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The most visited entry on this website, by a considerable margin, is the one on Witley Park: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/post/witley-park-1 This article is about the estate, its houses and owners over the past four centuries. Information has come from our own archives, newspaper cuttings and sales particulars supplied by Sue Ranson, Wikipedia, Chat GPT and DiCamillo. Many of the photographs have not been available until now. There is also coverage of the many outlying buildings, farms etc that have been sold over time. This entry inevitably covers similar ground to the article referred to above. Hidden within the wooded landscape between Godalming and Haslemere, Witley Park is today a private and elusive estate. Behind its gates lies a history that mirrors the changing fortunes of England itself - royal ownership, Victorian ambition, Edwardian extravagance, post-war decline, and 21st-century reinvention. It has been an estate of significance since medieval times when the estate originated as part of the medieval manor of Witley. Newspaper cuttings showing the enduring fascination of the Witley Park Estate. Medieval to early modern ownership up to the 18th century It was originally part of the manor of Witley and held in Domesday times by Norman tenants and later it became Crown property under Edward I. It passed through various aristocratic and gentry hands 17th – early 18th century Henry Bell owned it in the 17th Century. Then Anthony Smith also in the 17th Century and his family held it until 1763. Cartaret Webb family (1763 – c late 18thearly 19th century) By the 18th century it was known as Lea Park and associated with the Carteret Webb family having been acquired by Philip Cartaret Webb (1700 – 1770), who was a notable collector of manuscripts and antiquities who also served as an MP, in 1763. He probably lived in a modest Georgian house but no records of it exists. John Leech (Leach) (1820s – 1847) John Leech, was part of the local landed gentry class and at that time the property was known as Lea. He was a trustee of the Agricultural Employment Institution. At the 1832 UK general election, he stood for the Whigs in West Surrey, winning a seat. In Parliament, he argued in favour of the Corn Laws, and for reform of the church, in order to equalise the income of the various bishops. He served until the 1835 UK general election, when he stood down. LEA: The Seat of JOHN LEECH ESQ. William Henry Stone (1878 – 1890) William Henry Stone (1834 – 1896) was a Victorian politician, merchant, landowner and Member of Parliament for Portsmouth (1865 – 1874). He was also a Justice of the Peace for Surrey and Hampshire. He purchased Lea Park for £47,000 and commissioned a substantial half-timbered Queen Anne-style mansion designed by the architect, Richard William Drew (1834 - 1903), which was completed in 1881. It had 25 bedrooms and established Lea Park as a significant gentleman’s residence. However, he did not live there long and sold the property in 1890 to Colonel Samuel Sandys Davidson (1846 - 1921). Cover of sales particulars for the sale of the Lea Park Estate in 1878 The full sale particulars can be downloaded in the pdf below: Colonel Samuel Sandys Davidson (1890 – 1904) Colonel Samuel Sandys Davidson (1846 - 1921) , was a British Army officer, engineer, and inventor best remembered for revolutionising field ventilation and climate control - especially in colonial and military settings during the late 19th century. He, too, held the estate only briefly as he sold it to Whitaker Wright in 1896. It has also been reported that Wright acquired the estate from the Earl of Derby in 1890. Neither can be proved from existing records. Plan of new tennis courts & site for proposed new rose garden, 1891 The architect was John W M Hattie, Edinburgh, August 1891 Whitaker Wright (1896 – 1904) Whitaker Wright (1846 – 1904) was an English financier, mining promoter and company director for one of the largest corporate frauds of the late Victorian era. The fortune that he amassed and lost through speculative ventures is covered in the article referred to above. He died by suicide after being convicted of fraud in 1904. Despite his dubious methods, he was revered in Witley as he had provided a great deal of employment in the local area. Newspaper report from the New York Times, January 30, 1904 and his grave in All Saints' Church, Witley He purchased the estate 1896 for £250,000, approximately £27 million in 2019 inflation-adjusted values using the retail price commodity index, and massively enlarged the existing 18th century house. He transformed Lea Park into one of the most extravagant estates in England and acquired adjacent lands amounting to around 9,000 acres at its height. He commissioned the architect, H Paxton Watson who added two wings built of Bargate stone increasing the house to 32 bedrooms and seven reception rooms, 600 workers were employed and he spent over £1 million (approximately £113 million in 2019 values). A wall was constructed to enclose 440 acres closest to the house, and he created three artificial lakes and built the remarkable underwater ballroom and conservatory beneath one lake. Ornamental structures and landscaped grounds were on a grand scale making a statement of wealth and imagination. Construction of the so-called underwater ballroom which was more likely a smoking room The decoration was lavish and upstairs rooms had moulded ceilings, oriental carpets, Chinese furniture and Japanese silk pictures. The largest ground floor room was the ballroom, which had a floor area of 2,600 sq ft (240 m2), an oak and walnut dance floor, crystal chandeliers and a theatre stage at one end. At the end of the west wing was a glass-domed conservatory with walls built of Bath stone and at the opposite site of the building, at the end of the east wing was a copper-roofed observatory. The main dining room was 50 ft-long (15 m) and the kitchens were able to cater for up to 400 people. Other ground-floor rooms included a billiards room, a small private hospital and a velodrome. The cellars included underground strongrooms for storing valuable furniture and works of art. In 1904, his vast estate was broken up and sold, marking the end of its most flamboyant phase in the 20th century. Much of Hindhead, Witley and Thursley Commons including the Devil’s Punch Bowl were purchased by a committee of local residents and passed to the National Trust on 30 December 1905. Cover of sales particulars for the sale of the Lea Park Estate in 1904 The 20pp sales brochure provides extensive details of the land and properties sold at the 1904 sale: The fascination about Whitaker Wright has lived long after his death as these articles and book demonstrate: The whole of this undated magazine article can be dowloaded from the pdf below. Transcript of an article that appeared in The Guardian on 2nd February, 2004 and can be downloaded from the pdf below: The fall of a Midas From the run-down estates he transformed into a vast palatial home, to his lucrative mining interests, Whitaker Wright seemed t o have a golden touch. Which made the collapse of his empire and trial for fraud all the more