Cranleigh
Encyclopedia
Cranleigh is a large village, self-proclaimed the largest in England
, and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming
in Surrey
. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford
with Horsham
; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst
, Alfold
and Hascombe
.
Until the mid-1860s, the village was called "Cranley". The Post Office
succeeded in getting the spelling changed to avoid confusion with nearby Crawley
in West Sussex
. The name is popularly - but incorrectly - believed to come from the large crane breeding grounds that were supposed to have been historically located at Vachery. The figure of a crane adorns the old drinking water fountain of 1874, that can still be found in the middle of the village in 'Fountain Square'.
, where it rises to 700 feet (213.4 m) at Winterfold Hill, but mainly on the clay and sandstone Lower Weald
, Cranleigh has little of prehistoric or Roman
interest. A spur of the Roman road between London
and Chichester
runs north west to Guildford past nearby Farley Heath in Farley Green
, a temple site. Cranleigh was not mentioned in the Domesday Book
, at that time being part of the manor of Shere.
The Anglican
parish church of St Nicolas
dates the first building on its site from around 1170, and the building was in its present form by the mid-14th century. It was extensively restored
in 1847. The church has a gargoyle, situated on a pillar inside the church, which is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll
, who lived in Guildford, to create the Cheshire Cat
. With the growth of the village, a "daughter" church, St Andrew's
, opened at the west end of the village in 1900; it was demolished in 1975. The parish is in the Diocese
of Guildford.
Oliver Cromwell
visited Knowle in 1657, his soldiers being billeted in houses in the village.
Growth came due to improvements in transport; in 1813 the Wey and Arun Canal
was authorised. It opened three years later, passing a few miles to the west of the village. This route linked London (via the Thames and the Wey
) with Littlehampton
(via the Arun
). However, the canal traffic was completely eclipsed by the Horsham to Guildford railway
which opened in 1865, and the canal fell into disuse. A turnpike
road was also built between Guildford
and Horsham
, assent for the project being given in 1818. The opening is commemorated by an obelisk
at the junction of the roads to Horsham and to Ewhurst
. The Prince Regent
used the route when travelling between Windsor
and Brighton
, the distances to which are given on the plaque on the obelisk.
Cranleigh railway station
was closed by Dr Beeching
in 1965 after almost exactly a hundred years of operation.
Cranleigh possessed the first cottage hospital
in the country founded by a local doctor in 1859. It has survived many attempts to close it, through fundraising by the local community. However it lost its beds for in-patients in May 2006.
Stephen Rowland had a major role in the development of Cranleigh. He formed the Cranleigh Gas Company in 1876, and arranged for a mains water supply in 1886. In 1894 he laid out an estate between the Horsham and Ewhurst Roads, building New Park Road, Avenue Road, Mead Road, Mount Road and Bridge Road. He also ran a grocery store, His name is commemorated in that of Rowland Road.
During World War II
, on August 27, 1944, the infant school was hit by a V-1 flying bomb
and demolished. Fortunately this occurred early on a Sunday morning, and the school was empty. The only casualty was the Rector, who was in his garden not far away and was injured. Another flying bomb hit the gasholder on the Common, destroying both the structure and a nearby cottage, whose occupant was killed.
The Regal Cinema opened on October 30, 1936. It survived for over sixty years, finally closing on March 14, 2002. The site is now occupied by a block of flats.
The cricket field has been used for that purpose since 1843. Cranleigh Lawn Tennis Tournament was held there in August from 1922 until 1998, when it moved to the grounds of Cranleigh School
.
David Mann's department store opened in 1887 and is still in business.
The distinctive row of maple trees which lines the High Street between the cricket field and the Rowland Road junction was planted in 1890, and not by Canadian servicemen in World War I
as is widely believed.
The current Village Hall opened in 1933.
by Douglas Adams
and John Lloyd
, in which experiences which do not have words yet are given words which currently only exist as names of places. "Cranleigh" is defined as: "A mood of irrational irritation with everyone and everything."
"Cranleigh Hall", the home of "Lord Cranleigh", was the principal location for the Doctor Who
serial, Black Orchid
.
