Trust image.

Additional Interest? – 13^th September 2019
Friday the 13^th, a full moon too.

Before we could decide on a suitable date for another trip, on the early morning magazine programme on Radio Essex, the news broke that The Cage, in nearby St Osyth, had finally been sold (Subject To Contract), after spending over ten years on the market, for sale.

We had a research interest in The Cage, so whilst this was newsworthy to us, what really caught my ear was the Paranormal ‘Team’ featured on the show to discuss the sale, briefly mentioned that they’d spent the previous evening at Beeleigh Locks and found it very interesting, although they didn’t expand much further on this during the broadcast.

Three months of nothing and now Beeleigh Locks appeared to be the hot topic of the moment.

Reflection

In the days that followed, I re-examined the information that Laura had picked up in an attempt to glean any information from it.

Hunting the Lion – 25th September 2019

With Laura tied up for most of the day, I decided that it was time to visit the locks to try and locate the (former) Lion Tree without her.

Critics could levy that it would’ve been better to search for the tree with Laura, for us this was not essential – after all, Laura was only required to go to the location, not find it.

In addition, Laura is not the most patient soul you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, so searching alone would allow a thorough, focused examination of the area by myself, increasing the chances of finding it.

Sitting down to re-examine the scantest of hints available to me, I felt that there were only two real clues:

1.       The short paragraph from Peter Came’s book, that stated passing through a gate into the grounds of Beeleigh Falls House, a Gothic cottage is visible on the right, where the Lion Tree is almost immediately opposite; and

2.       The image from the Chelmer Canal Trust website, that showed the tree to the near left, with a track stretching off into the distance, where a tantalising glimpse of a left turn could be seen and, Beeleigh Corn Mill in the far distance, straight ahead.

It is often said that a picture speaks a thousand words, although after 100 years or so, I conceded that the effectiveness of the words could be far less.

There was little else that I could do so sitting at my desk, so with rucksack, camera and umbrella in hand, off I ventured into the dull, dreary morning, to seek out my targets – Abbey Chase, on the approach to Beeleigh Abbey, as suggested by the history group on Face book page and, where I calculated the tree to have been located, using the historical clues, nearer to the Victorian Corn Mill, that was also supported by a solitary Face book user.

False Leads...

Approaching Abbey Chase, it became evidently clear that this was not the true location.

Abbey Chase, NOT the former home of the Lion Tree

As previously established, it was facing entirely the wrong direction and, in addition, had not got the length indicated by the Chelmer Trust image and the Abbey could not be seen, if indeed this was the building incorrectly identified in the image.

 One down, one to go and, quietly satisfied that this was not the location, I continued my walk along what was becoming a single track road, each step taking me nearer to the Corn Mill.

Onwards to the Gothic Cottage
As I walked, I kept an eye out for any ‘Gothic Cottages’, preferably to my right. Rising out of the tree line, albeit to my left, was a detached property, painted white.

Did it look Gothic? I took some photographs, but didn’t really think so. Besides, it would have represented the largest cottage that I’d ever seen, if I was entirely honest.

Just ahead I could see a bend in the road; I knew that I was nearing the Mill.

I was running out of potential locations fast, I calculated there was little road left, reducing my chances of locating the tree.

As I walked towards the bend, I spotted two properties getting ever nearer.

To the right, a large dwelling, appearing to be of no great age and, almost opposite on the left hand side, almost on the far bend, a small square building, barely visible through the thick hedgerow, overlooking the River Blackwater.

This appeared promising, or was I just reaching the end of my journey regardless.

Reaching the bend, I peered through the hedgerow and strained for a clear view of the cottage. It was barely visible.

I noticed the entrance to the property a short distance on, so hopeful of a better view, I walked to the gate only to be faced with the same issue – a very tall hedge.

The Gothic Cottage, a little shy, preferring to hide behind the hedge.

Looking over the gate, I studied the panorama. I could see a bit more of the property, although still not able to view it in its entirety. It didn’t particularly look that gothic, but I had to recall the meaning of the term back in the 1920’s, which was a lot less dramatic than the present day meaning.

