News

5th September 2026

A walk at Witley Common led by Sue Hackman.

 

Here is Sue’s account of the visit – “It is hard to reconcile the photographs of the first world war training camp at Witley with the peaceful wood and heath lands which stand there now. The vast camp was a treeless city of wooden huts where almost all new recruits did their six weeks of training before being sent to the front. This included learning how to clean and fire a rifle, how to dig a trench, how to march in step and obey orders. For many, it was their last experience of home before they went to France to face a well-trained and well-equipped German army. Many of them never came home. It was poignant therefore that everyone in our group had a relative who trained there before being sent to France. We found out that some of us even had grandparents in the same battles such as the Somme. The great war poet Wilfrid Owen was based here. We stood by the copse which has grown up in the place where he wrote ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ before returning to France where he himself died in the last week of the war. We were able to identify the parade ground, the officers’ quarters, the YMCA, the Salvation Army Centre and the serried ranks of wooden huts. There was even a theatre on site and a popular parade of shops known as Tin Town because it was made of corrugated iron. The camp has long since disappeared, having been replaced by another camp in the second world war and then flattened”. The next walk is at the Sheep Leas, West Horsley to enjoy the Autumn colours and visit the lovely St Mary’s Church on Saturday 24th October. If you would like to join the walk, contact secretary@burphamca.org.uk.

21st August 2026

Here are some stunning images I have lifted off the internet, partly to celebrate the recent solar eclipse, and partly just for fun - and for you to enjoy.

a14th August 2026

The Green Belt Assessment has been published for the emerging Local Plan

 

The newly published Green Belt Assessment produced by AECOM for the emerging Local Plan proposes that 80% of Greenbelt in Guildford should be considered as Potentially Grey Belt or Grey Belt, and therefore potentially available for development. According to AECOM's assessment, the vast majority (about 75%) of the Surrey Hills National Landscape qualifies as "potentially grey belt" because it fails to strongly perform the green belt functions of checking urban sprawl, preventing towns from merging, and preserving historic town settings. How anyone can identify 75% of the Surrey Hills National Park as "potentially available for development" is beyond me. To compound the issue, and in order to boost housing supply, the government has implemented a simplistic formula for determining Housing Demand in England known as the Standard Method. This has resulted in Guildford Borough having to deliver 1168 new dwellings per anum, more than twice the previous number required. The Guildford Society accepts that we need to provide more housing, but the Guildford Society believes that it is imperative that we should build out all the brownfield land within the urban area and consider increasing the density of the existing Strategic Sites at Blackwell Farm, Gosden Hill Farm and the Slyfield Urban Village before we build on the green belt. The Guildford Society is very concerned that, as the new Local Plan will not be adopted until the Spring of 2029, this Green Belt Assessment provides opportunities for developers to make cases for unrestained ad hoc development on the green belt over the next few years.

8th August 2026

A walk at Martha's Hill led by Sue Hackman

 

There has been a church on St Martha’s Hill since before Norman times. A Saxon chapel originally stood on the summit, although no fabric survives. The first documented stone church was Norman, built 1189–1204, with a tall west tower visible for miles. This medieval church fell into disrepair by the 18th century. Between 1848–1850, it was rebuilt by the architect Henry Woodyer incorporating the original 12th century stone arches, the lancet windows and elements of the original tower. Astonishingly, it appears to be the only church dedicated to St Martha in the whole of England, though there is at least one early map which shows it named as Martyrs’ Hill. St Martha was Martha of Bethany who lived in Bethany near Jerusalem, sister of Mary and Lazarus, and is remembered for her hospitality, her active faith, her deep commitment to the idea of service, and her acknowledgement of Jesus as the Messiah. The church itself is starkly whitewashed and stunning inside. The original Saxon core is still present in the shape and arches at the heart of the church. Apart from St Catherine's Chapel at Artington, St Martha’s is the only church in Surrey built directly on the Pilgrims’ Way, the ancient pilgrimage route to Canterbury. Its hilltop position made it a landmark for travellers across the North Downs. The walk took us up the hill from Halfpenny Lane to enjoy lovely views to the south over Chilworth, Blackheath and Chinthurst Hill, with the South Downs on the horizon. We enjoyed an excellent and authoritative talk about the church and graveyard by Simon Harrold and an engaging account of the life of St Martha, and why she is a significant saint, given by Rev James Hanson, our local vicar.

