AUTUMN 2017 NEWSLETTER

Registered Charity No: 287803 1 | Page PLANNING UPDATE by Hannah Lane LOCAL PLAN The last Consultation was the one in May-June this year on extra/or alterations to the sites proposed to be removed from the Green Belt (GB). This included a reduction in the possible number of houses to be built on `Lower `. This time over 1,000 responses were received throughout the Borough, compared with over 700 in August 2016. The Travellers Accommodation Assessment has now commenced. It is anticipated that a draft report will be issued to the Council in November with the study being finalised before the end of the year. RBC has not yet published the date for the final Public Consultation that will be at the same time as the Plan will be submitted to the Inspectorate for the Examination in Public (EiP). Only after this will the Inspector rule on the Plan and it will be finalised and implemented. The most interesting development for Ottershaw is that RBC has had a Consultation with a specialist barrister on Local Plans to advise on the RBC Local Plan and its viability going forward. His main comment was:- FINALISING THE COUNCIL’S TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE EVIDENCE WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON DRIVING FORWARD THE A320 STUDY WHICH MR LEADER DESCRIBED AS THE ‘SPINE OF THE LOCAL PLAN’.

A rare peaceful scene of Guildford Road Looking up Church Hill, Guildford Road In other words much of RBC`s future development is on or in the area of the A320 (i.e. will filter onto the A320) and the A320 cannot take it in its present structure. RBC, , Heath and Surrey County Councils have formed a Working Group to look at this problem of the A320. is taking the lead and has appointed a Consultant, who will report back by the end of the year. If the Consultant comes up with a plan, the 2nd criteria is where is the money to come from? If either, or both, questions are not answered, it leaves RBC with a problem on its proposed housing sites. But if the Consultant does come up with an answer, and the money is found, what is the effect on Ottershaw and the Otter Roundabout likely to be? A forward funding bid by SCC for the A320 project was submitted by the deadline of 28 September to HCA Housing Infrastructure Fund. There are no details at the moment from RBC.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 2 | Page NEW GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION TO INCREASE HOUSING NUMBERS. In September Sajid Javid, Communities Secretary, announced a Consultation of setting increased housing numbers for Local Plans. More housing is needed than in the present Local Plans, especially low cost. Housing numbers will in future be based on a complicated fixed formula across all Councils, that is the price of houses weighted against the average wages/salaries of each Council area. This will result in increases in the present Local Plan housing numbers mainly in the south-east. Local Plans will be done every 5 years, not 20-25 as now. We do not yet know what RBC will be doing to implement these new rules. Whatever happens to the present RBC Plan, housing numbers in RBC will be going up over the revised upward figures given in the last Consultation in May 2017. PLANNING APPLICATIONS MEET YOUR FOXHILLS After three Consultations earlier in the year, expect COUNCILLORS to see the following Planning Applications submitted to Borough Council (RBC) Emma Bancroft this autumn:- Conservative PARKLANDS, BITTAMS LANE Date Elected: Parklands are proposing to build over 200 2017 (next election 2018) Telephone: 07795 386291 flats on part of the site on Bittams Lane on the Committees: Housing, other side of the roundabout opposite the Overview and Scrutiny entrance to St. Peter`s Hospital. In addition a Care Select, Crime and Disorder, Home is currently being built where there was an Licensing office block on the other side of this site. ST. PETER`S HOSPITAL Dannielle Khalique This development of c 400 houses will be on what Conservative is left of the old Botleys Hospital site in the Date Elected: ownership of St. Peter`s Hospital. That is the area 2015 (next election 2019) Telephone: 07881 223405 of the old `technical ` buildings, including the tall Committees: Community chimney, and up to Stonehill Road to include the Services, Overview and derelict walled gardens, greenhouses and ice Scrutiny, Crime and Disorder house (a Grade 2 listed building) of the original Botleys Estate. Entrances to be on Stonehill Holloway Hill Roads. This development will provide Iftikhar Chaudhri the money to re-build 2 of the 3 areas of staff Conservative Date Elected: housing on the hospital site. 2012 (next election 2020) (DERA) Mobile: 07859 033216 Work is well advanced on the north part of the Duties: Mayor site, `Upper Longcross`, and the first tranche of Committees: Currently houses are now for sale. The next application will Mayor therefore not on any be for the south of the M3, to be called `Lower Committees Longcross`.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 3 | Page OTHER PLANNING MATTERS:- A HISTORY OF ROAD NAMES  WILLOW FARM site has been granted IN OTTERSHAW. No.1. a further 3 years temporary residential permission. This is to allow RBC to By Hannah Lane adopt the new Local Plan which will Have you ever wondered about the history make provision for new of the road in which you live? Well read gypsy/travellers pitches within the on and let Hannah Lane enlighten you on Borough. the history of Ottershaw’s roads.  BROX END NURSERY developer A” GUILDFORD ROAD Dominion withdrew its application for 40 houses at the RBC Planning Committee in July, but continued with its application for 12 dwellings. This was refused as not being the most effective use of the site.  and WOODHAM LANE proposed development sites in adjacent Boroughs are still being considered by the relevant Councils, no decision at the present time. Coach Road junction off Guilford Road Likewise any consideration of the Christmas Tree Farm and Great Grove The whole of the present road south from Farm will not come up until RBC holds Chertsey to the boundary with Woking its EiP in 2018. Borough at Dunford Bridge is called the  MCLAREN has a new CEO and Guildford Road, A320. Previously it was Chairman from November 2017. The 2 called the Chertsey Road/Lane from outstanding planning permissions, one Chertsey to Ottershaw or Chertsey Lane on the land to the east of the A320 End, the latter being also the name of the and further facilities on their existing original hamlet at the Otter crossroads. site on the west of the A320, are still From The Otter Inn up the hill to the within the time scale that they could Church it was called Church Hill, and still is be finally signed off for approval with by some residents. The Otter Inn to the Woking Council or withdrawn. top of the hill has also been Ottershaw Road, or Woking Road in the 1860`s, then THE SOCIETY WISHES TO THANK Timber Hill down to Dunford Bridge. HANNAH LANE FOR ALL THE WORK CROSS LANE, FROM GUILDFORD ROAD TO SHE HAS CONTINUED TO DO IN CHOBHAM ROAD KEEPING THE SOCIETY ABREAST OF The older residents also know this as `The LOCAL PLANNING ISSUES AND Back Lane`. This is an old road shown on REPRESENTING THE SOCIETY ON THE the old maps. It is now Footpath No. 32 “COMMUNITY PLANNING PANEL”.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 4 | Page At the top of the road the Kings built their new house of Tudor Cottage (Manor) when they bought the land either side of Coach Road from the Fletcher family in the early 1930`s. BEECH HALL

