Paranormal Reason

Bicknacre Priory - A summary of findings from our research Engraving of Bicknacre Priory - 1818 Important : Our articles covering our previous visits to Bicknacre Priory of which this article is the research findings for can be read here: Part 1 -  Unravelling the ghosts of Bicknacre Priory:   (Click here) Part 2 - The Serpent and the King:   (Click here) Referring back to my notes, ten pieces of the jigsaw leapt out at me.  Pausing for thought, some pieces would most definitely be easier to validate, or not, as the case may be. So, in no particular order, let’s look at each individual piece of the jigsaw piece in turn: 1. A Hospital in the vicinity One of the first snippets of information Laura received when we first got to the location was the impression of a hospital as we entered the priory field. As I alluded to at the time, it wasn’t uncommon for a secular building to have a hospital facility connected, but was this actually the case here? The Friends of Prio...

Unravelling the ghosts of Bicknacre Priory (Part Two) You can read Part One here:  Click Here You can read Part Three here:  (Click Here) Although we frequently drove past the Priory and, despite how close it was to where we lived, we were never tempted to take time out and re-visit. Days turned to months, months turned to years....... And so it was, in 2023, with the school summer holidays looming, we decided to spend a couple of our free days leading up to the summer break by visiting some local locations, our preference being not to visit sites with our young children in tow. St Peter-on-the-Wall, a half hour drive away was first on the list, however, it was warm and we didn’t fancy driving that far when there were just as suitable locations within spitting distance we could think of. Beeleigh Falls was a location we definitely needed to revisit but, after the events following our last visit a few months earlier, where we wasn’t able to access the area we needed to visit be...

Bicknacre Priory today In a long forgotten meadow, deep in the wilds of Essex, stands a lonely stone arch, holding stubbornly steadfast against the elements, the solitary remains of what was Wodeham Priory, perhaps better known in contemporary times as Bicknacre Priory, which was first adopted in the 13th Century. The arch, or more correctly, the western arch of the central crossing of the church, to the Nave, is the only remains of the Priory still left today, with even the stone foundations being robbed at some point in the past.  An 1832 engraving of Bicknacre Priory Thankfully, the arch was preserved by the then landowner, in 1830, who thankfully had the foresight to protect it for future generations by fitting an iron tie-rod, around the top section of the arch and, tiling the exposed upper surface. Both protective measures can still be seen, in situ, today. Historical background Sadly, very little of the Priory’s history is known today, the majority of records being lost over...