 

Our next walk is on 5th September at Witley Common – a walk through heathlands to explore the forgotten site of the first world war training camp where almost all army recruits were trained before being sent to the front. If you have relatives who were soldiers in the first world war, Canadians, artillery men or family involved in the D Day landings, you’ll find this interesting as well as a lovely walk. Approx 1.5 hrs. Meeting-up details from BCA secretary@burphamca.org.uk

18th July 2026

A walk around the grounds of West Horsley Place

 

West Horsley Place dates from the 15th century and was originally built as a Tudor timber-framed manor house. The house came into the ownership of Henry VIII and in 1536 he granted it to his cousin Henry Courtenay. Courtenay was said to have hosted an extravagant 35-course feast for the King featuring exotic birds like stork, gannet, and heron. Elizabeth I was also a frequent visitor to the house due to her friendship with Elizabeth Fitzgerald, the Countess of Lincoln, who was the Lady of the Manor at that time. Around 1640, Carew Raleigh (the son of Sir Walter Raleigh), who was clearly embarrassed to be living in an outdated timber framed house, added the dramatic red-brick façade that we see today. The estate at West Horsley Place spans roughly 380–400 acres of carefully managed farmland. It was a working medieval estate with farmland, woodlands, fishponds, and meadows for grazing sheep. The fields and hedgerows have probably remained much as they are today. The walk took us around the perimeter of the estate past meadows and woodland much as it would have been in medieval times. We also took a sneeky peek at the Grange Opera House which has been built in the grounds and is now well known for its celebrated operatic season. A lovely day out - beautiful weather and good company. Our next walk is at Martha's Hill on Saturday 8th August, which will include a talk on the history of St Martha's church by Simon Harrold and a talk on St Martha herself by the Rev James Hanson. Please email sue.hackman1@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the walk.

8th July 2026

Improvements to the Boxgrove roundabout

 

Improvements to make Boxgrove Roundabout safer and more accessible for cyclists and pedestrians are due to start in October 2026. Zebra crossings will be installed on every entry and exit to the roundabout to give clear priority to pedestrians and cyclists hopefully creating a much safer environment for all road users. The project is expected to take approximately six months. To minimise disruption to local residents and road users, it is proposed that there will be no traffic lights or road closures during the day on the roundabout, with works affecting traffic taking place during the night (7pm-7am). Residents will be informed of upcoming works through letters and advance warning signs. You will be pleased to hear that the two large trees will remain on the roundabout in their current locations. The three smaller trees will be preserved and relocated to areas within the verges of the roundabout. We had hoped to get the bypass between Parkway and the London Road removed which we believed to be dangerous, but apparently traffic modelling indicated that this would have led to increased and unacceptable traffic congestion. The end result will certainly be safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

4th July 2026

A walk along the Wey Navigation

 

This is Sue Hackman’s report of the walk along the Wey Navigation - as I couldn’t make it. “Starting from the Sutton Place Estate, we had the chance to admire the beautiful little church of Edward the Confessor set amongst the most tranquil and attractive surroundings of any church in England. As we walked towards the river, the path took us past the historic and manicured farms and outbuildings of Sutton Place. If there is such a thing as “English Picturesque”, this is where it is done to perfection. Eventually we arrived at the river at Triggs Lock, which marks the mid-point of the Wey Navigation, which was constructed in 1653 at roughly the same time as our local Bowers Lock. From the lock, the walk was rich in wildlife with all the sights and sounds of nature one associates with a river in summer – abundant wildflowers, waterlilies, rabbits, goats (goats?), a huge family of ducks, and other animals along the route, including the odd human being enjoying a paddle. It was the most beautiful and tranquil walk taking us about forty-five minutes to reach the New Inn Pub in Send, a riverside pub which serves really decent pub food and excellent beer”. Our next walk is around the estate at West Horsley Place followed by lunch at the Tiger Lilly Bus Company’s float on Saturday 18th July. Please email sue.hackman1@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the walk.