c1955 Church Hill, Guildford Road northwards These houses were built in 1983 on the from Meath Cottage site of the original Vicarage of the Church. CHAWORTH ROAD This land had been given to the This road was built in 1958 by W Deakin Ecclesiastical Commissioners by Sir Edward on the site of Ottermead House when it Colebrooke (Ottershaw Park), shortly after was demolished. Ottermead House was the Church had been built in 1864. It was a built in 1892 by the Rev. Baron Hichens, large house of 10/11 bedrooms. The house Perpetual Curate of Ottershaw. He sold it became too big, so in 1934 it was sold for in 1898 to the Earl and Countess of Meath, a private school. Later it was converted see the article in the Spring 2017 into flats called Beech Hall. Newsletter. Earlier in the C19th it had been the brickworks of William Varden and Stephen Cheeseman. COACH ROAD A private unmade road, ownership unknown. It leads to the entrance to Ottershaw Park from the north between the two Lodges. Some speculate that this The Vicarage, C1920 taken from Postcard in was an earlier route of the Guildford Road, J.Athersuch collection which would have swung round in the WOODLANDS CLOSE shallow arc to come out further down It is an unmade private road. Built 1932/4 towards Dunford Bridge. But more likely to by Mr. Herbert Wells, and his brother have been the new entrance drive to George of Chertsey. This was confirmed Thomas Sewell`s new mansion of to the author by his granddaughter Mrs. Ottershaw Park built in 1761 from the Sanger. BUT Mrs. Mavis Swenarton says Chertsey direction, crossing the waste land they are Walter George Tarrent, 1875- soon after the crossroads, at the end of 1942, houses, the builder of St. George`s Chertsey Lane End as the most direct Hill and the . She has route, as first seems to appear c1768. extensively researched all of Tarrent`s Hence its name of `Coach` Road. houses/estates, and written “Inventory of On this road was The Maples, built by Tarrent-built Houses on St. George’s Hill”, 1865, the home of William Fletcher, who 1992-1995. Owners of the houses also expanded his nursery from this whole area support the building by Tarrent. The land across much of Ottershaw from the was formerly part of Dunford Bridge Farm, 1880`s-1920`s. which was variously in the ownership of Anningsley Park and Ottershaw Park.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 5 | Page ANNINGSLEY PARK `LANE` MALVERN CLOSE This lane was the back entrance to Built in 1963 by W. Deakin on the orchard Anningsley Park, the main/front entrance of Ottershaw Cottage, which is on the being in Brox Road. opposite side of the road, entrance in Foxhills Road. Origin of name not known. SIMONS CLOSE Built 1958 by A. & J. Simmons partly on land belonging to Mr. Moore`s Garage, formerly The Gardeners Arms Inn, now Trident Garage and part of the original Fletcher`s nursery land. It is `Simmons` on Ottershaw Cottage deeds, so why `Simons` Close with one `m`? FLOWER CRESCENT The Crescent was built 1960/1 on the site of Ottershaw Flower Farm, hence its name. Chobham Road junction with Foxhills Road Mr. Cecil Storr, who had run the nursery CHOBHAM ROAD there, had sold the land for development. Mr. Storr bought the land in 1952 from The A319 from the Ottershaw cross-roads Mrs. King of Tudor Manor. The Kings had to Chobham. On the 1762 Rocque map the bought the land from Ottershaw Nurseries old line of the Chobham Road ran south of in 1935, who had bought from the Ottershaw Park, by the original Ottershaw Fletcher`s Nurseries in 1926 Farm, along the line of the present runway at Fairoaks Airport to Chobham. This was THE MAPLES diverted to the north of his newly built The Maples, and Nos. 25-28 Flower mansion in 1764 at the Quarter Sessions Crescent, were built in 1970/1 on the site by Thomas Sewell of Ottershaw Park. This of The Maples house belonging to the linked an existing road from Chobham to Fletchers and part of the garden of Tudor the north of the estate direct to the Otter Cottage, see under Coach Road.. crossroads, instead of coming out halfway OTTER CLOSE up Foxhills Road. Thus forming the present Built in 1947 by Mr. Henry Croxford. Chobham Road in the village that did not Assume named after the Otter Inn along exist until the 18th C. the road. The land was previously owned by the Kings of Tudor Cottage, and before that by the Fletcher`s Nursery. CHOBHAM CLOSE Built 1957 on land owned by the Kings of Tudor Cottage and before that by the Fletcher`s Nursery. `Chobham Close off Chobham Road Arial shot of Guildford Road, Flower Crescent, Coach Road and The Maples taken from Google

