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

Our regular First Sunday of the Month walk for November explored Farnham Heath and the edges of Bourne Wood.

Although there was a brisk wind at times we enjoyed blue skies and warm sunshine that highlighted the autumnal colours of the heathland and the statuesque pine. Led by Gordon Jackson and Colin Crofts, our party of 30 (and two dogs) enjoyed a gentle walk through the heathland which is owned and maintained by the RSPB.

En route we stopped to admire the sculptures that are a legacy of the annual Surrey Hills Arts Heathland Trail run in partnership with the University of Creative Arts in Farnham.

The highlight of the walk involved a short climb to Walter Bailey’s House of Invisible Hands, which the artist sees as a shrine to those whose labours shaped the landscape of Surrey in the making of forest glass during mediaeval times. This practise involved working within the forest using the raw materials of the landscape to keep the furnaces going.

The views to the South from this forest artwork are truly stunning and it was a perfect day to appreciate the beauty of the Surrey Hills landscape. 

We all had a most enjoyable morning exploring in the west of Surrey.  Next month’s free walk is over in Dorking.

Thank you to all who shared their photos for everyone to enjoy.

Gordon Jackson, Chairman

We met up at the War Memorial on the airfield and were guided around by Linda who had a plethora of images taken of the airfield over the decades. She was ably assisted by Alan, Tony and Neil who were all very knowledgeable about the history of the site and each had their expertise in differing areas.

The airfield was heavily involved in the Battle of Britain.

Douglas Bader was based at Kenley and is famous for losing both his legs in a plane crash but he went back to fly many successful missions.

We were shown the E shaped blast pens which were designed and built to deflect the blast of German bombs away from the aircraft, and some of these are still intact from when they were originally built.

One of the most terrible onslaughts at the airfield was at lunchtime on Sunday 18th August 1940 when 9 low flying German planes attacked the airfield. There was total devastation but 4 of the attacking planes were brought down, 2 crashed and the other 3 were badly damaged.

Kenley is identified by English Heritage as “The most complete fighter airfield associated with the Battle of Britain to have survived”.

The airfield is now used by gliders for enjoyment and also for training.

We are organising a return visit next year to include refreshments in the RAFA.

Sall Baring

We are delighted to welcome Christa Emmett as our new Surrey Hills Society Volunteer Coordinator which has been made possible by 2 years funding through the Trust Fund, the Community Foundation for Surrey and the AONB Board.

Christa will be working with local charities and other community groups to facilitate voluntary conservation activity in the Surrey Hills.  She will be providing advice and support to parish councils and community groups in the Surrey Hills AONB to take practical action to implement and maintain conservation projects supporting the Society with fundraising.

Christa will also be ensuring effective communication and coordination of programmes with partners.  She will be working in close cooperation with Surrey Wildlife Trust.

Christa says ” I am really excited to join the Surrey Hills family. My background is in ecology and conservation, however, I also have a fair bit of experience working with young people. Having grown up in the Surrey Hills, I am passionate about protecting this beautiful area and what it provides for both people and nature.

I hope I can use my experience to bring together volunteers, landowners, parish councils and other community groups to protect and enhance our local biodiversity. There are a range of exciting projects in the pipeline and I am eager to meet the large voluntary community of the Surrey Hills, to make these projects come to life.”

Gordon Jackson says “This is a new post within the Society and represents an exciting opportunity to develop the Into the Wild concepts that the Society has been supporting over recent years.  All the evidence now shows that enabliing people to work in and enjoy the countryside is massively beneficial to mental and physical health.  Christa brings special expertise which will enable us to take the Society forward and to work on important projects that will enhance the Surrey Hills.”

“Be Nice, Say Hi” on the first Surrey Hills Greenway

The first Greenway in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was officially launched today (23 September) by the Chairman of Surrey County Council, Helyn Clack. Known as the Leith Hill Greenway, the new route provides greater access for people of all abilities to enjoy beautiful countryside in a sustainable way for their health and well-being whilst reducing conflict. It is hoped this new route will be the first of many Greenways across Surrey linking the countryside with towns and cities.

The brainchild of Cycling UK, Greenways are a network of mostly off-road routes that connect people to facilities, rural businesses and open spaces in and around towns, cities and the countryside. The new 15 km Leith Hill Greenway route provides an opportunity for Surrey residents and visitors to enjoy the famous views of Box Hill, one of the UK’s most spectacular vineyards at Denbies and the National Trust’s majestic Leith Hill tower, with its sweeping panoramic views of London and the English Channel. Along the Greenway, the countryside is blessed with rich wildlife, ancient woodland, historic sites and rolling fields.

The new route is well signposted, easily accessible and safely off-road, and encourages people to leave their vehicles at home and explore the area in a more sustainable way. The route can be started and finished at any point where there is a directional sign, meaning visitors can take on the challenge of the full 15 km or just a section of the route.

