A3 Sniper
In the 1950’s car windscreens were taken out by a unknown sniper. No bullet, pellet, or stone were found which had caused the damage. This was on the old A3 road between Cobham and Esher. The first to suffer this was the famous broadcaster Richard Dimbleby. This put it in the media. This was the busiest road in Britain at the time. Even although there was a large number of reports, the police did think this was unusual for such a busy road. They believed that it was being caused by stones throw up by other cars.
St John’s Wotton
In the 1950’s couple from Battlesea although both being tired, got off a bus and took a walk by St John’s Church at Wotton. They were interested in the life of John Evelyn, diarist, scholar etc. They walked up a hill and sat on a bench. The wife suddenly felt strange, the everyday sounds stopped. In the silence she turned round and saw three men in black. One smiling the other two showing great hatred. She asked her husband, but he did not see them. Feeling that something was not right they moved quickly away. They walked some distance, and then laid down and fell asleep they then found themselves in Dorking not remembering how they got there.
The husband returned two years later. There was no hill or bench. This was reported to the Society for Psychical Research, but because of a move did not look into it until the 1970’s. Was it a time slip, but this would not change the geography of the area. More likely a waking dream.
Creature at Winterfold
In the winter of 1967 near Winterfold House on the Albury to Cranleigh Road in Surrey, a motorist pulled over on an dark, remote road to clean his windscreen. As he looked along the road he noticed a huge figure standing there which gave off a foul odour. The strange beast seemed to have a glowing, oblong-shaped head!
I read the original newspaper report in 1967, which to my memory stated that the driver was with his girl friend. The creature at the time was believed to be from a UFO.
I investigated on my moped at the time. Passing people hitchhiking to the famous Isle of Wight Rock festival. It’s a spooky road, but I didn’t see a thing.
The Silent Pool, Dorking Road
This is a local beauty spot. As its name suggests it is always unusually quiet. Legend says it is haunted by the ghost of a young virgin who drowned in the pool. She was bathing naked in the pool, when she was surprised by a knight. The knight rode his horse into the pool, forcing the girl to go into the deeper part of the pool, protect her virginity. In the end she drowned as did her brother who tried to save her. The villain of the piece is said to be bad King John.
Sutton Place outside Guildford
A Lady in White has been seen in the house, also the sounds of furniture being smashed. The owners of this manor house like their privately. I once drove through the security gates looking for a house on the estate. When I reached the house they had to phone the security, to explain and calm them down.
Percy Arms Chilworth
Percy Arms in Chilworth has suffered from Poltergeist like happenings. Glasses move, doors sham, crashing of furniture is heard. People have felt a weight on them while they were in bed.
The pub has been used for inquests in the past. Several times there have explosions in the local gun powder mill, causing many deaths. This is believed to be a possible cause for the haunting.
Antiques Shop Bramley
The upper storeys hang over a stream. On hundred years ago a girl committed suicide after being deserted by her lover. She is said to have jumped into the stream. The doorway were she waited for her lover is bricked up now. However her ghost is seen by this entrance.
Bramley Church, Bramley
Medieval Music has been heard in the churchyard, when the church was empty.
Silverland House Chersey
This house was built for one of Nelson’s Admirals, used for a time to house the Actors Orphanage, and then Nurses training. Renovated in 2001 to be a clinic for convicted paedophiles, it was never opened due to the pressure from local residents. It is now derelict. The ghosts of children have been seen in the past by security guards.
Clandon House Ghosts
The Ipswich Journal October 26th 1895
Ghosts at Guildford
A Godalming correspondent sends the Morning results of inquiries he has been making in reference to reports of “ghostly visitations” at Clandon House near Guildford one of Lord Onslow’s mansions. There are, he says upwards of 50 persons in Clandon village who claim to have seen the “ghosts.” One takes the form of a black dwarf, another that of a lady sometimes brilliantly, sometimes very sombrely attired. All the servants at Clandon House say they have seen one or other of the apparitions. It is even said that the present occupant of the house had a spiritualist specially down from London a few days ago, who had a talk with the lady “ghost” and received from her a sad story of having murdered her illegitimate child before marriage. Her husband heard of the crime, and employed the black dwarf to poison her. There is a third “ghost” who, it is said, looks like a labouring man with a rough beard. The “visitations” have spread over about five years, and the villagers seem considerably excited over them.
Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle November 2nd 1895
Ghosts Near Guildford
A Guildford correspondent says:- The greatest excitement continues to exist in the village of Clandon owing to reports of strange nocturnal visits to Clandon House, tenanted by a Mrs Blaine. It is thought likely that Mrs Blaine will leave the house at an early date on account of the annoyance caused to her by the nightly scenes which occur in the vicinity, among the villagers who assemble in the hope of catching a glimpse of the “spooks”
Brooklands Racetrack Ghosts
The site of the Brooklands Racetrack near Weybridge, is one of the classic haunted locations. Here are the stories.
The Milkman’s Story
In 2004 a milkman delivering at about 12 o’clock by the gate outside the club house saw a man in overalls. He reported this to the security guard, the place was all locked up. A search was made but no one was found. The milkman delivered in the morning in future.
Ghost in the Hanger
In the museum hanger a figure in RAF uniform was seen near a Wellington bomber. The bomber had been pulled out of Loch Ness and restored. During the crash the tail gunner jumped out and his parachute failed to open and he was killed.