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 6 | Page SURREY COUNTY These measures include: • The creation of new and the widening of COUNCIL NEWS existing carriageway lanes around the junction By Melville Few, County • The creation of a new ‘U-turn’ facility for Councillor: , Lyne, Longcross, traffic heading towards Staines upon Thames Thorpe and Ottershaw. Cabinet Member: Adult from the M25 which will allow vehicles to Social Care & Wellbeing. avoid negotiating the main part of the [email protected] 07889 126439 junction • The provision of a dedicated left turn onto All Surrey Community recycling sites to remain the B388 from the M25/Staines open. Some will have reduced operating times but following an extensive consultation with residents • The installation of traffic lights throughout the decision was to retain all 15 sites. Reduced the junction to control the traffic 24 hours a opening days will apply to many. day • The provision of controlled crossing facilities • Charlton Lane in Shepperton and Martyrs for pedestrians and cyclists Lane in Woking will continue to remain open • Improvements to the drainage infrastructure for 7 days. • Resurfacing the entire carriageway • Lyne Lane site in Chertsey will be closed on • Installation of new road signs, fences and Thursdays and Fridays and site will safety barriers and footways, including a be closed on Wednesdays, Thursdays and brand new facility to the north linking the Fridays. A308 Windsor Road to the A308 The Causeway. All sites will operate from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm on weekends. The main benefits of these works include: Regrettably the current ‘free’ one bag of rubble • Cutting congestion and increasing the will now become chargeable. capacity of the junction These changes will come into effect in January • Reduced conflict between vehicles 2018. negotiating the junction • Approximately 800 vehicles taken away from Prudential-Surrey Cycle event this year saw 23438 the main part of the junction during peak entrants for the full 100 mile race with 4407 times through the use of the new ‘U-turn’ entrants for the shorter route. The ballot for 2018 facility ride is now open until 5th January 2018. It is estimated that over the 4 years this event has • Improved road safety for all road users raised over £41m for charities. The final figure for • Helping to reduce the likelihood of surface the 2017 event is still in the process of being water flooding finalised. NOTE: From Monday 2 October 2017 for 16 Applications can be found by registering at: weeks - the dedicated slip lane from A308 https://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/events/ Windsor Road heading to M25 (via A30) will be 100/ closed from 9:30am on Monday 2 October 2017 for 16 weeks. The lane closure will be in place at Runnymede Roundabout restructuring is now well all times to facilitate the construction of the new advanced. Significant measures to improve traffic road layout including the installation of the new management and the efficiency of vehicle flows surface water drainage system. Access to the M25 as well as making it easier for pedestrians and (via A30) will still be available from A308 Windsor cyclists to safely navigate Runnymede Road using the other carriageway lanes which will Roundabout are well advanced. remain open.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 7 | Page VICAR’S SABBATICAL by Sandra Faccini I have had a very interesting, enjoyable and challenging 9 weeks away from the UK in Uganda and South Africa. It felt like a big step of faith to leave behind my family, my church, my home, my friends and my dog for 9 weeks and trust that people I barely knew if at all would be there for me. However I knew that I was in God’s hands and that many people were praying for me and I had to trust that all I had left behind would be safe in God’s keeping. I spent 5 weeks in Uganda, based in Kampala. My first impressions of Kampala were of horrendous traffic, heat, chaos, noise and red dust that covered everything. The roads had an extremely large number of overcrowded minibus taxis and boda boda (motorbike taxis) which obeyed no rules but expected everyone to give way to them and avoid hitting them. However, everyone was very friendly and I was made very welcome and enjoyed Ugandan food which included various dishes made from banana, millet, ground nuts and beans and stews of beef or goat. As a treat I was given Irish (potatoes) and rice! The avocados, mangos and other fruit were lovely too. Poverty is very obvious in Uganda. People, including the old and the very young, beg on the streets or try to sell cheap goods or home-grown veg. There are areas of very small and ramshackle shacks with little or no sanitation, few water points and no electricity. I heard many tragic stories; children orphaned by Aids and brought up by grandparents or older siblings, child mothers resulting from rape, many deaths of mothers in childbirth, stillborn children, fatal heart attacks, terminal cancer and TB among the younger adults. There are state hospitals where seeing a doctor is free but the wait will be long and everything else costs e.g. blood tests, X-rays, scans and medicine. Many Ugandans try local healers first and sometimes it is too late once they resort to the doctors. There are a lot of street boys in Kampala, often Aids orphans who may have been brought up by extended family but end up on the streets. I went to see a charity which tries to rescue them, give them a home, an education and vocational training. It is really tough for them but some make it and are able to earn a living. The boys were great and it is another good cause to support. There is free state primary school education but the state schools are oversubscribed and often have up to 140 in a class who are mainly taught by reciting after the teacher. Many children don’t attend as the parents want them out begging or earning. The church is trying to help but has few resources. One church was trying to re- establish a church school, to deliver a decent education at as low a cost as possible and to give each child one decent meal a day. Some boys from the home for Street Boys

