All this week we are proud to present you our very own ‘Haunted Guildford’ series from in-house blogger Charli Aisha Harris where spine-chilling stories of haunted folk and places in Guildford are recounted for your displeasure! Learn a little bit more about Guildford’s darker past with spectres, royalty, celebrity and of course plenty of death to share with you. Thought that Guildford was a sleepy market town…? Well think again as we uncover some of the scarier stories from our town’s history.
Upon visiting Silent Pool, located at the foot of the North Downs, it is almost impossible not to be taken aback by its ethereal tranquillity and serene beauty. But beneath the still, spring fed waters lies a dark tale of royal lust and the tragic death of a woodcutter’s daughter who is said to haunt the Silent Pool to this day.
The infamous King John of England was often described as ‘spiteful’, ‘cruel’ and ‘petty’, but worse than that, he has been rumoured to be linked with the death of a local girl.
It is said that the King abducted a woodcutter’s daughter and took her to Silent Pool on his horse where his unwanted advances forced her into the deep water leading to her tragically drowning. Another version of the story tells of the fair maiden bathing in the pool upon which the King approached on his horse. As she had no time to return to the bank to dress, she waded to the deepest part of the lake to cover her naked body. The King tried luring the beautiful woman out of the water and on failing that, rode into the water to get her, eventually sealing the watery fate of the girl in Silent Pool’s murky depths.
According to the legend, the poor maiden can be seen at midnight, lamenting her death and the fearful circumstances that drove her to it. Some say that they have seen her pale figure floating on the surface of the lake, others have just been haunted by her desperate pleas for help caught on the wind.
Not only that but in December 1926 it was reported that renowned crime writer, Agatha Christie, was feared to have drowned in the Silent Pool after her car was discovered at nearby Newlands Corner. Even now, her whereabouts during the time of her disappearance are unknown.
Visit this eerie site of natural beauty and decide for yourself, hauntingly beautiful, or just haunted?
Charli Aisha Harris
With special thanks to Philip Hutchinson, author of Haunted Guildford
Image sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/nwcgmk7