Chris Halton states: Haunted Earth recently visited the ancient medieval church of St John which was built by the Knight`s Templar who were responsible for the Hospital Chapel of St John which was recently visited by us.

This church is an embodiment of Old England and has survived the test of time to be one of the best preserved medieval buildings in the United Kingdom.

The building as you will discover has some dark secrets to reveal, and hopefully you`ll join us as we enter this ancient portal to a time long since forgotten.

Some strange events occured during the recording of this investigation.

Firstly, a pair of professional mic`s used to link wireless audio to a camcorder failed to operate despite being checked prior to use, and on another camcorder the video quality was diminished from normal creating a jagged movement effect on some video.

However after much editing and audio stripping I have managed to create a reasonably cohesive video presentation.

Chris Halton - Haunted Earth UK

ST. JOHN CHURCH, DUXFORD, CHAMBRIDGESHIRE



The striking medieval and earlier wall paintings are only one of the many treasures and curiosities that make a visit to this church rewarding. The paintings on the west wall of the chancel are probably the most graphic. There are scenes from the crucifixion of Christ, a graphic picture of St Agatha’s martyrdom, some horrid devils and a bizarre segmental creature being prodded with sticks or forks. Fragments of paintings cover most of the other walls.

The church is originally Norman, and has a magnificent doorway of that period, with a carved zigzag pattern round its arch. The lead ‘spike’ that rises from the tower is very typical of churches in this part of the country. Its top was twisted in 1897 when a flagpole tied to it, to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, was blown about in a gale. Inside, massive Norman arches support the central tower. Both inside and out, it is worth looking at the exquisite carvings. Those in the north aisle include human faces, angels and strange creatures. A rare link with the past is provided by the graffiti scratched into the stonework over the centuries, many of which are very old, as you can see from the dates, and the fact that some are in Latin. There are also strange marks cut into the stone in various places around the church, where people used to sharpen their arrows in the Middle Ages. Set in a pretty village next to the green and surrounded by attractive old houses, St John’s is a picture-book church with a delightful atmosphere.

The Houses of Knights Templar history at the Preceptory of Duxford can be found at British-History.ac.uk

Phantoms and Monsters