 

29th June 2026

A news bulletin

 

I have no further news about the disturbance at number 28 Abbotswood except to say that the police are on the case. However, it does occur to me that we are living through some pretty distressing times what with the earthquake in Venezuela; the ongoing war in Ukraine; the Covid pandemic; the dreadful devastation in Gaza; Trump’s posturing over Iran; and the constant threat of global warming. It’s all very depressing stuff. So, I thought maybe it might be nice just to dwell on some of the happier events in recent times like – the end of WW2 (OK that's a few years ago); winning the World Cup in 1966; the end of the Cold War in 1986; the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989; Nelson Mandela walking out of prison in 1990; and our women winning the UEFA EURO's in 2025 – and of course Glastonbury. Good stuff happens - as in Mexico 2 England 3. 

17th June 2026

Guildford Society visit to Goddards on Abinger Common

 

One of the things about being a member of a society like the Guildford Society is that you don’t get to meet other members unless you are on one of their committees, or maybe if you attend the AGM. So, it was a nice surprise over lunch at the Abinger Hatch to find out that members of the Guildford Society are really quite a pleasant bunch of people. The Abinger Hatch goes back to the 17th century and, before becoming a well-known local hostelry, was at various times a Post Office in the 18th century and later part of the Surrey Trust Company estate which managed the local pubs in the area. “Goddards”, which was the whole purpose of our visit, is a large country house at Abinger Common designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1898 for Frederick Mirrielees, a wealthy philanthropist, as a charitable holiday home “for women of limited means”. Later in 1910, Lutyens was commissioned to extend and convert the house into a large private residence for Mirrielees’ son. The house was finally bequeathed to the Lutyens Trust in 1991 and is currently owned and managed by the Landmark Trust. It is considered one of his most important early houses designed by Edwin Lutyens in the traditional Surrey style with a garden laid out in collaboration with the celebrated garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Apart from some quite astonishing hand-crafted metalwork designed and fabricated by John Starkie Gardner, one of the most respected metalwork designers of the Arts & Crafts period, the house incorporates a number of delightful elements collected by the Mirrielees family including fragments of stained-glass windows and Delft tiles. 

7th June 2026

Burpham Community Association walk at Painshill Park

 

Our walk was at Painshill Park, an 18th‑century landscape garden near Cobham celebrated for its dramatic vistas and follies. It was built by Charles Hamilton (1704–1786), the ninth son of the 6th Earl of Abercorn, who constructed the park between 1738 –1773 drawing inspiration from Renaissance landscape art and his Grand Tours across Europe. He designed the garden as a curated journey - each turn revealing a new scene or architectural feature - a wonderful example of an 18th century English Landscape Garden, a movement that rejected formal geometric layouts in favour of naturalistic romantic scenery. Our walk took us along by the lake, past the Ruined Abbey and the Mausoleum, to the Grotto which was atmospherically and eerily lit. We then travelled on to the Cascade, and the Water Wheel which was designed to pump water from the Mole River up to the lakes, and finally on to the Alpine Valley and the Hermit’s Hut. The story goes that Charles Hamilton hired a man to serve as a hermit with strict conditions that he must live in the hermitage; must avoid washing; must grow his hair and nails long; and must appear conveniently when visitors arrive but should then scurry away and speak to no one. The contract was supposed to last for seven years with a generous payment at the end. However, the story goes that the hermit lasted only three weeks before being discovered drunk in a local inn. Our next walk is on 4th July along the Wey Navigation starting at 10.30 from the car park near the "Edward the Confessor Church" at Sutton Place through to Triggs Lock arriving at the New Inn Pub for lunch.

