PARANORMAL ESSEX PLAYED YESTERDAY ON BBC ESSEX - BORLEY RECTORY - THE EERIE SIDE OF OUR COUNTY

 During the 20th century, Borley became well known for the 'Borley Rectory Affair', involving the supposed haunting of a Victorian rectory (demolished in 1944). 

In spring 1929, the psychical researcher  Harry Price generated a story that captured the attention of the nation and convinced many of the proof of the permanence of the spirit after death. His research activities were published by the press of that time, and Price published several popular books on the subject that brought him considerable fame. After Price's death, the story began to unravel under the scrutiny of experts from the Society for Psychical Research. The Society went through the records with great tenacity, suspecting that Price had exaggerated evidence to sensationalise events and to suggest supernatural causes for mundane phenomena. Any possible evidence of ghosts was irredeemably contaminated by Price's behaviour and the manipulation of the facts in his two books, The Most Haunted House in England and The End of Borley Rectory, produced after World War Two. 

Just under twenty years ago, I researched and wrote Folklore of Essex and also covered this Borley story, outlining the mysterious fire that occurred in February 1939.  Villagers had reported seeing lights in the ruins before the whole building was demolished in 1944.  When the site was cleared, part of a skull, believed to be a woman's, was found in the debris, together with church ornaments.  

LATEST SWWJ'S JOURNAL

 

MY NEW HERO - PAUL MAYHEW- ARCHER - AN INCURABLE OPTIMIST

Congratulations to the Parkinson's UK team who organised the  Saturday concert at Billericay. Despite the serious nature of this condition, Paul presented a fabulously fast-moving evening of fun and laughter (and helped raise a lot of money for this tremedously worthy organisation).  Loved seeing so many friends and former colleagues there, too. Here are a few snaps from the evening and a pic of our lovely Elizabeth Kemp who was unable to be there. 

Liz Kemp

LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS EVENING'S MEETING WITH PAUL MAYHEW-ARCHER - SHOULD BE FUN!

 

THIS YEAR'S TWENTIETH FUNWALK FUNDRAISING EVENT - ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS - READ ON!

The Fun Walk is an annual fundraising event organised by BBW CVS on behalf of The Fun Walk Trust. This year’s event allowed participants to walk their 5k anywhere and anytime during June, and people of all ages took part to raise money for their chosen charities and community groups. 
John Baron MP, Chair of The Fun Walk Trustees said:

“I am very happy to announce that, with the generous support of our Bonus Pot sponsors, this year we have been able to provide a 40% bonus over and above the amount raised by participating organisations through their own sponsorship efforts, and to report that this year’s event has raised a total of £94,437.

We know how much the bonus pot helps participating organisations motivate their supporters to take part and we are very grateful to Greater Anglia, Brown & Carroll, IFE Global Logistics, Anisha Grange Care Home, Tunnelcraft, Swan Housing, Butyl Products, McDonald’s Basildon, Mr Barrie Stone and others that donated this year.

This year’s total means that from its inception in 2002, the Fun Walk has raised over £1,450,000 for local charities and community groups which is an amazing achievement by everyone involved.”

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

19 October 1922. 

What a special day for the BBC who is  celebrating the centenary of the introduction of the wireless to the world. 

Our Society of Women Writers had been in existence for twenty-eight years when the first programmes were relayed from Savoy Hill, the address of the first London wireless station, not more than twenty-five miles from Chelmsford. Of course, Guglielmo Marconi, "Father of Radio, who built his factory at Chelmsford in Essex had been working for many years on his rather special project. So much as been written about Marconi (one of my favourite people) but I always want to know more.  

Within ten years, in spring 1932, the mighty Broadcasting House was erected - from Portland Stone on the specified site chosen in Westminster where it stands today.

Many of our SWWJ pioneering women writers were employed at the BBC in those early days, including the wonderful Elise Sprott (1885-1961) who arrived in 1926 at Savoy Hill and even then was championing broadcasting for women, becoming the publicity envoy for the BBC, travelling and lecturing on the new medium

LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corp. marked 100 years of broadcasting on Tuesday, a century after a group of wireless manufacturers founded the company and began filling the airwaves with its first daily radio service.

The BBC was founded on Oct. 18, 1922, in London and daily broadcasting began a month later. The broadcaster is marking its centenary with a series of special programs, including a guest appearance from King Charles III on The Repair Shop, a program featuring expert craftspeople restoring antiques.

Actress Jodie Whittaker will make her last appearance as the Time Lord on a special episode of Doctor Who on Sunday, before Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role. The BBC has had many milestones in its history. In 1932, King George V was the first British monarch to broadcast on radio, and his voice was heard for the first time by millions simultaneously. The broadcast inaugurated the start of the BBC Empire Service, the forerunner to the BBC World Service. The broadcaster launched the world's first regularly scheduled TV service in 1936. In 1953, the BBC's coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation was the first time that most people at the time had watched an event on television.

THE WONDERFUL WRITER PAUL MAYHEW-ARCHER COMING TO BILLERICAY ON 22 OCTOBER

             LET'S RAISE MORE MONEY FOR PARKINSONS

So exciting to have an opportunity of spending an evening with this talented writer (actually, co-writer of The Vicar of Dibley).  Check out Eventbrite  bit.ly/3K7ATXA as soon as possible for tickets 

LOVELY ANGELA LANSBURY AND HER FAMOUS FAMILY

 

Dame Angela Lansbury, who died today aged 96, was one of my favourite Anglo-American actresses even before starring in the popular American TV series Murder She Wrote and many other award-winning films.

Born in Poplar East London in 1925, Angela was the grand-daughter of the great philanthropist and MP, George Lansbury.  I have often written about Lansbury in local press columns and he is mentioned in my latest book Brentwood in 50 Buildings published by Amberley Books and earlier book Brentwood Voices published by The History Press.

Within both books I outline the building of Hutton Poplars Residential School by the Poplar Board of Guardians in the early 1900s. We owe much to their chairman Lansbury who discovered this ideal site for one of the Board's most successful training schools in Essex. The story goes that he journeyed out from smokey Poplar in the East End of London by train to the recently opened railway station at Shenfield. Leaving the station he was impressed by the serene open countryside. This was the area he had been looking for as he was  perpetually concerned about the state of the terrible overcrowding in which the working classes then lived in his constituency. On his return to London, Lansbury immediately made a bid for the one-hundred acres of prime Essex land, and building began.

By 1906, Lansbury and the Poplar Board of Guardians had developed a large school for boys and girls - today better known as the Bishops Hill Centre.  Although all the small buildings housing the initial 750 youngsters who came to live at the school in those early days were demolished during the 1980s when redevelopment took place, the actual school building and lovely dining-room, were retained. These super surroundings can be hired  from the Brentwood Borough Council and when entering the Lansbury Suite in Hutton Poplars Hall, we may just remember that famous Lansbury family.  

 

A REMINDER OF OUR BILLERICAY HISTORY FAIR ON SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER 10.00am - 3pm

This front cover of  a seventy two year old  book is an amazing record of what Billericay looked like when those twenty-four  Third Form books at Billericay School boys prepared their typescript for their book.  Hopefully, we will meet some of them on Saturday 8 October at Billericay Library, High Street at 10am  (till 3pm).  I must guard this typescript (with my life!)