May I recommend this film, or drama documentary, to you people especially if you are interested in the supernatural.
The hauntings at Borley Rectory were investigated by Harry Price in the 1930s and there are several witnesses to support their occurrence.
A well-made and gripping film available now on Prime. Have a look. You won’t be disappointed.
Borley rectory is about 1 mile from my house.
I’ve read all the books
Didn’t it all turn out to be a hoax?
Have seen the film in the past, but have also been there, nothing happened when we were there though.
Hey, that sounds fascinating, both the film and the hoax claim, I’ll have a watch, maybe on New Year, thank you
Sounds good I’ll take a look
I got “The Final Analysis” by (I think) by Edward Babbs from “The Cock and Bell” pub in Long Melford a few years ago. Its a signed copy and when I bought it I mentioned the hoax and nearly got thrown out the pub for saying so.
Where the old rectory was, it is now just the large garden with new bungalows built on it. One has been for sale for a long time… hardly surprising people are hesitant in buying it if they know about the hauntings.
I was going to ask you whether there are any remains. I wasn’t sure what they had done with it after the fire, but suspected that the lot would have been bulldozed.
I’ve often thought about going to have a look at the site, but from what you say I’m sure there won’t be anything to see.
As I’m fascinated to know more, I have been looking at the village of Borley on Google Maps. I’m assuming that the centre of Borley is where Borley Church is located. Unfortunately, I can’t see what looks like new bungalows in that location or in the two or three further outlying areas, though of course it’s difficult to know which are new and which are not new.
I agree with the locals that this wasn’t a hoax as the evidence from the film (and the book which I read, borrowed from the library decades ago) point toward nothing to be gained from attracting people to the place. Indeed, I understand that the land owner firmly insisted that he didn’t want anyone intruding on his land.
As a teenager, my school library had a couple of books by Harry Price on Borley Rectory, I read them & anything else similar that I could lay my hand on & I still love anything paranormal.
Most of the so called Borley investigators paid to be there & almost all were terrified by the place.
Even then, I understood basic sales psychology. If someone has paid for something, they have an investment in it. It is why salesmen ask you for a minute. Invest a minute to listen, as it becomes harder to walk on after that minute.
Invest in a ghostly night at Britain’s most haunted house & guess what happens?
Now add in. It was mainly people who believed in Borley, who would pay to spend the night there in the first place & frightened people are much more prone to attribute every sound to what they fear. Some visitors would not even go to the toilet alone.
The books are great, but Harry was well versed in magic of the mind. Today we call it mentalism. Harry was a member of the Magic Circle. And he co republished Elijah Farrington’s book Revelations of a Spirit Medium. A book which told how it was all done.
Gee I can’t actually read the link. Is there another easier site I can download it from.
Thankyou
You never see ghosts on the beach in summer.It’s always in some dark and dingy place where imaginations are working overtime.
Oh yes you do.
Read M R James’s “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You”
JBR can you tell me more about this book please
Which one?
“Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You” is but one story and is featured in M. R. James’s book, “Ghost Stories of an Antiquary” (1904)
I have enjoyed all of his ghost stories that I have found available either in book form or on the tellybox.
The following is slow to load, but works for me.
https://ia902805.us.archive.org/33/items/revelationsofspi00farriala/revelationsofspi00farriala.pdf
This works too.
https://docplayer.net/52514042-Revelations-of-a-spirit-medium.html
The BBC’s 1972 adaption of an M R James Ghost story, for it’s Ghost story for Christmas is well worth looking out. It is called, a Warning to the Curious. Was filmed on the North Norfolk Coast & is loosely based upon an old local, traditional story about the 3 crown of Norfolk.
Susan, having read your ‘autobiography’, I’d be very interested if you could tell me about ‘some of the things you have seen’. PM if preferred!
