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Youth Sports Centre
Staines, Middlesex
20th November 2008
Introduction
Photographs
Team Report
Introduction
There has been a crossing of the River Thames at Staines since Roman times. Claudius led the The name Staines is thought to derive from Old English for 'stones', due to a long-lost site of Romans into Britain in 43 A.D and they settled in Staines the same year. Soon after this invasion the first Staines Bridge was constructed to provide an important Thames crossing point on main road from Londinium (London) to Calleva Atrebatum, near the present-day village of Silchester. The Roman name for Staines was "ad Pontes" (plural "at the bridges") implying that there was more than one bridge and it is believed that these bridges traversed Church Island. Staines appears on the Middlesex domesday map in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Stanes. It was held by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 19 hides. It had 6 mills worth £3 4s 0d, 2 weirs worth 6s 8d, 24 ploughs, meadow for 24 ploughs and some cattle. It rendered £35. A border stana, or stone, on the bank of the River Thames dated 1280, still remains, indicating the western limit of the City of London jurisdiction over the Thames. (Although familiarly known as the 'London Stone', it is not to be confused with the more famous (and probably more ancient) London Stone in Cannon Street in the City of London).The situation of Staines as a major crossing point over the River Thames, its position on the main road from London to the southwest, and its proximity to Windsor has led to the town being involved in national affairs. The barons assembled there before they met King John at Runnymede in 1215, and Stephen Langton held a consecration there shortly after the issue of Magna Carta. Sir Thomas More was tried in 1535 in a Staines public house, to avoid the outbreak of plague in London at that time. Kings and other important people must have passed through the town on many occasions: the church bells were rung several times in 1670, for instance, when the king and queen went through Staines.
MPI were invited to hold an early evening investigation with only four members attending.
MPI Members investigating
Val Butler
Jim Arnold
Ken Taylor
Mary-Lou Garrett
Our Host
Kath
Photographs
Team Report
As we had limited time here we started our evening in the sports hall, temperature reading 11 degrees EMF reading 0. Immediately Val sensed that there were working horses around and could smell manure, she was given the name of Charles. Jim and Val entered the back room of the hall the far end being much colder than the entrance end. Val could smell milk and again manure. Back in the sports hall Mary-Lou and Ken felt someone was close behind them, following them around.
Ken feels the army from the Second World War was here, soldiers wearing gator’s with packs on their backs. Val has the name of Charles Bedford. Jim feels there is a soldier with shrapnel wound to his leg and thinks it is the same man Ken can sense. Ken says the soldier is here to service vehicles. Jim feels he wants to march around. Ken has the dates of the 1940’s, and the name of Corporal Alf Bennett, and the nickname for him was Grabber.
We decided to hold an Ouija séance near to the entrance of the hall. As Val started to ask questions the automatic door opened then closed, we moved around the vicinity but no matter what we did the door would not open again until the security beam was broken. Sitting quietly Val asked for the door to open and straight away it opened then closed. This happened three or four times with absolutely no explanation. No contact was made by spirit during the séance.
We then moved on to
Office 1 in the corridor
Val and Jim take turns in calling for spirit to come forward. No response. Jim hears a man with a cockney type accent say move it then say go. No other occurrences here and we went across the corridor to the bar room. No response in this area, Ken went into the back room of the bar but was not comfortable there; Val is given the name of Grace.
We made our way upstairs to the main board room; Val was not at all at ease in here and was drawn to the right side door, upon entry she felt as though someone had hung themselves in here, a young man with the name of Brian. Jim sensed there was a presence of someone with heart trouble. There was a feeling of torture war death and great sadness here.
Val then had in her mind a lot of water surrounding this area and thought of a Bronze Age settlement.
After visiting the local library references we came across was that the 8th Middlesex Volunteer Regiment were based in Staines.
The area we investigated was the birthplace of the horse drawn vehicle; a blacksmiths forge was also here, along with a dairy, the milk carts being drawn by horses.
The whole area was flooded under several feet of water in 1904 when the river Ash burst its banks.
Underneath the sports hall floor lies buried tanks and army equipment from the war years.
Our grateful thanks to Kath for giving up her evening and for making us so very welcome.
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