Hog’s Back – Tree felling along the bridleway (story started 15th March 2022)

​Note: As with a Blog, this story is in reverse order. Please scroll down to find the beginning.

Hog's Back Clearance – final report, 5th June 2022​

An email exchange with Laura of English Woodlands Forestry Ltd in the week ending 29th May confirmed that any replanting will take place in the winter of '23/'24. Laura emphasised that it is important to see what regrowth takes place meanwhile. As my two photos below show, significant sprouting is taking place from many of the tree stumps. Please note: I post this as information and not as an indication of any views (Lorimer).

Latest Hog's Back Clearance News, 18th May 2022.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, 10th, 11th May, the final chipping took place. On completion of this, all branches/logs on the South side of the track had been chipped and removed. Here is a couple of photos and two videos of the operation:

Hog's Back Clearance News, 29th April 2022.

10 lorries were used last week for the chippings. The final stage of the operation is booked for Wednesday & Thursday, 11th & 12th May. So hopefully the site will be cleared by the end of that week.

There has been a 10-day delay because the tractor broke down on the A3 (drive shaft to the rear wheels broke). A large low loader was needed to collect the tractor and chipper combination with police assisting with traffic control. Spares are not available due to freight delays, so a new tractor was bought (£300k) which is so far working well.

Hog’s Back – Chipping Resumes (27th April 2022)

Click HERE for a video of the chipper being prepared for operation.

Video of the chipper from the front Here. And from the back Here

And HERE is a video of the chipper in action.

There is a large amount of material to still be removed, but progress at the moment, is good.

On Tuesday (26th), I was speaking to the contractor who confirmed that replanting would take place this winter. There will be a mix of deciduous trees (as mentioned before). He suggested that fruit trees should also be included (apple, pear etc). There is already a crab apple growing along the South side of the track (& in full bloom), but he suggested eating apples – which would be better still!

Stop Press! 13th April. I had an onsite meeting with Laura of English Woodlands Forestry this morning. She was able to see how much work remains to be done (although she already had a good idea). She is extremely frustrated that the chipper remains unserviceable. Apparently, spare parts are in a freight container which is delayed somewhere, and despite best efforts, there are no alternative machines. As her notice says, she does hope that work can continue on about the 26th April.

​Laura confirmed that extensive clearing up will eventually take place. She confirmed that later this year or, more likely, next year, there will be an extensive growth of wild flowers as well as tree regeneration. It is very likely that new trees will be planted in the winter of '22/'23. She is very open for a 'wish list' of tree species from the community. The one tree which is unlikely to grow well in this area is oak. More updates when information available. Lorimer Burn

Latest, 30th March: "Equipment failure" has caused a break of some 10 days in the chipping. English Woodland say they hope to have the Chipper back on site in the week commencing 4th April, and to complete the work over the following two weeks.

Here are some notes I (Lorimer Burn, Chairman of the St Catherine’s Village Association Committee) have made as a result of phone calls to George, the Loseley Estate Surveyor, and Laura, a Manager in English Woodlands Forestry Ltd, on Monday 14th March 2022.

Comments from Loseley:

• The Forestry Commission has approved this work

• Ash trees comprise about 65% of the trees along the bridleway. Many are affected by ash dieback disease (Chalara Fraxinea) and are more likely to fall or drop branches

• Loseley own the woodland and Surrey County Council own the track

• The track will be cleared and repaired where necessary once the work is complete

• Loseley is paying for the work

Comments from Laura of English Woodlands Forestry Ltd:

• The cutting completes on Tuesday 15th March

• A Chipper (500 hp!) will be brought to the site on Thursday 17th March and will chip all the detritus (branches and trunks). The chippings have been bought by LHR for their biomass heating system

• All the tree trunks have been bought by a company for future sale as firewood

• The verges of the track will be cleaned as much as possible and the remainder strimmed to act as a mulch

• The felled area will be left this year to recover. There may be significant regrowth and now that the canopy has gone, there may be wild flowers in future years

• Replanting of a mix of deciduous native trees may take place this winter (’22/’23), but more likely the following winter (’23/24), depending on what regrowth has occurred. However this will require a restocking grant which often is slow to obtain. Tree planting only takes place in the winter

• Some species other than ash have also been removed, but only where they appeared damaged. Great care has been taken to limit this where possible

• The tree stumps will not be removed since this would cause great disturbance to the ground

