Locations Severn Valley (Cthulhu Mythos)

1 locations

1.1 brichester

1.1.1 brichester university
1.1.2 mercy hill
1.1.3 lower brichester
1.1.4 lakeside terrace
1.1.5 devil s steps


1.2 goatswood
1.3 temphill
1.4 severnford

1.4.1 island beyond severnford


1.5 clotton
1.6 camside
1.7 warrendown

locations

some of major sites of campbell s severn valley include brichester, goatswood, temphill, severnford, clotton, , camside.

brichester

brichester main town of campbell s severn valley, setting of several tales , background element of stories take place elsewhere. (it plays same role in campbell s stories arkham in lovecraft s.) these days brichester has impressively mundane surface , campbell writes in franklyn paragraphs , still sense may crack.

enchanted fruit portrays daily press of brichester, false harsh rainbow of packed cars , , churches robbed of dignity plummeting iron balls (though protagonist recalls streets lone house had struck him speechless silent pride, noble bearing of age , history ).

brichester has wide variety of media outlets. moon lens refers brichester weekly news. tugging establishes town has daily—the brichester herald, advertised brichester s evening voice —as radio station, radio brichester. reporter herald, ingels, story s main character; complains @ 1 point town lacks tv studio. franklyn paragraphs gives brichester horror fanzine, spirited.

cold print refers brichester s ultimate press, described publishing important manuscript, once written medieval heretic johannes henricus pott, new 12th volume of revelations of glaaki, , entire line of bondage-related pornography. brichester has true light press, mentioned in franklyn paragraphs , turns out roland franklyn s self-publishing operation.

brichester central library appears in franklyn paragraphs , errol undercliffe notes of it, couldn t farther lovecraft setting. does, however, carry copy of roland franklyn s pass view—as ramsey campbell s inhabitant of lake.

potential opens @ town s cooperative hall, site of brichester s first be-in-free flowers , bells! (the name of 1 of bands plays be-in, faveolate collosi, alludes campbell s story mine on yuggoth .) co-operative social club referred in interloper .

brichester university

while enchanted fruit mentions hard bleached university smashing , swallowing ornate facades , in darkest part of woods, brichester university s architecture more traditional, long, lofty gothic facade, , high pointed windows. echoing vaulted sandstone corridor leads towering front doors of university.

one of first mentions of brichester university in horror bridge, said familiar things existence not recognized science. in story, philip chesterton, formerly librarian @ british museum, takes job in university s library in 1901 in order keep eye on strange goings on in clotton. library once kept copies, in locked case, of necronomicon, revelations of gla aki, de vermis mysteriis, , other titles ominous, in 1960s muslim student... spray(ed) them lighter fluid , set fire them, destroying them completely.

in mine on yuggoth, brichester native edward taylor enrolled in university in 1918, led witch cult, centering around stone slab in woods off severnford road. taylor, along other participants including artist nevil craughan, , occultist henry fisher, subsequently expelled.

there science-fiction shop, worlds unlimited, near university campus in dilapidated victorian streets have become student quarter . in same neighborhood scholar s rest: beneath jauntily sagging slate roof squat sandstone building faced university campus... each window of pub held swelling great blind eye... (t)he dim low-timbered interior lined old books. pub s strongest ale called witch s brew. near-campus dining option peace & beans, vegetarian restaurant rough wooden tables , clientele of students , few health-conscious oldsters.

mercy hill

mercy hill, brichester neighborhood ribs of terraced streets , stands out in campbell s world mundanity , describes scene in franklyn paragraphs .

in same story, however, @ bottom of mercy hill dee terrace, address of house of roland franklyn, described look(ing) satan in residence .

mercy hill mentioned in horror bridge site of 19th-century prison; in moon-lens , mercy hill hospital name of institution where, in 1961, roy leakey seeks mercy killing dr. james linwood, advocate of euthanasia. story mine on yuggoth records edward taylor taken mercy hill hospital, shortly after failed 1924 ascent of devil s steps, , ever since then, x-ray scans have been placed in restricted file.

franklyn buried in graveyard next mercy hill hospital.

lower brichester

the seedier side of town known lower brichester, neighborhood described in franklyn paragraphs sort of miniature cosmopolis 1 finds in major english towns: three-story houses full of errant lodgers, curtains varied flags @ conference more faded, occasional smashed pane, , frequent furtive watchers. while in tugging , tale apocalyptic theme, neighborhood depicted being in advanced state of dereliction.

the observer finds himself sympathizing district s abandonment, , indifference time.

in franklyn paragraphs , lower brichester s pitt street former address of errol undercliffe (1937–1967), writer specializes in contemporary treatments of traditional macabre themes. in tugging , location of brichester arts lab, program run annabel pringle practices associational painting —a technique uses free association discover images, starting suggestions ching.