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 8 | Page Our Ottershaw schools have donated some money to enable 3 children from single parent homes to attend school for the year. Two are girls who when money is tight often miss out. Their fathers died from Aids, illness or had deserted the family. Another church school has been set up in a poor rural area and when I visited I found the playground full of noisy cows (awaiting vaccination I gather) and the cooks lacking the food to provide any more school meals. A relatively small donation enabled them to send for a month’s supply of millet, beans The three children sponsored by Ottershaw and sugar. We will be sending out some more schools to enable them to attend school for money to help this school care for the children. the year The Mothers Union is very strong in Kampala and they promote Christian family values, help young women get ready for marriage, support women in bereavement e.g. loss of baby, child or husband and meet regularly for Bible study and prayer. The diocese of Kampala MU has set up and runs a project called Feed my Lambs, which is a safe environment where children can go after school or in the school holidays and receive a meal and support with homework and for the teenagers there is vocational training. Many leave school early and need to learn a skill e.g. dressmaking, cooking or car maintenance so that they can earn a living. I also enjoyed the scenery especially a visit to the South-West; the area where tea and coffee are grown and in the area of the great rift valley we saw elephants and monkeys. I also travelled to Jinja where the Nile leaves Lake Victoria, which was a beautiful place and to Murchison Falls where there was some amazing wildlife. We saw hippos, elephants, giraffe, deer/buck of various kinds, rhinos, crocodile, monitor lizard, monkeys and chimpanzees and lots of birds. Children from the 'Feed my lambs’ project In South Africa, I was based near to Johannesburg in an old gold mining area known as the East Rand, where there are some run down towns with large townships and informal settlements and high unemployment. Many people were sleeping on the streets and begging. Robbery, carjacking and mugging were common and it was necessary to be very security conscious. Initially I stayed in Springs with the vicar whose main project is the establishment of a Christian school close to a township and informal settlement. Townships are generally now poor areas but with some sanitation and water (often one tap per compound) and electricity but the informal settlements are shanty towns with nothing much except perhaps a few communal taps.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 9 | Page The vicar here has raised a lot of money from many sponsors to build the preschool and primary section but has hopes of building a senior school. The school has good facilities and runs buses to collect children who would otherwise have to walk a long way to school. The children are from relatively poor families, many have lost one or both parents to AIDS and some are HIV positive and on medication. The children are given breakfast and lunch and there is a facility for some to board from Monday to Friday. They are mostly Zulu speaking but have to learn English and Afrikaans. I enjoyed helping in class and reading with the children who were all very friendly. They have all learnt to say; ‘hello and how are you?’ They enjoyed reading the letters I brought from our school and the oldest classes have sent replies. I also had a great time travelling to other towns to see projects which were run with help from the diocese. These were mainly safe parks where children from townships and settlements could come after school for a meal, help with homework and organised activities. I also visited a nursery school run in an old shipping container, a project for the elderly and a soup kitchen. There is much need and much poverty amongst white and black people in the area. I also went on a trip further east to a coalmining and farming area and there were some quaint towns with strong Dutch/Afrikaans influence and some lovely mountain scenery and wildlife. I visited Pretoria and saw the Union building, a giant statue of Nelson Mandela, the Freedom Park (commemorating those who lost their lives in the fight for freedom) and the Voortrecker monument, built to commemorate the Afrikaans trekkers who were forced out of the Cape area and moved eastwards. I also visited the Apartheid museum. The story of apartheid is well told and it was both moving and horrendous, inspiring and worrying. Apartheid ended relatively recently in 1991 but the legacy lives on in one way or another. I also had a fun day out to a lion and rhino reserve where we say many lions, wild dogs, cheetah, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebra, bucks and buffalo. I had the opportunity to go into an enclosure and stroke a white lion cub. I also enjoyed the very different church experiences in both countries and was able to preach and lead Communion services. Some services were in English but most were in local languages. There was some great music and dancing! In both countries church starts early with the first service at 7.30am followed by other services a bit later. The longest service I attended was 4 hours long! I met some lovely people with great hearts for serving God and their communities. They were an inspiration and I hope I can return one day.

Sandra and a white lion cub in an enclosure at the lion and rhino reserve.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 10 | Page VILLAGE FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS

This will be the 22nd year running that the Society has arranged for the village centre to be lit up with Christmas lights. Thanks must go to Graham for arranging the installation of the lights and to Robert Mandry for the donation of Christmas trees. Last year the village carol singing, jointly with Christ Church, raised donations of £135 for the Sam Beare Hospice and the costs of refreshments were borne by the Society. This year's Carol Singing will take place outside Ottershaw shops on 16th December. Please come along. WINTER PROGRAMME 2017 / 2018 Thanks are due to Hannah Lane and Reg Taylor who have taken on the task of arranging speakers for these meetings. All meetings are held at Brook Hall, Brox Road and start at 8pm. 28TH NOVEMBER 2017 - `BEATRIX POTTER:- A SCIENTIST IN SURREY` BY FENELLA HARRISON

23RD JANUARY 2018 - `PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE: THE WORK OF THE SURREY HISTORY CENTRE, WOKING` BY MATTHEW PIGGOTT 27TH FEBRUARY 2018 - `STEAMING ON` BY PAUL WHITTLE NOT JUST FOR RAILWAY BUFFS!!!!

27TH MARCH 2018 - `HEATHROW VILLAGES` BY TOM EDBROOKE MEMBERSHIP OF THE OTTERSHAW SOCIETY The Ottershaw Society was formed in 1981 and works to help preserve and develop features of historic, natural and public interest in the village. As a member organisation we regard it as essential that members make their views known to us, so that we can reflect this in any submissions we make. Please do get in touch with us via our Facebook or Twitter pages or by email to [email protected] If you are not a member, please consider joining. So please e-mail your name (s), address and tel. no and membership category (single, couple, pensioner) to Roger Pashley at [email protected] The annual subscription is as follows: Single person £6, Couple £9, Single pensioner £4, Pensioner couple £6. THANK YOU Special thanks go to all of our guest writers, we hope you enjoy reading their articles. Also a very special mention goes to Roger Pashley, Hannah Lane and Jo Harper who have provided the beautiful photography of the village featured in this edition. www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 11 | Page LEN PASHLEY - OTTERSHAW GROCER 1949 TO 1969 by Roger Pashley My father Len and our family moved to Ottershaw in 1949 to run a village grocery and drapers store at 11 Brox Road. He had originally trained at a drapers shop after leaving school, so the unusual arrangement of having a shop which was both a grocers and a drapers must have attracted him.

We initially lived in the accommodation behind the shop and then in 1954 Len had a house built in Hare Hill, which enabled him to expand the shop. The shop had drapery on the left counter and grocery on the right hand counter. Quite a department store ! The lounge behind the shop was also used for the drapery, which included underwear, ribbons, buttons, cotton reels, knitting needles, wool etc. We had many years of supply of these things after the shop closed! Marjorie and Len Pashley 1942 My mother, Marjorie worked with him in the shop, part-time, whilst my sister Lynda and I were youngsters, and then fulltime in the later years. As you can imagine the drapery business declined over the years as people travelled to larger department stores. So eventually the whole shop was turned over to grocery and the stairs between the back lounge and the shop moved to the rear of the building, creating a much larger grocery store. Upstairs was used as a stock room where goods were decanted from cardboard delivery boxes to shelves made of orange boxes. My sister, Lynda, and I spent many an hour in the stock room and then subsequently moving the grocery items down to the shelves in the shop. I can particularly remember numerous sizes/makes of tins of processed peas. Doubtless we earnt a bit of our pocket money this way.

Left to right The Hatchery, Brook Hall, Veal’s the fishmonger, The Co-op bakery, Beesons’s Newsagent, L Pashley Grocer, Co-op grocer...and one little mini traveller What a busy day in Ottershaw in the 1950’s !

