Peper Harow
Encyclopedia
Peper Harow is a tiny village in south-west Surrey
close to the town of Godalming
.
The whole village is privately owned and access is restricted. The name "Peper Harow" is very unusual and comes from Old English
Pipers Hearg meaning, approximately "Pagan
Temple
".
Peper Harrow appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Pipereherge. It was held by Girard (Gerard) from Walter, son of Othere. Its domesday assets were: 3 hide
s. It had 3 plough
s, 1 mill
worth 15s, 7 acres (28,328 m²) of meadow
. It rendered £5.
In the graveyard of St. Nicholas's Church (dating to 1301) is an ancient yew
tree which has been dated to at least 1,500 years old and is probably older still. It could stand on the site of the old pagan temple or it could even be the old pagan temple as trees were venerated in those times by the Saxons
. Close to Peper Harrow at Bonville Hanger Wood is a Holy well
called Bonfield Spring that is also thought to have held pre-christian religious significance.
St. Nicholas's church was almost destroyed by fire in December 2007 http://www.peperharow.info/church.htm. The yew was unharmed and the church is currently being restored.
Cricket has long been played here, with evidence of rules and matches dating to 1727. During the Second World War, Peper Harow was used as a holding area for Canadian Forces. The park is occasionally used for point-to-point horse racing. Point to point at Peper Harow]
in 1765.
Sir Lancelot 'Capability' Brown
landscaped the park in 1762-3, and many fine trees remain from this time. Particularly notable are the Lebanon Cedar
. The house was owned by the Midleton
family until 1944 when it was sold to property developers. It, and the entire village, is now owned by a trust.
There is also an ancient bridge called Somerset Bridge which crosses the River Wey and connects Peper Harow with nearby Elstead
.
The Peper Harow therapeutic community was set up by Melvyn Rose who had been a house master at the approved school, Park House, that pre-dated the Peper Harow Community. Rose understood that the difficult and sometimes violent behaviour of the young residents at Peper Harow reflected their personal pain and distress. All young people were assigned a personal mentor who developed very close relationships with the children in their care. In keeping with the interest in eastern philosophy at the time these were, rather quaintly, known as "Gurus". The residents and staff together took responsibility for the daily maintenance of the community and all contributed to cooking and cleaning. The young people were considered to be partners in the therapeutic endeavour and there was an expectation that everyone attended the daily community meetings. These meetings were the heart of the community and often young people were able to to share and resolve very painful experiences from their past, and the daily difficulties and challenges of sixty adults and children living together could be addressed in a helpful way. There were high expectations on young people to help each other and to achieve educationally. Many young people left to go to university and others took up higher education at a later point in their adult lives. Unfortunately residential care for children fell out of favour as a result of abuse scandals and Peper Harow eventually closed. It still has an influence today. In particular Rose's understanding of the importance of the physical and sensory environment in healing traumatised young people was decades ahead of his time.
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...
close to the town 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...
.
The whole village is privately owned and access is restricted. The name "Peper Harow" is very unusual and comes from Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
Pipers Hearg meaning, approximately "Pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Temple
Heathen hofs
Heathen hofs or Germanic pagan temples were the temple buildings of Germanic paganism; there are also a few built for use in modern Germanic neopaganism...
".
Peper Harrow appears in 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...
of 1086 as Pipereherge. It was held by Girard (Gerard) from Walter, son of Othere. Its domesday assets were: 3 hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
s. It had 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, 1 mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
worth 15s, 7 acres (28,328 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
. It rendered £5.
In the graveyard of St. Nicholas's Church (dating to 1301) is an ancient yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
tree which has been dated to at least 1,500 years old and is probably older still. It could stand on the site of the old pagan temple or it could even be the old pagan temple as trees were venerated in those times by the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. Close to Peper Harrow at Bonville Hanger Wood is a Holy well
Holy well
A holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of...
called Bonfield Spring that is also thought to have held pre-christian religious significance.
St. Nicholas's church was almost destroyed by fire in December 2007 http://www.peperharow.info/church.htm. The yew was unharmed and the church is currently being restored.
Cricket has long been played here, with evidence of rules and matches dating to 1727. During the Second World War, Peper Harow was used as a holding area for Canadian Forces. The park is occasionally used for point-to-point horse racing. Point to point at Peper Harow]
Peper Harow House
Peper Harow House was built by Sir William ChambersWilliam Chambers (architect)
Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
in 1765.
Sir Lancelot 'Capability' Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
landscaped the park in 1762-3, and many fine trees remain from this time. Particularly notable are the Lebanon Cedar
Lebanon Cedar
Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean region.There are two distinct types that are considered to be different subspecies or varieties. Lebanon cedar or Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean...
. The house was owned by the Midleton
Viscount Midleton
Viscount Midleton, of Midleton in the County of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1717 for Alan Brodrick, 1st Baron Brodrick, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland and former Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. He had already been created Baron Brodrick, of Midleton in the...
family until 1944 when it was sold to property developers. It, and the entire village, is now owned by a trust.
There is also an ancient bridge called Somerset Bridge which crosses the River Wey and connects Peper Harow with nearby Elstead
Elstead
Elstead is a village in Surrey, England, with shops and cottages mainly clustered around a central green, close to the River Wey. Neighbouring villages include Gatwick , Puttenham, Charleshill and Peper Harow...
.
The Peper Harow Residential Community
The Peper Harow residential community was founded in 1970 by Melvyn Rose and gained international repute for its pioneering work with disturbed adolescents. For over 20 years, this establishment provided a therapeutic environment for teenagers who had often suffered appalling abuse.The Peper Harow therapeutic community was set up by Melvyn Rose who had been a house master at the approved school, Park House, that pre-dated the Peper Harow Community. Rose understood that the difficult and sometimes violent behaviour of the young residents at Peper Harow reflected their personal pain and distress. All young people were assigned a personal mentor who developed very close relationships with the children in their care. In keeping with the interest in eastern philosophy at the time these were, rather quaintly, known as "Gurus". The residents and staff together took responsibility for the daily maintenance of the community and all contributed to cooking and cleaning. The young people were considered to be partners in the therapeutic endeavour and there was an expectation that everyone attended the daily community meetings. These meetings were the heart of the community and often young people were able to to share and resolve very painful experiences from their past, and the daily difficulties and challenges of sixty adults and children living together could be addressed in a helpful way. There were high expectations on young people to help each other and to achieve educationally. Many young people left to go to university and others took up higher education at a later point in their adult lives. Unfortunately residential care for children fell out of favour as a result of abuse scandals and Peper Harow eventually closed. It still has an influence today. In particular Rose's understanding of the importance of the physical and sensory environment in healing traumatised young people was decades ahead of his time.