Many people will have heard of the Dorking Cockerel but few will have any knowledge of the “Chilworth Chicken”.

This is the affectionate nickname given to a piece of topiary beside the North Downs railway line and which forms a moving memorial to a train guard who lost his life in a tragic incident over 130 years ago.

On Monday 29 February 1892 – a leap year – a goods train travelling from Redhill to Reading crashed at about 10:40pm, throwing the guard, Henry Wicks, to his death. The train, led by two locomotives, had come apart because of a broken goods wagon coupling.

The front portion of the train continued down the gradient and was eventually stopped by the two locomotives. The rear wagons caught up and collided with the front section between Gomshall and Chilworth. The impact threw 30 wagons down the embankment and derailed the vehicle’s front nine wagons and the second locomotive.

Henry, age 52, was found at first light lying on the embankment. He had worked on the railway for 30 years and left behind his wife, a son and daughter-in-law, Jessie Wicks. Jessie was especially upset by the loss of her father-in-law, and was instrumental in the planting of his lineside memorial and asking railway workers to care for it.

Rather than a chicken, the topiary is pheasant-shaped. It sits on a wide chair, symbolising Henry’s peace, and is also known as Jessie’s Seat. Former railway operators maintained it until 1989 and, since then, volunteers have looked after it.

The “Chilworth Chicken” is still there but blink and you’ll miss it! Unfortunately, it’s not accessible from a public route and sits very close to the track. However, to keep the memory alive, a special memorial train was run on the anniversary in 2020. There are now plans to place a poster cabinet at Chilworth Station to explain the story, along with a replica of the train headboard used on the commemoration event.

Ken Bare

For the last twelve years, The Woodland Trust has held an annual competition to select the Tree of the Year.  The 2022 winner has just been announced and we are proud to note that the winning tree is a venerable Yew at Waverley Abbey near Farnham – a destination within the Surrey Hills that the Society has visited on a number of occasions.

As you can see from the various photos, it is a beautiful tree with roots that sprawl out above ground before plunging into the earth. Not only is it a wonderful tree but it fits so well into the landscape and ruins of Waverley Abbey – the first Cistercian Monastery established in England

The Yew won with an impressive 16% of the vote. In second place was The Portal Tree Rowan in Midlothian which took 11% of the vote. Third place went to Derbyshire’s Layering Horse Chestnut, with 10% of the votes.

This national Tree of The Year competition aims to highlight how vital trees are for our landscapes and our lives whilst celebrating ancient trees that have withstood the test of time. Each is a constant safe haven for wildlife in a changing and sometimes disconnected landscape. The Waverley Abbey Yew proved to be a wonderful example of how important trees are. Its multi-stemmed form, dotted with holes, crevices and areas of decay, is an invaluable habitat for wildlife.

Having won the UK vote, this tree now becomes the national entry for European Tree of the Year 2023.  Now that really would be an accolade!

More details may be found on the Woodland Trust website.

During October Half Term, we teamed up with Leatherhead Youth Project to carry out two days of practical conservation work as part of their ‘Making Good Project’. This is a project which aims to get young people engaged with communities through positive action projects.

The first day was spent at Newlands Corner, which is part of Surrey County Council’s Countryside Estate. This area is made up of both woodland and chalk grassland, which is very important for insects particularly butterflies. Here, the group met the Surrey Choices Growth Team. The Growth Team comprises of a group of adults with learning disabilities who carry out important conservation and access work across Surrey. They have been working up at Newlands Corner, to clear encroaching bramble and scrub from the grassland to encourage its restoration but also to help open up the viewpoint and create more places for people to sit.

The group split into two, one group off to tackle the scrub with the Growth Team, while the other half of the group, worked on assembling a bug hotel using recycled signposts and wood from the countryside.

They did this in the recently opened Discovery Centre, which was a brilliant space and great for the group to experience. After a scenic lunch and quick mooch around the Dormice Trail, the groups switched over so that everyone could experience both activities.

