Chilworth, Surrey
Encyclopedia
Chilworth is a village in Surrey
, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Guildford
. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches (St Thomas and Chilworth Free Church), two schools (Chilworth Infant School and Tillingbourne Junior School), a pub (The Percy Arms) and a railway station
. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill
and St. Martha's Church. It is split between two civil parishes, Shalford CP to the west and St Martha's CP to the east, and is wholly within Guildford borough
. It also has a recreation ground with a park and pavilion.
The Franciscan
friars continue a presence today on the outskirts of Chilworth in the friary, designed by Frederick Walters
, founded in 1892.
as Celeorde. It was held by the Bishop of Bayeux. Its domesday assets were: 1 mill
worth 7s, 3 plough
s. It rendered £3 10s 0d.
The settlement has an interesting industrial past. At various times in history it has been the location of a wire mill, paper mill and gunpowder
factory . The wireworks was built in 1603 by Thomas Steere and others, who seduced workmen from the Tintern
wireworks of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works
. This infringed the company's patent
and enabled it to have the wireworks suppressed in 1606.
Chilworth Gunpowder works was established in 1625 by the East India Company and finally closed in 1920. It was worked by a number of private companies and became an important supplier of gunpowder to the Government. A significant number of buildings from the gunpowder factory can still be found. The buildings and area are now looked after by Guildford Borough Council and English Heritage
.
as a monastery. The monastery was destroyed by Henry VIII
and by 1580 was owned by William Morgan. William's son, John was knighted at Cadiz in 1596.
Sir Ernest Randyll, whose family held Chilworth for over a century, married John's daughter. During the time that Chilworth Manor was owned by the Randylls, the South front was built. This is the earliest recognisable part of the Manor - the architect is unknown. Morgan Randyll was MP for Guildford from 1680 to 1712. As a result of the costs involved in the Elections, the property was sold to Richard Houlditch, a director of the South Sea Company. After losses involved with the 1720 South Sea Bubble, the manor was again sold.
In 1725 Sarah, the widow of the Duke of Marlborough
became owner. She added the Marlborough Wing, developed a tiered garden excavated in the sloping hillside and still known as the "Duchess's Garden". It then passed through inheritances to the Duke of Northumberland who held it until the 1930s.
Sir Lionel and Lady Heald lived at the manor for over 60 years. He was attorney General in Churchill's government. She worked for many charitable causes including he National Garden Scheme of which she was chairwoman.
Since Lady Heald's death in 2004 extensive restoration work has been carried out and the garden, fittingly, opened as part of the National Garden Scheme.
is situated on the North Downs Line
, and is served every two hours by trains to Redhill
and Reading. Numerous bus services link Chilworth to Guildford
and Dorking
, of which most are operated by Arriva Guildford & West Surrey.
based "High Speed Internet
" services. A Vodafone U.K. cell phone mast sits near the center of the village, at the playing fields, just to the south of the Railway Crossing. Other mobile services in the village are patchy.
There are no Cable Internet services covering the village.
ADSL based services only offer a maximum of ~4mbps to the village, dwindling to no service at all on the Eastern end of the village with Roseacre Gardens being one of the worst to suffer.
On 30 March 2010 BT
announced their Fibre to the Cabinet expansion plans to cover Guildford
. Chilworth will benefit from these improvements and extensive BT work has been taking place in April and May 2011 resulting in major dig works along New Road and installation of new FTTC cabinets in at least 3 locations in the village. It is thought that these works, once complete (Est. Oct 2011), will allow for 12mbps+ services and service to those at the Eastern end of the village and up to 40mbps to those towards the West end of Dorking Road and New Road.
(Note to residents; A specific FTTC service is required such as BT Infinity
or other providers who offer a specific "Fibre" service. Existing contracts and services will see no improvement.).
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, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches (St Thomas and Chilworth Free Church), two schools (Chilworth Infant School and Tillingbourne Junior School), a pub (The Percy Arms) and a railway station
Chilworth railway station
Chilworth railway station serves the village of Chilworth in Surrey, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by First Great Western. It is situated on the North Downs Line.-Services:...
. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill
St. Martha's Hill
St Martha's Hill is a landmark of the parish of St Martha's in Surrey, England, situated between Guildford and Chilworth, Surrey. It is a prominent hill on the Greensand Ridge just to the south of the North Downs in southeast England. The top of the hill provides good views of Newland's Corner and...
and St. Martha's Church. It is split between two civil parishes, Shalford CP to the west and St Martha's CP to the east, and is wholly within Guildford borough
Guildford (borough)
Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. It is named after Guildford where its council is based....
. It also has a recreation ground with a park and pavilion.
The Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars continue a presence today on the outskirts of Chilworth in the friary, designed by Frederick Walters
Frederick Walters
Frederick Arthur Walters was a Scottish architect working in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, notable for his Roman Catholic churches.-Life:...
, founded in 1892.
History
Chilworth appears in Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Celeorde. It was held by the Bishop of Bayeux. Its domesday assets were: 1 mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
worth 7s, 3 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s. It rendered £3 10s 0d.
The settlement has an interesting industrial past. At various times in history it has been the location of a wire mill, paper mill and gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
factory . The wireworks was built in 1603 by Thomas Steere and others, who seduced workmen from the Tintern
Tintern
Tintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
wireworks of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works
Company of Mineral and Battery Works
The Company of Mineral and Battery Works was, , one of two mining monopolies created by Queen Elizabeth I of England in the mid-1560s. The Company's rights were based on a patent granted to William Humfrey on 17 September 1565. This was replaced on 28 May 1568 by a patent of incorporation, making...
. This infringed the company's patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
and enabled it to have the wireworks suppressed in 1606.
Chilworth Gunpowder works was established in 1625 by the East India Company and finally closed in 1920. It was worked by a number of private companies and became an important supplier of gunpowder to the Government. A significant number of buildings from the gunpowder factory can still be found. The buildings and area are now looked after by Guildford Borough Council and English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Chilworth Manor
Chilworth Manor, midway between Chilworth village and St Martha's Hill to the North, was recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as a monastery. The monastery was destroyed by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and by 1580 was owned by William Morgan. William's son, John was knighted at Cadiz in 1596.
Sir Ernest Randyll, whose family held Chilworth for over a century, married John's daughter. During the time that Chilworth Manor was owned by the Randylls, the South front was built. This is the earliest recognisable part of the Manor - the architect is unknown. Morgan Randyll was MP for Guildford from 1680 to 1712. As a result of the costs involved in the Elections, the property was sold to Richard Houlditch, a director of the South Sea Company. After losses involved with the 1720 South Sea Bubble, the manor was again sold.
In 1725 Sarah, the widow of the Duke of Marlborough
Duke of Marlborough
Duke of Marlborough , is a hereditary title in the Peerage of England. The first holder of the title was John Churchill , the noted English general, and indeed an unqualified reference to the Duke of Marlborough in a historical text will almost certainly refer to him.-History:The dukedom was...
became owner. She added the Marlborough Wing, developed a tiered garden excavated in the sloping hillside and still known as the "Duchess's Garden". It then passed through inheritances to the Duke of Northumberland who held it until the 1930s.
Sir Lionel and Lady Heald lived at the manor for over 60 years. He was attorney General in Churchill's government. She worked for many charitable causes including he National Garden Scheme of which she was chairwoman.
Since Lady Heald's death in 2004 extensive restoration work has been carried out and the garden, fittingly, opened as part of the National Garden Scheme.
Transport
Chilworth railway stationChilworth railway station
Chilworth railway station serves the village of Chilworth in Surrey, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by First Great Western. It is situated on the North Downs Line.-Services:...
is situated on the North Downs Line
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
, and is served every two hours by trains to Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
and Reading. Numerous bus services link Chilworth to Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and 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 :...
, of which most are operated by Arriva Guildford & West Surrey.
Telecommunications
Chilworth is covered by ADSL and Mobile BroadbandMobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
based "High Speed Internet
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
" services. A Vodafone U.K. cell phone mast sits near the center of the village, at the playing fields, just to the south of the Railway Crossing. Other mobile services in the village are patchy.
There are no Cable Internet services covering the village.
ADSL based services only offer a maximum of ~4mbps to the village, dwindling to no service at all on the Eastern end of the village with Roseacre Gardens being one of the worst to suffer.
On 30 March 2010 BT
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
announced their Fibre to the Cabinet expansion plans to cover Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. Chilworth will benefit from these improvements and extensive BT work has been taking place in April and May 2011 resulting in major dig works along New Road and installation of new FTTC cabinets in at least 3 locations in the village. It is thought that these works, once complete (Est. Oct 2011), will allow for 12mbps+ services and service to those at the Eastern end of the village and up to 40mbps to those towards the West end of Dorking Road and New Road.
(Note to residents; A specific FTTC service is required such as BT Infinity
BT Infinity
BT Infinity is a broadband service in the United Kingdom provided by BT Retail, the consumer sales arm of the BT Group. The underlying network is fibre-to-the-cabinet , which uses optical fiber for all except the final few hundred metres to the consumer, and delivers download speeds of 'up to...
or other providers who offer a specific "Fibre" service. Existing contracts and services will see no improvement.).