Kersey Time Slip
Kersey · Near Hadleigh · Suffolk
A village falls silent. The modern world seems to vanish. Discover the Suffolk setting of a strange encounter remembered from 1957.
Photo: Kersey Village and Ford by Michael Garlick / Geograph, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped for display with a purple gradient overlay; adapted photograph shared under the same licence.
A different way to look at an old village.
Timber-framed houses lean towards a street that dips through a ford and climbs towards a medieval church. Kersey already has a striking sense of the past. Bring its time-slip story with you, and an ordinary village stroll gains an unusual question: what would make a familiar world suddenly feel centuries away?
Your visit at a glance
Research checked 26 October 2026Local information: Kersey Parish Council, church information and church facilities. Pub status: CAMRA listing. Duration is a ParaMaps estimate.
When the bells stopped.
The later account places three young naval cadets in Kersey during a map-reading exercise in October 1957. William Laing and his companions recalled an unsettling stillness: no traffic, no obvious modern street clutter and a village that seemed strangely deserted.
Their story describes quiet ducks at the ford and an apparently old-fashioned shop. As they left, the bells could be heard again and chimney smoke made the village seem alive once more. It was the contrast that stayed with them: a brief interval in which the everyday world had felt profoundly wrong.
Decades later, Laing’s recollections reached psychical researcher Andrew MacKenzie. He returned to Kersey with Laing in 1990, and the case appeared in his book Adventures in Time in 1997.
The story comes to us through later recollections, with differing memories among the cadets. It remains a reported experience and interpretation, rather than a documented journey into another century.
Account and later investigation: Mike Dash’s Smithsonian article, Discovery’s retelling and the Society for Psychical Research’s MacKenzie biography.
The setting is still here.
Kersey’s historic buildings, valley setting and ford are the heart of a visit. These are places to enjoy today, with the encounter as a story in your pocket.
Pause by the ford
The road crosses water at the bottom of the village. Stop on the pedestrian route and take in the houses rising on either side. This is a useful starting point for understanding the setting of the account.
Look up at the buildings
Timber framing and colourful façades give a short walk plenty to notice. The village is also a residential community; enjoy the architecture from public routes.
Walk towards the church
St Mary’s crowns the hill. The parish history traces its oldest surviving fabric to the 12th century, with later medieval rebuilding and a tower completed in 1481.
Village and church history: Parish Council and St Mary’s history.
Why 2★?
The mystery gives a short village walk an interesting angle. The time-slip connection itself offers limited interpretation or activity, so we recommend it as a detour within a wider Suffolk outing.
What is connected?
You can explore the village streets, ford and church setting. The shop described in the later investigation was identified as a private residence, so it is not included as a visitor stop.
What travellers say
Helena Bradbury’s first-hand account praises the village’s photogenic street while noting its small scale and limited activities. David Ross’s illustrated church visit highlights St Mary’s historic interest. These support a pleasant village stop, rather than a dedicated mystery attraction.
Value & expectations
The public village walk is free. Allow half an hour to an hour, adding time if you visit the church or choose a countryside route. The score reflects the time-slip stop; it is not a rating of the village’s beauty.
Visitor perspectives: Helena Bradbury’s 2021 visit and David Ross / Britain Express. This is a small qualitative sample, not a broad review consensus. How ParaScores work →
A short stroll, with room to linger.
Read the encounter before arriving, then enjoy the village at an ordinary walking pace. There is no need to seek out private houses to connect with the setting.
A simple village visit
A suggested sequence on public routes, rather than a reconstruction of the cadets’ exact journey.
Take in The Splash
Pause beside the ford using the pedestrian crossing. Water levels and surfaces change with the weather.
Explore The Street
Enjoy the changing view of the houses as you walk. Keep an eye on traffic along the narrow village road.
Add St Mary’s
Continue uphill to the church if the route suits you. Look inside when open, or enjoy its setting before returning.
Parking, facilities & refreshments
The church lists a shared school/church car park; check its signs and availability rather than assuming general visitor use. Pub parking is for customers under its arrangements. The Bell reopened in September 2026, so check current service details directly.
The Street, Kersey, Suffolk IP7 6DY
View village-centre reference ↗
Local pub information ↗
Make it a longer walk
Discover Suffolk publishes a 3½-mile Copse and Tye route and a 4½-mile Upland route, starting near St Mary’s. These are countryside walks, separate from the time-slip story. Consult the route leaflet for terrain and directions.
Continue your East Anglian exploration.
Both are separate journeys from Kersey, for a wider regional itinerary.
Rendlesham Forest
A woodland setting linked with the reported events of December 1980, with a UFO trail to explore.
Discover Rendlesham →St Osyth Witch Trials
Discover a village connected with the Essex witch trials of 1582 and the history behind the accusations.
Discover St Osyth →Take the story. Enjoy the village.
The ford, the climb towards the church and the old houses make an evocative setting for a strange recollection. Kersey offers a simple pleasure: somewhere to wander, look closely and let an unusual story change the way you see a place.