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INTRODUCTION One of the most popular regions of the North Downs and a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, Box Hill in Surrey stands 172 metres (564 ft) above sea level and rises proudly over the nearby towns of Tadworth and Dorking. The Hill is named after the box trees, which can be found on its steep southern and western flanks, especially around the ‘Whites’ chalk cliffs cut by the River Mole. A popular tourist spot since the Nineteenth Century, walkers and cyclists have long visited this location for it’s breathtaking views and stunning scenary. John Logie Baird, the inventor of the first working television system, conducted some of his experiments on Box Hill including his Noctovisor, an infra-red viewing device. Since 1914, the Hill has been owned and managed by the National Trust.
FOLKLORE Various paranormal activities have been associated with this location and it may have once been a sacred site in distant times. One prominent spirit reported in the area belongs to that of Major Peter Labellière. A deeply religious man, he came to Dorking sometime after 1763 and was by all accounts, a very generous man and would frequently give his clothes (even the shoes he was wearing) to paupers. As the years progressed, his appearance became dishevelled and his behaviour eccentric. Labellière loved Box Hill and would often take long walks through the woodland until one day when he tripped and fell onto a spike, which gauged out an eye. When he died in 1800, he was buried upside down on Box Hill and some think that he thought the world was topsy-turvy and when it fixed itself, he would be the right way up. Others believe that he wished to be buried this way as St. Peter, who was apocryphally (in the Acts of Peter) crucified upside down. Many reports of a strangely dressed one-eyed man striding through the woods or standing on the slopes have been seen on various occasions. A gravestone marks the spot of his burial and Labellière would be the focus of our investigation. The old Pilgrim’s Way (stretching from Winchester to Canterbury) passes through Box Hill and assorted apparitions that have seen have include weary pilgrims stumbling over the Stepping-Stones that cross the River Mole and a phantom rider galloping across the landscape at night, this was also mentioned in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
LOCATION RECCE The main focus of the investigation was to look for any activity from Peter Labellière, the eccentric gentleman who is buried upside down on the Hill. Alexis, Kathleen and myself took a trip to the Hill a day before the investigation to scout for possible hot-spots. It took us a short while to locate Peter Labellière’s grave and although it is only a short distance from the National Trust Shop, there are numerous pathways you can take. Marq decided to use his dowsing rods to locate the grave which was succesful. He then spoke into camera about the history of Mr Labellière. Although we are familier with the Box Hill area; we totally failed to find the Stepping-Stones, a line of stones that bridge the River Mole. This was rather embarrising as we had all been there many times before..oh, well.
THE INVESTIGATION / GRAVESTONE We met in the National Trust car park and headed towards the grave of Peter Labellière. With night now fallen, we arrived and decided to conduct a communication circle around the gravestone in an attempt to see if anything would happen. Alexis piinted out that being outside is a different dynamic to interior locations and on this occasion, all mobile phones were left on (but silent) in the interest of health and safety. Hannah conducted the circle and called out for Labellière to show any signs of his presence. Although we were aware of this before, outside vigil’s are difficult because of natural atmospheric elements and animal noises. We pressed on though and although Hannah had a visions of a miltary man with a stick, nothing else came through. Alexis was also concerned about the safety aspect of being in a woodland area in the dark and we all decided to close the circle and move on.
THE OLD FORT We moved to the Old Fort which is located just behind the National Trust shop. Built in 1899, this was used as an ammunitions store and a caretakers lodge but is now abandoned. Although the building is all locked up and derelict, open grating allowed Marq to film inside with some potential light anomalies being caught on camera. Hannah conducted a further communication circle and she was aware of a faint voice complaining about the litter that people leave in the area as well as images of horses (there are stables around Box Hill). Marq initiated some crystal guidance and although questions asked gave postivie results, nothing else happened here. We closed the evening’s investigation and decided to call it a night. We picked up a light anomaly by Lisa as we were packing up but on closer inspection, we believe this to be a natural light source.
CONCLUSION We were slightly disappointed that nothing significant happened on this investigation but at the same time the team are aware that catching anything paranormal is a patient process and not every location is going to deliver. It’s important that even when nothing is caught, investigations are still documented fully as an ongoing project. |
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© MEV Productions / Spiral 2007 |
