Documenting Britain's Architectural Heritage Since 1987
First comprehensive examination of the east wing. The proportional relationships Sir William employed defy conventional Gothic Revival practice. Vertical elements are elongated approximately 7% beyond standard ratios, creating a subtle sense of distortion visible only when directly compared to the west wing.
Miss Blackthorn declined to accompany me beyond the grand ballroom, citing "family tradition" regarding the upper floors.
Arrived at Blackthorn Manor 10:00 AM. Met by Miss Margaret Blackthorn, approximately 34 years of age. She is the sole remaining family member residing on the property, though I understand she maintains a residence in London as well.
First impressions: The manor is larger than photographs suggested. External proportions appear conventional Gothic Revival, yet something in the overall effect creates unease. Cannot pinpoint architectural cause. Perhaps mere atmosphere.
Miss Blackthorn was gracious but set clear boundaries. The east wing is accessible only on specific dates she will provide. She would not elaborate on the reason for this restriction.
She knows. She knows what the house contains. Why did she agree to this study?
Began detailed measurements of the central block. Standard Victorian proportions throughout ground floor. However, measurements of the corridor connecting to east wing present anomalies I cannot explain.
Corridor length (external observation): 12.3 meters
Corridor length (internal measurement): 14.7 meters
Repeated measurements three times. Same result. Will return with additional equipment. Possible instrument error.
Miss Blackthorn permitted entry to east wing today. She accompanied me throughout, watching my reactions closely. I had the distinct impression she was testing me somehow.
The proportional distortions continue throughout the wing. Every doorway feels wrong. My body knows before my mind calculates. The mathematical inconsistencies I documented in the connecting corridor are present in every room.
The eastern corner room on the third floor was locked. Miss Blackthorn said it was "not relevant to architectural study." Her hand trembled as she spoke.
Note to self: Do not return to that door. Do not ask about that room.
I asked anyway. God help me, I asked.
Documented unusual acoustic properties in the eastern corner room. Sounds appear to originate from points inconsistent with their source locations. My recording equipment produced results I cannot explain through conventional acoustics.
Miss Blackthorn suggested these were "architectural curiosities" and changed the subject.
Miss Blackthorn invited me to observe the property at night. "The equinox reveals certain architectural features not visible in daylight," she said. I did not understand her meaning until approximately 3:30 AM.
The shadows do not behave correctly in the east wing. They move against the light source. They move independently. They
I heard whispers from the walls. Miss Blackthorn heard nothing—or claimed to hear nothing. The whispers were distinct. Seven voices, speaking in unison, in a language I do not recognize.
Miss Blackthorn found me standing in the garden at dawn. She said I had been there for four hours. I remember only minutes.
I must not include this in the published study. This cannot be included. No one would believe it. I barely believe it.
Finally granted access to "The Apparatus" in the east wing attic. Complex system of brass gears, copper tubing, and precisely positioned mirrors. Purpose unclear—Miss Blackthorn described it only as "grandfather's astronomical equipment."
The mechanism appears to channel light from the observatory below to various points throughout the house via reflective conduits. Certain components rotate in patterns that appear mechanically impossible when viewed from a single perspective.
Archive Note: The following entry was found loose in Prof. Finch's notebook, written on different paper and apparently added later. Handwriting analysis suggests it was written under significant distress.
I took photographs of the eastern corner room. I should not have taken photographs of the eastern corner room.
The room was empty. I verified this before each exposure. The room was empty.
The photographs do not show an empty room.
Seven figures stand in the reflection of the window glass. They are looking at the camera. They are looking at me. They know my name. They said my name when I developed the photographs. The photographs spoke my name.
Margaret has asked me to destroy the photographs. She explained about "The Agreement." Her great-grandfather made a bargain with something in 1869. The family has been bound to it ever since.
The Watchers must not be documented. The Watchers must not be seen. The Agreement forbids it.
I will destroy the photographs.
I could not destroy them. They will not burn. They will not tear. The figures smile when I try.
I cannot include the following observations in the published work. Miss Blackthorn has been explicit regarding the boundaries of our agreement. However, for my own records:
████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████ Shadows moving against light sources ████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████ temperature fluctuations defying thermodynamic principles ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I have completed my survey. The published study will focus exclusively on conventional architectural elements. The proportional anomalies will be mentioned but attributed to measurement inconsistencies. The acoustic properties will be noted as curiosities.
I will not mention the eastern corner room.
I will not mention The Agreement.
I will not mention the Watchers.
I will not mention the door that is not a door.
Margaret has my word. The Blackthorn family has kept this secret for nearly a century. I will not be the one to break their silence.
But I hear them now. Even at Cambridge. They whisper my name at 3:33 AM. Every night. They remember me.
Archive Note: Professor Finch died in 1989. His colleagues noted a significant change in his demeanor following the Blackthorn study. He never returned to the property, and reportedly refused to discuss it for the remainder of his life. His personal papers, including the original field notebooks, were donated to the Preservation Society by his estate with instructions that "the truth should be available to those who seek it."