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This Grade II listed building (9th March, 1960), dating from the early 18th century, is situated on The Street. The Doctor, passing the Lodge, on his rounds wearing his top hat The Lodge, a painting by Arthur Robertson 188 The Robertson family in front of the Lodge with a tricycle Michael and Marion O'Brien, 1997 Surnames of previous owners include: Robertson; Terry; Watson; Sadler Photograph by Sean Edwards

These interesting documents show who lived where in 2002, at the outbreak of WW2 and 1936. If you are relatively new to the Parish, you might like to know who once lived in your house... The 1939 Register was a snapshot of the civilian population of England and Wales taken on September 29, 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, recording details like names, addresses, dates of birth, and occupations for about 40 million people to help with war planning, identity cards, rationing, and later the NHS . It serves as a vital census substitute because the 1931 Census was destroyed and the 1941 Census wasn't taken, bridging a significant gap in UK historical records for genealogists.  We do not know why the redactions were made. The 1936 Register of Electors is sorted by surname, so searching for your house will be more challenging and it may have had its name change! This undistinguished piece of paper comes from our archives without any context. It is included because of the dates and some familiar names: Unfortunately, the Thursley Household List, 1821, shows only the names of the villagers but at least it provides a great deal of demographic information:

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 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 Hohn 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.

More information required on 1 & 2 Church Cottages: 1 & 2 Church Cottages and St Michael & All Angels Church taken from the National Trust owned field in July 2025 2 Church Cottages before the extension, date unknown Newspaper cutting (undated) of 1 Church Cottage before the extension was added Sam and Marjorie Warner (they worked at the Dye House) Dorothy Warner outside Church Cottages on her wedding day, 21st August 1936 Cecily Ida (Sammy) (nee Warner) was born in Thursley, Surrey, England on August 9, 1922 to George and Edith Warner. Sammy and Bill (William Avery Tiner) met in Britain during WWII - Bill a member of the Royal Canadian Navy and Sammy a member of the Royal Air Force. Their original wedding day of June 3, 1944 found Sammy waiting at the church when Bill was denied leave in preparation for the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. Bill and Sammy were married a month later on July 2, 1944 at St. Michael's and All Angels parish church in Thursley. No 1 Church Cottages, from the 1936 Register of Electors 1 Church Cottages showing the porch on the left side before the extension was added. The roof of a garage can be seen in the lane below. The photographs were given to Amanda Flint in August 2024, by a woman who had lived at 1 Church Cottages many years ago. Elizabeth Norman at the Silver Jubilee in 1977 Newspaper report dated 11th December 1981 View of The Street, the Church and Church Cottages Property details for 1, Church Cottages c2010: Surnames of previous owners of 1&2 Church Cottages include: Collins, Warner, Pye, Norman, Leet-Cook, Orrick In 1996, Drusilla Pye wrote, "I came to live here (2 Church Cottages) in December 1956 when it was the tied cottage for the District Nurse. I was able to buy it from the Diocese in 1984. I retired in 1986. My work covered the Hindhead (Grayshott) Practice and I have covered most of the surrounding villages as a relief nurse/midwife on occasions." No 2 Church Cottages, from the 1936 Register of electors 2 Church Cottages, the first taken (obviously!) from the churchyard and the second from the front gate. The cottage had always been smaller than No1 but the new extension (2020) has given it a similar sized footprint. Photographs taken in July 2025.