Death of RFC pilot
The figure of a man wearing a Royal Flying Corp uniform has been seen walking through a wall. This is believed to be James Kennedy a RFC pilot. He was an observer on test flight before world war one. This was for the RFC who were looking to purchase the plane. The company pilot Graham Bell thinking that the flight was not looking good enough decided to loop the loop. This was news to Kennedy seating behind him, he was not strapped in. He fell to his death, the official inquiry told Bell not to do it again.
Man with his head hanging off
A young boy ran home to his mother during World War II, and said that he had seen a man with his head hanging off on the site. One of the theories is it is Parry Thomas who had died on Pendine Sands. He was beheaded by a drive chain then the car crashed. He is buried in Byfleet Cemetery, his car Babs is sometimes shown at Brooklands.
Percy Lambert
This is Brooklands most famous ghost. He was for a short time the fastest man on earth. Then he was overtaken by a French driver. He promised his fiancée that he would stop after one last try. A tyre burst and he was throw out and killed. During WWII a secret Wellington factory was built on the track. Twice the sounds of a car were heard passing through the factory. On another occasion he was seen to walk through a wall.
The tunnel ghost
Rooms off a tunnel under the track were once used at one time as repair workshops. A volunteer helping to tidy up the site brought his grandson with him. The grandson walked into one of the side rooms. He came back to his grandfather and told him that a man with a motorbike tyre in his hands was in one of the side rooms. The grandfather checked and found the room empty. At one time Brooklands was used for motorcycle racing. A mechanic, Arthur Moorhouse was asked to check a motorcycle tyre, he said it was fine. During the race the tyre burst and the rider was killed. It is believed the figure was Arthur Moorhouse’s ghost.
Fairground
A team of volunteers were tiding up the site. They stayed in caravans overnight. One night all the lights in all the caravans when out (even although they were each on separate batteries). Sounds were then heard of a fairground, or large party. Up to that point the land in that area it had been only used for tennis courts. Some years later BA made a very good profit and held a large party, with a concert on that site.
The Dogs Tale
One night the security guard got a call that some children were on the grounds. His supervisor was with him, and it was decided to send in the guard dog to frighten them. The dog was let off its lash and charged after the children. At one spot near the hangers it stopped dead, obviously frightened. The dog could not be made to move any further.
Newer Weird Surrey Stories
Following putting this website up , Mr Lewis Combstock kindly emailed me with the following personal experiences.
I found your webpage by accident, it is interesting in that I am aware of most of the stories. The Winterfold “alien” was reported locally at the time, the guy who saw it reported that the creature approached his car and put a hand (or paw) on it as they drove off. He lived in Loder Close, Sheerwater, near where I went to school.
I worked at the Brooklands site and I remember the stories and had a few odd experiences myself, the weirdest was the farting ghost in the toilet cubicle next to me every time I visited. I initially thought that someone was playing a trick on me, but people near to the door observed the visitors and assured me that nobody followed me.
Further to the story of the Winterfold incident, a guy who I worked with in the early 1970s bought a Fiat 500 and asked if I would like to take a drive out one night, it was winter time, (January , I think). We took turns in driving, and when it was my turn, I headed for Winterfold, telling the story as I drove. I think it was in Row Lane, Winterfold where we suddenly lost power and the car stopped (about 50 yards from the 1967 incident). We got out, looked at the engine (or looked for the engine!) and found that the dipstick had popped up and shorted the HT leads (though I’m not sure how we saw it at night on an unlit road).
We pushed it down again, and as we got into the car, three men were walking toward us from behind, which was spooky, because we hadn’t passed anyone on the road. I started the car and drove off quickly.
On another occasion, returning from Albury one night (around November 1970) with some friends, passing over Newlands Corner, I was about to turn left into Trodds lane when I saw a young man standing in the middle of the road. I pulled up by him and asked if everything was ok. he said that there was a bad car crash further down the lane and someone had been killed. I thanked him and took the A247 to Send instead. It occurred to me sometime later that there were no warning signs in the vicinity (a police re-direction should have been in place), no blue flashing lights, and I don’t remember any report of a death in the following weeks. I would research this further, but I’m not sure where to look.
Returning to the Winterfold alien incident (c.1967), this was reported in the Woking News & Mail, the witness lived in Loder Close, Sheerwater, he would be about 65 now. This caused my friend’s father to comment “Loder Close? more like loader cobblers”.
Winterfold was the scene of another mystery to me, there were two cottages in Jelley’s hollow, both were uninhabited when I visited (c1968), but one was derelict and very old. The other looked habitable, but had an eerie feeling around it, I didn’t enter, but I looked through a window, and in the fireplace was the appearance of a bright blue sky, I thought at first it was a mirror, but couldn’t see one, I never figured it out. I mentioned it to my grandfather, who had lived in Ewhurst and Cranleigh, and knew the area well, but he insisted there was only one cottage in Jelley’s hollow.
A couple of years ago, I was watching an American mysteries programme, when they mentioned Dorking, where a couple on a hike noted the single track railway near to Westhumble (Burford Bridge) station, and later reported seeing two clergymen in 17th c. costume. A viewer had sent in a video of his daughter riding a horse near Dorking, and had captured a similar clergyman on video. I’ve seen the single track railway too, but not the clergymen. The line was single track until around 1933 when another track was laid due to the volume of traffic to Dorking.
