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Edit to the above: also not visible on Google maps satellite view because there is a tree over hanging

Also worth noting these rudimentary wooden barriers at this spot but across the river

View attachment 79829


In this Winter view you can see a drainage ditch at right angles to the stream, so something like that with a two-plank bridge?

View attachment 79831
The ditch empties into the river, there is not necessarily an equivalent ditch on the other side. Something for Emma to check!
 
Right, a new image not seen before:

s-l1600-4.jpg


This is the spillway as the stream approaches the bridge. Taken from the lefthand bank with the lodge visible top right. There is a lot going on on that right hand side but pay particular notice to the wooden fence

"English: Spillway at Eyeworth Pond, New Forest. Looking down the spillway in the dam at Eyeworth Pond. The remains of the sluice gate mechanisms can still be seen below. The valley was dammed to create a suitable head of water for the gunpowder factory at Eyeworth. One of the houses next to Eyeworth Lodge can be seen in this photo beyond the track. This photo is essentially the reverse view of 1407430.'

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...d,_New_Forest_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1432424.jpg

Here is 1407430

Spillway,_Eyeworth_Pond_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1407430.jpg


So there is a lot going on behind those bushes in the photos, including changes in the ground level and fencing to name two
 
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Peter Exeter - Extremely good find.

However if you look at the 1999 Google photo you see that the area was not so open as now, with a band of trees across your open area. Actually if you look at Emmas write up on her site she includes a photo which I take to be her best guess as the the ghost's position - it is heavily wooded/bushed behind. I think the ghost is closer to the bridge than your shot above might suggest - she is not opposite the drive coming in from the left.

ne Girl 1999.jpg


Stone girl bush _ Emma.jpg
 
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Peter Exeter - Extremely good find.

However if you look at the 1999 Google photo you see that the area was not so open as now, with a band of trees across your open area. Actually if you look at Emmas write up on her site she includes a photo which I take to be her best guess as the the ghost's position - it is heavily wooded/bushed behind. I think the ghost is closer to the bridge than your shot above might suggest - she is not opposite the drive coming in from the left.

View attachment 79856

View attachment 79858
You can see the fence going down at a steep angle as the land drops away where the paved road ends, so the woman must have been further to the left maybe?

I notice the wooden fence at right angles to the bridge wasn't there in 1987
 
Peter Exeter - Extremely good find.

However if you look at the 1999 Google photo you see that the area was not so open as now, with a band of trees across your open area. Actually if you look at Emmas write up on her site she includes a photo which I take to be her best guess as the the ghost's position - it is heavily wooded/bushed behind. I think the ghost is closer to the bridge than your shot above might suggest - she is not opposite the drive coming in from the left.

View attachment 79856

View attachment 79858
I think this is where the lead rider and house are and you can see their combined, low shadow in front of the woman
 
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OT - but odd that the sluice mechanism is at the BOTTOM of the weir - you would have thought you wanted to control the level of the Lake.
Ah, just realised - it is to DRAIN the lake.
 
What was the weather like in the UK in January 1987?


1987 United Kingdom and Ireland cold wave - Wikipedia


The January 1987 snowfall (also known as the Big Freeze of 1987) was a very heavy lake-effect type snow event that affected the United Kingdom, mainly the areas of East Anglia, South-East England and London between 11 and 14 January and was the heaviest snowfall to fall in that part of the United Kingdom since the ...

new forest weather january 1987
 
"The photograph was taken at the end of a Saturday meet in January l987". That would be 3rd; 10th; 17th; 24th; 31st
Possible the pond was frozen over if it was earlier in the month

"Southampton temperatures for the winter of 1987.

Jan 8.1.87 max +4c - min-4c.
Jan 9.1.87 max+5c - min-4c.
Jan 10.1.87 max-4c - min10c.
Jan 11.1.87 max -7c - min -11c.
Jan 12.1.87 max-5c min 8c.
Jan 13.1.87 max -5c min-9c
Jan 14.1.87 max-5c min-10c.
Jan 15.1.87 max -1c min-7c.
Jan 16.1.87 max +1c min-3c.
Jan 17.1.87 max+1c min-3c.
Jan 18.1.87 max 0c min-2c.
Jan 19.1.87 max +1c min-2c.
Cold spell finished on Jan 21st in Southampton as temperatures climbed climbed back into double figures."

https://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22294
 
Best view yet:

Screenshot 2024-07-21 at 18.04.35.jpg


The woman was stood just in front of us on the grass to the left or possibly where the low bush is (personally I think just in front)



Does not prove or disprove anything though...!

Screenshot 2024-07-21 at 18.11.01.jpg


But it is worth noting that the ground level drops away from the road, maybe why she looks so short...?

In this screengrab the dog is about level where the rear end of the lead horse was:

Screenshot 2024-07-21 at 18.15.38.jpg
 
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Best view yet:



The woman was stood just in front of us on the grass to the left or possibly where the low bush is (personally I think just in front)



Does not prove or disprove anything though...!



But it is worth noting that the ground level drops away from the road, maybe why she looks so short...?

In this screengrab the dog is about level where the rear end of the lead horse was:
It's quite a lot lower than the road - at least a foot. agreed explains why she seems so small.
 
So - a new tack - Emma in her blog sees a 'Red Eye' in the enlargement - this is of course a common effect for cameras with their flash very near the lens, where the eye acts as a 'cats eye' and retro reflects the retina back to the camera. I can see a red spot on the left eye of the girl in the enlargement. It is quite a long way, but if Mrs Stolger had left her flash on, then this proves there was a real eye in that position, and therefore a real person.
 
Another view of the sluice that is out of view to the right of the bridge;

View attachment 79886

You would never guess it was there from the original photos, so what else might be hidden?

https://newforestguide.uk/history/new-forest-explosives/schultze-gunpowder-factory/

Also:

View attachment 79887


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eyeworth,_weir_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3848211.jpg

This is the view from the bride looking left as you approach where Mrs Stolger the photographer was stood
I'm heading here next Friday. I'll take photos and videos. If you have any specific requests for measurements or anything else, let me know.
 
Might have to take a visit there myself soon. This is fascinating to me as we sometimes go to Janesmoor Pond (near the spot) on a sunny day and I've been to the Royal Oak in Fritham.
It's great to get a bit of history of the area. The bit we go to is where planes parked up during WW2 as the area was a wartime airfield. If you look at the bit south of Fritham on Google maps you can see the marks in the grass!
As someone who has lived nearby for most of his life, the Forest always feels a bit strange to the rest of the area (some would say stranger ) but I guess it's the roaming livestock and cattlegrids that make you feel like you've entered a different 'zone'.
 
I'm still struggling with this one. The figure looks very small in comparison even if she is sitting on the back of a bench or fence. Even given the Laura Ashley type female fashion prevalant in the 80's the clothing looks weird. Could she be a child having "dressed up" and being let loose to take photos of the horses and dogs. I still can't unsee the camera which to my mind rules out a ghost or statue. Have I misinterpreted what I originally posted as being a camera and is in fact something else which then brings back other explanations?
 
I'm still struggling with this one. The figure looks very small in comparison even if she is sitting on the back of a bench or fence. Even given the Laura Ashley type female fashion prevalant in the 80's the clothing looks weird. Could she be a child having "dressed up" and being let loose to take photos of the horses and dogs. I still can't unsee the camera which to my mind rules out a ghost or statue. Have I misinterpreted what I originally posted as being a camera and is in fact something else which then brings back other explanations?
Still looks like a rag in a bush that's been highlighted, tweaked and enlarged and the eye does the rest.
 
It is weird how people in general see things completely differently. I cannot see anything approaching the similarity to a rag.
Only in the original very first picture. Maybe it's because I see a lot of 'stuff' hanging in hedges - torn silage bags, rubbish occasionally, feed sacks, things that have blown and got caught on trees and undergrowth that makes that first picture look exactly like a bit of white fabric caught up in branches.

But that's just me - that's just what I see. There's plenty of room for other interpretations.
 
Only in the original very first picture. Maybe it's because I see a lot of 'stuff' hanging in hedges - torn silage bags, rubbish occasionally, feed sacks, things that have blown and got caught on trees and undergrowth that makes that first picture look exactly like a bit of white fabric caught up in branches.

But that's just me - that's just what I see. There's plenty of room for other interpretations.
I agree, that's the first thing I saw. However that interpretation does not seem to match the gif posted upthread:
Animated GIF overlaying both photos.View attachment 79802
Unless the "rag" was discarded between the two photos being taken, and the other stuff behind the branches is just dogs milling around.
 
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I'm heading here next Friday. I'll take photos and videos. If you have any specific requests for measurements or anything else, let me know.
It would be great to know what is underneath the bushes that are next to the tree (that is itself next to the bridge). Is the bush covering the fact there is a substantial drop and/or water immediately behind it? Maps and images seem to suggest that there is a small pond/pool on that side of the bridge that extends towards the lodge. This would then place our woman firmly on the grass and so we would get a better idea of scale and also discount anything hanging off a bush.

Other than that just someone or something stood/placed where we think the woman was stood and a photo taken from where Mrs Stolger stood. That would be awesome, thanks!
 
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