16th May 2026

Burpham Community Association walk at Leith Hill

 

The walk took us up the hill past an ancient stone wall and along part of the Greensand Way up to the Tower, which is an amazing viewpoint. Leith Hill is the second highest point in the Southeast standing at 1,029 feet above sea level. Looking North you can see the tower blocks in the City of London and looking South you can clearly see Chanctonbury Ring on the South Downs. We enjoyed some hot pasties for lunch before descending some very steep steps and returning on a circular woodland walk to Leith Hill Place. Leith Hill Place, which dates from 1600, was the home of Richard Hull who built the tower at Leith Hill in 1765. It was also the home of Josiah Wedgwood and the childhood home of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams who was the grandson of Josiah Wedgewood. For some time, the house was a music school for the nearby Hurtwood House College, and it was interesting to hear that Hans Zimmer, the celebrated composer who wrote the music for the film "Inception", once studied here. Finally, we returned to the Rhododendron Car Park via a walk with delightful views over a Capability Brown style landscape and through the famous rhododendron garden. The next walk is at Painshill Park on Saturday 6th June where we will enjoy the famous landscape gardens and visit some of the follies.

13th May 2026

Burpham Community Association visit to Goddards

 

Goddards is a large country house at Abinger Common designed by Edwin Lutyens in 1898 for Frederick Mirrielees originally as a charitable holiday home for women of limited means. In 1910 Lutyens was commissioned once again to extend and convert it into a large private residence for Mirrielees’ son. It is currently owned and managed by the Landmark Trust. It is considered one of his most important early houses designed in the traditional Surrey style with a garden laid out in collaboration with the celebrated garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. A central range, which originally had common rooms on both floors, divides two wings, the southern of which also contains a bowling alley. The house incorporates a number of delightful elements collected by the Mirrielees family including stained glass and some Delft tiles. The house was finally bequeathed to the Lutyens Trust in 1991. Our tour took in all the principal rooms at ground floor level including the bowling alley - where Chris scored a “spare”. A big thank you to Andrew for organising it.

30th April 2026

AMEN visit to the Farnborough Air Science Museum

 

Our visit to the Farnborough Air Science Museum included an interesting collection of historic aircraft, flight simulators, and aviation research material. Following coffee on arrival, we enjoyed an excellent guided tour of the museum. We saw some amazing historic aircraft including a full-size replica of the British Army Aeroplane No.1A built by Samuel Franklin Cody which achieved the first powered flight in Britain here at Farnborough in 1908. Apparently, the aircraft lifted unexpectedly high, flew under control, then crashed while avoiding trees. But the flight was long enough to be recognised as the first controlled, powered, sustained flight in Britain. We also saw a BAE Hawk T1 used by the Red Arrows and various flight simulators which you can try out under supervision. We even had an opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a Harrier Jump Jet which was a surprisingly tight fit. The museum is open at the weekends with free entry, and volunteers on hand to explain all the exhibits. Following our visit to Farnborough we all enjoyed lunch at the delightful “Royal Oak” near Pirbright. Next year the plan is to visit Thorpe Park and have a go on the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the UK – because it’s on my bucket list - or maybe it's just my midlife crisis.

19th April 2026

Burpham Community Association Walk at Hatchlands

 

Hatchlands is a Grade I Listed Building designed in 1756 for Admiral Edward Boscawen by the leading Georgian architect Stiff Leadbetter with interiors by Robert Adam. The Music Room, with its distinctive cupola, was added later in 1903 by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield. Hatchlands is notable because it contains some of Adam’s earliest English interiors commission soon after his return from the Grand Tour. The house is also home to the Cobbe Collection, the world’s largest group of historic keyboard instruments linked to famous composers, including pieces associated with Chopin, Bach and Franz Liszt. It is astonishing to think that these composers actually played on these instruments. The collection also included some amazing paintings including the only painting of Shakespeare done in his lifetime. The Long Walk, which took in the bluebell woods, was a round walk of approximately 2.8 miles through Repton‑style parkland with ancient oaks, ponds, and long views reaching as far as the City of London. Our next walk is at Leith Hill on the 2nd May to enjoy the rhododendrons at their peak and visit Leith Hill Place, the childhood home of the composer Vaughan Williams.