spectacular. On the centenary of his conviction, David McKie recalls his most dramatic gesture of all. Ultimate Folly by Henry Macrory A gripping story of greed, treachery and ruthless ambition. Few people have led such an extraordinary life as Whitaker Wright. Few have died in such sensational circumstances. Beginning his career as an impoverished preacher, Wright crossed the Atlantic to prospect for gold, surviving a Native American massacre before he made his fortune. Then the bubble burst. Leaving behind a string of angry investors, he fled to England to start again. Soon he was one of the world's richest men. At his 10,000-acre estate in Surrey, he employed an entourage of seventy-seven staff, moved a hill that blocked his view and built an underwater glass smoking room. On his vast steam yacht, he entertained the Prince of Wales, the Kaiser and half of Britain's aristocracy. His downfall was as dramatic as his ascent. On the last trading day of the nineteenth century, his financial empire - which he had propped up by cooking the books - went belly up. This time, the trail of furious investors stretched all the way to the Prime Minister. With the police in hot pursuit, Wright fled to New York, but his escape was short-lived. At the end of what the press dubbed `the most dramatic trial of modern times' he was sentenced to seven years in jail. Minutes later, he sprang a last dreadful surprise... Other great swindlers have followed in Wright's footsteps, but none have surpassed him in daring and shamelessness. Drawing on family papers and archives from around the world, this compelling account of Wright's life reads like a thriller and offers an insight into the mind of the ultimate gambler and conman. Pirrie Ownership (1909 – 1924) William James Pirrie , 1st Viscount Pirrie (1847 – 1924), acquired the estate in 1909, renaming it Witley Park and maintaining it as a grand country residence. He was a leading Belfast industrialist and chairman of Harland and Wolff, the shipyard and a director of the White Star Shipping Line that operated the Titanic. His star insignia is still in evidence on many gates around the park. He is best remembered as the benefactor who gave land for the cricket ground at Brook, and had Pirrie Hall built next to it. After his death, the estate was further broken up and sold off in lots marking the end of its era as a single great private estate. William James Pirrie , 1st Viscount Pirrie (1847 – 1924) View of the house from the lake circa 1920s (image kindly supplied, and copyright of, F Frew) See also the entry for The Temple of the Four Winds: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/post/temple-of-the-four-winds-at-hindhead-commons Interwar Period (1924 – 1951) Sir John Leigh Sir John Leigh, 1st Baronet (1884 – 1959) came from a Lancashire family with industrial and landed interests. He was a British mill-owner, newspaper proprietor and Conservative politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1922 to 1945 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clapham. He changed the name to Witley Park, proabably to avoid confusion with his own name, and he preserved the house but made few major changes. The Esated was requisitioned by the Government during the Second World War and sold in May 1952. Sir John Leigh, 1st Baronet (1884 – 1959) Fire, Loss and Reconstruction On 11th October 1952 a catastrophic fire started in the Great Ballroom and destroyed the mansion. It was demolished shortly afterwards, ending the physical presence of Lea Park House. Ronald Huggett (1952 – 1955) Ronald Huggett purchased the estate in 1952 and sold off much of the land and in 1955 he sold it to Gerald Bentall. Cover of sales particulars for the sale of the Outlying Portions of the Witley Park Estate in 1952 Many of the local farms that exist today were sold in the 1952 sale: Bowlhead Green Farm; Emley Farm; Blackhanger Farm. Other farms sold outside this parish: South Park Farm; Grayswood Farm. Large scale map of the property which was part of the particulars prepared for the auction in 1952 Gerald Bentall (1955 - 1973) Gerard Bentall (1904 - 1971) farmed the estate and commissioned a new house, Witley Park House, designed by modernist architect Patrick Gwynne and completed in 1962. A new elevated site was chosen, with view towards the South Downs, rather than rebuilding on the original mansion footprint. The plan of the house is a V-shaped arrangement of three interlinked hexagons, with an angle of 120° between the two wings. The focal point of the house is the entrance hall, with a cantilevered staircase in white terrazzo. Together, the living and dining rooms form the hexagonal area at the west end of the house. This marked a shift from Victorian grandeur to modern architectural experimentation. After Bentall died in 1971, the estate was sold by his estate and was acquired by the property developer John Poulson. This detailed sales brochure runs to 69 pages and includes many photographs, not only of the house but also of the outlying properties. Here a just some examples of the photographs that are reproduced in the pdf below: Witley Park House from the 1973 sale brochure This aerial view, taken from the front cover of the 1973 sale catalogue, shows the situation of Witley Park House John Poulson (1973 - 1974) John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson (1910–1993) is a controversial figure in British history, best known for his role in the Poulson affair, a major corruption scandal that came to light in the early 1970s. His acquisition of Witley Park was part of his wider property dealings during that period. However, his ownership was short-lived. Following his conviction and imprisonment for corruption in 1974, his assets - including Witley Park - were disposed of. There is no clear chain of title as Witley Park passed through a distressed, corporate, and possibly multi-layered disposal process - not a simple private sale. John Poulson Ronald Stern (1974 - 1982) Photos: Robert Cooper for Classic Driver © 2017 Witley Park was sold by the receivers to Ronald John Henry Stern (born 1949). Stern is a property developer and prominent art and automobile collector who is known for preserving the early history of Ferrari from Enzo Ferrari's early life onwards. He went on to own the estate for a a number of years before being sold to Sir Raymond Brown. This undated sales brochure had limited particulars, we have only photos and a map, and it may have been produced for either the 1974 or 1982 sale. It contains the only colour photograph we have of the modernist Lea Park/Witley Park House. Sir Raymond Brown OBE (1982 – 2002) Sir Raymond Brown (1920 – 1991) - founder of the construction and waste-management group Raymond Brown Group - acquired the estate – then about 1,300 acres - in 1982, maintaining its privacy and continuity. He lived in the modernist house that was built in 1982 and modified the interior. In 2002, Lady Carol Brown (Sir Raymond’s widow) sold 450 acres of the Witley Park estate, including parkland and lodge, to Gary Steele. She retained parts of the estate finally divesting of it in its entirety in 2002. Sir Raymond Brown is buried in All Saints Churchyard, Witley During his ownership, Sir