Touchstone

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 74
Date: July 2006
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone delves into the world of leylines and earth mysteries, with a primary focus on the E-Line in East Surrey, alongside reports on a UFO sighting and other ley research.

The E-Line in East Surrey by Bob Shave

The article by Bob Shave investigates the E-Line, a significant ley discovered by Eileen Roche and Gordon Millington through dowsing at Pitch Hill in 1990. Shave, not being a dowser himself, relies on map work and visual observations to trace the line through East Surrey, specifically the areas of Broadham Green and Hurst Green, south of Oxted. He notes that the E-line's passage through "suburbia" is a rare occurrence.

Broadham Green

In Broadham Green, the E-line appears to run along Tanhouse Road. Two unusual features are noted: a very wide grass verge on the south side, more than double the width of the road, and the road being raised like a causeway with a ditch, possibly due to flooding risk from the nearby River Eden. Photos show the road looking north-east, highlighting the roadside ditch.

Hurst Green

The article mentions St. John the Evangelist Church in Hurst Green, noted as being a few yards south of the E-line. The church, originally from 1913, was rebuilt after a fire in the late 1980s and features artwork including a dragon in a stained-glass window and an angel image outside. Another location, The Waldrons, a residential road, is also aligned on the E-Line, with red-coloured pavements seemingly highlighting the line. Beyond this, a pine tree, visible earlier from Broadham Green, is identified at TQ 394 514, west of Woodhurst Lane.

Tilburstow Hill

Moving towards Oxted, photos taken on Tilburstow Hill, near Godstone, are presented. One photo at TQ 345 500 looks south-west along the E-Line, with pine trees on the right pointing downwards. Another photo shows a chestnut tree at TQ 346 499, approximately 100 metres south of the E-Line.

Conclusion on E-Line in East Surrey

Shave concludes that the E-Line in East Surrey appears to be highlighted by both natural and man-made markers.

Another Buckingham Palace Ley!

This section discusses a ley connected to Buckingham Palace, which passes through nine churches on the West London O.S. map, including Sunningdale Church ley centre, where it meets Alfred Watkins' Silchester Ley and a Roman road. The ley also passes through Fostercourt Lodge and the Great Fosters moat, which dates back to Saxon times and may have Roman origins. The moat is described as a ley centre with its leys meeting at a large sundial.

The centre at Buckingham Palace is identified not as the building itself, but the Victoria Monument outside. This ley meets the previously found Buckingham Palace Ley and Chris Street's London Axis Ley. The article notes the popularity of a website dedicated to the royal ley.

The ley originates from Sunningdale Church, passing through the A30 crossroads, Callo w Hill, Fostercourt Lodge, and the Great Fosters moat. It continues through Knowle Green, Staines, a county boundary, and a non-towered church by the A34. It then proceeds through churches in Whitton, North Sheen (the Barn Church, originally a barn rebuilt as a church), Barnes, Fulham, and Brompton before reaching Buckingham Palace.

Sandy Lane Barrow on Sunningdale-Wimbledon Ley

Lionel Beer reports on a Bronze Age barrow in Sandy Lane, Teddington, whose last traces were removed in 2004. Local historian Ken Howe has researched its history, exploring questions about its origin and purpose. Howe's research, compiled in a booklet, covers the barrow's story from the 1800s to the present, involving archaeological work and investigation. The article notes that the barrow is part of a ley passing from Sunningdale Church, a confirmation of Watkins' work. This ley runs south of Thorpe Church, through Laleham Church, the Round Plantation in Bushy Park, the Sandy Lane barrow site, a mound in Richmond Park, skirts Caesar's Camp, and reaches St. Mary's Church in Wimbledon.

UFO at Cuffley

This report details a UFO sighting on Sunday, June 25th, in Cuffley, observed by five members of the Travel and Earth Mysteries Society. The object was described as a small black round object moving at a constant speed. Through binoculars, it appeared as a disc shape tumbling over and over, repeatedly showing circular and flat shapes. The sighting occurred on a warm, lightly clouded evening. While the trajectory could be that of a balloon, the tumbling motion and shape suggested otherwise.

The Elusive E-Line by Chris Doherty

Chris Doherty discusses his work in creating electronic maps and programs for drawing leylines, emphasizing their accuracy in showing angles to north and extending lines over long distances. He explains the challenges of using paper maps and rulers due to potential alignment errors. Doherty's E-line mapping was initially based on dowsing points at South Holmwood and Wormley, yielding a line of 73.42 degrees from North. Extending this to Cornwall placed it near St Just, and it corresponded with the June 21 sunrise. Further alignments were added in South Nutfield and Limpsfield. He notes that on April 1st, 2006, Eileen dowsed at Wormley church and Grayshott Hall.

Doherty recounts issues with aligning the line through churches in S.Nutfield, S.Holmwood, and Blackmoor, attributing a discrepancy to the Ordnance Survey marking of the actual church in Holmwood. He suggests there might be two parallel lines in the area. The line originating from Wormley at 73.5614245 degrees goes south of S.Nutfield church and through Oxted church, while another line at 73.73 degrees passes through South Nutfield and Blackmoor churches.

He also mentions a potential ley through Cheesefoot car park at a different angle (76 degrees), which doesn't fit the E-line calculations, suggesting it might be a different line. Doherty also describes his method of detecting leylines using a single rod, differentiating them by direction, and mentions finding alignments at Purley, Streatham, and Whitely.

Other Items

Books and Booklets

• The Hidden Unity and Beginnings: Explores subconscious siting of ley points, the predominance of worship places on leys, and the irrelevance of doctrine. It investigates two ley centres: the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking and the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Scunthorpe. Includes an appendix on the significance of Pagan religion and is illustrated with photographs and line drawings. (£2 + 30p p&p)
• Beginnings: A series of discoveries including earth energy detection, natural antigravity, subconscious siting, and ley width. It also covers cognitive dissonance and concludes with Alfred Watkins' discovery of leys. (£2 + 30p p&p)
• Earth People, Space People: A booklet based on Tony Wedd's 1961 manuscript detailing extraterrestrial contact claims. It includes articles on the STAR Fellowship, evidence for life in the Solar System, and extraterrestrial language. (£2 + 30p p&p)
• The Legacy of Tony Wedd: A CD-ROM of Tony Wedd's travelling exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology. (£12)

MEYN MAMVRO

An advertisement for "Meyn Mamvro: Ancient stones & sacred sites in Cornwall," offering guides and books on Cornish earth energies, sacred sites, ley paths, pre-history, and folklore. Subscription details are also provided.

Touchstone Subscription

Information on subscribing to Touchstone, the newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, for £2 for four quarterly issues.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are leylines, earth energies, and UFO phenomena, reflecting the focus of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group. The editorial stance appears to be one of investigative curiosity, presenting research and observations from various contributors, encouraging readers to explore these phenomena further. The publication promotes a community of like-minded individuals through its newsletter and event listings.