A
Life of Ley Hunting
1982
Investigation of possible
subconsciously sited sites on ley, 24th October 1982
(with family and Paul Baines)
A few weeks previously, I had noticed a rough-looking stone with the appearance of a prehistoric stone, by Tolworth Tower, a large tower block containing government offices and shops at Tolworth. I noticed it was in line with one edge wall of the tower, and that the main road to Ewell was also on the alignment for about half a mile (a wide dual carriageway). On enquiring with the commissionaire I was told, however, that the stone had been put there in 1964, when the tower was built, so tentatively concluded it was a rather spectacular case of subconscious siting, and decided to investigate the alignment further (I found from the map that it aligned with several churches).
A further enigma was that the stretch of road aligning from the Tolworth roundabout does not appear on the first edition O.S. map. It is a new stretch - subconsciously sited also?
St. Mary's, Ewell was the first church to be visited on the alignment. It is early 19th century in an older style, aligned 75 degrees north. It has gargoyles.
After this we travelled a little further south to Priest Hill, where a track runs virtually at right angles to the alignment. The ley passes through the highest point of this track, and Tolworth Tower is clearly visible with the left-hand wall edge-on. The track itself is straight and with 52 degrees orientation (midsummer sunrise). It is not good on the map as a ley, but goes through Benhilton Church not far away. The track continues each way past the end of the straight field track, over several housing estates, which suggests that it is older even though it wanders a bit there.
The other two churches on the alignment visited on this trip were both relatively modern - one the Catholic church of Our Lady Immaculate, and the other Christ Church, a very ornate but ugly Victorian structure. It was noted however, that the top part of the roof was 52 degrees angled - as at St. Augustine's, Addlestone (same as base angles of Great Pyramid).Yet more subconscious siting?
Enquiry of Kingston
County Planning Dept, re. Tolworth Stone, Monday 25th October, 1982
I first enquired of the public library, who passed me on to the Heritage Unit,
who passed me on to the Planning Department.
The person who answered said that the stone had been found when excavations were being made for the foundations of Tolworth Tower, and put to one side. When the ground around was being landscaped, the stone was erected "for no particular reason other than it looked interesting". It certainly sounds an interesting case of subconscious siting - for instance, why particularly on that alignment, why faces north, south, east and west (not the direction faced by the tower)? Also, was the tower built with the edge wall in alignment with the other sites, and the new stretch of road in alignment too?
But in addition to this, could the stone have been an ancient one which fell at one time and became covered with earth?
The Planning Department person said she had asked the Chief Building Inspector (now deceased) at the time, who was concerned with the building of the tower.