Fernhurst

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Fernhurst
static_

latitude= 51.04862
longitude= -0.72282
population = 2,765 (2001)
shire_district= Chichester
shire_county = West Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Chichester
post_town= HASLEMERE
postcode_district = GU27
postcode_area= GU
dial_code= 01428
os_grid_reference= SU896284

Fernhurst is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the A286 Guildford to Chichester road, three miles (5km) south of Haslemere. The parish includes the settlements of Henley Common, Kingsley Green and Bell Vale.

The village, on the Weald, originally developed around crossroads ("The Cross") and the village green, and ancient remains (Stone Age and Roman) have been found here. Iron working took place in the 17th/18th centuries; and a turnpike ran through the village. The church, dedicated to St Margaret, (c.1100) and Red Lion pub are located here and several old houses still remain. With the coming of the railway at Haslemere the village has gravitated towards and beyond The Cross, and since the 1960s the village has expanded further in that direction. The village houses a large commuter population, attracted by the scenery and the ease of travel.

The area of the parish is 2336.8 hectares (5771.9 acres). In the 2001 census there were 1,158 households with a total population of 2,765 of whom 1,244 were economically active.

The village is surrounded by hills, including Telegraph Hill (676ft), Marley Heights (700ft), Bexley Hill (600ft), Fridays Hill (675ft) and the highest hill in Sussex, Blackdown (919ft) to the northeast. It is surrounded by miles of footpaths, the path to the summit of Blackdown commencing at the Red Lion.

Local claims to fame include the fact that Bertrand Russell wrote "Principia Mathematica" in the now-non-existent house "Millhangar" a mile or so southeast of the village [Victor Davey, Helen and Kenneth Ouin: "Walks around Fernhurst", 1981] .

The Verdley estate a mile or so SSE of the village was the home of ICI's Plant Protection Division in the 80s and subsequently a Zeneca research and development centre.

Local Info

The local flavour of this village is varied and colourful. Every May the traditional "Revels" fete is held on the green, raising funds for village societies and some local charities. The event includes various local May-time celebrations, such as maypole dancing, and the May queen is elected from the local school. In May 2006 a film of the village for the Meridian ITV programme "Village voices" was filmed involving the revels and local craftsmen etc. It was screened on 15th August 2006. In November 2006 the Fernhurst Society published a book, "Voices of Fernhurst", comprising edited extracts of oral history interviews with local villagers.

References

External links

* [http://www.fernhurstsociety.org.uk/ The Fernhurst Society] includes a history of the village
* [http://www.gravelroots.net/fernhurst/fernhurst.html The Fernhurst Guide] - photo galleries and information.