, and as a service and light engineering centre in its own right. Furthermore it is a retail centre for the surrounding smaller villages. The resident population of the area decreased by 2.0% in the ten years to 2001. In January 2007, Cranleigh Parish Council received a grant of arms. Cranleigh is twinned
with Vallendar
, Germany and with Semur-en-Auxois
in Burgundy
, France.
Cranleigh's High Street has seen a rise in large corporate shops in recent years. There are 3 supermarkets (The Co-op
], Marks & Spencers and Sainsburys) and also 5 national banking companies. Other major chains include the sandwich retailing franchise Subway
, the pharmacist Boots
and the stationery shop WH Smith. Cranleigh still also has a number of small, locally-owned, traditional businesses such as a bakery (Celebration Cakes) owned by the Cornwell Family, a butcher and a fishmonger.
, an independent boarding school
, is located in the village. It opened in 1865 and was originally known as "The Surrey County School".
State schools include Glebelands School (a secondary school), Cranleigh C of E Primary School and Park Mead Primary School. There is also St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School. Cranleigh C of E Primary School opened in September 2008 as an amalgamation of Cranleigh Infants School and St. Nicolas Junior School.
In 1847 the National School opened in what are now the premises of the Arts Centre, replacing earlier dame school
s. During the twentieth century separate infant and secondary schools were formed and moved to their own premises, but the C of E Junior School remained, only moving to new buildings in 1964.
The village has a public library and a recreation centre (which incorporates an indoor swimming pool).
Every year the Cranleigh & South Eastern Agricultural Society hold the Cranleigh Show, which is a traditional agricultural show
.
), and churches of the Methodist and Baptist denominations, as well as the Anglican church of St Nicolas mentioned above.
was opened in 1865 as "Cranley" as part of the Cranleigh Line
, its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General
as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley
" and vice versa. Cranleigh was the busiest station on the line with regular commuter traffic to and from London via Guildford
. Cranleigh had a substantial goods yard equipped with a large loading gantry
. Inward freight consisted mainly of coal
which was required, in particular, by the local gasworks
, whilst goods outward were mainly timber.
A victim of the Beeching Axe
, the station closed in 1965 and was demolished shortly afterwards, replaced by the "Stocklund Square" housing and shopping development. In 2004 part of this development was itself demolished and a Sainsbury's supermarket
was constructed on the site. Today the trackbed is in part used by the Downs Link
, and the station's old platform levels are still visible at the rear of the shops.
Two studies have been carried out to review the possibility of reviving train services. The first in the 1990s to determine re-opening passenger traffic from Bramley to Guildford would be economically viable, which although inconclusive, Waverley Borough Council protected the line from development in its Local Plan. In 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies
applied for funding for a new line to Cranleigh.
to the east of the A281
trunk route.
The village is on a number of bus routes, serving amongst other places Guildford, Horsham, Godalming and Ewhurst. The main operator is Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, which has a depot in Cranleigh.
Tillingbourne Bus Company
was based in the village prior to its collapse in 2001.
A new Sainsbury's supermarket was built in late 2004. Other shops in the square are owned by Oxfam
, Blockbuster Video, Carphone Warehouse and Costa Coffee
. The square used to have greenery and a fountain, but this was replaced with a more open layout that now accommodates local attractions and events such as an Easter Service and a French Market. It is situated on the High Street,
In September 2006 the Sports Shop closed, and along with a long closed Wine shop, were shortly replaced by a Carphone Warehouse and a Costa
coffee shop.
Largest village in England
Several places claim to be the largest village in England. This title is disputed as there is no standard definition of a village and size might be determined by population or area....
, and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
in 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...
. It lies to the east of the A281 which links 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...
with Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst
Ewhurst, Surrey
Ewhurst is a small village in the English county of Surrey.Ewhurst is located between Cranleigh and Shere which is around five miles to the north. Ewhurst has many well-known legends as members of the village, such as Eric Clapton, who is known to play at the Church of England church in Ewhurst...
, Alfold
Alfold
Alfold is small village and civil parish on the Surrey/West Sussex border in England. The parish clerk is Mrs L.R. Enticknap.Originally sited perhaps for the glass making . Charcoal was extensively burnt in the parish for gunpowder works in Dunsfold, Cranleigh, and Sussex.Alfold is not mentioned in...
and Hascombe
Hascombe
Hascombe is a village in Surrey, England. It contains a cluster of cottages and country estates, St Peter's church, the village green and The White Horse pub, all nestling between wooded hillsides in Surrey, England....