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 12 | Page In those days, a lot of food items were bought loose and packed at the shop for re-sale in blue packets. These would have included currants, sultanas and raisins and even butter was bought in blocks and cut and packed in bags. Bacon was similarly bought as whole sides of meat, bones then removed and then individually sliced on a lethal bacon slicer (fingers beware !). Broken biscuits were also a popular cheap item sold from large biscuit tins with glass lids temptingly displayed at the front of the counter, along with the other more expensive biscuits also sold loose. He operated a very personal business. Orders were assembled in cardboard boxes and delivered to the door in a small van, long before the supermarkets thought of offering this service! If an item was not in stock he would go to the co-op next door to get the missing item. A chair was provided in the shop for the weary and also those that wanted to pass the time of day. Definitely less rush in the 1950’s and 1960’s. There must have been quite a bit of competition for business in the village, as throughout most of his time in the shop there were at least 3 other larger grocers (co-op, post office and Renshaw Lee) plus a couple of other smaller grocery shops scattered round the village. He must have been a good marketer in his own way, as the window displays were always impressive. He would stick cans in great wobbly (creative) piles in these displays and use the publicity material supplied by Wavy Line, which was the buying group he belonged to. His delivery vehicle also had their logo.

One of Len’s window displays and his delivery vehicle As with any self-employed business the working day was long with a lot of work outside opening hours, keeping the Accounts books for sales and purchases (no computers in those days!), annual stocktaking, calculating and paying salaries to the part-time staff etc. In the 1960’s larger supermarkets were being developed and he saw the writing on the wall for small businesses and took early retirement at 55, moved and retired to Eastbourne where he took up a part-time career in a tailors shop! His retail blood stayed with him until he finally retired back to Ottershaw in 1979.

Thankfully Ottershaw still has a number of village shops today. Please support them !

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 13 | Page OTTERSHAW C of E SCHOOL: 50 YEARS AGO by Sheila Binns This summer, the Ottershaw Church of Schools celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of it’s move, in the summer of 1967, from the old school on Guildford Road to the present building in Bousley Rise. The ‘old school’ or the Ottershaw National School opened as a Church of England school on 25 July 1870, following the Education Act of 1870 making elementary education compulsory for all children. It replaced a ‘Dame School’, run by Mrs Gosling, whose family were local landowners. The newly constructed building on Guildford Road, on land provided by Sir Edward Colebrooke of Ottershaw Park included a house for the headmaster. At the start, there were 70 pupils in the Upper Department and 58 infants, all aged between 6 and 12. At the end of the nineteenth century, Ottershaw was an agricultural community. During the first twenty years, the overcrowded state of the school was relieved by poor attendance due to the demands of agriculture, the counter attractions of local fairs and circuses and the children acting as beaters on local shoots etc. Parents paid 2d a week for each child, although the local gentry often paid for the children of their employees. Elementary education became free in England in 1891. Overcrowding was always a problem and was relieved sometimes by lessons being held in the Parish Room, the corrugated iron building that is still standing beside the original school. The Countess of Meath, who had built the Meath Home, offered to pay for a new Church of England Infants’ School to relieve overcrowding. She gave the Brox Road corner of her Chaworth House land, paid for the building of the school and leased it to the church. The school opened in 1906 and overcrowding at the Guildford Road building was at last relieved. A new school for Ottershaw, to replace both school buildings on a single site, was being discussed as early as the 1940s as the Junior School on Guildford Road lacked many facilities that were by then considered necessary. By around 1960, a new school for Ottershaw had been included in the educational development plan. Two and a half years passed during which negotiations failed to acquire the site needed. Towards the end of 1963, plans began for the school on another, smaller, site.

Infant school, Brox Rd c1910 Junior School, Guildford Road c1920 From 1 January 1965, the Junior and Infants’ Schools were amalgamated (though still on two sites) as a Ottershaw C of E Primary School under the Headship of Miss M Dawson and Mrs S Ensor was appointed to the newly created post as teacher responsible for the day-to-day running of the Infants Department.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 14 | Page Having waited for a new school for some twenty five years, the need for a new school was now seen as ‘urgent’ by the Education Office at County Hall. A new combined school for Ottershaw, to be built in Bousley Rise and planned for 280 children, therefore became part of Surrey County Council’s Major Building Programme for 1966/67. The new school building was erected with an eye to cost restraint throughout. By January 1966, construction was underway and the issue that seemed to have most exercised everyone involved was that the muddy and pot-holed track that was Bousley Rise should be properly made up by the time the school opened. The new school opened in July 1967, with 120 children moving into three classrooms after the Easter holidays. The building was completed during the summer term so that the rest of the children could move in and the Guildford Road site closed on 28 July. The Headmistress and her staff were congratulated on the smooth transfer of the school to the new buildings. The old school became a remedial centre for a while and then lay empty for a few years. By 1985 it had been converted into seven houses and called Colebrooke Place. This was, though, far from the end of the story of the move to Bousley Rise. The new school was too small from the beginning so the Infants’ School Building in Brox Road continued to be used. The school and its managers faced many problems: making up Bousley Rise, insufficient classroom space and, unsurprisingly, numerous problems with the building itself. However, the overwhelming issue for the school barely settled into its new site was that at the end of October 1967 the County Council decided that the age of transfer from primary to secondary school was to be raised to 12+, creating three year First Schools and four year Middle Schools from September 1971, for which the new school in Ottershaw was not large enough. However, it proved possible both to increase the capacity of the recently-opened school and to acquire more land at the bottom of Fletcher Road, on which the new First School could be built. Marshfields C of E First School opened not in 1971, as planned, but in 1973, when the new building was eventually completed. Five to eight year olds moved to the new building at that time, with Mrs Ensor the first Headteacher, and the old Infants’ School on Brox Road was finally The Junior School grounds vacated. The Head of the Christ Church Middle School was Mr P Godden. By this time, Nursery Education was in the spotlight and an overwhelming need had been identified in Ottershaw. The Nursery Unit was completed in November 1975. So the move of the primary school was anything but a smooth and easy transfer. Although the present Junior School opened in 1967, and the move was celebrated this year, it was another eight years before the Nursery unit opened and the school as we know it was complete – some 35 years after the need for a new school had been identified in the village.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 15 | Page OTTERSHAW OPEN SPACES By Jo Harper, Project Officer - Green Space, Runnymede Borough Council One of the treasures of Ottershaw is its Open Spaces bought by Runnymede Borough Council in the 1990`s. In the 2000`s these were designated as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces, SANGs. Up until now RBC has not been able to carry out much work on these sites, but was able to commission management reports from Surrey Wildlife Trust in 2014. With the appointment of a new Project Officer for Green Space by RBC early in 2017, Jo Harper, the council has been able to start the preparation of exciting management work on these sites. We asked Jo to tell us about these plans. BEHIND THE SCENES AT OTTERSHAW WOODLANDS Ether Hill (Ether Hill is the gorgeous picture on the front cover), Queenwood, Ottershaw Chase, Timber Hill, Chaworth Copse and Hare Hill are popular areas of woodland located around the village of Ottershaw which have been designated as Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces. SANGs are provided and managed to mitigate the effects of new developments on protected bird habitats such as Chobham Common. You may soon notice some changes starting to take place within the local woodlands, as the Green Space Team at Runnymede Borough Council work to improve the quality of the woodland for wildlife and visitors alike. Our aim is to promote a habitat of mixed woodland, with a mosaic of variably-aged tree species and ground flora that can support a high level of animal diversity. This will take many years, and will include: • Tree thinning, particularly targeting non-natives such as Sycamore and Turkey Oak • Halo-releasing, the careful felling of young trees close to an older tree • Coppicing, the cutting back of selected trees to ground level to create temporary glades • The opening up of paths and rides to create greater habitat diversity.

