The magazine of Horsell Residents’ Association
The Resident
Free! Published and distributed by volunteers to the 4,200 households of Horsell
Spring 2015
Inside this issue
Tracious Lane clearance
Christmas Fair
www.horsellresidents.com
Blog: www.horsellresidents.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/horsellresident
Gorse on Horsell Common. Photo: Geoff Banks.
May Fayre preview
The Resident
A word from the Editor
Magazine team:
Greetings!
Published by
HORSELL RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION LTD
Editor: Geoff Banks – Tel. 07813 617768
email: [email protected]
Ann Harington – Tel. 761624
Peter Hobbs – Tel. 824069
Dorothy Smith – Tel. 836031
I thought this would be a quiet time of year, but I’ve had
Please email comments, articles, letters
or Horsell photos to:
[email protected]
(we now have a greengrocers again, and a fishmonger
Published by Horsell Residents’ Association
Limited. A non-profit company limited by
guarantee. Registered number 5377490.
celebrate and commemorate. These next few months are
Text and photos copyright individual authors and
photographers as named.
Printed by: Red Eye Print,
56 Goldsworth Rd, Woking GU21 6LE.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 772111
Artwork by: TBB Design.
www.tbbdesign.co.uk Tel: 829185
No responsibility for the quality of goods or services
advertised in this magazine can be accepted by the
publishers or printers. Advertisements are included in
good faith. No part of this magazine may be reproduced
in any form whatsoever without the prior permission of the
Publishers. The Publishers do not necessarily agree with
the views expressed by contributors, nor do they accept
any responsibility for errors of interpretation in the subject
matter of this magazine. All reasonable care is taken to
ensure accuracy in preparation of the magazine but the
publishers cannot be held legally responsible for errors in
the articles or the return of unsolicited manuscripts, artwork,
or projects. Whilst every care is taken, no responsibility can
be accepted for the safety of material submitted.
Horsell Residents’ Association
Contacts
President: Dorothy Smith
Tel. 836031; [email protected]
Chair: Robin Hoyle
Tel: 730045; [email protected]
even more content than ever to squeeze into the magazine.
I think this is an indication of how much is happening in
the village, from the continued recovery of the High Street
coming soon) to the many events taking place this year
and next (see page 8 for the What’s On). There is a lot to
also an exciting time for me personally, as my wife Fiona is
expecting our first child.
Self-portrait of the editor.
By Geoff Banks.
As a keen photographer I would like to direct your attention to the proposed Horsell
2016 Calendar on the page opposite. This is an idea that has come up before, due
in no small part to the high quality and variety of photographs we see entered in the
Horsell Village Show each year. Caroline is keen to make it happen this time, and I
wish her every success. We need your help to make it happen!
Also on the page opposite is notice of the next Horsell Residents’ Association Annual
General Meeting. The directors would like to point out item seven, the election of
trustees; if you would be interested in joining the HRA Committee please contact
our Hon. Secretary (details bottom-left of this page) to find out how to be proposed.
Geoff
For the blog and twitter feed, contact Debbie
Debbie’s Email: [email protected]
Blog: www.horsellresidents.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Horsellresident
The Resident print magazine:
Geoff Banks – email: [email protected]
Hon. Treasurer: Carol Cheesman
Tel. 766696; [email protected]
HRA blog – Debbie Aitken – email: [email protected]
Hon. Secretary: Ronald Piper
Tel: 855108; [email protected]
Advertising: Tony Kremer – email: [email protected]
Membership Secretary: Robin Hoyle
Tel. 730045; [email protected]
NEXT ISSUE: Summer 2015 – copy deadline for advertisements 25th April,
editorial 2nd May.
Century Dance School
Professional Dance Teachers
Adult Ballroom & Latin Classes at.
Horsell / Old Woking / New Haw
Monday / Wednesday / Friday evenings
www.centurydanceschool.co.uk
Tel : Katrina & Michael 01483 835377
Email : [email protected]
Page 2
The Resident – Spring 2015
FROM THE CHAIR
As I write, it is one of those fabulous
mornings where the view from the top
of Queen Elizabeth Gardens is clear
through Winter branches to the distant,
wooded horizon. The dominant colours of
conifer green and slate grey are broken
by the interplay of house paint and
terracotta. Immediately to the South, the
anthracite of the new Village Hall car park
and the stark silver roof of the new Scout
& Guides HQ await the softening of time.
To the West lies Tracious Lane,
recently cleared to ease the route from
Bullbeggars Lane to Horsell Birch, The
Cricketers, Horsell Common and beyond.
To the East down Pares Close I see the
churchyard of St Mary’s and entry to the
web of footpaths surrounding St Andrew’s
School and playing field. Following
extensive efforts, working with councillors,
council and contractors, these well-used
pedestrian routes have recently been
improved. The paths have been cleaned
and overgrowth removed, easing routes
from Ridgeway, Wilson Way and Horsell
Park to Brewery Road, Woking town
centre and the Railway station.
Directly behind me lies the oak canopy
of Pares Woodland Garden, made
even more inviting by pathways newly
resurfaced with pine-scented woodchip
from Horsell Common. Further over my
shoulders I imagine the wonderful facilities
provided by the extensive grasslands,
heaths, wetland and woodland of Horsell
Common that enrobe our wonderful
Village. Thanks again to all who continue
to contribute their time and energy
unselfishly to make Horsell a wonderful
place to live.
Robin Hoyle
Horsell’s own calendar
Would you like one of your photographs
of Horsell to appear in the 2016 calendar
which is due to go on sale at the 150th
Horsell Village Show? We are looking for
scenes of this area throughout the year.
You may have photographed a glorious
sunset reflected in the Canal, a misty
morning on the Common, blossom down
the High Street, a spider’s web bejewelled
with morning dew, fun at the Village Show
or flowers seen during the Garden Safari.
