I HAVE always had a fascination with the history of West Wycombe, the Dashwood family, the Hell Fire Caves, and the strange ‘Golden Ball’ church and Mausoleum on top of the hill, and I possess a large collection of associated pictures, writes Michael Eagleton.

A few years ago this column included my story of being given a very creepy candlestick apparently found in the caves in the early 1950s when they were being cleared and made safer in order to officially open them to the public.

Before this date you could apparently persuade (or bribe) a Mr Smallwood who lived in a house opposite, and who had a key, to let you in ‘at your own risk’ with a candle to light the way.

There are also stories of unauthorised entries into the caves before the Second World War for Black Magic gatherings in the style of Dennis Wheatley, the author of To The Devil A Daughter and other similar books with unlikely storylines. Printed back then, the picture of my candlestick in that Marlow Free Press column got rather truncated, so I have repeated it today.

However the first meeting place for the Hell Fire Club (The ‘Society of the Monks of St. Francis’) and their outlandish activities was the Dashwood-owned Medmenham Abbey, the move to West Wycombe being necessitated by violent protests by the Medmenham villagers.

The society was associated with strange happenings throughout the countryside.

Local tradition still records that on the nights of club meetings the villagers would lock their doors, put out their lights, and sit cowering in the dark, in fear lest they should attract the monks’ attention.

The abbey is best seen from the river or from the towpath opposite, reached from Hurley or from Frogmill Lane.

It is not as old as it looks: the ‘ruined’ tower and other additions were the idea of Francis Dashwood prior to the Hellfire meetings.

As with West Wycombe I have a sizeable number of pictures, mostly given to me by photographer/historians Barrie Lea and Arthur Boarder, both who obviously had access to the abbey and the grounds, not usually open to the public, and I was especially interested in one of Barrie’s photos which showed that, over a doorway, the motto of the ‘monks’ could still be seen; ‘Fay Ce Que Voudras’ (‘Do as you please’).

Other pictures came from Joe Guttridge, who has family connections with the abbey and the former ferry across to the Hurley bank.

However I have one A4 sheet that did nor originate with any of these three gentlemen, its provenance is a mystery.

It is the main picture above and is a plan of the abbey and the alterations and additions over the centuries.

Whoever drew this has misspelt ‘refectory’! Any thoughts on the ‘artist’ very welcome. The green corner is not noted but this is the ‘ruined’ tower, whilst I think that the doorway with the motto is just behind this in the blue section.

Returning to Joe Guttridge’s pictures, I have taken a chance and included a postcard that defies all attempts to improve the very poor quality and the damage.

It depicts a royal visit to the abbey, and probably the Abbey Hotel that existed back then in 1916.

I have added a tiny insert of the card’s reverse side, which even if I had made it much bigger would have been almost impossible to read, but I have done my best... ‘King George V with Queen Mary and Edward Prince Of Wales and Prince Albert crossed the ferry on April 19th 1916 to the Abbey lawns. H.Guttridge, ferryman, Abbey Cottages, Medmenham, Bucks.’

That must be one of the rarest things ever in this column, so I hope the quality will be excused.

Finally. the picture of the abbey was taken by me - just a little bit clearer!

Contact Michael at michael@jazzfans.co or 01628 486571.