News

5th October 2024

Walk at Newlands Corner

Our walk followed the North Downs Way from Newlands Corner travelling east. After about a quarter of a mile we stopped to admire the “Optohedron”, an interesting piece of sculpture by the artist Will Nash, which sits very nicely in the landscape at a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the surrounding countryside. We then travelled on for about another mile before descending towards the Silent Pool. On the way we passed a pillbox from the Second World War. These pillboxes were part of a series of fortifications built along the North Downs to protect against a possible German invasion. We then arrived at the Silent Pool where legend has it that a woodcutter's daughter was surprised by a nobleman on a horse as she bathed in the pool. Having failed to lure her to the bank, the nobleman rode his horse into the water and caused the girl to move out to deeper water where she drowned. When the woodcutter returned and found her body, he also found the nobleman's hat floating on the water. It bore the crest of none other than Prince John. A sad little tale. The walk took us back towards Newlands Corner via the sandpits at Weston Woods where apparently extensive excavations in the 1960’s uncovered significant prehistoric remains including evidence of post built structures and pottery. I knew you'd like that. The ascent back to Newlands Corner was – put it this way – I’m not as young as I was.

28th September 2024

The walk at Blackdown

Black Down is an area of the high weald just south of Haslemere. It is the highest point in the South Downs National Park, standing at over 1000 feet avove sea level and offers beautiful views over the countryside. The walk was fine, but Niels (OK that’s me) kept banging on about how Blackdown was once a major source of iron ore, and I suppose it was fascinating to think that the cannons on Sir Francis Drake’s fleet might well have been made just down the road at Fernhurst Forge from iron smelted from iron ore mined at Blackdown. And to think that the North Weald was, at that time, the very centre of the iron industry in England churning out weapons, armour and cannons for England’s Navy. It was also interesting to be walking in the footsteps of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the famous Victorian poet who built a house on Blackdown, and who apparently, like Kipling, could not abide his celebrity and carried a whistle to ward off his devotees. The view from the “Temple of the Winds” was truly stunning and it was quite extraordinary to see the sun sparkling on the sea through a gap in the South Downs near Shoreham some thirty-five miles away. I also loved the sense of history – to be standing where people lived over 3000 years ago - probably looking after their sheep and weaving all sorts of woollen stuff to keep warm - while the blokes were furiously digging iron ore out of the countryside to make daggers and axe heads – no change there then. At the end of the walk, Oliver’s in West Street, Haslemere, proved to be a very pleasant place to enjoy lunch on a sunny day after a walk at Blackdown.

12th September 2024

Active Travel Scheme for London Road

Following the Stakeholder Meeting held on Wednesday 11th September, the significant news is that the decision on whether to go ahead with the Active Travel Scheme planned for the London Road is not going to be made by Tim Oliver, Leader of the Council, but will now go to Cabinet at the meeting on October 29th. The Head of George Abbot spoke firmly in favour of the scheme, as it would be of great benefit to pupils, staff and parents if pupils could cycle safely to school. Those in favour of the scheme were persuaded that Arup's report confirmed the scheme was safe, and George Potter dismissed concerns of shared pavements by saying that a large extent of pavements are already shared with cyclists. The Surrey Coalition for the Disabled spoke vigorously against shared space at bus stops. They said they had not appreciated how much of the proposed footpath/cycleway would be shared (currently estimated at 45%). Roger Williams, Project Manager SCC, confirmed that only the existing highway space was used to create 6.5m width, but would not be drawn on how much this meant that segregated tracks would have to modified to shared tracks. The crux of the argument remains on safety – those against argue that what is planned is likely to be less safe for all road users. Both the London Road Action Group and the London Road Survey Group (who were responsible for the alternative survey) have submitted their own reports to Tim Oliver setting out their reservations about both the scope, and the conclusions, in the report prepared by Arup Professional Services.

19th August 2024

Walk to the Anchor & Horseshoes

If it’s Monday evening it must be another AMEN outing. This time it was Graham’s turn to entertain us by taking us on an expedition via the Riverside Park to the Anchor & Horseshoes in Burpham. The Anchor never felt so remote. No sign of any bullocks in the park (I said bullocks). They must have seen us coming and hidden in the undergrowth. Anyway, I’m pleased to report that the pub is still there although it has grown another appendage – it must be global warming. As an opening gambit, someone suggested we each confess to something awful we did in our childhood. Bernard immediately owned up to a passion for developing pipe bombs in his youth and to dismantling various parts of the farmyard in the process. Presumably this must have had something to do with all the fertiliser he could lay his hands on. Anyway, the trick with anecdotes is usually to try and "top that". But, on this occasion, I’m afraid we all sat there in shocked silence. A great evening with lots of bonhomie – thank you Graham.

27th July 2024

Walk along the Wey Navigation

The walk, attended by the usual suspects, started at Bowers Lock and travelled along “Stoke Length” all the way to Stoke Mill. This short length of canal had apparently been constructed in 1618 by Sir Richard Weston, who lived at Sutton Place, to irrigate his crops. He was very interested in agriculture and the irrigation techniques he learnt in the Netherlands and wrote books on the subject. Following his experiences of canal building that he had also learnt in the Netherlands, Sir Richard decided to make the Wey River navigable as far as the Thames at Weybridge and by 1653 he had constructed 20 miles of navigable canals, complete with locks and weirs to manage changes in levels, more than 100 years before the development of the canal system in the Midlands. The Wey Navigation was designed for horse drawn barges capable of carrying up to 30 tons of cargo - a massive improvement over horse drawn wagons which were capable of carrying only two tons at that time - and added much to the prosperity of Guildford. However, the arrival of the railways to Guildford in 1845 inevitably took trade away from the canal and by the turn of the century the navigation was already in decline. The Wey Navigation was finally gifted to the National Trust in 1964. The walk was followed by a very tasty cream tea at the Village Hall provided by Sue. 

