The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain and Northern Ireland

Andy Paciorek

ed. Maria J Pérez Cuervo

Hellebore Books 2021

Pb, 316pp, £18.75, ISBN 9781399906968

The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain and Northern Ireland is produced by the same team that created the very popular Hellebore zine that has blossomed in the revival of attention to occulture and folklore. They have taken their sphere of interest and distinctive design aesthetic forward with this very handy and beguiling gazetteer of British ritual, weird-lore and magical creativity.

In the introduction, specific attention is brought to two books that this guide could most be compared to, the Reader’s Digest

Folklore Myths and Legends of Britain and Westwood & Simpson’s

The Lore of The Land. The inspiration and similarities are worn on the sleeve, but as Maria Pérez Cuervo informs us, there is a difference that carries the themes forward and makes this work a useful companion to the other books mentioned.

In addition to covering numerous sites of folklore, occult practice and strange history, this book also points us to places that inspired or in some instances were used as filming locations for numerous cult/horror novels, films and TV shows. Fans of MR James, Derek Jarman, Witchfinder General, The Owl Service and many other such creators and creations will find notes of interest therein.

This richly illustrated book will fit handily into a backpack for on-site visits. Although certain localities or topics may not be covered in the greatest of detail, within its pages a lot of ground is covered.

★★★★