On the second day, the young people met us at Banstead Heath for a day of tree popping alongside the Banstead Commons Conservators. Tree popping involves removing small unwanted trees by the root, to avoid them growing back. This is done by using a tree popper – essentially a giant lever which grips the tree in its jaw.

We were really impressed by the grit and determination of everyone and the competition to see who could achieve the longest root was met with enthusiasm. We were also very lucky to see an adder basking in the late October sunshine, proof that the work we were doing was important for the heathland species that live there.

It was great for the young people to work in partnership with three different organisations, learning new skills and enjoying being together outside.

It was particularly rewarding for the Growth Team to be able to show the group from Leatherhead Youth Project what they do and for them to work together in partnership for the benefit of people and nature.

Thank you so much to everybody that was involved in making the two days a success!

Christa Emmett
Project and Volunteer Coordinator

On Saturday 22 October the Society held its 14th Annual General Meeting at the prestigious venue of Gatton Park.

52 members attended and were welcomed by our President, Chris Howard, who also thanked them for their continuing support.

This was followed by reports from the Chairman, Gordon Jackson; Chair of Events Committee, Sall Baring; Project and Volunteer Coordinator, Christa Emmett and the Treasurer, Martin Cantor.  All these reports are available to read here.

The Park and Garden’s Manager, Dan Ryan then gave a short talk about Capability Brown with particular reference to his design of the historic Gatton Park landscaped gardens.

After a most enjoyable lunch, three Gatton volunteers led tours around the park and gardens, accommodating everyone’s requirements even including a private tour for one lucky lady!

Those with mobility issues were given a ride down to the Japanese garden – much appreciated by those who took it.

We learnt that a key part of Brown’s design for Gatton was a series of ponds which culminated in the main lake.

Main lake by Ian Wells    

Gatton from Main Lake by Ian Wells

The lake is around 30 acres in size, the main body of it narrows to the north to form an area which is known as the Panhandle. The lake has two islands, one of which is home to the only Heronry on private land in Surrey and the other supports many other species of wildfowl.

Walking through the park we went down to the Japanese Garden to see the changes that have recently been made, including new steps to improve access. The rock garden has also been recently renovated and it is around that area that there is a beautiful display of snowdrops in February.

We then went onto St. Andrew’s Church where our volunteer guide, Alan gave us a brief history of the church and drew our attention to the stained glass windows and memorial plaque of Jeremiah and Mary Coleman. Sir Jeremiah Colman, of mustard fame, was the last owner of the Gatton estate before it was left to The Royal Alexandra and Albert School.

Rock Garden

Old Town Hall

Group photo at Japanese Garden by Ian Wells

Quotes received from members include:

“I enjoyed my day at Gatton Park and found the AGM talks very useful. The day ran so smoothly thanks to your efficient organisation and as a result of what I learned I hope to encourage more residents from this village to join the SHS.”

“It was a super setting and was very informative. I learnt today how far reaching the Society is and that there is more to it than arranging events for us to explore the Surrey Hills which I, for one, appreciate very much. The lunch was pretty good, too!”

“Excellent AGM.  One of the best.  Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make ut such a success.”

We scheduled a walk in Dorking as one of our Free Walks of the Month this year to mark the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ birth and he lived in or near Dorking as a child and later in life so we were searching for evidence of his time there.

You do not need to search very hard for he has left a living legacy in Dorking. He was involved in the establishment of the Leith Hill Music Festival and was its principal conductor from its beginning in 1905 until 1953. The festival continues to this day and celebrates the number of choirs in the area who come together to compete. RVW believed that music should exist in the community and so was a real supporter attending rehearsals and conducting the performances.

As part of this, he was one of the people involved in getting the Dorking Halls built. This is a beautiful art deco building which has now been refurbished and continues to be a venue for cinema and cultural events of all types.