21st March 2026

Some paintings and buildings by the architect Will Alsop - a lovely guy.

 

7th March 2026

Burpham Community Association walk to Woking Palace

 

On Saturday Sue led the walk to Woking Palace. Woking Palace was originally recorded as a "hunting lodge" on manorial records in 1272. It was later extended to become a Manor House, and by 1466, it became a Royal Palace when it was the home of Margaret Beaufort who was extremely wealthy and was the mother of Henry VII and the grandmother of Henry VIII. Margaret Beaufort was married four times and bore her first child at the age of 13. It is said that she founded the Tudor dynasty after the defeat of Richard III at the battle of Bosworth. As the mother of Henry VII, she was deeply involved in governance, estate management, and even legal reforms. Henry VIII, her grandson, spent a lot of time with her as a child when his brother Arthur was the heir apparent. Later he was to spend his honeymoon with Katherine Parr at Woking Palace. Most of the work to the palace was undertaken during his reign. The Palace included a Great Hall for entertainment, guest apartments, a landing stage for visitors who arrived by river, a fruit orchard and ponds where they farmed fish for food. Queen Elizabeth I also stayed at the palace but less frequently and by the late 16C it had fallen into disrepair. In 1620 James I sold the palace to Sir Edward Zouch who demolished the buildings and used the material to build Hoe Place. Our next walk is at “Hatchlands” on 19th April to enjoy the bluebells at their peak.

17th February 2026

Here are some paintings by Bruce McLean. We could all do with a bit more colour in our lives.

5th January 2026

Summer Walks in 2026 organised by the Burpham Community Association

 

Why not join us for a series of walks and visits organised by the Burpham Community Association this summer. Dogs are welcome. If you are interested in a particular walk, you are advised to sign up at secretary@burphamca.org.uk to get details of the final directions and arrangements and a notice about likely weather conditions on the day. To see photographs and write-ups of last year's events, see the Past Events Page.

 

7th March        Visit to Old Woking Palace. The palace was the home of Henry VIII’s grandmother, and he                              was a frequent visitor in his youth. Free. Meet at Manor Way car park at 10.00 am.

19th April        Visit to Hatchlands Park and House – a walk in the park at prime bluebell time including a                            visit inside the house. The park is free. Entry to the house is £14 but free for NT members.    

2nd May           Walk to Leith Hill – a walk to the top of Leith Hill to enjoy the views and the rhododendrons                            at their very peak and a visit to Leith Hill Place. Entry to Leith Hill Place is £6 for non members.

13th May          Visit to Goddards – Goddards is an outstanding country house designed by Edwin Lutyens.                              The visit includes a guided group tour of the house. 

6th June           Visit to Painshill Park – Enjoy the hillside follies of Painshill Park. Fabulous landscape                                       gardens and a tour around the hillside follies. Cost £12.50p.

4th July            Walk along the Wey Navigation - from Sutton Park along the Wey Navigation through                                  Triggs Lock to the New Inn Pub for lunch.

18th July          Walk at West Horsley Place - a walk around the beautiful estate followed by lunch at the                               Duke of Wellington Pub in West Horsley.

1st August       Walk at Thursley Common – a circular walk enjoying the pine woods, the heathland with the                          heather in full bloom followed by lunch at the Elstead Mill.

8th August       Walk to St Martha’s church which features a lovely walk along St Martha’s Hill with a brief                               talk about St Martha’s church by Trevor Hills and some thoughts about St Martha herself by                               local vicar James Hanson

5th Sept           Walk at Witley Common – a walk through heathlands to explore the forgotten site of the                                 first world war training camp where recruits were trained before being sent to the front. Free.

24th October   Walk at Sheepleas and St Mary’s Church – Starting at the Duke of Wellington Pub in                                    Horsley, we walk through woods and meadows to enjoy the Autumn colours and visit the                                    ancient frescoes at St Mary’s church.