This entry is a work in progress as there are many more photographs to be added and personnel identified: Picnicing at the Sailor's Stone, 1957 Gathering at the Village Hall, probably early 80s From the Parish Magazine, April1981 Tom Ranson, standing Trip to The Oaks for the Over 60s: Betty Weeden; Maggie Cooper; Nora Gale

Work in Progress: see separate entry for Smallbrook Farm . SMALLBROOK FARM Smallbrook Farm, North side, October 1996 SMALLBROOK COTTAGE Lynne, Adrian. and Sebastian Stewart lived here in 1996 Other owners include: Daw LITTLE SHAVINGS Little Shavings. Surnames of previous owners include: Hughes; Moore; Thomas Little Shavings, October 1996 SMALLBROOK BARN AND STUDIO HAYBARN Haybarn, North side Haybarn Garden Shelter Other owners include: Blixen-Finnicke

Three village calendars were produced in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and were sponsored by The Guildford Flames and The Three Horseshoes. Then there was a hiatus until 2023 when they were produced by the village hall committee and sponsored by Mathwall, The Three Horseshoes and Butterflies Nursery School. Photographs for 2010, 2001 and 2012 were contributed by: David Beechey, David Brickwood, Pat Clake, Bryony Chapman, Sarah Dashwood, Sean Edwards, Liz Ethrington, Nadine Froggatt, Alastair Graham Stewart, Jerry Horwood, Peter Hunter, Simon Hall, David Johnston, Arthur Lindley, Nicky Perkins, Sally Scheffers, Georgina Skinner, Lynn Skinner, Philip Traill and Tim Walsh. Photographs for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 were contributed by: Clea Beechey, Lucy Brooks, Oakley Brooks, Anthea Croft, Manda Dinsmore, Gillian Duke, Sean Edwards, Cameron Ferris, Valérie Ferris, Amanda Flint, James Giles, Doug Gordon, Jenny Gordon, Amanda Hall, Carrie Hesmondhalgh Jerry Horwood, Andrii Kaplanovskyi, Caroline Mardon, Chris McClements, Neil McIntyre, Sarah O’Brien,  Josh Owen, Rich Owen, Michelle Presley, Miriam Sharland, Richard Symonds, Tamsin Taylor Mathews, Tim Wakeley, Stephen Walsh.

