The Little Manor emerging from the rubble - 1988 In 2019 Little Manor Service Station, commonly known as ‘The Esso’, is celebrating its 30th anniversary under the ownership of the Lambert family. At the centre of the site is the delightful 15 Century, half-timbered, Little Manor building that nearly lost its fight ...
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Peace celebrations at the head of Knowle Lane (courtesy of Michael Miller) On Saturday July 19th, a month after the Peace of Versailles was signed to conclude the Great War, the whole country celebrated Peace Day. In Cranleigh, the church bell-ringers started the day with a peal of bells at 5.45am. A lunch was ...
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Ceiling detail, Basildon Court by Elizabeth E. Harper and Marion R. May In 2001 I produced a book entitled “The Ornamental Jacksons” showing many of the commissions undertaken by my great, great, great grandfather’s ornamental plaster firm, George Jackson & Sons, in London. My cousin, Elizabeth, and I ...
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A Service to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings which took place on June 6th 1944 will be part of the Evensong Service on Sunday 9th June 2019 at 6.30 p.m. at St Nicolas Church, Cranleigh. We will also be remembering other anniversaries that are taking place in 2019: 75 years since the Battle ...
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Ordnance Survey map of 1871/4 In the middle ages, the whole country was divided up into parishes, each with its own church building and also an area of land called ‘the glebe’ which was assigned to support the priest. Cranleigh’s glebe was larger than average, because the clay soil was so poor. The priest could ...
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St Andrew’s church in 1905 (courtesy of Mrs Vera Wilkinson) For 75 years, almost every picture postcard of Cranleigh Common included a view of the large church of St Andrew, yet now its existence is almost entirely forgotten. Centre: Another angle on St Andrew’s (a Frith postcard, courtesy of Mrs Vera ...
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Bruford’s Brewery in the early 20th century The Vanished Bruford’s Brewery It is amazing that such a large and substantial building as Bruford’s Steam Brewery could have vanished without trace and been forgotten. For thirty to forty years it stood in a prominent position right on the High Street (known as ‘The ...
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Forges and Smithies This picture of the forge on the Common probably shows Shadrach Trussler and his son Michael The number of people with the surname Smith shows how widespread their job was. The term ‘blacksmith’ came about because iron was the ‘black metal’. Smiths created agricultural tools, weapons, cooking ...
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Cranleigh Arts Centre is pleased to partner and host the Secret WW2 Learning Network, a registered educational charity promoting knowledge and understanding of clandestine warfare in the Second World War. The Network is presently researching the role of selecting and training secret agents played by ‘Winterfold’ ...
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The Vanished Workhouse It may come as a surprise to hear that Cranleigh had its own workhouse. There are no known drawings of it, and it was before photography was developed, but it figures on old maps, and quite a lot is known about it and the inmates. Edward Hassell’s painting of the almshouses in 1830 ...
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