cold print takes place in lower brichester, @ bookshop known in story american books bought , sold. store site of manifestation of entity y golonac.

lakeside terrace

north of brichester body of water referred in inhabitant of lake. supposedly once impact-crater, lake overlooked row of houses called lakeside terrace, built serve dwellings small cult worshiped extraterrestrial being glaaki. led 1 thomas lee, , remaining @ lake 1790 until shortly after 1865, cult received revelations of glaaki dream-sendings, , published expurgated nine-volume set original 11-volume manuscript. long after cult s disappearance, local painter, thomas cartwright, took residence @ lakeview terrace, worked on painting thing in lake, before mysterious demise.

the devil s steps

as described in mine on yuggoth , devil s steps rock formation beyond brichester which:

stretched 200 feet in series of steps plateau; way off illusion of giant staircase complete, , legend has satan came sky walk earth way of steps... in center of plateau stood 3 stone towers joined narrow catwalks of black metal between roofs... (central) tower approximately 30 ft. in height, windowless, , strangely angled doorway opening on staircase leading darkness.

at top of main tower dimensional gate planet yuggoth. towers surrounded alien species of fungus, grey stem covered twining leaves uncurl toward approaching visitors.

goatswood

goatswood, first described in short story moon-lens , isolated town surrounded woods east of brichester. narrator of story struck town s atmosphere: close-set dull-red roofs, narrow streets, encircling forests—all seemed somehow furtive. in lovecraft s innsmouth, residents of goatswood have distinctive, offputting appearance; typical resident described revoltingly goatlike , resembling medieval woodcut of satyr , , clad in grotesquely voluminous garments. instead of worshiping race of monsters sea (the deep ones), however, worship shub-niggurath.

the prominent feature of goatswood titular moon-lens: metal pylon, 50 feet high, rose center of square. @ top (is)... large convex lens surrounded arrangement of mirrors, , hinged on pivot attached ground taut ropes. said, perhaps unreliable character, have been built romans.

goatswood unavoidable connection on train route exham brichester. infrequent visitors goatswood, moon lens reveals, eat @ station cafe , stay @ central hotel.

in later story, made in goatswood , village has more offer outsiders: curiosity shop toad-like proprietor hands brown , crinkled paper in wrapped parcels, selling disturbing lawn ornaments; fruit stand in canvas stall shrine fruit resembling peaches offered girl eyelids lowered wickedly. there s red light district, fitzroy street, on edge of town.

franklyn paragraphs mentions number of places visited circle of young men around occultist roland franklyn; goatswood among them.

in woods toward goatswood clearing, according insects of shaggai , meteorite once fell in 17th century; coven subsequently worshiped there executed real-life witchfinder matthew hopkins. within clearing mysterious gray cone, home titular creatures; story moon lens alludes artifact.

these woods featured in enchanted fruit , protagonist @ first finds them enticing; each corridor of trees seemed made explored, each green shadow promised mystery; , later forbidding; screen of leaves seemed secretive; parted, revealed vistas of dim branches. in forest, finds tree rich trunk, dark yet warm, stood alone on mound of autumn built high edge of glade; eats fruit of tree, large apples, soft , shaped peaches, immediate delight , eventual regret.

temphill

temphill main setting church in high street , campbell s first published story in severn valley. there s described decaying cotswold town , place of ill repute. describing town, narrator notes that:

around blackened hotel @ center of temphill, buildings dilapidated... gabled dwellings, broken windows, , patchily unpainted fronts, still inhabited. here, scattered unkempt children stared resignedly dusty front steps or played in pools of orange mud on patch of wasted ground, while older tenants sat in twilit rooms.

the church of title set on hill near center of town, around town built. said exist conterminously temple of yog-sothoth. penetrate catacombs beneath church; reached via trap door beneath first set of pews; find unaccountably unable leave town, if streets turning on themselves.

in church on high street , temphill home john clothier, man possessed of extraordinary amount of ancient knowledge, , albert young, young man working on book on witchcraft , witchcraft lore. in subsequent story horror bridge , temphill james phipps acquires extremely rare chemicals , mysterious wife.

franklyn paragraphs lists temphill 1 of places circle of young men around roland franklyn visit. franklyn s widow, complaining horrors had put through, says: took me down temphill, , made me watch things dancing on graves.

severnford

severnford, community on river severn, directly northwest of brichester, described in plain of sound dull place visit:

once 1 leaves behind central area of severnford, group of archaic buildings preserved, , comes surrounding red-brick houses, there little interest sight-seer. of severnford dockland, , country beyond not noticeably pleasant forced hiker... (s)ome of roads noticeably rough.

