HORSELL MOOR A SELF-GUIDED HERITAGE WALK

WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ON THE HISTORY OF THE HORSELL & WHEATSHEAF CONSERVATION AREAS

Based on the Heritage Walk on Sunday 19th February, 2012

By Iain Wakeford www.heritagewalks.org A HERITAGE WALK AROUND HORSELL MOOR, INCLUDING THE WHEATSHEAF & HORSELL CONSERVATION AREAS.

This walk starts at the Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Horsell High Street and includes part of the area covered by the Self Guided Heritage Walks booklet on Horsell Village (No 2) published in 2003. For more information on Bensteads Cottage Bensteads items in the High Street and According to a date inscribed Cottage from Church Hill not included in on a brick, the cottage was behind. these notes, please refer to built in 1831. that booklet. At the time of the 1841 census The bus stops by the it was the home of William entrance to the park (and Spooner, a shoemaker (aged opposite at The Crown) are 40) and his wife Sarah (20) on route 48 from Woking. whom he had married earlier that year. Queen Elizabeth Gardens The 1871 census records As the name suggests, this William as a bootmaker and small park was laid out in the draper, with four children still mid 1950’s, occupying a field living at the property - Fanny where cows once grazed. Margaret (26) whose Before then the local bowling occupation is listed as club (formed in 1929) played ‘accountant’, Sarah Elizabeth on the lawn of the Red Lion. (22) a ‘drapers assistant’ and two boys, Eli Godfrey (15) Before setting off, look and Arthur Frederick (8), plus across the road to Bensteads a 16 year old servant. Cottage (to the right of Bury Sarah Elizabeth evidently Lane) - with its old ‘Shell’ took over the family business petrol pumps. and expanded it to include a post office, but by the 1920’s it had become a cycle shop and garage, run by Archie Benstead at one time a mechanic for John Cobb at Brooklands when he broke the world land-speed record.

locally listed building. Above - an Former Shops The one on the left was (in the invoice from Benstead’s Once three shops, the oldest 1930’s) a fish and chip shop part dates from the late 18th/ Garage of the (E Waggett), with Brown’s 1920’s. early 19th century and like boot & shoe repairers in the Benstead Cottage it is a centre and John Brownjohn’s Right (top) the 18th and 19th century shops, with Benstead’s in the background (below). grocery shop on the right. Canon Brownjohn’s was also at one Norman Pares time Horsell’s Post Office— outside the hence the post box in the wall Parish Hall. of the property.

Leave the park by the footpath that goes between the bowling green and the Parish Hall

