and places in East Surrey EAST SURREY See TASH October Newsletter for images. AREA INTRODUCTION This is one of several “50 Treasures” books produced by Arts Society Areas around the UK. This book covers The Arts Society East Surrey Area which is possibly the smallest geographical Arts Society Area within the UK – about 20 miles from Chipstead to East Horsley and about 24 miles from Limpsfield to West Horsley., although there are 15 member societies within that area. So, we thought it might be difficult to find 50 treasures within this small area. After all we don’t have the possible range that is available to very much larger areas such as the North West or South West of the UK. But not so! There is a wide range of fascinating and not always well-known places, objects and buildings within East Surrey and we have chosen 50 which we think are interesting. Several possibilities have been left out, mainly for reasons of similarity or because there are too many within the same small area (for instance the Holbein Hall at Reigate, the animal enclosures at Nutfield, Betchworth and Dorking, Titsey Place, East Horsley Towers, The Thorndike Theatre and others). But we think the range and interest shows just how varied and rich in history and art a small geographical area can be! We hope that you enjoy getting to know more about the treasures of the Surrey Hills within East Surrey. Michael Beach and Paul Fletcher 1 LEATHERHEAD Leatherhead Institute Sculpture The Letherhead Institute (original town spelling) was given to the community by Abraham Dixon in 1892 for social, leisure and educational purposes, a function that it still fulfills today. In 2012 the building had a new attraction added to its Victorian façade with the addition of a metal sculpture to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the Olympic Road Races (which passed through the area) and 120 years of the Institute. The sculpture was created by the young people of the Leatherhead Youth Project in conjunction with the Fire and Iron Gallery, an arts centre that specializes in metal and runs special exhibitions and permanent displays of everything from jewellery to sculpture. Further Information The sculpture can be seen from the street on the façade of the building Leatherhead Institute 67 High Street, Leatherhead KT22 8AH. The Fire and Iron Gallery is open at usual opening times Rowhurst, Oxshott Road, Leatherhead, KT22 0EN. Images: June Robinson 6 7 CHIPSTEAD St Margaret’s Church, Chipstead There has been worship at St Margaret’s Church, Chipstead, for 800 years and probably a site of worship for much longer. The ancient yew tree that blew down in the storm of 1987 traditionally marked a place of pre-Christian worship. It had been dated as being 1,200 years old. Inside the church are many interesting features ancient and modern, including the stone font dating from the 14th century, with a beautiful cover carved by a parishioner from the fallen yew tree. There is an inscription over the entrance of the more recent porch – ‘Templa quam delecta’: How lovely is your dwelling place. (Psalm 84 verse 1.) In the listed churchyard (still in use) is a recently formed Prayer Walk, seven stones carved with the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus (the first being just inside the lychgate – ‘I am the gate.’) Further Information Church Lane Chipstead CR5 3RD. The church may be approached from the west via Elmore Road which turns off High Road by Elmore Pond or from the east up Star Lane from the A23 Brighton Road. The church is usually locked when not in use but the churchyard is open to all. www.stmargaretschipstead.org Images: Marion Woodward, Kim Honey 18 19 REIGATE The Reigate Caves Reigate is well-known for the maze of caves that lie under the town centre. They are, in the main, old sand mines, the soft sandstone having been mined over centuries. The major caves are The Barons’ Cave, under the long gone castle and the caves either side of Tunnel Road (which is the oldest tunnel road in Britain and one of the oldest in Europe) On the west side of the road the caves were originally sand mines and on the east side dug out in order to store wine and beers. The Barons’ Cave is very much older than the tunnel road caves, the earliest reference to it being in 1586. Within this cave there are initials and carvings, including horses’ heads, which date from 1646 onwards. Further Information Tunnel Road Reigate RH2 0JY. The caves are open on selected dates during the year. Check the web site