The walk took us through the town and up onto the Nower. The views from here towards the North Downs are amazing. The path then took us down to cross the A25 and walk back along the bottom of the slopes of Ranmore. Several people commented that they did not know there was such beautiful countryside so close to Dorking town. The weather had cleared up just in time and it was a very pleasant Sunday morning walk.

When we rejoined the road to head back into Dorking, we passed the spot where the house White Gates where the Vaughan Williams lived used to stand. It would be easy to imagine that he wrote the Lark Ascending here looking over the leas running along the base of the North Downs. This cannot be the case as he wrote it in 1914 but it could easily have been instigated by his time at Leith Hill Place in his youth. Certainly his time in Dorking and its surrounds gave him a love of the country.

So there is a statue outside the Dorking Halls and there is a bronze relief memorial in the porch of St Martin’s Church, both of which we saw. The cultural activities which he helped to establish have left living reminders of his time there and have had a lasting effect on the town.

Stella and Martin Cantor

Thanks to the funding from Surrey Hills Society, two local schools, the Howard of Effingham and Manor House received £500 each towards improving their school grounds for nature.

Howard of Effingham

Surrey Wildlife Trust worked with the Howard of Effingham’s Green Armada group to explore their grounds and find ways in which they wanted to help wildlife with the funding.

In the winter, students used their design and technology skills to create bird boxes. They worked in pairs to hammer the pieces together like a puzzle. Later in the year, they were put up around the school, on trees and by hedgerows. The students were excited to see birds interested in their creations soon after they were put up!

Students decided ‘No Mow’ zones were needed and were granted permission to leave a quiet zone full of long grass throughout spring and summer.

With the funding, they purchased hearts and painted them blue (in line with the nationwide Blue Heart campaign) to show the school community why the grass was being left, along with some plug plants to make the space more diverse of plant life.

Funding was also used to buy a small pond for the sixth form area, which the Green Armada looks after. The students got stuck in and dug the pond themselves, measuring the space, working as a team, and collecting materials to surround the small pond.

Later in the school term, they even saw a newt had moved in!

Students sowed pollinator friendly seeds in peat free compost, with the sunflowers doing the best in the summer drought.

Finally, funding was used to purchase a water butt to help save water. The group wouldn’t have had the opportunities they did this year without the funding from the Surrey Hills Society.

Manor House School

A variety of year groups got involved with helping nature at Manor House School, thanks to the funding from the Surrey Hills Society.

The school left a ‘No Mow’ zone by the school pick up space and used the funding to create blue hearts for interpretation of the space.

There was a school wide competition to design the blues hearts and the winners were chosen by the school council and given lavender plants to take home and help pollinators where they live. As the summer continues a variety of plant species appeared, including an orchid!

Year 2 planted pollinator friendly seeds, which they looked after for the summer term. The hope is that these will be planted in a new pollinator friendly flower bed!

Year 2 also created bee homes, hammering pieces together and filling with bamboo. These will be placed in a sunny spot next year close to flowers. Year 3 sowed woodland wildflower seeds in a small area to help encourage more diversity for wildlife.

The funding from the Surrey Hills Society helped to engage a variety of year groups with nature, for both curriculum and non-curriculum sessions, and inspire them to take action at home. A student later built a bucket pond!

Lizzie Foster, Team Wilder Engagement Officer, Surrey Wildlife Trust

Bees, butterflies and birds……

Earlier this year we offered to organise a volunteering day for our team at National Highways, unaware at the time of the logistical challenges and post covid wait lists that would follow. Fast forward six months and we have just spent the most incredible day with representatives from the Surrey Hills Society (both the Chairman, Gordon Jackson, and the Project and Volunteer Co-ordinator, Christa Emmett) measuring hedgerows and identifying butterflies whilst being educated on conservation, species and wildlife.

