College Ride, Church Road and Vicarage Road
Church Road runs from the A30 London Road up a hill onto a ridge. The road continues as College Ride (location) running parallel to the A30 towards Camberley on top of the ridge. But it degenerates into a track and eventually peters out. Vicarage Road runs north (from where Church Road ends) becoming a track named Vicarage Lane, ending at the county boundary. The road name College Ride resumes in what is now the Old Dean estate and continues to Kings Ride and the edge of the RMA.
Whether or not College Ride used to go all the way through to what is now known as the Royal Military Academy has intrigued many, including myself. Lionel Parr emailed in to say that "Church Road / College Ride did indeed once go all the way through to what is now the Royal Military Academy". xi08
I did some research using maps of varying ages. You can make out the route on modern maps and on maps from 1880 . From the junction with Vicarage Lane, College Ride proceeds WSW for 700m as a metalled road, then 550m as a track (see on old-maps.co.uk) before turning SW and meeting the end of Maultway North after 300m. Today this is the limit of the right-of-way footpath and the route is closed by post-war housing. In 1880 there were no houses and the track appears to keep going. Today a small detour via an alley gets you into Kingston Road which follows the route of the old track. The old track led to a star point where no less than 8 tracks met (at a point that is now within Collingwood schools' playing fields) from where College Ride, Camberley, proceeds in a WSW direction towards the RMA. Today College Ride (in part called Upper College Ride) makes a bit of a detour northwards which, by looking at current aerial photographs, is quite clearly around what is now the site of a school but which was a farm that must have belonged to a person with sufficient influence to force the revision of what, in 1880 was a straight road. Beyond Kings Ride the road is called Old Green Lane and its route can be traced to the Royal Military College. In the 1880's what is now Camberley town centre was fields and woods!
I had always wondered what Church Road was called before the church was built. An answer came when I saw a copy of the deeds of 1884 transferring the land on which St Anne's Church is built - the associated plan clearly shows the road adjacent to the land as College Ride. This presumably means that College Ride then started at the junction of Jenkins Hill and the High Street, and not at the junction with Vicarage Road as it does now. I am told that at least part of the road had been known as Potato Row. I do not know when the name Church Road was adopted (from census returns probably after 1901) - can you help? And to add confusion I see on the 1899 1:2500 OS map that the road is called Mill Lane!
The present Vicarage, adjacent to St Anne's Church, dates from the 1950s. The old vicarage is at the far end Vicarage Lane (now divided into two dwellings). However the 1901 census shows the then vicar (Rev William H McKennel Caldwell) living in a house on College Ride.
Allen wrote "My uncle once told me about the "famous" holly hedge in College Ride, which he told me was 80 feet high, and was regularly trimmed. Unfortunately it was not until some years later that I ever went there. Certainly there were some very big holly trees along the south side bordering the Park." May09 There was indeed a large and nationally-famous holly hedge bordering College Ride and the grounds of Pennyhill House. There are photos in numerous archives of it, including ones of it being trimmed by men climbing huge ladders rested against its side. I think its height was more like 40 ft than 80 - but still very impressive. The hedge was grubbed out about 2000 to facilitate the building of an extension to the hotel and leisure complex that is the current use of the property.
Vernon wrote in wondering when the hedge was first planted and asking if anyone can furnish any more information about it. Feb10 The holly hedge was here.
Douglas Marshall writes of the cottages at the top of Collage Ride, by the back entrance to Penny Hill Park. "One of them, called Rose Cottage, I believe was owned by my great grand father, Daniel Wooders. He was married twice and had 12 children, one of whom was my grand mother. She married and lived in Bagshot and Lightwater almost all her life. They had ran businesses in Bagshot, one being the former Lupin Cafe on the A30." 699viii06
Three separate, but similar enquiries have come in about properties on College Ride.
Stefan writes that he lives at the junction of College Ride with Higgs Lane in what we both assume to have been the old gatehouse to the rear-entrance of Pennyhill Park. 319vi03
"I know a little of the history and would like to hear from anyone who may know more of the history or has old photographs of the property."Our address is often stated as Church Lodge on mail shots we receive. This is not an address we have used and wonder if it is simply a mistake or whether there is more to it. I look forward to learning more.."
