‘’These are the aspects of our experience of nature that cannot be offset; the history of a place cannot be traded off against the history of another place; you can’t erase the history of one location and just put some more history somewhere else. Weird woods are singular places with very specific energies.’’

Woods. Mysterious, formidable, haunting. Haunted. The forests of Britain signify the land’s history, the legendary past, the folklore, the ghostly, and the supernatural. The unknown. Whether we read about an orchard, a park in a crowded urban area or a dark forest, whether we travel from Scotland to Wales, from London to Yorkshire, the ‘’weird woods’’ of these marvellous stories hide bewilderment and sensuality. They stand for heroic deeds and murderous secrets. And all along the way, we are reminded of Nature’s power and our own insignificant mortality…

The Whisper in the Wood (Anon): A husband disappears in Wistman’s Wood in Dartmoor. Twenty years later, his son will experience an uncanny adventure in this most mystical of places.

‘’The church looked at its best and weirdest on that night, for the shadows of the yew trees fell through the windows upon the floor of the nave and touched the pillars with tattered shade. We sat down together without speaking, and watched the solemn beauty of the old church, with some of that awe which inspired its early builders.’’

Man-Size in Marble (Edith Nesbit): 31st of October. An old church, a bierbalk, a young couple, and an old legend. A marvellous, quintessentially British Gothic tale. Outstandingly atmospheric, it made me shiver on a hot June evening.

The Striding Place (Gertrude Atherton): A dark, enchanting forest and a river in North Yorkshire allure and punish…

‘’The little village of St. Faith’s nestles in a hollow of wooded hill up on the north bank of the river Fawn in the country of Hampshire, huddling close round its grey Norman church as if for spiritual protection against the fays and fairies, the trolls and ‘’little people’’, who might be supposed still to linger in the vast empty spaces of the New Forest, and to come after dusk and do their doubtful businesses.’’

The Man Who Went Too Far (E.F.Benson): Two friends meet again. Frank seems younger and there is something otherwordly about him. The New Forest hides many secrets and a dreadful one is revealed in this Folk Horror story that makes excellent use of the archetypal figure of Pan…or should I say ‘’Lucifer’’? Lovely summer images walk side-by-side with the grotesque.

An Old Thorn (W.H.Hudson): An ancient hawthorn found close to a village in Wiltshire may just be the evil cousin to the Glastonbury Tree.

The White Lady of Rownam Avenue, Near Stirling (Elliot O’Donnell): A White Lady haunts an avenue of trees in a story set in Scotland.

Ancient Lights (Algernon Blackwood): A story about the consequences we have to face when we think we are able to ‘’adjust’’, or even worse, ‘’improve’’ on Nature. Set in West Sussex.

‘’This is my name- tree,’’ she said. ‘’Do you know the old belief about name- trees? If the tree dies, you die. If you sicken, the tree withers, If you desert it, a curse falls.’’

The Name-Tree (Mary Webb): A beautiful cherry orchard is threatened by the ambition of new -and ruthless- owners. A young woman is ready to sacrifice everything to protect it. Dark sensuality and the need for independence that comes at a terrible price form the essence of my favourite story in this beautiful collection.

The Tree (Walter de la Mare): A story that links colonialism and the repercussions of imperial Britain to Nature and its children.

‘’He Made a Woman’’ (Marjorie Bowen): In another outstanding story, the myths of Wales that are marvellously represented in The Mabinogion still influence the ones who live close to its woodland. The haunting presence of the tragic Blodeuwedd permeates the tale and the result is one of the most memorable stories you’ll ever read.

‘’That which walks in Betton Wood
Knows why it walks or why it cries.’’

A Neighbour’s Landmark (M.R.James): A fragment of a mysterious verse indicates the hair-raising presence of a spirit in Betton Wood. Regardless of the fact that M.R.James chooses to set his story in a fictional location, the power of the haunting and the poignancy of its message (the effects of landownership) create an extremely tense atmosphere.

N (Arthur Machen): I always believed that there are quite a few secrets to be found within the woods of a primarily urban area. This story, set in Stoke Newington, seems to agree with me.