Including an article written by Jackie Rickenberg for the Parish Magazine in December 2021 The name Thursley is probably Norse. In the 14th century it was known as "Thoresley" which is thought to be the Danish name meaning "Thor's field". Thor was the Norse god of thunder and a block of sandstone on Thursley common is called Thor's Stone; it was believed to have been a thunderbolt thrown by the god. Alternatively, the name may be a personal one associated with a former owner or holder of land - there was an Abbot Thor in 975AD or an Archdeacon Thor in 1100. Not much is known about the very early history of Thursley; a few neolithic implements have been found, mainly axe heads and arrow heads. 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. The first metalled road was constructed in Thursley in 1749 and the Portsmouth road became a turnpike road in 1767 when travel by stage coach became popular. Naturally the Portsmouth road has always had its influence upon Thursley's life. Baring-Gould's book "The Broomsquire" is based on the notorious murder of a sailor on Hindhead by three ruffians in September 1786. The sailor set out from the Red Lion Inn accompanied by three men who murdered and robbed him, throwing his body into the Devil's Punch Bowl. The men were caught near Petersfield trying to sell the stolen clothes. They were hung on Gibbet Hill on 7th April 1787 in chains made by the Thursley village blacksmith at Forge Cottage. The Gibbet remained as a warning to passing travellers until it was blown down in a thunderstorm in December 1790. The murdered sailor was buried in Thursley churchyard where a memorial stone was erected. His coffin was made at Wheelwrights, then the carpenter's workshop, and cost 7s. 6d. Other villains frequented the Portsmouth road which was a great source of revenue to highwaymen. It has even been hinted that the local clergy held up coaches themselves in order to improve depleted church funds. St.Michael & All Angels Church is largely Saxon although it was enlarged and restored in 1860 and 1884. Two small windows in the chancel are Saxon, and still have the original oak grooved for bedding the horn windows which were customary before the manufacture of glass. There is an old Saxon oven which was used for baking the Communion wafers, and also for heating charcoal for incense. The font is almost certainly Saxon. About 1500 a massive oak timber frame was added to support the bell cage and spire. 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.. The group of 18th century table tombs by the church porch erected in memory of the Stillwell's of Cosford are particularly fine. The building that now serves as the Village Hall was formerly the school which replaced the Dame school in the churchyard. It was built of local Bargate stone in 1843 and enlarged in 1854. After the school closed in 1959 it was decided to utilise the building as a community hall and money was raised by selling The Institute (now Prospect Cottage) and the site next to the Three Horseshoes pub on which stood the old wooden village hall (now Tilhurst). The Institute was designed by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, whose father leased The Cottage (now Street House). Lutyens also designed extensions to The Corner, opposite Street House. In Thursley churchyard, not far from the grave of the poet John Freeman, is a cross designed by Edwin Lutyens, bearing the names of his parents and his sister Aileen. Nearby is Edwin’s memorial stone to his nephew, Derek Lutyens, who was killed in 1918 whilst serving in the Royal Air Force. On the outskirts of the parish Lutyens designed two lakeside boathouses for Whitaker Wright in Witley Park. During the 15th and 16th centuries the woollen cloth industries flourished at Godalming. Although it was illegal to weave outside the cloth towns, two Surrey families, the Hookes and the Chittys, carried on the industry at Thursley. In the 17th century Thursley became a centre for iron smelting when the industry was flourishing with contracts from the Navy for cannon and shot. 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. 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. Thursley ironworks were the last to operate in Surrey. It is generally accepted that the first four cottages in The Lane were used as workshops connected with the industry, while the cottages above them were the dwelling houses of the workmen. At the beginning of the 19th Century silk weaving took the place of iron smelting, and the “crape” mills were also built near the Hammer Ponds. Crape is a gauze-like fabric with a wrinkled surface and the black silk was often used for mourning dress. Much raw silk was reputedly smuggled from France to the mills at Warren Mere, then on to 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 Highfield Farm and its outbuildings. It is said that the horses used for transport of the whiskey were taken to The Forge where their shoes were turned back to front in order to fool the customs officers. The silk weaving industry was closed by 1851. Thursley common was left to sheep, quite large flocks being raised on the excellent grass which at that time covered the heath. Although