The Parish Hall Unfortunately due to In 1904 the Rev. Norman problems with the original Pares (after whom Pares Close builders the hall cost a lot is named) purchased the lease more to construct and extra of the land for the building of funds had to be secured, but a parish hall and started eventually it was opened on fundraising for the estimated the 2nd November 1907 by £1,400 required to complete the Bishop of Dorking. the designs submitted to the The final cost was The Parish building committee by Messrs £2,084.18.8d, which included Hall (on the Drower & Shorto. fittings and furniture. left) and High Street Butt Field In medieval times every male between the age of 15 and 60 were required by law to equip themselves with bows and to practice archery on Sundays and holidays. The ‘Butts’ (Below) At the top of the hill, behind where the practice took place Extract from the 1880 map the hall, turn right and cross were evidently in the field attached to the the grass to the top right (now part of the extension to Horsell Land hand corner where a path the graveyard). Company’s leads down into Pares Close. ‘1901 Abstract At the bottom of Pares Close Church Hill House and of Title’. turn left and take the right St Andrews School (Overleaf) the hand footpath (near the The main school building was 1901 map entrance drive to St originally built in 1888 as the from the same Andrews School) beside the vicarage for the Rev John source. extension to Horsell Back. When he died in 1892 (see the Archive/Deeds Churchyard. the house was sold - estate Page of this agents details stating that it site for the full had “five bedrooms, stables maps). Church Hill and coachman's rooms, The Church Hill Estate House, from gardens, gardener's house, The ‘93 acres’ of Church Hill The Building bailiff's cottage, farm House had been acquired by News, buildings, 2 further cottages, the Rev Back over many September pasture and arable land of years, with numerous fields 1884 (and now approx. 93 acres”. being purchased from a as St Andrews It became a school in 1937 number of local farmers and School). landowners (allegedly to help Graylands Plan of the them out in poor agricultural Graylands (or Graysend Graylands times). When he died the House as it was recorded in Estate from the estate was sold for housing the 1881 census) was built in 1910 Abstract development with a company the late 1870’s after Joseph of Title - see called the ‘Horsell Land Pearson Fitzgerald bought the Archive/ Deeds section Company’ being the main ‘Broomstyles Field’ at public of this developer from 1907 until auction in 1875 for £420.00 website). they went into liquidation in (plus £38.10s for the timber 1913. growing on the estate). The Ridgeway, Horsell Rise, In 1871 he was recorded as Church Road and the roads living with his widowed off of them, were all part of mother at Broom Hall, in the estate. Chobham Road, but by 1881 he is at his new house with his Continue on the footpath, wife Catherine and four around the edge of the daughters. school playing fields, to By 1891 they had moved and Horsell Park Road, crossing Graylands was now the home the road and passing the of William Roebuck, a civil grounds of Graylands. engineer, and his wife (Eliza) and five servants (with five The Wheatsheaf children belonging to two of The name ‘Wheatsheaf’ goes the servants’ families). back to at least the late 18th The present estate that bears century when an agreement the name was built in the early was signed between James 1960’s. Lipscombe, a farmer of Horsell and James Roake a wheelwright of Putney for two cottages known as ‘The Wheatsheaf’ and 4 acres of land in September 1773. The agreement appears to refer to the cottages that later After passing Graylands the made up part of the Horsell path towards Woking opens Nursery Estate owned by the out onto Broomhall Cobbett Family (see item on Common, with a path on the The Grove), and as the left taking you to the end of Wheatsheaf public house is Broomhall Road. not recorded in the list of Turn into the road to the Licensed Victuallers, 1785- Chobham Road, stopping 1827, nor the 1841 census briefly to view the side of returns, it is clear that the pub The Wheatsheaf Hotel and was not built to serve the The the backs of the cottages navvies that constructed either Wheatsheaf next to it (if you like you the nearby canal in the 1780’s (right) with can, of course, inspect the or the railway at Woking in White Cottage interior of the public house the 1830’s. Why the public and Crofters before continuing on the rest house was built, and why the Cottage to its of the walk). name ‘The Wheatsheaf’ pre- left. dates it by over 70 years will (nearest the hotel) being probably remain a mystery. knocked into one in the early The pub is recorded in the 20th century when the cross 1851 census when Reuben wing of White Cottage was Percy (who later went on to also added. build the Albion Hotel in Woking) is recorded as a Wheatsheaf Schools ‘beer retailer’ in the There have been a number of Wheatsheaf area. Although small schools in the later styled as a ‘inn’ it is Wheatsheaf area, starting with clear that originally it did not a Baptist School (and Chapel) have any accommodation as built off what is now in 1892 it is listed as having Broomhall Road in 1829. It stabling but ‘no lasted until the 1850’s when it accommodation, clientele, the was run by a James Furner labouring classes)! and his wife and cousin who It appears that the ‘beer were all listed as ‘British house’ was built by Arthur Teachers’ in the 1851 census. Smithers, a local bricklayer In the 1870’s and 80’s a Miss who also constructed the Anne Healds (and her sisters) cottages towards Broomall were running what was listed Road - Crofters Cottage and (in 1882) as a ‘Ladies School’ White Cottage. in a building close the These were originally three Wheatsheaf pub, whilst in the cottages with Crofters Cottage early 20th century the St

White Cottage. Michael’s Preparatory School operated from what is now the SHAW Centre on Chobham Road (almost opposite Broomhall Lane). Finally, again in the early 20th century (until about 1923), there was another prep school for boys in ‘The Corner House’, at the junction of Ferndale Road and Chobham Road (opposite the end of The Grove & Ferndale Road From the 1900 Broomhall Road). As mentioned above the name sale ‘Wheatsheaf’ originally documents of At the end of Broomhall referred to a couple of the Wheatsheaf Road turn right onto cottages (and the meadow Estate. Chobham Road (towards around them) that was carved Woking) , stopping briefly out of the common land of to look across to houses of Horsell in the late 17th The Grove. century. The deeds cite an

The Old School on the corner of Ferndale Road and Chobham Road. From the Book of Reference of the Staines, Egham & Woking Junc- tion Railway, 1863-4.