.
Until the mid-1860s, the village was called "Cranley". The Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
succeeded in getting the spelling changed to avoid confusion with nearby Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. The name is popularly - but incorrectly - believed to come from the large crane breeding grounds that were supposed to have been historically located at Vachery. The figure of a crane adorns the old drinking water fountain of 1874, that can still be found in the middle of the village in 'Fountain Square'.
History
Situated partly on the Greensand RidgeGreensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge is an extensive, prominent, often heavily wooded, sandstone escarpment and range of hills in south-east England. It runs in a horseshoe shape around the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It reaches its highest elevation, , at Leith Hill in Surrey—the second highest point...
, where it rises to 700 feet (213.4 m) at Winterfold Hill, but mainly on the clay and sandstone Lower Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, Cranleigh has little of prehistoric or Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
interest. A spur of the Roman road between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
runs north west to Guildford past nearby Farley Heath in Farley Green
Farley Green
Farley Green is a small hamlet in the Surrey Hills to the south east of Guildford.On the outskirts of Farley Green, lies Farley Heath where one of Surrey's few Roman remains, a temple, can be found. The open heathland was the site of the largest Romano-British settlement in Surrey.The site was...
, a temple site. Cranleigh was not mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
, at that time being part of the manor of Shere.
The Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church of St Nicolas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
dates the first building on its site from around 1170, and the building was in its present form by the mid-14th century. It was extensively restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1847. The church has a gargoyle, situated on a pillar inside the church, which is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, who lived in Guildford, to create the Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
. With the growth of the village, a "daughter" church, St Andrew's
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, opened at the west end of the village in 1900; it was demolished in 1975. The parish is in the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Guildford.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
visited Knowle in 1657, his soldiers being billeted in houses in the village.
Growth came due to improvements in transport; in 1813 the Wey and Arun Canal
Wey and Arun Canal
The Wey and Arun Canal is a 23-mile-long canal in the south of England, between the River Wey at Shalford, Surrey and the River Arun at Pallingham, in West Sussex...
was authorised. It opened three years later, passing a few miles to the west of the village. This route linked London (via the Thames and the Wey
River Wey
The River Wey in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex is a tributary of the River Thames with two separate branches which join at Tilford. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at both Blackdown south of Haslemere, and also close to Gibbet Hill, near Hindhead...
) with Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
(via the Arun
Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
). However, the canal traffic was completely eclipsed by the Horsham to Guildford railway
Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
which opened in 1865, and the canal fell into disuse. A turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
road was also built between 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 Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, assent for the project being given in 1818. The opening is commemorated by an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
at the junction of the roads to Horsham and to Ewhurst
Ewhurst, Surrey
Ewhurst is a small village in the English county of Surrey.Ewhurst is located between Cranleigh and Shere which is around five miles to the north. Ewhurst has many well-known legends as members of the village, such as Eric Clapton, who is known to play at the Church of England church in Ewhurst...
. The Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
used the route when travelling between Windsor
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, the distances to which are given on the plaque on the obelisk.
Cranleigh railway station
Cranleigh railway station
Cranleigh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line which served the village of Cranleigh. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley" and vice versa...
was closed by Dr Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in 1965 after almost exactly a hundred years of operation.
Cranleigh possessed the first cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
in the country founded by a local doctor in 1859. It has survived many attempts to close it, through fundraising by the local community. However it lost its beds for in-patients in May 2006.
Stephen Rowland had a major role in the development of Cranleigh. He formed the Cranleigh Gas Company in 1876, and arranged for a mains water supply in 1886. In 1894 he laid out an estate between the Horsham and Ewhurst Roads, building New Park Road, Avenue Road, Mead Road, Mount Road and Bridge Road. He also ran a grocery store, His name is commemorated in that of Rowland Road.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on August 27, 1944, the infant school was hit by a V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
and demolished. Fortunately this occurred early on a Sunday morning, and the school was empty. The only casualty was the Rector, who was in his garden not far away and was injured. Another flying bomb hit the gasholder on the Common, destroying both the structure and a nearby cottage, whose occupant was killed.
The Regal Cinema opened on October 30, 1936. It survived for over sixty years, finally closing on March 14, 2002. The site is now occupied by a block of flats.
