Since 2019, I’ve been lucky enough to have been a contributor to Hellebore Zine. Currently in its sixth bi-annual issue, Hellebore is a collection of writings and essays devoted to British folk horror, its themes and inspirations. In 2020, I was asked to contribute to The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain: an illustrated travel guide covering the history of magic and the occult in the UK. I researched and wrote content for the North West and North East sections of the book. Some of the ground I covered was already familiar to me, some of it not so much. Of all the legends and locations I read and wrote about however, one has stuck with me. A nagging fascination for this place has remained, intensified even, in the time between my setting down a few hundred words on it for The Hellebore Guide and now. Which is why, today, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to dig back into my research and share it with you.
Read on…