Not wishing to invade the owner’s privacy and enter the gate, I contented myself with a couple of photographs from the road, which returned fine examples of Essex shrubbery.

Task completed, I turned to look along the road. There, at the end of the stretch was the Mill, to the right, with Beeleigh Falls house just in front, further to the right.

The ‘Lion Tree’
After 100 years the scene was not as tight as it appeared in the Chelmer  Canal Trust’s photograph but, it wasn’t that dissimilar either. I was almost there.

Recalling Peter Came’s words “...a Gothic cottage is passed on your right. Almost immediately opposite the cottage stood a remarkable elm which had developed an excrescence resembling that of the head of a lion.”, it appeared more than being almost there. I’d found it – the location of the Lion Tree.

Opposite the gothic cottage, was the entrance to a field, which clearly explained why the tree was photographed from that position.

The Lion Tree was located next to the entrance to the field, if the photographer had stood just a couple of inches further back, they would have included the entrance gate in the photograph, so, to save themselves having to crop the image later, they simply positioned the shot so the gate wasn’t visible.

100 years on and still no yellow lines, the Lion Tree would have
been located in the same spot as the tree in the left of the picture.

Inspecting the area more closely and taking a few photographs for future reference, I saw that the Lion Tree would have stood on the edge of a ditch, between the ditch and the road, which was now really a single vehicle track.

Examining the Chelmer Trust Image closely, it was possible to make out a ditch seemingly running alongside the length of the road, behind the hedge where the Lion Tree had been located.

The edge of the ditch had numerous small trees and saplings near to where the Lion Tree would have stood.

Inadvertently, the ditch had proven the final key in finding the Lion Tree.

Inspecting the trees, I was able to identify them as Elms from the leaf samples I took – perhaps putting to bed the modern day dispute as to what type of tree the Lion Tree was. Only one of the old references had stated that it was an Elm and the general lack of identification since had led to open discussions as to what the tree actually was, with many choosing to favour the theory that it was an Oak, for no logical reason.

Admittedly, without a sample of the tree available, there would still be some element of doubt but, the fact that the immediate area was peppered with young Elm trees was probably as good as we were going to get a hundred years or so later.

Top - the Lion Tree in it's prime
Bottom - the same scene today

I had found the location of the Lion Tree, all that was needed next was for Laura to visit.

However, that's another story.

Perhaps.

Greenwich Park – Touching The Past

Nōn potest cīvitās abscondī suprā montem posita

On the surface, Greenwich Park is a welcoming, green, pleasant space on the south bank of the River Thames, a place for Londoners to relax over the weekend, the location of the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian.

For some, it’s a former Royal Hunting Park where King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I entertained their guests and, the place that saw England launch its dominance of the waves from the Royal Naval College on its North Western flank.

However, for a few, the area has a far deeper, hidden, occult history that few suspect or can even dare to imagine.

A location where the pre-christian deities of Brigid, Diana, Herne, Odin, the Snow Queen and the Dark Lady of the Fountain are said to roam, if you have the desire to seek them out.

A place where you can find Saxon burial mounds, the foundations of a Roman Temple dedicated to Diana, Goddess of the Moon, an oak tree that good Queen Bess danced around and, a mysterious 19^th Century Drinking fountain known as The Motherstone, with a past that is only just beginning to unravel.

Greenwich Park is all of these things, depending on the person. What would we find there? What sort of person were we?

An invitation accepted

A good friend of ours, Sam, has a extensive working knowledge of the Park, both from an historic and an esoteric perspective and has long suggested that Laura may find a visit interesting so, with our respective schedules finally coinciding, Laura and I decided to take him up on his longstanding invitation and spend some time at the Park as his guest.  

It was May, with the long period of hot weather for the summer of 2018 that the UK would enjoy just beginning to kick in, so on a particularly sunny morning we found ourselves crossing the QE2 Bridge into Kent and driving into South London, where we had arranged to meet Sam, at the main parking area at the southern end of the Park.