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns:

“The Greenways initiative is a fabulous opportunity not just for Surrey visitors and residents but also for local businesses along its linked-up network of traffic free and traffic light routes. The vision of being able to journey from London to Leith Hill in peace and quiet is something all lovers of the countryside should support, whether you walk, cycle or ride horses.

“Cycling UK is hugely supportive of the Surrey Hills AONBs ambition and have helped advise on the work to date linking Leith Hill to Denbies Wine Estate. We’d encourage everyone to give it a go, and while doing so bear in mind the mantra of our joint education campaign with the British Horse Society: “Be Nice, Say Hi”.”

Mark Weston, Director of Access at the British Horse Society:

“We are thrilled to see that the Greenways initiative is helping to improve access for all users in the Surrey Hills. As one of the vulnerable road user groups, horse riders face considerable dangers on our roads and the need for safer off-road riding opportunities has never been greater.

By promoting the BHS and Cycling UK’s joint campaign, ‘Be Nice, Say Hi’ in the area we hope that we will be able to educate more riders, cyclists and walkers to be confident to pass one another comfortably and safely.”

Fiona Spencer of the Ramblers Association (Mole Valley):

“As Ramblers we welcome the Greenway initiative as a way to encourage more people to discover the joys of walking in nature. The Ramblers Association, through its local groups, of which there are 16 in Surrey, offers sociable volunteer-led walks to suit all levels of experience. Since Covid-19 the desire of people to visit the countryside has become ever more apparent. Well guided trails are important in helping people feel safe in walking, whether alone or with others. Exchanging a friendly smile with those you may meet, be they on foot, on horseback or on bicycles, can only add to our pleasure. So Be Nice, say Hi.”

Heather Kerswell, Chair of the Surrey Hills AONB Board:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have Helyn Clack, Chairman of Surrey County Council to launch the new Leith Hill Greenway. As more and more people recognise the benefits of discovering our countryside, the new Greenway will help them to do this by opening up the landscape for accessible exploration whilst encouraging people to respect and protect the natural environment as they do so.

” We are so grateful to all our partners, especially DEFRA for funding, Denbies for giving permissive access on their land for part of the route, and Surrey County Council for getting it all done!”

This project has been funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

For more information about the new Leith Hill Greenway, including a map of the route visit: https://www.surreyhills.org/discover-route/leith-hill-greenway.

Habitat Project – Greening Surrey’s urban spaces

A proposal to create community green spaces.

Surrey Hills Arts are embarking on a project that will green urban spaces in every borough and district in Surrey. These pockets of land will be developed with the local communities working with artists and ecologists to achieve spaces that are well-designed, sustainable and will greatly benefit and encourage wildlife.

This project is a direct response to climate change and the decreasing biodiversity we are facing. Each space will include sculptural habitats relevant to the area which will support insects, bats, bees, birds and other wildlife. The planting will be specifically designed with the same intention working with Surrey Wildlife Trust.

Help Us

We are applying for funding from Your Fund Surrey, and you can agree or comment on our idea here:
Support our proposal

How lucky we were to chose the first sunny day for several weeks for Chairman’s Day at Buckland.

Our morning started at the home of our guide for the day – local historian Duncan Ferns. Yewdells is a Grade II listed building built in 1713 and we enjoyed our welcome tea and coffee in Duncan’s delightful garden, which he personally designed. That was not all – situated in the garden is the only surviving wind-powered sawmill in the UK. Built between 1860 and 1870, the mill powered a timber saw and was used by the Sanders family who ran their sawyers business from the site.

Duncan then led us a wonderful tour of Buckland Village, which included a visit to Buckland Parish Church.

There has been a church on this since the Domesday Book and probably earlier. Parts of the church are thought to have been built in 1380 although it was extensively refurbished in 1860.

Other highlights of the tour included a visit to the former Old Parsonage where we admired the original late Georgian frontage and the fabulous views across to the North Downs.

We also heard about and visited Buckland’s three village greens, which arose because the entire village was moved to avoid the Plague. The current green is idyllic with a an old timber barn and picturesque village pond along one edge and the Old School and a number of timbered cottages opposite.

Duncan then led us on a 30 minute across the fields and into the Buckland Estate, which is newly open to the public.

Here we enjoyed an excellent meal overlooking Park Lake, which was a former gravel pit.  Buckland Sand has been quarried since the 1920’s. Sand extraction activities were completed in 2014 and whole area has been sensitively restored with a view to reintroding biodiversity. Over 100 bird species have been recorded in the area.

Duncan was ideally placed to tell us all about the area as he was the Estate Manager until very recently. The newly opened Cliffe Cafe served an excellent meal and most of us felt the need to stretch our legs for 40 minutes around the perimeter of the Lake before returning to our cars.

All in all a fabulous day which will be remembered by all for some time to come.

Gordon Jackson, Chairman