Comments from Lorimer as a result of conversations with George (Loseley), Laura (English Woodlands), the Banksman and the driver of the Harvester (the tree cutter)

• A local Guildown resident remembers that he used to play in this area as a child, when there were virtually no trees

• This was generally low quality growth which had never been managed, and was overrun by brambles and ivy

• We are all resistant to change, and this is a great change to a much loved environment (I’ve walked my dogs here for the last 27 years)

• The character of this place will be completely different in the future but there may be bonuses of fresh new growth and wild flowers

• I will keep in touch with Laura (English Woodland) concerning future plans which I will publish here when known

If you have any further queries I can be contacted on chairman@stcatherinesvillage.org

Click Here for a short video of one of the GSA's songs at the Winter Party, and some photos...

Friday 26th October 2018

Robin Stannard

"The architecture of Guildford High St."

This takes the form of a virtual walk down the High Street looking at different styles, materials and history of the buildings.

Saturday 30th June 2018

Open Gardens Event

Six local gardens will be open to members of the SCVA Association to visit from 2pm to 6 pm on Saturday 3oth June

Prior booking is required

​Further details will be available closer to the time.

17-19th May 2018

St Catherine's Past and Present

The St Catherine’s local exhibition returns 17-19 May 2018

Over the years members of the St Catherine’s Village Association have created a fascinating exhibition of the history and life in the area surrounding St Catherine’s. Every six years we put the exhibition on display in the Village Hall.

The next occasion will be 17-19th May 2018, thanks to the Awards-for-All programme of the Big Lottery, which has awarded us a grant to fund the purchase of new display stands, and Village Hall Committee members, who have kindly agreed to make the hall available free-of-charge and store the display stands.

If you would like to help, either by helping to get the displays ready, manning the exhibition or arranging refreshments, please let David Calow know (dm.calow@ntlworld.com).

Friday 6th April 2018 at 7.30pm

"Flying from the Pilot's Point of View"

A one hour, media-rich presentation looking at the rôle of Air Traffic Control and the operation of an

Airbus A320 from Heathrow to Edinburgh​.

What does it take to get an airliner ready for a flight, and what do all those instruments do?

Lorimer Burn was a pilot for 40 years, the last 18 flying the A320 for bmi out of LHR

The Winter Party,

​Friday 26th January 2018

This was a truly great evening. For the first time for many years, all places (88) were sold and we even had a standby list.

The home-cooked food, provided by a team of about 20 local ladies under Flora Bell's careful supervision was quite delicious.

The bar was enthusiastically run by Chris Lewis.

The GSA Singers from the University of Surrey under the excellent training of Peter were probably the best team we've had. There were songs from the shows and oldies like Bobby's girl and A Military Man. Beautiful voices and all performed perfectly and with aplomb.

Congratulations to all those who made this excellent event happen, and run so smoothly.

Ye Olde Ship Inn has a new landlord!

After some 30 years of running Ye Olde Ship Inn, Paul and Sharon have at last handed over the ownership to

​Jeremy & Jenny Kingcome.

This took place on Monday 30th October.

Arts & Crafts Houses

a talk by

Robin Stannard in the Village Hall,

Friday 26th October 2017

This was an utterly fascinating presentation where, in 149 slides and almost two hours, Robin chronologically went through the architects of note showing all the houses in the Guildown and surrounding area which have been built by them. They are: Charles Voysey, Hugh Turner, Thomas Powell, Lawrence Powell, Norman Shaw, Ernest Newton, Philip Webb, William Morris, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Charles Townsend, John Belcher.

Some of us had no idea that this area, which was the start of the Arts & Crafts movement, had so many unique houses of such significance, designed by so many world famous architects.

The hall was full with 75 in attendance and Robin had to field many questions at the end. It was an enthralling presentation. We must invite Robin back one more time.

Summer Lunch, July 2017

There were about 85 of us present at this year's Lunch at Piccard's Manor on Sunday 9th July. The day was beautiful – too beautiful in fact, with shade being sort by almost all.

The food was utterly delicious; the quartet Têtè-à-Têtè provided the perfect music to enhance the atmosphere; Paul, running the bar ran out of Pimms and the polypin of Hog's Back Tea; and conversations took place all afternoon.

​The event was another perfect success, as shown by the following photographs...

London's Lost Route to the Sea

Thursday 18th May at 7:30pm, Village Hall

AGM: Friday 10th March 2017

52nd AGM. There were 54 of us present, including our Borough Councillor Caroline Reeves, and County Councillor David Goodwin.