Raymond Brown OBE, offered Lea House as a conference centre. At some point, Witley Park House became Lea House. Gary Steele (2002 – 2018) The Architecture was by Adam Architecture 2008 - 2013 Gary Steele (Image: Supplied by Champion News) John Gary Steele (born 1959) is a British-born cyber security entrepreneur. He acquired part of the estate in 1991 and constructed a new mansion on the original site of the demolished Lea Park House. Steele commissioned the construction of a new, neo-Georgian mansion designed by Robert Adam on the site of Wright's residence. The construction of the new house required major planning negotiations and was one of the more notable uses of “exceptional design” planning permission (aka Gummer's Law) in Surrey. Steele turned the long-ruined site back into a functioning country-seat estate. Unlike previous owners, he kept a low profile. He sold the estate in 2018 for £30 million. Oleg Smirnoff (2018 to date) The Pool Hall was added in 2021 Oleg Alexandrovich Smirnoff (born 1966) acquired Witley Park with his wife Galina in 2018. His ownership is low-profile and private, with little documented change to the estate. He represents the modern pattern of discreet international ownership of historic English country houses. Subsequent developments have included: further estate restructuring; planning permissions for additions such as a helipad and new structures. The estate remains private and not open to the public. Evolution of the Estate c1780 to the present Outlying buildings on the Witley Park Estate The black and white photographs all come from the 1973 sale brochure The Main Entrance Lake Lodge, from sales particulars in 1973 Lake Lodge, April 2026 Three story cottage, from sales particulars in 1973 Thursley Lodge, the entrance to Stable Lake which overlooks Witley Common on the north side. Thursley Lodge, May 2026 Brook Grange, Brook, is situated opposite the Green and Cricket Ground Pine Lodge is situated at the south entrance to the Park Milford Lodge is at the north entrance to the park Milford Lodge, May 2026 Described in the sales brochure as 'The Superior Farmhouse' of Witley Farm Witley Farm Cottages lie back some distance from Park Lan These three pictures above are from an undated magazine article, probably c1990:

At a meeting of the Thursley History Society early in 2025, it was agreed that the website should include a post for our many beloved villagers who are no longer with us. Our archive contains a lot of information and we shall gradually build up this entry retrospectively. If you would like to contribute any obituaries, eulogies, memories, orders of service or photographs (especially where none exist on the website) please do so via the website: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/contact Lives celebrated: Alastair Banks; Edward Crawfurd; Robert Crawfurd; Eve Fausset; Annette Graham-Stewart; John Graham-Stewart; Barbara Marchant; Tom Ranson; John Roles; Brian Sharp; Susan Treadwell; Douglas Watson Annette Graham-Stewart: 14th April 1920 - 19th October 2009 Annette and John (see below) lived in Houndown, Pitch Place, and their sons, Alistair and Cameron still live there. John and Annette Graham-Stewart in 1977 Brian William Sharp: 2nd November 1928 - 18th September 2009 He was a newcomer to the village and he was not here long before he died, but he was keen to join in everything, a good organiser, on the village hall committee and Horticultural Society committee. Douglas Quartly Watson: 1st June 1945 - 10th May 2009 Wing Commander Douglas Watson DFC, lived in The Corner, his wife Kathleen was Chair of the village hall committee for many years and was known for her diplomacy. She was a physiotherapist by profession. Robert John Payne Crawfurd: 29th March 1917-24th February 2008 Robert was an identical twin of Edward, he played the organ, sang in the church choir, grew orchids and lived in Pitch Place. Eve Fausset: 11th July 1934 - 14th July 2008 Susan Caroline Lawies Treadwell: 1954 - 2008 John Eric Roles: 17th May 1938 - 1st May 2008 Thomas Arthur Ranson (Tom): 31st March 1922 - 13th July 2007 Dr John Cameron Graham-Stewart: 3rd December 1920 - 16th May 2007 Annette and John (see above) lived in Houndown, Pitch Place, and their sons still live there. Both were keen members of the Horticultural Society. John and Annette Graham-Stewart in 1977 Douglas Bernard Stocker Fitch: 16th April 1927 - 9th July 2006 Brian Michael Francis: 24th February 1939 - 31st March 2004 Barbara Marchant: died 13th May 2003 Barbara lived at Pitch Place Farm Eddie Gale BEM: 24th February 1918 - 2002

WORK IN PROGRESS: See separate entries for The Old Parsonage, St Michael & All Angles, Upper Highfield, Lower Highfield, Hedge Farm, Hall Farm Barns, Hill Farm House: *denotes separate entry Photograph by Sean Edwards THE OLD PARSONAGE* ST MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS* Photograph by Andrew Kaplanovsky HILL FARM HOUSE* Photograph by Sean Edwards Highfield Bungalows and Cottages. Photograph by Jill Fry Photographs by Sean Edwards HIGHFIELD BUNGALOWS 1 Highfield Bungalows, the home of Adrian, Teresa and George Linegar in 1997 2 Highfield Bungalows, this photograph of Ray and Peggy Stokes was taken in 1993 4 Highfield Bungalows, Eddie Gale photographed in 1997 Eddie Gale Mr & Mrs Arthur Gale on his son Jim's motorcycle outside Highfield Bungalows. Nos 3 & 4 Highfield Bungalows. Surnames of previous owners of No3 include: Winter and Dobson; of No4 include Avis, Woodger, Grant and Gale These, more recent photographs, were taken by Sean Edwards: HILL FARM COTTAGES HILL FARM BARNS* Photograph by Sean Edwards COPPER BEECHES Sale particulars in September 2025: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/highfield-lane-thursley-godalming-surrey-gu8/gld012456244 HOMEFIELDS Homefields is a cul-de-sac off Highfield Lane and consists of six 4-bedroom semi-detached houses that we built between the wars (1918 - 1939) with the majority being finished in 1937. An example of a house in Homefield that was marketed in 2025 Dick Winter and wife, Homefield Cottages THREE ACRES Thursley born and bred at Three Acres HALCYON FIELDS, formerly THE BRIARY Information to come Brian and Mary Sharp, The Briary, 1997 AMBLESIDE Sale particulars in September 2025: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/highfield-lane-thursley-godalming-surrey-gu8/gld012510005 FOUR WINDS Taken from 2018 sale particulars. View of Four Winds from Highfield Lane HILL HOUSE Hill House was purchased over 20 years ago and has since been demolished. In its place (photographs and other information to follow) are a timber framed farmhouse style property and some magnificent oak framed barns for cattle, pigs and other livestock. David and Catherine Phillimore, 1997 Surnames of previous owners of Hill House include: Middleton; Drewery; Edwards; RONARY Ronary Bungalow was built in 1994 and named after Mary Rapley's original home nearby Mary Rapley, 1994 HILLDOWN Home of the Smarts and the Emersics in 1997 Anne Marie Emersic lives there now LOWER HIGHFIELD FARM* UPPER HIGHFIELD FARM* UPPER HIGHFIELD COTTAGE Sale particulars prepared by Knight Frank in 2024: LITTLE COWDRAY FARM COWDRAY CROSS Cowdray Cross under construction.

