I took Monty up to Wandelbury Hill today for a change of scene. Occupied since the Bronze Age, the hill is part of the Gog Magog Downs. Named after the mythical giants, Gog and Magog, the hills were long believed to be haunted and in fact hundreds of skeletons have been found there - probably because, as the highest place for miles around, it had an Iron Age hill fort and was no doubt the scene of many a bloody battle. I suspect the Fenlanders found it spooky because the altitude (a huge 247ft ;0)) affected their brains!
It's got a lovely old wood and chalk meadows and is a great place for wildlife and for kids to play although I'm sad to see that they've temporarily banned den building. Emma's Gate is a kissing gate between the wooded area and the farmland beyond and after a quick search I've found a blog from Emma's parents. It was donated by them in memory of their daughter who loved to play in Wandlebury as a child and was killed in a car accident in America at the age of 28. They say it's located to symbolise her movement from one life to another and although she wasn't a sit on a bench person she was a go through a gate and see where it leads person. They say it gives them great pleasure to hear children talking about 'Emma's Gate'.
I used to pass Gog and Magog many years ago when I lived in and around Saffron Walden, but never went up them. I rather wish I had now, but there's is still time!
Hi! I have just found this entry on your blog. I am Emma's mum and my husband and I have just returned from a trip to the gate at Wandlebury. I decided to see if it had found its way on to the internet and found it had! We also talked to people up there who had wondered about who Emma was and we were able to tell them she was our dearly loved daughter.
@chriswylie Hello Chris - I don't know if you'll look back here to get my message but I hope that you do! I'm not very good at 'tagging' photos so it's lucky that I did for Emma's Gate. Since I posted this photo a lot of people who commented on it have left the site but it had some lovely comments from people who thought that it was a great idea to remember a get up and go sort of person. Since I took the photo I always think of your daughter when I'm walking up there.
Thank you, Judith. It was a terrible shock and an immense loss, but we have wonderful memories of Emma's enthusiasm and love for life. It is wonderful to have the gate. There are signposts to the gate all over Wandlebury now and the gate is also marked on the map at the entrance to the park! We have created a website for her at www.emmawylie.com.
@chriswylie I noticed that the last time I was up and thought you would be pleased! I started this photo project because my friend did it and her photos and stories together were very interesting. I didn't really know what I would get from it but researching the subjects of the photos such as Emma's Gate really made me fall in love with the whole thing - there are so many things that we see and wonder about but don't look into. Knowing the background makes everything more special. I love that it opens out from the woods on to the lovely fields - you really do move from one place to another.
April 13th, 2014
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