Alignment (A)
Eight miles in length and possibly aligned with midwinter moonrise (but this requires more detailed checking), the line is entered at St.Michael’s Church (a prefabricated structure dating from the nineteen fifties) and continues on through the Crosby or ‘Stock’ Stone. Close-up of stone Ethel Rudkin recounts the folklore attached to this ancient stone in her ‘Lincolnshire Folklore’: Many years ago a farmer buried the stone in a corner of his stackyard to prevent the local village lads congregating around it in their spare time. For many years it remained buried until a tree was to be planted to commemorate the accession of King Edward VII. In order to improve the prosperity of Old Crosby the old stone was dug up and set at the base of the tree. It has been suggested that the stone could have originally stood close to the village stocks (like the stone at Grimston, Leicestershlre). The line now passes through the ‘sacred’ part of the Sikh Temple where worship takes place, on through the cross-roads to the site of the old Mesolithic settlement on Risby Warren. Two tree clumps ‘frame’ its passage through this area on the north and south sides respectively. The next significant point on the alignment is the cross-roads at Appleby and two medieval cross bases (neither of which are in situ according to the local archaeological survey). The Norman church of St. Bartholemew is the next point. Restored in the nineteenth century the facade of the building is adorned with a multitude of ‘Green Men’ and other pagan carvings. A recent and finely etched ‘Seal of Solomon’ is to be found on the tower. I was particularly intrigued by the next point (or rather ‘area’), "Youll" Close. This name seemed to be particularly significant considering the midwinter moonrise angle of the line and the obvious "Yule/Youll" connections. Touching the edge of a moat (infilled with indications of a second moated enclosure) - and remember the importance of these features in the rites of the old religion (see Nigel Pennick’s ‘Practical Magic in the northern Tradition’) - the path of the alignment continues on through a possible three-lane ends (the traditional meeting place of witches) before terminating at a crossing of tracks high up on the hill at Saxby All Saints.

An analysis of the points on this alignment reveals a mix of prehistoric, ancient Christian, Pagan and subconsciously sited points (as with the various alignments passing through Woking Mosque):

Subconscious points:
St. Michaels Church
Guru Nanak Sikh Temple

Prehistoric points
‘Stock’ Stone
Risby Warren Mesolithic settlement

Ancient/Medieval Christian points:
Medieval cross-bases at Appleby
St. Bartholemews Church

Pagan
Three lane-ends

Other>
Moat at Saxby All Saints
'Youll’ (Yule) Close
Midwinter Moon (!)

A highly significant "linking" of sites of different faiths in both time and space.

Alignment (B)
Entered at the Crosby Primitive Methodist Chapel built in 1885 the line passes through the Guru Nanak Temple, touching the edge of the Iron Age/Romano British settlement at Dragonby and onto the "Sunken Church" or "Dragon" Rock. This latter is a ninety foot long serpent-like natural outcrop having a curious groove running along its entire length. It is commonly acknowledged to have been an object of ‘pagan' veneration in ancient times and is in close proximity to a natural spring vith petrifying qualities. Various tales are told in connection with the rock, namely that it is the remains of a church that sunk into the ground many years ago and at certain times of the year the singing of the congregation can be heard. On through the Mesolithic settlement atop Sheffield’s hill and the fourteenth century church at Roxby the alignment terminates at a well to the north of Winterton. The latter place name intrigues me as it stands at the northern extremity of the alignment with all the resultant associations between north and winter - Winterton, Winter-town - even perhaps Winter-tone. A northern ‘songline’?

Alignment (C)
The shortest and to some the most ‘suspect’ of the three alignments the line is entered at - wait for it - Elim Pentecostal Church, on through the Guru Nanak Temple, a tumulus at Santon Hill, terminating at a wooded area known as "The Follies"(see Watkins ‘Old Straight Track’ for discussion around this placename).

Further ‘Soundings’
During the preparation of these initial research notes it struck me that many of the sites on the three alignments had ‘sound’ connections mainly in connection with ‘worship’:

Alignment A
St.Michaels Church - hymn singing, praying, etc.
Guru Nanak Temple - Singing and chanting, harmonium and tabla-playing
St.Bartholemews - Hymn singing, praying, organ music and a chiming big bell (it was given by a former church-warden who wanted the men in the fields to hear the passing hours)

It is as if the constant continuum of ‘natural sound’ along the line is divided in the rural locations by the chiming bell with a concentrated ‘giving unto the line’ on a Sunday with the Christian services in the morning and the Sikh religious ceremonies from midday onwards for a hour or so. The hollow in the Crosby Stone (on this alignment) appears to have a series of concentric circles which reminded me of a vibrational image of a seed sound, Om. Food for thought.

Alignment B
Primitive Methodist Church - Singing
Guru Nanak Temple - as before
Dragon Rock - "ghostly" singing of church congregation
Roxby Church - Hymns, bells and organ

Alignment C
Elim Pentecostal - Hymn singing and "speaking in tongues".
Guru Nanak - as before

And don’t forget the wind blowing through the tops of the trees in "The Follies"... Just imagine the boost given to the energy in the leys on a Sunday morning!

Next
Return to The Hidden Unity menu
Return to Surrey Earth Mysteries Group