Registered Charity number 1125532

The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty (AONB) came into being as a resultof some legislation created shortly after theSecond World War (WWII) and entitled the‘National Parks and Access to theCountryside Act 1949’. This had beenenacted as a far-sighted and important partof the controls required to protect our speciallandscapes during a period of intensereconstruction and development.We are now in another very significant era ofdevelopment risk for our AONB. The recent

review of National Parks and AONBs (theGlover report) and the announcement thatNatural England has commenced the SurreyHills Boundary Review, highlight the fact thatthese landscapes are still under threat andthat changes are probably required to makethem fit for the future.The Surrey Hills have faced many threatsthroughout the centuries but one that has leftits mark all over the area is that of war,conflict and invasion. Whether it be the IronAge hillfort at Holmbury Hill, the 19th centuryforts at Reigate and Box Hill or some otherstructure dating between these periods, theyhave all been absorbed into the landscapewhich is the Surrey Hills.But it is not only physical structures which actas reminders of these conflicts and threats.Human activity has also triggered socialchange with lasting effects. For example,wars have led to recruitment of local maleswho have fought and died – or subsequentlyrelocated elsewhere. This has had a lastingimpact on the labour supply for agricultureand consequently driven mechanisation,importing of foodstuffs and generalcountryside management practices. Similarly,the post-WWII period led to a large numberof people emigrating to other countries,

especially other parts of the Commonwealth,or remaining in the UK after service with theAllied forces. In this edition of the newsletter we take alook at some of the structures, wartimeremnants and human activities which havebecome reminders of 20th century conflictsacross the area. So much of what we seetoday and enjoy as part of our wonderfullandscape can be linked to these and similarcauses. It is, therefore, timely to remindourselves how important it is to defend ourSurrey Hills from the excessive developmentand detrimental change that led to thecreation of the AONB in the first place.

www.surreyhillssociety.org

Military Heritage of the Surrey Hills

Reigate Fort View from Holmbury Hill

Jutland Wood at Langley Vale

viewsEdition 36 Autumn 2021

Chairman’s ViewsOn 31 July, we enjoyed our traditional Surrey Hills Volunteers’ picnic. It was such apleasure to see our wonderful volunteers inperson again and to look forward to life without lockdown. Seeing everyone together causedme to reflect on the very broad range of theSociety’s activities. My diary over the last fewweeks provides a snapshot of the variety.In late June at Chilworth Station we launchedfour new Rail to Ramble leaflets researchedand edited by Ken Bare and Chris Howard.Shortly afterwards, I was on the slopes ofDenbies Vineyard attending the unveiling of

Radius, a new bench in the Inspiring Viewsseries, with stunning views across the valleyto Dorking and beyond.The next Friday, I joined the AONBPartnership Tour at Newlands Corner. Herethere is a collection of nationally important Yew trees. Guildford Borough Council’s GeoffMonk explained the stress that they aresuffering, possibly due to low water levels inthe chalk aquifers. Then we headed to WestHorsley Place and heard from Natural England about the proposed AONB Boundary Review.At the weekend we were back at Denbiesagain with several of us manning the

Society’s stall for the extremely successfulArtisan Festival.During July, Surrey County CouncilCountryside Officer, Conor Morrow, led us on a fascinating guided walk by the LowerMole. Chairman’s Day saw us at Bucklandviewing the only surviving wind-poweredsawmill in the UK, touring this pretty historicvillage and enjoying lunch overlookingBuckland Estate Lake – once a gravel pit but now managed for nature.Last week, three separate trips were organised to the fabulous Grade II* listed 14th CenturyTollsworth Manor in Chaldon and therebyraising £900 for St Catherine’s Hospice. Increased biodiversity and “Making Space for Nature” is a dominant theme at presentwith the Society planning tree and hedgerowplanting at both West Horsley Place andneighbouring Clandon Wood as part of theSurrey Hills Champions Programme.In the meantime, we have also beenplanning. I’m looking forward to the SurreyHills Symposium on 24th November atSurrey University with chair, Jim Al-kalili, and lead speaker, Professor Sir ParthaDasgupta, who recently reported to theGovernment on the Economics of Diversity.Everything we do depends on ourvolunteers! We always need more! If anyonewould be interested in helping out, please docontact me at info@surreyhillssociety.orgGordon Jackson

