Haunted Chelmsford E-Book

Jason Day

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 157

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

With settlements dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze ages, Chelmsford has a vast history to look back upon. Over the years the town has seen Roman occupation, the execution of the ringleaders of the peasant's revolt and the Essex witch trials. Much of the more sinister history of England took place in Chelmsford, and it would seem that many of the participants —and victims — of these events still haunt the town today. Join author, broadcaster and paranormal investigator Jason Day as he introduces you to the ghost of an angry nun, a phantom theatre guide and a spectral cyclist. Encounter the 'Box Monster', the spirits of those women falsely accused of witchcraft and the mysterious vanishing cloaked figure that dons a top hat…

Leseprobe

For my girls, Kelly and Abigail Day. You are my world.

Also for Mr and Mrs Day (Simon and Alison). Congratulations, 7 July 2012.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for their help, support, patience and hard work in writing this book. Thank you to Cate Ludlow and The History Press; without whom the book would not have been possible. Also, thank you to my family for their love and tireless support of my work. Further thanks go to my wife Kelly Day (photos) and Tracie Wayling (illustrations), without your brilliant contributions the book would not have been possible either. I would also like to thank Alison White, Mick Cash, Pat Balcombe, Colin Brown, Derek Kelly, Gary Day, the Essex Ghost Hunting Team and the staff of Chelmsford Prison, both past and present.

Big thanks also to the staff of Broomfield Hospital, Maternity and Labour ward, Chelmsford; and the staff of the Royal London Hospital, Constance Green ward. Thanks also go out to Joan at the Sick Children’s Trust, Stevenson House, for all her support over the last year. I should also like to thank those who have been brave enough to come forward with stories of their paranormal encounters in and around the Chelmsford area and have allowed me to share them with you. Special thanks also go to the spirits that have managed to manifest themselves one way or another; this book will let even more people know you are out there. Finally a big thank you to you the reader, I hope you enjoy the book.

Contents

Title

Dedication

Acknowledgements

A Brief History of Chelmsford

one

The Ghosts of Chelmsford

two

The Ghosts of Chelmsford: The Surrounding Area

three

The Ghosts of Cressing Temple Barns, Witham & Beyond

Bibliography

About the Author

Copyright

A Brief History of Chelmsford

Chelmsford is located in the county of Essex, within the London commuter belt, approximately thirty-two miles north-east of Charing Cross, London.

There have been settlements in Chelmsford since ancient times. Evidence of a Neolithic and a late Bronze Age settlement have been found in the Springfield suburb, dating occupancy as far back as 3000 BC.

Later, a Roman fort was built in the area in ad60, and a civilian town grew up around it. The town was given the name of Caesaromagus (the market place of Caesar), although the reason for it being given the great honour of bearing the imperial prefix is unclear. Possibly Caesaromagus was a failed ‘planned town’ provincial capital to replace Londinium or Camulodunum. The remains of a mansio, a combination post office, civic centre and hotel, lie beneath the streets of the modern suburb of Moulsham in Chelmsford, and the ruins of an octagonal temple are located beneath the Odeon roundabout.

An important Anglo-Saxon burial was discovered at Broomfield, to the north of Chelmsford, in the late nineteenth century and the finds are now in the British Museum. The road ‘Saxon Way’ now marks the site.

The town’s current name is derived from ‘Ceolmaer’s ford’ which was close to the site of the present High Street stone bridge. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the town was called ‘Celmeresfort’ and by 1189 it had changed to ‘Chelmsford’. By 1199, the Bishop of London was granted a Royal Charter for Chelmsford to hold a market, marking the origin of the modern town.