The calendar will feature not only aesthetic
scenes but also events, pubs, activities,
village buildings with their history, along
with dates of what is happening throughout
the year. These dates, along with local
business advertisements and details
of local services, will provide a useful
calendar and directory for the residents of
Horsell. It should also make a lovely gift
for friends and family elsewhere.
Many thanks and we look forward to all
contributions.
Caroline Hughes
Please send your photos by Wednesday
1st April to Geoff Banks, editor.
Email: [email protected]
Horsell Residents’
Association Ltd
The 10th Annual General
Meeting of the Company
will be held at
The Village Hall
High Street, Horsell, on
Friday 12 June 2015
Commencing at 7.30 pm
Doors open 7.15 pm
AGENDA
1. Apologies for absence,
2. M
inutes of the 9th AGM of Horsell
Residents’ Association Ltd,
3. Matters arising,
4. Chairman’s report,
5. Treasurer’s report,
6. Election of Directors,
7. E
lection of members to the
Committee,
8. Any other relevant business,
9. G
uest Speaker: Iain Wakeford,
on the topic of Brewing and
Pubs in Horsell
Non-members wishing to attend
the AGM are welcome to join
the Association on the evening.
New membership is available on
household basis (annual or life,
as detailed in The Resident).
The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 3
PLANNING
Boundary Commission applies Green Belt
Boundary
its knife to Horsell
Review
The Boundary Commission recently carried
out an electoral review of Woking to support
the reduction of local councillors from 36 to 30.
Despite local representations from residents,
local organisations and even Woking Borough
Council, it has decided to exclude some
Horsell Village roads from the newly unified
Horsell electoral ward. These excluded
roads will now be represented by councillors
challenged with representing the diverse new
ward of Canalside, carved from other wards to
provide the desired numerical equality.
The commission responded to submissions
on the newly unified ward of Horsell: “We
received 116 submissions... All objected to
the removal of the areas around Woodham
Waye, The Grove & Broomhalls from Horsell,
and also to the removal of the name
Woodham from the ward. We have carefully
considered the evidence received. However,
the consequence of these boundary modifications would be that the electoral variances in
Canalside and Horsell would be outside the
tolerable limits at -14% and 19%, respectively. On the basis that the Woodham area is to
remain within Canalside, we consider that the
ward name of Horsell is appropriate.”
I am upset that the well organised, logical
and sane representations to the commission
were not successful and that as a result some
residents will have different councillors from
the rest of the newly unified Horsell ward.
Regardless of the governmental ebb and
flow of ward boundaries for local councillors
reflected in these proposals, the residents
living in the residences around Broomhall
Lane, Broomhall Road, Chobham Road,
Ferndale Road, The Grove and Kingswood
Court remain an integral part of the structure
and family of Horsell Village.
Robin Hoyle
We councillors are very disappointed for the
residents of the affected roads, especially as
so many of them had written to the Boundary
Commission following our alerting of them by
individual letters. The council argued that the
new Canalside ward is to have a huge number
of new housing types coming on stream in
the next year or two which will make it larger
numerically. Since these have not gone to
Planning and are therefore not definite yet,
the Commission would not take them into
account.
We still want the residents to feel part of the
community of Horsell, but from 2016 they will
have Canalside councillors whose boundaries
stretch from Woodham to Morrisons at the
end of Goldsworth Road.
Cllr. Beryl Hunwicks
Tony Kremer
Baby Massage Classes in Horsell
Enjoy your special baby time and
the benefits of baby massage.
Book Your Baby Time massage course:
07803 924329 / [email protected]
The Resident – Spring 2015
There is absolutely no reason for scaremongering about a massive housebuilding
programme in our town and village since we
have a firm, legally established ceiling on how
many dwellings can be built.
Horsell Residents’ Association has raised
doubts about the necessity of realigning the
boundary, but in practice this will not open any
floodgates. What is more of a threat is that
some parts of Woking are agitating for the
burden to be spread more evenly across the
Borough, not so concentrated in the East and
South. So the details are still open. Please
feel free to take part independently in the
Public Consultation.
Your Baby Time
Page 4
The Council’s Working Group considered
the potential sites contained in the Delivery
Development Plan Document when they met
privately in January, followed by a meeting
where members of the public attended on
5th February. The Delivery DPD was due
to be published after we went to press but
should be available now. After a six week
consultation period, amendments by the
Council and further debate, the Secretary of
State’s Inspector will make a final decision
later this year.
NEWS
Defibrillator
installation
The defibrillator is in place behind the Co-op’s
counter and seven people have been trained
in its use. The village is now ready to respond
quickly should someone suffer a heart attack
whilst shopping. Trish Cable has been visiting
shops and schools asking them to display a
sign telling people where to get help.
Seconds count; should the worst happen,
it is vital that someone suitably trained, be it
shopkeeper or passer-by, can apply CPR while
the machine is being fetched. To this end a
second training course is planned for April.
Please contact me if you want to take part –
it’s free and it could save a life!
Maria of Ashley Cook, the
first shop to display the new sign.
Photo: Tony Kremer
Neighbourhood
HG Wells update Officers
Tony Kremer
(for contact details see story below)
Celebrate Woking is as much about celebrating the famous sons and daughters of the town
as it is about its places of interest and cycling
events. Come 2016 we have the chance to do
all three at once when we mark famous author
HG Wells, his world-famous novel The War of
The Worlds and his pioneering cycling novel,
Wheels of Chance. Next year will be the 150th
anniversary of his birth, and the 70th of his
death.
In addition to the plans and ideas published in
the Winter 2014 edition of The Resident:
• Plans are afoot to commission a new statue
of the father of science fiction, as well as to
refurbish the existing metal artworks of the
aliens’ fighting machine and the cylinder that
brought it here.
