Utopia Britannica

In the quiet Somerset Village of Spaxton four miles from the busy little river port of Bridgewater during the second half of the 19th century lived the 'Holy Ghost' surrounded by his 'soul brides' and accompanied by a 'Devil child'. They lived at the Abode of Love, a collection of houses & cottages with its own chapel surrounded by a 12ft high wall and guarded by ferocious bloodhounds. Set up in 1846 the remarkably successful Agapemone is the prototype of the 20th century cult complete with sex scandals, accusations of brainwashing, dramatic rescues of members by their families, moral outrage from respectable society and virulent attacks in the popular press.