there were only minor skirmishes in the area during the Civil War, the local ironmaster, William Yalden, was a friend of Oliver Cromwell. Towards the end of the war it was suspected that Thursley had Royalist sympathies so Cromwell stationed Livesey’s Kentish Men in the village. They remained for nine months and were reputed to have behaved badly. The piscina in the church was probably damaged at this time. The inhabitants petitioned Sir Thomas Fairfax to remove them in 1649. Sir Robert Peel introduced the Police Force during his period of Prime Minister from 1841 to 1846. The 1851 census shows there was a lodger living in Thursley Street with Mrs Mary Keen, the Grocer's widow. He was Edmund Woodcock, Police Constable, from Chelmsford. It appears that he was the first village policeman for Thursley. 140 years later, Thursley lost its village 'Bobby', Norman Ratcliffe. King Edward VII reviewed the troops on Thursley common early in the twentieth century, a road being specially built for this occasion. In December 1941 the Canadian Lorne Scots regiment occupied Tweedsmuir Camp which was used as a repatriation centre for Canadian soldiers returning from the war. There were also large scale movements of troops through the camp until 31st May 1944, 5 days before D-Day. A bronze tablet was donated to Thursley Church by the Lorne Scots on 10th January 1943. On the departure of the Canadians in 1947 Tweedsmuir became a Displaced Persons Camp for Polish families many of whom still live in the area. There is an interesting web-site at www.tweedsmuirmilitarycamp.co.uk which gives more information about the camp, its history, geography and occupants both during, and after, the last war. It is the brainchild of the Rogalski brothers who spent their childhood there. In 1941 Winston Churchill, General de Gaulle and General Sikorski came to Hankley Common to review a tank demonstration. Throughout World War II Hankley Common was used for training by British and Canadian armoured units and was also used for many top secret trials including flame-throwers, anti-mine flail tanks and rocket launchers. Hankley Common (near the Lion’s Mouth) is also the site of the Atlantic Walls constructed in preparation for the D-Day landings. The Hankley Common Atlantic Wall Trust has carried out a detailed investigation into the construction and usage of the walls. In October 1942 a 19 year old English girl, Joan Pearl Wolfe, was murdered on Hankley Common and the following April a Canadian soldier, August Sangret, who was based at Witley Camp, was hanged at Wandsworth Gaol for her murder. This became known as “The Wigwam Murder” as Sangret had built wigwams for her to shelter in. The trial was famous for being the first time a human skull had been produced as evidence in a British court. Because of its scenic location and proximity to London, Thursley has always attracted tourists and visitors some of whom subsequently decided to take up residence either by renting or owning property. The composer, Sir Malcolm Arnold lived in the village in the nineteen-sixties. He owned “Sawyers”, next to the recreation ground, from 1962 to 1965. In that short time he married his second wife, Isobel, and also extended the house which was then known as Canbury Cottage. In addition to his classical music and dance compositions, Sir Malcolm also composed 132 film scores including those for “Hobson’s Choice, “Inn of the Sixth Happiness”, “Whistle down the Wind” and five St.Trinians movies. He was awarded an Oscar for his musical score to “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. The poet, John Freeman, did not reside in Thursley but wished to be buried in the churchyard in sight of Crooksbury Hill. Motoring cartoonist Russell Brockbank lived in The Lane between 1951 and 1978. He worked long hours from a studio in his garden and during this time he was appointed art editor of “Punch” magazine. The author, Monica Edwards, famous for her stories of life in and around Punch Bowl Farm, was a renowned expert on badgers which she studied in detail in the local area. Margaret L. Woods, a popular novelist and poet at the beginning of the twentieth century, spent some time at Vine Cottage in The Street. Sir Roger Stevens, an eminent diplomat and a University Vice-Chancellor, enjoyed his many years in the village. Another diplomat, the RT.Hon. Herbert Fisher O.M. had a country house in Thursley. He was a member of parliament and a minister in the government until 1923. The owner of the Cosford Estate, Colonel Rushbrooke and other major landowners have, in their times, had considerable influence over the development of the village, its people and its architecture. The Thursley History Society is open to all those with an interest in the village. An archive is maintained of documents and artefacts relevant to Thursley’s history, both ancient and modern, and there are periodic exhibitions of these archive materials. Additions to the archives are always welcome as are new sources of information on the history of the village. More details of Thursley and its Church can be found on the British History web-site at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42929 Parish Magazine article written by Jackie Rickenberg for December 2021 It’s hard to believe, as I write this in early November, that this is the last article of this year. I know it’s supposedly a sign of old age – but just where has this year gone? I’ve just got time to slip in excerpts from a little brochure written exactly seventy years ago, sadly, author unknown, but published “in aid of Thursley Festival Funds” at price 6d (old pennies for those who don’t remember!) 