indenture of 1st December Cobbett land as well and in 1686, whereby Denzill 1900 marked a further ‘28 Onslow, lord of the manor of plots of ripe freehold building Pyrford, leased the property to land’. John Hone Sr. for a term of Things would have been quite 1000 years, for 5s pa. different, however, if the Eventually the land became proposed Staines, Egham and part of the Cobbett Family’s Woking Junction Railway, Nursery (more of which later), proposed in 1863/4, had ever which was put up for sale in been constructed, as it would 1899 as ‘valuable building have cut right through the land’. In the meantime the land on its way from Woking area to the south-east of the Station to Chobham and the cottages had already been already built Staines— developed (in 1895) by the Wokingham line. National Land Corpooration Ltd as the ‘Wheatsheaf At the mini-roundabout, Estate’, with 25 plots of land turn right into Brewery in the newly formed The Road to the Trinity Grove and later Ferndale Methodist Church, Road. afterwards crossing the road The National Land by the pedestrian crossing Corporation bought the and making your way passed the WWF’s ‘Living Planet Centre’ (currently under construction) to the towpath of the Canal.

Baptist Chapel, Alwyn House and the Methodist Church As has been noted a Baptist Chapel and School were established on this site in When he died in 1882 his Souvenir 1829 and continued to be used estate was apparently valued programme of until the 1850’s. at £15,000 and after his wife, the dedication By 1861, however, a large Alicia, died in 1901 the of the Trinity Methodist Victorian property called property appears to have Church. ‘Alwyn House’ had been passed to their two daughters erected on the site (part of Alicia (who died in 1922) and which appears to survive as Anne (who died in 1927). Broom House in Broomhall The house survived until the Road). early 1960’s, however, Alwyn House was built for becoming the site of the Spencer Compton, who is Trinity Methodist Church in described as a ‘Senior Officer 1962, the foundation stones in the Bombay Civil Service’ being laid May that year, with in 1862 and an ‘East India the site being dedicated and Merchant’ in his 1871 census opened just over three years entry. later

The Canal and common, with Alwyn House just visible through the trees. At the canal towpath turn (presumably to heat their right and follow the towpath glasshouses), and in the late to just beyond the WWF 1830’s they supplied the site. London & South Western Railway (even after Woking From the 1899 Station was opened and coal Land Sales could be brought here by Map of the train)! Horsell The wharf appears to have Nursery closed in the early 1890’s and in 1896-7 the canal company is thought to have demolished the shed, before the Cobbett’s Cobbett’s Coal Wharf lands were put up for auction As well as being nurserymen, in 1899. the Cobbett family were also involved in the coal business, having a wharf on the Basingstoke Canal since at least the 1820’s (possibly pre- dating the nursery). From 1831-1856 large Extract from amounts of coal were sold to A short way along the the ledger Robert Donald of Goldsworth towpath, beyond the houses, book of Nursery, and to William take the footpath (on the Cobbett’s Coal Jackman 1874-1878 right) to Horsell Moor. Wharf. Stedman’s Brewery From the 1938 The Brewery that gave the auction road its name was run by the brochure for Stedman family from their houses in old Woking & home at Malt House Farm. Woking (see When it started is not known the Archive/ but a mortgage dated 1822 for Deeds section a property in Bisley records a of this website ‘James Stedman of Horsell, for the full Maltster’ almost certainly the brochure). same James Stedman (or his son) who is recorded in a Horsell Moor directory of 1855 as ‘brewer Although the common land of and farmer’ at Malthouse the Moor is in Horsell the Farm. James Stedman’s son, houses of the road were in fact John, is recorded as brewer in on the Woking side of the 1867 and when he died in boundary (that used to run 1906 (aged 78) he apparently left property worth over along the centre of the road). Name Plate on As you walk along the road £18,000. Grove Villas, notice Grove Villa’s and the His son, another John, Horsell Moor house at the end of the terrace continued to run the brewery (left) and The to their right, which was once until its closure at the start of Brew House, a grocers shop run by Mrs the First World War. Brewery Road Childs. (right).

Continue along the Moor before crossing to Brewery Road near the children’s playground. Cross Brewery Road to The Old Malt Farm 1870 Brew House and then turn Parts of the house date back to Ordnance left to Old Malt Way, taking the 16th century, although it Survey 25” a small detour down the has been added to almost Map. road to look at Old Malt every century since then. Farm (before returning to In 1871 John Stedman, aged Brewery Road and 43, is head of the household continuing to the junction and described as a ‘farmer of with Arthurs Bridge Road 94 acres employing 8 men and and Church Hill). 2 boys’.

