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Photographs only of this Grade II listed property (9th March 1960) in The Lane. The house was lived in by Russell Brockbank and his wife, Eileen, from 1951 to 1978 (see also two entries for Brockbank). Badgers, April 2025 Surnames of previous owners include: Wade; Brockbank; Collins. A view from the garden of Badgers, c 1980/90

From Wikipedia : 'Have a Go' was a BBC Radio show that ran from 1946 to 1967. Hosted by Wilfred Pickles and co-presented with his wife Mabel (née Myerscough), it involved the couple travelling to venues around the UK and speaking to members of the public, who were then invited to answer quiz questions in the hope of winning a small amount of money. It was the first quiz show in Britain to offer such a prize. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_Go By Rosemary Stockdale Did you know that the Village Hall in the 1950’s was located where the bungalow close to the pub now stands. It hosted a variety of events including Wilfred Pickles ‘Have a Go’ in 1958. Do you recognise anyone? Please get in touch if you do or if you have any other information to add to the archives. Thursley ‘Have a Go’ contenders 1958 …. And you can hear all of the programme, 28 minutes, on the Thursley History Society YouTube channel: https://studio.youtube.com/video/74CzJk-Oe44/edit Wilfred Pickles hosting… Sid Hall facing microphone with Wilfred Pickles in the 'Have A Go" radio show. The winner(s)…..? The winner was Mrs Messenger who was given £4, 10 shillings, a chicken and dinner for two at a local hotel The cutting above includes the information that Thursley residents' big grouse was the housing shortage as it was driving young people from the village.

Silk Mill Cottage is a Grade II listed building (6th June 1978). It is only accessible from the A3 and shares a driveway with Warren Mere. Silk Mill Cottage at the time of its sale in 1978 Silk Mill Cottage was once part of the Warren Mere Estate. The pdf below contains details of the sales of Warren Mere and Silk Mill Cottage over the past 100 years or so: An unusual view of Silk Mill Cottage, probably in the late 1980s

Out of the Past - Into the Future. This booklet was planned as a Jubilee Anthology, to contain an assortment of items from numerous inhabitants of Thursley past and present. It was introduced and signed off by Rosemary Stephens, Thursley Vicarage, Michaelmas 1980.

The church was re-shingled with chestnut tiles from France in September 1986. The steeplejack was Mr Harknett.

Photographs only of this Grade II listed building (9 March 1960) Olde Hall in 1990 Miss Gooch, outside Olde Hall, where three families lived in 1897 when it was known as Back Lane (the locals called it Pig Turd Alley!) Tor and Kerstin Sandgren, 1996 Surnames of previous owners: Trusaler; Curtis; Sharland; Karn; Buckingham

This review, by Sally Scheffers, first appeared in the September 2025 issue of the Parish Magazine Ka Haea Te Ata “Heart Stood Still”, written by Miriam Sharland   Over the last couple of years I have become friends with Miriam who is a frequent visitor to Thursley. Her family roots in our village go deep as the Sharlands and Lillywhites, from whom Miriam is descended, have lived here for centuries. As a young woman Miriam followed her heart and emigrated to New Zealand where she lived for nearly twenty years before making the brave decision to return to England and her family. I am envious of Miriam’s capability and fearlessness to make such huge choices and to coolly deal with all the ramifications incurred. Before leaving her adopted homeland Miriam wrote her first book, “Heart Stood Still”. This book is a series of essays based on the theme of the natural world which Miriam has written in four parts: Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. Each part has three chapters which loosely relate to the title of that essay. I say loosely because Miriam describes the world around her and her frustrations at the lack of respect shown to the natural environment from her fellow citizens as well as the local authority. Occasionally, Miriam reports, in full, the abuse from entitled drivers as she cycles her way around Manawatu, Aotearoa.                   Set during Covid, Miriam and her friends meet at a distance and share the produce from their gardens and from their foraging forays. All the essays are gentle and wistful, and we learn of Miriam’s childhood in Witley with Sunday afternoon family outings to Thursley Common. And Miriam’s homesickness during phone calls to her family is there to see.                   Miriam writes with ease and reading her book is also easy as well as very enjoyable. This book reminds me of the pleasure of being told a story at the kitchen table which gently meanders, takes little detours, has little anecdotes and interesting facts that remain with you, but the story is heartfelt and real due to the way it has been told.                   This wonderful book is one of life’s simple pleasures and, as we all know, achieving simplicity takes a lot of effort. The Maori words were explained within the text but one word, ”berm” caught both Amanda Flint-Roberts and myself out. It is, in fact, a bank or verge.                   Miriam is now working on her next book in which she follows the wartime route of her uncle, Bob Sharland, who she never met as he was shot down in April, 1944 at the age of 21. I look forward to it but in the meantime I will re-read “Heart Stood Still”. Sally Scheffers --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The book can be bought from Blackwells and other online booksellers: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781990048708?gC=5a105e8b&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=20226739100&gbraid=0AAAAADsTpASL1BxMs5Ogoishvsc_6y2Wi&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8KrFBhDUARIsAMvIApaYIXvgKcQQUVH2Jup3g-h_KPm-h_XLvyuOjiSTIp_meWn7nii0LecaAjCaEALw_wcB