The cricket field has been used for that purpose since 1843. Cranleigh Lawn Tennis Tournament was held there in August from 1922 until 1998, when it moved to the grounds of Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
.
David Mann's department store opened in 1887 and is still in business.
The distinctive row of maple trees which lines the High Street between the cricket field and the Rowland Road junction was planted in 1890, and not by Canadian servicemen in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as is widely believed.
The current Village Hall opened in 1933.
Cultural references
Cranleigh appears in the book The Meaning of LiffThe Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary of toponymy and etymology, written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in the United Kingdom in 1983, and the USA in 1984....
by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
and John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE is a British comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd.-Early life and career:...
, in which experiences which do not have words yet are given words which currently only exist as names of places. "Cranleigh" is defined as: "A mood of irrational irritation with everyone and everything."
"Cranleigh Hall", the home of "Lord Cranleigh", was the principal location for the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial, Black Orchid
Black Orchid (Doctor Who)
Black Orchid is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two parts on 1 March and 2 March 1982...
.
Village today
Despite losing the rail link, Cranleigh has prospered both as a satellite of GuildfordGuildford
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 as a service and light engineering centre in its own right. Furthermore it is a retail centre for the surrounding smaller villages. The resident population of the area decreased by 2.0% in the ten years to 2001. In January 2007, Cranleigh Parish Council received a grant of arms. Cranleigh is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Vallendar
Vallendar
Vallendar is a municipality in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 4 km north-east of Koblenz. Vallendar is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Vallendar. A city named "Vallendar" is included in the PC game Call of...
, Germany and with Semur-en-Auxois
Semur-en-Auxois
Semur-en-Auxois is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.Semur-en-Auxois has a medieval core, built on a pink granite bluff more than half-encircled by the River Armançon...
in Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
, France.
Cranleigh's High Street has seen a rise in large corporate shops in recent years. There are 3 supermarkets (The Co-op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
], Marks & Spencers and Sainsburys) and also 5 national banking companies. Other major chains include the sandwich retailing franchise Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, the pharmacist Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
and the stationery shop WH Smith. Cranleigh still also has a number of small, locally-owned, traditional businesses such as a bakery (Celebration Cakes) owned by the Cornwell Family, a butcher and a fishmonger.
Education
Cranleigh SchoolCranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
, an independent boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, is located in the village. It opened in 1865 and was originally known as "The Surrey County School".
State schools include Glebelands School (a secondary school), Cranleigh C of E Primary School and Park Mead Primary School. There is also St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School. Cranleigh C of E Primary School opened in September 2008 as an amalgamation of Cranleigh Infants School and St. Nicolas Junior School.
In 1847 the National School opened in what are now the premises of the Arts Centre, replacing earlier dame school
Dame school
A Dame School was an early form of a private elementary school in English-speaking countries. They were usually taught by women and were often located in the home of the teacher.- Britain :...
s. During the twentieth century separate infant and secondary schools were formed and moved to their own premises, but the C of E Junior School remained, only moving to new buildings in 1964.
Recreation and entertainment
The Cranleigh Arts Centre runs a full programme of feature film screenings, live music, theatre productions, adult and children's activities, exhibitions and workshops. Regular community arts projects and work with local schools are undertaken to reach and develop new audiences. The Centre is a registered charity and is run by a team of volunteers.The village has a public library and a recreation centre (which incorporates an indoor swimming pool).
Every year the Cranleigh & South Eastern Agricultural Society hold the Cranleigh Show, which is a traditional agricultural show
Agricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
.
Religion
There is a Roman Catholic church, Christ Redeemer of Mankind (in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel & BrightonDiocese of Arundel and Brighton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey. The diocese was established on 28 May 1965, having previously been a part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.-Bishops:There have been four...
), and churches of the Methodist and Baptist denominations, as well as the Anglican church of St Nicolas mentioned above.
Rail
Cranleigh railway stationCranleigh railway station
Cranleigh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line which served the village of Cranleigh. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley" and vice versa...
was opened in 1865 as "Cranley" as part of the Cranleigh Line
Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
, its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
" and vice versa. Cranleigh was the busiest station on the line with regular commuter traffic to and from London via Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
. Cranleigh had a substantial goods yard equipped with a large loading gantry
Gantry crane
Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...