2

I’m proud to have been involved with theSociety since its very beginning. This was in October 2007 when people first met atDenbies to discuss forming a member-ledcharity to support the Surrey Hills AONB.The Society started in May 2008 with a very small team and has gradually grown to what it is today. I have always been involved on thepublicity/marketing side and helped with thevery first newsletters – a mere two sides! Aseditor I then helped with seeking sponsorsand developed a regular multi-pagenewsletter once we had more news to report.I now lead on marketing for the Society and Iam glad we can get more back to normal –making sure the people of Surrey know whowe are and encouraging more of them to getout and discover this amazing landscape. My day job is working for Surrey CountyCouncil Countryside team as a marketing

officer where I’ve been for almost twentyyears – which I find quite unbelievable. I’ve enjoyed the role I’m in and the way it has developed for me and there are manysynergies to my continued volunteer role with the Society. I also volunteer for RipleyFarmers’ Market on a monthly basis, as wellas doing their website and social media. I’m quite a busy person as my family andfriends would agree!!I don’t quite live in the AONB but am veryclose to it. However, I am passionate aboutprotecting the beauty of Surrey’s countrysidefor future generations (my own familyincluded) and love being out and aboutdiscovering new areas on foot and learningabout local history. My family heritage comesfrom around Chilworth and Albury, so I thinkthe Surrey Hills are definitely in my bones! Diane Cooper

Volunteer Profile – Diane Cooper

Buckland Windmill

3

www.surreyhillssociety.org

This project is one of four woods across the UK planted by the Woodland Trust tocommemorate the centenary of the FirstWorld War (WWI). It spreads over 640hectares and since 2014 over 150,000 trees have been planted by variousorganisations, including local schools, tocreate new woodland next to the existingancient woodland.The area was once the site of TadworthCamp where new recruits were trained in the basics of trench warfare in specially dugtrenches, on how to shoot rifles and how toprotect themselves from a gas attack. At itspeak 8,000 soldiers were billeted acrosseight camp sites in a vast sea of tents.

To commemorate Lord Kitchener’s inspection of the troops, sandstone soldiers (somewearing full uniform and carrying rifles), havebeen erected in a grid of 80 trees. Ironically,on the day of Lord Kitchener’s visit, therewere not enough uniforms and guns to goround. Added to that, the snow was eightinches deep and the soldiers had got up at4am to march (without breakfast) to be inposition on time. Kitchener did not arriveuntil 10.30am, by which time some of thesoldiers had passed out with hunger andone died of hypothermia. His inspectionlasted five minutes!A new sculpture, 'Witness' by John Merrill, has recently been erected. It was constructedfrom about 35 pieces of oak, each six metres high and represents the desolate trees thatstood in no-man’s land. It was inspired byPaul Nash’s war paintings that show the

landscape of the Somme being bare apartfrom the twisted forms of dead trees. Carvedinto the wood are extracts from seven poems written during WWI including: ‘Lights Out’ byEdward Thomas, ‘Afterwards’ by MargaretPostgate and ‘Futility’ by Wilfred Owen.Elsewhere on the site there is a sea of sail-like wooden memorials – the Jutland Wood.It contains some 6,097 saplings with eachone representing a life lost from a Britishship during the battle of Jutland. Spreadacross a field of wild flowers these look verymuch like a flotilla and provide a movingreminder of the many seamen who gavetheir lives during the war years.

Although the greatest publicity has so farfocused on the memorial aspect, this is alsoan important land restoration and improvement project which will go on for many years.Existing arable land is being transformedinto a natural wildlife haven, whilst hedgerowplanting and woodland edge creation willprovide corridors and habitats for plants,insects and larger creatures.Sainsbury’s is the lead partner for the WWIproject with the Woodland Trust. In anotherpart of the Langley Vale project they fundedthe planting of 147 apple, pear, cherry andplum trees, creating a unique communityorchard. This Sainsbury’s CommunityOrchard is a special site, where communitygroups will be encouraged to get involvedwith pruning and maintaining the orchard and will be able to enjoy harvesting the fruits.If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to visitand wander around, you may wish to knowthat the Woodland Trust have their ‘FirstWorld War Month of Remembrance’ self-ledtrail around the site throughout November.The dates are yet to be finalised but areexpected to cover the majority of the month.Gilly Coombes & Ken Bare