These records and recollections from our archive, mainly from the History of Thursley Society's (HOTS) newsletters, show how active HOTS were celebrating their key anniversaries just as Thursley History Society celebrates theirs. If you know of any photographs of this weekend, please contact us: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/contact

At a meeting of the Thursley History Society early in 2025, it was agreed that the website should include a post for our many beloved villagers who are no longer with us. Our archive contains a lot of information and we shall gradually build up this entry retrospectively. If you would like to contribute any obituaries, eulogies, memories, orders of service or photographs (especially where none exist on the website) please do so via the website: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/contact Lives celebrated: Peter Anderson; Michael Chant; Pat Coles; Diana Cory; Margie Crawfurd; Katherine Feld; Ray Fry; Kate Hurman; Arthur Moss; Jean Moss; Clive Platfoot; Drusilla Pye; Grace Ranson; Bridget Stewardson; Cynthia Tann; Kathleen Watson Bridget Mary Stewardson: 20th February 1930 - 5th March 2019 Bridget lived in Rose Cottage, The Lane Raymond Maurice Fry: 22nd January 1936 - 6th May 2019 Ray Fry was a long-term warden and advocate for Thursley Common Jane Haviland: 21st May 1931 - 8th February 2019 Diana Cory: 2nd April 1929 - 14th February 2019 Katherine Louise Feld: 10th January 1985 - 4th April 2018 Michael Patrick Chant: 7 January 1944 - 6 February 2018 Michael, known as Mick, was husband of Tina who is a member of the Horticultural Committee. He ran the Cedars pub in Binsted. When they moved to Thursley, he became the caretaker of the village hall and was very helpful to the elderly. John Patrick Coles: 8th September 1934 - 22nd August 2017 The eulogy was delivered by Alan Peters, Pat's greatest friend, and his sons Simon and Matthew: This moving address was given by the Revd Edmund Haviland: Kathleen Winifred Watson: 6th November 1917 - 24th April 2017 Margaret Vowe Crawfurd: 24th January - 11th January 2016 Margie Crawfurd was involved in a nursing charity in the village and was keen on welcoming newcomers. She was in charge of a high-class and prestigious art show held in the village hall for many years (see separate entry). She was the prime mover of the church kneelers (see separate entry) and also served on Waverley Borough Council. Margie Crawfurd, 1981 Grace Pope Ranson: 10th April 1927 - 9th March 2015 Major Clive Gordon Frederick Platfoot: 16th February 1931 - 31st August 2014 Major Platfoot lived in Churt, next to The Pride of the Valley, and was a keen churchgoer at St Michael & All Angels. He sold wrist alarms for the elderly and dubious home-made wine was a hobby. Drusilla Pye: 28th December 1927 - 13th January 2014 Drusilla was the formidable village and much-loved midwife who lived at 2 Church Cottages Kate Hurman: 24th September 1928 - 31st July 2013 She lived in Old Potters on Pitch Place, an equestrienne and she and her husband had a fine collection of bronze statuary. She lived in Old Potters on Pitch Place, an equestrienne and she and her husband had a fine collection of bronze statuary. 6th March 1926 – 5th October 2012 Cynthia Tann: 6th March 1926 - 5th October 2012 Cynthia lived on Pitch Place, she was a glamourous ex-model who had three children. She was an artist and a keen churchgoer whose brilliant flower arrangements were often on display. She read the lessons beautifully. Peter Richard Anderson: 1944 - 2011 Arthur Edward Moss: 1916 - 2010 Arthur lived at Wheelwrights on The Street with his wife, Jean (see below). He was on the village hall committee and was in charge of raising the flag. This was Arthur's recollections of his war which was produced for the History of Thursley Society's 'Victory in 1945 Celebration' exhibition held in 1995: I spent VE Day marching away from the Russian Front, we were still POWs but the Germans were very agitated and disorganised and we could hear the Russian guns so we knew that our captors were losing the war. Ten of broke away from the chaos and found ourselves in a small German Village. There we met the local schoolteacher who took us into her home, took the down her picture of Hitler from the wall and cooked us a marvellous sit down supper. We then met up with a group of Serbs and were driven around on a horse and cart. After the Serbs, we joined a small party of Russians who plied us with methylated spirits and schnapps! At Chemnitz Station we finally me the Americans, who took us to Rheims to the Frech and we were flown home in Lancasters to freedom. I arrived back on the 19th May 1945 having been a prisoner of the Germans for almost five years bar a week. I was able to join in the celebrations for VJ Day and stood outside Buckingham Palace wit Gwladys, a young nurse friend, cheering as loudly as I could. Peter Richard Anderson: 1944 - 2011 Peter was married to Alison and lived in Brook Cottage on Dye House Road. Jean Scotson Moss: 1927 - 2010 Jean lived at Wheelwrights with her husband, Arthur

At a meeting of the Thursley History Society early in 2025, it was agreed that the website should include a post for our many beloved villagers who are no longer with us. Our archive contains a lot of information and we shall gradually build up this entry retrospectively. If you would like to contribute any obituaries, eulogies, memories, orders of service or photographs (especially where none exist on the website) please do so via the website: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/contact Lives celebrated: Ann Banks; Brian Camp; John Holt; Anthony Kentish Brian Edward Camp: 1928 - 1999 Anthony John Kentish: 1911 - 1998 Anthony lived at Sunset Cottage John Bayley Holt Admiral Holt lived in Sailors Lane. He retired from the Navy in 1970 and spent the remainder of his life at his home in Thursley. He was married in 1940 to Olga Esme Creake and had three daughters. National Portrait Gallery Ann Paton Banks: 17th December 1920 - 5th April 1998

WORK IN PROGRESS - Photographs only and see separate entries for The Three Horseshoes, Bears Barn, The Well House, The Old Vicarage, The Village Hall, The Corner, The Clump, The Dye House and Brook and Horn Cottages FOLDSDOWN The Patrick Family, Foldsdown, 1997 Surnames of previous owners of Foldsdown include: Parker; Jobson; Matthews FOLDSDOWN COTTAGE THURSLEY HOUSE Details to come of current building The above four photographs are of the original Thorcroft, now demolished, which sat on the site of Thursley House. A note on the reverse of the first photograph states, "In her will Miss Branchini donated money to the village hall". THORCROFT HOUSE Taken from sale particulars from March 2026 Thorcroft is a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom house that was built in 2006. It sits in 2.5 acres. https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/dye-house-road-thursley-godalming-surrey-gu8/gld180207 THE VILLAGE HALL* THORFIELD Thorfield consists of six purpose-built flats and maisonettes VEAN COTTAGE This photograph by Sean Edwards Vean Cottage, November 2027 THE OUTLOOK Reg