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 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”. This little gem, which throws up some lovely connotations and visual images of Thursley past, is kept in our archives. Apologies to the Rev. Hannah and the inhabitants of some of Thursley’s most historic houses mentioned in the article; there is absolutely no suspicion that we have smugglers or highwaymen amongst us today! The archives are lovingly and safely stored and protected by Tim Walsh and Alie Hanbury from Thursley History Society, and contain a vast array of irreplaceable reports, photographs, records, deeds, etc, etc. If you have anything relating to the village or surrounding area, your house or descendants that you would like protected and stored for future generations, please feel free to contact us at thursleyhistorysociety@gmail.com . We’ve recently been contacted by someone whose grandparents lived in Thursley before the beginning of WW1, who has donated a beautifully embroidered fire screen, done by his grandfather, whilst in hospital in 1917 recovering from gas poisoning. Irreplaceable! And very gratefully received into our archives and where hopefully, we will find a suitable spot to publicly display it.

Transcribed by Norman Ratcliffe of Happy Families Ancestral Research, GU12 6EA. It can been downloaded below. Sir Robert Peel introduced the Police Force during his period of Prime Minister from 1841 to 1846. This census shows there was a lodger living in Thursley Street with Mrs Mary Keen, the Grocer's widow. He was Edmund Woodcock, Police Constable, from Chelmsford. It appears that he was the first village policeman for Thursley. 140 years later, Thursley lost its village 'Bobby', Norman Ratcliffe (see above).

This entry is from articles written by Jackie Rickenberg, taken from the archives of the Thursley History Society, and first published in our Parish Magazine in August and September 2025. Parish Magazine article August 2025 As well as being synonymous with combine harvesters in the fields, sweet peas rambling wildly in the garden, seaside visits and long balmy nights, my summers are also a reminder to visit that wonderous creative space that is the Royal Academy in London’s Piccadilly, for their annual open Summer Exhibition. For over 250 years, the RA has existed to champion art and artists. Every year, since 1768, they have held an annual Summer Exhibition, the largest open-submission art exhibition in the world. Thursley has had more than its fair share of artists, and still does, and incredibly, even the occasional PRA – Past Royal Academician. Thursley’s Artists through the years. 1.    A R Quinton exhibited his romantic watercolour painting of Keeper’s Cottage in the Devil’s Punchbowl in the exhibition of 1879, at the ripe old age of 26 years old. Alfred Robert Quinton’s work routine would be to travel around England and Wales for three months of the year, mostly during the summer months and often by bicycle, during which he would draw sketches and take photographs of locations which he would work up into paintings in his studio during the winter months. He painted several from his time in Surrey, including “Blackdown from Hindhead”, “Abbot’s Hospital, Guildford”, “St Martha’s Chapel, Guildford” and “Guildford, Five Views”. Many of his paintings, including this one of Keeper’s Cottage, were published as postcards and some were used in calendars. He was quite prolific, painting over 2,000 paintings until the time of his death in 1934 at the age of 81. However, latterly towards the end of his life he was banned from exhibiting at the RA as the authorities were not in favour of “commercialisation” of art. Postcard of painting of Keeper’s Cottage by A.R. Quinton.   2.    Julias A Gems apparently exhibited a sculpture of a bust of William Karn Fosberry of Thursley, which was exhibited at the RA in 1939. This is according to an article in the History of Thursley Society Newsletter of Winter 2007/2008. William Fosberry was a builder of repute, who owned Vean Cottage, The Clump and The Corner, so a man of some importance in the village, hence maybe why he or someone else commissioned a bust of him. He died in 1943 aged 89 years. However, my research could not uncover any knowledge of Mr Gems or of him exhibiting in the Summer Exhibition and no one seems to have set eyes on the bust, although we do have a photograph of it. If anyone can help, please contact info@ thursleyhistorysociety.com . It is known that William’s sister, Anne Tozer, who ran the Post Office and general store from “The Clump” was married to Henry Tozer, an artist who worked out of a studio at the bottom of the garden known as “The Outlook”. This house was also rented out to Eveline Lance, a Victorian artist.   