Making our way through the side streets to the Park, driving along Vanbrugh Park (a road) and, up the slope at the junction with Maze Hill, Laura turned to me and informed me that she was starting to feel her stomach churning, along with a ‘pressure’, in her head.

It had begun.

Greenwich Park

Spotting the entrance to the Park on our right, we drove in through Blackheath Gate and parked up. Within minutes Sam appeared, right on cue, striding through the trees in the near distance, towards us.

Wasting no time, we gathered our camera and recording equipment and left the car to greet Sam.

Almost immediately, Laura picked up upon a young girl, about ten years of age, wearing a cream dress, possibly a night dress. Unfortunately, she was unable to get a name.

Laura later told me, during the drive home, that her first thoughts at this point were what had Sam brought with him?

After exchanging pleasantries, we decided to explore the Park in a clockwise direction, heading towards the old Royal Naval College to the North West, where it bordered the Thames, before returning back to where we were now. Sounding like a plan, off we went, Sam leading the way.

Striding purposely along the west flank of the Park, near the tennis courts, heading towards the remains of some Saxon burial mounds Laura became aware of a quiet, male voice, as we walked between two trees, ‘I’m here’ the voice whispered. Laura drew my attention to what had just happened.

Looking quickly around, the nearest person to us appeared to be around two hundred yards away, using a loud chainsaw. An unlikely candidate we thought.

Later that evening, we carefully checked the audio recording we made but, disappointingly, nothing was to be heard.

Moving on, Laura turned to Sam and asked him if there was a Remembrance Garden? He replied that he wasn’t sure, but knew that there were a number of benches with dedication plaques in the Park.

Soon after this brief conversation, we later found that we’d recorded a faint EVP, our only one that we’d captured during our visit. However, it was indistinct and we were unable to understand what was being said, even following subtle enhancement of the capture and peer review.

The Large Standing Figure........

Passing through the Saxon burial mounds, Laura and I spotted a sculpture on the opposite side of the plateau.

Large Standing Figure - attempting to blend into the background

This was the 1976 Henry Moore sculpture - Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge (LH 482a), one of the artists own copies, which has been on display at Greenwich Park, for the second time, since 2011.

As we got closer, we heard a peel of bells in the distance. Laura turned to Sam and asked him where the bells were coming from?

Sam told her that they were from the Royal Naval College, rather than some nearby church, which we could at the bottom of the slope next to the Thames, in the distance.

At this point I took some time to take some photographs, leaving Sam and Laura to discuss further.

Continuing our journey, Laura advised that she’d picked up the name ‘Blake’, a surname, near the statue.

Laura commented that the area had an unusual stillness, taking into account how close it was to central London.

The view towards Canary Warf

Out of the blue, whilst we walking down the slope towards the Naval College, Laura asked if there was ‘something’ about one of the trees here, in the Park - she kept feeling that she should be looking for a tree and, that she should go there to ‘get it done’.

Sam advised that he could think of possibly two trees, one alive, one wasn’t, that could be possible candidates and, the general consensus was that we should make our way to them.

Laura had also been given the name ‘Colonel Jacobs’, advising she’d also got ‘orphanage’.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure if it was in the same context as ‘Colonel Jacobs’.

We soon found ourselves approaching a cross roads on the path, where the path we were walking along met Lover’s Walk. At the cross roads, Laura turned and advised that she got ‘Sammy’, which was a boy, not a kid (toddler), along with the name ‘Fellows’.

She felt that this surname could be connected to ‘Sammy’.

Echoes of War

In the shadow of the Royal Observatory, towering over us high to our right, Laura got the impression of ‘aircraft’ and ‘645’ – although she was not sure whether this was the time i.e. 06:45, or a number.

I asked if this was aircraft generally, or a specific type? Laura replied, rather helpfully, that she wasn’t sure.

She went on to state that the aircraft was ‘taken down, not crashed’ but was at pains to impress that this had to be made clear – taken down, not crashed.

This was very important.

We paused, but nothing else was forthcoming so, reluctantly, we moved on.