Fosberry in 1996 The Outlook was originally the workshop of the builder, William Karn Fosberry, he and his family lived at what is now known as Vean Cottage. He eventually converted it into living accommodation. As you can see, a studio was built at the back for the use of his brother-in-law, Henry Tozer, who lived at The Clump when it was a shop and Post Office. Eveline Lance, the artist, rented the house in the summer months, eventually coming to live there permanently in 1929. The studio was then used by her. After the Fosberry family sold Vean Cottage, they moved into The Outlook, where Reg, William's grandson still lives. The Outlook faces Thursley Common and lies behind The Clump and Vean Cottage THE CLUMP* THE CORNER* THE OLD POST HOUSE The Old Post House 1932 Old Post House and Sawyers c1965 Ben and Nancy Wonham, The Post Office The Old Post Office was extensively remodelled in 2022 Surnames of previous owners of The Old Post Office include: Davidson; Wonham; Wishart SAWYERS Sawyers c 1980 Sawyers, Mary Rapley and Elizabeth Copeman 1996/7 Surnames of previous owners of Sawyers include: Ellison; Arnold; Gabriel; Sparks; Copeman Sawyers in 2025 From sales particulars in 2025: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/e4f55920-dde7-44c7-8602-dedfd1030af2?v=media&id=media1&ref=photoCollage THE THREE HORSESHOES* THE WELL HOUSE* BEAR'S BARN* THE OLD VICARAGE* CHETWYND COTTAGE Prudence Jones, Chetwynd Cottage MAGPIE COTTAGE Magpie Cottage was sold in 1952 as part of the break-up of the Cosford Estate: THE OLD STORES Information to come STORES COTTAGE Rodney and Tone Badcock, 1997 OVERDALE and CRICKETS Crickets, below, was built by the Canadian Army in World War 1 for the recuperation of wounded soldiers and is the original construction. Overdale, above, was built in 1985 and replaced a similar building to Crickets. FORGE COTTAGE Forge Cottage, September 2025 Sale Particulars in September 2025: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/residential/for-sale/dye-house-road-thursley-nr-godalming-surrey-gu8-6qa/gld0125845199331ea8c9b72&csg=34d3e8edf97180a5d7b02f5c163b59f66a8062d5dd02fed71b44555796fbb3bc&#/?channel=RES_BUY Previous owners of Forge Cottage include: Holford SOUTH HOUSE, RED LODGE Simon, Joyce and Christopher Hall, South House, Red Lodge, December 1966 BROOK COTTAGE & HORN COTTAGE* THE DYE HOUSE*

A general strike took place in the United Kingdom from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage-reductions and worsening conditions for 1.2 million locked-out coal miners. Some 1.7 million workers went out, especially in transport and in heavy industry. It was a sympathy strike, with many of those who were not miners and not directly affected striking to support the locked-out miners. As well as workplace stoppages other organisation included 'Councils of Action, food distribution, and support for picket lines in some places.[2] The government was well prepared, and enlisted middle- and upper-class volunteers to maintain essential services. There was little violence and the TUC gave up in defeat. There was a paucity of information reaching areas beyond London and so the Godalming Gazette was created, and this was its opening paragraph: This, which we believe to be the only daily newspaper ever bearing the name of Godalming, will, under Providence, be published every evening, except on Saturdays and Sundays, until the strike is over. It has come into existence simply because the tremendous local demand for a daily newspaper has not been met. The thin trickle of broadsheets from London has been swallowed up before it has reached Godalming: the hungry sheep (if we may use the term of our readers without disrespect look up and are not fed. The first edition. Just four newspapers were published with No 4 reporting the end of the strike. All four copies are reproduced in the pdf below.

When preparing for the Wedding Belles exhibition (see separate entry) in 2008, this list of the vicars of St Michael and All Angels was compiled to coincide with the dates covered by the exhibition. To this distinguished list must be added: 2010 John Jeremy Page 2020 Hannah Thérèse Moore Work in progress, so this is just the beginning of entries about our vicars: Henry Brancker, 1857 - 1886 Revd Henry Brancker and Mrs Brancker Francis Harcourt Gooch, 1886-1901 Bill from R B Stedman, Bookseller, to Revd F H Gooch, June 30, 1898 The Revd F H Gooch at Dye House, 1918 Alfred Perceval Pott 1901 - 1907 Charles Kaye Watson, 1914 - 1918 C K Watson was vicar of Thursley throughout the First World War. Here is a letter to parishioners that was in the Parish Magazine: Addison James Wheeler, 1925 - 1932 From Durham University The Addison Wheeler Fellowships are funded by a bequest from Addison James Wheeler, who died in 1967 at the age of eighty-five. Having read Theology at Durham University, Wheeler became a schoolmaster and afterwards took Holy Orders. Ill health prevented him from achieving his ambition of a career in scientific research. During his lifetime this remarkable man devoted himself to building up sufficient capital to support young scholars, whom he hoped would be able to make a significant contribution to knowledge that he himself had been unable to achieve. As reported above, the Vicarage suffered a terrible fire in 1930. Unfortunately some church records were destroyed in the blaze as the vicar had taken them home having removed them from the church safe. Revd Wheeler was responsible for uncovering the 12th Century sedile (a group of stone seats for clergy in the south chancel wall of a church, usually three in number and often canopied and decorated, OED) in the church and for discovering in 1927 the Saxon windows in the chancel. After the fire, the Revd Wheeler bought the Haybarn field at Smallbrook Farm and converted a yard and barn used for the cattle and known as "The Hovel" into a bungalow, which then got rebuilt by Paul Wedge. Sadly, the Revd Wheeler could not stay due to his asthma induced by the cattle. He had to sell and move away. He and his wife divorced and he left the ministry. Mary Bennett said that he ran off with his ward. He was vicar of Thursley from 1925 - 1932. H Gordon French, 1932-1959 The Revd French with Mrs Lettice Fisher Dedication of Mothers' Union Banner Memories of H Gordon French Kenneth Mathews, 1968 -1977 This memoir of Revd A K Mathews, OBE, DSC, was based largely on an obituary in The Daily Telegraph and an article in the Thursley Parish Magazine of February 1993. It also appears in The Lives of the People of Thursley, published by the History of Thursley Society, which can be found on this website. Not mentioned in the article is that he was the progenitor of the Thursley Harvest Supper in 1972 which has recently been resurrected. The complete article can be downloaded from this pdf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Mathews https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-the-rev-kenneth-mathews-1564982.html A John Stephens, 1977 - 1983 From the Church Times: STEPHENS. — On 13 October, the Revd (Archibald) John Stephens: CMS Missionary (1950-52); Manager and Chaplain of Ado-Ekiti Hospital (1950-55); Priest-in-Charge of CMS Training Centre, Akure (1955-56); E.T.C., St John’s College, Owo (1956-59); Principal of Bishop Phillips Hall, Owo (1958-60); Hon. Can of St Stephen’s Cathedral, Ondo-Benin (1957-71); Assistant Curate, of Christ Church and St Mary, Swindon (1968-70); Hon. Canon of Owerri since 1971; Curate-in-Charge of Ash Vale Conventional District (1971-72); Vicar of St Mary’s, Ash Vale (1972-77); Priest-in-Charge of Thursley (1977-82); aged 100. The Advertiser, July 16, 1982 Order of Service for the Revd Stevens is complete in the pdf below: William David Lang 1992 - 2010 John Jeremy Page 2010-2020 https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/6-march/features/features/ordination-would-i-do-it-again-no Hannah Thérèse Moore 2020 - https://parishesofetsph.org.uk/team-members/rev-hannah-moore/ Here is a complete list of Rectors, Vicars and Patrons from a photograph taken in the Church:

