GOLDSWORTH PARK A SELF-GUIDED HERITAGE WALK

WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ON THE HISTORY OF THE AREA Based on the Heritage Walk on Sunday 15th January, 2012

By Iain Wakeford www.heritagewalks.org A HERITAGE WALK AROUND GOLDSWORTH PARK Introduction As well as being one of ’s most modern residential areas, Goldsworth Park also contains one of the area’s oldest sites of habitation. In the 1920s and 30s on the site now occupied by the Goldsworth Park playing fields, thousands of flints tools and ‘flakes’ were found dating from the Upper-Palaeolithic period of the Old Stone Age – 10,000 – 40,000 years old! Evidence of Bronze Age man was found on the opposite side of the estate at Harelands where the ‘Palstave’ or axe (right) is thought to have been discovered. It dates from The Bronze- about 3,500 years ago – Age axe proving that man has thought to found the Goldsworth have been area a wonderful place to found by Dr Hall in the live for thousands of 1920’s years! and is thought to record somewhere The name ‘Goldsworth’ is the discovery sometime near the canal a corruption of before then of a hoard of by ‘Goldhord’ first recorded gold - possibly Roman Langman’s Bridge in the early 13th century coins. Goldsworth, or This Walk starts from ‘Goldings’ was also the outside the Fox & name of one of Woking’s Flowerpot public house ancient tithings, a Saxon in the Central Area of term originally meaning Goldsworth Park the land owned or (although it can, of occupied by ‘ten theigns’. course, start and finish The Goldsworth Tithing at any point along the covered a large area route). There is parking, (including much of what for use of the shopping is now , centre and users of Brookwood, St Johns and other Central Area Goldsworth), showing facilities and bus stops The Goldsworth that the area must have (route 92 from area in been quite sparsely to Knaphill) on the early 19th populated at that time. Bampton Way. century From the pub, cross century. Before then it Bampton Way and appears to have been called follow the footpath ‘Brooker’ or signposted towards the ‘Brooking’ (presumably Basingstoke Canal. another former owner), but Keep on this path, over we do not know by what the bridge across name it was known when it Lockfield Drive, to was first built in the mid Langmans Bridge. 16th century. It was originally an ‘open- hall’ house with an internal jetty over part of the hall (giving extra floor space to one of the upstairs rooms) showing signs of soot on its beams. Langmans - Unfortunately other one of several Langmans historic buildings nearby, Grade II The name Langmans such as Langmans Cottages listed comes from Thomas (illustrated overleaf) and buildings on Langman who owned the Harelands Farm have not Goldsworth Park property in the late 19th survived. Langman Cottages before More details on the Langmans they were demolished history of Langmans is Bridge contained in the Heritage Walk around St Johns—which also has notes on the Basingstoke Canal and Goldsworth Nursery.

Langmans & Woodend Bridges Both bridges, although extensively restored, are now ‘Scheduled Ancient Monuments’ even though they are by no means the most ’ancient’ (nor ’monumental’) features of the area! They were originally built in the late 1780’s / early 1790’s when the Basingstoke Canal was constructed. Originally all bridges over the canal would have been of similar construction, but whereas most of the others in this area have had to be rebuilt to carry ever-increasing traffic, these survived as they only served a few houses and the horses and carts of the nursery.

