Curious England: A Guide: Volume One

by H.E. Bulstrode

Illustrated with 113 photographs. Inside you will find ghost stories; tales of vanished villages and the Devil’s many, and often incompetent, works; curious carvings in stone and wood; tall tales and prehistoric monuments; enigmatic echoes of a lost pagan past, and the occasionally deadly beauty of the English countryside.This casual and idiosyncratic guide to some of the folkloric and historical curiosities of rural England, its towns and smaller cities, is meant primarily for the reader’s entertainment and enjoyment; it is not intended to be an academic tract. It is by no means comprehensive, such is the vast scope of its subject matter, and a second volume is in the works. What it provides are a few pointers regarding what to look out for, and what to be aware of, whilst you explore the areas covered within these pages. It may be said to be a travel companion of sorts, as well as a time machine; a ramshackle vehicle into the peculiar realms of folkloric memory.Kindle users should check device compatibility by downloading and viewing the sample before purchase.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2021

About the author

The author's childhood and formative years were spent in the English West Country, a region in which reality and fantasy are frequently confused, and where what elsewhere would be taken as peculiar, regarded as nothing more than an everyday occurrence. Soaked in myth, folklore and cider, his imagination eventually whirred into life and prompted him to pen, or at least type, a number of understated tales of the uncanny, drawing upon his wry observations of esoteric subcultures and beliefs, and the rich store of lore that seems locked into the land itself.

From the mist, the frost, and the wind, comes something ambling through the murk, seeking to ensnare the unwary: a village cunning man; a malignant Jacobean mannequin; a psychedelic Crowley wannabe; the sickle-wielding spirit of old Dorset; a pious guide who emerges from the fabric of a venerable minster; a mediaeval animalistic heretic with a still beating heart. Ghost stories, bizarre rites, and mental disintegration populate a world in which the living and the dead meet in an eternal present, and the author dares - the most horrific thing of all - to use adverbs where appropriate.

His tales have frequently been compared to the likes of those encountered in Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone, but the Bulstrodian world, as you will discover, is a realm unto itself, and quite distinct from either.

He is currently working on a number of future publications, including a 1970s ghost story set in the Somerset Levels, a novel set in 17th-century Cornwall in which the reader will encounter a heady mix of superstition, piracy and religious fanaticism, and a third anthology of supernatural fiction.