Bewitching Bovey HOME

Before ‘witches’ there were cunning women, ladies learn’d in folk magic. Some of it very practical, which herbs would treat an illness or how to protect a wound from infection. Some folk magic was a little more… supernatural.

The Bovey Paradiso building you are standing in front of contains a fine example of apotropaic magic, better known as ritual protection.

Ritual protection is something people still practice today, even if we don’t know why we’re doing it. Have you ever knocked on wood for luck? Or bought an ‘evil eye’ amulet? These are all little things we do almost subconsciously to protect ourselves from evil spirits. One thing done centuries ago, which we sometimes still find evidence of, was the practise of placing a mummified cat in the walls or under the floor of a building, to protect it from vermin or to stop the building coming to harm.

Cats have a distinguished history wrapped up in the paranormal, from being worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt to familiars of witches helping complete their wicked deeds with their silent footsteps. It seems as though humans have always been fascinated by these little predators. To this day, some people believe that while human brains operate on Beta waves (13-30Hz) cats brains operate on Theta Waves (4-8Hz) the state of mind usually only achieved by deep meditation or light sleep. Leading to the idea they might have extra sensory perception and can stare into the spirit world. If you believe that sort of thing.

It seems fair to say those that built The Paradiso’s building may have believed this.

Back when the building was still The King of Prussia pub, a wall was being taken down to create a pool room. Behind an ancient wooden panel, lay the dried remains of a cat!

The current owners of Paradiso have been kind enough to share an actual photo of the desiccated kitty.

Note it’s unusual pose. After the cat had died, it was not uncommon for it to be pinned in a hunting pose, so that it dried in attack mode. Helping it to keep it’s predatory prowess in the afterlife, so that when it was gently placed in the walls, it’s spirit would continue keeping the place free of mice and rats and sharing it’s lucky magic with the building and occupants.

Perhaps a little of the cat’s mummified magic is still rubbing off on the building. Over time, since the pubs closure in 2008, it fell into disuse and disrepair, but it has been rescued and had fresh life breathed into it. It is now owned by the community and once complete, it will include an art gallery, artist studios, cafe and auditorium for film, theatre, comedy and more.

Take a wander inside The Paradiso, maybe a little ‘lucky magic’ will rub off on you too!

Sources:
www.paradiso.org.uk/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apotropaic_magic
fishingheritage.com/mummified-cats-as-ritual-protection-objects/
ritualprotectionmarks.com/2024/11/13/cats-in-the-walls/
www.lowerventonfarm.co.uk/post/bovey-tracey
Word-of-mouth