Willian Karn Fosberry sculpture on left and photograph with his son on right . Since the publication of this article, more information has come to light from Chris Gems, the grandson of Julius A Gems: "In 1939, Julius Albert [Gems] decided he would enter a model for the summer exhibition of the Royal Academy.  There was a very aged builder named William Fosberry in Thursley Village, who had a long beard and very large hands.  The old chap agreed to sit for Julius but, when he did so, as he was deaf he insisted on putting one of his hands up to his ear to hear what was being said to him, so Julius modelled him in this position and, not only was the model accepted by the Royal Academy, but it was placed on a pedestal in a very prominent position in the exhibition." 3.    Henry Edward Tozer spent his early years in Newlyn, Cornwall with his parents. His father, Henry Edmund Tozer, also an artist, exhibited “Surf and Rocks at the Mouth of the Cove” at the RA in 1892. Henry Edward painted scenes of country life (many of them from his life in Thursley) in oil and watercolour. By 1891 he had moved to Thursley, although we don’t know why, and in 1894 he married Mary, sister of William Fosberry. He continued painting alongside running the Post Office with his wife and died aged 90 still at “The Clump” in 1955. Minding the Fire by Henry Edward Spernon Tozer 4.    Eveline de la Belinay Lance (1866-1937) was born in Essex, but moved to “The Outlook” in Thursley in 1929. She was known as a watercolour landscape painter, but also illustrated books. She has a comprehensive back catalogue and her work is very much still in demand. Gee-up by Eveline de la Belinay Lance (1866-1937) Mercy Fosberry & her daughter Mary, by Eveline de la Belinay Lance   5.    Finally, we have the distinction, of having a past resident of the village as a past president of the Royal Academy. Between 1938-1944, Sir Edwin Lutyens was the elected president of the Academy. Most of us are aware of the importance of Lutyens work in architecture, furniture design, interior design, landscape architecture and garden design. He has two works in the RA Collection with a further six associated works. From his early days growing up in Street House, through his early career commissions in the village (Prospect Cottage and The Corner) to his lasting legacy of New Delhi, The Cenotaph and the Thiepval Memorial (the largest British war memorial in the world) , he is surely Thursley’s most acclaimed and eminent artist and Past Royal Academician.   Lutyens design for Jaipur Column, New Delhi Parish Magazine article September 2025 Last month we highlighted some of the past artists in the village, and of course, it was by no means, a comprehensive list. There are lots more renowned artists both past and present. Sadly, we recently lost one of the best in Peter Hanaue r. Peter was a skilled and acclaimed glass artist, with exhibits within the V&A’s Ceramics Collection and as an illustrator, he was first port of call for posters for village events. His Christmas cards were legendary and his smile and warmth is sorely missed. Peter’s V&A exhibits – a set of free-blown glass jugs Salli Tomlinson is another Thursley artist who pioneered Silent Companions in the 1970’s. Silent Companions are life-size flat wooden figures that were a popular room decoration in the 17 th  century. Painted and cut to resemble soldiers, children, servants and animals, they can be found standing in many of the places we care for. Salli has produced a range of artwork for the rich and famous; see an example of her work below: Another 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 The Herald, September 24th, 1976 Salli is now mostly retired, however some of the village artists in their prime include Rachel Bottomley, Helena Traill, Sallie Roles and Emily Butler, to name but a few. Here are examples of their work, clockwise from top left Rachel Bottomley, Helena Traill, Sallie Roles and Emily Butler. One of the best known and loved past village artists is Russell Brockbank who lived at Badgers in The Lane and worked from the studio there, which he named The Haven. This extract is from our website www.thursleyhistorysociety.org . Please do go on and browse – it’s incredible the volume of information and number of interesting articles on there!   Russell Brockbank   “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.   Russell accidently discovered Thursley on his travels, but needed to convince Eileen. 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 found themselves randomly in the village, had a brief inspection of the property, and out of the blue Russell made an offer to 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! 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. Apart from drawing, his other passion was 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.   The Three Horse Shoes when the breathaliser was introduced 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. During the years following the Second World War, the name of Russell Brockbank became synonymous with his cartoons of cars. 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”.

