WOKING'S HISTORY DISTRICT BY DISTRICT
Mayford, Sutton Green and Bridley (Worplesdon Hill)
The Manor of Bridley was, until the 12th century, a part of the manor of Pirbright, but in the 13th century it was added to the Manor of Woking (together with the ‘sub-manor’ of Mayford). By the late 16th century the area had separated once more and in the early 19th century the then Lord of the Manor, Sir Fletcher Norton, with the co-operation of his tenants, ‘enclosed’ the area. This led, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, to the development of the Worplesdon Golf Course (built 1908) and the large houses of ‘Worplesdon Hill’ (which, like the railway station, are not within the parish of Worplesdon at all).
Sunhill Farm, Mayford.The history of Sutton Green is closely tied to the history of the Manor - which since Tudor times dominated the area. At the time of the Domesday Survey, Sutton had a mill valued at 5 shillings, but where this mill was is a matter of debate. There was no church, although there are later records of a chapel at the manor house - near the site of the Catholic Church (built in 1875-6).
The building or rebuilding of farms and cottages in the village matched the building of Sutton Place by Sir Richard Weston in the 1520s. The Old Post Office dates from the early 16th century, whilst further along Sutton Green Road, ‘Quaves Hatch’ dates from the late 16th century. Other properties in Sutton Park itself include Bull Lane Cottage (15th c), Vine Cottage (16th c), and Lady Place Farm (16th c and later), whilst other ‘outlying’ properties include Frog Lane Farm (16th c), Cox’s Farm at Burdenshot Hill (16th c) and The Old Cottage and Whitmoor Farm (both 16th c) at Whitmoor.
The Old Post Office, Sutton Green.One of the major events in the area’s history came in the 1650s with the building of the Wey Navigation, although even this didn’t bring any major development to the village. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw little growth either, although the high-class area of Pyle Hill was developed at that time on the high ground between Sutton and Mayford.
Mayford, as a name, goes back to the 12th century, but the area was occupied long before then. Mesolithic flints, a Romano-British site (Black Close) and medieval pottery have all been unearthed over the years; and as the crossing place for major roads linking centres such as Guildford to Chertsey and Woking to Farnham, the ford at ‘Mayforde’ must have been in use for many years before the village grew up.
The area was always considered a separate ‘hamlet’ within the large parish of Woking and many old 16th and 17th century farms and cottages still survive scattered about the area. These include The Old Cottage, Friars and Bridge and Gabriel Cottages in Guildford Road, and Ivy Cottage, Broom Cottage and Sunhill House in Smarts Heath Road (amongst many others).
In Victorian times the land of Kemps Farm was bought for the Surrey Industrial School - a home for ‘destitute boys not convicted of crime’ - where the inmates could learn a craft and start a new life. The school brought about some minor development, but it was probably the nursery grounds and the opening of Worplesdon Station (in 1883) which accounted for most of Mayford’s limited growth in the late 19th century. Even so, Mayford remained quite rural until well into the 20th century and its character as a village surrounded by countryside is jealously guarded.
The pages on The Basingstoke Canal, The Railway, Brookwood Cemetery & The Necropolis, and Famous People deal with more information about the area in relation to those subjects.
Booklets.
The Woking Community Play Association’s book ‘Changing Woking - 1900-1929’ contains a wealth of information on the Mayford, Sutton Green and Worplesdon Hill area.
Booklets on ‘The Prehistory of the Borough of Woking’, ‘The Place Names of Woking’, ‘The Early Medieval History of the Manor of Woking’, ‘Woking Palace in Tudor Times’, ‘A Brief History of Sutton Place’, ‘A Brief History of the Wey Navigation’ and ‘Famous People from Woking’s Past’, as well as ‘Heritage Notes on Sutton Green’ and ‘Heritage Notes on Mayford’, are also available - please see the list of publication on the HERITAGE WALKS page.
