Fernhurst

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Fernhurst is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the A286 road Guildford to Chichester road, three miles (5km) south of Haslemere. The parish includes the settlements of Henley Common, Kingsley Green and Bell Vale.

The village, on the Weald, originally developed around crossroads (The Cross) and the village green, and ancient remains (Stone Age and Roman} have been found here. Iron working took place in the 17th/18th centuries; and a turnpike ran through the village. The church, dedicated to St Margaret, (c.1100) and Red Lion pub is located and several old houses still remain. With the coming of the railway at Haslemere the village has gravitated towards and beyond The Cross, and since the 1960s the village has expanded further in that direction. The village houses a large commuter population, attracted by the scenery and the ease of travel.

In the 2001 census there were 1,158 households with a total population of 2,765 of whom 1,244 were economically active.

The village is surrounded by hills, including Telegraph Hill (676ft), Marley Heights (700ft), Bexley Hill (600ft), Fridays Hill (675ft) and the highest hill in Sussex, Blackdown (919ft) to the northeast. It is surrounded by miles of footpaths, the path to the summit of Blackdown commencing at the Red Lion.

Local claims to fame include the fact that Bertrand Russell wrote Principia Mathematica in the now-non-existent house "Millhangar" a mile or so southeast of the village (ref: Victor Davey, Helen and Kenneth Ouin: Walks around Fernhurst, 1981).

The Verdley estate a mile or so SSE of the village was the home of ICI's Plant Protection Division in the 80s and subsequently a Zeneca research and development centre.

[edit] Local Info

The local flavour of this village is varied and colourful. Every year there are many traditions such as the "revels" fete held on the green raising funds for village societies and some local charities. There are also various local May-day celebrations, such as maypole dancing, and the may queen is elected from the local school. In May 2006 a film of the village for the Meridian ITV programme "Village voices" was filmed involving the revels and local craftsmen etc. It was screened on 15th August 2006.