The Foxearth and District Local History Society

Borley Rectory Pictures

A collection of pictures of Borley Rectory

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To get pictures of a size suitable for printing or close inspection click on the picture or the accompanying text. Please remember that we are very much on the lookout for pictures of Borley Rectory in order to make a comprehensive collection here.
The photographs themselves are scanned in sufficient quality to provide an A4 photograph is a quality that is almost indistinguishable from the original

Harry Price, as he liked to be imagined.
Borley Church in a photograph taken before WW1
A view of Borley Church used for cards
The model of Borley Rectory showing the window of the 'blue room'
The model of Borley Rectory showing the large kitchen chimney.
The model of Borley Rectory, showing the windows of Bedroom 4 and 5 on the north-east corner.
A close-up of the model of Borley Rectory's summerhouse
The model of Borley Rectory even included the gate
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The cistern in the cellars, in a view taken during demolition
Borley rectory during demolition
Excavating the cellars of Borley Rectory during the Price Tenancy
Marianne Foyster with her adopted baby John.
The plan of the first floor of Borley Rectory done by Mr Glanville
Borley Rectory in 1890. The veranda overlooked a huge tennis-court
The south east façade of Borley Rectory looking out over the old Tennis Court in 1929.
Many photos were taken by visitors of the east facade of the rectory after the fire
A view of the south and east wing.
Borley Rectory East view after the fire
Rectory exterior after the fire
The north east corner of the rectory after the fire
The rectory unoccupied, a view from the driveway
The Summerhouse of Borley Rectory. This was said to be the spot from where Harry Bull used to see the ghost.
The Rev Smith and VC Wall, the reporter from the Daily Mirror that broke the story of the Ghost, standing by the summerhouse
The Lower Hall, looking from the passage to the front door towards the drawing room door. The door at the end of the passage led out into the vegetable garden (known as the 'potato patch') and Glasshouse.
The upper halllooking toward the chapel. The chapel itself was tiny, and most of what is visible is the bedroom bassage. The effect of the stained-glass window was achieved by coloured paper.
The Drawing Room of Borley Rectory in 1890
The kitchen passage looking from the dining room. The 'Back Stairs (Servants stairs) can just be seen in the distance.
The kitchen passage looking from the litchen
Room no. 5 in the rectory interior.
The bedroom known as the 'School Room' next to the 'Blue Room'. Marked as Bedroom 7 on the maps.
The cellars after the fire.
One of Price's 'Official Observers' in the Library
The spirit writing, requesting 'get a priest'
Trevor Hall, who was part of the team from the Society of Psychical Research who debunked the affair of Borley Rectory, and who went on to expose Harry Price's various other deceptions.
A sample of the wall writing, which had been 'enhanced' to get a clearer photograph.
The model of Borley Rectory, a close-up of the dining room windows
The model of Borley Rectory as would be seen from the tennis court
Roger Glanville and Mark Kerr-Pearce. Two of Price's keenest 'Official Observers'
A signed picture of Harry Price. The photograph was believed to have once been in the possession of his secretary Lucie Kaye
Mary Tatum, who worked as maid for Rev Eric Smith, seen showing where the ghost was said to have been seen
The model of Borley Rectory showing the drive, kitchen window and entrance porch.
The model of the summer house
Harry Price in his laboratory
The Rectory Cottage, after the demolition of the rectory. The Cottage actually predated the rectory and was a rebuilding of an earler structure. The porch has been newly-built into the coachhouse door and the remains of the glass awning can be seen curving up towards the upper window.
The gate known romantically by some of the Bull Girls as the 'Postern Gate'
Borley Rectory East view before the fire
Borley Rectory, viewed from the road, showing the walled-up window.
A view of the ccourtyard, showing how cramped the access was
Happier days at the Rectory, when it was properly looked-after. Harry Bull stands proudly on the tennis-lawn. with his wife and step-daughter reclining. Beyond the tree onb the left was a well-tended vegetable garden and a glass-house, used to grow grapes.
The east view of the rectory during the Price tenancy.
The 'nuns walk'. This once was a view over neatly-kempt lawns. There is a low boundary wall in the distance. This path was used as a short-cut from Rodbridge down to Belchamp Brook, and across to Bulmer.
A tea-party at the rectory which included Guy Eric Smith and his wife Mabel, being entertained by Lione and Marianne Foyster. The other man is Lionel's brother Bernard.
