In the Lee of the Hog's Back
15 people attending
15 places left
Settlements and architecture:
Compton: A long straggling street of comfortable houses of stone, timber, brick and tile of all ages. St Nicholas' Church is impressive, plain, of 11th century date and famed for its unique double sanctuary.
Puttenham: A long, attractive village street parallel with the Hog's Back and lined with fine houses of brick, tile, stone and timber. St John the Baptist Church is 12th century, thoroughly renewed in 1861.
Elstead: An attractive plan running down to a medieval bridge and triangular green. St James' Church is mostly of 1871 with just a few fragments of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. The bridge was built by Waverley Abbey monks and so is akin to those at Tilford. The mill is four storeys, late-18th century and with a little cupola on top. Surrey's best mill, apparently.
Peper Harrow: An estate village of 13th century church (restored by Pugin), 18th century mansion and 17th century farm buildings. Peper Harrow House is drily classical, 1765-8, by Sir William Chambers. The park is by 'Capability' Brown, 1762-3. The farm is comprised of farmhouse, barn and granary, all from around 1600 and soon after.
Eashing: A small, pretty hamlet with Tudor houses, a mill and another monk-built medieval bridge over the Wey.
Godalming: Formerly a town of industry (cloth weaving) but now a smart and prosperous dormitory. A curved street with an elegant Regency Market Hall and many Stuart, Georgian and Victorian buildings. St Peter and St Paul Church is 13th and 14th century but heavily restored. Its handsome lead spire dominates the town.
Landscapes and habitats:
Puttenham Heath: Typical Surrey heathland now partly a golf course. There is a bowl barrow topped by a flagstaff and stone commemorating Queen Victoria's visit in 1857.
Puttenham Common and the Tarn: Heathland shrubs such as ling, bell heather and gorse in the more open areas, and silver birch, oak and Scots pine in the closed. The Tarn is one of two ponds with marshland that contain a range of aquatic plants and invertebrates. See http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/puttenham-common.
Food & drink
Bring a packed lunch and lots to drink with you, but you could arrive early and go to a shop in Godalming. We'll have lunch at the picnic area at Puttenham Heath.
I intend to have a mid-afternoon drink at The Mill at Elstead (http://www.millelstead.co.uk/) and there will be places to have drinks in Godalming at the end.