In 1975, Margie Crawfurd and Georgina Harvey held an art exhibition at Thursley Village Hall as charity benefit. It was so popular that they continued to hold it annually for up to two weeks at a time until 1984. The exhibition consisted of work by artists and craftsmen from all over England, the large majority of whom were professionals. Over the years they managed to attract many leading figures in the arts and crafts, and as a consequence visitors to the exhibition came from far afield. We asked Georgina Harvey for her recollections and in February 2025 she wrote: The Thursley Exhibition began in 1975 as a fund raiser for the Thursley Conservative Association.   The idea was to get anyone in the village who had ever made, knitted, spun, sewn, weaved, carved, forged, thrown, blown, drawn, painted or whatever to show off their goods and skills.   The designated team consisted of artist Ros Kentish, Margie Crawfurd, Marion O’Brien & myself with Robert Tann being in charge of all things financial.  The Village Hall would be rented for 10 days at the end of September and a raffle and wine bar would cover expenses.    All committee members donated prizes and also helped man the hall during opening times.    The exhibition was open to anyone willing to pay the 10p entrance fee on Thursday & Friday evening and all day on the Saturday.   Sunday was the day to collect belongings or purchases and clean up the Hall. The exhibition seemed to grow exponentially and by the fourth year the political association was becoming a problem for some of the Artist and Craftsmen who were no longer locals.   For the next six years we had a keen viewing & spending public and exhibitors, some of which were more used to showing in London Galleries, still eager to show their work in our rural countryside.   The numbers and values increased and The Thursley Village Hall became a veritable hub of excellence in the regional autumn arts calendar.   Our Competition Judges were distinguished members of the Arts Scene and gave us credentials beyond our expectations.    It was time for a change.     For ten years The Thursley Exhibition had been able to have exclusive use of the Village Hall (which by 1984 had increased from 5 to 45 days).   A Nursery School wanted a home and 41 years later there is still one there. Artists showing their art over the years included: Nicholas Dimbleby - sculptor Mary Fedden - painter Paul Gunn - painter Ken Howard - oils John Makepiece - furniture Susan May - Jeweller Lorne McKean - bronze sculptures Bernard Myers - printmaker Charles Normandale - iron gate William Pye - a sculptor known particularly for his water sculptures Guy Taplin - driftwood birds Carel Weight - oils Mary Wondrausch - pottery Along with: Thursley's very own residents Salli Tomlinson (artist) and Peter Hanauer (handblown glass) An example of Salli's work: a musical artwork that opens up and reveals boxes within which also open and play music: painted on boards and approximately 1M x 1M Examples of Pete Hanauer's glass blowing which are exhibited in the V & A Museum Robert Tann, Margie Crawfurd, Alice Harvey and Georgie Harvey It reached national prominence in 1982 when it was covered by The Field, and this is an extract from their piece: Art and Craft Ascending The Rise and Rise of a Village Exhibition in Surrey. The Thursley Village Exhibition is now seven years old. It was started as a charity benefit and grew into an informal showcase for artists and craftsmen all over the south of England. Its stature is now such that it can shake hands on equal terms with established galleries. The setting is a Victorian hall in Thursley, a Surrey village which was once a centre of iron making and where one can still see the iron pits and hammer ponds. Nearly 200 paintings and sculptures by 50 artists as well as furniture, silver, glass, ceramics and bookbinding will be exhibited from 25 September – 3 October. Among the equestrian artists is Juliet Jeffrey who is showing a hunting scene from an unusual angle. “It was my own first view of the hunt, looking through the horses’ legs with the hounds bounding in. When they set off it becomes a blur with the flurry of hounds and horses coming and coming and it is this I have tried to capture”. Her other paintings depict Appleby Horse Fair, the big gypsy fair held every June, and one of her favourite subjects – pony sales at which the groups of ponies provide a very paintable series of patterns. Juliet Jeffrey has also illustrated several books including one of Gypsy Poems and Ballads. For some years she was married to Peter Ingram, one of the five gypsy waggon builders in the country and has painted a considerable oeuvre of gypsy life in a style which is an interesting blend of realism with abstract undertones. Paintings of people with their favourite horses and other animals, once the mainstay of the itinerant artist, is again becoming a popular art form. The resurgence of interest of this type of portraiture takes the equestrian artist Susie Whitcombe as far as Australia where she goes to paint animals, for some of the big livestock owners. Miss Whitcombe’s oil on canvas Summer Afternoon, Frensham, in this exhibition depicts three gleaming coated ponies reflected in the limpid waters of a large pond framed in trees and bushes (most likely Frensham Great or Little Pond – Ed). Earlier, in 1980, a press release from the exhibition organiser’s read: For the last six years the Thursley Exhibition has encouraged local artists to exhibit their work. During this period, the organisers have steadily improved the standard of work submitted, kept overheads down and prices low. This year in a bold step to raise the quality again, the organisers have invited a number of artists/craftsmen, who, whilst having local connections, exhibit widely. William Pye is one of our country’s leading sculptors. He will exhibit a stainless-steel work in the garden and his” Californian Bronzes” in the hall. John Donald is designing a collection of ten pieces of jewellery especially for this exhibition. Faith Shannon, from Puttenham, who has just been awarded an Arts Council grant, will exhibit a book she has bound, and her husband, Sandy Mackilligan, a piece of furniture. Lorne Mackean, whose bronzes are in the royal collection (seen in the forefront of the photographs below – Ed) , has something at the foundry for us and George Taylor, one of Edward Barnsley’s protegees, will exhibit some wood carvings. From Thursley itself we have Peter Hanauer’s glass bowl, Salli Tomlinson’s “Companions”, as seen on television recently, and the work of the Thursley weavers. Among our favourites at the Royal Academy this summer were Joyce O’Shea, from Godalming, Christopher Harrison from Cranleigh and Cavendish Morton from the Isle of Wight. All will be showing at the exhibition. Introductory page and frontispiece for the 1984 exhibition, the last to be held 1983 Unknown publication 1982 The Field Magazine, 1982 1981 1980 The Herald, Friday, October 3rd, 1980 1979

