Friday, 18 February 2011
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Black leopard seen twice at Anerley
Anerley, situated in the Bromley district, may well be the prowling ground of what the local press incorrectly dubbed 'the Palace puma'. Recently a ten-year old girl, whilst getting ready for school at 7:25 am, peered from her bedroom window and was shocked to see an enormous cat, black in colour, with a long, thick tail walking along a fence line. The girl saw the animal again a week or so later whilst in her mother's car. They drove into a parking area at 6:30 pm one evening, in the vicinity of their house, when the girl glimpsed the cat slink down a slope. She stated that the animal was bigger than a Labrador dog.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
A Seal Shot In The Thames
From THE FIELD magazine of January 3rd 1857 : A few days ago, the attendant on the boats at the Feathers, Wandsworth, shot a large seal in the Thames, near the above place. It is a beautiful specimen of the species, and is the only one of the kind that has been seen by anyone of the Thames fishermen above bridge. It measures four-feet in length, two-feet one-inch in breadth, and is two-feet three-inches in girth. The fish may be seen at Mr H. Salter's, the Feather's Tavern, Wandsworth
Whales and other strange creatures in the River Thames
In 2011 my book Mystery Animals Of The British Isles: London will hopefully be published by CFZ Press. As a teaser for what I can only describe as the best book I’ve ever written, here are a few weird accounts of unusual animals in the River Thames.
From The Kentish Notebook by G. Howell of 1891 in reference to an appeal for whale sightings in the stretch of river, a chap named ‘Bookworm’ responds, ‘’Whales In The Thames (Sept. 12th 1891) – I can assure “T.C.U.” that the whale is no uncommon visitor to our River, for numerous records, both ancient and modern, testify to the fact of its appearance at different times. I have made a brief compilation, from various sources, of the discovery of whales and other monsters in the Thames, which may interest “T.C.U.”:
1457 – In this year a considerable commotion took place, caused by several whales in the river. After considerable trouble two of them were caught off Erith, together with a sword-fish, and a fish called a Mors Marina.
1642 – On July of this year a “terrible monster” was caught by “a fisherman near Wollage (Woolwich”, and afterwards exhibited at Westminster. A tract published at the time informs us that the monster “is like a toad, and may be called a Toad-Fish; but that which makes it a monster is, that it hath hands with fingers like a man, being neere five-foot long and three-feet over, the thicknesse of an ordinary man.”
1699 – On the twenty-sixth of March, after an extraordinary storm, there came up the Thames a whale 56-feet long.
1718 – On August 30, great excitement occurred among the waterside inhabitants of Gravesend, in consequence of a whale forty-feet long being captured just below the town.
1746 – On the 25th of July a young whale came up the river and was killed near Execution Dock, after having sunk three boats; it measured 18 feet in length.
1762 – In February a whale was caught in the Hope and after being chased by the boats, some time it was secured and killed by digging holes in it. It was fifty-four feet long and 14-feet broad, and was landed on the shore by Greendland Dock, near Deptford. No doubt the Watermen found plenty of employment, as an immense number of people visited it by land and water. It was computed that on the first day, Sunday, upwards of fifty thousand visitors inspected it.
1809 – “On the 25th March, a whale 75-feet long and 25-feet in circumference, was wounded and driven on shore off the Bligh Sands below Gravesend, by a pilot named Barnes. It weighed upwards of thirty tons. The Lord Mayor ordered it to be removed in a barge above the bridge, when it was exhibited at one shilling per head, until the officers of the admiralty claimed it as a droit, and forcibly took possession. The blubber was valued at one hundred and fifty pounds.”
1842 – In November a whale was caught off Deptford pier, 16 feet long weighting two tons. It was purchased by three individuals, and exhibited there for some time. It was afterwards shewn at the half Moon Inn, Boro’, where 2,000 persons paid for admission in one day. On being dissected, the skeleton was taken to the British Museum.
1849 – A whale 21-feet long, was taken in this year off Grays, in Essex.
From The Kentish Notebook by G. Howell of 1891 in reference to an appeal for whale sightings in the stretch of river, a chap named ‘Bookworm’ responds, ‘’Whales In The Thames (Sept. 12th 1891) – I can assure “T.C.U.” that the whale is no uncommon visitor to our River, for numerous records, both ancient and modern, testify to the fact of its appearance at different times. I have made a brief compilation, from various sources, of the discovery of whales and other monsters in the Thames, which may interest “T.C.U.”:
1457 – In this year a considerable commotion took place, caused by several whales in the river. After considerable trouble two of them were caught off Erith, together with a sword-fish, and a fish called a Mors Marina.
1642 – On July of this year a “terrible monster” was caught by “a fisherman near Wollage (Woolwich”, and afterwards exhibited at Westminster. A tract published at the time informs us that the monster “is like a toad, and may be called a Toad-Fish; but that which makes it a monster is, that it hath hands with fingers like a man, being neere five-foot long and three-feet over, the thicknesse of an ordinary man.”
1699 – On the twenty-sixth of March, after an extraordinary storm, there came up the Thames a whale 56-feet long.
