We set out to dowse All Saints churchyard to pick up the St Michael and St Mary (MM) line from our last visit and follow it into town. But as were walking to the church, something ‘called’ to us for no good reason and we suddenly found ourselves walking along Judge’s Lane instead! Well, okay then, lets go with the flow.
We came to the end where the gate leads into The Cedars School and we couldn’t help noticing two extremely tall, elegant gate pillars which Jackie mused might have belonged to the Prebendal House which had been knocked down a long time ago. We walked back along Judges Lane and noticed an old ivy-covered wall in the car park behind the beautiful Georgian offices. We dowsed and it was confirmed that it was part of the wall to the aforementioned Prebendal House. Ah Ha! Perhaps this was what we were meant to do instead.
Jackie said that Prebendal House had had a terraced Pleasure Garden and Sian vaguely remembered that the grounds belonging to Pulford School, behind the church, might have been terraced. We walked to the gate leading into the grounds, and sure enough there were definite terraces adjoining the boundary with the churchyard. So, next stop, to actually go inside the churchyard, where we followed the boundary wall above these terraces to the far corner. We looked over the wall to see a beautiful Cedar of Lebanon tree (see top) with box hedges and pathways round it. This must have been part of the Pleasure Gardens as well. We could just imagine ladies with full skirts and parasols strolling under the tree and along the paths and terraces.
Jackie dowsed to see if the Prebendal House had been part of the churchyard and yes, it had been. We were staggered to see the size of the gardens which seemed to stretch right down to the river, along past the church, and right up to Riverside.
We thought we had finished with Prebendal House and so decided to carry on with what we first came here to do; namely the MM line and we were able to pick the line up again very easily. It took us out of the churchyard through the front gate, past the Georgian Terrace and into (believe it or not) the Riverside car park! Riverside is by the Cedars School, which was built on the site of the Prebendal House. We now feel certain that the MM line runs through the gardens of the Prebendal House to the river.
And then, yet another of the amazing coincidences that the universe sends us, we met Ron, the site manager of Cedars school, who has extensive knowledge about the school, the grounds and its history. He knew about Prebendal House and told us that there is going to be an archaeology dig there shortly. He said that there was a temple, an ancient well and a dove house in the grounds and invited us to visit the grounds and dowse there. How exciting! We will most certainly take up his kind offer. Watch this blog!
