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Paranormal researcher opens Marlow's X-Files


A PARANORMAL researcher believes the truth is out there and aims to open Marlow's own X-Files as he steps up an investigation into strange and spooky activities in the area.

Richard Parsons, 39, a former pupil at Sir William Borlase's School, is on the hunt for reports of ghouls, ghosts and little green men in Marlow, Bourne End, Cookham and the surrounding towns.

Mr Parsons, who grew up in High Wycombe, said he is more a Scully than a Mulder, open to the possibility of paranormal but sceptical.

“I'm a sceptic going on a believer. I'm more interested in the scientific aspect of it.

“ I have always been interested in the paranormal since I was a young child growing up in High Wycombe,” he said.

“My father always used to tell all the local ghost stories and I liked watching the various television programmes but did not believe them and it just progressed from there.”

Mr Parsons, who has family in Marlow but now lives in Coventry, wants to uncover the lesser known yarns about the unexplained.

He said:“My interest is particularly in the local paranormal, there's a limited number of stories you can glean off the internet.

“Really I'm more interested in lesser known things such as people living in a haunted house – they are probably the most interesting stories.”

He said one of the theories investigators have about ghostly sightings is that there was a “heightened emotion” surrounding the death, which left an imprint on the building for people only detectable by certain people with an extra sense.

Bisham Abbey is probably the most famous location for hauntings, particularly the tale of Lady Hoby in the 15th century.

Mr Parsons said: “She's said to have bricked up her son, he died of starvation and she's forever haunting the place.”

Many ghostly enthusiasts have recorded photographs of light anomalies, footsteps and voices.

The Sherlock Holmes of the strange said he once witnessed a glass seemingly spinning of its own accord on a hotel table in Dudley when filming a communication board.

He said: “I'm not so closed minded that there's nothing you can't explain, I think there's lots of things that happen which we just don't understand at the moment.”

Mr Parsons presents an occasional online radio show about the subject on Marlow FM. To let him know your experiences e-mail him at hauntedmarlowshow@hotmail.co.uk.


Your Say YourBucks

Plus ça change..., Wycombe says...
1:40pm Fri 20 Feb 09


'Light anomalies'


Are these due to low-energy bulbs or streetlighting cuts?



Slacker, Flackwell says...
4:05pm Fri 20 Feb 09

Thereis the legend of the hanging man seen on the hanging tree down Sheepridge Lane. Alledgedly it is an old tree that they used to hang people on and alledgedly in recent years a ghost has been seen swinging from it.

OneArmJack, says...
5:18pm Fri 20 Feb 09

My father used to tell me tales about people who could be seen fixing holes in the road. I don't believe a word of it, I've never seen them.

Observer of, HW says...
8:42pm Fri 20 Feb 09

Yes, OneArmJack

They try to repair potholes when there is snow on the ground and they grit the roads in the summertime!

Blueberry, S Bucks says...
11:36am Sat 21 Feb 09

"Many ghostly enthusiasts have recorded photographs of light anomalies, footsteps and voices"


Really?? I'd love to see a photo of voices, or even footsteps

Little Miss, High Wycombe says...
9:55am Mon 23 Feb 09

"Mr Parsons said: “She's said to have bricked up her son, he died of starvation and she's forever haunting the place.”"

Hmm I thought Lady Hoby locked her son in a room becuase he got marks all over his school book, she then got invited to go and see the queen or something and forgot about him and he starved to death. She then felt really wretched about it and has supposedly been spotted by various people at Bisham trying to wash blood off her hands.

When I went to Bisham for a ghost hunt I didn't see her or any other ghost!

Hughenden Valley is supposedly haunted by two old guys, you can apparently hear them arguing from the gardens of Brands Hill in the summer, and some say that's why there's so many accidents down the valley road.

There's the supposed green man on 4 ashes, the George and Dragon in West Wyc supposedly haunted by the bar maid who was murdered by locals.. The Antelope pub (mentioned in the doomsday book or something) is allegedly haunted, you can hear things moving around late at night, people who worked there reported taps on their shoulder, hearing their name being called when the pub was empty, plus there's the bricked up tunnel leading to the church!

There's hangmans tree in Penn, and people up there have reported seeing horses and carts.

Loads basically, around the Wycombe area, shame this investigation is being called 'Marlow'.

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Bisham Abbey: people have reported seeing ghosts there

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