The Knaphillian

Goldsworth Park/Bisley/Brookwood/St Johns/Hermitage/Chobam - where exactly do our village borders lie?

It transpires that Woking Borough Council's interpretation of local borders between Knaphill, St Johns, Brookwood and Bisley differ from that of Royal Mail's. Surrey County Council also disagrees with WBC's - so what about it? - The Knaphillian.com will be speaking to residents over the next few weeks to define and publish - exactly where the Knaphill borders are.... so watch this space!

According to an article on the front page of this week's Woking News & Mail, The Surrey Pub is now in St. John's !!!  (not Knaphill) - SINCE WHEN ? - If the local press can't get their local history right then we've got no bloody chance :-(

In my view, Knaphill border is Amstel Way, Hermatage Road, Brookwood Lye Road, Bagshot Road (A322) taking in the estate on the left hand of the road up to Corresbrook Way, Oakwood Gardens, and Grindstone Gardens, continuing up the A322 to Limecroft Road where you trip slightly out of Knaphill and into Bisley, but back in Knaphill halfway along Limecroft Road (perhaps the border runs along the right hand side of the road??), Chobham Road, Barr's Lane (running along the old closed up bit), Littlewick Road (going up and back on itself to take in the houses along the way), Lockfield Drive and then connecting back up to Amstel Way.  I don't have a lot of history of Woking, but I'm happy to be challenged over whether the border goes as far as Amstel Way, because it looks like a relatively new road, as opposed to one that has existed for centuries.  Was it only put in to connect Lockfield to Hermitage?  I'm thinking the actual border along Brookwood Lye Road stops at the canal, running along the bottom of the Brookwood Country Park.

From the discussions with WBC regarding Brookwood Country Park, I believe that the Country Park lies within Brookwood and Hermitage Road is the St Johns border.  

The above opinions prove that the Village Border debate is very much alive as well as being an  intriguing one

I have today asked Lib Dem councillor Diana Smith for her views as Surrey County Council are much better placed than WBC to throw light on some of these issues.

The Surrey County Council have strong connections with local history and its old maps and borders, I'm sure that Diana will be able to answer many of the points raised above.

Hello all. Is there a danger that we are taking this all a little too seriously or am I missing something? Have there been border incidents between Knaphill and Brookwood over Sainsbury's? Are we thinking of invading St Johns?

Well I've noticed the encroachment into Knaphill from Goldsworth Park and from Brookwood and St Johns..............Some people don't even know where they live so they just say Woking which is so wrong!!
It would be great if there were some border skirmishes, it might make life around here a bit more interestin......

The Immortal One at 03:39PM on Nov 16, 2009

Well I've noticed the encroachment into Knaphill from Goldsworth Park and from Brookwood and St Johns..............Some people don't even know where they live so they just say Woking which is so wrong!!
It would be great if there were some border skirmishes, it might make life around here a bit more interestin......

Sure I read the other day that the border of Knaphill for the Brookwood Country Park runs along the canal, so the other side of the canal, including Brookwood Lye Road is in Brookwood.  However, the country park is in fact in Knaphill.  Perhaps the council should consider renaming Brookwood Country Park into Knaphill Country Park??

Also, Wateters Park is not in Knaphill.  Knaphill border runs along Barley Mow Lane, running from Chobham Road, along Barley Mow Lane, then behind the houses on Anchor Hill that back onto Waterers Park all the way down to the round-about with Lockfield Drive.

And I also understand that the border extends further than Amstel Way, encroaching well into what I would consider St Johns.

Was there ever a Parish Council of Knaphill?  If so, where did that extend to?

Comrades, it's time to take back what has been stolen from Knaphill. Who's with me? This weekend Knaphill will rise again and we march on St Johns. Bring your pitchforks and burning torches. Chaaaaarge!