Little did we suspect that this snippet of information would link significantly with what was discovered later on our tour.

The late Queen Elizabeth’s Oak

As we continued along the path, Laura got the name ‘Greives’. She knew that this not spelt conventionally, but this was how it was given to her.

Laura then went on to inform Sam and I that she kept picking up American (U.S.A.) connections, such as Columbus and California.

Sam advised that there could potentially be a Columbus link at this location. Laura and I didn’t press him for this information, in case it prejudiced anything else that Laura discovered.

We eventually found ourselves at Queen Elizabeth’s Oak, one of the trees Sam suspected that Laura could have been referring to earlier.

Looking at the Oak’s decomposing state, lying on it’s side, behind a low fence, Laura and I obviously suspected that this was the dead tree that Sam had previously mentioned, without him having to say anything.

Queen Elizabeth's Oak - lying in State

Having came to the end of it’s life sometime during the 19^th Century, it finally toppled over in a storm in 1991, when much of the supporting soil was washed away.

Dating back to the 12^th Century, it was named after Elizabeth I, who was believed to have taken refreshments under the shade of its boughs.

Legend has it that Henry VIII had danced with Anne Boleyn around the tree prior to this.

However, in spite of the late tree’s incredible history, Laura was of the opinion that this was not the tree that she needed to find.

Disappointed, we decided to move on and Sam guided us to the feature known as ‘The Motherstone’ nearby.

However, as we walked away, Laura commented that she had just been given the word ‘Carnean’, but she wasn’t sure if this was a name, a place or even if it was a genuine word.

I was later able to establish that ‘Carnean’ was Spanish for pull the wool over someone’s eyes. Was someone referring to an historic event that took place at the tree, or perhaps something that was being concealed from us, right here, right now?

The Motherstone

We soon reached a junction in the path and Sam steered us left, following the path down a slope for a couple of paces, where we immediately spotted the Motherstone, again to our left, partially obscured by the low hanging branches of a nearby tree.

Facing us was what could only be described as two stone oblong boulders, laying lengthways, one on top of the other, with a water bowl in the centre, where the two stones met.

The 'Motherstone'

The Motherstone, a former drinking fountain, was thought to have been constructed between 1855 and 1863, to replace a wooden building nearby that was being used to sell refreshments until it was demolished in 1855.

The Motherstone was first referenced in 1863, providing an eight year window for its construction.

The water bowl originally drew water from a nearby spring, which you could enjoy by means of two metal cups chained to the bowl. However, the spring was capped in the mid 1950’s due to concerns over the water quality and the Motherstone’s function as a fountain has been redundant ever since.

Although the Motherstone was of Victorian construction, the stones appeared to have had a far older origin and it is now believed that they originated from the Bluebell Hill area of Kent.

Whilst we were examining the stones, Laura complained that she felt nauseous, very strongly, so we moved away from the vicinity of the Motherstone with the hope that this would alleviate the situation for Laura.

Jack Gale, in his 1996 book Goddesses, Guardians & Groves, The Awakening Spirit of the Land, states that many love the place (the Motherstone), a few “find the place threatening and intimidating, not wishing to remain there any length of time” (p.45).

Laura, it would appear, clearly fell into the latter category.

Regaining her composure, Laura reflected on her time at the former springhead, but the overwhelming memory of the location for her was that the area made her feel really sick.

Expanding further upon her experience, Laura told us that she’d felt a hard pressure in her neck and her throat (indicating up against her jaw on her right hand side) and then the nausea feeling almost immediately started.

Allowing Laura some time to lose the effects she had experienced from the Motherstone, we left the path and cut across the grass to a shady area with a number of trees dotted here and there, either side of a gully.

As we approached the first of the trees, Laura commented that her right arm had ‘gone really tight‘ and had tensed up.

Straight away, this was followed with Laura advising that something wrong with her hands, both hands, at this particular location of the Park.

Sam interjected and stated that this is close to a tree, the second tree that he wished to show us.

Laura responded by telling him that her hands felt as if they’d been “really burned” – raw, “proper burnt”.

