THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — These Findon Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

 MYSTERIOUS HAPPENINGS AT THE NEARBY CLAPHAM WOODS DEBUNKED

Copyright Valerie Martin 2011.

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If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a big surprise... maybe...
 

Here is a delightfully peaceful watercolour of the Church on the edge of Clapham Wood in 1845...this looks to me as if it is from the hand of Mrs W. E. Partridge.    No sinister sightings when she was executing her painting obviously!

Here is the unbiased truth about hauntings and satanic forces in the nearby Clapham Woodland.    Much rubbish has been reported over the decades on the subject of the weird occult which I am going to swiftly debunk.

All opinions are welcomed on this website and I am the first one to enjoy a good mystery — but I have frequented the Clapham Woods since 1993 (at times from early morning til eventide) and I have not encountered any strange paranormal happenings whatsoever)....

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The (reputed) Altar Tree or Sacred Beech in November 2010.    Quite a huge fella.  

A writer who should know better in the twenty-first century, has described this tree as an "oak".... which just goes to indicate that they know what they are writing about and the depth of their investigations!

I have come across the large Sacred Beech and seen the litter of beer cans.    It is a magnificent tree and I picked it out immediately as a photographic subject.   Ask yourself the question .... would occult members of the Hecate clan leave the litter on the spot to advertise their presence? 

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I wondered how old the beech could be... a subject that always fascinates me.    Gerald in Lincoln emailed........"Hello Valerie......The Giant Beech.... the Beech looks Mighty big to me, they are indigenous to the South of England, I will hazard a guess, at 230 years of age............Gerald"

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No, I am not a Tree Hugger!     In November 2010 I did some up to the minute more-or-less correct measurements of the beech tree and the result was........ it was around  225 years old by my guessimated calculation of measuring by arms' widths.    I was a little bit disappointed as I was hoping it to be older.

So around 1785 our beech could have been a sapling.    Because of its low branching habit, I wonder if it was coppiced at some time.... not being a forester, I am not up on this subject.   So, there we have it....... a sapling beech in our midst with not a sign of satanic goings-on.   We can imagine local ladies out for a stroll may have been dressed thus as the gentle breeze rustled through its tender leaves....

 

 

In 1907 there were no strange happenings in the woods either.... here is an Edwardian shooting party partaking of a respite during their labours in the Clapham woodland.      

 

 

 

 

Here is a view of the enlarged church c.1900..... not so many trees surrounding the graveyard as in the
21st century.

 

Having walked everywhere in the woods over the years, I must have stepped on the famous ley lines....... and have felt no ill effects as others have reported over the years.       It is all nonsensical.  I guess I am just a non-believer.

 

Doug Attrell in nearby Goring wrote to say in November 2010...."Lots of strange things go on in the countryside during the hours of darkness but I'm not convinced they're connected with the paranormal. I suppose it depends on whether you believe in this stuff or not.

I looked up 'Ley lines' on Wikipedia & it appears there's no evidence for their existence.

Doug....Another non-believer from Goring"

 

At the beginning of July 2011, I heard from Charles Walker (a strong believer in the occult) again.      "Although a great many people would like to think that the Clapham Mysteries have been debunked that is not the case. The location is still being investigated and watched on a regular basis and many sceptics have changed their minds about the wood after visiting it for themselves. Just because people visit the area once and find and feel nothing does not mean there is nothing going on. Regarding evidence for the 'strange experiences and events' of the past - that is recorded in our book first published in 1987.

The case is still very much alive and kicking, although much of the activity that took place in past years has died down but this is because of the publicity the case has generated - as far as I am concerned that is good. Life can begin to return to normal in the village in time.   Charles"

That same evening, I visited the site again.    You will recognise the church as that of Clapham Church on the edge of the (some say) notorious Clapham Woods.......