Langley Vale Centenary Wood

The ‘War Brides’Although the Canadians, US and other nations contributed much to the allied war effort andleft a physical reminder of their presence they also left a very strong human legacy. With the large number of Canadian troops in Surrey –and so many young men away on militaryservice – it is not surprising that manydeveloped relationships with the local femalepopulation! This was a nationwide situation

leading to the Canadian Government makingarrangements for the post-war emigration of‘war brides’ and their offspring to Canada. Across England, some 43,500 brides and21,000 children were transported to Canada.Many of them came from Surrey andreviewing a web article covering a singleregion in British Columbia, it highlightsprofiles of young women from Wrecclesham,Haslemere and Dorking. Indeed, the recordsof the Canadian Wives' Bureau – which

oversaw repatriation from 1944-47 – showspecific folders covering Dorking, Epsom,Guildford, Reigate, Woking and, just over theborder, Horsham. The implication being thatthere were significant numbers of ‘warbrides’ as a consequence of military activityin and around these areas.So if you have Canadian relatives or friends,why not find out when they emigrated – andwhere from. You may get a surprise.Ken Bare

The Sandstone Sculptures Memorial Bench, Langley Vale

View towards ‘Witness’ Sculpture

Hankley Common near Thursley is a veryspecial place. Comprising about 1,400 acres,it is designated as both a Site of SpecialScientific Interest and a Special ProtectionArea. It supports native populations of all sixBritish reptile species including the sandlizard and the slow worm. The Common hasa diverse invertebrate fauna, including rarespecies of dragonfly and grasshopper.Protected heathland species such aswoodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler are also to be found.However, the area of the Common known as Lion’s Mouth is home to some other rarespecies, which would not be there if it werenot for a huge enterprise undertaken byCanadian soldiers during the latter part ofWWII. As plans were made for D-Day, secretreconnaissance missions were made togather intelligence about Hitler’s ‘Atlantikwall’– a coastal defence stretching from Spain toNorway to defend Nazi-occupied WesternEurope. The Canadian soldiers were orderedto build as close a replica of the defences as possible and a 100 metre long section ofwall was constructed – three metres tall and

over three metres thick – split into twosections by a set of heavy steel gates. To the side of the wall there were many otherobstacles still visible today including dragon’steeth, railway track set vertically in concreteand concrete blocks.Adapting tanks to take on Hitler’s coastaldefences was one of the main aims. Knownas Hobart’s Funnies, the Churchill tankscould perform a range of tasks using flamethrowers, spinning flails for mine clearanceand a petard mortar – a small bomb used forblowing up gates and walls when breachingfortifications. Clearly visible are the largebreaches, more than three metres wide,caused by ‘Double Onions’, a steel framework with 1,000 lbs of explosives strapped to it

and then mounted to the front of a tank. Thetank would place the charges at heights ofup to four metres before backing off trailing awire that would be used to detonate theexplosive from a safe distance.Today, nature has taken hold of the ruins of this once top-secret structure that sits inthe tranquillity of the Common. Over theyears the wall has become colonised byalkaline-loving lichens, mosses and ferns,which are found nowhere else in the localitybecause the concrete provides the lime-based substrate that these species require.Another reason for the heathland’s protected designation.Gordon Jackson

4

Hankley Common and the ‘Atlantic Wall’

The early evening of 19 March 1945 wasfoggy. At around 5.40pm, the sound of anaircraft was heard flying over Redhill andReigate. Local people were alerted to thesound of aero engines revving up at highpower shortly after the aircraft disappearedinto thick cloud as it approached the crown ofReigate Hill. Shortly afterwards the aircraftstruck the tops of trees on Reigate Hill and aterrifying explosion was heard which led tothe death of all nine Americans on board.The aircraft was a ‘Flying Fortress’ of the384th Bombardment Group, 8th USAAF,which was flying back to its base at GraftonUnderwood in Northamptonshire after an

operation near the German/Czech border.Several key eye witnesses reported that oneengine was trailing thick black smoke as itmade its way at low level over the town. It isbelieved that a combination of combatdamage and the appalling weather conditions led to the tragic loss of these young airmen. As part of a project entitled Frontline SurreyHills, two memorial benches made of localoak were commissioned from a local sculptor. The benches take the form of the wingtips ofthe ‘Flying Fortress’ and were unveiled at amemorial service held on 19 March 2015, the 70th anniversary of the fatal crash.