The RAF station next to Hindhead was envisaged as part of a short-range, blind-landing system to improve safety during night operations. However, during the course of development by the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) near Swanage, the range was found to be far better than expected. It then developed into a long-range, general navigation system. This article was kindly provided to the Thursley History Society by Dr John N Bennett. Photo from the Imperial War Museum These are just two pages of the 11 page report written by Dr John N Bennett The complete report is in this pdf: Sadly, there was a tragic air accident at RAF Gibbet Hill during the war: With thanks to Paul McCue for this information as in his book, Dunsfold: Surrey's Most Secret Airfield 1942 - 1992 , Paul wrote: "...[other former PoWs].....managed a lift to England in a Curtis Commando of the USAAF on 6th May 1945. As the aircraft headed for the American airfield at Membury [RAF Membury - USAAF Station AAF-466, station code ME] in Wiltshire [there's still a little of the airfield left but it is better known today as the location of Membury Services on the M4], it collided with the aerial of an RAF radio station on Gibbet, Hill, Hindhead. Although Dunsfold's medical services raced to the scene, all 31 men on board were found dead on impact, along with a Canadian officer from the radio station'. Here is the report: Date:Sunday 6 May 1945Time:12:54Type:     Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando Owner/operator:United States Army Air Force - USAAFRegistration:44-77839MSN:33235Year of manufacture:1945Fatalities:Fatalities: 30 / Occupants: 30Other fatalities:1Aircraft damage:DestroyedCategory:AccidentLocation:Hindhead -     United Kingdom Phase:En routeNature:MilitaryDeparture airport:  Newbury-Greenham Common RAF Station (EWY/EGVI) 8/10 cloud coverage at 600 feet caused the pilot to fly very low. The C-46 entered a valley where it struck the Gee tower about 1000m south east of the Gibbets Hill Gee tower. The airplane lost its right wing and crashed. Date & Time:  May 6, 1945 at 1254 LT Type of aircraft:   Curtiss C-46 Commando Operator:   Registration:   44-77839 Flight Phase:   Landing (descent or approach) Flight Type:   Ambulance Survivors:   No Site:   Mountains MSN:   33235 YOM:   1945 Location:   Hindhead   Surrey Country:   United Kingdom Region:   Europe Crew on board:   2 Crew fatalities:   2 Pax on board:   28 Pax fatalities:   28 Other fatalities:   1 Total fatalities:   31 Circumstances:   The crew was completing a flight to the US, repatriating wounded US soldiers. It was scheduled to make a stopover at RAF Greenham Common near Newbury, Berkshire. Starting the descent, the crew encountered low visibility with clouds to 600 feet. While flying in a mountainous area, the twin engine aircraft hit a radar antenna, lost its right wing and crashed in flames on a hut located on Mt Gibbet located near Hindhead, Surrey. All 30 occupants and one person in hut were killed. Crew: 2nd Lt John N. Boyce Jr., 1st Lt Herbert R. Chickering. Probable cause:   It was determined that the crew started the approach in visual mode in IMC. The aircraft hit a 70 meters high radar antenna that was not visible because it was not equipped with lights. Also, the crew was unaware of the presence of the antenna as it was not showed on any charts. Here is a newspaper report: Evening Telegraph & Post, May 9, 1945 OVER 30 KILLED IN PLANE CRASH An aeroplane accident which occurred at Hindhead on Sunday afternoon resulted in the death of over 30 service personnel. An American transport plane, returning from the Continent, passed over the Punch Bowl flying low and afterwards collided with one of the tall pylons at the RAF radio station at Gibbet Hill. It was raining at the time and there was low mist over the district. The plane crashed on two huts in the station grounds and one of the station personnel was killed. The machine burst into flames and was practically destroyed. Of the 32 occupants of the plane – crew and passengers – not one survived.

