The 'Wizard of Sutton' who was so popular he was invited to switch on the Christmas lights
Conrad Pugsley may not be a name you recognise, but if you've lived in Sutton you definitely would recognise him as the local legend the 'Wizard man of Sutton'. Famed for dressing in purple and red Pagan robes as he strolled up and down the high street, sat outside cafés or inside pubs you could not miss him.
But he hasn't been seen for years, so MyLondon set about trying to track him down and find out who he really is. While he is widely known as the Wizard Man of Sutton, Conrad's full and proper legal name is actually The Divine Grace Conrad, Lord Azurahm of Draconia Anglorum.
Conrad stated in an interview in 2013 that he believed Draconia was an ancient land that used to be the middle east and Anglorum was a definition of Britain. He has previously said that aged five, he was allegedly contacted by three "rogue beings of spiritual nature who taught [him] everything [he] needed to know about the craft, religion and life". This led him to join the Pagan faith, become a High Priest and even learn 'the dragon craft'.
READ MORE: The legend of Croydon and Wallington's Paper Jack who was famously always dressed in newspaper
He says he was born in Scotland and was brought up in London from the age of four and claimed his grandmother was Lady Margaret Strickland, a lady who married a commoner so was disinherited from her titles. He lived in North Cheam before moving to Sutton in 1978.
Whilst patrolling the streets Conrad was no stranger to controversy. In June 2008, he was arrested in Sutton High Street for carrying a paper knife, but despite being taken to court he won the case after claiming it was just a religious object.
Later that year, following a successful Facebook campaign which gathered almost 3,000 members, he was invited to switch on the town's Christmas lights. But animal rights protesters took against him because of his many pets which he kept at his home and he had to step down to protect his own safety. A man in a costume took his place instead.
In 2012 there was even a public campaign for him to be an Olympic torch bearer. In 2010 his four cats and dog called Gandalf suddenly died in a fire at his flat. As the Sutton and Croydon Guardian reported, he was devastated and howled with grief when he found out. In later years he seemed to be using a Twitter to make regular and often funny updates, although the last of these was in 2016.
In May 2016 during the Brexit campaign for example, he tweeted: "I'm casting spells for us to stay in Europe!" In November 2015 he posted: "I've lost me divining rod! I'm going to get some stick for that."
The man clearly had a great sense of humour, but who actually is he? In a rare interview posted on Twitter in 2013, when asked 'how are you today?' he said: "Somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow."
He said his craft originated in Draconia, the land of the dragon which he said was the former name of the middle east and was the oldest religion in the world. He described himself as a serious practitioner of magic but also spent much time helping locals to secure their status to remain in the UK when faced with deportation.
But he talked about a unique life philosophy and stood up for his beliefs. "All I endeavour to do is sew positivitical [sic]," he said, "but all I ever reap is ignorance and negativity. People's accusations and complaints against me have no foundation because I have never done anything towards them. I treat people as I desire people to treat me," he said.
He 'disliked' Harry Potter because it wasn't 'real magic'
He said in the interview his favourite bands were Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Status Quo and his favourite movies, Dragon Heart and Lord of the Rings. But he disliked Harry Potter because he said it wasn't "real magic" and was "tongue in cheek". He also said he was a fan of hit TV series The Bill and had often been filmed by camera crews when they were shooting locally.
He also had some pretty solid relationship advice: "You've got to find the person who balances with you physically, spiritually and mentally otherwise there's no trust in the relationship. It has to be reciprocated on both partners' sides."
And on the world in general he stated: "Magic is neither black nor white, it is neutral. When your intention is good and positive, only good can emanate from it. When your intention is bad then only evil can originate from it."
His most recent activity on social media appears to be from June 2019 when Manzes Pie and Mash shop in Sutton posted an image of him happily eating pie and mash in the store under the tagline: "The 'Wizard Man of Sutton' enjoying his pie and mash with eels today."
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