Brockham
Encyclopedia
Brockham is a village in the Mole Valley
district of Surrey
, England
. 'Broc-ham' is so called from the Anglo Saxon meaning 'river meadow by the brook' and is first recorded in 1241. It is often mistakenly believed that there is an association with badgers but this is a modern affectation from the 1950s when Cecily M Rutley created Brock the Badger in a children's story http://www.badgerland.co.uk/pictures/book_covers/childrens/brock_the_badger.html. It is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Dorking
and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Reigate
. The village lies south of Box Hill
, with the River Mole
flowing west through the village.
On a spur of land to the north west of the village stands Betchworth Castle
, originally built by Richard FitzGilbert on land granted to him by William the Conqueror soon after the Norman invasion in 1066, but later replaced by a medieval house which was probably built in the mid to late 14th century. Only a few ruins survive today.
Today’s church is relatively recent - it was commissioned in 1847 by Sir Henry Goulburn
, who served as both Chancellor of the Exchequer
and Home Secretary
. Agriculture previously provided most of the employment for villagers, although further work was to be found in the nearby Brockham Hills in the late 19th century, when they were mined for chalk
and hearthstone - an operation run by the Brockham Brick Company Limited until 1911.
In 1945, Beecham Research Laboratories Ltd (now part of Glaxo Smith Kline) operated from Brockham Park at the southern end of the village.
In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus, 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic acid); this discovery allowed the synthesis of a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. In 1959, Beecham marketed pheneticillin, followed shortly by meticillin (or methicillin), which is active against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus ('Golden Staph'). In time resistance developed to these antibiotics; hence the origin of the term MRSA or Methicillin - Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. The site is now a housing estate.
The village green is a focal point for the village. Once popular for its cricket
matches - WG Grace is said to have played there - it is now better known as the site of a Guy Fawkes
bonfire every year on the closest Saturday to November 5. It is the UK's largest bonfire and firework display believed to date back to the 1880s. Around 20,000 people gather round the village green and over 4 tonnes of fireworks light up the sky and is widely regarded as the highlight of the Mole Valley's calendar. About £20,000 is raised each year for local charities.
Brockham Primary School merged with The Acorns Infant School in nearby Betchworth on 2 June 2010 to create a new all through primary school now named The North Downs Primary School. The merger and name change caused a huge local debate as many people wanted the names and uniform colour to remain the same.
Mole Valley
Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking.The district, named after the River Mole, was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban districts of Dorking and Leatherhead and most of the Dorking and Horley...
district of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. 'Broc-ham' is so called from the Anglo Saxon meaning 'river meadow by the brook' and is first recorded in 1241. It is often mistakenly believed that there is an association with badgers but this is a modern affectation from the 1950s when Cecily M Rutley created Brock the Badger in a children's story http://www.badgerland.co.uk/pictures/book_covers/childrens/brock_the_badger.html. It is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
. The village lies south of Box Hill
Box Hill, Surrey
Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately south west of London. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst...
, with the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
flowing west through the village.
On a spur of land to the north west of the village stands Betchworth Castle
Betchworth Castle
Betchworth Castle is a ruin of a fortified medieval house, near Brockham, built on a sandstone spur overlooking the western bank of the River Mole, Surrey, UK...
, originally built by Richard FitzGilbert on land granted to him by William the Conqueror soon after the Norman invasion in 1066, but later replaced by a medieval house which was probably built in the mid to late 14th century. Only a few ruins survive today.
Today’s church is relatively recent - it was commissioned in 1847 by Sir Henry Goulburn
Henry Goulburn
Henry Goulburn PC FRS was an English Conservative statesman and a member of the Peelite faction after 1846.-Background and education:...
, who served as both Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
and Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
. Agriculture previously provided most of the employment for villagers, although further work was to be found in the nearby Brockham Hills in the late 19th century, when they were mined for chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
and hearthstone - an operation run by the Brockham Brick Company Limited until 1911.
In 1945, Beecham Research Laboratories Ltd (now part of Glaxo Smith Kline) operated from Brockham Park at the southern end of the village.
In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus, 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic acid); this discovery allowed the synthesis of a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. In 1959, Beecham marketed pheneticillin, followed shortly by meticillin (or methicillin), which is active against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus ('Golden Staph'). In time resistance developed to these antibiotics; hence the origin of the term MRSA or Methicillin - Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. The site is now a housing estate.
The village green is a focal point for the village. Once popular for its cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches - WG Grace is said to have played there - it is now better known as the site of a Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
bonfire every year on the closest Saturday to November 5. It is the UK's largest bonfire and firework display believed to date back to the 1880s. Around 20,000 people gather round the village green and over 4 tonnes of fireworks light up the sky and is widely regarded as the highlight of the Mole Valley's calendar. About £20,000 is raised each year for local charities.
Brockham Primary School merged with The Acorns Infant School in nearby Betchworth on 2 June 2010 to create a new all through primary school now named The North Downs Primary School. The merger and name change caused a huge local debate as many people wanted the names and uniform colour to remain the same.