Ayot St Lawrence

Contents -- Click Site Name to view details

General
The Brocket Arms
Hollowdane Spring
Local Lanes
Shaw's Corner

A brief note about the area
The ghost of a monk in a brown habit
Trees that will bring you bad luck
The roar of Lawrence of Arabia's motorbike
George Bernard Shaw's ghost
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General

Ayot St Lawrence lies on a hill surrounded by beautiful countryside. The delightful village is a good centre for walking and cycling. One of the village's former residents was George Bernard Shaw, who lived at Shaw's Corner from 1906 until his death in 1950. The house is now preserved by the National Trust and is open to the public.

Accommodation can be found at The Brocket Arms, serving good beer and providing bed and breakfast and holiday accommodation.

The name is believed to derive from an Old English personal name and the word geat meaning ‘Aega's gate' and may refer to the gap between the two hills on which Ayot St Lawrence and Ayot St Peter stand. The St Lawrence part of the name derives from the church. In the Domesday Survey of 1086 the name appears as Aiete. In the 2001 Census the parish population was 112.

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The Brocket Arms

The haunting of the Brocket Arms started in 1969. The sounds of footsteps, thumping and strange utterances have been heard coming from the first floor. One witness, Terese Sweeney, was taking some sandwiches into the dining room when she saw a small man dressed as a monk in a brown habit and cowl. The man was bent over so she was unable to see his face then he promptly vanished. The next time he was seen was on a winters morning standing in the dining room doorway. He was described as having an emaciated face in a smoky haze. Again he suddenly vanished.

The Brocket Arms was built in 1378 and was once a hostelry for pilgrims. It is believed that the ghost is that of a monk who hanged himself in one of the rooms on the floor where the noises are heard. A poem written in 1940 on the wall of the bar has this to say about the monk:

A monk had ridden as he fled from the mob
Of howling villains who feared no god.
They slung him up to a beam in the bar
Declaring he should not have ridden so far.


This does contradict the previous paragraph as it says that the monk was murdered in the bar and not committed suicide upstairs. Another legend has it that he was hung for trying to burn the pub down.

The current landlord is troubled by alarms sounding at 03:00 when nothing has triggered them and they have been found to be working correctly. Since 1980 the landlord, Toby, has felt claustrophobic and even been overwhelmed by a feeling of panic whilst in some of the rooms of the building. One guest has even awoken in the morning to find burn marks on the tops of her feet which weren't there when she went to bed. Quite often Toby has felt as if there had been a fire inside the building at one time and another guest has seen the monk who appeared to be on fire.

The pub was one of the stopping off points for pilgrims on their way to St Albans Abbey and it also lies close to Minsden Chapel. Legend has it that a tunnel exists between the pub and the chapel or to the ruined church in the village.

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See also - Hertfordshire - Rush Green - Minsden Chapel

See also - Hertfordshire - St Albans - St Albans Abbey

To view a report about The Brocket Arms see: 16-09-2005

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Hollowdane Spring

To the northeast of Ayot St Lawrence stands Brimstone Wood and at the north end of this wood there is a rectangular patch of trees known as Hollowdane Spring. This clump of trees has a reputation for having an unpleasant atmosphere and, it is believed, anyone who enters the trees will experience bad luck. Legend has it that a witch was burnt to death where the trees now stand.

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Local Lanes

The leafy lanes of Ayot St Lawrence are said to be filled with the roar of Lawrence of Arabia's motorbike. Thomas Edward Lawrence, 1888-1935, was a frequent visitor to Shaw's home and Shaw based his character Private Meek in ‘Too Good to be True' on him.

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To view a report about Ayot St Lawrence see: 16-09-2005

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Shaw's Corner

Shaw's Corner was occupied by George Bernard Shaw from 1906 until his death in 1950. Shortly after Shaw died his housekeeper, Mrs Alice Laden, was clearing out the cupboards in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door. Without thinking she automatically said ‘Please come in, Mr Shaw'. To her surprise the door opened and there stood George Bernard Shaw looking just as he had when alive. The figure said “I heard a noise and thought you may have had an accident”. Mrs Laden was about to reply when she realised there was no longer anyone there.

A few days later George paid another visit to Mrs Laden. This time she heard his footsteps on the landing while she was standing at the bottom of the stairs and she heard him call “Are you there Mrs Laden?” After that the footsteps died away.

To view a map of the area click on the button below