1718 – On August 30, great excitement occurred among the waterside inhabitants of Gravesend, in consequence of a whale forty-feet long being captured just below the town.
1746 – On the 25th of July a young whale came up the river and was killed near Execution Dock, after having sunk three boats; it measured 18 feet in length.
1762 – In February a whale was caught in the Hope and after being chased by the boats, some time it was secured and killed by digging holes in it. It was fifty-four feet long and 14-feet broad, and was landed on the shore by Greendland Dock, near Deptford. No doubt the Watermen found plenty of employment, as an immense number of people visited it by land and water. It was computed that on the first day, Sunday, upwards of fifty thousand visitors inspected it.
1809 – “On the 25th March, a whale 75-feet long and 25-feet in circumference, was wounded and driven on shore off the Bligh Sands below Gravesend, by a pilot named Barnes. It weighed upwards of thirty tons. The Lord Mayor ordered it to be removed in a barge above the bridge, when it was exhibited at one shilling per head, until the officers of the admiralty claimed it as a droit, and forcibly took possession. The blubber was valued at one hundred and fifty pounds.”
1842 – In November a whale was caught off Deptford pier, 16 feet long weighting two tons. It was purchased by three individuals, and exhibited there for some time. It was afterwards shewn at the half Moon Inn, Boro’, where 2,000 persons paid for admission in one day. On being dissected, the skeleton was taken to the British Museum.
1849 – A whale 21-feet long, was taken in this year off Grays, in Essex.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Neil Arnold, in conjunction with Time Out magazine - An Autumn Monster Walk
For Halloween 2010 Time Out magazine ran an article on monster folklore around the capital. Neil Arnold was consulted and the magazine put togetehr a brief walk through the city streets to tie in with various locatiosn where monsters and strange creatures had been seen in the past. To find out more, read about it at TIME OUT
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Spring-Heeled Jack - a monster for the milliennium ?
Volume Three of It Happened To Me ( a booklet compiled by the editor's of Fortean Times magazine) mentions a peculiar incident reported by a 'Kevin' from 2003 pertaining to a possible modern-day encounter with the fabled Spring-Heeeled Jack. To quote:
'I was making my way to Faringdon train station after having spent an evening out with friends in the Clerkenwell area of London. Not knowing the place very well, I got a bit lost and ended up walking the streets, looking for someone to ask directions. London seemed strangely deserted that night and I freely admit I was starting to worry, about missing my train home more than anything else, but I also had the feeling of unease you only get if you are totally unfamiliar with your surroundings.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a darting figure and turned instinctively to look. The alley was lit sporadically by old-fashioned street lamps, and it was behind one of these lamps that I thought I could make out the shape of a figure trying to conceal himself. I pondered for a second on what it could be. I decided I would react to it in the traditional English manner - avert my gaze and pretend nothing was happening. As I was putting this plan into action, I heard a burst of shrill laughter. I turned to face the alleyway once more. Coming toward me in great lolloping movements was a tall, thin figure. It moved silently and was dressed in what looked like tight black leather. I could not make out its face, but i was transfixed by this apparition. It moved as if it were dancing in reverse, coming closer toward me, moving like a giant strong puppet. Just as I gathered my wits enough to run, it issued another ear-piercing laugh, crouched on the ground, then shot off upwards out of my view. I did not try to see where it had leapt to - I ran as fast as I could until I found a main road. I followed the main road to the station and only just got the train home. I have no idea what it was - probably a practical joke of some kind. However, a search on the Internet the next day brought up the name Spring-Heeled Jack, not seen in London since the Victorian era,'
'I was making my way to Faringdon train station after having spent an evening out with friends in the Clerkenwell area of London. Not knowing the place very well, I got a bit lost and ended up walking the streets, looking for someone to ask directions. London seemed strangely deserted that night and I freely admit I was starting to worry, about missing my train home more than anything else, but I also had the feeling of unease you only get if you are totally unfamiliar with your surroundings.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a darting figure and turned instinctively to look. The alley was lit sporadically by old-fashioned street lamps, and it was behind one of these lamps that I thought I could make out the shape of a figure trying to conceal himself. I pondered for a second on what it could be. I decided I would react to it in the traditional English manner - avert my gaze and pretend nothing was happening. As I was putting this plan into action, I heard a burst of shrill laughter. I turned to face the alleyway once more. Coming toward me in great lolloping movements was a tall, thin figure. It moved silently and was dressed in what looked like tight black leather. I could not make out its face, but i was transfixed by this apparition. It moved as if it were dancing in reverse, coming closer toward me, moving like a giant strong puppet. Just as I gathered my wits enough to run, it issued another ear-piercing laugh, crouched on the ground, then shot off upwards out of my view. I did not try to see where it had leapt to - I ran as fast as I could until I found a main road. I followed the main road to the station and only just got the train home. I have no idea what it was - probably a practical joke of some kind. However, a search on the Internet the next day brought up the name Spring-Heeled Jack, not seen in London since the Victorian era,'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)