Published in Windlesora 26 (2010)
© WLHG
On Christmas Eve 1942 at approximately 6.00 pm I was at Oakley Green, just outside Royal Windsor. Charlie and I were getting to the end of our deliveries. I had met him at noon at the Telephone Exchange on Bachelors Acre, which was also serving as the Parcels Depot of the Royal Mail. Charlie drove a small van which normally was a utility vehicle at Harding’s Garage in St. Leonard’s Road but for the Christmas period was upgraded, carrying a large Royal Mail sign across the windscreen.
Charlie and I loaded up with the parcels for Braywood and Oakley Green and set out. Once we were clear of the town I drove and Charlie, being in his fifties, was happy to be a passenger. When we reached the Nag’s Head Public House we turned left and delivered to all the premises to just beyond the New Lodge Cottages and we often went up to Braywood Vicarage. There were a few dwellings in Tarbay Lane and we usually delivered to Dr. Rickards. Eventually we retraced our route and drove to Water Oakley Lane on the Maidenhead Road and made our deliveries to Bray Court and Oakley Court on the return, which explains why we had arrived back in the vicinity of the Nag’s Head at about 6.00 pm to finish off those houses nearby, such as Bishop’s Lodge.
Opposite the Nag’s Head was the drive-in to a house. It was possible to turn around as there was a lone bush in a central island. I stopped outside the house door. As we only had one parcel I took it and Charlie stayed in the van. There was frozen snow underfoot which crunched as I walked but it was not particularly cold and as the van had no heater we were well clothed for the job.
The house had black double half doors with glass panels above, from which filtered a little light. The left hand door was only pulled to so I entered the hallway which was dimly lit by one, possibly 15 watt, bulb high up near the ceiling. It was too dim to break the blackout which was still operative at this time. Once inside I was just able to discern a raised floor at the rear of the hall. A black void to my right suggested a passageway and a wooden balustrade and staircase led up to a balcony or minstrel’s gallery. There was an uncanny and oppressive silence. I shouted ‘Is anyone there?’ – and I had a good voice as I was CSM of the School Cadet Corps. There was no response, only a still silence. I shouted again but still no response and it was then that I experienced an overwhelming feeling of coldness and of evil. I put the parcel down on the floor and left. In all the years since I have never been able to supply a logical explanation. There was no change of temperature and I was wearing a greatcoat.
Six years later I was fortunate when in the Army to be stationed at Homs in North Africa within a mile of Leptis Magna, the excavated Roman City. I spent many off duty hours there and usually had the place completely to myself, so one evening I sat in the amphitheatre until well after dark anticipating it must have witnessed many violent deaths, but I did not repeat the experience of Oakley Green!
Was some foul deed committed in that house or to a traveller? It is my belief that the winter route from Reading Abbey to Windsor Castle in mediaeval times would have been through Oakley Green, up Tarbay Lane, over St. Leonard’s Hill, passing the Hermit’s dwelling, on to Bromley Hill on Flemish Farm and then to Windsor, avoiding Spital as that was a leper colony. Maybe something evil happened to a traveller on that route. Who knows?
J Batt Rawden
Navigation
| ◄ Previous | Windlesora 26 | Next ► |
Windsor Local History Group 