On This Day in History - 12th December

12th December

1098 - 1st Crusaders capture & plunder Mara Syria

1724 The birth of Admiral Samuel Hood, first Viscount, British naval commander and a skilful tactician. He was known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars and he acted as a mentor to Horatio Nelson.

1777 - Reverend Benjamin Russen, executed at Tyburn England for rape

1896 Marconi gave the first public demonstration of radio at Toynbee Hall, London. On the same day, in 1901, Marconi carried out the first transatlantic radio transmission from Poldhu, Cornwall, to St John’s, Newfoundland, a distance of 1800 miles

1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer/actor born

1939 HMS Duchess sank after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men

1948 Britain introduced National Service for all men aged between 18 and 26. It extended the British conscription of World War II into peacetime

1949 - Bill Nighy, English actor born

1955 Christopher Cockerell patented his prototype of the hovercraft. He had tested his theories using a hair-dryer and tin cans and found his work to have potential, but the idea took some years to develop, and he was forced to sell personal possessions in order to finance his research

1968 - Kate Humble, English television presenter

1982 30,000 women formed a 9 mile human chain that encircled Greenham Common air base in Berkshire, in protest against the proposed siting of US Cruise missiles there

1988 Britain’s worst rail crash for 20 years killed 35 and injured 113 people when a packed express train ran into the back of a stationary commuter train near Clapham Junction

2006 - Peugeot produces its last car at the Ryton Plant signalling the end of mass car production in Coventry, formerly a major centre of the British motor industry

On This Day in History - 11th December

11th December

On This Day in History - 11th December 

1282 The death of the last native Prince of Wales - Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd

1620 - 103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock

1688 James II fled to France, never to return and was forced to abdicate after William of Orange had landed in England on 5th November 

1792 - France's King Louis XVI went on trial, accused of treason

1877 English photographer Eadweard Mubridge won a long standing bet for a millionaire by proving that a horse's four feet are all off the ground simultaneously once every stride. He used multiple cameras around the track, each taking a single frame via a series of trip wires

1914 The Royal Flying Corps, which later became the RAF, adopted the red, white and blue roundel to identify its aircraft more easily during World War I

1914 In the Battle of the Falklands, all British ships survived whilst four German cruisers were sunk

1936 After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. Edward planned to marry divorcee Mrs. Wallis Simpson and, before he left for France, he made a final radio broadcast to the nation. He was succeeded by his brother, George, who became George VI

1952 Derek Bentley, aged 19, and 16 year old Christopher Craig, were found guilty of the murder of a policeman in south London. Because of his age, Craig was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure, while Bentley, who did not fire the gun, was sentenced to hang. Despite a public outcry, the sentence was carried out on 27th January 1953

1961 - JFK provides US miltary helicopters & crews to South Vietnam

1961 - Marco Pierre White, English chef and restaurateur born

1967 Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner, was rolled out of its hangar for public viewing for the first time

1971 - Maurice "Mac" McDonald, American fast-food pioneer died

2005 A huge fire continued to burn at Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. It was the largest of its kind in peacetime Europe and the noise of the explosions could be heard as far away as the Netherlands

2012 - British physicist, Stephen Hawking, wins the $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize, the most lucrative academic prize in the world

On This Day in History - 10th December

On This Day in History - 10th December 

1394 - King James I of Scotland born
1541 Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII

1582 - France begins use of Gregorian calendar
1684 - Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmund Halley

1688 - King James II flees London 
1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's army reaches Manchester 
1868 - The first traffic lights are installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps

1896 - Alfred Nobel, Swedish Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, dies at 63
1907 - Rudyard Kipling receives Nobel prize for literature
1936 - Britain replaces King Edward VIII stamp series with King George VI
1936 - Edward VIII signs Instrument of Abdication, giving up British throne to marry Wallis Simpson 

1964 - Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Dr Martin Luther King Jr
1967 - Otis Redding, singer (Dock of Bay), dies in plane crash
2005 - Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor died
2006 - Augusto Pinochet, Former Chilean dictator died

The Ghost Coach of Brockley

Legend has it that there is a ghostly carriage that runs through Brockley Combe. There have been three documented cases of the carriage, and it has come to our attention that the parents of our followers had a very similar experience themselves.

The first group of people to experience this coach was a group of Romany Gypsies who were camped in the Combe over night. The witnesses said that the coach resembled a hearse like coach, drawn along by four horses, but the coachman driving the carriage was also headless.

The second documented case of a sighting of the coach was a sceptical man who upon hearing tales about the Combe being haunted, took it upon himself to investigate this on his own. After running into a group of football fans with whom he had had a run in with and a disagreement, he set off in a different direction from them and paused to catch his breathe. It was at this point the coach and horses revealed itself to him, thus making him a sceptic no more!