Photographs, please! The central focus for the year was the Jubilee weekend in June 2002 which began with a classical music concert in the gardens at Buckingham Palace. There was a Jubilee Church Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor and a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral which followed a Ceremonial Procession from Buckingham Palace. Events culminated in a pop concert at Buckingham Palace with performers including Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Elton John and Shirley Bassey. The evening ended with a spectacular firework display and The Queen lighting the National Beacon, the last in a string of 2,006 beacons which had been lit in a chain across the Commonwealth. It was much more difficult to track down much information on how the Golden Jubilee was celebrated in Thursley despite it being only twenty-two years ago. It was noted “That on Saturday the 1st June, there will be a Thursley Village party – a pig roast, jazz and fun for all the family in the Village Hall”. And so, it was to be. A fantastic whole village feast was prepared. Long tables were set up, bunting was hung and young and old enjoyed a day of sunshine, celebrations and commemorations for our dearly loved Queen.

The Village Hall was open from 10am to 4pm for visitors to view the fascinating memorabilia, read the villagers' stories and remember the lives of all who lived through the war years at home and overseas. Later there was a dinner in the Village Hall (photographs courtesy Valérie Ferris)

An excerpt from a little brochure written in 1951, sadly, author unknown, but published “in aid of Thursley Festival Funds” at price 6d (old pennies for those who don’t remember!). The view from Dye House Road towards The Clump - 1925. Thursley 1951 A Brief History of the Parish and Village. “When writing a brief history of Thursley, it is difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction: between actual events and romantic yarns, which everyone has heard from their ancestors. The generations of Thursley’s inhabitants appear to include honest hard-working labourers, hard-working smugglers and hard-working highwaymen amongst those who have created its history. A variety to please all! Many years ago, the parish boundaries of Thursley extended as far as Haslemere, but now they are greatly curtailed. They run round Thursley Common, including Warren Mere and cut across to Bowlhead Green, almost to Brook, then back past Boundless Farm to the Devil’s Punch Bowl. They then continue round the bowl to Pitch Place, down to Truxford and back on to the common again. Naturally the Portsmouth Road has always had its influence upon Thursley’s life and villains often frequented it as it was a great source of revenue to the highwaymen. There is believed to be a secret underground passage running from the back of Foldsdown to the sandy bank at the foot of the hill below Millhanger (remember this was 1951, before the A3 extension - ed), through which they made good their escape after holding up the coaches, as they toiled up the hill. It has even been hinted that the local clergy had held up coaches themselves in order to improve depleted church funds. The church is largely Saxon, although it has been enlarged and restored. There is an old Saxon oven which was used for baking the Communion wafers and for heating charcoal for incense. The font is almost certainly Saxon and the massive oak timbers supporting the steeple make a structure which is probably unique. Inside, there is an interesting 16th century oak chest, fitted with three locks. Each warden was provided with a key for one lock and by this method, their honesty was never allowed to be in doubt. Not much is known about the very early history of Thursley; a few Neolithic implements have been found, mainly axe heads and arrow heads. However, during the 15th and 16th centuries, the woollen cloth industries flourished at Godalming, and although it was illegal to weave cloth outside the cloth towns, two Surrey families, the Hooke’s and the Chitty’s carried on the industry at Thursley. In the 17th century, Thursley became a centre of the iron smelting industry. The iron mills were built near a brook on Thursley Common, which was widened in places to make the ponds, known as the Hammer Ponds. These were used for cooling the iron as it was smelted. Gradually, the iron industry with its attendant occupation of charcoal burning, died out, and by the end of the 18th century, very little iron was worked. It is generally accepted that the first four cottages in The Lane (now Back Lane) were used as workshops, connected with the industry, while the cottages above them were the dwelling houses of the workmen. Silk weaving, at the beginning of the 19th century took the place of iron smelting, and the mills were also built near the Hammer Ponds. Much raw silk was reputedly smuggled from France to the mills at Warren Mere, then onto Dye House, where it was dyed before disposal. The smuggling activities were no doubt very profitably managed, and at a later date even whiskey was supposed to have been hidden away in cellars under Upper Highfield Farm and its outbuildings. It is said that the horses used to transport the whiskey, were taken to The Forge where the shoes were turned back to front in order to fool the customs officers. After the decline of the silk weaving industry, the common was left to sheep; quite large flocks being raised on the excellent grass, which at that time, covered Thursley heath. Thursley has now almost healed the scars of the last war and is peaceful once more. How will the future compare with the past? The facts show us Thursley is as lovely and industrious as ever, its countryside unrestricted to us in almost every direction, but no doubt the imagination can still visualise a smuggler behind every door”.

