ANCIENT BIDDULPH AND THE SECRETS OF THE TEMPLAR TREASURE was an exclusive one-day event around Biddulph Grange, Biddulph Church, and Biddulph Country Park hosted by Graham Phillips. We discovered that the area was once a sacred Megalithic compound, a Celtic sanctuary, the headquarters of the Rosicrucians, and the last stronghold of the English Templars. Ultimately, it became an elaborate complex of mysterious nineteenth-century garden features created by the mystical Meonia group, which the latest research reveals may hold cryptic clues to the hiding place of the famed Templar treasure.
When? Saturday 22nd March 2025.
Where? Biddulph, England.
In 1851, Maria and James Bateman, the owners of Biddulph Grange, discovered a hidden vault beneath the ruins of Spring Wood Priory, a long-abandoned medieval building on the edge of their estate. It contained the coffins of several Knights Templar, which they arranged to have reinterred at nearby Saint Lawrence Church, where the stone sarcophagi lids can still be seen. Along with the coffins, other undisclosed items discovered in the vault inspired the Batemans to start a secret society called the Order of Meonia, whose purpose was to study and practice various forms of mysticism. On the Biddulph Grange estate, they recreated four ancient shrines: an Egyptian tomb, a Roman temple, a Celtic compound, and a Chinese sanctuary, which seem to have been used for the purpose. Strangely, neither what was discovered in the priory crypt nor what occurred in these shrines has ever been revealed.
The Order of Meonia continued until 1896 when, on January 16, a mysterious fire swept through Biddulph mansion, gutting much of the building. The following year, the society disbanded, and on May 4, the group’s leader and co-owner of the estate, Laura Heath, held a closing ceremony for the order. In a short commemorative pamphlet printed for the event, she suggests that the Meonia group had discovered Templar relics in Spring Wood Priory and that they were ultimately rehidden and clues left to their location in clues to be found in the symbolism of the four shines.
During the tour we visited various places associated with the mystery and examined what may be clues to reveal the secret location to the Templar treasure.
Biddulph Grange: The meeting place of the Victorian Order of Meonia.
Templar Graves: The tomb markers of the last Templars in Biddulph churchyard.
Spring Wood Cave: Where the Templar treasure may have been discovered in 1852.
The Cottage: Where secret symbols may still hold the secret to the Templar treasure.
The Tomb: The tomb of Mary Heath, who may have discovered the Templar treasure.
Biddulph Gardens: Where Victorian shrines hold clues to ancient secrets.
The enigmatic sites and mysterious garden features of Biddulph Grange.