We’d now been walking for about an hour, so we decided to spend some time at the tree that Sam had indicated.

Laura at 'the tree' - what would it reveal, if anything?

However, after ten minutes or so, it seemed that nothing was forthcoming (from Laura's perspective) so, with reluctance, we decided to move on.

However, Laura later revealed, as were leaving the Park, that when she was examining the tree, she’d been given the name ‘Augustine’.

Maze Hill

As we walked across the grassed area surrounding the Maze Hill Gate, the conversation turned to the history of the Park, as a Royal Park and, some trees displaying signs of lightning strikes.

At this point, Laura was given the name ‘Jane Austen’, which we obviously assumed referred to the well known 18^th Century novelist, but nothing else was picked up by Laura to confirm this assumption.

Laura then asked Sam if all the roads around here, referring to the ones surrounding the Park, not those in the Park itself, were through roads or, was one of them a dead end?

A discussion ensued amongst the three of us, with Laura throwing in that it may have been a through road that was now blocked off.

Laura continued to expand, commenting that when we’d left the tree and was walking past a patch of nettles, she’d been given the phrase ‘road to nowhere’ and had just got given the phrase again now.

I raised the possibility that the phrase could be referring to something metaphorically, whilst Laura thought that it may not be in the park, but somewhere not far away, but ‘around’.

Laura asked if the Park was divided out into more than four sections?

Unbeknown to both Sam and myself at the time, this question was asked in reference to her ‘Quadrant’ information that we shall discuss later.

Sam confirmed that it was and, from above, it looked laid out to a defined plan.

I then walked away from Laura and Sam to see if I could make sense of what Laura had picked up.

I soon sighted an avenue of trees that wasn’t easily spotted from where we were originally stood, so perhaps this was the solution?

The avenue was within the Park, but interestingly, appeared to start and end between the two points that Laura had indicated. I didn’t mention what I’d found to the others.

The Avenue?

As we were close to where Laura had experienced the churning sensation in her stomach as we originally approached in the car, we decided to leave the Park and visited what we later found out was the Vanbrugh Pits at Blackheath (East), adjacent to the Park.

Upon approaching the Heath, Laura confirmed to me the churning in her stomach had returned.

Vanbrugh Pits is an area of old gravel workings, dating from the late 18^th Century, which was used to house a barrage balloon during World War II. The area was named after Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, who had a house nearby.

We duly explored the grassland but, to our disappointment, Laura was unable to establish anything that would have explained the stomach churning sensation she was experiencing, even now, whilst in the area.

With nothing else occurring, we decided to re-enter the Park, near to where the Deer Park was located.

Walking back towards our original starting point on the west side of the Park, having completed our circuit, Sam asked us if we had time to visit another location that he would like to show us nearby.

With plenty of time to spare, we thought why not, so we gave Sam the affirmative and once again left the confines of Greenwich Park.

Crown Point

As we made our way across the heath, Sam told us we were heading to The Point, or more correctly Crown Point, to the west of the Park.

The Point is a popular viewing area, offering a fine vista of the City of London and beyond including, on clear days, the Wembley Stadium Arch, to the North West.

The view from the Point

Upon entering the grassed area of The Point, the quietness of the location was noticeable, in spite of the passing traffic.

Continuing our walk, I spotted a memorial stone set against the barrier making the end of The Point, which Laura and I soon discovered was for a fallen WWII pilot.

Reading the inscription, I pointed out to Laura and Sam that the middle name of the pilot named on the memorial stone, ‘Richard Carew Reynell’, was possibly similar to ‘Carnean’, the word Laura had picked up earlier, as we were approaching the Motherstone.

Laura, to my dismay, strongly disagreed with this suggestion.

She continued that, as we first entered ‘The Point’, she picked up a name, ‘Ray’ and thought that it was Sam’s step-father (Sam confirmed that it wasn’t), but it was quickly confirmed to her that it wasn’t ‘Ray’, but the first part of a word or name.

Although she tried, Laura was unable to get the rest of the name, so she never said anything at the time.