Photographs and film only A3 between The Red Lion and the Red Lion Garage Recovery vehicles at the Red Lion Garage A3 between The Red Lion and the Red Lion Garage A3 between The Red Lion and the Red Lion Garage (The Half Moon was demolished when the A3 became a dual carriageway: see also the entry for The Half Moon) YouTube film 'Hindhead - the old A3': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpZVcZkG7dc

This introduction was contributed by Mrs Bennett of Rock Cottage, Thursley Women’s Institute President from 1963 to 1965. In the sixty-five years of this century, Thursley has changed much less in outward appearance than many other villages within 40 miles of Hyde Park Corner. We have no industries and no housing estates. There has been very little private building except for two shortish rows of council houses, Homefield (built between the wars) and Streetfield (built after World War II), three pairs of bungalows opposite the church, originally meant for old people, and the new old people’s flats that stand in what used to be the school playground, the village looks much as it did – only tidier and better painted – when the older of us were children. Perhaps it is this comparative lack of outward change that gives us the historical sense that comes out so clearly in the following contributions to our Jubilee book. We all set out to give an account of what we are doing now: we almost find ourselves starting from what we used to do, so this is very largely a picture of the present as it has developed from the past. How will our present seem a generation hence? For although the village may look much as it did, it has probably changed socially more in our lifetime than in all its previous history. None of us can remember very well the time when there was no drainage and no electricity, when one or two cottages did not even have ovens, and when it was still possible to see a farmer sowing broadcast, pacing from one end of the field to another with the rooks behind him. Now houses are comfortable and well equipped and farms highly mechanised. Then children went to the village school on foot often wearing their elders’ cut-down or patched clothes. Now, nicely dressed, they go off to Milford on the school bus. Then most of the land and buildings belonged to one landlord, and most of the village made its living in one way or another from farming. Now a great many people, and all the farmers, own their own property, and people who live in Thursley, practise, or have retired from, many different occupations. Then there was an active smithy. Now many people – perhaps most – have cars. And so on. Will the next generation see changes comparable to those we have seen? Perhaps this record of Thursley in 1965 will help them to find out.