The gap in the trees still reminds us of thatfateful day whilst the two pieces of thememorial are spaced the same distanceapart as the aircraft's wing tips. Buried deepin the sculpture is molten metal, recoveredfrom the crash site.The site of the memorial is just west of Reigate Fort along the North Downs Way, about 15minutes stroll from the free car park at thetop of Reigate Hill. This location means that it is passed by many walkers and visitorsevery day. One wonders how many actuallynotice these ‘benches’ or stop to look at theinformation board beside the track. Thosethat do will get a poignant reminder of theyoung age of the crew (average age 21),their short life expectancy – this was their13th mission together against an average of11 missions for a B-17 – and the fact that,only a few weeks later, the war was over.Ken Bare

The Reigate Hill Air Crash

The Atlantic Wall

Reigate Plane Wingtips Now

Reigate Plane Crash Memorial Dedication in 2015

Atlantic Wall Breach

www.surreyhillssociety.org

5

Growing up on the other side of the world in‘Sunny Australia’, WWII was just somethingwe learnt about at school. I had no realexperience of it other than a few whisperedconversations about old men who had beenin Japanese prisoner of war camps. On arriving in the Surrey Hills during 1987,one of the first things that struck me washow real WWII still was. I could walk in thewoods and still see bomb craters whereGerman planes had emptied the last of theirload before heading back to Germany after a raid. I saw many plaques to bombed-outbuildings like the village school in Cranleighor caves used as air raid shelters in Reigate.

Most intriguing for me are the ominous,multi-sided, brick built structures called ‘PillBoxes’ that I came across with greatregularity right across the North Downs –one of my favourite walking areas. It stillsends a shiver down my spine to think how

real the threat of the German invasion wasback then. The Outer London Defence Ringwas the last line of defence for London if theGermans had ever made it across thechannel. In June 1940 under the direction ofGeneral Edmund Ironside, concentric ringsof anti-tank defences and pill boxes wereconstructed in and around London, includingthe North Downs. The ring used a mixture ofnatural rivers and artificial ditches up to 20feet wide and 12 feet deep, encirclingLondon completely.Other structures, that I did not originallyassociate with the war, are the strange lines

of cement triangles or pyramids known as‘dragon’s teeth’. An extremely good examplecan be found behind the Spectrum LeisureCentre in Stoke Park, Guildford. I came across another cluster when I was volunteering toclear the overgrown garden at Deepdene,Dorking. This was after the site had receivedHLF funding to restore their fascinatingItalian style garden – one of the first in thiscountry. These WWII remnants have nowbeen removed to recreate the originalgarden but they were well documentedbefore dismantling.Whilst out walking in the Surrey Hills, onceyou have your ‘eye in’ you can spot signs ofWWII all over the place. I have spotted‘dragon’s teeth’ in the Chilworth GunpowderMills site, at various locations on the side ofroads, and right next to me sitting in traffic onthe London Road in Guildford. There are also ‘dragon’s teeth’ and other cement structuresvery visible at Box Hill – especially downnear the River Mole. I am sure you canname many places across the Surrey Hillswhere you have spotted these WWII relics. What is good, is that there is now a growinginterest in preserving and interpreting thesestructures which perhaps our parents andgrandparents, who lived through those darkdays, preferred to forget. Chris Howard

Pill Boxes and Dragon’s Teeth: Reminders of a Darker Time

The CanadianPresenceCanadian troops played a significant role inWWII and many of them were based inSurrey for part of their English service. The1st Canadian Division formed a mobilereserve ranging from Guildford to Westerham, with troops stationed in billets or under canvas,along the North Downs Way.Headley Court, near Leatherhead, served as the senior Canadian field headquartersthroughout almost the entire period until theCanadian army moved to France in 1944.

Meanwhile, nearby Headley Heath was usedas a training ground for engineers buildingairstrips and trench systems thendemolishing them again.There is plentiful physical evidence of theCanadian troop presence along or close tothe North Downs. Amongst many otherthings, they built the hard surface track thatruns across Netley Heath and which nowforms part of the North Downs Way. This track formed the northern boundary of NetleyHouse, which was one of many propertiesrequisitioned for Canadian military use in thearea. Nearby, at Dunley Hill Farm on Ranmore, there is still a wooden Canadian Army sentrybox whilst a memorial on Albury Heathmarks where Montgomery addressed theCanadian troops before departure for D-Day.Elsewhere in Surrey, Canadian Army engineers constructed Dunsfold Aerodrome for theRoyal Canadian Air Force in just 18 weeks!An accommodation base for the troops wasset up in 1941 near Thursley and was knownas Tweedsmuir Camp. This gained a secondlife after the war as a home to 80 Polishfamilies from the Polish Allied Forces who had

fought on the Western Front and refused toaccept the communist takeover of Poland.Ken Bare

