Clapham Woods
In West Sussex England, there is a gorgeous swath of woods called Clapham Woods. However, hiding in between the trees there seems to be something ghastly waiting for those who dare to travel within. Many believe it is a hotspot for UFO encounters, strange happenings, and there are even rumblings of darker activity.
While the woods lay claim to a host of strange things, from real-life murders to occult activity and everything in between, I want to focus on one of the oldest and most infamous occurrences known: UFO activity.
While it is hard to pinpoint when strange occurrences began happening around Clapham, one of the first recorded UFO-esque sightings occurred all the way back in the 18th century. A woman reported seeing a “bright, round shape like the full moon.” This shape then floated down into the woods, only to disappear in the bushes. After it disappeared, the woods were filled with reeking smoke, and the old woman who witnessed this was “smitten with palsy.” Since then, locals have largely left the woods alone.
Fast-forward to 1967, in a village just a few miles away called Rushington. Toyne Newton and John Arnold, two young schoolchildren, were playing with a ouija board. As they played, the board spat out strange warnings and stories. Whatever was manipulating the board claimed that Clapham Woods was used as a base for spacecraft to fetch supplies of earth chemicals, notably sulfur.
Just a year later in 1968, another sighting occurred. This time, it was saucer-shaped and was witnessed by a man at 2 am as he was in his kitchen. The object hovered directly over the woods. Unsure of what to do, the man called the local police, but when they arrived at the woods, there was no saucer to be seen.
Over the next few months, there was a near-constant stream of sightings that ranged from blink-or-you’ll-miss-it to the occurrences recorded above. In fact, the phenomena was covered in local papers and soon droves of people began traveling to the woods in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the strange activity.
In the 1970s, occurrences of dogs going missing or disappearing in the woods began to ramp up. And, what’s more, people seemed to encounter a strange static charge when they entered the woods.
Another saucer shape was spotted in October 1972, when a telephone engineer was driving home. He was alone in his car on Findon Road when he saw a large saucer in the sky. This time, it didn’t just hover or disappear. It seemed to circle the area, before zooming off into the night.
Interestingly, there have been reports of low levels of radiation around the trees. While this may be naturally occurring, it is still a bit strange to be happening in a place connected with so much unexplained activity.
It should also be noted that the Clapham Woods were potentially occult place. In June 1972, Peter Goldsmith, a police constable, went missing and his body was discovered six months later in a patch of bramble in the woods. In 1975 & 1978, two more bodies were found--a pensioner, Leon Foster, and a Reverend, Harry N. Snelling. Some people like to attach these bodies, and others, to occult activity and “satanic” rituals. It should be noted that Toyne Newton, the schoolboy playing with the ouija board earlier in the blog, would grow up to become a paranormal researcher and co-author of the 1987 book, “The Demonic Connection.” This book claimed the woods were being used by a cult that called itself “The Friends of Hecate.” However, when the claims of the book were investigated, no evidence appeared.
The blog image depicts a Footpath in Clapham Woods. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Attribution: Slbs
Thanks to IG user & legender @insta_geewizz69 for the suggestion!