Dorking Heritage Trails
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Explore Dorking Heritage Trails Trail Plaque Locations St. Martin’s Church Dorking Halls Barclays Bank Council Offices White Horse Hotel Hamptons The Almshouses St. Martin’s Walk local resident who was responsible for the building of The shops here represent the late 19th century large parts of fashionable London. expansion of the retail heart of the town, including At this point on the Trail you might wish to walk a the Oddfellow’s Hall build in 1894 by local architect Start few hundred metres to the Deepdene roundabout to William Shearburn. trail see one of the town’s modern wonders, a giant five- Continue along the street, past the post office. The Begin at the South door of St. Martins Church. toed ‘Dorking’ cockerel. This special breed of fowl is timber-framed building occupied by Café Rouge, the symbol of the town and was supposedly opposite the post office, probably dates back to the Take the path into the busy High Street and turn left, introduced by the Romans. 16th century. keeping an eye open for the plaque on Barclays bank erected to celebrate the second millennium. Return to the council offices a distinctive, modern, Turn into the modern shopping centre of St. Martin’s red brick building. The trail then passes Pippbrook Walk, under the projecting clock tower. A plaque on Take the pedestrian crossing to the opposite side of House, built as a private house and designed by Sir the left commemorates the visit to Dorking of Queen the road, turning left down the broad High Street. George Gilbert Scott in 1856, and into Old London Road. Elizabeth II . At the back of the centre is a path Look left above the roofs and chimneys to the North that leads into the churchyard and back to your Downs. The slopes of Denbies Vineyard, clothed with Cross with care, opposite Pippbrook Mill. This corn starting point. vines, can be seen above the roof tops and, further mill was one of several along the banks of the round, the open downland of Box Hill provides a Pippbrook stream. It fell into disuse in the 16th dramatic backdrop. You will then pass the White century but was rebuilt again in the 18th century. Horse Hotel which is over 400 years old. A narrow path beyond the Mill leads along the side of the mill pond. Continue along the High Street, turning right into Dene Street and left up Heath Hill. The road opens Turn left along a narrow bridge into Wathen Road. out onto Cotmandene. This common land provides A blue plaque on the left side of the street identifies fine views towards Box Hill and the spire of St. the birthplace of Sir Laurence Olivier, one of Martin’s. The 18th century painting of a panorama Britain’s most celebrated actors. 6 of Dorking shows ‘two-stump’ cricket being played Back into the High Street turn on Cotmandene. The painting hangs in the Long right at Hamptons . Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Past the Almshouses , follow the trail bearing left into Moores Road. The high brick walls here once enclosed the kitchen garden of Deepdene Estate, a picturesque landscape centred on Deepdene House. 5 The house was demolished in 1969 but the landscape has been restored and The Deepdene Trail created. Turn right at the petrol station. One of the many smithies in the town was situated opposite the present garage on the corner of London Road where the telephone exchange is now. Outside the Dorking Halls a bronze statue at the entrance 7 Trail to the Halls celebrates the composer Plaque Locations Ralph Vaughan Williams who lived in Dorking. Within the Halls a beautiful St. Martin’s Church bronze relief also depicts the composer. Cross Reigate Road where another Dorking Museum bronze statue can be found. This one is & Heritage Centre of Thomas Cubitt, Victorian builder and 4 United Reformed Church Harman’s Antiques Flaxman Panel, Rose Court 1 3 Rose Hill 2 Bulls Head Start trail Robert Dyas 10 9 From the west end of St Street is one of the town’s oldest and most Martin’s Church take a route picturesque streets, which had an international 11 15 through the church gates into reputation as a quality antiques centre . Church Street. The row of neat 19th Enjoy the distinctive shop frontages of West Street 12 century cottages is dwarfed by the church before turning left onto Junction Road. This road 14 spire, one of the tallest in England. was constructed in the 19th Century to relieve traffic Turn left into North Street and you will emerge congestion in town. On the left hand side of the road 13 into the historic heart of the town at pump corner. by Rose Court is a panel from the late 18th century Turn right into West Street. Fifty metres on the by John Flaxman depicting Mercury conveying right is the entrance to the facinating Dorking Pandora to Earth . Museum and Heritage Centre . Numbers 58-61 Turn left on South Street, crossing the street near was the home of William Mullins, one of the the war memorial. South Street was widened Pilgrim Fathers. A blue plaque commemorates and the war memorial and a bandstand were him and the journey he and his family made incorporated into the scheme. By the 1930s to America on The Mayflower in 1620. however, the noise of traffic made the bandstand The Italianate Church by the local architect impractical and it was later removed. A doorway William Shearburn stands back from to the left of the memorial is the entrance to the the street . South Street caves, one of Dorking’s most popular Outside 44 West Street is another blue visitor attractions. plaque indicating the site of Dorking’s first Turn left down the hill back toward Pump Corner Methodist Chapel opened by the founder of passing Butterhill House, the entrance to Rose Hill Methodism himself, John Wesley. West and the Bulls Head Public House . The trail leads back into the High Street. Walk along the High Street to view the beautiful bow fronted- shop of Robert Dyas before heading back to cross at the pedestrian crossing and into the oasis of Kings Head Court. From there walk long the High Street and left into the churchyard to complete your trail. Produced by MVDC ©2015. Graphic Design: Squiggle. Squiggle. Design: Graphic ©2015. MVDC by Produced historic market town of Dorking. of town market historic © Rod Shaw, MVDC, and © Simon Matthews, illustration by David Wright. Wright. David by illustration Matthews, Simon © and MVDC, Shaw, Rod © Squiggle, © Miller, John © photos Other Miller. John © photo: cover Front the around trails walk to easy Two in Dorking Halls. Dorking in St Martins Walk or there is Wifi access at the Café Café the at access Wifi is there or Walk Martins St You can access all of the websites at the library in in library the at websites the of all access can You Getting online in Dorking. Dorking. in online Getting has accredited accommodation listings. accommodation accredited has contains information on the whole of Surrey and and Surrey of whole the on information contains The official website for Surrey Tourism. It It Tourism. 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