beside lock nine. The Lock Ten 1871 census records a Stephen Walker, lock keeper (aged 57) living there with his wife, Harriet and his 81 year old father (also Stephen) a At Langmans Bridge, retired lock keeper. turn right onto the towpath of the For more details on the Basingstoke Canal history of the property, (heading towards St including a picture Johns). showing which part of the present building is Lock-Keeper’s Cottage the original cottage, In street directories up to please see the self guided at least 1919 Woodend St Johns Heritage Walk Bridge is recorded as booklet. ‘Walker’s Bridge’, Turn off the canal probably commemorating towpath just below Lock the family of lock-keepers ten, and take the path to who lived in the cottage Copse Road. At the end of Copse Road turn right onto Robin Hood Road (named after the pub, which itself has no connection with the famous north-country Copse Road and the Brick outlaw). Kilns Marked as ‘Long Copse’ on the 1871 Ordnance Survey map (below), the Tithe Map of 1841 records the name ‘Low Coppice’ as covering just over 4 acres and belonging to the Earl of Cross Amstel Way (built Onslow. in 1989 as a by-pass to The coppice would have St Johns and named provided the fuel for after one of Woking’s some of the brick kilns in 1871 ‘twin towns’) to join the the area (recorded on Ordnance other half of Robin maps in the early 18th Survey map Hood Road, past Friary showing century), and owned in Court on the right and Long Copse the later 19th century by Foresters Close on the (and the Lock the Jackman and Slocock keeper’s left to Locksley Drive. families. Cottage)

Brookwood Farm The ‘Brook’ (or ‘Brock— as in Badger) ‘wood’ covered a much larger area than the village that presently bears its name, and is marked on old maps as covering much of the area between Knaphill and St Johns (where the Inkerman and estates are today), as well as Brookwood village and the cemetery. Brookwood Farm in Robin Hood Road was therefore on the edge of the wood, although its Brookwood Farmhouse in the Brookwood farm-land was to the east, early 1980’s, before restoration. Farm now on what is now The Robin Hood Goldsworth Park. It is not known exactly The house dates back in how old the Robin Hood parts to the 16th century is, although the front of with some timber-framing the building is evidently still visible on the Victorian. It has been northern side (look back suggested that the original at the property, through ‘beer house’ served the the trees, as you walk up nursery workers and the hill). faced in the other On the 1841 tithe map direction, but when the the farm is marked as Woking Invalid Convict being occupied by George Prison (and later Jackman, nurseryman, Inkerman Barracks) and covering just over 82 opened, the building was acres. extended upwards and turned around to face the road. The 1871 census records John Palmer and his wife Jane as ‘innkeeper’ together with three lodgers all recorded as ‘assistant warders’ (presumably at the The Robin Hood

Continue up the hill to the Robin Hood Public House, where you should take the footpath immediately on the right, back down the hill to Lockfield Drive. Long Lane Cottage

Prison). Grade II listed building. Carefully cross Continue along Denton Lockfield Drive into Way until just after Denton Way Newsham Road (on your left), take the Long Lane Cottage footpath, through to Denton Way follows the Armadale Road and line of an old track known then on to the lake. as ‘Long Lane’ that has been in existence since medieval times. In 1536 the Manor Court Rolls of Woking record a Henry Milward as having ‘croft land’ and a grove at Long Lane (or Longland), and in 1554/5 a William Atwatter left to his brothers Thomas and Before turning off, John ‘the yearly rent of however, look towards my land at Long Lane’. the end of the road and The house itself dates the Brockhill Old from the 16th century People’s Home (the and, like Langmans and building with the solar Brookwood Farm, is a panels on the roof). Brockhill The Stone-Age site where the playing fields are now, was on land originally belonging to a house called ‘Brockhill’, off Littlewick Road, so it can be confusing when ‘Brockhill’ is referred to as the home of Woking’s oldest residents. The old people’s home, Brockhill (on the corner of Denton Way and Clifton Way), was officially opened April 1760’s and acquired by Brockhill Old 1990 but does not have, Walter Slocock in the People’s Home as far as we know, any 1870’s. Slocock started connections with people out with just 24 acres, living in the Stone Age! employing three men and

two boys, but gradually Much of the history of he expanded the business, Goldsworth Nursery is so that by the time he died covered in the St Johns in 1926 it covered over Heritage Walk, but it is 400 acres (not just in worth repeating some of Goldsworth Goldsworth but around Nursery in the facts here as they Bisley and Chobham too). 1877 relate to this part of Goldsworth Park.