‘’Come with me to Wales. I think you would like me place.’’
Charnock accepted; he knew that Blantyre lived in scenes of complete isolation in a remote valley, among the hills haunted by many a mysterious legend, the setting of some of the oldest tales of Europe, and this disturbed him, for he was very sensitive to the influences of the past; yet for Blantyre’s sake he went.
It was October; the strangest month in the year, Blantyre always said, culminating in the awful vigil of the last day which has some mystic meaning now lost.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )

Weird Woods: Tales From the Haunted Forests of Britain, edited by John Miller, is another strong entry in the British Library Tales of the Weird series. The atmospheric British woodlands, legendary habitat for all manner of ghosts, goblins, and assorted other spectral beings, are indeed fertile ground for the weird. Who hasn’t felt a subtle yet unmistakable sense foreboding at some point (or always!) in such surroundings? Of note in this collection, sometimes the supernatural forces may be manifest in just a solitary tree looming off in the distance or just overhead….

The Whisper in the Wind - Anonymous…. A wonderful choice to open the anthology is this ghostly story of the disappearance of a young man newly married. The author shines in this touching story with some fine narrative descriptions of the the strange moorland not unlike those that nature writers like Roger Deakin and Robert Macfarlane might offer.

Man-size in Marble - Edith Nesbit…. The classic tale of the mysterious marble figures at each side of the altar in the church at Breznett has but a tangential connection to the weird woods theme, but it is a welcomed addition to any anthology.

The Striding Place - Gertrude Atherton…. Wyatt Gifford has gone missing near a Yorkshire wood, and his friend Weigall seeks to find him. The ending is weak and unsatisfying, but it does sort of fit a vague otherworldly notion presented early on in the story.

The Man Who Went Too Far - E.F. Benson…. The brief prologue which opens the story clearly foreshadows the climax, but this is still a captivating tale of a man whose communion with Nature brings him renewed youth and joy - until he, of course, goes a bit too far.

An Old Thorn - W.H. Hudson…. Augmented by some fine nature writing embedded within, this is a haunting story of a strange old thorn tree with a long memory of any transgression against it.

The White Lady of Rownam Avenue, Near Stirling - Elliot O’Donnell…. Anxious to see an actual ghost, a boy ventures to the Rownam Manor House where the legendary White Lady has been known to haunt. He, of course, experiences a bit more than he bargained for.

Ancient Lights - Algernon Blackwood…. A surveyor’s clerk inspects a section of woods that a client landowner wishes to have removed so as to improve the view from his house. Blackwood’s masterful descriptions of the clerk’s harrowing adventure evoke a true mind-bending nightmare.

The Name-Tree - Mary Webb…. A veil of dark beauty hovers over this melancholy tale of a woman’s deep attachment to her beloved Cherry Orchard.

The Tree - Walter de la Mare…. A fruit merchant purchases an exotic tree from his half-brother. When the merchant discovers that the tree is dead, he suspects that his relation has murdered it. Either the story is a bit dense or I am, but I could just not connect with this one.

He Made a Woman - Marjorie Bowen…. World-weary Edmund Charnock, eager to get away and find a spot remote enough to leave all human thoughts, inventions, and emotions behind, agrees to travel to Wales with his friend Blantyre. There he is captivated by Blantyre’s charming young ward Blodeuwedd. An effective little fairy tale that speaks to the elusive quest for a bit of fantasy in a world of harsh reality.

A Neighbor’s Landmark - M.R. James…. The history behind the ominous words of an old country song - “That which walks in Betton Woods, Knows why it walks or why it cries” is revealed. Not one of James’s best, but still worthwhile even for just the enjoyment of his signature style.

N - Arthur Machen…. Three middle-aged chaps ruminate on the bygone urban landscape of London. The subject meanders to Canon’s Park, an amazing place of great beauty and wonders that one heard tell was once up suburban Stoke Newington way… But as the others can recall no such place, the question they ponder is - Did it ever actually exist? Machen is in fine form here, teasing out a possible solution to this mystery. ( )