Pill Box near Brockham

Albury Heath Memorial

Sentry Box on Ranmore

Dragon's Teeth near Spectrum, Guildford

6

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Wanborough Wanborough’s St Bartholomews Church maybe one of the smallest in Surrey, but take alook inside and you will see a plaque tocommemorate some of the bravest men andwomen who fought in WWII. Over 100 SOEAgents passed through what was known as STS 5 (Special Training School 5) inWanborough. Around half lost their lives but, in 1977, two of the survivors (PearlWitherington and Yvonne Cormeaux) returned with the Commandant of the school (ColonelMaurice Buckmaster) to unveil the plaque.

After the fall of France in 1940, at the behest of Winston Churchill, the SOE wasestablished under the then Minister ofEconomic Warfare, Dr. Hugh Dalton. Thepurpose of the SOE was to conductespionage, sabotage and reconnaissance inoccupied Europe (and later, also in occupiedSoutheast Asia) against the Axis powers and

to aid local resistance movements. The work included experimentation andproduction of equipment (such as weapons,radios, explosive devices and booby traps),code and cipher development, camouflage(including the hiding of weapons, explosivesor radios in innocuous-seeming items)together with forgery of ID papers, rationcards and currency.And of course, training the agents who weregoing to be sent behind enemy lines. It was ajoke that ‘SOE’ stood for "Stately 'omes ofEngland" after the large number of countryhouses and estates it requisitioned andused, one of which was Wanborough Manor.The SOE took over the Manor in January1941 and designated it as STS 5 – French(F) Section. The first prospective agentscame in February 1941 and parties of newtrainees continued to arrive until March 1943when new selection procedures wereestablished at Winterfold House, nearCranleigh. Initially run by Major Roger deWesselow and then by Colonel MauriceBuckmaster, Wanborough Manor's primaryuse during the war was to whittle out thosenot suited to undercover work and begininitial training for those who progressed.Unarmed combat was taught in one of theManor cellars, whilst firearms training took

place in the gardens. Even today, in a privatesection of the garden, the wall at the veryback of the Manor has remnants of the metalarms that held up the targets, and bulletholes are clearly visible in the wall itself. Ifthey passed, the trainees went on to otherschools, but before they left Wanborough,recruits were also given tuition in MorseCode, night exercises and map reading.Of the men and women passing throughWanborough, the better known include PeterChurchill (captured but survived), FrancisSuthtill (captured, sent to SachsenhausenConcentration Camp and killed), OdetteSamson (captured, sent to Ravensbruck, but survived), Noor Inayat Khan (captured,sent to Dachau and shot), Diana Rowden(captured, sent to Natzweiler-Struthof andkilled by lethal injection).The exhibition in The Great Barn ofWanborough includes many more detailsabout the SOE at Wanborough Manor. OverHeritage Weekend – 18 & 19 September –members of The Secret WWII LearningProject will be giving talks in the Great Barn on some of the agents who trained at Wanborough. Check www.wanboroughgreatbarn.co.uk fordetails and for Open Day dates.Stephen Callender – Chair of WanboroughBarns Management Committee

The Denbies TankIn 2017 an extremely rare WWII tank was dug up at Denbiesvineyard. It was in surprisingly good condition, with some paint andmarkings still showing, in spite of a large hole on one side of it and its years underground.

The tank was a Covenanter, a type of light cruiser tank that was themainstay of the British Army in the early years of the war. Poorlydesigned, relatively lightly armed and under-gunned, they werealmost obsolete as soon as they were introduced in 1938 andcertainly were by 1940. They saw little active service outside of theUK and were mainly used to re-equip British units as the army rebuilt after Dunkirk and for training purposes by British andCommonwealth armoured units.

Relegated to defensive roles, including with the Home Guard, it isthought this particular Covenanter suffered the fate of many out-of-date tank designs – being used as a ‘hard target’ on gunnery ranges.The tank was probably used as target practice by Canadian gunnerswho were stationed at nearby Headley Court prior to the invasion ofFrance in 1944.

It is believed that four tanks were buried in the area and one wasexcavated in 1983 when the site was still a piggery. Restored to its

former glory that one is now housed at Bovington Tank Museum inDorset. The 2017 tank is now undergoing restoration by itsdiscoverer (Rick Wedlock) and you can find details on a dedicatedFacebook page @T18656Ken Bare

1977 Plaque Reunion

Denbies Tank

Firstly, let meintroduce myself.My name isKathryn May and Ihave been runningBury Hill EstateManagement Ltd.from the historicGrade II listedbuilding of The BellHouse, Dorkingsince 2013.

Our dedicated team offer a bespoke Blockand Estate Management service acrossSouth East England. We take care of thecommunal areas of developments of allsizes and pride ourselves on our morepersonal approach.We are fortunate to be based in the heart ofthe Surrey Hills and are close enough to BoxHill for midday walking which I love to do. It is a privilege to be in one of the mostglorious Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, thereby making the Surrey Hills Society theobvious choice for our sponsorship.In keeping with your newsletter theme thistime, my Property Manager, Jenny Harlow,has contributed the following article:

WWII not only had an impact on the SurreyHills but on the lives of many childrenevacuated to the area.One such child was my late father-in-law. Hisintroduction to England was rather dramatic,having at the tender age of eight years old,boarded a train in Berlin to a foreign countryof which he knew nothing. He arrived with asmall suitcase and a label around his neck.He was one of the children of theKindertransport (Children’s transport), anorganised rescue effort that took placeduring the nine months prior to the outbreakof WWII, saving some 10,000 children underthe age of 17 from Nazi Germany. Imaginemy father-in-law arriving in England, speaking only German, totally alone and away from hisfamily and familiar surroundings. What atraumatic event this must have been andunbelievably hard for this little boy.Until the Nazis had come calling, my father-in-law had no idea they would be persecutedfor their very tenuous Jewish roots. Hisparents and sister all managed to fleeGermany via separate channels. However,the most frightening part was that his fatheronly just escaped to Bolivia the day beforethe Nazis knocked on the door of their house

to come to take him away. They saved theirlives but everything else was lost and theywere never together again as a family.My father-in-law settled well in Surrey and made it his home, giving back to thecommunity in an area that had sogenerously given him refuge and everyopportunity to flourish. He took advantage of those opportunities, did well at school,worked hard and qualified first as aChiropodist, then as a Doctor of Osteopathyopening his own clinic. He gave up his freetime mentoring other professionals in hisfield, supported the Arts and many Charities,generously supporting others less fortunatethan himself. He was a truly philanthropic man who madean impact and never forgot how lucky hehad been and how his life could have beenso different.Jenny Harlow – Property Manager, Bury HillEstate Management Ltd.

www.surreyhillssociety.org

7

Our New Sponsor

The good news is the Government'sannouncement that Natural England willassess extending the Surrey Hills AONB.Work has already started on a morecollaborative and speedier process than hasoccurred elsewhere. Currently, the SurreyHills AONB Office and representatives of theDistrict and Borough Councils are involved.The formal public consultation on a possiblenew boundary is likely at the end of 2022.After analysis of responses, Natural

England's Board is hoping to submit the newboundary recommendations for formalapproval by the Secretary of State in 2023.The bad news is the sale of over 40relatively small plots of land so far atWanborough. These are in the AONB, on theopen northern slopes of the Hog's Back, andthe adjoining Area of Great Landscape Value(AGLV) to the north - possibly to be includedin the new AONB boundary. It seems manynew owners hope these may eventually

have development potential. To control lotsof new fencing, small buildings, and groundworks spoiling the open beauty of thelandscape, Guildford Borough Council hasissued an Article 4 Direction requiringplanning applications for such normallypermitted development. There have alreadybeen several applications and appealsagainst refusal of permission. Clive Smith, Surrey Hills AONB PlanningAdvisor

Planning – Good News and Bad News

Our Events are Back – Come Rain or ShineThe Mole with Conor Morrow

Inside Tollsworth ManorNetley Butterfly Walk with Mike Waite

To join us go to www.surreyhillssociety.org or phone 07530 949302

To contact us, please email info@surreyhillssociety.orgOr phone 07530 949302

Please note that our postal address and landline are currently not in use

@surreyhillssociety

@surreyhillssoc

@SurreyHillsSoc

Reg

iste

red

Addr

ess:

War

ren

Farm

Bar

ns, H

eadl

ey L

ane,

Mic

kleh

am D

orki

ng S

urre

y R

H5

6DG

. Reg

iste

red

Cha

rity

num

ber 1

1255

32

Events Programme September – December 2021Following on from all the constraints of the last 18 months, we are still rebuilding our events programme. New activities are beingadded to the list on a regular basis so please visit our website for more information and additional events.Booking is essential – even for free ones. Bookings generally open about 6 weeks before each event. Non email users can getmore information by calling our phone number.

Dog friendly but kept on ashort lead throughout the walk

FamilyFriendly

1st Sunday Walk of the Month

Signposting for eventswhere SHS will be present

Easy/flat Moderate Challenging

Sunday 5 SeptemberExplore Ewood Coffee, courtesy of one of our members, thenview the site of 16th century ironworks and aguided walk through the surrounding woodsand fields, near Newdigate.

Thursday 23 SeptemberDiscover Waverley House andAbbeyThis is a rare opportunity to visit WaverleyHouse, a Grade II listed Georgian mansionwith the backdrop of the ruins of WaverleyAbbey.

Saturday 25 SeptemberBook Festival walk to Pewley Down A morning walk in association with GuildfordBook Festival. Broadcaster and mentalhealth campaigner Jake Tyler will talk duringthe walk about his book which chronicles his3,000 mile walk around Britain to counter hisown mental health problems.

Sunday 3 OctoberExplore Woking A free short guided walk around Woking withreferences to HG Wells.

Thursday 7 OctoberDorking Museum TourGuided walk from Dorking Museum aroundhidden Dorking. Optional lunch and afternoonMuseum visit.

Friday 8 OctoberWalk and Talk on the AONB Boundary ReviewRob Fairbanks will lead a two hour walkthrough Happy Valley and Farthing Downexplaining the boundary review of the AONB.

Saturday 9 October AGM at the Wonersh Memorial Hall Our 12th AGM will start at 11.00am. We willdiscuss the years activities followed by a tourof the village and optional lunch at the localpublic house.

Wednesday 20 OctoberArbuthnot Hall A visit to this Arts & Crafts Hall in ShamleyGreen designed by Charles Harrison Townsend,with a lecture by architect, Sarah Sullivan.

Thursday 21 OctoberKenley AirfieldA guided walking tour of the airfieldestablished in 1917 and its importance duringthe Battle of Britain.

Sunday 7 NovemberExplore Bourne Wood A free guided walk just south of Farnham. Friday 26 NovemberSurrey Hills Society Dinner at theCounty ClubJoin our President, Chairman and variousdignitaries for a social evening with musicalentertainment and a meal produced from localSurrey Hills suppliers at this historic GuildfordTown House.Saturday 4 DecemberBelmont School WalkOur annual event starting from historicBelmont School and walking up to HolmburyHill fort.Saturday 11 DecemberWreath MakingA popular Christmas event. We gathernatural materials from a private woodland inWonersh then return to the hall to make yourown natural door wreath (guidance given).Festive refreshments provided.Monday 27 DecemberWalk off your Christmas PuddingOur annual walk to blow the cobwebs awayafter the Christmas break. This year atHeadley Heath.

Guildford Walkfest Surrey Hills Society is a sponsor and major contributor to Guildford Walkfest which takesplace throughout September. Numerous local organisations provide free walks for this festival and those bookable via SHSare listed below – with further details available on the Surrey Hills Society website www.surreyhillssociety.org/events. The full Walkfest programme can be found at www.guildfordwalkfest.co.uk

Wednesday 1 SeptemberWalkfest Launch followedby a walk around Ash Vale Friday 3 SeptemberChilworth Gunpowder Mills& St Martha’s Church Wednesday 8 SeptemberSutton Green & the Wey

Thursday 9 SeptemberArtington, the LoseleyEstate & Watts GalleryFriday 10 SeptemberRipley to the River Wey viaPapercourt Lake Saturday 11 SeptemberWalkfest Chairman’s Walkaround Albury Heath and Shere

Monday 13 SeptemberFrom Shere To Netley Park Friday 17 SeptemberIn The Shadow of theWorkhouse – With David Rose Saturday 18 SeptemberStreet Angels SponsoredWalk – Guildford toFarnham

Wednesday 22 SeptemberWalk around Pirbright,Sheets Heath andBasingstoke Canal Saturday 25 SeptemberThe Writers Walk aroundGuildford Town