I am surprised at the property being called Church Lodge, as some maps I have seen give that name to one of Bagshot Park's lodges that is off Church Road. A correspondent has written: .260204
"The house at the junction of College Ride and Higgs Lane was the Head Gardeners House for the Penny Hill Park estate in the 1960's. In about 1952 the estate was taken over by the Heywood family who owned the Oakey Sandpaper factory in Tottenham, North London. Mr Colin Heywood lived there as a single man until his death. Then it became a hotel."
Lionel Parr says that it is his understanding that Church Lodge is an old gatehouse of Pennyhill Park, the "bottom lodge". xi08
The housing estate recently built to the side of the house is called Heywood Avenue, which undoubtably confirms the Heywood name and association with the area.
Ian has written to tell us that the Head Gardener who lived in Stefan's house was Mr Wozencroft. 410vi06
Mary, in a separate enquiry, recounts that she stayed in a cottage on College Ride, but the owner (who had only bought the property recently) knew little of its history. Between them they have managed to find reference on maps and census returns back to the mid 1800's, and have been told that it was probably a woodcutter's or other labourer's home on the original Bagshot estate. Mary wonders if anyone has any more information about the origins of the cottages on College Ride. 313.403
In a similar enquiry Ann Crump asks about Holly Cottages: "I have found my mother on the 1911 Census living with her Uncle, Edward Walter Payne, at 7 Holy Cottages, College Ride. I feel that it should be Holly Cottages but he has written Holy. I have a photo of the semi-detached house and it has a Holly hedge outside. He was a carpenter by trade and on the census it indicates that he worked on an Estate. Can anyone tell me which estate owned the cottages in College Ride at that time? Are they still there? If anyone is interested in the photo I can email them a copy." ii9
Sam seeks information about Framfield on College Ride where he now lives. It was built in 1910 and he would love to know any history and see any old pictures if anyone has any information. 510Aii05
Ian wrote "Framfield is I believe a few doors away from the
terrace which was 1-4 Oakdene. If this is the correct house, I remember the
roof caught fire in the 60's or early 70's". 410vi06
The late Alan Gosden confirmed Ian's location. 260vi06
Jennifer Norman writes: I can remember the fire at Framfield clearly. It was in the early 60s as I left College Ride in 1966. It happened in the middle of the night so was quite a sight. vi9
Stanley Draper writes: We have some census information for a property on College Ride. The address is 153 College Ride but when we visited the numbers seem to finish at 115. Does anyone know if there were houses beyond what is now a gated track? 6148xii06
After making a few enquiries I may have resolved this matter. I think 153 would have been the census enumerator's "number of schedule" (the first column on the hand written form) not the house number, which should have been in the second column but which in my somwhat limited experience enumerators were quite bad at filling in correctly , often only putting down the road name. The reason in part for this might be that many houses simply did not have numbers or names, and in a row of cottages everyone knew where everyone lived so that house names/numbers were a wee bit redundant anyway. Back at the time of the available censuses College Ride was not numbered sequentially. A group of cottages or a terraced row would be given a name and the dwellings numbered within that row. For example Ian (above) refers to "the terrace which was 1-4 Oakdene" thus the address of the occupant of one of these would have been, say, 3 Oakdene, College Ride, Bagshot - an address that gives no clue as to whereabouts on College Ride the terrace is to be found. Furthermore 2 Oakdene would have been next door, not on the other side of the road! One of the residents of College Ride tells me that it is within his memory that the houses ceased to be known by these terrace addresses.
From Alan Edwards : An old friend and neighbour of mine recently told me her parents, who lived near junction of the A30 and Church Rd., always called Church Road 'Mill Lane' which figures with the old mill site on left hand side before St Annes church. 7019iii07 I have also heard that the road, at least in part, was called Potato Row, though I have no idea why.
Can you throw any more light on this?
Diana asks if anyone has any information about
Pinewood Cottage, College Ride.
7024iii07
Alan Edwards replied: If this is the pink cottage beyond Pinewood
House my great grandfather Henry Sumner lived there as a tied house to the
Elphinstones, running the surrounding fields as a smallholding. My
late mother Margaret Edwards remembered being frightened of the pigs when
visiting her grandparents.7019v07
Christine : I have been lookung for my greatgrandfather
Henry Sumner and his daughter Kathleen who was my grandmother.She would have
been 10 at the 1901 census but I cannot trace her, however it is certain
that my greatgrandfather Henry Sumner was living at Pinewood Cottage, College
Ride at this time. 8010iii08 I have been able to put
Alan & Christine in touch.