There is no obvious connection between John Freeman, the poet, and Thursley, but he is buried in our churchyard. He must have visited the village, liked it and somehow obtained permission to be buried here. His friends, probably the circle of Georgian poets, including Walter de la Mare and Alice Meynell, bought the field next to the churchyard and gave it to the National Trust in his memory. From Allpoetry.com: John Freeman was a poet whose work reflects the asethetic principles of the Georgian era in British literature. This period, which roughly spanned the first two decades of the 20th century, was marked by a renewed interest in traditional forms and a focus on rural life and themes of nature. From A Dictionary of Methodism: Poet and critic, born into a WM family at Dalston, Middx on 29 January 1880. His health was permanently impaired by scarlet fever in early childhood. At 13 he joined the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society as a junior clerk and spent the rest of his life in its employ, rising to become Secretary and Director in 1927 and a leading figure in the insurance world. He was a local preacher. But he was more widely known in the literary world, where he contributed to Edward Marsh's Georgian Poets anthologies and enjoyed the friendship of such figures as Alice Meynell, Walter de la Mare and J.C. Squire. His friend Edward Thomas called him 'a sort of angel' and Eleanor Farjeon described him as a 'quiet poet ... gentle, with a fine sensitive mind, and qualities which made his plain features lovable.' After Thomas's death, she collaborated with Freeman in seeing Thomas's first volume of poems through the press. His own first book of poems, published in 1909, was followed by several others, marked by his 'grave and quiet rhythms' and including Stone Trees (1916) which gained him recognition. Poems New and Old (1920) won him the Hawthornden Prize for imaginative literature. His Collected Poems appeared in 1928. He wrote on literary matters for the New Statesman, The Bookman, the Quarterly Review,and the London Mercury and his prose works included a Portrait of George Moore (1922), English Portraits (1924), Herman Melville (1926) and a play Prince Absalom (1925). He died on 23 Sept. 1929 and his funeral service at Anerley WM Church was conducted by his fellow poet, Andrew Young, then a minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was interred at Thursley, Surrey, where a field adjoining the churchyard was given to the National Trust in his memory. 'Meanwhile de la Mare came to know a poet friend of Roger Ingpen's … John Freeman, who like himself was in business - a great deal more successfully than de la Mare. He had begun life as an office boy at thirteen, and became in time the Secretary of his insurance company, the Liverpool Victoria. Like de la Mare, he would come home at the end of an eight- or nine-hour working day in the City, to write verses late into the night. He was also a copious correspondent and very well read. Tall, gangling, ugly, solemn, punctilious, there was in him an endearing quality about these very attributes; Edward Thomas referred to him as "a kind of Angel", and de la Mare, after his death, described even his physical appearance in phrases that suggest beauty - "beautiful brows", and ruminative eyes "of a peculiarly ardent blue".' Theresa Whistler, Imagination of the Heart: the life of Walter de la Mare (1993), pp.127-8 A later photograph of John Freeman taken from the frontispiece of "John Freeman's Letters", edited by Gertrude Freeman and Sir John Squire, Macmilland & Co Ltd 1936. This delightful extract which describes Thursley and mentions John Freeman is from "Solo and Duet" by Sir John Squire: (But I was still on the bench at the Thursley Cricket Ground.) It was almost too hot to move, but very pleasant up there with the commons below, ridge after ridge of hills fading behind them and, in the other direction, the red roofs of the village outskirts. It would have been pleasant to stay there, or to tread again the old street of cottages and climb to churchyard and church and Rapley's farm which has King John walls in it. The church has newly discovered Saxon windows with the original wooden frames in them; it has also a magnificent lot of oak supporting roof and tower. And in the churchyard by the wall, above the steep declivity, there is a tombstone bearing the inscription "John Freeman, Poet", for there lies there, within sight of Crooksbury Beacon and in the heart of the country of Cobbett, whom he loved one of the strongest, most delicate, most profound, and most neglected of poets of our time. But I had set myself a long Journey that day; I wanted to get as near Winchester as I could; I should have to stop for lunch; and it was already half-past eleven. So I rose, and marched off to rejoin the main road, which climbs for three miles or so until it reaches Hindhead, the Punchbowl, and the monument of the murdered sailor. From Wikipedia: John Frederick Freeman (29 January 1880 – 23 September 1929) was an English poet and essayist, who gave up a successful career in insurance to write full-time. He was born in London, and started as an office boy aged 13. He was a close friend of Walter de la Mare from 1907, who lobbied hard with Edward Marsh to get Freeman into the Georgian Poetry series; with eventual success. De la Mare's biographer Theresa Whistler describes him as "tall, gangling, ugly, solemn, punctilious". He won the Hawthornden Prize in 1920 with Poems 1909-1920. His Last Hours was set to music by Ivor Gurney. From a newspaper article dated 27th November 1987 He died on 23rd September 1929 and probate was granted to his widow, Gertrude Frances Freeman, on 14 January 1930 leaving £3,745. John Freeman's headstone in Thursley Churchyard: This stone, set into the wall of the churchyard and juxtaposed to John Freeman's headstone, has this inscription: THE ADJOINING FIELD WAS PRESENTED TO THE NATIONAL TRUST IN 1931 FOR PRESERVATION AS A MEMORIAL TO JOHN FREEMAN BORN 29 JAN 1880 DIED 23 SEPT 1929 The view across the National Trust field with John Freeman's grave, and the inscribed stone in the wall, in the foreground John Freeman's poetry: Here are two examples of his verse: from MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND OTHER POEMS; published 1919 by Selwyn and Blount of London. Snows Now the long-bearded chilly-fingered winter Over the green fields sweeps his cloak and leaves Its whiteness there. It caught on the wild trees, Shook whiteness on the hedges and left bare South-sloping corners and south-fronting smooth Barks of tall beeches swaying 'neath their whiteness So gently that the whiteness does not fall. The ash copse shows all white between gray poles, The oaks spread arms to catch the wandering snow. But the yews--I wondered to see their dark all white, To see the soft flakes fallen on those grave deeps, Lying there, not burnt up by the yews' slow fire. Could Time so whiten all the trembling senses, The youth, the fairness, the all-challenging strength, And load even Love's grave deeps with his barren snows? Even so. And what remains? The hills of thought That shape Time's snows and melt them and lift up Green and unchanging to the wandering stars. The Wren Within the greenhouse dim and damp The heat floats like a cloud. Pale rose-leaves droop from the rust roof With rust-edged roses bowed. As I go in Out flies the startled wren. By the tall dark fir tree he sings Morn after morn still, Shy and bold he flits and sings Tinily sweet and shrill. As I go out His song follows me about ... About the orchard under trees Beaded with cherries bright, Past the rat-haunted Honeybourne And up those hills of light: As up I go His notes more sweetly flow. Or down those dark hills when night's there Full of dark thoughts and deep, A thin clear soundless music comes Like stars in broken sleep. When I come down All those dark thoughts are flown. And now that sweetness is more sweet, Here where the aeroplanes Labouring and groaning in the height Lift their lifeless vans:-- Sweet, sweet to hear The far off wren singing clear.

Photographs only of this Grade II listed building (23rd December, 1983) which is thought to date back to the 16th Century. Mrs Caroline Norman Mr Nash and Mrs Norman (his sister), at Hole Cottage, Summer 1978 Surnames of previous owners include: Moorey; Ayres; Norman; Nash Hole Cottage - a southerly view Hole Cottage with Bedford Farm in the background Hole Cottage was put on the market in May 2026:

Tony Kelly, of Bedford Farm, gave a talk in the village hall in October 2024 about his extraordinary feat. The text and the ppt below are condensations of his talk which was appreciated by the packed audience. From Thursley Village Facebook page: Climbing Mount Everest, 8848m, in 2003 The highest point on Earth. A summary of Tony Kelly’s story The presentation will cover the lead up to the climb and our summit bids. I’ll also touch on some history of the mountain, as in 2024 its 100yrs since the famous 1924 Mallory and Irvine Expedition (and the mystery of did they summit or not). Their route was on the North side of Mount Everest and we are attempting the same North side route from Tibet. We are attempting the north route because its technically much harder than the south and consequently climbed much less. Back then around 1200 people had summited Mount Everest but only approx. 200 of them from the North side. It's worth dwelling on George Mallory and Sandy Irvine briefly. Mallory’s body was eventually found on the North Face in 1999 with torso bruising indicating a serious fall whilst roped. The remains of his mid layer jumper were still visible supplied by W Paine, 72 High Street, Godalming. Yes, he was a local. Originally from the north west but settled in Godalming as a teacher at Charterhouse and married Ruth, a Godalming girl. Sandy Irvine’s remains were only found in September this year, 2024, on the north face directly below but much further down than Mallory’s body indicating they were almost certainly roped together when they fell. I will also bring to the talk a section of telegraph wire, used for Advanced Base Camp communications in 1924, that I found on the East Rongbuk glacier in 2000. I was with Graham Hoyland at the time (he was on our 2000 expedition) who had been responsible for the search that found George Mallory in 1999. Graham was the great great grandson of Howard Somervell who was on the 1924 expedition with Mallory and Irvine. So where did it all begin for me? After hiking in the UK through my 20’s I got introduced to rock climbing and quickly progressed to rock, ice and mountaineering in the Alps. After 10 years of multiple annual trips to the Alps, I was looking for a bigger challenge and met the internationally renowned expedition leader, Russell Brice, in a bar in Chamonix. My friend and mountain guide, Mark Seaton, was able to reassure Russell I was technically more than competent to join him but we didn’t know how my body would react to extreme altitude. In 1999 I went with Russell Brice to Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world at 8,188m to find out if I was ok at altitude. As a test it went well. The weather was brutal. In the end we didn’t make a summit attempt because of extreme snow conditions but I was the only member of the expedition, westerner or sherpa, to reach the expeditions high point of 7,900m and I did it solo. Mt Everest was on! I had mentioned, summit bids, plural. In 2000 we took an expedition to Mount Everest to climb the North side from Tibet. After 2 months on the mountain we made 2 attempts on the summit. The first one was aborted at 7900 metres due to atrocious weather conditions and massive snow loading. That first attempt had high attrition and resulted in 6 of the 7 climbing members pulling the plug. Consequently, on the 2nd attempt, it was only myself, 3 professional mountain guides and 3 sherpa’s that made the attempt. At camp 2, 7500m, our tents got avalanched overnight and buried. It became a matter of survival, avoiding carbon dioxide asphyxiation overnight by punching holes through the snow and ice over the tents and the following day using a quite dangerous technique to deliberately trigger avalanches to clear the massive snow load in front of us to be able to down climb. To cap it off in our exhausted state when we pulled off the mountain a melt water lake had broken out of the East Rongbuk Glacier and we had to build a raft out of barrels and wood to ferry the 20 expedition members and 10 tonnes of equipment out! I’m reminded of the definition of an Adventure: “an undertaking with an uncertain outcome”! So the 2003 Expedition was “Unfinished Business”. We returned to Kathmandu, Nepal, in late March and after assembling some 11 tonnes of equipment and “shopping” in the local markets for 2 months plus of provisions for 17 team members we made our way via Lhasa, Tibet to Mount Everest basecamp at 5200m and set about the expedition proper. High altitude climbing is a combination of technical competence, mountaineering experience and a “head game”. It’s a marathon not a sprint. You’re going to spend months in daily calorie deficit, physically and mentally stressed by the environment and the challenge. -50 deg C and 150mph winds are regular features. You’ll spend a lot of time climbing at 10/10ths of your ability and experience but to be successful you