. Inward freight consisted mainly of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
which was required, in particular, by the local gasworks
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
, whilst goods outward were mainly timber.
A victim of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, the station closed in 1965 and was demolished shortly afterwards, replaced by the "Stocklund Square" housing and shopping development. In 2004 part of this development was itself demolished and a Sainsbury's supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
was constructed on the site. Today the trackbed is in part used by the Downs Link
Downs Link
The Downs Link is a 36.7-mile footpath and bridleway linking the North Downs Way at St. Martha's Hill in Surrey with the South Downs Way near Steyning in West Sussex and on via the Coastal Link to Shoreham-by-Sea.- History :...
, and the station's old platform levels are still visible at the rear of the shops.
Two studies have been carried out to review the possibility of reviving train services. The first in the 1990s to determine re-opening passenger traffic from Bramley to Guildford would be economically viable, which although inconclusive, Waverley Borough Council protected the line from development in its Local Plan. In 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
applied for funding for a new line to Cranleigh.
Road
Cranleigh is located at the junction of two B roadsB roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.- Zone 2 :- Zone 2 :-Notes:...
to the east of the A281
A281 road
The A281 is a northwest-southeast road in southern England that passes through the countryside between Guildford, Surrey and Pyecombe, West Sussex near Brighton.-Route :*Guildford *Shalford *Bramley...
trunk route.
The village is on a number of bus routes, serving amongst other places Guildford, Horsham, Godalming and Ewhurst. The main operator is Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, which has a depot in Cranleigh.
Tillingbourne Bus Company
Tillingbourne Bus Company
Tillingbourne Bus Company was a bus operating company based in Cranleigh, Surrey, England, which operated a local service from 1924 to 2001. It was founded as Tillingbourne Valley in 1924, and became a limited company in 1931, taking the name Tillingbourne Valley Services...
was based in the village prior to its collapse in 2001.
Stocklund Square
This is a square near the centre of the village on the High Street, which is on the main road running through Cranleigh. Stocklund Square was constructed following the closing of the railway line in 1965, and the removal of the railway station.A new Sainsbury's supermarket was built in late 2004. Other shops in the square are owned by Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
, Blockbuster Video, Carphone Warehouse and Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
. The square used to have greenery and a fountain, but this was replaced with a more open layout that now accommodates local attractions and events such as an Easter Service and a French Market. It is situated on the High Street,
In September 2006 the Sports Shop closed, and along with a long closed Wine shop, were shortly replaced by a Carphone Warehouse and a Costa
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
coffee shop.
Fountain Square
In 2006, the pedestrian area surrounding the large stone drinking fountain monument (1874) at the centre of the village was re-modelled, and given the name 'Fountain Square'. New granite paving, brick planters and trees were introduced in a design which created a haven from traffic and a new focal point for community events. During the refurbishments the old "threepenny bit" bus shelter was moved to Snoxhall behind the leisure centre. The old "threepenny bit" bus shelter had been a popular shelter for the youths of Cranleigh to drink and smoke in. The shelter stood in its new location for only a few weeks before it was vandalised and completely pulled to the ground. The main financial sponsors of this refurbishment were Surrey County Council (SCC) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), and the design was undertaken in-house by SCC.Notable residents
- Former Beatle Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
and his actress wife Barbara BachBarbara BachBarbara Bach is an American actress and model known as the Bond girl from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me . She is married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.-Early life:...
live on the outskirts of the village - Chloe MarshallChloe MarshallChloe Elizabeth Marshall is an English plus-size model from Cranleigh, Surrey. Having won the Miss Surrey title in March 2008, she became the first size 16 model to reach the finals for the Miss England tiara....
, plus size model, who was runner-up in the Miss EnglandMiss EnglandThe Miss England competition is an annual beauty pageant targeted at young females aged 17–24 years living in England. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter....
2008 competition.
External links
- Cranleigh & District Lions Club
- Cranleigh Parish Council
- Cranleigh Village Community Net
- Cranleigh Arts Centre
- St Nicolas Church
- The Cranleigh Show
- The unofficial guide to Cranleigh's retained fire station
- Live Bus Locations in Cranleigh.
- Cranleigh Cricket Club
- Glebelands School
- British History Online: Cranleigh (Covers period up until 1911.)