The third documented case of a phantom coach was that of a road cyclist taking a short cut through the woods when the coach materialised right in front of him and seemingly passed right through him.

And finally, reproduced below is a transcript of our follower at A41, whose parents encountered the coachman.....

"Hi guys... I saw your post about Brockley Coombe, thought I'd drop you a line. I used to hang around there quite a lot when I was younger; haven't had any encounters there myself, BUT my parents from Whitchurch in Bristol did have a strange one there about ten years ago.

About half way in from the Lulsgate side there is an area on the left that you can park up; there is now a fence there (entrance to a mill???), but years ago it was open and you could just pull over and walk on up the hill.

If you head on up the hill you'll come across the remains of an old road, with old brickwork walls on either side of you, that leads through the woods.

My parents headed out there one Sunday morning for a walk with their dog. As they were walking up through, they heard the sound of what they described as a 'horse and cart' coming towards them through the woods. Not wanting to spook the horse with the dog, etc. they put it on a lead and turned around, heading back out the way they had come.

They say that all the way back out, the horse and cart followed them - although they couldn't see it, assuming it was always just around the bend - they eventually reached the top of the hill and the parking area, so they stopped to see the horse and cart come out... when the sound ceased and nothing came out after them.

They told me about it, and although we thought it strange, nothing more was said... until about a year later I purchased a book on local ghost stories, and one of the stories connected to the Coombe was about a headless coachman? "

So there you have it, there seems to be plenty of paranormal activity in and around the Coombe. I am sure that some of it will reveal itself to the team in due course!

Ghosts of St Nicholas Church

Ghosts at St Nicholas Church, Brockley

This church is supposed to be haunted by "Little Lady in Brown", the spirit of a former cleaner at the Church who died around 1900.

Several visitors to the church claim to have witnessed the spirit in either the vestry or the church aisle. A renowned ghost hunter of the 1940's, Elliot O'Donnell performed an all night sitting in the church and failed to seen any evidence of the ghost, however, he was interrupted a few times during the vigil by whisperings and little footstep sounds, but could not conclusively attribute these footsteps or whispers to the Brown Lady. It has even made international news, with a correspondent for the St Petersburg Newspaper, dated 1st November 1947 reporting the tale. Please click HERE to see an original copy of the newspaper article

There is also supposed to be the spirit of a condemned parson of the church, John Hibbestson, who in 1776 witnessed the squire of Chelvey Batch, James Stevens, have a nasty fall from a horse.

The parson nursed James back to health, but with an ulterior motive of wheedling his way into the Squire's favour. the squire altered his will to include the parson, leaving him with a considerable amount of the Squire's wealth. Once this will has been officiated, the parson made sure that the Squire met an untimely end by murdering him in cold blood.

It is also alleged that the parson was into devil worship, and it is rumoured that when the parson died, a terrifying beast was seen entering the property of the parson to claim his soul for Hell.

St Nicholas Church, Brockley Coombe

St Nicholas Church, Brockley Coombe

St Nicholas' Church, Brockley

This church dates back to the 12th Century and is currently a grade II listed building and registered with the Church Conservation Trust. It gained this status on the 1st April 1989.

It is therefore a church of the Norman Period, with a pinnacled style tower constructed around the 15th Century. The font is Norman and the stone pulpit dates from around 1480.

The Pigott Family - famous in the area, invested heavily in the Church and gave it a complete overhaul in 1820. The Pigott family originally were of Irish descent where they had originally been granted lands and the estate of Dysart in 1562. Family connections through a wife saw the Pigott family gain the manor of Brockley, In 1683, one of the Pigott's gained the title of Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset as a reward for seeking out the disaffected peoples of Taunton. He, however, lost this commission in 1688 for refusing to agree with the repeal of the Test Act and Penal Laws. Reinstated again in 1691 he declined to act with the Bridgwater Militia on account of his connections to Ireland.

In 1702, supported by family connections from Lord  Poulett, the Pigott family gained a Knightship of Somerset. Thus set up the Pigott family with their many influential contacts around the County.

In 1842 a Royal Coat of Arms by William Edkins was installed at the church.

On This Day in History - 5th December

5th December

St Paul's Cathedral
(Source: St Paul's)

1697 The first Sunday service was held in the new St Paul's Cathedral, London. After the Great Fire of London, this was the fourth incarnation of a cathedral upon this holy site in London. It was designed and constructed by Sir Christopher Wren, the construction started in 1675 and was finally completed in 1710, but enough was constructed to start holding services by this day in 1697

Modern Day Christie's
(Source: Reuters)

1766 James Christie, the founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London. Sales were held here at his sales rooms in Pall Mall, London until 1779, when they moved to new premises in Gainsborough. Christie's was, and still is, a sales room of internationally reputation and as such is a premier location with which to sell your valuable antiques.