Chelmsford became the seat of the local assize during the early thirteenth century (though assizes were also held at Brentwood) and by 1218 was recognised as the county town of Essex; a position it has retained to the present day. Chelmsford was significantly involved in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, and Richard II moved on to the town after quelling the rebellion in London. The Sleepers and The Shadows, written by the late Hilda Grieve in 1988 using original sources, states:

For nearly a week, from Monday 1 July to Saturday 6 July [1381], Chelmsford became the seat of government. The King probably lodged at his nearby manor house at Writtle. He was attended by his council, headed by the temporary Chancellor, the new chief justice, and the royal chancery. Their formidable task in Chelmsford was to draft, engross, date, seal and despatch by messengers riding to the farthest corners of the realm, the daily batches of commissions, mandates, letters, orders and proclamations issued by the government not only to speed the process of pacification of the kingdom, but to conduct much ordinary day to day business of the Crown and Government.

Richard II famously revoked the charters which he had made in concession to the peasants on 2 July 1381, whilst in Chelmsford. It could be said that given this movement of government power, Chelmsford for a few days at least became the capital of England. Many of the ringleaders of the revolt were executed on the gallows at what is now Primrose Hill.

During Tudor times, Henry VIII purchased the Boleyn estate just to the North of Chelmsford. In 1516, he built Beaulieu Palace on the current site of New Hall School. This later became the residence of his then mistress, and later wife, Ann Boleyn. The palace went on to become the residence of Henry’s daughter, by his first marriage; Mary I. During the 1700s the palace was demolished and rebuilt and in 1798 the English nuns of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre acquired the estate and opened a catholic school there the following year.

Map of Upper Chelmsford, 1600–1649.

Another notable period in Chelmsford’s history occurred during the ‘Essex Witch Trials’ of the seventeenth century. Many of the victims of Matthew Hopkins (the self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’) spent their last days imprisoned in Chelmsford, before being tried at the Assizes and hanged for witchcraft: several of these executions taking place in the town itself.

Map of Lower Chelmsford, 1600–1649.

During the Second World War, Chelmsford, an important centre of light engineering production, was attacked from the air on several occasions, both by aircraft of the Luftwaffe and by missile. The worst single loss of life took place on Tuesday 19 December 1944, when the 367th V2 rocket to hit England fell on a residential street in the town. The bomb hit Henry Road near Hoffman’s ball bearing factory and not far from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company factory in New Street (which may also have been its intended target). Thirty-nine people were killed and 138 injured (forty-seven seriously). Several dwellings in Henry Road were completely destroyed, and many in nearby streets were badly damaged. A recently restored monument to the dead is in the borough cemetery in Writtle Road.

The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during the Second World War to contain an expected German invasion. The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation. It was therefore decided to build a static system of defensive lines around Britain, all designed to compartmentalise the country and delay the Germans long enough for more mobile forces to counter-attack. Over fifty defensive lines were constructed around Britain, the GHQ Line being the longest and most important, designed to protect London and the industrial heart of Britain. The line ran directly through Chelmsford and along this section the defences were made up of around 400 FW3 type concrete pillboxes (military bunkers), which were part of the British hardened field defences of the Second World War. Many of these pillboxes are still in existence to the north and south of the town. Faded camouflage paint still remains on old buildings near Waterhouse Lane.

Map of Middle Chelmsford, 1600–1649.

Another location in Chelmsford that has significance to the Second World War is Hylands Park, the site of the annual V festival. During the war, Hylands Park hosted a Prisoner of War camp and a wireless command post for the 6th Anti-Aircraft Division.

Since the 1980s, Chelmsford has suffered from a decline in its defence-related industries, most notably The Marconi Company with all of its factories closing. There was an attempted regeneration during this decade with the construction of the Chelmer Village housing development, although the boost was short lived as the one-time largest employer in Chelmsford, R.H.P. (the former Hoffman ball bearing manufacturing company) closed its New Street/Rectory Lane site in 1989.

However, as Chelmsford moved into the new millennium it was not all doom and gloom. The town’s location, close to London and at the centre of Essex, helped it grow in importance as an administrative and distribution centre. Some of the former R.H.P. factory remains and has been converted into luxury apartments and a health club and there have been large scale housing developments in the town, such as Beaulieu Park, ‘The Village’ and Chancellor Park.