Information on this event required (all photographs courtesy Valérie Ferris)

The land was given to Thursley by Dame Helene Adeline Blanche Windham on 1st June, 1939. Hélène Adeline Blanche Windham  (née Chapman; previously Kidston) (1873–1957) was a member of the English landed gentry whose life connected her with several prominent families of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into the Chapman family, she married first Captain Archibald Glen Kidston, with whom she had several children, and later Sir Walter George Windham, an early figure in British aviation. From Kay Cottle's postcard collection The Cricket Ground in the1990s? In the photograph immediately above:  James Maclean, ‘Cocker’ Keen (Homefields), Mike Spencer, with Ed and Will and Steve Langley, 17th March 2001 Dinner and Dance in the village hall in 2017 to raise funds for Thor's Den, the new playground: All photographs by Valérie Ferris Undated, but 2018 or later In November 2025 there was a public meeting to discuss plans to transform the existing cricket pavilion to an all-year round facility for the community. There was overwhelming support for the idea and appreciation of the generous donation that has kick-started the process. Artist's impression of the proposed new pavilion See https://www.thursleypavilion.co.uk/

As usual the village turned out in force (all photographs courtesy Valérie Ferris):

Peter Hunter tells the story of years of debate, planning and construction of the tunnel from Thursley's point of view. (See also 'Old A3 by the village' and 'A Walk Through the A3 Tunnel, May 2011'). All photos and Hindhead Project diagram are from Wikipedia.   The saga of the Hindhead tunnel dates back as far as 1948 when even then it was realised that the crossroad of the A3 arterial highway and the East-West A287 would cause trouble as traffic volumes increased. The matter became of increasing importance to the Ministry of Transport as by the early 70s the accident rate had risen by approximately 40%. A full study of the possible diversionary routes was undertaken between 1970 and 1976. However, it was not until 1983 serious proposals began to emerge as to what the solution might be, with options of nine different routes. They became known as; The Red Route, the Yellow Route, etc.  The Red Route was the one favoured by the Ministry of Transport as this was the one that was most financially viable and was declared as the ‘Preferred Route in 1988.   It was, however, the Red Route that posed the most serious threat to the Parish of Thursley as it included a major four lane viaduct crossing over the Smallbrook Valley and the ‘Devils Punch Bowl’. Within the borough of Waverley various groups began to emerge either in support or against a particular route and ones that had the greatest impact on respective local communities. Within Thursley a group was setup in 1988 in order to object to the Red Route that would decimate the tranquillity of The Devils Punch Bowl ‘An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) as well as being a ‘SSSI’ (Site of Special Scientific Interest).  The group was led by the farmer Pat Coles and monthly meetings were convened at Quirrell House in Pitch Place with the sole objective of campaigning against the Red Route.  The Proposed Red Route, with thanks to Sean Edwards   Much coverage was given to the objector groups by the local and national press as well as the BBC’s nightly South Today programme. During this period in the 80s Virginia Bottomley was the MP for South West Surrey, (now Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) and her husband, Peter Bottomley MP was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Transport. It was at a meeting convened at Milford Village hall that in his address to the panel, chaired by Virginia Bottomley, that Peter Hunter announced that: The crossroads at Hindhead was the only set of traffic lights between Marselles and Dundee!   Though this statement rested somewhat on poetic licence it certainly caught the attention of all those concerned and greased the wheels of parliamentary progress.   After much debate and two public enquiries, it was generally agreed that a tunnel under the Hindhead hill was the best option.  