Fifty years since fatal crash
Fifty years after a car crash killed a bride-to-be on the eve of her wedding day, a group of paranormal enthusiasts gathered nearby.
Yesterday ( Thursday) marked half a century since the tragic death of Susan Browne and her two friends at Blue Bell Hill.
On November 19, 1965, the 22-year-old was returning from her hen night when her Ford Cortina span out of control on the A229, colliding with a Jaguar heading the other way.
Susan was due to marry RAF technician Brian Wetton the following day.
One of the group, Patricia Ferguson, was killed at the scene, but Miss Browne and Judith Lingham died a few days later in a Maidstone hospital.
The tragic fatality led to a mysterious legacy where spooky happenings were reported throughout the 1960s and 70s, although ghostly sightings are said to date back to the 1930s.
A number of spiritual believers gathered at the Lower Bell pub yesterday ( Thursday) evening near to the crash site.
Sonya Roseman, a filmmaker who released The Ghost of Blue Bell Hill in 2014, was among those taking part in the visit this week. The 36-year-old, from Rochester, said: “I feel a kinship to those girls in that car.
“I wanted to tell their story, not to cash in on tragedy, just to make a film about it.
“It’s an evil road – but that goes back way before the crash.”
In 1962, Bob Vandepeer said he gave a lift to a girl on the hill only to later turn around and discover the hitch-hiker had vanished in the back of the car.
In 1971, James Skene was driving home from work when a girl in her early 20s suddenly appeared in front of his car. He gave her a lift to Chatham, but when she got out she disappeared.
Susan Vousden, a cleaner from Essex, organised a walk where about 10 ghost-hunters explored the hill for any ghostly experiences.
Mrs Vousden, 57, said: “I’ve always been interested in spirits – I had an experience where I saw a woman in my bedroom when I was 11 years old.
“I’ve done the walk at Blue Bell Hill before but thought I’d come down for the anniversary.”
‘It’s an evil road – but that goes back way before the crash’