In that are is what looked like an afterthougt 1W resistor to ground,
marked brown black brown. Surely not if a few hundred volts there. With a
good light brought into the area I could then see it is brown black
purple.
Just an ordinary looking MO resistor, enamelled ,no glass encapsulation,
but
1 Gigohm.

Wouldn't that be 100M? (10 x 10^7)