Pat Coles was at that time a vocal member of the National Trust and managed to convince the Board of NT to give up the land that they owned to the North and South of the proposed tunnel. There was general agreement except that the National Trust insisted that their agreement was conditional on the land currently occupied by the existing A3 Trunk Road be reinstated to nature thus allowing the Hindhead Common and the Devil's Punch Bowl to be integrated again as it was pre-1826 when the main London to Portsmouth road was built around the Punch Bowl. Taking into consideration the reported adverse environmental impacts of the overhead routes the Government adopted the tunnel option of 2001 as being the preferred option.   Aerial view of the Devils Punch Bowl, before the closure of the old A3.  This proposed tunnel would be the most expensive of its type in the United Kingdom with the possible exception of the Limehouse Link tunnel. The final budget for the tunnel was some £371 million equating to £155,000 per metre. Further Public Enquiries were held throughout 2004 to hear local objections and to consider a late alternative proposal from a Mr Bernard North of Shropshire that was a variation of the Red Route and came even closer to the village of Thursley. Thursley Parish Council was represented by Peter Hunter at this enquiry held at the Olivetti Centre in Hindhead and the day was finally won, with the tunnel option coming out the winner.   The project was then delayed many times due to budgetary constraints under John Prescott’s Ministry of Finance but when London was awarded the 2012 Olympics political pressure was exerted when it became known that the sailing events would take place off the South Coast and the A3 would provide the main artery between London and Portsmouth and the teams would be subject to serious delays at Hindhead. The threat of a national embarrassment finally unleashed the necessary funds, and the project began in earnest in 2007 with the tunnelling aspect of the north portal commencing on 1st February 2008 with the south portal commencing some three months later on 14th May 2008.  Whereas the noisy excavation works on the south portal worked 24/7 the south portal was restricted to a five-day week and limited operating hours due to the proximity of residential properties.   From the outset a tunnel was built rather than a cutting being dug to avoid spoiling an area of outstanding natural beauty and a  Site of Special Scientific Interest , much of which is owned by the  National Trust . Before digging started an environmental survey was carried out. Common lizards, adders and slow-worms found at Boundless Valley were relocated.   Environmental considerations resulted in many common lizards, adders and slow-worms found at Boundless Valley were relocated to National Trust land at Highcombe Edge while grass snakes were taken to Hurthill Copse. Tree felling was scheduled to minimise disruption to nesting birds and to other wildlife and in certain instances, animals such as dormice were removed to similar habitats elsewhere. In all some 2,173 tonnes of trees were removed to allow the construction of the North and South portals. After the works were completed, 200,000 trees were planted along the route of the old road.  The restoration of the old road to nature removed a barrier that prevented the migration of ground-nesting birds, such as woodlarks and nightjars from one part of the nature reserve to the other.   Breakthrough was achieved on both tunnels on 26 February 2009, 250 m from the south portal with the resultant progress rate for the southern portion was 1.2 m/day and for the northern portion very much quicker at 3.9 m/day. The method chosen for the tunnel excavation was the New Austrian Tunnelling Method that used appropriately sized excavators rather than a boring machine that would have been too expensive considering the relatively short distance to be tunnelled compared to something like the Channel Tunnel. This method also saved some 20% of excavated spoil due to it having a flat bottom to the 11.6 metre diameter bore. In all some 737,000 cubic metres of soil was excavated from the two tunnel bores and was used to provide various embankments that were required throughout the project. The tunnel themselves represent 1.14 miles of the total project dual carriageway of 4 miles and is the longest road tunnel in the United Kingdom of which 2/3 is within the Parish of Thursley and can therefore claim to have hosted one of the country’s major civil engineering works.     Open Day, 14 May 2011      On Sunday, 14 May 2011, one and a half months before the tunnel was due to open, the contractors staged an open day when 7,000 pedestrians were able to walk the full length of the tunnel while local music groups performed at the north end of the tunnel. These included the Haslemere Town Band, who performed the "Devil's Punch Bowl March" as the first VIPs emerged from the tunnel. This had been composed especially for the occasion by 16-year-old Band member, Eric Foster. The formal opening ceremony itself was performed by the then Secretary of State for Transport, Phillip Hammond on 29 July 2011 an event to which the Chairman of Thursley Parish Council was invited to attend.      