Did Laura start to pick up the airman?

Who was Richard Carew Reynell?

The memorial confirmed that he had been killed nearby, but where and how?

Another area of further research beckoned.

The memorial to Flt Lt Richard Reynell

As we walked back across The Point, back towards the Park, I commented that it was strange as to why no houses had been built on the land, taking into account the views of the City it offered and it’s close proximity to it.

Sam advised that this was more likely due to what was beneath The Point - chalk caverns.

Laura smiled and commented that she was going to ask if there was a cave beneath the land.

He went on to explain both the geology and history of the caverns, mentioning carvings and stated that he’d always felt that there was energy ‘swirling’ here, like a whirlpool.

Laura felt that the area would take on a different atmosphere at night, with Sam agreeing, confirming that some years ago, he had visited at night along with a colleague and undertaken a meditation session, with interesting results.

Our time drawing to a close, we made our way back to the car, only stopping to examine a water conduit on the way, en route to the Cafe in the Park, to enjoy some refreshments before we headed back to East Anglia.

Bidding Sam farewell, until the next time, we got back into the car, to retrace our journey back home.

The final piece of the jigsaw?

As we drove away from the Park, Laura turned to me and commented that, whilst we were walking around the Park itself, she was continually being given the word ‘Quadrant’, right from the point that we initially left the car.

I asked her why she didn’t raise this at the time, to which she replied that, as this was only the second time she’d met Sam in person, she didn’t want to come across as ‘strange’ to him.

During the drive home, we continued to discuss ‘Quadrant’ and both leant towards it referring to the layout of the Park, it clearly having been landscaped in the past.

How wrong did this turn out to be, as our subsequent research was to inform us.

Aftermath

At the time, whilst we enjoyed immensely our tour of Greenwich Park and the surrounding area greatly, from Laura’s perspective, it didn’t appear that active, when compared to other historic locations that we’d visited in the past, although we both thought that a further visit would be worthwhile.

However, upon reviewing our notes and, the audio recording I made of our visit, it indicated that nothing could be further from the truth – the challenge would be to establish the best way to go about it.

Our review provided a couple of areas where we should focus our initial research, namely:

1.       The girl at Blackheath Gate

2.       Colonel Jacobs / Greives / Blake / Sammy Fellows

3.       Jane Austen

4.       Richard Carew Reynell

5.       Quadrant

6.       Augustine

Findings

Our research remains ongoing, but in the interest of providing a baseboard for future field investigation, a summary of where our research currently sits would be useful, we can therefore provide an overview as follows:

1.       The young girl in the cream dress at Blackheath Gate

Frustratingly, whilst we’ve consulted many, many books and periodicals over the ensuing months, along with the obligatory internet searches, our researches have drawn a blank so far.

We are unable to trace any reference or indeed a tradition, of the ghost of a young girl at the Gate, nor any other paranormal occurrence.

Unless anyone could inform us otherwise?

2.       Colonel Jacobs / Greives / Blake

For convenience, we shall cover these people in the same section. With what appears to be just a surname to work with, these names will have to remain on our file, unless any additional information comes to light.

Colonel Jacobs – The rank of Colonel has been used in the British Army since the late 17^th Century, as well as the armed forces of other Countries. With a relatively common surname as Jacobs, we have traced a number on individuals to date, although none having any ties, we have been able to find, to the Greenwich area.

Greives – Nothing of any note found.

Blake – Possibly a reference to William Blake, the 18^th Century Artist and Poet, who was the artist of an engraving for the proposed 230 foot statue of Britannia atop of Greenwich Hill, in 1799; or

Admiral Robert Blake, a national hero, whose successes have never been excelled, “not even by Admiral Nelson himself”, according to one biographer. Whilst obviously having a link to Greenwich by virtue of his profession, he lay in state at the Queen’s House at Greenwich following his death in 1657, prior to a state funeral and burial at Westminster Abbey.

As Laura had been given the name ‘Blake’ near to Henry Moore’s statue, did it point to William as being the Blake that we should be focusing upon?

William Blake's proposed 230ft Britannia Statue and, the eventual occupant of it's spot
the life sized statue of Gen. James Wolfe

 Sammy Fellows – Nothing of any note has been found.

3.       Jane Austen

At first mention, Austen’s name raised a smile amongst us – She was internationally known, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest writers in the English language, with works such as Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice to her credit, but why was Laura given her name at Greenwich Park, of all places?

Had someone read one of her novels, whilst laid on the grass one sunny afternoon or some other mundane reason?

However, scratching the surface, we were able to find a link to her and Greenwich Park.

Two of Austen’s brothers were Navel Officers – Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Francis Austen and, Rear Admiral Charles Austen, both of whom spent time at Greenwich and, it is known that she had spent time there visiting them (1).

In addition, she was friends with Mary Pearson, eldest daughter of Capt. Sir Richard Pearson, who was the Lt. Governor of the Greenwich Hospital for Seaman, the precursor for the Royal Naval College.

In isolation, we cannot extent our research any further than this, other that there was a connection, so her appearance wasn’t as random as we first thought, so another visit to the Park may be required to see if Laura is able to uncover any further information here.

(1)     Letter to Cassandra Austen – 18^th September 1796

4.       Flight Lieutenant Richard Carew Reynell

Information relating to Richard ‘Dick / Dickie’ Reynell was not hard to trace, with a couple of reliable sources found after a quick search online, documenting the sad events relating to the death of Reynell, which occurred on a sunny, Sunday afternoon, on the first day of the London Blitz.

Flt Lt Reynell was an Australian who had initially came to Britain in 1929 to study at Oxford University and subsequently joined the RAF in 1931, where he served at No. 43 Squadron, which was based at the time, at RAF Tangmere, near Chichester, in West Sussex.

His talent for flying saw him attached to Hawker Aircraft Company as a test pilot, in 1937, where he was involved with the development of the new Hawker Hurricane single seater fighter aircraft.

In August 1940, he returned to No. 43 Squadron so he could evaluate the Hurricane’s performance under combat conditions, which enabled him to make recommendations or modifications to improve the aircraft.

He was due to return to Hawker on the 7^th September 1940 but opted to stay with the Squadron until evening, so that he could take part in the day’s flying.

It was a decision that, sadly, would cost him his life.

The morning started relatively quietly, with a handful of bombs falling on London and the surrounds, but little else.

However, as history subsequently shows, things were about to change and little did Britain know that it was soon to face the full might of the German Luftwaffe later that afternoon.

The German attack was in response to a raid on Berlin two weeks earlier, with Hitler declaring to wipe Britain’s Cities off the map and the afternoon of the 7^th September, in the middle of The Battle of Britain, saw the commencement of what we now refer to as the London Blitz.

As the Luftwaffe flew across the English Channel towards their targets, six planes from 43 Squadron was scrambled at 4:30pm, with Reynell leading a half squadron of six, which was one of the first two squadrons to greet the 170 or so advancing German planes over Beachy Head, on the East Sussex Coast.

He and his Squadron pursued the enemy to the Suburbs of South London, where Reynell finally engaged a Messerschmitt Bf 109, over the skies of Blackheath.

During the engagement Reynell’s Hurricane was blown into three pieces, the engine falling through the roof of St Ursula’s Convent, opposite the Park’s western flank, causing a fire, whilst the main part of the fighter plane crashed to the ground onto Crown Point itself, where the monument to Reynell now stands.

Reynell himself was blown out of the aircraft, falling rapidly, his parachute only being partially deployed, crashing through a garden bench before he came to rest on the ground, at 3 Kidbrooke Grove, to the east of the Park.

Already in a bad way with chest injuries, Reynell sadly passed away at the scene, before medical help could arrive.

Flt Lt Richard Reynell's Grave, at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey

Laura picked up four pieces of information that she ascribed to Reynell, before we come across his monument:

i.                     this involved an aircraft, albeit type unknown

ii.                   the number 645

iii.                  that this aircraft was taken down, not crashed; and

iv.                 the first part of a name – Ray

Considering the information in relation to what I learnt surrounding Reynell on the 7^th September 1940, the first piece of information is self explanatory, we were looking for an incident involving an aircraft of some kind.

The second piece, the number 645, currently remains an enigma, it doesn’t relate to the place number or Reynell’s service number and, not the time of the incident, which was recorded at approximately 5pm. Could this relate to the time of his death? For the moment, we feel not as, although we currently do not have the time that Reynell passed away, only that it was before medical help could arrive, we feel that even in such a time of emergency, 1 hour 45 minutes was too long a wait before medical assistance arrived on the scene.

The third piece of information, that the aircraft didn’t crash but was taken down we found interesting. Reynell’s aircraft disintegrated in mid-air, with Reynell being thrown clear of his aircraft as it did so.

It was this, along with the fourth piece of information, the first part of the name being ‘Ray’ that gave us the belief that Laura was sensing this tragic incident, almost 78 years after the event.

Sources (including online):

The Advertiser (Adelaide)          

P7. 10^th October 1938

P6. 19^th December 1940

P9. 3^rd September 1941

P17. 19^th September 1941

P7. 16^th November 1941

Blitzwalkers:

https://blitzwalkers.blogspot.com/2012/02/flight-lieutenant-richard-carew-reynell.html

https://blitzwalkers.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-fighting-cocks-black-saturday-and.html

                                       

5.       Quadrant

Due to our ignorance in relation to the Park and the Observatory, our conversation during the drive home focused upon the geometry of the Park, the way ornamental gardens had been laid over the years.

We were firmly of the mind at this point that quadrant related to how the Park was set out.

As we previously mentioned, how wrong could we be on this point.

It didn’t take long for us to discover that the term quadrant could also relate to an instrument used to measure angles or, more relevant to Greenwich itself, longitude, latitude and even time itself.

These instruments have been in use for over 2,000 years, in some shape or form, having first being described by Ptolemy in 150 AD.

Greenwich Park had been the location for a Mural Quadrant (a large Quadrant attached to a wall) since around 1676, the first being designed by Robert Hooke, the architect, natural philosopher and polymath.

Robert Hook's original 1676 Mural Quadrant at Greenwich

This was replaced by a ‘slight’ Mural Arc in  1683 and again in 1689, both quadrants by the Royal Astronomer John Flamsteed.

The final quadrant, another Mural Arc, was erected in 1721 by Flamsteed’s successor, Edmund Halley (of comet fame), which is now on display at the Meridian Building at the Royal Observatory, albeit with several parts missing.

Unfortunately, whilst we were able to get to the source of Laura’s ‘quadrant’, she was unable to obtain any additional information relating to this during her visit, so our researches cannot progress any further at this point.

However, there was also a possible connection with Robert Hooke elsewhere for Laura, which is something that we’ll explore sometime in the future.

We know where the quadrants were located and, where the final, only surviving one is now situated. Again, a further visit will be necessary at some point, to attempt to progress this aspect further.

6.       Augustine
Augustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo), born in Italy, was a Benedictine who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury on 597, being buried (originally) in what is now St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.

We have not been able to find any direct link between Augustine and Greenwich in our researches but noted that the original route of Watling Street, upon which Canterbury lies, passes through the north east corner of Greenwich Park, close to the Roman Temple (and Motherstone) and to the place where Laura was given the name.

Although pure conjecture on our part, did Laura pick up the thoughts of a traveller or clergyman from Canterbury, passing through the Park, on their way into London? 

Summary

Although we’ve yet to return, the Park remains a location of great interest to us.

During our time there Sam was careful not to relate any of the knowledge that he had of the area, unless directly asked, or steer us to any particular location of interest (to himself), whilst he was there.

Perhaps this visit was only the start of our connection to the Park. As with Greenwich itself, only time will tell.

Bibliography

A History of Greenwich – Beryl Platts (1973)

Working the Path – Jack Gale (1994)

Goddesses, Guardians & Groves – Jack Gale (1996)

Greenwich and Blackheath Past – Felix Barker (1999)