Category: History

Summer Fun for All the Family in Limpsfield this August

Posted on by thewordbird in History, News & General Information, What's On

A big round of applause goes to the Limpsfield in Bloom team and all the local residents, businesses, Panda Nursery, and Limpsfield Fitness for their incredible efforts in marking the 20th anniversary of Limpsfield in Bloom. The village is looking amazing, and the beautifully decorated K6 phone box was a real standout! 

With the school holidays now in full swing, it’s time to embrace the best of summer right here in Limpsfield. Whether you’re keeping the kids entertained, catching up with friends, or just making the most of the long, warm days, there’s no shortage of things to see and do this August. Here’s a selection of what you can get up to around Limpsfield this August…

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St Peter's Church Limpsfield 1879

How much do you know about Limpsfield’s history?

Posted on by thewordbird in History, News & General Information

Limpsfield Village, the Common and Chart is an area steeped in history—from its Domesday origins and medieval timber-framed buildings to its 19th-century convalescent homes, Arts and Crafts churches, Roman roads, and wartime heritage.

St Peter’s churchyard is a significant resting place for celebrated musicians and local notables, while Limpsfield Chart and Common offer insight into centuries of rural life, industry, and community stewardship.

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The Roman Invasion of Crockham Hill & Limpsfield Chart!

Posted on by thewordbird in History, Local Resident

In another delightful guest article, Richard Stilgoe recounts his unexpected journey into Roman history while undertaking a personal project to dig a lake at Trevereux Manor.

What began as a modern landscaping venture soon uncovered remnants of ancient Roman life, including a paved staging area believed to be used for changing horses—described humorously as the Roman equivalent of Clacket Lane Services.

With help from archaeologists and later a pair of enthusiastic detectorists, Dom and Matt, Stilgoe’s field yielded a surprising haul of Roman artefacts, from coins to a striking Hermes figurine.

Blending wit with historical insight, he brings to life the enduring legacy of Rome in the fields of Trevereux—and the very human stories buried beneath our feet…

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Trevereux Manor, Limpsfield, courtesy of Richard Stilgoe

Trevereux – the House They Cannot Spell

Posted on by thewordbird in History, Local Resident

Following on from our article on Mary Emma Cox’s Victorian Photo Album, in this brilliant guest article, Limpsfield Chart resident and national treasure, Richard Stilgoe traces the colourful and often chaotic history of Trevereux Manor—the grand old house whose name has baffled spellers for centuries.

Eschewing a dry account of architectural changes, Stilgoe focuses on the people who shaped its story, from Roman settlers and medieval knights to Jane Austen-style romances and fifties pop stars. Through tales of wartime sieges, thunderstorm courtships, and Rolls-Royce rebuilds, we meet a cast as diverse as the house’s many spellings. With warmth and wit, Stilgoe takes us from the Manor’s earliest days to its near-destruction in a dramatic 1989 fire, and finally to its loving restoration by his own family—proof that while the spelling of Trevereux may remain tricky, its charm is undebatable.

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Post Office Limpsfield

A Victorian Photo Album and the Goldsworthy Legacy in Limpsfield

Posted on by thewordbird in History

A year or so ago, I received a call from a lovely lady named Helen Goldsworthy from Farningham in Kent. Helen had been sorting through the belongings of her late husband, Malcolm Goldsworthy, when she discovered a remarkable treasure—a book of photographs capturing Limpsfield and the surrounding areas in the late 1800s.

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At the Heart of It All: A Wartime Childhood in Limpsfield Chart

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

This personal wartime memoir by Robert Douglas Peckett, originally shared as part of the BBC’s People’s War project, offers a unique and vivid insight into life in Limpsfield Chart, a small village nestled under the North Downs on the Surrey–Kent border. Though remote and rural, the village found itself at the heart of the war effort due to its strategic position directly in line with France, London, and key RAF airfields such as Biggin Hill, Redhill, and Kenley.

Robert’s recollections paint a detailed picture of wartime Britain from the eyes of a child—where barrage balloons hovered above the village common, German and Italian POW camps lay hidden in nearby woods, and military convoys rumbled past on their way to Dover. With local dignitaries like Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Viscount Slim living nearby, and the skies filled with Hurricanes and Mustangs, Limpsfield Chart was anything but a quiet backwater.

This account brings to life not just the dangers and disruption of war, but also the remarkable resilience, curiosity, and community spirit that defined the Home Front—complete with air raid shelters, Home Guard rifle ranges, and an unforgettable VE Day parade led by a Canadian pipe and drum band. It is a heartfelt and valuable window into how global conflict shaped even the most rural corners of Britain.

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Growing Up Under Fire: A Wartime Childhood in surrey

Posted on by thewordbird in History, News & General Information, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

This vivid personal account of wartime life in the Limpsfield and Oxted area was written by Hazel Stewart and shared online by Charlotte Gill on behalf of The Dingemans Centre in Steyning. Hazel grew up in Hurst Green, with family in Oxted and Limpsfield—an area that, during the Second World War, was close to key strategic sites such as Biggin Hill and Kenley Airfields.

Her memories provide a moving and detailed glimpse into life on the Home Front: from watching dogfights overhead during the Battle of Britain to sheltering from bombing raids, carrying gas masks to school, and knitting for the war effort. Hazel’s story reflects the strength, adaptability, and community spirit that defined civilian life during the war years in this part of the country.

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A Boy’s War: Two Evacuees’ Memories of Oxted & Limpsfield

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

Did you know that entire schools were evacuated from London to Oxted during the Second World War and Limpsfield Common was used for tank training exercises ahead of the D-Day landings?

When war loomed in 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from cities to the relative safety of the countryside—a moment etched in the memory of a generation. For Anthony Collins and Ken Clark, the first of September marked the beginning of a journey that would take them from south London to the quiet lanes of Oxted and Limpsfield in Surrey. Unlike the often-portrayed tearful toddlers with name tags, Ken and Anthony were part of the lesser-remembered wave of older schoolchildren—independent, observant, and full of curiosity.

In the run up to VE Day, 8 May and Surrey Day on 10 May, we’ll be running some fascinating accounts that depict life in wartime Oxted & Limpsfield… We hope you enjoy them.

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Salvage and Secrecy: Everyday Contributions to Britain’s War Effort

Posted on by thewordbird in History, News & General Information, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

During the Second World War, civilians across Britain played a vital role in supporting the war effort through ingenuity, cooperation, and sacrifice. Government campaigns encouraged people to collect and donate everyday items—many of which had surprisingly important military uses.

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Nursing on the Frontline: Wartime Memories from Oxted & Limpsfield Cottage Hospital

Posted on by thewordbird in History, WW2 in Oxted & Limpsfield

On August 18th, 1940—later known as The Hardest Day of the Battle of Britain—17-year-old probationer nurse J.H. Allen (née Banks) was just 18 days into her first posting at Oxted and Limpsfield Cottage Hospital when the sky above Surrey erupted into combat. She watched as a German Dornier and a British Hurricane clashed overhead, their fates sealed above Titsey Hill and Hurst Green. What followed was a vivid baptism into wartime nursing that would shape her early adult life and remain etched in memory forever.

In this deeply personal and richly detailed account, Allen recalls the extraordinary experiences of nursing during one of Britain’s most perilous times—treating Dunkirk survivors, civilian air raid casualties, and even a captured German pilot who offered her his Iron Cross and a chilling warning of gas attacks to come. Life at the hospital, nestled at the foot of the North Downs, brought moments of quiet heroism, close calls during bombing raids, and even a chance encounter with King George VI as he reviewed troops before their departure.

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