www.reigatecaves.com Image: Laura Brown 38 39 BUCKLAND Buckland Windmill Buckland Windmill is in the garden of ‘Yewdells’, a Grade II listed house built in 1713 for John Udall—from which the house name is derived. John Udall was the Buckland Estate carpenter. Three generations of Udalls managed the business before it passed to the Sanders family around 1840. From 1840 through to the 1950s, five generations of the Sanders family ran a sawyer’s business from the site and the windmill is the power for the saw. The windmill, also Grade II listed, was built in the 1860-1870 period. This build date is confirmed by the plaque detailing ‘W Cooper of Henfield’ who operated as a millwright from 1854-1876. The windmill was rediscovered and restored by the new owners of Yewdells from 1994 to 2002. It is the only surviving wind-powered sawmill remaining in the UK. Further Information Yewdells, Dungates Lane, Buckland RH3 7BD. The windmill is in the garden of Yewdells and can be seen from the Lane. Pre-book appointment to visit with Duncan Ferns, 07786 966841. Image: Duncan Ferns 40 41 OCKLEY The Sculpture Garden Ockley The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden was the brainchild of Hannah Peschar and founded 36 years ago. It is based in the garden of a Grade II* 15th century cottage and was designed and planted by the award-winning landscape artist Anthony Paul. Each year, from the beginning of April until the end of October, some 200 pieces of contemporary sculpture are exhibited within the garden grounds by around 50 UK and European artists in a wide range of materials and styles from the abstract to the more traditional - a dazzling artistic show within the beauty of the gardens. Further Information Black and White Cottage, Standon Lane, Ockley RH5 5QU. From Ockley follow Standon Lane for about 0.8 miles. The entrance is marked by signs past a left turn to Okewood Church and before Gatton Manor Golf Course. Open: From April to end October. See the web site for actual dates and entrance costs. www.hannahpescharsculpture.com Image: Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden 46 47 EPSOM Regiment of Trees In open land not far from the Epsom racecourse lies Langley Vale Wood, one of four woods commissioned by the Woodland Trust as part of their First World War centenary project (2014–18). It is the Trust’s flagship First World War centenary site and the largest of these woods, extending over 640 acres. Parts of the site are ancient woodland and farming also went on here over many centuries. During the First World War, the Walton and Tadworth end of the site was used for army training and there were trenches, a rifle range, a gas training school and a camp. In our own time, over 100,000 trees have been planted here to create new woodlands and in one location 80 trees have been planted in a grid formation with stone soldiers taking the place of some of the trees. The Regiment of Trees was created with sculptor Patrick Walls to commemorate the day in January 1915 that Lord Kitchener came to Epsom Downs to inspect 20,000 troops, all volunteers from the 2nd London Division of Kitchener’s New Army. It had snowed overnight and the recruits had risen at 4am in order to be in their places in good time for the great man’s arrival although some of them were not even fully kitted out. In the event Kitchener didn’t arrive until much later that morning by which time there had been several injuries and cases of hypothermia. The twelve life-sized soldiers who commemorate the event were carved by Patrick Walls from Hill House Edge sandstone and stand among a mix of native broadleaf trees. Further Information Langley Vale Wood, Headley Road, Ashtead, Epsom, KT18 6BB. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/langley-vale-wood Image: Mike Longhurst FRPS 84 85 EAST SURREY AREA FIFTY TREASURES OF THE SURREY HILLS INDEX Abinger 64 Albury 8 Ashtead 20, 34 Banstead 26, 32, 44 Betchworth 48, 78 Bletchingley 22 Buckland 40 Horley 12 Horsley 12, 74, 90 Leatherhead 6, 100 Lingfield 80, 88 Limpsfield 36 Lower Kingswood 92 Mickleham 42, 96 Caterham 12, 70 Ockley 46 Chaldon 58 Charlwood 52 Chatley Heath 56 Cheam 4 Chipstead 12, 18 Outwood 28 Reigate 38, 50, 66, 82, 98 Stoke d’Abernon 54 Tatsfield 68 Walton Heath 10 Dorking 60, 62, 68, 72, 86 Westhumble 24 Epsom 84, 102 Ewell 14, 94 Great Bookham 16 Woldingham 30 Wotton 76 106 EAST SURREY AREA FIFTY TREASURES OF THE SURREY HILLS Rare and interesting things, places and buildings around East Surrey Price £5 |