Gabriel Chase

Gabriel Chase was a Victorian mansion located in Perivale. (TV: Ghost Light)

History
Gabriel Chase was built by Sir Gabriel Pritchard in the 17th century. It was home to the Pritchard family until the late 19th century. (PROSE: "Extract from 'London's Greatest Ghosts'")

Gabriel Chase was built on top of Light's spaceship, which Redvers Fenn-Cooper had discovered and brought back to England. The Seventh Doctor and Ace visited the house in 1883. (TV: Ghost Light)

The house remained shuttered and locked for years after, and local villagers refused to go near the building. In the 1920s, an exorcism was attempted, but the priest fled the building in terror after seeing "a fiery angel with piercing eyes and wings like thunder". He also claimed that his phial of holy water "had turned the consistency of soup" and tried to attack him. (PROSE: "Extract from 'London's Greatest Ghosts'")

By the 1980s, the former denomination of Perivale had been incorporated into London. Gabriel Chase was long-since abandoned and rumoured to be haunted. (TV: Ghost Light) The house was frequented by youths from the surrounding area. (PROSE: "Extract from 'London's Greatest Ghosts'") In 1983, a younger Ace burned it down in anger over the firebomb attack on her friend Manisha's flat. (TV: Ghost Light, PROSE: The Haunting of Gabriel Chase)

Attempts by the local council to bulldoze the site were abandoned after workmen reported dangerous subsidence due to underground workings, along with infestations of aggressive tropical insects. The discovery of several colonies of non-indigenous beetles and butterflies resulted in the site being declared of Special Scientific Interest. Following this, the site — including the burnt-out ruin of Gabriel Chase — remained under conservation. (PROSE: "Extract from 'London's Greatest Ghosts'")

Gabriel Chase was located roughly ten minutes from Perivale Station and close to Western Avenue. (PROSE: "Extract from 'London's Greatest Ghosts'")

Behind the scenes

 * Filming for Gabriel Chase took place at Stanton Court in Weymouth, Dorset.