On Monday morning Peter and Jean led everyone on our post Christmas walk, this year in a different location – Headley Heath near Epsom.  One of our members, Ray Jessop, has kindly offered to share some of the photos that he took during the walk.  It was a very enjoyable walk and one person on our walk said “It was interesting to visit different parts of the Heath that we do not normally see. It’s a very varied and interesting landscape and I must come back in clearer weather for the views”.

                                             Thank you Ray.

I joined a bunch of like-minded people at Wonersh Memorial Hall on a bright Saturday afternoon in the knowledge that this event would get me into the festive spirit.

There were around 20 of us and we all set off with baskets and bags and secateurs for a short but enjoyable walk around Wonersh taking in the view of an Edward Lutyens designed property and the house where the drawing of Christopher Robin dragging Winnie the Pooh down the stairs was drawn.

Around half of the attendees were not members of the Society and some had come a long distance to join us, one even coming from London who said that she really loved the walk, getting out in the fresh air and the beautiful Surrey Hills rather than having everything supplied to her.

We collected a number of different foliage for our wreaths and then returned to the hall.

We were provided with a demonstration of ideas together with a large variety of decorations, more foliage and straw circles which formed the basis of our wreaths.

There was Christmas music playing and we were served a huge variety of drinks with mince pies and biscuits. We were helped along with any assistance that was required and the atmosphere was really lovely and very Christmassy.

It was great to see all the different finished products even though we had access to the same foliage and decorations, each wreath was very individual.

I certainly am very happy with my wreath which is sitting proudly on my front door welcoming one and all during this festive time. I will definitely be spending two and a half hours collecting and making my own wreath next year.

Roll on Christmas Day.

Sall Baring

Society members enjoyed the annual visit to Belmont School and pre-Christmas walk on Saturday 4th December. Belmont is housed in a magnificent Arts and Crafts house designed by architect George T Redmayne in 1877, for Edwin Waterhouse one of the founders of the firm Price Waterhouse Co, in London. The house contains an original William Morris (1834 –1896) tapestry and William De Morgan (1839-1917) tiles. (They are two of the most famous designers of from the Arts and Crafts Movement).

Holmbury Hill is a pleasant (if steep) walk from the school grounds up through the village of Holmbury St Mary. This village is supposed to be the influence for local author, Edward Morgan Forster’s book, “A Room with a View”. The summit of the Holmbury Hill is the site of an ancient hill fort. At 856ft above sea level it is one of the highest points in the south of England and appears to have been a fort since at least 100BC.

After our compulsory annual photograph at the summit, the group returned to the school to meet the long serving Headmistress, Mrs Helen Skrine and learn more about the history of the house and the school (originally a prep school but now being a weekly boarding school for the up to 16 year olds). For more details click here.

President of the Society, Chris Howard said, “I love returning to Belmont School each year on the first Saturday in December. It kick starts the festive season with a bracing walk to a stunning viewpoint in the Surrey Hills and then mulled wine in the gorgeous galleried front entrance hall of Belmont School.”

Chris Howard