History of the Magazine
About the Magazine
Beyond the Veil was a British monthly publication that delved fearlessly into the mysteries of the paranormal, supernatural phenomena, and unexplained events. Published by Veil Publications Ltd from their offices in Camden, London, the magazine ran for precisely sixty issues between January 1979 and December 1983, before its abrupt and mysterious cessation.
Unlike its contemporaries, Beyond the Veil distinguished itself through rigorous investigative journalism paired with an unflinching willingness to explore the darker corners of the unexplained. Each issue featured meticulously researched articles on ghostly encounters, mysterious disappearances, cryptic phenomena, and otherworldly experiences, all presented with the sober analysis and British reserve that became the magazine’s hallmark.
A Rare Survivor
Today, Beyond the Veil stands as one of the rarest periodicals of the paranormal genre. With a modest circulation that never exceeded 15,000 copies per issue, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the publisher’s sudden closure, complete runs are virtually impossible to find. Individual issues surface occasionally at specialist bookshops and estate sales, commanding substantial prices amongst collectors and researchers of Fortean phenomena.
The magazine’s scarcity is compounded by an unusual phenomenon: many subscribers reported their collections mysteriously vanishing or becoming damaged under inexplicable circumstances. Whether coincidence or something more unsettling, the result is the same: precious few complete archives remain.
The Mystery of Dr Margaret Ashworth
Perhaps the most enduring enigma surrounding Beyond the Veil is the identity of its editor-in-chief. Despite her name appearing in every issue for five years, no verifiable record of a “Dr Margaret Ashworth” exists in any British university registry, professional association, or public archive. The name is almost certainly a pseudonym.
What Little Is Known
Freelance contributors to the magazine reported receiving correspondence on headed Veil Publications notepaper, signed in a distinctive burgundy ink with an elegant but antiquated hand. Telephone conversations were rare; when they occurred, staff described a woman’s voice with a cultured, precise quality, with an accent that some placed as educated Home Counties, others as faintly Scottish. One contributor, writing years later, insisted the voice “carried an unusual resonance, as though speaking from a slight distance, even over a clear line.”
The Camden offices of Veil Publications Ltd were staffed by a small administrative team who handled subscriptions and distribution. When questioned after the magazine’s closure, these employees revealed they had never met Dr Ashworth in person. Editorial direction arrived by post or, occasionally, by telephone through an intermediary who identified himself only as “Mr Blackwood.” Company records filed with Companies House list the sole director as M. Ashworth, with a correspondence address that traces to a solicitor’s office in Gray’s Inn, a firm that dissolved in 1985, its records reportedly destroyed in an office fire.
Theories and Speculation
Researchers of Fortean phenomena have proposed various theories regarding the editor’s true identity:
The Academic in Hiding
Some suggest she was a genuine academic whose interest in the paranormal had made her position at a respectable institution untenable. The 1970s saw several promising careers derailed by association with parapsychology research.
The Intelligence Connection
Others note the magazine’s occasional access to classified or restricted information, particularly regarding military UFO encounters, and speculate that “Dr Ashworth” may have been a serving or former intelligence officer using the publication to disclose information through unofficial channels.
The Experiencer
A more unsettling theory holds that the editor was herself the subject of paranormal phenomena, and that the magazine represented an extended investigation into her own experiences. Proponents point to the increasingly personal tone of later editorial columns and the cryptic nature of her final farewell.
The Collective
Some researchers believe “Dr Margaret Ashworth” was not a single individual but a shared pseudonym used by a small group of writers and investigators who wished to pool their findings whilst maintaining anonymity.
The Final Issue
The December 1983 issue, number sixty, remains the most sought-after and elusive of all. No verified copy has ever been located. The British Library’s catalogued copy is recorded as “missing, presumed lost” since 1987. Private collectors who claimed to possess copies have, without exception, either retracted their claims or ceased responding to enquiries.
What we know of the issue’s contents comes from subscription materials and printer’s records. The table of contents listed five articles, including a comprehensive file on the Rendlesham Forest incident and a follow-up on the Tommy Hensley disappearance. Most intriguingly, the final item was an editorial titled “Why We Must Stop.”
A subscription renewal notice, recovered from a deceased collector’s papers, quoted what appeared to be the editorial’s closing lines:
“To our faithful readers: do not search for me. The work continues, though not in any form you would recognise.”
The full text of Dr Ashworth’s farewell, and whatever explanation it may have contained, remains unknown. No communication from her, or anyone claiming to be her, has been documented since the magazine’s closure.
The final issue of Beyond the Veil has, it seems, passed beyond the veil itself.