From the outset the Surrey Hills Society responded promptly, providing all the information that we requested, and offered to put together a day that factored in everyone’s needs. On the day itself we had a welcome briefing from the Chairman of the Society before making our way to the footpaths of the Surrey Hills. And wow – what a view!

The scenery was stunning. Absolutely spectacular and had the feeling of being both completely unspoilt but yet cared-for. It was so refreshing to see the endless open countryside with wonderful views, incredible trees and signs of wildlife enjoying the day as much as we were. And what was more was the silence. No sounds of cars or phones anywhere and such a welcome break from our hectic office days!

Split into two groups, our first task was to take part in the Great British Hedgerow Survey. Equipped with guides, diagrams and cane sticks to help us with accurate measuring, we analysed sections of hedgerows, identifying plant varieties, measuring height and depth, noting down any large gaps and answering multiple questions to help guide future conservation work. The Surrey Hills team explained how important the hedgerows are for food, shelter and access routes, with many species wholly dependant on them for their survival. We learnt a great deal about the difference types of species, both plants and animals, that make up a seemingly common hedgerow.

After a picnic lunch, we walked a section of the Leith Hill Greenway, a 15km multi-user, off-road route which links Box Hill with Surrey’s highest point, Leith Hill. At the same time, equipped with guides we were asked to spot and identify any butterflies we encountered enroute, of which there were many. Such data-gathering is critical to assessing the health of the rare butterfly population and the information we recorded would help the Society to plan future butterfly conservation activities.

We all have busy jobs, stressful and demanding at times, but left feeling calm and collected, having enjoyed an informative and fun day, thanks to our fabulous representatives from the Surrey Hills Society. It is true when they say that the Surrey Hills are open to all and they left a strong impression. We felt humbled when we learnt about the incredible work that the Society carries – out, engaging with all members of the community and caring for this precious countryside so that it can be enjoyed by everyone.

Some people may mistakenly believe those managing the nation’s motorways wouldn’t be the first to appreciate the nature and beauty of our landscapes, but that misconception could not be further from the truth. Indeed, it has long been a key priority for National Highways to manage the balance between the safety and convenience of those using our roads with the preservation of the landscapes they pass through. This trip highlighted the need for us to continue to prioritise that important work.

A huge thank you to all and we will be back to plant hedgerows in the Spring! We couldn’t have had a better-organised, more successful day.

National Highways 16 August 2022

Christa Emmett, our Project and Volunteer Coordinator and Ash Greening joined ten families supported by the National Autistic Society Surrey Family Support Team at Clandon Woods on Monday 22nd August.

There were lots of fun activities for the 19 children who attended including the ‘Where do I live’ magnetic board game supplied by Christa and Ash.

It was a day to explore nature in the reserve and the children were set the ‘matchbox challenge’ (no matches were used!) to find items of interest that they could bring back and share with others. Some of the finds were beautiful including a heart shaped stone.

The children enjoyed watching the wildlife on the ponds and the various insects and animals nestling alongside the planting and hedgerow. The children were fascinated by the bird life including a couple of birds of prey in the sky above.

The children could then occupy themselves back at the spacious Pavilion with panoramic views of the reserve. They could make Pom Pom sensory balls, Salt Jars, stone painting and friendship bracelets. The Surrey Hills Society provided colouring pages of animals and a guide book of what is available in the Surrey Hills.

All the parents commented on how relaxed and happy the children were in this peaceful environment. It was also lovely to see how the siblings worked together harmoniously. The parents were able to relax, talk to other parents and drink coffee. It was a positive experience all round.

Simon Ferrar from Clandon Wood told us how much he enjoyed seeing the families enjoying the facilities and the nature reserve. It fits perfectly with the ethos of encouraging families and young people to enjoy all that Surrey has to offer!

NAS and their families hope to visit again soon and would be happy to visit any other great facilities in Surrey. If you are interested, you may contact them at surrey.familysupport@nas.org,uk.

Mandy Elton

Family Support Coordinator, National Autistic Society