Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Essex

Beast of Essex / Big Cats / Cryptozoology

Beast Of Essex: Between Colchester and Lawford

On 28th March 2008 the Daily Gazette featured an article by Lauren Oldershaw entitled ‘Colchester: Fresh ‘beast’ sighting’ in which she detailed a witness account of a large black cat sighting.

‘Another sighting has been made of the elusive so-called beast of Essex.

Beast of Essex / Big Cats / Cryptozoology

Beast Of Essex: Mersea

On 18th May 2007 the Daily Gazette featured an article by Louise Sassoon entitled ‘Mersea: Big cat spotted’. The article detailed the sighting of a creature described as a Lynx.

Pensioner Patricia Seagroatt had the shock of her life after she went for a morning stroll – and came eye to eye with a lynx-like cat the size of a labrador.

Beast of Essex / Big Cats / Cryptozoology

Beast Of Essex: Great Bentley

On 3rd January 2007, the Daily Gazette featured an article entitled ‘Great Bentley: Mystery beast in accident’ by Jonathan Schofield, which detailed an encounter with what could have been the Beast of Essex.

’A young woman had a lucky escape when her car hit a tree after swerving to avoid a large animal.

Haunted Pubs / Hauntings

The Bell Inn, Sible Hedingham

One room is said to be haunted by a young girl with black hair that has been known to suddely whip the bedclothes from people staying in her room. There could also be the ghost of an old man who knocks on the bedroom doors. The Inn has a 300-year-old history.

UFO Sightings / UFOs

Southend-on-Sea UFO (1954)

14 October 1954 while flying over the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea, at about 4.15pm, Flight Lieutenant James Saladin ,who was piloting a Gloster Meteor Mark VIII, spotted three objects approaching him. Two of these objects, one gold and one silver, flew to either side of his aircraft, and one directly in his flight path. He submitted a report of the incident to his airbase.

UFO Abductions / UFOs

Aveley Abduction (1974)

This is a famous case within the annals of UFO history, but it must be stressed that the abduction scenario only emerged after hypnotic regression, which at best is highly unreliable.

On 27th October 1974 John and Alain Avis (pseudonyms) were driving home to Aveley with their three children, when they ran into a green fog.