The old A3 returned to nature. This view is taken from close to  Gibbet Hill, almost directly above the tunnel. October 2012    With all the fanfare complete and clean-up operations nearly finished the Thursley joys soon turned to cries of woe. Whereas the building of the twin bore tunnel was a great civil engineering success the same cannot be said for the electrical installations. The planned opening date of the tunnel was delayed by some two weeks when it was discovered that a major cable running the length of the tunnel was missing. During the first year of operation there were a number of closures often due to failures with the fire alarm systems and software issues.  The net result of these closures meant that unprepared motorist travelling both north and south, sought to find their way around the closure and put their faith in their trusted sat-navs.  For those travelling south this meant them coming through the centre of the village and continuing through Pitch Place. For those heading north they were brought along the same route in reverse leaving the A287 at Hindhead and heading down the Tilford Road. The Dye House Road and Pitch Place were never meant to cope with such a volume of traffic especially not HGVs. Chaos ensued.  One dark and stormy night saw two Parish Councillors attempting to unlock a Spanish gas tanker heading north opposite a late night theatre coach heading south!   Thursley Parish Council argued extensively over a period of some eight years with the Highways Agency (later renamed Highways England) that better traffic management was needed and the black and yellow diversion symbols were totally inadequate at times of such crisis. Meeting after meeting took place between Highways England, Surrey County Council, Thursley Parish Council, Haslemere Town Council and Waverley Borough Council and Surrey Police Traffic Division. Many participants grew increasingly frustrated as the number of tunnel closures increased due to either vehicle accidents, false fire alerts, real vehicle fires and system software errors.     One of the main frustrations for those that had to endure the consequences of these frequent closures was the discovery that neither end of the tunnel was properly equipped with emergency contra flow arrangements that would allow a relatively free flow of traffic both north and south. It was not until 2022 that ‘Swift Gates’ were installed either end of the tunnel allowing a quick diversion of traffic from one bore to the other facilitating single lanes of contra-flow traffic.  However, whenever there was a fire alert then all traffic had to be halted as a matter of prime safety.   These annoyances and inconveniences being imposed on local residents naturally raised the question as to why the old A3 road had not been kept open in order to cope with such emergencies ? The answer to which is many folds.  Firstly, it was part of the agreement with the National Trust that the two commons would be joined by the abandonment of the old carriageway. Secondly, whereas it would have been relatively easy to manage north bound traffic it would have been very difficult without massive overhead viaducts to route the southbound traffic onto the western carriageway that was once the A3. And thirdly, it would have been very costly to maintain a major road for occasional use by cars and HGVs (Heavy Goods Vehicles). Safety and proper drainage being of the essence.       Report in the Farnham Herald on the inquiry coming to an end: https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/hindhead-tunnel-inquiry-comes-to-an-end-158228 How the tunnel was constructed courtesy Hampshire News: https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/hampshire-news/gallery/the-construction-of-hindhead-tunnel-4470892 YouTube film 'Under The Devil's Punch Bowl - The Hindhead Tunnel Story': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBFZhwoLEbQ And for those of you who would really like to get into the weeds, here is the Inspector's report (courtesy Peter Hunter): From time to time and for various reasons, the Hindhead Tunnel has to close causing disruption to drivers and annoyance to those living in areas affected by unexpected traffic. The article below gives some insights as to what happens when happens inside the tunnel: