Fernhurst, ENG - Postcode - GU27 3LP

Description of Fernhurst, England

Located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Haslemere on the A286 Milford, Surrey, to Chichester road, Fernhurst is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Hills surround the parish, which is home to the communities of Henley Common, Kingsley Green, and Bell Vale. It is located within the South Downs National Park.

Approximately 5,772 acres make up the parish's total landmass (2,336 ha). There were 1,158 houses and 2,765 people in the 2001 census; 1,244 of the residents were employed full- or part-time.  At the time of the Census in 2011, there were 2,942 people living there.

Geography of Fernhurst

Nearby hills include the 676-foot-tall Telegraph Hill, the 700-foot-tall Marley Heights, the 600-foot-tall Bexley Hill, the 675-foot-tall Fridays Hill, and the 919-foot-tall Blackdown to the northeast. The Red Lion pub is the starting point for the hike up to the peak of Blackdown, one of the many trails that surround Fernhurst.

History of Fernhurst

The village on the Weald grew up around a set of crossroads known as "The Cross" and a central green where artifacts from the Stone Age and the Roman period were discovered. In the 17th and 18th centuries, iron was produced there, and the hamlet was also located on a major thoroughfare. Several historic residences stand on the green, which is also home to the church dedicated to St. Margaret (built around the year 1100) and the Red Lion pub. Haslemere expanded westward since the 1960s, when the village was already large due to the arrival of the railway. Commuting residents live in the area because of the convenience of the nearby Haslemere train station.

The Fernhurst Society published "Voices of Fernhurst" in November 2006, which is a collection of excerpts from oral history interviews with residents of the town.

The Verdley manor is located roughly a mile south-east of the town. Henley Wood was once the site of Verdley Castle, a fortified manor house or hunting tower that dates back to the 14th century but has since been dismantled. Smugglers were able to go safely from the southern coast to the inland valley because of its secluded wooded location.  Verdley Place, a country mansion designed by architect Anthony Salvin in 1873-5 for Charles Savile Roundell, is located not far from the settlement. In the 1891 census, Baron Davey, his wife, and their three daughters and son were listed as residents here. The structure and its grounds are both on the National Register of Historic Places; previously, the ICI Plant Protection Division and its forerunners called the Fernhurst Research Station home; and currently, Zeneca conducts research and development here. It was bought up and turned into a housing complex.