• Artists will vie to win a poster competition to be
launched this July.
• Woking’s Party in the Park 2016 will be a
perfect setting for an alien adventure and
soon we will start working on the details. We
would also encourage volunteers from Horsell
to help out with the 2015 Party and earn
valuable experience so that the 2016 edition
runs as smoothly as possible.
Woking Borough Council’s Neighbourhood
Services has a team of Neighbourhood
Officers who deal with a wide range of issues
and are committed to improving the environment and making the Borough a better place
in which we can all live and work. They work
closely with the local Neighbourhood Policing
teams to tackle problems of crime, disorder
and anti-social behaviour.
Kate Wilson is our local Neighbourhood
Services Officer, with responsibility for Horsell,
Knaphill and Brookwood. She works closely
with the Borough’s two main contractors, Biffa
and Serco, visiting residents who have waste
and recycling problems to resolve issues
and offer advice. Her responsibilities also
include site meetings and visiting residents to
resolve ground maintenance issues such as
overgrown vegetation and trees. She was kept
very busy during last year’s floods, monitoring
rising river levels, assisting with the delivery
of sand bags and offering help and advice to
residents.
Kate and the other members of Neighbourhood
Services are keen to develop links with
residents and act as a single point of contact
to report problems such as litter, fly-tipping,
If you would like to be involved, please get graffiti, abandoned cars, public conveniences,
waste, recycling, horticultural issues and
in touch.
street furniture (street name plates, litter bins,
Tony Kremer
dog waste bins and benches).
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01483 764351
Hopefully you can meet Kate at the next
Horsell Police Panel meeting
to be held at 19:30 on
Thursday 26th March at the
Horsell Village Hall. Please
note that this date has
changed recently.
If you would like to know more about
Neighbourhood Watch and how it will benefit
you to be a member then please contact:
Alan Taylor
NhW Area Coordinator for Horsell
Email: horsell_area_coordinator@
wanw.org.uk
Tel: 01483 766816
In brief
Return of the poppies
Many people felt that the large, commemorative poppies that were put up last August
should remain until November 2018. It turns
out the Council share this opinion; unfortunately we’d already taken them down by the
time we were told this! The poppies will go
back up shortly and will remain up.
The community noticeboard
We’ve had a few queries as to what can be
posted on the large noticeboard outside
Beijing Restaurant. The board is primarily
for village events, local businesses and
residents to utilise. Members of the HRA
Committee regularly check the board to
remove unsuitable, inappropriate and out of
date postings. A sign to this effect should go
up shortly.
The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 5
SECOND THURSDAY CLUB
Tracious Lane
footpath
The Tracious Lane working party. Photo: Colin Kemp.
On Saturday 10th January, around 30 people
gathered to help clear holly, branches and
other intruding vegetation from the overgrown
Tracious Lane path in Horsell, completing
the task in only 90 minutes. This path runs
for around 300m between Horsell Birch near
The Cricketers, alongside Tracious Copse on
Horsell Common and through to Bullbeggars
Award winners
After an incredibly close judges’ vote, Horsell
Second Thursday Club were awarded a Highly
Commended in the Bringing the Community
Together category at Surrey County Council’s
annual Living and Ageing Well Awards. This
award is recognition of the community spirit
embodied in the volunteers that founded,
organised and continue to power projects in
Horsell. The citation identified the wide range
of projects undertaken in the two years of
STC’s existence, highlighting Pares Woodland
Gardens, Horsell Community Choir and the
monthly litter picks in particular.
Lane, where it emerges near the side entrance
of the allotments.
The group who made this possible consisted of
residents from Bullbeggars Lane, High Street,
Horsell Birch and elsewhere in Horsell. Also
joining were “The Woodlanders”, the team of
volunteers from the Second Thursday Club
who, over the last two years, have restored
and now maintain Pares Woodland Garden at
the top of Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Joining
this army was Paul Rimmer from Horsell
Common Preservation Society, with his trusty
chainsaw and leaf blower. The team worked
so well together that the scheduled work
was almost complete before the staff of The
Cricketers kindly provided half-time coffee and
biscuits.
The many footprints now visible in the path
show just how many people are using it. Many
have expressed their appreciation for the
clearing work, commenting on how safe it is
as they do not have to make the tricky double
crossing on the junction between Bullbeggars
Lane and the High Street. This route provides a
ribution to projects in our community and to
Debbie Aitken for the nomination.
Robin Hoyle
Fiona Banks and Robin Hoyle receiving the award
on behalf of Horsell Second Thursday Club. Photo:
Surrey County Council.
welcome alternative route to Squire’s Garden
Centre, The Cricketers, Horsell Common or a
walk around Goldsworth Park lake.
Thanks to all who joined in with this truly
encouraging and rewarding community effort.
Local families and volunteers are invited to
join the next work party planned for Saturday
14th March, meeting at 9:30am outside The
Cricketers. All volunteers welcome.
Robin Hoyle
Tracious Lane used to be more than an overgrown
footpath, as can be seen in this annotated map from
1811. With thanks to Anthony Saunders.
Snow surprise
After many false alarms over the last two
winters since Horsell Snow Angels were set
up, it came as quite a surprise when Horsell
finally awoke to a blanket of snow on Tuesday
3rd February. The team were activated for the
first time and got out to help the residents of
Horsell who had called.
The Snow Angels are here to help anyone
who needs their assistance in snow/ice. Tasks
we can help with include collecting shopping,
clearing paths and walking pets.
Thank you for everyone’s continued cont-
Tel: 01483 380025
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Page 6
The Resident – Spring 2015
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VILLAGE FACILITIES
Scouts & Guides HQ, Institute and Village Hall Extension
The formal opening of the Institute, Scouts
& Guides HQ and extended Horsell Village
Hall will take place on Saturday 18th
April, from 2:30pm. The Mayor of Woking,
Councillor Tony Branagan will open
each building in turn, in the presence of
Jonathan Lord MP, the Rev. Sarah Hayes,
Roger Chamberlain (Chairman of Village
Hall Trustees) and Tony Bowman (Horsell
Scouts & Guides). All three buildings will
then remain open until 5pm so that villagers
have the opportunity to look around them.
Since the Winter 2014 edition of The Resident,
the new car park for users of the facilities has
been completed, the wall outside the Village
Hall has been rebuilt (multiple times, due to the
wrong bricks being used!) and the new footpath
that links Pares Close with the High Street
near to The Red Lion has been laid. This path
is quite steep in places and we anticipate the
addition of handrails will be required. Work is
now largely paused, pending a judicial review
into the proposed relocation of the existing
footpath. The final landscaping cannot take
place until this has taken place.
The 11th Annual General Meeting of the Horsell Village Hall will be held at the Horsell Village
Hall, High Street, Horsell on Monday 27th April 2015. The meeting will begin at 8.15 pm (doors
open at 8.00pm).
The Agenda is as follows:
1. Minutes from the 10th AGM held on
Monday 7th April 2014
7. Appointment of an Independent
Examiner of the Charity’s Accounts
2. Chairman’s Report for 2014
8. Development Plan for Horsell Village
Hall, Scout & Guides HQ and Institute
3. Matters Arising
9. Any Other Business.
4. Treasurer’s Report for 2014
This meeting is open to members of the
public who are interested in supporting the
Trustees of the Horsell Village Hall and
finding out more about its facilities.
5. Matters Arising
6. Election of Trustees to
Management Committee
After many years of tireless service, Roger
Chamberlain and Penny Kramer have decided
to step down as Village Hall Trustees, so for
the first time in some years we are seeking
to appoint new Trustees. If you are interested
in being involved in the organisation of
Horsell Village Hall, please contact Mr Roger
Chamberlain (Chair) or Mrs Diane Fagence
(Secretary) via message@horsellvillagehall.
org.uk to discuss the role or to request a
Trustee Application Form. We would like to take
this opportunity to thank Roger and Penny for
all their hard work.
If you wish to book Horsell Village Hall please
contact our booking secretary on 01483
747870.
Finally, Penny is still on the look-out for new
gardens for this year’s Garden Safari, which
takes place on 13th and 14th June. Contact:
[email protected]
The Horsell Village Hall Trustees
Trusted dental care since 1954
Sheena Lalani
and Associates
Member of the ‘Good Practice Scheme’
denoting highest standards as judged
by the British Dental Association
Our services include:
• Full range of family dental care
• Cosmetic dentistry
• Professional tooth whitening
• Tooth coloured fillings
• Veneers, crowns and bridges
• Hygienists providing preventive care
• Currently taking on new patients
• Sympathetic care for the nervous/anxious
• Practice Care Plans available
• In-house emergency cover provided
The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 7
EVENTS
Christmas Fair
Mayor Tony Branagan counts down to the official lights
switch-on. Photo: Geoff Banks.
Saturday 6th December 2014 saw the third
Second Thursday Club-organised Horsell
Christmas Fair. With the popular Christmas Tree
Festival not running, the team tried out some
new ideas including moving to the Saturday and
closing part of the High Street.
Crowds packed in to the street for the official
switch-on of the Horsell lights by Mayor Tony
Branagan and a performance by the Horsell
Community Choir. Residents also enjoyed the
range of stalls and shops that stayed open, as
well as the activities put on at St Mary’s. Sadly
numbers were not so high by the time that the
Choir performed again in the moonlight and
Scouts & Guides
May Fayre
Bank holiday Monday 4th May,
Wheatsheaf Recreation
Ground, 12- 4:30pm.
This year’s Fayre will have as its main arena
event Clown Bluey and his team of ‘skilled’
fire-fighters. Clown Bluey will also tour the ground
all afternoon entertaining the crowd. Our arena
will once again echo to the rhythm of the music
as The Summerscales performers perform
two sessions of exciting dance. Our Brownies
will present Maypole and Morris Dancing;
we also look forward to the truly noisy manic
competitions of the Beavers, Cubs, Guides and
Scouts as they battle for the honour of holding
Page 8
The Resident – Spring 2015
St. Mary’s Church put on a big-screen showing
of It’s a Wonderful Life. Thank you to everyone
who came and who took part, especially those
who helped with the setting-up and taking-down
of the sites.
Planning is under way for this year’s
Christmas Fair, with a view to setting a date
and co-ordinating with other village events.
We would welcome your feedback and any
suggestions you may have as to what to do this
year. If you have any comments or would like
to be involved in the planning for 2015, please
contact the editor.
Email: [email protected]
Horsell Community
Choir singing carols
by moonlight.
Photo: Geoff Banks.
WHAT’S ON
Thursday 26th March
Police Panel Meeting, Bedser Room,
Horsell Village Hall, 7:30pm.
Saturday 28th March
Woking Choral Society: Requiem.
See page 12.
Earth Hour at WWF. See page 11.
Saturday 11th April
Vintage Craft Fair at The
Lightbox, 10:30am to 5pm.
Saturday 18th April
Horsell Bowling Club, Free Introduction
to Bowls, 10am to 1pm. All equipment
provided, just wear flat shoes.
Horsell Village Hall, Institute and Scout &
Guides HQ grand re-opening. See page 7.
Thursday 23rd to
Saturday 25th April
Horsell Amateur Dramatic Society
presents Anne Frank. See page 12.
the May Fayre trophies for yet another year.
New to this year will be a top-of-the-range
climbing tower staffed by professional climbers
and a dog agility course courtesy of the Sutton
Green Dog Training Academy, who provide
dog obedience courses locally. We will have
a Music Tent in which we will welcome local
schools, singers and musicians to appear and
perform. The plan is for this tent to be running
continuously all afternoon. For the adults, our
Real Ale Tent will be stocking nothing but the
best from Thurston’s Brewery.
Horsell Scouts & Guides would not be able
to arrange the May Fayre without the very
generous support from our sponsors. We wish to
thank publicly our 2015 sponsors: Global Travel
Management Ltd, Seymours Estate Agents in
Horsell, Trident Honda Garage, Ottershaw and
WADP Ltd.
Richard Mackie
Saturday 25th April
Horsell Community Choir presents
Music In Springtime. See page 12.
Monday 27th April
Horsell Village Hall AGM. See page 7.
Monday 4th May
Horsell May Fayre, Wheatsheaf
Recreation Ground, 12-4:30pm.
Friday 12th June
Horsell Residents’ Association AGM.
See page 3.
Saturday 13th
and Sunday 14th June
Horsell Garden Safari
EVENTS
Village Show 150
This year’s Village Show will celebrate 150
years of shows held in Horsell. There is much
history for us to look back on, starting with the
first recognised Show.
1865 was an exciting time in Britain with
society changing at a great pace. The Surrey
Advertiser’s report of 22nd July that year
informed readers that “The Annual Show of
Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables by the cottagers
of this parish, took place on Thursday week.” and
“The weather was unfavourable, so that neither
in the articles exhibited, the decoration of the
room, or the number of visitors, did it equal its
Austin & George Wormleighton at the 2014 Village
Show. Photo: Geoff Banks.
predecessors”. Although Horsell’s cottagers had
been showing off their flowers and vegetables
for some time prior to 1865, we have no idea
how many earlier shows took place, but we can
guess that we are one the oldest village shows
in the country!
We also know that there were “several boxes of
magnificent roses exhibited by Messrs Cobbett
and Son” and that “some of the children’s
collections of grasses, wild flowers and mosses
were excellent.” One bouquet of wild flowers
described in the newspaper report “surpassed
all those of garden flowers.” We don’t collect
wild flowers for the show any longer, but can
certainly imagine that the wild flowers described
in the newspaper report would have been
gathered locally on Horsell Common. We still
have classes for children to enter and enjoy, our
Show still takes place towards the end of July
and Horsell now has a road named Cobbetts
Close, in acknowledgement of the contribution
this long-standing family has made to Horsell.
Nationally, 1865 was the year that Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was
published. Look out for “Alice” themes in the
classes. Also in 1865, Jumbo, a large African
elephant, was transferred to London Zoo and
became a popular attraction. You will find a
picture of Jumbo in this year’s Show schedule for
the younger members of the family to colour in.
THE JEWEL IN
SURREY’S CROWN
Diane Fagence, Mayor Anne Murray and Penny
Kramer at the 2013 Village Show. Photo: Geoff Banks.
In the meantime plans for this year are coming
along apace. The date is 25th July, the venue
Horsell C of E Junior School in Meadway
Drive. We hope to have much in keeping with
years gone by, with traditional attractions,
Victorian costumes, a food court, teas provided
by members of the congregation of St Mary’s
Church, craft stalls, an art show, raffles and
tombola, and last but certainly not least: all the
wonderful displays of what has been entered by
talented local residents! More is being planned;
we will announce what will be on offer in the
next edition of The Resident.
If you are interested in helping with this special
show, please get in touch.
Marion Piper
Tel: 01483 855108
Email: [email protected]
www.horsellvillageshow.co.uk
NEW VICTORIA THEATRE
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The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 9
YOUNG PEOPLE
Speaking success
In January, Woking High School triumphed yet
again in the Woking heat of the Rotary Club
Youth Speaks competition, winning both the
Intermediate and the Senior heats.
Stella Eyers, Maya Keynes and Lauren Finney
were placed first in the Intermediate round,
beating off increasingly stiff competition from
St John the Baptist, Winston Churchill School
and an impressive first-time entry from Ripley
Court. Stella Eyers was awarded best Speaker
and Ellen Stone, a member of our second team
entered at this level, won best Vote of Thanks.
In the Senior round, our students went head to
head with each other in a round sadly lacking in
entries from other schools. Matthew Hill, Ross
Davidson and George Loxton, who went all the
way to the Intermediate Final last year, were
pipped to the post by a fantastic performance
Inspiring a love
of nature
St. Andrew’s School is delighted to announce
the establishment of a new nature area in
its grounds. The pupil-led School Council
suggested the idea as they wanted to get more
involved with practical nature projects. The area
around the School Garden Club was identified
as an ideal, sunny site that could accommodate
features such as compost heaps, log piles, a
wild-flower zone and a new hedge of native
plant species.
We have taken our lead from the Pares
Woodland Garden, as the School wanted to
contribute to a wildlife corridor, creating a link
between wild habitats to enable nature to thrive.
TRADING IN SURREY FOR OVER 40 YEARS
from our Year 11 team:
Isobel Aughterson, Vivienne
Mathews and Sally Hitchings.
Isobel was awarded Best
Speaker and Vivienne shared
the prize for best Chairperson
with Ross. The Vote of Thanks
was won by George Loxton.
Our sincere thanks go to the Woking District
Rotary Club for organising such an inspiring
and rewarding event for our young people;
we’re thrilled to have achieved success in the
early stages of this prestigious and challenging
competition.
Dr. Emma C Williams
Coordinator of Potential High
Achievers, Woking High School
The senior team of Isobel Aughterson (main speaker),
Vivienne Mathews (Chair) and Sally Hitchings (Vote
of Thanks) with Jennifer Browne, President of the
Woking District Rotary Club. Photo: Rob Ready.
We were very fortunate to build a relationship
with Squires Garden Centre; they kindly donated
over a thousand crocuses for our project and
are looking forward to seeing bees visiting the
carpets of flowers later this Spring.
Years three and four have many more ideas on
what they would like to see. Reece is hoping to
have lots of bird feeders and bird houses (they
have made some in class) and Alex is keen to
‘make something recycled’ for the garden.
Mrs Wilson, the Project Co-ordinator, commented:
“We have always had such lovely grounds at
St. Andrew’s, but it is wonderful to be able to
embark on a project that enables the children
to interact with their environment in such a
practical, hands-on way. Isabella in year three
put it perfectly when she said ‘we imagine that
it will be stunning in five years’ time.’ We are all
looking forward to see how our ideas develop.”
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Page 10
The Resident – Spring 2015
Serving the whole of Surrey
Jo Manly,
Marketing &
Communications Manager,
St. Andrew’s School
St. Andrew’s School pupils
planting bulbs for Spring
colour and nectar. Photo: Simon Lewis.
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
You could make a difference
Horsell Care was founded with the primary objective of assisting
residents who need help getting to surgeries, hospital appointments or
shops. In most cases our clients don’t have relatives or friends living
close by so they rely on our volunteers to provide them with transport
and the occasional helping hand. We are currently looking for a few
more people to act as duty volunteers, manning the telephone helpline
at home for a few hours each month. We also need more drivers to take
residents to medical appointments or on shopping trips. If you would
like to know more about what’s involved, come along to our coffee
morning at Horsell Evangelical Church on Wednesday 25th March from
11.00am to 1.00pm. You will have the opportunity to discover how you
could make a real and rewarding difference to the lives of some of your
fellow-residents; just a few hours of your time each month is all it takes.
If you’re unable to come to the coffee morning you can find out more
about Horsell Care by calling our helpline (01483 730740) or visiting
our website www.horsellcare.org.uk
Earth Hour at WWF
Earth Hour happens once a year. At 8.30pm on Saturday 28th March,
hundreds of millions of people from all over the world will switch off their
lights for one hour, to show that our planet is important and together
we have the power to make change happen. The WWF Living Planet
Centre will be open from 12-5pm for some inspiring and fun family
activities to get you ready to celebrate Earth Hour at home that night.
Visit the WWF Experience and go on a treasure hunt to learn more
about the natural world and how we can look after it. You can take part
in one of our craft activities: have a go at making your own Earth Hour
tea light out of recycled materials, create some Earth Hour inspired
bunting or make some beautiful origami stars. Alternatively, why not
find out a bit more about the night sky ahead of some Earth Hour
stargazing?
Visit wwf.org.uk/whatson for more information about this and other
upcoming events.
Grateful Lions
I would like to thank the residents of Horsell for your financial support
over the last few weeks to enable us to help others. With regard to our
Project Wenceslas I am pleased to confirm that the Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) have received payments and donations approaching
£4,000, so we have already exceeded the £3,700 raised last year. This
money is used to help a number of families who are in fuel poverty over
Winter. They will be doing the same again over the coming 3 months
and the account is still open for further donations. More information is
available on this scheme either by ringing 0845 833 2747 or from our
web site wokinglions.org.uk
Roger N Chamberlain
President, Woking Lions Club.
Lanterns ready for when the lights go out for Earth Hour. Photo: WWF.
Challenge yourself
Woking & Sam Beare Hospices are looking for fund-raisers keen take
on a challenge to help them raise much needed funds. Whether you
like walking, running or cycling there plenty of events to choose from so
get ready to support your local Hospice.
“We know Horsell residents are always up for a challenge and this year
we have more choice than ever when it comes to events,” explains
Marketing Manager Lorraine Weedon. “I know several people who will
be running and cycling to help raise funds for us and it’s fantastic to see
we have such strong support locally.”
On Sunday 5th July, the Hospices’ popular Dragon Boat event will
return to Goldsworth Park Lake. Teams of 12-20 people will race
against each other and the clock. It costs £10 to register and we hope
everyone will also raise £50 or more for our cause. All equipment and
training will be provided on the day. Check out this and all the other
exciting challenge events online at www.wsbhospices.co.uk/challenge
or call 01483 881752.
Dragon Boat racing. Photo: Woking & Sam Beare Hospices.
The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 11
ARTS
The Diary
of Anne Frank
The production will run from 23rd April to the 25th
at 7.45pm (7.30pm on Saturday). Tickets are on
sale now on the HADS website, horsellads.com
or via Carol Hanson Tel: 01483 767751.
On the 70th anniversary of the end of the
Second World War and the liberation of the
Nazi death camps, the story of one of the most
famous victims of the Holocaust is coming to the
stage in Woking. A play adapted from The Diary
of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is to be performed
at the Rhoda McGaw theatre by the Horsell
Amateur Dramatic Society (HADS) in April –
the month in which she and her sister died at
Bergen-Belsen, about two weeks before British
troops entered the camp.
Giulia Valentina as Anne Frank. Photo: Tony Charters.
Let there
be music
Requiem. On Saturday 28th March, Woking
Choral Society will be performing not one but two
Requiems at the HG Wells Centre, accompanied
by the Orchestra of St. Paul’s. The concert begins
with the Requiem in C minor by Michael Haydn
(younger brother of the more famous Joseph
Haydn) and finishes with Mozart’s much-loved
Requiem Mass in D minor.
Tickets can be booked online at www.
wokingchoral.org.uk or obtained from H G Wells
Centre Box Office, The Lightbox, Christ Church
Shop in Woking, or Brittens Music in Woodham.
Telephone enquiries 01483 767852 or 01483
488175.
Music In Springtime. Following the sell-out
success of this event last year, Horsell
Community Choir are delighted to bring another
evening of song to the village. This takes place
The story is a young girl’s account of her Jewish
family hiding in an attic from the German
occupying forces in war-torn Amsterdam. It is
a story made all the more dramatic because
it is based on a true account, and concerns
the lives of real people who lived at a time of
unspeakable horror for the Jewish population in
many European countries.
at St Mary’s Church on Saturday 25th April. The
headline act will be the fantastic a capella quintet
Apollo5 and the choir will be performing their
latest repertoire of songs.
Tickets will be available from Needle & Thread,
Costcutter and on the door.
No sacred cows
at The Lightbox
Damien Hirst: New Religion brings together
a body of work formed in 2005 that deals with
issues such as belief, mortality, love, seduction
and consumption. On show for the first time in
the UK outside London, the exhibition includes
a series of silkscreen prints, paintings and
sculptures which address Hirst’s belief that
“science is the new religion for many people.”
Hirst’s work portrays the Creation of the World,
through the Stations of the Cross and towards
the Last Judgement. Runs from 28th March
2015 to 5th July 2015.
Stuart Flitton
Can you help? HADS would be very
grateful for items of clothing from
the late 1930s to the early 1940s that
could be used in the play. Things of
particular use for this production
include glasses, slippers, blouses, fine
knit cardigans and pullovers, pyjamas,
trilbies, dresses, stockings, socks,
hats and men’s woollen trousers with
wide legs and turn ups.
Email: [email protected]
The Ingram Collection: Planes,
Trains and Automobiles
The movement, speed and intensity of modern
life are brought to bear in this exhibition, which
explores our relationship and fascination with
travel and transportation. The works have been
brought together from The Ingram Collection of
Modern British and Contemporary Art and will be
on show from 21st April 2015 to 28th June 2015.
That’s entertainment
Enjoy a lazy Sunday brunch whilst listening to
live jazz; Jazz Brunch is on the last Sunday of
every month, from 11am to 1pm.
New! A series of stand-up comedy nights, Joke
In The Box, runs on the last Thursday of every
month at 8pm.
The Lightbox
Tel: 01483 737800
Email: [email protected]
www.thelightbox.org.uk
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Page 12
The Resident – Spring 2015
HISTORY
Wilson Way –
an update
In the Winter 2014 edition of The Resident,
Richard & Rosemary Christophers wrote:
Wilson Way is possibly named after Canon Pares’
nephew Geoffrey Wilson, who died young, and
about whom we should like more information.
I read with interest your article on place names
in Horsell. I grew up in Pares Close/Wilson Way
in the 1960s and my father still lives there.
There used to be a commemorative bench on
the corner of Wilson Way which was dedicated
to the memory of ‘Geoffrey Fellowes Wilson who
died of polio aged 12’. This bench/plaque was
replaced many years ago.
Shaun Lowry
This is very useful news and confirms that the
story of the lad who died young is the one to
follow up. The name Fellowes certainly appears
among Canon Pares’ relations. It’s also believed
that Canon Pares had a link with a house called
‘Ooty’ in Knaphill, which was owned by Henry
Ireland Temple Wilson in 1943. Perhaps Henry
is Geoffrey’s father. Unfortunately we have so far
found no records of Henry’s death or his having
children, nor of Geoffrey’s birth and death. They
may all have happened in India in which case
the records are not yet available online. More
research is needed!
Rosemary & Richard Christophers
Pubs of Horsell
In the Summer 2013 edition of The Resident we wrote about Stedman’s Brewery, which started in the
early years of the 19th Century. With the revival of brewing by The Crown we wanted to take a look
at the earlier existence of pubs in the village.
The Cricketers c1920. Photo: The Lightbox.
An invoice from 1921 showing the scope of the Red Lion
A postcard of The Bleak House, 1907.
in 1921, offering garaging, beds, and stables.
Photo: The Lightbox.
Supplied by Daphne McConnell.
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The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 13
HISTORY
The Bleak House in the 1960s. Photo: The Lightbox.
The Wheatsheaf in the 1960s. Photo: The Lightbox.
Page 14
The Resident – Spring 2015
Unlike many towns and villages, Horsell has
retained all bar one of the inns it had at the end
of the 19th Century. We still have The Red Lion
and The Crown in the village, The Cricketers,
The Plough and The Bleak House facing the
common, and The Wheatsheaf on Chobham
Road. It is not certain which is the oldest of
these, although most likely either The Red Lion
or The Crown has been licensed for the longest.
On 11th September 1568, the inhabitants of
Horsell, headed by Thomas Wright the curate,
signed a testimonial that Edmund Roake and his
wife were fit people to run an alehouse, which
the petitioners ‘have grete nede therof’. The long
connection of the Roake family with ownership of
the Red Lion suggests that this must have been
the Red Lion, although the present building is
unlikely to be older than the 18th Century.
In 1613 a list of licensed premises in Godley
Hundred (an old shire division that included
Chertsey, Chobham and Egham) shows Horsell
as having two inns, but does not give their names.
Earlier there had been 56 inns in the hundred,
but this had reduced to 21 and to encourage
sobriety it was agreed that these numbers would
not be increased except by a general session of
the county Justices of the Peace – so Horsell
may have lost some inns during this time.
From 1785 to 1825 there were three inns in the
parish, which can be identified as The Red Lion,
The Crown and The Barley Mow (historically in
Horsell, but now considered to be in Knaphill).
Most of the landlords were not local people,
although in 1825 both The Crown and The Red
Lion were owned by William Collyer, who was
probably related to the Roake family.
As surveys and censuses began to appear in the
mid-19th Century, more can be discovered about
each so we will describe them one by one.
Stephen Moore was landlord of The Red Lion
from the 1830s until his death in 1886. He
was also postmaster, registrar and offered
carriage hire. From 1865 Edward Moore, his
son, was regularly running professionally on
Wheatsheaf Green. The pub was tied to Elkins
Brewery, and then to Hodgsons in 1904. A sale
in 1890 (for £2025) showed it as having six
bedrooms, stabling, a large cellar and garden.
Over the years the inn has also been used as
a shop selling flowers from Cobbett’s nurseries,
providing limited hotel accommodation, even
describing itself as The Red Lion Hotel in the
1920s, and running a taxi service from the inn
yard. Behind the pub was Horsell’s first bowling
green, with its own bowling club founded in
1920, before it moved to its present site about
1963. There was also a putting green.
The Crown was certainly in existence in 1785
and it could have been the second inn listed in
1613. It was sold in 1840, at which point it had
four bedrooms, a club room, tap room, large turf
house, stable, barn and pig sties. In 1877, with
Mr and Mrs Bedser in charge, it caught fire. The
Surrey Advertiser reported that it was thatched,
very old and that the fire brigade from Guildford
took two hours to come. They then ran out of
water! Unsurprisingly, the building could not be
saved and it was rebuilt as we know it today.
The third of the three public houses listed in
the returns from 1785 was the Barley Mow,
situated at the junction of Barley Mow Lane and
Chobham Road, Knaphill. It was sold in 1807 as
part of the estate of a brewer from Leatherhead,
Thomas Cooper, and then had a ‘stable,
sizeable outbuildings and a good garden’. A sale
in 1902 showed the pub tied to Crooks Brewery
of Guildford, and having a separate cottage,
formerly a clubroom. Perhaps this was a sign
of decline; by 1915 renewal of the licence was
suspended as there were few customers and the
condition of the house was poor. By 1919 the
directory describes it as the ‘former Barley Mow’
and it is vacant. It thus became the only pub in
Horsell to have closed in the last 500 years, and
it is now a private house.
In 1773 two cottages in Horsell were described
as ‘Wheatsheaf’, and the neighbourhood was
also known as Wheatsheaf, but there was
no sign of a pub until the 1851 census, when
Reuben Percy was landlord. It would have
been unusual to give the name ‘Wheatsheaf’ to
a private house, so perhaps there was a beer
house there, which wouldn’t have needed a
return in the 1800s. In spite of a lack of bedrooms
(though it did have stabling) The Wheatsheaf
had ambitions; by 1891 it had ‘accommodation
for beanfeasters and for boating, cricket, fishing
and all outdoor sports’. At various times it hosted
professional running, football and athletics on
the green opposite. It was rebuilt in the 1930s in
approximately its current form.
The Cricketers’ building dates back to the 16th
Century and has been used at various times as
the workhouse, a lock-up and a shop, before
becoming a beer house prior to 1851 and gaining
a full licence in due course. It also had a bowling
green in its garden and though the green in
front seems rather small, cricket may have been
played there. By 1892 John Stedman, of Horsell
Brewery, owned the freehold, with William Steer
as landlord until 1913.
Finally, also facing Horsell Common is The
Bleak House. The name had nothing to do with
Dickens’ novel, but reflected the bleak nature
of the country along the road to Chertsey. The
inn was ‘lately erected’ in 1853 and became
tied to the Friary Brewery. Edgar Bennett
became landlord of The Bleak House, as well
as Secretary of the Woking Working Men’s Club
in Walton Road, between 1907 and 1913, and
issued the postcard shown on page 13.
Over the years all the pubs have expanded their
facilities from ‘coffee, tea, food and minerals’ and
offer meals from traditional pub food to ‘gastropub’ standards, with al fresco dining, live TV,
fund-raising, and a variety of other activities to
serve the people of Horsell and beyond.
Phil
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The Crown, 2014. Photo: Geoff Banks.
The Plough, 2013. Photo: Geoff Banks.
Rosemary & Richard Christophers
Big Phil 85 x 58 The Resident 2014_Layout 1 07/02/2014
09:08 Page 1
Sources:
Woking History Society
TRADING IN SURREY FOR OVER 40 YEARS
domestic appliance
repairs and service
The Red Lion, 1999. Photo: The Lightbox.
John Stedman also owned the Plough from
1892. Although there had been an unnamed
beer house on the site prior to 1851, this may
have been a side-line as various landlords seem
to have been bakers, agricultural labourers and
cordwainers (shoe makers). Eventually William
Rance and then his widow Ann ran it for many
years, until she retired sometime between 1911
and 1921. It was still only a beer house until
1904 at the earliest, but now has a full licence
and was rebuilt between the wars.
Areas Covered: Addlestone, Bisley, Byfleet, Chobham,
Cobham, Guildford, Horsell, Lightwater, New Haw,
Ockham, Pyrford, Ripley, Send, West Byfleet, West End,
Weybridge, Windlesham, Woking and Woodham
The Lightbox for photographs.
ancestry.co.uk for census returns.
Surrey History Centre for returns of licensed
houses (also on ancestry.co.uk) and sale
particulars, 1568 and 1613 documents.
Mike Nigh and Daphne McConnell for information
on The Red Lion and The Cricketers.
Phillip Arnold ‘Horsell Birch (in particular
The Cricketers)’, leaflet.
John Craig ‘Eastern Horsell’s development after
the coming of the railway (2006) and ‘Ryde’s
1851 survey of Horsell Parish’ (2012).
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The Resident – Spring 2015
Page 15
New Year - New Website!
Horsell, we’ve got you
COVERED.
Horsell Market Specialists
Please call us on 01483 772000 or email [email protected]
and we will be delighted to help you.
www.HousesInHorsell.com
If you have already signed a sole agency agreement with another agent, please ensure you honour any agreement to avoid the possibility of paying two fees.