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Post by Spooky on Sept 3, 2004 13:33:20 GMT
1763
Anonymous piece placed by John Wilkes in The Public Advertiser:
"This day is published a New Ludicrasto called 'Secrets of a Convent', etched by that droll novice Pietro Apastino and published by Matt Darly - a print depicting Dashwood in a monk's robe, seated before an altar on which stood a replica of the Medici Venus, a glass of wine in his hand, and on the floor a book inscribed Hymns by Ovid. Beside Dashwood stands the figure of Paul Whitehead with his book, Memoirs, under his arm. Beneath the picture is the poem:
"Once on a Time, as Fame reported, When Friar Paul St Francis courted, Thus Francis answer'd, You're no Novice, You well deserve the Jewel Office. A Place of Trust your Faith will suit, You shall demand it at Laird Boot, Your MANNERS, Morals, Virtues, Grace, Call loudly for a goodly Place, Success attend you, I'll be blunt, My dearest Brother, here is....."
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Post by Spooky on Sept 3, 2004 13:41:46 GMT
1774
Paul Whitehead, former Steward and keeper of the Minute-Book of the Medmenham Club, died wishing his body to be left to science but his heart preserved: "...that my heart be taken out...the purchase of a marble urn..., in which I desire it may be deposited and placed...in some corner of his Mausoleum, as a Memorial of its Owner's warm attachment to the Noble Founder." His wish was granted - his heart was placed on a black-draped bier carried by six soldiers of the Bucks Militia, the choir of St Lawrence's church singing a specially composed piece for the occasion as the procession entered the hexagonal Monument:
"From Earth to Heaven, Whitehead's soul is fled, Immortal glories beam around his head...." * The Greek god Dionysus died by being torn to pieces and eaten by his ecstatic worshippers - his heart was preserved in a basket, from which he was reborn, according to Diodorus Siculus. Surviving vase-paintings and fragments of reliefs show that "heart" was a euphemism for "thingy".
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Post by Spooky on Sept 3, 2004 13:44:44 GMT
1986
Eric Towers, DASHWOOD - The Man And The Myth:
"The golden ball above, the caves below; a Temple of the Sun and a Temple of Bacchus. The Sun and Bacchus are Apollo and Dionysus, two gods, or two aspects of religious experience of the ancient Greeks, and their juxtaposition is of some importance....Dashwood erected in permanent form at West Wycombe...a statement of his belief in the duality of human nature, symbolised by Apollo as the light of reason and Dionysus as the underground power of emotion.....'Conscious' and 'unconscious' are later terms in the discussion of the human mind, but it is self-evident what Dashwood intended by the golden ball and the dark cave."
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Post by Spooky on Sept 3, 2004 13:47:31 GMT
1748
Dashwood organises the construction of a new road at West Wycombe - a two-mile stretch of the London to Oxford road connecting High Wycombe and West Wycombe which had fallen into disrepair (completed in 1752).
* Caves were produced as a result of the excavations for road-material: a tunnel runs on, sloping downwards, crossing an underground stream and ending at a small circular chamber a quarter of a mile from the entrance. None of the tunnelling beyond the main cave, which has a Gothick front and side walls, was necessary for the road-building.
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Post by Vampyresam on Sept 4, 2004 11:01:04 GMT
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Post by Vampyresam on Sept 5, 2004 22:02:30 GMT
I thought it'd be nice to post a taster of last night's event at The Hellfire Caves before we post write-ups and the full report un the diary section. This is a one of Geoffs pictures of a nice, clear orb on the left wall
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Post by Spooky on Sept 5, 2004 22:08:00 GMT
Is that the one that chucked the rocks at him?
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Post by Spooky on Sept 6, 2004 9:17:56 GMT
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Post by Spooky on Sept 6, 2004 11:40:09 GMT
Secret Passage
Other secret tunnel legends exist in West Wycombe and High Wycombe. One rhyme apparently spoke of a secret passageway in the caves. Two of the verses go:-
'Take 20 steps and rest a while, Then take a pick and find the stile Where once I did my love beguile 'Twas 22 in Dashwood's time Perhaps to hid this cell divine Where lay my love in peace sublime
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Post by Spooky on Nov 30, 2004 12:04:32 GMT
I found out some more information regarding our visit to the caves in June when I was chatting to C***a on Saturday.
When the lights went out that wasnt anybody turning them off. According to the staff the lights have never gone out without the emergency ones kicking in straight away in the places history. So why were we plummeted into darkness in the first 5 minutes of entering for the investigation?
Also C***a said that she could hear bats that night but has since spoken to the hearing aide people and they said there is no way her aide could have picked up bats.
Also where were the bats? It was a Summers evening, a hot day I recall so why werent they out flying everywhere like they were in Septemeber?
That night sure was a corker.
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Post by Vampyresam on Nov 30, 2004 12:46:26 GMT
Yeah, I remember C***a talking about the bats and her earing aide now. In September there were loads of bats buzzing around. A bat actually hit one unfortunate guy too. . So there must have been a reason why the bats were not out in July. As to the lights fully going off I remembering wondering in September why the emergency lights were still on and why we didn't have total darkness like you had previously had in July. We were told later that the emergency lights had to stay on due to health and safety reasons. No bats, the lights fail for the first time ever and then the monkey goes for a flier. Coincidence...............?
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Post by Spooky on Nov 30, 2004 13:30:59 GMT
Talking about lights do you remember Saturday the lights in the cellar kept going off and we were locked in briefly? I turned them on and they went off as I walked down the stairs then came on again.
I think they thought I was having a laugh but that door was locked and the handle wasnt turning for a while there and then we were out.
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Post by Vampyresam on Nov 30, 2004 13:57:05 GMT
Yeah I do remember. For a fraction of a second I did think you may be mucking around too. Then I saw you trying to open the door and you were no where near the switch when the lights went out.
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Post by Bobafettish on Nov 30, 2004 14:30:22 GMT
The emergency lights not coming on straight away is a puzzler . . Andrew did actually mention that they would come on and that they couldn't be turned off. That time in the dark was very precious.
Could it of been them draining the power to build up their energy?
Was it the devil shirts that did it?
I saw only one bat on 5th June and that was when I had come up from the ghost walk on my own and one bat flew in from the outside down the well lit corridor to the first door . . no other bats all night
If you also watch the DVD where we enter the temple. C***a says to me, can you hear the bats? to which I reply no but I can hear something trying to come through your hearing aid!
This could of been an EVP as just two seconds later, (watched the DVD) C***a says "Did yous here dat?" to the footstep outside and then she walks outside and the place is simmering !!!!
Before you know it, all Hell breaks loose and for just three seconds, we excitedly lose our cool before (calm down, dont run!)
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