During our summer holiday we visited Mawnan in south-east Cornwall, where a peaceful old church nestles close to the cliff edge in a large churchyard that may be an ancient earthwork. A wedding had just finished and the church was locked, but we were interested in the churchyard and surrounding area.
The church and its environs were alleged to have been the scene - mainly in the mid-1970s - of the appearance of a strange entity known as 'Owlman'. More information here and here. The involvement of Doc Shiels with the investigation should also be noted. There are also parallels with Mothman.
In one encounter the flying creature was said to have hovered over the church tower. With the aid of my children we recreated this scene (see above). There is a beautiful walk from the church along a coastal path through trees to emerge into a spectacular view over the sea and the estuary of the Helford River. Sadly, owlman failed to swoop. Wandering through the churchyard a couple of fairly recent interments caught my eye: Hugh Scully, one-time Antiques Roadshow presenter (who I didn't know had died) and Patrick Woodroffe (1940-2014) who produced cover art for many Corgi science fiction novels in the 1970s and album covers (Budgie, Judas Priest, Pallas) including that archetypal prog behemoth Dave Greenslade's The Pentateuch of the Cosmogony, for which he also illustrated the accompanying book.
Another memorable visit was to the Poldark Tin Mine, where a knowledgable and expert guide took us around the damp underground passages.
Also had a chance to revisit the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, which gets a mention in Netherwood.
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