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(Redirected from Cranleigh, England)
'Cranleigh' is a large village, proclaimed the largest in England and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming in Surrey. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford with Horsham; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst, Rowley and Hascombe.
Until the mid 1860s, the town was called "Cranley". The Post Office insisted on changing the spelling to avoid confusion with nearby Crawley in West Sussex. The name is popularly believed to come from the large crane breeding ground that were historically there. The figure of a crane adorns the old drinking water fountain of 1874, that can still be found in the middle of the village in 'Fountain Square'.
Situated in the Weald, a forested area not densely populated until the 19th century, Cranleigh has little of prehistoric or Roman interest. A spur of the Roman road between London and Chichester runs north west to Guildford past nearby Farley Heath in Farley Green, a temple site.
The Anglican parish church of St Nicolas dates the first building on its site from around 1170, and the building was in its present form by the mid 14th century.
The church has a gargoyle which is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll, who lived in Guildford, to create the Cheshire Cat. The parish is in the Diocese of Guildford.
Growth came due to improvements in transport; in 1813 the Wey and Arun Canal was authorised, passing a few miles to the west of the village. This route linked London (via the Thames and the Wey) with Littlehampton (via the Arun). However, the canal traffic was completely eclipsed by the railway in 1865, and the canal fell into disuse. A turnpike road was also built between Guildford and Horsham, the opening of which is commemorated by an obelisk near the church.
Cranleigh railway station was closed by Beeching.[1]
Cranleigh possessed the first cottage hospital in the country founded by a local doctor in 1859. It has survived many attempts to close it, through fundraising by the local community. However, Cranleigh hospital closed in May 2006.[2]
Despite losing the rail link, Cranleigh has prospered both as a satellite of Guildford, and as a service and light engineering centre in its own right. Furthermore it is a retail centre for the surrounding smaller villages. The resident population of the area decreased by 2.0% in the ten years to 2001.
Cranleigh is twinned with Vallendar, Germany.
The Cranleigh Arts Centre runs a full programme of films, live music, theatre productions, children’s activities, exhibitions and workshops. Regular community arts projects and work with local schools are undertaken to reach and develop new audiences.
Every year the Cranleigh & South Eastern Agricultural Society hold the Cranleigh Show, which is a traditional agricultural show.
Cranleigh School is located in the town. There is a Roman Catholic church, Christ Redeemer of Mankind (in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton) and churches of the Protestant and Baptist denominations.
This is a square near the centre of the town on the High Street, which is on the main road running through Cranleigh. Stocklund Square was constructed following the closing of the railway line in 1965, and the removal of the railway station.
The crane-theme bus shelter, that was added in the 1980s to spruce up the 1960s-era Stocklund square, was removed during recent changes to the square to accommodate a new Sainsbury's supermarket which was built in late 2004. Other shops in the square are owned by Oxfam, Blockbuster Video and Scorpia. The square used to have greenery and a fountain, but this was replaced with a more open layout that now accommodates local attractions and events such as an Easter Service and a French Market. It is situated on the High Street,
In September 2006 the Sports Shop closed, along with a Wine shop, and were shortly replaced by a Carphone Warehouse and a Costa coffee shop.
In 2006, the pedestrian area surrounding the large stone drinking fountain monument (1874) at the centre of the village was re-modelled, and given the name 'Fountain Square'. New granite paving, brick planters and trees were introduced in a design which created a haven from traffic and a new focal point for community events. The main financial sponsors of this refurbishment were Surrey County Council (SCC) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), and the design was undertaken in-house by SCC.
★ ''Cranleigh: A History of Wealden Settlement'' by Christopher Budgen ISBN 0-9533088-0-4
1. Cranleigh railway
2. Cranleigh hospital history
★ Cranleigh Village Community Net
★ Cranleigh Arts Centre
★ The Cranleigh Show
★ Live Bus Locations in Cranleigh.