This was in fact the 52nd AGM for our Village Association (an earlier miscount of meetings caused us to miss the 50th in 2015). We have to wonder how many Village Associations in Guildford can boast of 50 years of continuous operation.

The photo shows Association Secretary Phillip Mansley and Chairman Lorimer Burn holding the notebook for the early Minutes, including the very first one from March 1965 which Phillip had borrowed from the Surrey History Collection in Woking. It so happened that we had Aurial and Eric Earle with us who had been members of the Association since that inaugural day!

A brief report of Association business was followed by reports from our two Councillors of activities in the town.

It was an extremely informative meeting and finished at 9:30.

A photograph of the meeting in progress is held by David Calow (dmcalow@ntlworld.com, 01483-574730). Please contact David if you would like a print.

Winter Party: Friday 20th January 2017

73 of us were present for a fabulous meal, gorgeous music, and completely impossible magic. It was an excellent evening.

John Gibson

(National Trust Manager) The Wey Navigation

Friday 7th October

20 of us were present and John described the operation required to maintain the waterway, together with some of its history. This was informative, covering matters such as the challenge of the recently introduced crayfish which are out-competing our natural crayfish, and the threat presented by the Himalayan Balsam.

Matthew Alexander

on the history of Guildford,

23rd September 2016

There were 50 of us present, and we were treated to a detailed account of Guildford's history from early times up to the early 1800s. Matthew took a host of questions until we finished at 9:30. We must have him back for an account of more recent history of Guildford – the 1800s to very recent times.

The Summer Lunch 2016

Sunday 3rd July 2016

There were about 100 of us in Marc and Nicole Clancy's garden. The weather was kind to us, with no rain, and the skies clearing as the afternoon progressed. Music was provided by our Trio Tête-à-Tête with Dave on keyboard and guitar, Trevor on guitar and bass guitar, and Babs providing vocals. They are the perfect choice for an event such as this.

The food as always, was all home-cooked and delicious.

​As in previous years, this was judged to be "The best Summer Lunch yet!"

The New Local Plan Meeting

Thursday 30th June 2016

There were 50 of us in the Village Hall. Guildford Borough Council had provided nine Information boards which summarised the plan. Ward Councillor Caroline Reeves explained the background to the plan and the information on the boards.

Following this, Lead Councillor for Planning Paul Spooner, and Lead Councillor for Infrastructure Matt Furniss gave us a detailed explanation on the details of the plan. It was explained how all future development is dependent on improvement of the infrastructure, especially the A3, with a North/South tunnel being the best option and widening of the road the alternative.

There were many questions. The meeting was extremely instructive and constructive. Appreciation was expressed to Caroline, Paul and Matt for giving us their time late into the evening.

The Late New Year Party

19th February 2016

About 60 of us gathered in the Village Hall for a superb meal (Breast of chicken in lemon & fennel sauce with Russian salad). The bar was expertly run by Paul from The Ship and the entertainment was once again “The GSA Singers from GSA (Guildford School of Acting) Guildford, University of Surrey” ​who enthusiastically sang a selection of songs from the shows, demonstrating that they had some marvellous soloists in their midst. Peter was their expert pianist once more.

And if you would like to hear what the GSA Singers actually sound like, click here

The Summer Lunch 2015

on Midsummer's Day,

was a great success, with sunshine (admittedly beyond our control, & thank heavens it was not Saturday's or Monday's weather!); a 'full house' with over 100 of us in Marc & Nicole's garden, excellent home-cooked food; quality fully-equipped bar run by Paul from The Ship Inn; perfect music throughout from our trio Tête à Tête and many hundreds of conversations during a relaxed summer's afternoon in a beautiful garden. Photographs below:

The AGM in the Village Hall on Friday 13th January

was attended by 29, including our three Councillors. It was an instructive evening. Minutes will be posted when written and approved.

The Late New Year Party

on the 23rd January 2015

was a great success. There were about 70 present in a very full hall. The bar was extremely efficiently run by Paul from The Ship; the meal – an exotic and delicious chicken dish devised by Phillip Mansley – was served in about six minutes flat; and Guildford Harmony entertained us superbly with their close harmony singing.

Pictures of the event are below, and a video of Guildford Harmony's encore is Here. But be warned – Their song is extremely catching and will be in your head for the rest of the day!