Christina Rossetti
(Source: Rossetti Institute)

1830 The birth of Christina Georgina Rossetti, the English poet who wrote a variety of romantic and children's poems. She had a happy family upbringing until later on in her formative years when her father suffered physical and mental health issues, leading to the family running into hard times. She took a job with the Exercise Office, and in her spare time started writing poetry. 

Her first collection was published in 1842, and from there her notoriety and fame grew until her death in 1894 of breast cancer.

4D Stamp circa 1839
(Source: Cavendish Auctions)

1839 The postage rate in Britain was changed to a standard charge of 4d (4 old pence) a half ounce instead of being charged by distance. this made a huge difference to the way the system worked as before, being priced upon distance it made people restrict their communications to local areas, whereas now, given a flat fee based on weight rather than distance, they were able to send mail to all corners of England


1863 The rules of Association Football were published.

Henry Tate
(Source: Tate.org)

1899 The death of Lancashire businessman and philanthropist Henry Tate (sugar refining and the Tate Gallery) Henry Tate was the son of a clergyman, and by teh age of 13 had got a job working in a basic grocery store as an apprentice. After his 7 year apprenticeship was up, he was able to open his own grocery store, and by the age of 35, he had a chain of 6 stores. 

In 1859 he was offered a partnership with John Wright and Co, a sugar refinery which enabled hi to sell off his grocery business some 2 years later. By 1869, only 10 years after joining Wright and Co, he had taken control of the company and renamed it Henry Tate and Sons. In 1872, he purchased the patent for making sugar cubes which drove his business to even higher profits, and built a new refinery in Liverpool.

In 1877 he opened a new refinery in London, at a plce called Silvertown. Priot to construction, Silvertown wasnt much more than a marshland area, so he developed the area and installed housing, and a building known as Tate Institute which consisted of a bar and dance hall for his staff. He was very concerned about workers welfare and improving their standard of life.

He rapidly accumulated a lot of money, as sugar was also known as "White Gold". In 1889 he donated 65 of his personal paintings to the Government, on condition they were displayed in a suitable gallery - of which he donated nearly £80,000 to its construction. The National Gallery of Art as it was known opened on 21st July 1897 on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and it now known as Tate Britain.

Charing Cross, Roof under reconstruction
(Source: Tate Gallery)

1905 The roof of Charing Cross Railway Station in London collapsed, killing six people. When the roof collapsed at 5pm in the evening, evacuation of the platforms had already started, but a lot of passengers remained. Two of the dead were workmen on the roof trying to shore it up at the time, one was an employee of W H Smith's the newsagent and stationers and the other 3 fatalities were workmen constructing part of the Royal Avenue Theatre adjacent to the station. The station was closed for 3 months whilst the roof was removed and rebuilt with a safe design, but this helped the Euston, Charing Cross and Hampstead railway Company (now part of the London Underground) as they were able to carry out some excavations as part of the new underground line that they wouldn't have been able to build otherwise.

1913 Britain forbade the selling of arms to Ireland, due to the troubles in Ireland with the Irish Republican Army trying to assert independence from the United Kingdom

Rose Heilbron QC
(Source: TheJC.com)

1956 Miss Rose Heilbron QC was appointed Recorder of Burnley to become Britain’s first woman judge. She was an outstanding barrister of her era, being the first woman to win a scholarship to Gray's Inn, the first woman recorder, one of the first two woman to be appointed to the King's Counsel, the first woman to lead a murder case and the first woman judge to sit at the Old Bailey, she as also teh second woman to be appointed a High Court Judge.

1958 The Queen dialled Edinburgh and spoke to the Lord Provost from Bristol, to inaugurate the first direct dialled trunk call, known as STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialling)



1958 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan opened the Preston bypass in Lancashire. First conceived as a relief road to the heavy traffic through Preston, it laid the "foundations" (excuse the pun) for the motorway system, with it being incorporated in to the present day M6 motorway

1973 During a petrol shortage, the government imposed a 50mph speed limit to save fuel.


1989 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher defeated Sir Anthony Meyer in the first challenge to her leadership of the Conservative Party.

1991 Robert Maxwell's business empire collapsed with huge debts of more than £1bn and revelations about misappropriation of money in pension funds.

Noel Edmunds and Mr Blobby
(Source: BBC)

1993 The record by Mr Blobby, a pink-and-yellow spotted BBC television star, reached number one in the charts.

2005 The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the United Kingdom. It gave same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage. In addition a formal process for dissolving partnerships was put in place, akin to divorce.

2012 The Audit Commission announced that English councils had increased their reserves by £4.5bn over the previous five years to £12.9bn despite cuts to funding. The money set aside was the equivalent of almost a third of their spending on services.