The Marconi Statue in the Civic Theatre car park, Chelmsford. (Photograph by Jason Day)

The town currently has a population of approximately 157,500 which does not include its ‘other’ residents – the ones from ‘the other side’. Being located in one of the countries most haunted counties, Essex, it will come as no surprise that Chelmsford has a very rich haunted history of its own. Add to that the paranormal activity in the surrounding area and it could be that the Chelmsford area itself may be responsible for many of the hauntings attributing to the county’s paranormal reputation.

One

The Ghosts of Chelmsford

Spooks on Stage – Civic Theatre, Fairfield Road, Chelmsford

The Civic Theatre in Chelmsford, like many others around the country, is said to be haunted. Visitors often ask members of staff about the friendly man who has helped them find their seat or directed them to the toilets. A chill comes over them when they are told that he is one of the buildings many ghosts. The considerate phantom is believed to be the spirit of a technician who was killed on nearby Duke Street.

Other paranormal activity reported in the theatre includes disembodied footsteps on the stage and an overwhelming feeling of unease on the balcony and the stairs leading to the wardrobe and front of house office. Another apparition that frequents the building manifests itself in the form of a white butterfly. This spirit is traditionally seen every December during a show being staged in the week over the Christmas period.

Spirits are said to tread the boards at Chelmsford Civic Theatre. (Photograph by Jason Day)

The Figure In The Woods – Hylands Park, Chelmsford

In the early 1700s, a local and well respected lawyer, Sir John Comyns, purchased the manor of Shaxstones in Writtle, and commissioned the construction of a new family home on the estate, suitable for a man of his standing. Completed in 1730, Hylands House was an elegant two-storey red brick building in the Queen Anne style of architecture. The grounds were set out in the formal geometric style fashionable at the time, with a pleasure garden and small kitchen garden to the north of the house.

During the war, Hylands Park hosted a Prisoner of War camp and a wireless command post for the 6th Anti-Aircraft Division.

In 1944, the newly formed SAS (Special Air Services) used Hylands House as their Headquarters. Mrs Hanbury (the owner of the house) cheerfully accepted their presence and was regularly invited to dine in the Officers’ Mess. On one memorable occasion, Captain Paddy Blair Maine (who went on to become this country’s most decorated soldier) attempted to drive a Jeep up the grand staircase for a bet. The incident caused much commotion and Christine Hanbury dispatched the men to bed with instructions to remove the Jeep in the morning when they had clearer heads. The Jeep had to be dismantled before it could be removed.

The impressive Hylands House, Chelmsford. (Photograph by Jason Day)

To date, Hylands has had nine private owners, before the building and estate were finally bought by Chelmsford Borough Council in 1966.

There have been several accounts of alleged paranormal activity within the grounds of Hylands but one of the most intriguing stories has to be that which was the basis for the 2007 Greenway Entertainment movie; Time of Her Life. The creator of the film, Steven M. Smith claimed that the inspiration for the movie came from a meeting with an old friend in Chelmsford. Steven said his friend told him about a university student and two friends who were visiting Hylands Park one evening. The student claimed to have seen a shadowy figure of a man in a wooded area of the grounds that evening and was so disturbed by it that she went into hiding. The friends had been filming their visit that night and also took some photographs. Steven tracked down one of the student’s friends who had been present that night. The friend said they had not seen the apparition them self and that the video footage they had captured did not show any evidence of the figure either. The university student herself claimed to have photographic evidence of the ghost and also claimed that the spirit is now following her.

Hylands Park. (Photograph by Jason Day)

The validity of this story is open to question, as is the case in most alleged hauntings where there is no actual solid evidence. The fact remains, however, that this is one of many eyewitness accounts of paranormal phenomena within the grounds of Hylands House over a vast period of time. Surely, all of these witnesses can’t be mistaken.

