Chiddingfold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chiddingfold | |
  Chiddingfold shown within Surrey |
|
| Population | <3,000 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Waverley |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Godalming |
| Postcode district | GU8 |
| Dialling code | 01428 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | South West Surrey |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the heart of The Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 between Milford and Petworth. Chiddingfold Forest is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lying nearby.
Contents |
[edit] History
The name of Chiddingfold "Chadynge's fold", "Chiddingefoulde", is derived from the Saxon, probably meaning the fold (enclosure for animals) "in the hollow".[1]
Chiddingfold became famous for its glass-making - during the reign of Elizabeth I, there were no fewer than eleven glass works on the green. Chiddingfold glass was used in some of the finest buildings in the land, including St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster, and St George's Chapel, Windsor.
The Guy Fawkes festivities has an interesting past. In 1929, bonfire-related delinquency led to the last recorded reading of the riot act in the UK. In 2005, notorious local youth Keith The Theif, burned down the bonfire 1 month before the day (October 5) and it had to be hastily rebuilt.[2]
Chiddingfold has opened an archive which shows the history of Chiddingfold and the previous owners of Chiddingfold houses.
[edit] Today
A church (St Mary's), 14th century pub (The Crown), forge, pond, shops and cottages lie on three sides of a large village green. There was also a brick works. In late 2007 the The Crown Pub went into receivership and the pub closed. The Surrey Advertiser reported that a number of families arriving for their Christmas lunch found the pub closed; despite having paid for their meal in advance.[citation needed]
The village is known for its torchlit procession, bonfire and fireworks display on a Saturday evening closest to November 5 (Guy Fawkes Day). The bonfire takes weeks to build and is generally as big as a house. A village festival is also held every year on a Sunday in June and an art festival on a Saturday in September (with a preview on the Friday before); in 2007, it was on 22nd September. Chiddingfold Horticultural Society holds competitions. There is a scout group provides with about seventy boys and girls as members.
The Chiddingfold doctors' surgery covers an area of 100 square miles.[3]
Chiddingfold Scout Group provides Fun and Adventure for over 70 boys and girls.
[edit] Media links
Rock group The Stranglers - then called The Guildford Stranglers, and prior to that The Chiddingfold Chokers - were based in Chiddingfold for a while during the early seventies and frequented 'The Crown'.[citation needed] The rock band Genesis built their studio The Farm here in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Chiddingfold is referred to in a Mr Cholmondley-Warner sketch from Harry Enfield's TV series, in which a newsreel - supposedly from 1940 - looks forward to "life in 1990" and predicts that the United States would have come back under British rule, with New York City renaming itself "Chiddingfold-on-Sea".
