Beacon Hill, Surrey
| Beacon Hill | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 Beacon Hill village centre | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU883366 |
| Location: | 51°7’20"N, -0°45’10"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Hindhead |
| Postcode: | GU26 |
| Dialling code: | 01428 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Waverley |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South West Surrey |
Beacon Hill is a little village in the south-west corner of Surrey, above the twisting valleys of the Weald to the north of Hindhead, which it almost touches. This village is to be found along the A287 road between the towns of Haslemere and Farnham. It began to be developed in the 19th century.
The village has three churches, a primary school, a shopping area and a range of sporting facilities.
The body of the village sits between two main roads to the north-west of Hindhead: the A287 Haslemere to Farnham road and the Tilford Road, an alternative and more rural route from Hindhead to Farnham. The nearest village to the north-west is Churt on the border with Hampshire.
History
Beacon Hill is so-named because it was originally one of many beacon sites across the land. The area began to be settled in the 19th century when people who could afford it built houses there to take advantage of the clean environment. John Tyndall declared the air to be as pure as that in the Swiss alps.[1]
The Woodcock Inn served as Beacon Hill's only public house from the early 20th century[2] until it closed in about 2008 and was subsequently demolished for housing.
Churches
- Church of England: St Alban's, the Parish Church and a Grade II listed building.[3] is part of the Joint Benefice of Churt (St John's) and Hindhead,[4] The church replaced a temporary mission church built in 1904, and was built in phase over a number of years, from 1907 (when Hindhead became a separate parish) to 1915.[5]
- United Reformed Church: Beacon Hil URC: this was formerly Beacon Hill Congregational Church, and it was the first church built in the village, in 1905. It was built by London developer John Grover. Major refurbishment was carried out post-2005 to include meeting rooms and The Hub Coffee Bar incorporating computer, printing and wi-fi facilities.
- Roman Catholic: St Anselm's Church,[6] built in the 1950s.
Society
- Scouts and Guides:
- 1st Hindhead Scouts[7]
- Hindhead Guides
- Royal British Legion: Hindhead Royal British Legion Club on Beacon Hill Road[8]
- Marchants Hill Camp, built in 1939 by the National Camps Corporation. It was used in the Second World War to accommodate child evacuees from East Ham in urban Essex.[9][10] The camp continued as a holiday and adventure venue for city children after the war[11] and in 2015 is run by the activity holiday company |PGL Ltd, on the 45-acre site.[12]
Sport
Upport a There are playing fields at Marchants Hill which support a number of local clubs. In the village are found:
- Cricket: Hindhead Cricket Club
- Football:
- Golf: Hindhead Golf Course (for Hindhead Golf Club), established in 1904. One of its founders and first president was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who lived at Hindhead at the time
- Tennis: Hindhead Tennis Club, at the Royal British Legion Club
The cricket ground hosted two international women's cricket matches in the 1950s: Molly Hide's XI against Australia Women in 1951[15] and South Women Second XI against New Zealand Women in 1954.[16]
Beacon Hill Beer Festival is held over two days in May at Hindhead Royal British Legion Club in Beacon Hill Road.[17]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Beacon Hill, Surrey) |
References
- ↑ "History of Hindhead and Beacon Hill (Haslemere Design Statement)". http://www.haslemere.com/hds/hdss78.pdf. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "Woodcock Inn, 1922 (Frith: photos and memories)". http://www.francisfrith.com/hindhead/photos/woodcock-inn-1922_71770. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1272333: Church of St Alban, Tilford Road (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "St Alban's, Hindhead". http://stalbanshindhead.org.uk/. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Surrey, 1962; 1971 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09675-0
- ↑ St Anselm's
- ↑ Hindhead Scouts
- ↑ "Hindhead Royal British Legion". http://www.bhbf.co.uk/Beacon_Hill_Beer_Festival,_Hindhead,_Surrey/HRBL_Club.html. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ↑ "BBC WW2 People's War". https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/71/a8917671.shtml. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Imperial War Museum: School for evacuees...Marchants Hill". http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205201165. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Francis Frith: Marchants Hill Camp circa 1955". http://www.francisfrith.com/hindhead/photos/dormitory-marchants-hill-camp-c1955_h86023/#utmcsr=google.co.uk&utmcmd=referral&utmccn=google.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "PGL: Centres and locations". http://www.pgl.co.uk/PGLWeb/about-us/what-we-do/Centres-And-Locations.htm. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Beacon Hill Junior Football Club". https://beaconhilljfc.com/.
- ↑ "Hindhead Cricket Club". http://www.hindheadcc.co.uk/. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "ME Hide's XI v Australia Women". https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/154/154526.html. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ↑ "South Women XI v New Zealand Women". https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/154/154547.html. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ↑ "Beacon Hill Beer Festival". http://www.bhbf.co.uk/Beacon_Hill_Beer_Festival,_Hindhead,_Surrey/Beacon_Hill_Beer_Festival.html. Retrieved 7 February 2014.