All work has been recommended by ecologists at Surrey Wildlife Trust and approved by the local Forestry Commission Woodland Officer. We don’t want to impact on our existing wildlife so we’ll ensure that all non-urgent tree works take place out of the bird nesting season.

View of the Driveway, Ottershaw Chase

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 16 | Page As a priority, we’re starting by tackling areas of invasive non- native Rhododendron ponticum and cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). While on the surface it may seem like these evergreen shrubs provide good cover for wildlife, in reality very little wildlife will be making use of it. Clearing these will let more light reach the woodland floor, help native species to generate naturally, so leading to a much healthier woodland habitat. Some of the rhododendron at Ether Hill was cut back at the beginning of the year and the re-growth sprayed this summer For human visitors, more light reaching the woodland floor will help dry out muddy paths, but in particularly soggy and slippery areas we’re installing stretches of hard wearing natural looking pathway to improve access. An interpretation scheme consisting of waymarkers, information boards, finger posts, tactile rubbing panels and a leaflet are due to be delivered and installed this coming winter to link together the woods bordering on to Ottershaw Memorial Fields with Ottershaw Chase and Timber Hill. We are hoping this scheme will help visitors have a better understanding of their local landscape, heritage, wildlife and future management of these special places.

Timber Hill Woods For more information on Runnymede SANGs, please visit: https://www.runnymede.gov.uk/article/5250/Natural-Environment-policy-documents- and-guidance

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 17 | Page DELIVERING A RELIABLE SUPPLY OF WATER FOR THE FUTURE By Kevin Barton, External Communications Manager, Affinity Water Local water supplier, Affinity Water has been working in the Ottershaw area since January 2016 to renew ageing pipes which will help ensure a reliable supply of water for many years to come. Work to renew the water network in the Ottershaw area has been completed on schedule. Providing water is a non stop, round the clock job. Affinity Water is the largest water-only supplier in the UK and is responsible for providing 900 million litres of top quality drinking water to 3.6 million people through 16,500 km of pipework every day. If laid end to end, their network of pipes would stretch from London to Sydney. Renewing this network is vital to ensure this level of service is maintained and disruption from unplanned leaks and bursts is minimised. Previous to the work in Ottershaw, three large trunk mains pipes, which follow the A320 (Guildford Road) Ottershaw towards Woking carried 25 million litres of water every day to 61,000 households. These pipes were laid between 45 and 75 years ago and were reaching the end of their useful life; they were prone to bursting and causing disruption for the local community and commuters. The network in this area was earmarked for renewal as part of Affinity Water’s £500 million investment strategy detailed in their 2015 -2020 business plan. Affinity Water worked closely with Surrey Highways to plan the works in three distinct phases to try and minimise the amount of disruption caused. The first phase started in January 2016 to replace a 12 inch diameter cast iron pipe with a plastic polymer pipe from the Ottershaw roundabout, via Brox Road to the A320 junction. Around 1.6km of new pipe was laid, which was complete by May 2016. Plastic polymer pipes are often used in modern water networks. Cast iron pipes are rigid and can crack from natural movements in the ground whereas plastic polymer pipes are flexible and less prone to leaks and bursts compared to old cast iron pipes.

Phase one MDPE pipe laying

Phase one reinstating the road

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 18 | Page In June 2016, the second phase began at the junction of the A320 / Brox Road to Anthony’s Booster (just past McLaren’s roundabout). This phase presented complex engineering challenges due to the location of the work on a busy main road and the fact that Affinity Water had to replace an ageing 15 inch cast iron pipe with two 16 inch and 24 inch ductile iron pipes totalling 3.2km in length. The majority of pipe laying was completed by December 2016 and the two new pipes were commissioned by April 2017. Since the original pipes were laid up to 75 years ago, the A320 has become much busier – traffic vibrations are another cause of burst pipes, especially if they are corroded by age. Ductile iron pipes are much stronger than cast iron pipes and less susceptible to cracking. They are also able to withstand higher pressures and weight from traffic loads.

Phase two old pipe vs new pipes deep excavation Phase two installing new ductile iron pipes The third and final phase began in April 2017, replacing a 21 inch cast iron pipe with a 24 inch ductile iron pipe from the Brox Road junction to the Ottershaw roundabout. During this phase, around 1.3km of new pipe work was laid, which was completed by October 2017 bringing an end to the project and improving the resilience of the local water network for many years to come.