Gill Basnett writes I'm connected via a grandmother to the
Higgs family from Bagshot, who were living in College
Ride, Higgs Lane, Potato Row etc during the 1800's (they were involved in
the building of some cottages there.) I'm actively researching these Higgs
and the Victorian history of Bagshot - at present specifically via records
at Surrey History centre in Woking and the Census. If anyone wants to compare
notes with me I'd love to hear. In particular I'm looking at the land
ownership/use for the awards 721 and 695 on the Windlesham Inclosure map
of 1813. xi08
And from Alison Neale "I am connected to the Higgs family
through my Grandmother, Amelia Clara Higgs and her daughter is my Great
Grandmother Laura May Leonard nee Gosden. I believe they worked at Bagshot
Park". iix8
Chris writes Dorothy Higgs born Sept 1904 possibly in the Lightwater district was my grandmother, she had a brother, Albert. She obviously moved to London at some point because she was living in Rotherfield Street, Islington, London, I think with her parents, when she met and married George Horscraft who was born in 1899 and presumably from London. Family history is very sketchy but I've been told that my Great-grandmother was Eliza or Elizabeth Higgs and was possibly a Morris or Maurice before marrying Thomas Higgs and that she had a sister Caroline (Carrie). I have also been told that Thomas Higgs was either Head Gardener or a gardener for the Duke of Connaught at Bagshot Park, and that possibly he later had some sort of injury or illness which may have caused him to stop working as a gardener. To the best of my knowledge there isn't anyone left in the family that I know of who could tell me if any of the above is correct, so any information anyone might have would be interesting. Jan10
If you can help answer any of these questions, please use the message pad below to reply.
Bagshot Hall and the old Catholic Church are addressed on a separate page.
Was this beech tree planted by Lord Nelson?
Mark remembers ... a huge beech tree opposite the church in College Ride; the one next to the house with the pond in the garden. The story was that it was planted by Lord Nelson. Is there any truth in that? Did the tree survive the great storm of 1987? 453.1203
The beech tree survived the storm and is still there. When Mark wrote to me I had not heard of the connection , though I have heard it since from another sourse so I assume that it is correct. It is also reported that Nelson stayed at both the adjacent Beech House and at Hallgrove, though other reports indicate that Beech House was built much more recently than that. Location of the beech tree. Do you know about the tree? Please use the message pad below to reply. There is more about Nelson here.
Doodlebug
Ian wrote to tell us "A V1 'Doodlebug' landed in the fields and exploded behind St Anne's Church during WW2. It brought down lots of ceilings further up College Ride and caused structural damage, to my certain knowledge, to a property close to the junction of College Ride and Higgs Lane." 410.
From Lionel Parr: xi08
I vividly recall the V-1 incident in the fields behind the church. It was August or September of 1944; the oats were almost ready for harvest. The flying bomb hit an oak tree at about head height. The effects of a 1000 kg warhead impacting at speed on the tree can be imagined. The explosion also literally blew away all surrounding vegetation, leaving a circle of BARE SOIL around the point of impact. Both the church roof and the stained glass were damaged, as were shop windows in the village.V-1 explosions were characterised by the quantity of wire left lying among the debris. This was because V-1 contained two wire-bound spherical compressed air bottles.
Almost 300 Doodlebugs fell in Surrey. For further reading on V-1s and V-2s, see:
Bates, H E. FLYING BOMBS OVER ENGLAND. Publ. Froglets, 1994
Jones, R V. MOST SECRET WAR. Various publishers.
Ogley, B. DOODLEBUGS AND ROCKETS. Froglets, 1992
From Michael Campbell iix9
My mother once told me a story about a doodlebug exploading in the fields near our house in Park Row in late 1944. I was outside in my pram when it hit. She said all the windows in the house were broken and some of the glass landed in my pram. I guess I was very lucky. I wonder if this was the same bomb that Lionel was talking about.
Questions and answers index.
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