The bathroom passage. There was a hatch here from which the bells downstairs could be rung by tugging the wires.
The 'Blue Room' which was the main bedroom in the house.
a view of the upstairs landing showing the interior of the 'blue room'
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Trevor Hall relaxing at Sidney Glanville's house in Pulborough. The two became good friends
The wall writing.
The model of Borley Rectory, a view of the kitchen wing
The model of Borley Rectory showing the grape house.
The Rectory Drive from the kitchen end looking toward the tennis courts.. Curiously, the drive was in much the same place when the previous rectory occupied the spot
The courtyard during the Price Tenency, much neglected and overgrown.
An aerial view of the church in the fifties showing the excavations of the site of the rectory
The model of Borley Rectory as it would be seen from the church tower.
The plan of the ground floor of Borley Rectory done by Mr Glanville
Borley Hall.
Borley Hall, owned at one time by the Waldegrave family.
The model of Borley Rectory, showing the strangely-cramped courtyard
Borley Church, in a slightly overgrown state in 1949
Harry Price with the Rev Henning at the internment of the bones at Liston Churchyard
A view of Borley Church, from the 1950s
The model of Borley Rectory
The rectory site taken after the demolition of the rectory and the clearance of the site.
The model of Borley Rectory showing the much-photographed east frontage
The plan of the excavation of the cellars
The churchyard, and Borley Rectory, taken from the church tower
The 'postern' gate
The covered way and hand-pump. The water supply to the rectory and cottage had to be pumped into a well-tank in the roof by hand using this pump. There were store-rooms behind the doors in the covered way.
Yet another view of the burned-out rectory, this one showing the grape house.
The gothic summerhouse at the end of the farden. This appears to be a very fine 'Strawberry-hill Gothic building designed to be seen in the distance from the house as a sort of miniature folly. It predates the rectory and must belong to the previous house
The Drawing room. during the Price Tenancy
The Dining room of Borley Rectory in 1990
The drawing room fireplace during the Price tenancy
The fron tall and main stairs. A stove was inserted to warm this area of the house a bit.
The 'Monkish figures' in the Dining Room fireplace
The old coat that caused excitement to the spiritualists
The upstairs landing outside the 'blue room'
Rev Harry Bull, towards the end of his life
The famous photograph of the 'flying brick'. The demolition man had just thrown it.
The famous 'Tunnel' under the road at Borley Rectory in 1957, with Len Sewell showing graphically how it could never have been designed for human use. Actually, it is a storm-water culvert draining the cellars of Borley Place
The picture of the demolition showing the so-called 'Flying Brick'.. (the demolition men were actually at work at the time)
The unmarried Bull girls with their mother after 1892
A detail of the1841 tithe map of Borley
The rectory during its demolition. This is the photo from which the 'flying brick' was clipped.
A map of Borley Rectory made by Mr Glanville
Marianne with a neighbour, Mrs Fenton at the time when she was running a flowershop with Frank Pearless, her former lodger and lover.
The model of Borley Rectory taken from the east
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The model of Borley Rectory showing the famous bricked-up window of the Dining Room.
Harry Price and Mollie Goldney on either side of Marianne and Lionel Foyster and their adopted daughter adelaide. Frank Jnr, the boy, was the son of the lodger.
The Rectory cottage that predated the rectory, but was rebuilt in the same style
Borley Rectory, showing a tennis match in 1896.
Marianne Foyster, who was found by several investigators, including Harry Price, to have faked the poltergeist phenomena at Borley Rectory. Photo taken around 1920
A model of the Borley Rectory Summerhouse
Marianne Foyster, when she was living in London with Frank Peerless.
The plan of the cellars of Borley Rectory
The Rectory soon after the fire, and before the gable ends blew down in a subsequent storm
Harry Price and his 'secretary', Lucie Kaye.
East view of the rectory before the fire
Harry Price with the Henning family interring the bones found in the cellar
Borley Rectory, taken from the Church Tower
A view of the 'front' door showing the bricked-up window that was blocked as people in the road could see the family at dinner. The Bull Girls invented the idea that it was bricked up to stop the ghostly nun peering in.
The ruins of the Rectory after the gables had blown down in a storm.
A view of Borley Rectory soon after the fire
The viw of the summer house from the rectory garden
An X Ray photograph of the left side of the jaw that was supposedly found in the cellars. It was later interred in Liston Churchyard