Affinity Water Project Manager, Andrius Zabotka said: “We realise that these challenging improvement works caused disruption to the area and our teams worked hard to minimise this as much as possible. We deployed ‘spotters’ to the area to manually manage the flow of traffic and held several drop in sessions to listen to the concerns of local residents ensuring the delivery plan of this project could be adjusted meeting customers expectations.

This work was absolutely essential to ensure we continue to deliver a reliable supply of high quality water for many years to come and we would like to thank local residents and commuters for their patience during this time.” THANK YOU TO AFFINITY WATER LTD FOR SPONSORING THIS EDITION OF THE OTTERSHAW SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 19 | Page A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AMBULANCE STATION by Hannah Lane The first ambulance in the area was obtained by public subscription in 1928, the ambulance station being in Chertsey. The following information was supplied by Miss Rowena Stewart, Public Relations Assistant, Surrey Ambulance Service, and Mr. Flooder of New Haw:- This new station in Ottershaw for the Chertsey area was built in 1953 at a built cost of £12,418. It was extended to include a garage and canteen in 1971 at a cost of £37,376 and a locker room was added in 1972. The 2nd Ottershaw Society minutes say an extension was added in 1966. The present building is approximately 1,426 square metres. Mr. Flooder left his mark to this day in that he came riding in on his bike on to newly laid concrete floor, so leaving his tyre marks, probably on the Fitters floor. Mr. Flooder helped build the Station, as he was working for the local Gas Company and installed the gas heating. He then joined the Ambulance Service at the Ottershaw Station. In 1953 the Service was still using the various ambulances from before the war, certainly from before the Service was formed in 1948, (at the same time as the National Health Service). With Wartime restrictions still in effect, many were un-roadworthy but had to be repaired and continued in use. One of these was the old ambulance from the Fever Hospital, (Isolation Hospital), the Ottershaw Hospital, which was the one Mr. Flooder drove. (Was this the one whose purchase is recorded in the Minute Book of the Hospital Committee on 18 May 1932 that the ambulance driver smashed it into one of the garage doors as he delivered it? The Clerk had interviewed the driver and censured him severely). Another was from the Hospital.

Pre 1948 the nearest Ambulance Station was in Laburnum Road in Chertsey, a shed on the right at the end. Mr. Eric White was a driver, who later became the Station Head. In Weybridge the Ambulance Station was where the St. John’s Ambulance Station now is beside the modern bridge over the River Wey on the Road, on the north side. By 2005 this had been demolished to be replaced by flats. After 1948 the Chertsey Ambulance Station moved to next to the Fire Station in the Mortuary Building. The ambulances were kept in the Council Yard opposite. This served Ottershaw until this new Station was built. All telephone calls from the public in Chertsey and Ottershaw went to the Ambulance Control in Woking, a former house The grass area in the front of the Station was planted next to the Police Station. Then with bulbs by the children of Meath School, Brox Road in telephoned through to the autumn 1993, supplied by Scottlandscape Nursery, appropriate station. formally of Bousley Rise.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 20 | Page CHERTSEY MAKE READY CENTRE Sue Tugwell, Operational Manager, Chertsey Operational Unit Prior to 2008 paramedics were responsible for the care and cleaning of their vehicles, since then Make Ready Centres have been created, of which Ottershaw is one; a large depot where ambulance crews start & end shifts & where vehicles are cleaned, maintained & re-stocked. These centres dramatically reduce the risk of infection being carried by the paramedics. They feed four satellite stations, vehicles go through Make Ready every 12 hours and then go back to their station. Vehicles have a deep clean every 6 weeks. The Ottershaw centre is regarded as the gold star standard for Make Ready. Having joined the Ambulance Service 22 years ago, Sue Tugwell is currently one of three Ops Managers looking after 11 Team Leaders, and 200 staff. She is responsible for the day-to-day running of the unit, including making sure they have the right number of ambulances available and liaising with local hospitals. Sue says one of the most challenging parts of her job is managing the scene of an accident. The Ottershaw station forms part of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which covers Sussex, Surrey, Kent and a little of North Hants. Surprisingly the unit’s busiest days tend to be Mondays and Fridays, when GPs are doing their rounds and admitting patients to hospital. The station crews respond to a wide range of calls, with a variety of specialist paramedics, they will also back fill where needed to cover major incidents, e.g. Grenfell Towers, when local ambulances are overstretched. A new Regional Control Centre recently opened up in Sept 2017, and is state of the art. The Control Centre handles all 999 calls. The Regional Control Centre responds to: • Approx. 50 emergency calls/day • 1088 calls in Runnymede area during Sept 17 (Ottershaw plus four satellite stations) • 20,227 calls during 2016 in the Runnymede area. DEFIBRILATOR NOW AT MEMORIAL FIELDS RBC have recently installed a public access defibrillator at Ottershaw Memorial Fields on the outside wall of the public toilets, facing the roadway coming in. Hopefully it’ll never need to be used, but it might help save a life one day. The unit was funded by a grant from the British Heart Foundation & Department for Health. There are also now defibs at Victory Park, Addlestone, Chertsey Rec (next to SWPS) and at Heathervale Rec in New Haw. Public defibs are very user friendly and have step by step instructions on them. The unit talks the user through each step and won't do anything until 'it' is ready. The defibrillator carries out a frequent self service and has a green tick by the handle to indicate that all is good. This is why the units are upside down in the cabinets, so that it is easier for the park keepers to check everything is OK. The park keepers carry out a daily visual inspection of their sites, so these units will be checked frequently for possible vandalism.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 21 | Page ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU! OR – THE HERBERT HANCOCK STORY CONTINUED By Peter Binns In my article in last Autumn's Newsletter about bell ringing, I asked for any information about the ringers shown in a 1929 newspaper photograph. At the 2017 May Fair Dave Hale, who is 76 (though you He left hospital on 28th May 1926. My would not think so!) read the article, said ‘I guess is that he will have regained know him!’ about one of them; Hannah consciousness on Sunday 23rd May just Lane overheard him and introduced us! before either morning or evening service. Dave remembers Herbert Hancock as a Even if he started to ring immediately after friend of his family and kindly shared his the accident – probably not likely – it was memories of Herbert Hancock, one of the pretty good going to get to peal standard ringers in the 1929 photograph. More than (3 hours continuous ringing or 5,000+ pulls that he kindly researched some of by each ringer/ 30,000+ dings dongs etc., Herbert’s history online and shared the without making one mistake) within 3 results of that plus the extra memories years. that bubbled to the surface. Herbert Hancock was a plasterer and Dave’s father was a friend of Herbert seems to have lived in Ottershaw* Hancock as they lived close to each other throughout his life until the late 1950’s in Chobham Road in the 1920’s and ‘30’s. when he and his wife upped sticks to go to The Hales lived at 1 Chobham Road, in a Bath, closer to their daughter, Hazel Lillian, cottage behind where Anvil Cars (originally and her family. Herbert married Milly the village smithy) stands now. (That Thompson (1908-1995) - another bell cottage has since been demolished) and ringer in the picture - in 1934. She was the Herbert lived at No. 11 with his mum and only child (christened Lillian Charlotte) of dad and his sister. His older brothers and Henry Frank Thompson and Lillian Mary sisters had fled the nest by the time Dave Thompson who owned Thompson’s Dairy, knew him. a local grocers, occupying the house that is now Curchods, at the corner of Chobham Herbert was born in 3 September 1895 Road and Foxhills Road. She was probably and Dave thinks that the man second from generally known as ‘Milly’ to avoid the left in the old picture was Herbert confusion with her mother, Lillian Mary.[* Hancock due to his height. Dave recounted it is likely that Herbert spent at least part his father’s story that Herbert had a of the 1914-1918 years away from the motorcycle accident at the Otter corner on village but we have no information on that 21st May 1926 and as he regained period. Like many who served, Herbert consciousness in the infirmary in Murray seems not to have spoken of his war Road he heard Christ Church’s bells ringing service.] and decided he would learn to ring.