the forced reference fact there 1 bus-route daily severnford brichester, leaves in morning; if visitors miss it, walking may alternative. full morning s walk away, , route not well-marked. (the motor route between brichester , severnford passes hills... sleeping collosi. )

one attraction inn @ severnford, facility in central severnford said 1 of oldest (inns) in england . however, in 1958 found temporarily closed public, reportedly because of repeated vandalism.

severnford , outskirts main setting of campbell s room in castle , in anglican church in severnford noted having stone carving depicting angel holding large star-shaped object in front of cowering toad-like object.

the castle of title ruined mansion on outskirts of town, past cotton row: set on crest of hill, 3 walls still standing, though roof had long ago collapsed. lone tower stood charred finger against pale sky. once home of sir gilbert morley, described 18th-century warlock imprisoned great old 1 byatis in castle s basement.

campbell returned severnford in story potential , setting in (t)he streets lit gas-lamps, reflected flickering in windows set in dark moist stone. climactic scene of story set in disused severnford pub called riverside, used sort of clubhouse cultists listen penderecki, while reading both roland franklyn , ultimate press pornography. there suggestion severnford authorities complicit in cult s activities: oh, police know this, 1 cult member says. re used now, don t interfere.

about two-and-a-half miles (by foot) out of severnford, after passing thickly overgrown forest, (one) have become further lost, , crossing montonous fields (without) seeing building or human being, 1 comes area of grassy hillocks, followed region of miniature valleys . in 1 of these title phenomenon of plain of sound encountered, next house once inhabited former brichester university professor arnold hird. peculiar phenomenon can become gateway gulf of s glhuo.

in story faces @ pine dunes , severnford named fictional book witchcraft in england 1 of several centers of witchcraft activity—apparently place in severn valley listed.

the island beyond severnford

the island beyond severnford referred in title of story stone on island .

in 19th century, island became associated series of shocking mutilations. victims, of whom survive ordeal, began witch-cult follower joseph norton in 1803, followed severnford clergyman nevill rayner in 1826, unnamed prostitute in 1866, taken brichester central hospital, local folk customs investigator named alan thorpe in 1870, brichester university student in 1930, , mercy hill paranormal researcher dr. stanley nash (who escaped mutilation suicide) , son michael (the latest victim) in 1962.

island beyond severnford visited franklyn s circle in franklyn paragraphs . island reachable via: small hut on edge of docks advertises, hire boat , see severn @ best!

clotton

clotton, scene of campbell s dunwich horror pastiche horror bridge , small town set river ton flows severn. few leaning red-brick houses... remain of uptown section of once-prosperous town; rest of town deliberately destroyed in 1931, reasons explained in story. in horror under warrendown, clotton mentioned small settlement appeared largely abandoned, few occupied houses huddling on each side of river. story notes town s stagnant reptilian smell , chilly haze.

the town s noteworthy feature, dating 1931, 20-foot high concrete building... on bank of ton , eldritch sign clumsily engraved on each wall, carvings blurred moss , weather.

the town once home james phipps, gaunt pallid-faced man, jet-black hair, , long bony hands died in 1898, aged on century, , son lionel phipps (1806–1931). both odd individuals given unorthodox scientific researches , nocturnal excavation. lived on riverside alley, little-tenanted street within sight of bridge on ton .

outside of clotton, according horror bridge, there pit on patch of waste ground on used canning road, near river, containing roughly-cut steps, each carrying carven five-pointed sign, led down abysmal darkness.

in franklyn paragraphs, mentions clotton place visited franklyn circle, franklyn s widow notes went down steps below clotton.

camside

camside home occultist henry fisher, summons outer god daoloth in story render of veils . town s paper, camside observer, mentioned in story, in room in castle , notes town home of james phipps, until expelled in 1800 practicing weird science, resettling in clotton.

in mine on yuggoth , edward taylor committed camside home mentally disturbed in 1924, after ascent of devil s steps.

warrendown

in horror under warrendown , written 1995 severn valley anthology made in goatswood, campbell introduced warrendown, village off main road between birmingham , brichester. (clotton, story notes, between brichester , warrendown.)

near edge of village, half mile wide, there school, described 1 long mound fattened pelt of thatch, grass, , moss. school connected rotting, half-ruined church once possessed tower, overgrown stones of scattered beyond edge of village. inside church, dozen or pews on either side of aisle, each pew broad enough accommodate large family, bloated green moss , weeds; altar before them had been levered up, leaning against rear wall of church , exposing underside of stone. altar used entrance system of tunnels lead entity referred in story s title.

the air in village filled rotten vegetable sweetness . inhabitants, of lovecraft s innsmouth, share , while people of innsmouth resemble frogs, of warrendown call mind rabbits, plump yet flattish face(s) appear furry, swollen eyes, bestial teeth, , outsized ears , feet.