Windlesham


Windlesham is a village in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately south west of central London. Its name derives from the Windle Brook, which runs south of the village into Chobham, and the common suffix 'ham', the Old English word for 'homestead'. The civil parish of Windlesham has a population of 17,000 and includes the neighbouring villages of Bagshot and Lightwater.
Windlesham Arboretum, which covers an area of approximately, is on the south side of the M3 motorway. Access to the motorway is via junction 3 and the nearest railway station is at Bagshot.

History

The neighbourhood has yielded bronze implements, now in the Archaeological Society's Museum, Guildford, and a certain number of neolithic flints.
Windlesham was once a small community within Windsor Great Park, built as a remote farming settlement around undulating heath, similar to Sunninghill. At Ribs Down in the north in private Updown Court and adjoining gardens land reaches 99 metres above sea level with a minimum descent of 31 metres, ranking 35th of 36 Surrey hills listed in the national hill-climbing database and the tallest private hill in Surrey.
This corner of the county appears, from absence of notice in Domesday, to have been very sparsely inhabited. Of Windlesham, Malden wrote:
Windlesham Manor appears among the manors granted to Westminster by Edward the Confessor in his foundation charter. It was apparently transferred to the small local Broomhall Convent at an unknown date.
Newark Priory had a grant of land in Windlesham in 1256, and had the advowson of the church.
Joan Rawlyns, Prioress of Broomhall, made a voluntary surrender of the property of her house in 1522 before the 1538 Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the next year Windlesham was granted to St. John's College, Cambridge, who still held it in 1911
In 1911 the village was, due to Surrey Heath, described as almost entirely modern, in much the same way as Wentworth, Surrey's landscape was tamed approximately at the turn of the 20th century, being naturally heather, gorse and fern and ideal for grass and laid out evergreen trees.

Economy

The village is known for the Lilly Research Centre, built in 1967, to the north of the village. The BOC Group was based in the village, but was bought by Linde plc in September 2006.

Local schools

There are four schools in the Windlesham area, two of which are in the village itself: Windlesham Village Infants School. Woodcote House School is also in the area.

Recreation and social events

Windlesham Field of Remembrance

is owned, funded and run by the village community. The land was purchased from Admiral Cochrane in 1950 as a permanent memorial to the men and women of the village who lost their lives in the two World Wars. It consists of both open space and mature woodland and includes a play area. Many village events take place on the field, one of the most well known being the annual . The field is also used by Windlesham Football Club. In the summer months it is used by local cricket clubs. A Remembrance day service is hosted at the field with the Windlesham branch of the Royal British Legion. Children from Windlesham Village Infant School attend and lay a wreath, along with a member of the Royal British Legion and the Chair of the Windlesham Field of Remembrance Committee.
The WFoR committee are raising funds to replace the current dilapidated pavilion building.

Pram race

Windlesham is known for its annual pram race in which teams race around the village stopping at every pub. This usually happens every Boxing Day. The race starts at 10:30am at the old headquarters of The BOC Group now Linde Group. The finish and prize giving is held at the Windlesham Club & Theatre. Funds raised though entry fees and coin collections on the day are distributed to local charities and good causes.

Running club

Windlesham has a thriving running club, Windle Valley Runners, suitable for all standards of runner. The club meets every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday for group training sessions and group runs, which take place in Windlesham and the surrounding areas. Windle Valley Runners compete in the winter Thames Valley Cross Country League. They also organise a monthly 10K race for members.

Windlesham Drama Group

Windlesham Drama Group is based at the Windlesham Club and Theatre. There are usually three shows a year including a pantomime and two plays.

Hedgehog friendly status

In April 2017, the village was set to become a hedgehog friendly village, reported to be one of a handful of such villages in the United Kingdom.

Localities

Valley End

Valley End is a hamlet and chapelry in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England east of Windlesham, so similarly is about 15 minutes drive from the South West Main Line at Woking to the southeast and from Sunningdale on the Waterloo to Reading Line to the north.
Valley End has two churches, St Saviour which was built in 1867 by the English architect George Frederick Bodley and Emmanuel Baptist Church. St Saviour's is built in red and brown brick with stone dressed windows. The interior is a simple mixture of brick and stone. There is a Holy Communion service every Sunday at 9am.
Valley End School was founded in 1859 by the Hon. Julia Bathurst of Hyams Hall, Windlesham.
The Valley End Cricket Club was founded in 1895.

Bagshot

See Bagshot for this developed part of the civil parish. There is the greatest concentration of shops and businesses in Bagshot compared to the other parts of the parish.

Lightwater

See Lightwater for this developed part of the civil parish

The Arboretum and the mansion of Updown Court

is connected by footpath to the edge of the village centre but on the opposite side of the M3 motorway. In July 2007, the most expensive house in the world, Updown Court, in Windlesham was valued at £75m. This 103-room mansion has of gardens and landscaped woodlands.

Demography and housing

The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
Output areaPopulationHouseholds% Owned outright% Owned with a loanhectares
16,7756,89237.0% 44.4%2,240

The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings.

Notable residents