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 22 | Page After marrying, Herbert and Milly rented a OTHER VILLAGE ORGANISATIONS house at the foot of Southwood Avenue UPDATES until her mother Mary died (in the mid THE WI NIGHT OWL ‘50s) after which they moved to 9 EVENT PROGRAMME Chobham Road, next to what had been her mother’s home since Henry Thompson’s The Ottershaw WI night Owls has a very death in 1949. In the mid ‘50’s Herbert varied selection of speakers and activities helped Phil Croft of ‘Fornam’ in Stonehill this season, so there should be something Road to build the house at 9 Chobham for everyone. Visitors usually pay £2 a Road on part of the garden of No. 7. session and can visit three times and there Herbert and Milly’s daughter, Hazel Lillian, is no obligation to become a member. was born in 1938 and married Bryan DECEMBER 5TH - BEHIND THE DOORS OF Stirland in 1958. Hazel and Bryan moved to THE MAGIC CIRCLE Bath with his work. Herbert and Milly John Derris has been performing magic followed their daughter to Bath. Herbert tricks since he was a child and will be died in 1983 and Milly in 1995. Dave thinks joining us this month to show us some that Hazel is still living near Bath. tricks and tell tales of the elusive magic So that’s the story of two of the ringers in circle. the photo. Who out there knows anything of the others? The tale continues (sort THE OTTERSHAW PLAYERS of!)…..It so happens that recently the The Ottershaw Players are tower was visited by a ringer from Capel in performing a very funny 2 act deepest Surrey who began his ringing play on 7th, 8th, 9th career at Ottershaw whilst a schoolboy at December at the Brook Hall in . Whilst reminiscing with Ottershaw. It is called How to Roger Pashley about people they both Train your Husband by Devon Williamson. might have known, our visitor mentioned More details can be found here: Hazel Hancock as a ringer and that he may http://ottershawplayers.co.uk/ have rung at her wedding! (Ottershaw School was a private school located at Ottershaw Park before it was converted to apartments.)

BOMB DISPOSAL UNIT IN OTTERSHAW A local resident, who shall remain nameless, recently discovered a bomb hidden whilst clearing out their garage - left by the previous occupant. A bomb disposal unit was dispatched but it was a police car that actually removed the bomb - as, by then, the truck had a flat battery! The van sat there for quite some time until it could be jump started. Never a dull day in Ottershaw!

www.facebook.com/ottershawsociety www.ottershawsociety.org 23 | Page RUNNYMEDE SPORT & HEALTH By Suzi Bowen, Community Development Officer (Sport & Health), Runnymede Borough Council The Runnymede Sport and Health e-newsletter is your opportunity to be the first to hear about events and activities around the borough. We send out a round up of sport and health news every six weeks. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by email or view the latest copy online: www.runnymede.gov.uk/SportsNews. We are always looking to work with new partners and get feedback from residents about activities they would like around the borough. To get in contact with the Community Development Officer for Sport and Health please email [email protected] . Our annual calendar includes events such as: GET ACTIVE 50+; Now in its second year, Get Active 50+ aims to improve health amongst older adults by offering discounted sessions and courses exclusively for people aged 50 or over. Activities range from Walking Netball to Bowls and Cage Cricket to Ballroom Dancing, there’s something for everyone. To see the full programme of activities visit: www.runnymede.gov.uk/getactive50 SURREY YOUTH GAMES; The Surrey Youth Games is the biggest annual sporting HOMEWOOD PARKRUN TURNS event for children in Surrey, with 15 sports to choose from. Every year we offer 8 ONE! weeks of free sports coaching from April – June at locations around the borough in a wide range of sports for young people aged 7-16. Information can be found in the new year: www.runnymede.gov.uk/SYG LIVING WELL WEEK; Now in it's 3rd year, Runnymede's Living Well Week is a celebration aimed at giving local residents the opportunity to try something new and What is Homewood parkrun? increase awareness of the vast array of It is a 5km run existing services in the Borough. During When is it? our campaign week we work with partners Every Saturday at 9:00am. from across Runnymede to put on a week Where is it? full of free and low cost activities that Ottershaw Memorial Fields promote health and wellbeing. Be the first The course? to hear about the 2018 event at The route passes through the beautiful www.runnymede.gov.uk/livingwell woodland trails of Ether Hill.

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