Old Malt Farm, Old Malt Way. The rest of this walk is covered in the Heritage Walks booklet on Horsell (published in 2002), but a few extra illustrations and notes are included here.

Moor Hatch The start (or finish) of the Horsell Conservation Area is at Moor Hatch, a locally listed building that was built in the early 20th century by Drowley & Company, a local firm of builders whose work is often described as ‘Tarrant Style’, Houses of Church Hill Moorhatch by estate agents wishing to There are a number of locally from the 1907 emphasise the quality of the listed buildings on Church brochure of work. Hill including ‘The Drowley & Co (see the It sold recently (January 2011) Cottage’ (17th c.), Kalmia Archive/Deeds for £960,000. (18th c.), Bowness (18th c . section of this with a Victorian front) and website for the Continue up Church Hill to The Old Vicarage (19th c). full brochure) St Mary’s Church Where Lych Way is was originally part of the Church St Mary’s Silk’s (Underwood’s) Yard Hill Nursery (another part of School Stephen Silk was a local builder who was responsible for many small scale developments in the Horsell area in the first half of the 20th century. Since just after the 2nd World War the yard has been used by the Street family for their joinery business - Underwood & Co. the Cobbett empire sold in 1899), but in the early 20th century a large house known as ‘St Mary’s’ was built on the site and became a private school, run by the Misses De Bochet.

At the top of the hill carefully cross the road to investigate the graveyard (and if it is open, the (which included Horsell), A 16th century interior) of St Mary’s presumably provided the first map of the Church, before returning to chapel on this site. Little now Manor of Church Hill and continuing remains from that period as Pyrford, down the other side of the the church was heavily showing the hill back to the High Street ’restored’ in Victorian times, chapel at Horsyll. and the start of the walk but there are some interesting brasses and monuments St Mary’s Church. inside, and in the graveyard The first reference to Horsell can be found several tombs, comes from the 13th century two of which (to members of when Westminster Abbey, as the Roake family) are lords of the Manor of Pyrford separately listed ’buildings’!

Church Hill in the early 20th century. Elkin, whose brewery was in Horsell School North Street, Guildford (almost opposite the Library). The landlord was then Stephen Moore, whose death is recorded in the diary of Edward Ryde (of Poundfield House, Old Woking) - where on the 17th December 1886 Horsell School. he notes “death of Moore, The ‘National School’ opened delivery agent and fly on this site in 1851 (see date proprietor for 50 years, who on the left hand gable), but it kept the Red Lion at Horsell”. was not long before it had to be enlarged with the right The Crown hand gable being added in The present public house is 1882 (when the school could probably Victorian, but again cater for 240 children). the site is much older, being recorded in the will of Henry The Red Lion Street (of Bisley) in 1802 The earliest part of the present when he left a ‘freehold building is possibly 18th messuage by the sign of the The Red Lion century, but there has Crown’ to his grand-daughter, (left), with a apparently been an inn on this Ann Street Withall. mid –19th site since at least the 16th At the time of the tithe map century view century. (1854) William Cox is showing the The 1854 tithe map and recorded as landlord, with original apportionment records the Samuel Strong (of the Old ‘Crown’ (right) owner of the site as Edmund Woking Brewery) as owner.

HORSELL MOOR WITH NOTES ON THE HORSELL & WHEATSHEAF CONSERVATION AREAS A ­ Queen Elizabeth Gardens J ­ Wheatsheaf Schools B ­ Benstead’s Cottage K ­ Wheatsheaf Estate C ­ The old shops L ­ Trinity Methodist Church D ­ Parish Hall M ­ Cobbett’s Coal Wharf E ­ The Butts N ­ Horsell Moor F ­ St Andrews School O ­ The Brewery G ­ Church Hill Estate P ­ Old Malt Farm H ­ Graylands Q ­ Moor Hatch I ­ The Wheatsheaf R ­ Church Hill Houses Heritage S ­ Horsell Nursery Walks T ­ St Mary’s Church Publication U ­ The Old Vicarage V ­ Horsell School W ­ Red Lion X ­ Crown

© 2012, Iain Wakeford

Published by Alfred Arthur Wakeford, 166 High Street, Old Woking, GU22 9JH

For a copy of the current programme of GUIDE guided Heritage Walks, please visit the ‘Diary’ NOT FOR section of our website www.heritagewalks.org SALE No 8