will have to spend some time at 11/10ths or worse and make the judgement call on when to take those risks and how long to stay exposed. Tenacity, stamina and will power will count for a lot. On arrival at basecamp team members blood oxygen levels of mid 70% were not unusual. That would be an A&E visit back home at sea level. Acclimatisation to get the blood oxy levels into the 90%’s takes weeks as you teach your body to produce more red blood cells to cope with the ¼ of sea level oxygen availability we’ll have to deal with higher up the mountain. Acclimatisation starts in base camp knocking off 6000m peaks to warm up and then moving up the glacier to work on the mountain. The route will take a month and half of preparation work putting in fixed rope and installing and provisioning four high camps. We’ll be going up and down visiting and revisiting these camps. This will mean we will effectively climb the height of Mount Everest several times in the process before we even consider a summit attempt. The north side route is not only technically more difficult than the south side by it is much longer. Its 22km from Basecamp to Advanced Basecamp. From ABC we must establish camp 1 at 7050m, camp 2 7500m, camp 3 7900m and camp 4 at 8300m and fully stock them. That includes lugging oxygen bottles (about 6kg each) up which we will use (3 each) from camp 3 7900m onwards. The climbing is a mix of technical ice climbing and massive snow slopes, rock sections of scrambling and massively technical vertical rock climbing at 8600m on the 2nd Step (this is the crux of the climb). Having got the infrastructure of the route set up we had to retreat to base camp because of a massive storm. It wiped out a significant portion of our camps on the mountain ripping tents stocked with personal kit, food and oxygen off the mountain and depositing it on the glacier below. When we went back up to ABC we had to find the debris on the glacier and icewall, extract it from crevasses, uncover the snow buried ropes, rebuild the camps and route. (when l say “we” went back to recover things it was actually only 2 of the 7 client climbers (Trynt and myself) together with sherpas). We then set about a summit attempt in late May. Two of the seven climbers pulled out sick. The rest of us pushed on. Five climbers with sherpa partners and a mountain guide. Herman, the guide, was focused on Zedi, Matt and Gernot. Sue and Chung were sick. Myself and my sherpa partner, Dorje, were operating pretty much independently. It’s typically a six-day push, four days up and two off. Leaving camp 4, 8300m, at circa 10pm/11pm to climb through the night. Intending to reach the three steps on the north east ridge by dawn. But we experienced some delays en route due to some slower expeditions blocking the route in front of us. It wasn’t busy like photo’s you may have seen of the south side but this was 2003, the 50th anniversary of the 1953 success, there were a few more climbers than normal and its the nature of the route on the north that is much more constraining. I got further delayed by having to rescue a climbing colleague (Zedi) who made a massive error and found himself hanging on the rope at the 2nd Step, 8600m, swinging over the north face of Mount Everest with a mile of fresh air between his legs. It cost me, and Dorje my sherpa partner, a lot of excess oxygen usage fighting to save him. We got him back in and back enroute. It took Dorje and I a while to sort ourselves out and get going again. The others, including Zedi, who I had rescued, were ahead and summited, albeit late (having breached the turnaround time limit we had all agreed to). I calculated I was about to run out of oxygen probably on top and that would risk death. I made an incredibly difficult decision to turn back 48metres from the top which would have taken another 1.5hrs! I radioed Russell to advise and we turned back. On descent I did actually run out of oxygen around 8500m but we still had to get down so Dorje and I pressed on without. We also had to help rescue (again) the same guy I had recovered on the way up because now he had gone snow blind and couldn’t see to down climb. The climb was incredible but a massive blow to turn back so close. After getting back to Advanced Base Camp and feeling pretty low the next morning Russell came to my tent with a mug of yak milk tea and a large shot of whisky and told me to shut up and say nothing. He said everyone else is leaving, there’s a narrow weather window opening and I think you have it in you to go back! Basically he convinced me to attempt what no climber (professional or amateur) other than a small number of sherpa’s had ever attempted on Mount Everest and that was to climb the mountain twice in one season and I was going to try twice in two weeks! So nine days after returning to Advanced Base Camp Sue and Chung, my colleagues who had been sick on the first attempt and myself together with our sherpa climbing partners mounted what was to be my second attempt this season and my fourth summit attempt on Mount Everest. The weather was going to be challenging. We didn’t have the requisite four days up and two off. We had to wait out a storm in Camp 2 and then pushing very hard from camp 2 we missed out camp 3 by a continuous climbing push stopping very briefly at camp 4 (not for rest, food and sleep as normal) we picked up water and oxygen and continued climbing into a 33-hour continuous aggressive push right through the night to summit early in the morning, for me at 7:03am, May 31st. It had been amazing as every other expedition except ours had left the mountain so Sue, Chung and myself had the entire mountain to ourselves. This is unheard of and although we had climbed through a storm the summit day was blue sky with the curvature of the earths horizon visible for a 100miles. There were tears. Which immediately froze! Getting up is of course only half way. Getting off is essential and almost as hard as going up. In my case very hard having only nine days prior albeit but for 48metres been on the summit. It becomes a massive head game. Your body is screaming for rest telling you its done in and there’s nothing not even fumes left in the tank. You want to stop. But if you stop and rest there is a very high chance you’ll slip into dozing followed by hypoxia and then hypothermia and death. So keep moving. I made it back to camp 1 at 7050m and rested for the night before descent to ABC the following day. 2003 was the 50th anniversary of the 1953 successful first summit by Hilary and Tensing via the South side Route and associated with that anniversary the Nepali Mountaineering Association were at the 2003 Kendal Mountain Film Festival awarding medals for significant achievement on Mount Everest. I was on stage in the company of Chris Bonington and Doug Scott (1st brit), Stephen Venables (1st brit no Oxy) and others including Mike Westmacott and George Band members of the 1953 expedition. I was awarded a Gold Medal with the citation from the NMA president: “an outstanding rescue, wise turn around at 48m, subsequent success after only nine days and in aggressive style, extraordinary & exemplary mountaineering”