This account was contributed by Mrs Malins. On May 31st 1965, the Queen gave a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the WI. One member from each Institute was invite – about 9,000 in all. I was lucky to be drawn in the ballot to represent Thursley. Fortunately except for one short shower the day was fine though cold. A large number of WI members went by special train or coach, others by car, etc. The vehicles were given a large X to display on the windscreen so that the police would give them pride of place. We drove through the main gates and alighted in the outer forecourt. We then went in two processions on either side across the inner court and thence round to the gardens. As we were allowed entrance well in advance of the Queen’s arrival, it enabled us to have a good look round the grounds. The big pond in the centre with the pink flamingos attracted much attention. Unfortunately, the roses were not fully out but rhododendrons and azaleas were still blooming. We also saw the caravan used by the Royal children. There were two large tea tents – one for the Royal party and their chief guests and the other for us. Promptly at 4:00pm the band played the National Anthem and the Queen and the Duke and their party came out on to the terrace and were introduced to the important members of the WI. They descended and with the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Marina and Princess Alexandra circulated among the crowds and made their separate ways to the Royal tea tent. I found myself quite close to the Duke who chatted freely to all and sundry near him. The Queen, who was dressed in a very pretty shaded pink costume and pink hat, was proceeded by six Gentlemen at Arms with the tall halberds. The Duke came up in the rear with cheery words to us all. We were a crowd – practically all women in gay costumes and hats which was most colourful. We then made our way back going this time up on to the terrace and through the Palace and so home. Thus ended a most enjoyable and unforgettable day. Many thanks to Her Majesty for giving members of the WI such a wonderful party.

Map by Rocque, 1768 Map of Thursley in 1965 Map by Mudge, 1816

This account was contributed by Mr Michael Jupe of the Well House. Since it was established by the Local Government Act of 1894, Thursley’s Parish Council has no doubt seen many periods of varying activity; the recorded minutes through its first 50 years leave very much to the imagination. However, there can be no doubt that the activity during the past 20 years has steadily intensified. The present council was elected on 13th May 1965 and consists of seven members, namely Messrs J H L Bozward (businessman), S J Hall (farmer), Mrs F G Jupe, Messrs M L Jupe – Chairman (Member of the Stock Exchange), C Petersen (solicitor), Mrs C M Williams and Mr B W Wonham (Post Office). The Clerk is Mr B A Ashley (school master). This council succeeds to a period in which the major interest was the acquisition of the former village school building to serve as a new Village Hall. In regard to the latter, the council serves only as a trustee but has been greatly involve in the negotiations and has a continuing concern for the effective establishment of the “new” hall as a village centre offering the widest possible range of facilities. A Parish Council’s powers are limited to a relatively humble field of interests and even within this field its activities are limited by its finances as it may, in general, spend only a four-penny rate; this may be increased to an eight-penny rate by reference to a parish meeting. At present, in the parish of Thursley, a one-penny rate yields approximately £100. Even so, our Council finds enough business to necessitate approximately monthly meetings throughout the year. One of its most important, if unspecified, functions is to receive and transmit to the higher authority requests and complaints about matters of local concern. For instance, complaints about the irregular running of the school bus which is organised by the County Education Authority. The Parish Council has no official powers in the field of planning, but it is being increasingly accepted that the Parish Council is a useful watchdog and has most useful local knowledge, and in the Rural District outline details of all planning applications are now referred to the parishes for comment, if desired. The parish extends well over 5,000 acres to Gibbet Hill, Hindhead, almost to Elstead, and from the Churt Road to Brook, with a population of approximately 650. This area lies substantially within the officially designated Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is probable that, later in the year, the region will be subject to visitation by the Local Government Commission which has powers to recommend sweeping changes in the regional boundaries. As Thursley lies near the county boundary, it is possible that it may be affected if any changes are recommended. If not, at this stage the possibility exists at a later stage when the County Council will review internal boundaries. Members of the council are conscious of a general lack of public interest in their activities. The election this year occurred with no apparent topic of contention as a background and the top candidate received 106 votes from an electorate of 453. The highest poll in recent years has not exceeded 35 per cent and this was very high compared with the average. The council is a member of the Surrey County Association of Parish Councils which is affiliated to the National Association, the latter body having been responsible for much enhancement of the status of the parish council generally.