'Cranleigh' is a large village, proclaimed the largest in England and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming in Surrey. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford with Horsham; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst, Rowley and Hascombe.
Until the mid 1860s, the town was called "Cranley". The Post Office insisted on changing the spelling to avoid confusion with nearby Crawley in West Sussex. The name is popularly believed to come from the large crane breeding ground that were historically there. The figure of a crane adorns the old drinking water fountain of 1874, that can still be found in the middle of the village in 'Fountain Square'.
| Contents |
| History |
| Today |
| Stocklund Square |
| Fountain Square |
| References |
| External links |
History
Situated in the Weald, a forested area not densely populated until the 19th century, Cranleigh has little of prehistoric or Roman interest. A spur of the Roman road between London and Chichester runs north west to Guildford past nearby Farley Heath in Farley Green, a temple site.
The Anglican parish church of St Nicolas dates the first building on its site from around 1170, and the building was in its present form by the mid 14th century.
The church has a gargoyle which is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll, who lived in Guildford, to create the Cheshire Cat. The parish is in the Diocese of Guildford.
Growth came due to improvements in transport; in 1813 the Wey and Arun Canal was authorised, passing a few miles to the west of the village. This route linked London (via the Thames and the Wey) with Littlehampton (via the Arun). However, the canal traffic was completely eclipsed by the railway in 1865, and the canal fell into disuse. A turnpike road was also built between Guildford and Horsham, the opening of which is commemorated by an obelisk near the church.
Cranleigh railway station was closed by Beeching.[1]
Cranleigh possessed the first cottage hospital in the country founded by a local doctor in 1859. It has survived many attempts to close it, through fundraising by the local community. However, Cranleigh hospital closed in May 2006.[2]
Today
Despite losing the rail link, Cranleigh has prospered both as a satellite of Guildford, and as a service and light engineering centre in its own right. Furthermore it is a retail centre for the surrounding smaller villages. The resident population of the area decreased by 2.0% in the ten years to 2001.
Cranleigh is twinned with Vallendar, Germany.
The Cranleigh Arts Centre runs a full programme of films, live music, theatre productions, children’s activities, exhibitions and workshops. Regular community arts projects and work with local schools are undertaken to reach and develop new audiences.
Every year the Cranleigh & South Eastern Agricultural Society hold the Cranleigh Show, which is a traditional agricultural show.
Cranleigh School is located in the town. There is a Roman Catholic church, Christ Redeemer of Mankind (in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton) and churches of the Protestant and Baptist denominations.
Stocklund Square
This is a square near the centre of the town on the High Street, which is on the main road running through Cranleigh. Stocklund Square was constructed following the closing of the railway line in 1965, and the removal of the railway station.
The crane-theme bus shelter, that was added in the 1980s to spruce up the 1960s-era Stocklund square, was removed during recent changes to the square to accommodate a new Sainsbury's supermarket which was built in late 2004. Other shops in the square are owned by Oxfam, Blockbuster Video and Scorpia. The square used to have greenery and a fountain, but this was replaced with a more open layout that now accommodates local attractions and events such as an Easter Service and a French Market. It is situated on the High Street,
In September 2006 the Sports Shop closed, along with a Wine shop, and were shortly replaced by a Carphone Warehouse and a Costa coffee shop.
Fountain Square
In 2006, the pedestrian area surrounding the large stone drinking fountain monument (1874) at the centre of the village was re-modelled, and given the name 'Fountain Square'. New granite paving, brick planters and trees were introduced in a design which created a haven from traffic and a new focal point for community events. The main financial sponsors of this refurbishment were Surrey County Council (SCC) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), and the design was undertaken in-house by SCC.
References
★ ''Cranleigh: A History of Wealden Settlement'' by Christopher Budgen ISBN 0-9533088-0-4
1. Cranleigh railway
2. Cranleigh hospital history
External links
★ Cranleigh Village Community Net
★ Cranleigh Arts Centre
★ The Cranleigh Show
★ Live Bus Locations in Cranleigh.
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