20th July 2024

Walk at Whitmoor Common

The walk at Whitmoor Common took us across the common via the boardwalk past Yew Tree Cottage, once owned by the Prime Minister Lloyd George, and on to St Mary the Virgin, the parish church of Worplesdon, which dates back to the Norman period. There we were given a guided tour of the church which included some wonderful examples of stained glass including the marital coat of arms of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII – although why it is there is apparently a complete mystery. We then travelled on to the Sime Gallery where we were able to see a number of original oil paintings by the famous Victorian artist and illustrator Sydney Sime who lived in Worplesdon for many years and was clearly heavily influenced by William Blake. The next walk will take us along the Wey Navigation and includes a cream tea at the Village Hall.

6th July 2024

Summer Barbeque at the Cordingley's

Mercifully the rain held off for the annual AMEN/AWIT Summer BBQ at the Cordingleys. Some of us watched England limp through to the next round on penalties – so frustrating when we seem to have such an abundance of talented players. Winning is important I know - but we want to win in style. Anyway, it was amusing to watch the male population gather around the coals taking charge of the barbeque.  What is it about men and barbeques? – maybe it’s an opportunity to waggle your tongs a bit and wear a funny apron? Having said that the food was very tasty indeed so maybe they knew what they were doing. For me, what is really nice about these occasions is meeting up with new neighbours who have cast up on the shores of Abbotswood and hearing their stories – and also just relaxing with old friends and chewing the cud – or maybe I’m just getting old. As usual, Nick and Sarah put on a fantastic evening – so a big thankyou to the Cordingleys for putting up with us all and a special thank you to their lovely poodle doggy thingy for keeping us all entertained.

6th July 2024

Walk at Painshill Park

As part of the series of this year’s Summer Walks, a group of local residents visited Painshill Park on Saturday. Painshill Park near Cobham is a very fine example of an 18th Century landscape garden in the picturesque style featuring an impressive array of lakes and follies including the Temple of Bacchus, the Turkish Tent and the Crystal Grotto. It was created by Charles Hamilton in the early part of the 18th century following a trip to Italy on the Grand Tour. His creation was among the earliest to reflect the changing fashion in garden design prompted by the Landscape Movement which started in England in about 1730. Many of the trees and shrubs planted by Hamilton were sent to him from Philadelphia by the naturalist John Bartram. The garden was visited by many well-known figures including William Gilpin, pioneer of the Picturesque Movement; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams future presidents of America; and Prince Albert and Queen Victoria when they were staying at nearby Clermont in the1840’s. Then as now, there was a particular route to be taken around the park, designed to bring the visitor upon the successive views with best effect.

29th June 2024

Walk at Frensham Little Pond

A group of local residents enjoyed a walk at Frensham Little Pond on Saturday in the sunshine. Few were aware that Frensham Common was originally owned by the church and that the two ponds were created in the 13th century to provide fish for the Bishop of Winchester when he visited Farnham Castle. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Frensham Common fell into private hands and was eventually given to the National Trust in 1919 by the Robertson family in memory of two of their sons who were killed in the First World War. An obelisk built in memory of the two brothers still stands overlooking the great pond. In the Second World War the ponds were drained fearing they might serve as a navigational aid to the bombers. Over time, these ponds have become a sanctuary for wildlife and a place for recreation and today they are a popular spot for activities such as walking, sailing, bird watching and angling.

2nd June 2024

Summer Walks

These walks are organised for the residents of Burpham and are free. If you are interested in coming on any of these walks, please contact Sue Hackman on sue.hackman1@gmail.com

Chilworth Powder Mills. Saturday 15 June

This is an easy walk along the ruins of an old gunpowder factory strung along the Tillingbourne river. At each stop, we will learn about the stages of gunpowder production as it progressed along the line of buildings, getting riskier at each stage.

Frensham Ponds. Saturday 29 June

A circular walk around Frensham Little Pond including lovely views over Frensham Great Pond and a visit to the Robertson memorial and Lowicks, a beautiful weekend cottage designed by Voysey. Niels Laub will guide us on our way.

Painshill Park. Saturday 6 July

Enjoy the glorious 18^th Century gardens of Painshill Park in Cobham including follies such as the Crystal Grotto, the Ruined Abbey and the Greek Temple. Entry is £10 each if we go as a group. Andrew Plumridge, an expert on follies, will be our guide.

Whitmoor Common. Saturday 20 July

A walk over the sandy heath of Whitmoor Common taking in the boardwalk and the woodland house once owned by Prime Minister Lloyd George and then visit the romantic graveyard of St Mary’s church on the edge of the common. Walk will be led by Sue Hackman.

The Wey Navigation. Saturday 27 July

A walk along England’s oldest canal - the Wey Navigation - passing England’s first lock then on to Stoke Mill, now the home of the Surrey Advertiser, but previously a corn mill, where we will be taken on a rare tour of the building. Walk will be led by Niels Laub.