This article, written by Jackie Rickenberg, was published in the July 2025 issue of the Parish Magazine   The Farnham Herald is the origin of this piece on Thursley, published on June 3rd 1966, nearly 60 years ago. Of course, nowadays, you can gain access to back copies of most newspapers on line, but looking at a yellowing clip from the original newspaper from the History Society’s archives is pretty special. Luckily, mostly all the archives are now available to read on our website - thursleyhistorysociety.org . “Peaceful Village Meeting Modern Needs” “The village of Thursley has charm. It lies, undisturbed by industry or new housing developments, within the designated Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The dwellings have colour and character, the narrow byways offer new vistas at every turn, tall splendid trees – elm, oak and the stately pine – claim attention. The farms look as though they haven’t changed in any way in years, but in fact are highly mechanised, well-run holdings. The population does change regularly. According to one shopkeeper there seems to be a shake-up about every seven years. Residents leave, new people arrive – commuters mostly, who on weekdays glimpse a fraction of Thursley’s beauty, morning and evening and then at weekends discover its spell. Of course, for some villagers the spell never wears off. They remain to enjoy the slow pace of village life. But is it so slow or so quiet that someone once was heard to describe Thursley as “a dying village”? Naturally being quiet and free from heavy traffic, Thursley has a fair share of old-age pensioners, but the day when they go up the hill to the very beautiful parish church for the last time is for most a long way off. They tend their gardens and maintain an interest in the village. The following accounts of interviews with local people reveal there is more about Thursley than meets the eye; to all outward appearances it may seem changeless, but it is not sleeping…… THURSLEY SUITS HIM Along “The Street” which some say is the best part of Thursley, there, in a cottage just before the turn up to the church, lives Major A. Knight. Nearly 80, he is the driving force behind the effort to build a new cricket pavilion. Once a keen yachtsman, a doctor told him twenty years ago to get away from the Cornish hills (his yacht was moored in a Cornish harbour), so he came to Thursley. Life in Thursley suits him fine. He has been president of the cricket club for almost as many years as he has lived in The Street. “We have a first-class, delightful wicket, the best wicket in the neighbourhood” he said. Major Knight had a big hand in forming the Two Counties cricket competition for young people. Thursley has a team in the competition. The cricket ground at Thursley has one of the most beautiful settings in all Surrey, and the game has been played in the village for more than a century. It is always a joy to play on a good wicket and Mr Bert Williams, the groundsman, is the man responsible for making so many cricketers happy. Sunday cricket is so popular that visiting teams have to book a season ahead. Thursley would not be the attractive looking village it is if it were not for the people who love to live in properties and accept responsibility for the special care and maintenance needed to keep them sound. The Well House, which dates back to 1715, was once part of a line of cottages known as “The Ruins”. The name was appropriate at that time, but now, carefully converted and slightly modernised, the cottages are a joy to behold. WELL IN THE HALL. The Well House has been home to Canadian-born Mrs Elizabeth Jupe for twenty years. There is a 170ft deep well in the entrance hall. People do drop in, but not in the well, since it is covered. There is a fake well outside the main door. Small lattice windows appear in odd places. There are two winding staircases and low beams. The house, with its “tenpenny nail” wall and red tiled roof, is fascinating and Mrs Jupe wouldn’t live anywhere else. Some people outside Thursley, if they know nothing else about the village, know that the Jupe family take more than an ordinary interest in its affairs. Mrs Jupe’s husband, Mr Michael Jupe, after a day’s work at the London Stock Exchange, often comes home to tackle parish business in his capacity as chairman of the parish council. The Well House LIKE A BIG FAMILY “The time of day I wish I had a tape-recorder is between 11 and 12 o’clock in the morning, when it seems the post office becomes the village club”, says Mrs Wonham, who, with her husband, Mr B.H. Wonham, runs the post office stores. For them, the day begins as early as 5.30 a.m., but it is often an interesting day from the time they sort out the mail and put out the newspapers to the moment they relax over a hot toddy before going to bed. “In Thursley we are like a big family; if anyone is in trouble or anyone is sick, we all feel personally involved”, said Mrs Wonham. Mr Wonham has lived in Thursley most of his life.  Before the war he had a small poultry farm at Pitch Place. He sold it during the war years to work for two county war agricultural committees. After the war, he and his wife took over the stores. In a feature like this it is impossible to touch on every aspect of village life. For instance, it would have been nice to say something about the best-kept village competition which Thursley has won three times; about the nursing association which has been in existence in the village for almost as long as anyone can remember and about the young people , who, by delivering Christmas parcels and coal in winter and arranging a summer outing, do so much for the village’s old people and the church, which, in Thursley, is by various changes, meeting modern needs.”

Art Editor of “Punch”. Born 15.4.1913 – Died 14.5.1979, by Peter Anderson See also entry for Cartoons of Russel Brockbank. *Former name of Thursley History Society Born in Canada and educated at Ridley College, Ontario, Russell came to England in 1929 and studied Art at Chelsea School of Art in London. A temporary diversion into industry occurred between 1932 and 1936 when he resumed his career as a freelance artist until the War. He married Eileen Hames in 1933. During the War he served as Lieut. RNVR, Northern Convoys, in the British Pacific Fleet and was demobilised in 1946. He then freelanced until 1949 when he became Art Editor of Punch. This appointment was intended to be one to five years but in fact it lasted until 1960. in Thursley. Russell had been secretly receiving agents' particulars of properties for sale in the area including one on “Badgers” in The Lane, or Back Lane as it was then called. By some strange quirk, or so it appeared to Eileen at the time, they arrived in the village following a brief inspection of the property, out of the blue Russell made an offer tp purchase which was accepted! Eileen was “rather surprised”. The year was 1951. Most of his work was carried out above the garage in the studio which Eileen called “The Haven”. He would draw seven days a week and as a result was not often in evidence when it came to various village activities with perhaps one exception – namely the annual New Year's Eve Party given by Val and Paddy at the Three Horse Shoes! The Three Horse Shoes when the breathaliser was introduced Russell was a perfectionist as far as his drawing was concerned, When at work he would be surrounded by many photographs of the subject in order to build as much detail and accuracy into the drawings as possible and avoid too many critical letters from his readers. Publications have included:- 1948   Round The Bend 1953   Up The Straight 1955   Over The Line 1957   The Brockbank Omnibus 1958   Manifold Pressures 1963   Move Over and The Penguin Brockbank 1970   Motoring Through Punch 1900 – 1970 1973   Brockbank's Grand Prix 1975   The Best Of Brockbank   Apart from drawing his other passion was of, and in, cars. He started drawing them at the age of four  and it seems couldn't stop. He was a regular contributor to magazines including Speed and Motor in ten countries including Japan. He also drove fast cars, some say too fast, tried out exotic prototype models such as the Mini Cooper and D type Jaguar and was a motor racing aficionado. He visited all the Grand Prix. With Malcolm Muggeridge, Editor of Punch Russell became ill in the late 1970s and in 1978 they decided to move to Frome in Somerset to be nearer their daughter who was in the medical profession. He had once said to Eileen that he wanted to be buried in Thursley churchyard and wanted someone to draw an eye on his headstone so as to keep watch over Eileen. Sadly he died within two years of leaving the village and was cremated in Somerset. He left a widow and two children, Susan and Roger. From Chris Beetles Gallery: Russell Partridge Brockbank, SIA (1913-1979) During the years following the Second World War, the name of Russell Brockbank became synonymous with his cartoons of cars and planes. Grounded in his obsession with his favourite subjects, his delightful drawings are always completely accurate in detail, so can be enjoyed equally by all, from the non-motorist to the petrolhead. For the full entry click on the link below: https://www.chrisbeetles.com/artists/brockbank-russell-1913-1979.html From Motorsport Memorial: http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/LWFWIW/focusLWFWIW.php?db2=LWF&db=ct& From Epsom & Ewell History Explorer: This is a substantial entry and includes his Birth Certificate: For the full entry click on the link below: https://eehe.org.uk/68919/brockbank-russell-partridge-cartoonist/

Sean Edwards has created this map showing NNRs in and around Thursley. An NNR is a protected area designated by a national government to conserve and protect specific natural habitats, ecosystems, and biodiversity. These reserves are typically established to preserve areas of national or international importance for wildlife, geology, and landscapes. NNRs are managed for conservation purposes, often with an emphasis on scientific research, education, and public access while minimizing disturbance to the natural environment. About two-thirds of England's NNRs are managed by Natural England. The NNRs are shown in orange and many have been only recently been designated by the government. Sites of Special Scientific Interest are shown in green. Thursley Parish Boundary is in blue, greyed outside.