Spirits in the Attic – BBC Essex, New London Road, Chelmsford

The studios of radio station BBC Essex are situated within the former post office building on the corner of New London Road in Chelmsford. The white building is reputed to have been haunted by not one but several spirits, with visitors and staff reporting assorted paranormal phenomena over the years.

A paranormal investigation was carried out in the attic of the location in the late 1990s which yielded some rather interesting results. As related to me by staff at BBC Essex, paranormal investigators and mediums present claimed to have found evidence for at least five spirits being present in the building. Their findings concluded that an old lady, an angry old man, a nine-year-old girl and a boy and a girl in their teens all reside within the facility.

Several spirits are said to haunt the studios of BBC Essex. (Photograph by Jason Day)

Further information garnered from the investigation through spirit communication revealed that the ghost of the nine-year-old girl is a happy little soul who craves attention. The story of the teenaged girl is, according to the team’s findings, a far sadder one. The girl, named Amy, allegedly killed herself by jumping from one of the windows in the building. Amy had reportedly been raped and became pregnant. Unable to cope with her ordeal anymore she sadly took her own life. The angry old man who haunts the building is said to have been Amy’s attacker.

The group also identified the ghost of the young boy as being a fifteen-year-old named Tom. Whether or not these spirits have moved on or still remain at the BBC Essex studios remains to be seen. Through further investigation and research perhaps we may find out more about these poor souls and why they remain there.

The Caped Man – Patching Hall Lane, Chelmsford

During the 1970s, a group of teenagers were walking along Patching Hall Lane in Chelmsford. They noticed a figure further along the road and carried on walking. As they got closer they became more and more suspicious of the man.

One of the witnesses recalled the figure was tall and very pale, to the extent that he looked ill. He was also unusually dressed for the time, wearing a cloak and top hat. The group became so disturbed by the man that they turned around and ran away.

It was only when they looked back to see if the figure was following them that they realised he was not of this world. He had vanished before their eyes.

The caped entity of Patching Hall Lane. (Illustration by Tracie Wayling)

The Ghost Of Chelmsford Station – Chelmsford Railway Station, Railway Street, Chelsmsford

In 1995, Mick Cash was working for a plumbing and heating company in Boreham, Essex. During his time working for this company he was given a job at Chelmsford railway station. He had not worked at the station before and all he knew about the job was that a faulty hot water cylinder had to be replaced.

On the first day of the job Mick was directed to a cafeteria on one of the station’s platforms. One of the cafeteria’s employees accompanied him down two floors, eventually reaching a corridor. The corridor turned back on itself and at the end of the corridor there was a door to a storeroom directly ahead and a door to the right which lead into the room where the faulty cylinder was situated. Upon inspecting the cylinder Mick realised he had a couple of days work ahead of him.

The room wasn’t very big, twelve feet square perhaps; the cylinder that needed to be replaced was in the left-hand corner by the door. The only other objects in the room were an old, solid table with thick round turned legs and four chairs turned upside down resting on the table top. Mick Recalls: ‘It was certainly one of the quietest places I had worked in, every time I put a tool down on the concrete floor the sound seemed exaggerated, I remember being very aware of my own breathing. It was quite unnerving at times.’

The first day’s work was uneventful. However, as the job neared completion things were about to change. Mick describes the incident:

Late during the second day whilst working on pipe work on the new cylinder there was a horrendous crashing sound from behind me. I turned around and saw the table behind me sitting up on one of its sides and the four chairs falling about on the floor. I looked out of the door to see if perhaps one of our other plumbers had done it for a bit of a laugh but there was no one there, I was on my own. I must admit that it did scare the hell out of me and I told my boss that I wouldn’t go back down there unless someone else from the company came down with me. Another plumber was sent out to help me finish the job and there were no more incidents.

Chelmsford railway station, scene of poltergeist activity in 1995. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Comfmons)