With respect to the so-called 'Brookwood' Country Park this website received an admission last year by a Woking Borough Councillor that the Park had been named as such because it stood in the grounds of the former Brookwood Hospital site (a similar claim made by Sainsburys). She confirmed that this actually was an oversight when naming the park, as it was a golden opportunity to re-identify the land with Knaphill. This error  was confirmed by a lady (we have her details) who used to work on The Woking Borough Council's naming committee. - It then all went quiet!

Its the same with the new houses being built at Brookwod Farm. These are at least 400 yards inside our village, and another opportunity has been missed to correctly identify the site with Knaphill. 

On another note: Earlier this year we contacted local councillors to raise the issue of the state of the Knaphill Village signs.They are in desparate need of an overhaul/maintenance as they have become very shabby over the last 2/3 years.  The answer to that question was that no-one actually owns responsibilty for them - as wait for it, they were paid for by Sainsburys as part of their regeneration of Knaphill when the store was completed in 1994 - how ironic! - Again, when pressed local councillors appeared to duck the issue, once again underlining WBC's on-going incompetence when it comes to all things Knaphill.

The Country Park and the adjoining canal are definitely in Knaphill ......... many local history articles confirm this........

Well this is what ive found so I think this at least puts the record straight about the Country Park and canal area.........tho' there are only two stores/ Sainsburys and Homebase, not several......

One of the major employers in the area until its closure in the 1990s was Brookwood Hospital, a vast, rambling mental hospital that dated from the late Victorian era. Built on land formerly known as Knaphill Common, the hospital started life as The Surrey Asylum and formed part of the southern boundary of Knaphill (being denoted by the Basingstoke Canal). Its name was changed to Brookwood Hospital in 1909 to make it easier for patients and visitors travelling by rail to Brookwood Station to locate. Most of the hospital grounds have now been redeveloped, the wards having made way for several superstores and a large number of houses. The central building, which is listed, has been retained and converted into luxury flats. Several of the new residential roads were named after the old hospital wards.

The following link is Woking Borough Council's current political map of Knaphill. As you will see it takes in a large chunk of St. Johns, all of the Hermitage Estate. It also shows the Knaphill southern border ending at the canal and not Brookwood Lye.

http://www.woking.gov.uk/planning/policy/localplan/knaphill/knaphillpdf.pdf

knaphill at 05:31AM on Nov 22, 2009

The following link is Woking Borough Council's current political map of Knaphill. As you will see it takes in a large chunk of St. Johns, all of the Hermitage Estate. It also shows the Knaphill southern border ending at the canal and not Brookwood Lye.

 

http://www.woking.gov.uk/planning/policy/localplan/knaphill/knaphillpdf.pdf

So what's the Area of High Archaeological Potential (box of little red dots) located in Knaphill just off Barrs Lane?  Is that where Woking Borough Council's common sense might be buried?

Findings from our Knaphill Border Walk that took place on 28/29 November are now posted on our Big Issues page....  so, are you really a Knaphillian - or Not?

There is also more on our 'Member Only Access' page - Become a member - It's FREE!

According to an article on the Get Surrey webbsite dated today 02 12 09 - Homebase is now in Brookwood !! - Of course we all know that Homebase and Sainsburys are actually in Knaphill!

How ignorant and incompetent can the local press get !!!!!!

So Sainsburys add salt to the wounds by adding a 'Welcome to Sainsburys - Brookwood' sign in their refitted store. Wha a bunch of ignorant, misguided morons!.... after all the correspondence they must have recieved about their store actually being in Knaphill. It might help if their 'cardboard cutout' management team wre trained to listen to us mere mortals..........................

Congratulations by the way in defining Knaphiil's borders  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I notice that the local press have once again got their geography all wrong about where the body was found at the canal in Knaphill on Monday, insisting that it was found in Brookwood.

This type of misinformation only serves to confuse people until they end up believing that parts of Knaphill are really in Brookwood/St Johns/Bisley/Woking.............etc...

Sorry to keep whingeing..... but  i just can't stand ignorance and incomptence by people who should  know better... particularly the so called 'responsible reporters' of the local media - don't they need qualifications anymore?

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