Goldworth Nursery The original ‘Goldsworth Nursery’, was between the canal and St John’s Road (the Winnington Way area), started by James Turner in the Walter Charles Slocock was said to be a quick- tempered, but fair and forgiving person, who would often ‘sack’ a worker one day and then enquire why they hadn't turned up for work the next day!

At the lake, look left towards the playing fields and Goldwater Lodge, before turning right to follow the path beside the lake. Turn right to return to the Goldsworth Park Central Area. Goldsworth Nursery in the 1960’s. Goldsworth Park new Conservative The start of It was in the 1950s that Government abolished the construction on the southern portion of Land Commission, but by Goldsworth what is now Goldsworth then Woking Council had Vale in the Park was designated as already got the ‘bit early 1970s. suitable for housing in the between their teeth’ and draft Structure in 1971 agreement was Plan. In 1967 Woking reached between the Council announced a plan council and New Ideal for the site, but the cost of Homes Ltd for the drainage was a major development of the 575 problem and it was not acre estate. At the time it until the following year was said to be the largest when the Labour single development by a Government formed the private developer in ‘Land Commission’ that Europe. there was any prospect of The original plan was for the whole site being 3,750 homes, shops, pubs, developed. In 1970 the two youth centres, churches, a library, meeting halls, a fire station. 22 acres of warehousing, 42 acres of playing fields, 14 acres of 1988. By 1991 the An advert public open space ad a 17 population of Goldsworth from May acre lake (to help drain 1976 for Lit- Park had reached 12,443 tlewick the site). The estimated – 15% of the population population was 14,000. of the entire Borough of Willowmead Planning permission was Woking! was built in granted in March 1973 1982 (after a Public Inquiry) and in June 1973 revised plans were announced (this time with more houses, a health centre and Adult Education Centre). Work began on the first stage – known as Goldsworth Vale – in August 1973 with the first buyer moving in during May 1974. By 1978 1,000 new homes had been occupied, with over 3,000 built by Goldwater Lodge the decision was made to Brookwood The original plan was for integrate the new hall Mews was eventually a meeting hall to be built with the council’s named in the central area, but in proposed ‘social pavilion’ Friary 1985 the Goldsworth Park by the lake and playing Court Community Association fields - Goldwater Lodge. realised that the site that The Lodge was finally Goldwater had been allocated for opened in July 1988. Lodge them was not all that satisfactory. Part of the problem was the restrictions placed on the site regarding ‘trading hours’ and the selling of alcohol , but they lso discovered the site had technical problems when it came to building and so St. Andrew’s Church The parish of St Andrews, Goldsworth Park, was formed on the 1st April 1981, although it was not for another seven years before the church was built. The name comes from a chapel of ease to St Mary’s, , that was dedicated to St Andrew and which used to be in St Andrews Viggory Lane. proceeds given towards Church After much controversy the construction of the the site was sold for new church on development and the Goldsworth Park. Another early 1970’s plan Central Area March 1993 and work on and artist’s impression, Of course not all that was the Generation Centre showing the planned for the estate was starting in May that year. scheme built, but in July 1982 We are still waiting for the almost as (after years of debate over Library to be built, along built (minus the best arrangement for with the Adult Education the clock tower in front the Central Area), work Centre and Fire Station! of the church) began on the shops, pub and petrol station (with the community hall, church, and clinic left until later). Although a doctors surgery opened on the park in 1979, it was not until 1986 that the Medical Centre was opened, with Lakers Youth Centre opening in

A HERITAGE WALK AROUND GOLDSWORTH PARK

© 2012, Iain Wakeford Published by Alfred Arthur Wakeford, 166 High Street, , GU22 9JH.

GUIDE For a copy of the current programme of guided Heritage NOT FOR Walks please visit the ‘Diary’ section of our website, SALE No. 7 www.heritagewalks.org