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I must explain that this area covers a large woodland containing deer ... foxes....and loads of pheasants .....there is a pheasant enclosure where the birds are brought "on"....... and then freed for men to shoot each winter. The pheasants hang around the enclosure even when the gates are left open because they assume there will be a plentiful supply of food provided at hand for them.  Can you begin to visualise the cackling of 50 odd pheasants at a time taking flight into the trees when my two pooches appear.    No sign of any paranormal activity here, nor doggie abductions......followed by sacrificial slaughter as reported by others.    Doug calls it "claptrap" and I agree with him.

1971 — Mr & Mrs Juggins (what a lovely name!) in a clearing in Clapham Wood cutting spars prepared for thatching.    No sign of any satanic goings-on in 1971.

The hazel spars are still bundled in the same way and stacked in the woodland clearings by the woodcutters.    I have often met woodcutters at work in the Clapham woodland coppicing the hazel trees.... they seem unperturbed by the occult claims made.   They look well and healthy and obviously have not felt ill by the unseen forces either.  

Some times there are horses peacefully grazing in the pastures...... more often herds of cows (I do not walk through cows!)..... and, of course, flocks of sheep. There are also farm hands on quad bikes going round the tracks looking after the farm stock..... and I am positive they are not going to be put off by feelings of nausea (as some walkers report) or anything coming under the heading of evil happenings.

A day or so later, Doug added....  "I had a nice stroll from Patching Pond to Clapham Wood this morning. I didn't notice anything odd about the wood but the pond seemed unnaturally quiet. No sign of wildlife anywhere. Not even a duck or gull. I've often wondered why a large expanse of water like that isn't teeming with waterfowl".

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In comparison, here is a photograph of the above pond taken almost 100 years ago...
 

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I am sorry that this one is not as good as Doug's but it was taken a long time ago ........ not so many trees in those days..... and not much wildlife either.

There has been the discovery of an occult painting appertaining to Clapham Woods .... this could have been executed by just about anyone as a prank... nothing curious about this at all.

I think that the Clapham Wood occult activities have now been officially debunked.   Although I have to admit I have come across piles of twigs spelling out words on the hillside..... but who is to say that some crank did not position the brushwood for a lark.  

Here is another subject that appertain to the area of Clapham Wood..... and I think is much more interesting than the fanciful occult purported to be at work...

The next poignant story relates to some local Pest House occupants.

To the south side of The Blessed Virgin Mary Church there is evidence of a small side-chapel. Plus the remains of a low window.  In the dim and distant past, this was a "Leper Window".


In Medieval times, the inmates from the Leper Settlement at Lee Farm (on the other side of the Long Furlong road A280), trekked over to the church to receive donated food and attend the church service (albeit through a rather narrow window!) ... but sufficiently well out of the way of infecting the public. They had the long walk back to their Leper Colony miles out in the countryside again afterwards. These diseased beings suffered greatly in their last years. Their nasal and facial bones would have disintegrated and they were left with collapsed faces resulting in great difficulty in eating. Leprosy was a feared scourge in the Middle Ages but by the 16th century it had fortunately mostly vanished in England.

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Here is Suzie, one evening in May 2011...... reaching in to the "Leper Window" at the Church to see if she if there is any likelihood of getting a cheese sarnie through the window in the 21st century.

Here is the "Leper Window" from inside the church. On the right of the window can be seen a stone "Washing Stoup". This was used as a form of hygiene in olden days to cleanse the fingers with water after passing morsels to the lepers waiting outside!     Demonstration coming up of how it was done....

       

There is even a drain hole in the base of the ancient stoup for the water to run away.    They thought of everything in those days!

There is a track which leads directly from the farm to the church and this is called, what else but the Leper Path.

 

Continue to read Was he Pushed by the Devil?

 

 

 

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Do let me know of anything you hear about Findon - not too controversial.   Please note that opinions expressed in the Findon Chronicles are not necessarily reflective of my own thoughts.... but sometimes they are!