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Features
Videos of the Valley
To take advantage of the many thousands of amateur videos published online every year we've started to sift through footage to find items that will give you a taste of the valley, its people and certainly their many eccentricities.
(January 2008)
Hatchford Park Ice House
Before refrigerators were invented large households built ice houses to store perishables. The ice house at Hatchford near Ripley was built in the 18th century and here through the photos of Nick Catford from Subterranea Britannica we take a look inside.
(January 2008)
Articles
Unique Victorian Murals at Blackheath
The only surviving murals painted by the celebrated Victorian artist Anna Lea Merritt need saving from deterioration. The tiny church of St Martins in Blackheath near Guildford has launched a fund to enable the paintings, which were created using then pioneering paints, to be preserved
(May 2008)
Recycling Success at Runfold
A waste management company in Runfold near Farnham has installed revolutionary soil washing equipment at its landfill site and now manages to recycle all but 2% of soil waste received from construction sites and building developments.
(May 2008)
Wispers Closes
Founded in 1947 Wispers, the independent school for girls in Haslemere, announced its immediate closure due to financial difficulties. The school, which directly supported at least a third of its pupils through bursaries from its own funds, had received glowing reports from educational inspectorates as recently as 2007.
(May 2008)
Green Belt Threat Continues
The Campaign to Protect Rural England has published a report highlighting in particular an area of green belt to the north east of Guildford which the local authority appears to be flagging up for new homes development. The authority is under pressure from government to meet housing targets.
(May 2008)
Guildford Technical College & Merrist Wood
With its roots in the Guildford
Technical Institute at the turn of the last century the modern Guildford College provides courses in a wide range of practical disciplines and has won a number of awards for excellence. The college's long history includes wartime requisition of its buildings and pioneering education in computer science in the 1960s.
(April 2008)
Kane FM
A new community radio station is hoping to be awarded its broadcast licence following a successful trial broadcast period. The station has the backing of Guildford Borough Council and received thousands of supportive messages during its trial.
(April 2008)
Guildford Waterfront
The Waterfront Consortium is lobbying to have a multi-purpose cultural centre built in the town and has proposed using the old bus station site opposite the Old Wharf as the site.
(April 2008)
Tree for All Campaign
The Woodland Trust's Tree for All campaign has seen over 5,700 hedgerow and copse trees planted across Surrey, helping to maintain the county's status as one of the densest woodland areas in the UK.
(March 2008)
2008 RSPB Garden Birdwatch Results
The results of the latest RSPB survey of species frequenting domestic gardens in Surrey confirm the continued decline of several once common species including sparrows, starlings and blackbirds.
(March 2008)
Evidence of Otters in Godalming
The Surrey Wildlife Trust has been working on improving the riverside habitat and providing man-made otter holts along the Wey. Evidence that an otter has been frequenting the river through Godalming has given much encouragement.
(March 2008)
Water Voles Get Protected Status
Defra announced that water voles, whose UK population has shrunk by 90% since 1990, is now a legally protected endangered species. There are small colonies of the mammal surviving in the Wey Valley.
(March 2008)
Prior's Field
The modern-day Prior's Field girls boarding school in Godalming is centred on one of the most highly rated examples of the Arts & Crafts Movement architect Charles Voysey's work. Built in the late 19th century the original house features the Oak Hall with its fine staircase and original features designed by the architect still intact.
(March 2008)
Heron Dies on Angler's Line
A heron that had suffered from severe injuries incurred in trying to free itself from discarded fishing line had to be put-down in Guildford again highlighting the dangers from negligent fishermen along the way.
(March 2008)
The Rock Band and Fisher Lane Farm
The rock band Genesis bought a farmhouse near Chiddingfold in 1981 to convert into a recording studio and this remote farm has since been witness to fame and fortune.
(March 2008)
Mr Whitehead's
The only press commercially producing cider in the Wey Valley is going from strength to strength. With a string of awards under their belt since launching in 2003 Mr Whitehead's Cider Company in Alton has joined forces with the Hogs Back Brewery near Farnham to strengthen their distribution network.
(February 2008)
Council's Webcasts Proclaimed a Success
Godalming-based
Waverley Borough Council has been broadcasting live webcasts since 2004. Proclaimed a success the authority looks set to continue with online coverage of key council meetings when EU funding is withdrawn in 2009.
(February 2008)
Farnham Local Food Initiative
Taking up the principles of Community Supported Agriculture a community-based local food co-operative has been launched in Farnham.
(February 2008)
Hindhead Tunnel - The First Cut
After 70 years of local campaigning for an alternative route around the Devil's Punchbowl state-of-the-art boring machines were launched into action by Transport Minister Ruth Kelly. The tunnel when it opens in 2011 will remove the traffic congestion that has so long plagued this beauty spot.
(February 2008)
Increased Ploughing Endangers Valley Birdlife
The EU has lifted restrictions on use of agricultural set-aside land which is resulting in considerably more land being ploughed for crops. The RSPB are concerned that the loss of vital nesting and feeding sites will impact severely on many threatened bird species.
(February 2008)
Guildford Flames Ice Hockey Team
Guildford is rightly proud of its very own ice hockey team that since forming in 1992 has dominated national leagues in Britain. Based at the Spectrum in Guildford the team regularly plays to near capacity crowds and attracts sponsorship from blue chip companies.
(February 2008)
New Farmers Initiative to Enhance Local Landscape
The launch of a new farmers initiative to guarantee prices for livestock if they commit to grazing cattle and sheep should see the landscape of the valley enhanced and better maintained.
(February 2008)
The Skillway Workshops in The Godalming Old Cemetery
The abandoned chapel and mortuary located in the old cemetery in Deanery Road, Godalming was converted into workshops in 2002 to house the activities of Skillway. The charity provides vocational training for teenagers experiencing difficulty with their academic education. A memorial grave to the Titanic wireless opeartor Jack Phillips is located in the graveyard.
(January 2008)
Garden Grabbing Alive and Well in Guildford
The need for more building land for new homes in the Wey Valley has led to an escalation in gardens being secured for new developments with a growing concern over the negative effect to the urban landscape. Guildford is no exception as this account by a local residen testifies
(January 2008)
Protecting the Valley's Bats
The volunteers of the Surrey Bat Group are instrumental in monitoring local bat populations and in putting pressure on local councils to ensure that this protected mammal's breeding and roosting sites are not affected by property developments.
(January 2008)
Horse Logging at Sandhurst Copse
The privately managed woodland near Shamley Green, renowned for its displays of bluebells, employs the traditional method of horse logging in order to maintain a fragile habitat.
(January 2008)
Godalming Fire Station
From the first purpose-built fire station in Moss Lane almost 200 years ago Godalming has always had its own service on the doorstep. Today the service is manned by part-time retained firefighters and is taken for granted but in the early days appliances were horse-drawn hand pumps and fees were charged for each callout.
(January 2008)
Ockham & The Hautboy
The First Earl of Lovelace built the Hautboy Hotel in Ockham in the mid-19th century following his fanciful neo-Gothic style he favoured in many of his new projects. 150 years on the building now stands boarded up whilst developers try to persuade the council to favour a variety of plans, none of which favour reopening the Hautboy as a hotel.
(January 2008)
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