DEVILS BRIDGE
Nettleden,
Hertfordshire
2011
Devils Bridge, in Nettleden, Hertfordshire has had a reputation locally for being haunted as long as anyone can remember. It certainly looks the part ....It's known locally as 'Devils Bridge' but no-one seems to know how, or why it obtained this macabre name.
During our research we found no mention of it being called 'Devils' Bridge in local history books,nor did we find any evidence of it's supposed dark and bloody history, most of which seems to have come from local legend and passed down by word-of-mouth through the years.
It's the sort of place that local youngsters have been going to after dark for years in search of a 'thrill' or two - indeed those youngsters have included a couple of local group members in their earlier years though they seemed coy when pressed on exactly why they went there.....
Most of the group present had heard of 'Devils Bridge' and some of the tales attached to the place. These included the most popularly heard 'myth' about two farmers each of which owned land seperated by the bridge. Both supposedly had a fight on top of the bridge over who had right of way, with each proclaiming ownership. During the fight one farmer was brutally murdered by the other and so still haunts the bridge, unable to leave due to his untimely demise.
A variation on this is that the farmer who won the fight still haunts the bridge, protecting his right of way after death. There is some evidence of truth to this story - there are indeed 2 seperate fields divided by the bridge, but, for as long as anyone can remember the bridge has been part of a public walkway, so may not have belonged to either farmer to begin with.
Another seemingly well - known version is that the bridge and the road itself was built by a rich landowner for his own use, and that he despised the poorer people of the area using it, he still haunts it to stop people using 'his' bridge.
As well as these, several apparitions have said to have been seen on and around the bridge over time, including a ghostly monk and a strange dog-like creature. Again - there is no evidence to support these other than stories told over the years.
The Bridge itself is on top of the deep earthwork cuttings that run alongside the man-made structure and links 2 seperate fields. There is a public pathway to the top of the bridge, with clear views of the road below. From the top of the embankments, and the bridge itself there is a steep drop. The road itself is usable, and attracts walkers, however during our time there not one car passed through the bridge and down the road.
THE WALKWAY TO THE BRIDGE
Along one side of the road the embankment leading to the bridge has a public walkway accessible by a small flight of stone stairs at the beginning of the road. The walk itself is fairly steep to reach the bridge, and for part of the way you need to hold onto some sturdy branches to make your way up. It's not for anyone with a fear of heights - there is little in the way of barriers alongside the walkway and it's quite a steep fall the further up you go. One of the things felt by most people who walked up there during the night is that someone was going to push them off the edge down the embankment and into the road below. - Fortunately this didn't happen!During the evening, several members went up to the bridge - some alone and some in pairs. One person walking up there, on reaching the top, felt that their ear was 'flicked' from behind. They turned around and quickly took a photo, which showed an 'anomaly' which seemed to be moving.
OTHER OCCURENCES
We had a few notable occurences during our time at Devils Bridge. One member of the group who had left on their own to try some EVP further down the road heard the sound of rocks being thrown down from the sides, and on listening back to the recording there is a loud 'ticking' sound before the sound of the stones falling. No other group member was in the area at the time, and no-one else was in the area to our knowledge.
The other EVP session we tried under the bridge gave no results, but one group member at the time saw a pair of legs outside the bridge - again, there was no-one else there (and unknown to us at the time another group member had heard about 'disembodied legs' being seen in the same area)
There were a few pictures that showed 'anomalies' - mostly 'orbs' but some others of a mist on top of the bridge - one picture showing lots of 'orbs' could be attributed to dust.
Lastly, when filming was taking place a whispering voice can be heard to say 'Gary' in reply - it is not one of the groups voices, and no-one at the time admits to saying it.
SEANCE
Despite the uneven terrain, and the wind which came through the bridge we managed to use a Ouija Board which we had made on a tripod, so it was surprisingly stable - we would also have to move it quickly if a car did come past - fortunately we didn't need to. However, a car did park at the bottom of the road during our session,a nd, thinking it was coming towards us we hurredly finished.
Unfortunately, because of this we couldn't continue the Seance for as long as we would have liked, but we did manage to get some conversation from a spirit called 'Kast' who said that he was a monk from Ashridge who had lived during the 14th century.
We asked why he remained at the site and he said because he was 'sad' - we asked various questions including 'were you murdered here?' to which he replied - 'yes'. When asked why, he spelt the word 'secret' . We could not obtain much more information as although some people present said they 'felt' a presence when the seance had started, it was althogh the presence had moved away and was watching from a distance and no longer wanted to communicate with us.
We bid farewell to 'Kast' and left Devils Bridge.
CONCLUSION
We had heard so much about 'Devils Bridge' over the years that we went there with high expectations. It certainly lives up to it's reputation as a 'Spooky Lane' and to look at the bridge as you approach the area is extremely atmospheric and foreboding.
We did have a few notable occurences during the night, but personally, the place wasn't as active as I'd hoped it would be! - I wouldn't want to walk along it alone at night, but in a group you feel safe enough.
Our research after found one thing of note - the name 'Kast' is a very early Germanic name, and comes from a variation of the name 'Christian' . It would be highly unlikely that anyone in the group would have known this beforehand to influence the response in anyway. Also there were monks at Ashridge during the time we were given during our Seance, but unfortunately at least one of the group had known this and if anyone has read local history it's a pretty well-known fact.
It's a shame we could not have continued the seance longer in order to find out anything more on 'Kast' and the secret which had him murdered - maybe in time we shall return to 'Devils' Bridge.
Report, Words and Pictures property of Gateway Paranormal Society 2011.
