Smallfield

Smallfield
Smallfield  Smallfield shown within Surrey
Population	less than 4,000
OS grid reference	TQ318430
District	Tandridge
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Horley
Postcode district	RH6
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	East Surrey
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Smallfield is a village located in Surrey, England. The village is part of the census area Burstow which has a population of 4,301.

Smallfield lies to the east of the M23 which runs between the M25 and London Gatwick Airport. Neighbouring villages include Burstow, Outwood and Horne.

The moated Smallfield Place is a Jacobean Manor built in 1600 which was given to John de Burstow during the reign of Edward III.

The village is the birth place of Matthieu Hartley, who was a member of the band The Cure between 1979-80.

There was once a hospital in Smallfield, it was placed where now is Toronto Drive and Alberta Drive... but it was knocked down because East Surrey Hospital was built.

Toronto and Alberta Drive are called their names because many Canadians went to that hospital during the war...there is one historic building which is known of is called Redehall Prep School, that has been there since before Queen Victoria's Golden Jubile, that is when the oak tree in the play area was planted.

The First mention of Burstow appears in a church record of 1121 but it is practically certain that a church had been in existence long before that time.

John Flamsteed, who was Rector of Burstow from 1684 until his death in 1719, was appointed in 1675 by King Charles II to be the first Astronomer Royal. His accurate measurements of star positions and the movements of the moon, made in the newly opened Observatory at Greenwich, contributed to making possible the safe navigation of shipping around the world. Flamsteed is buried in Burstow Church and you can see the star that commemorates him in the large window above the altar.

Smallfield derives its name from the occasion when a Lord Burghersh donated 'a narrow piece of land' (Saxon smael feld) to John de Burstow in thanks for assistance rendered during a war in France in the 1300s.

All the original tracks in the area ran north-south - for example, the lanes to Outwood and Bletchingley (or Blechingley as it was spelled until fairly recently) - so they tend to be narrow and winding. The east-west roads tend to be wider and straighter as they were not constructed until much later - there wasn't even a direct road from Smallfield going all the way to Horley until 1870 and the narrow humpbacked bridge built at that time over the Burstow Stream saw many car bumps in later years until it was replaced in the mid-1960s.

Sanger's Circus had winter quarters for its animals at Burstow Lodge (at the northern end of Chapel Road) from the early 1900s until around 1940, so if you had been living in Smallfield at that time you would not have been at all surprised to meet elephants being exercised in the village (no, they didn't bring lions out for walkies as well!). It has been recorded that the elephants were also used for ploughing land in the area.

For many years Smallfield had its own smithy where horses were shod and other work was carried out. This stood in Weatherhill Road opposite where the present bus shelter stands and it was demolished only when the 'Georgian' style houses were built there around 1970.

Smallfield Hospital was built early in the 1939-45 War on land beside Broadbridge Lane. It was used by the Canadian Army to treat their wartime casualties and then more recently it was a NHS hospital. In 1962 it was used in filming a scene of The Password is Courage which starred Dirk Bogarde, and several local residents who were hospital staff appeared in the film. The hospital was demolished around 1980 to be replaced by the 'Canadian' housing estate.

When you are next in Centenary Hall in Wheelers Lane (erected in 1994 and marking the centenary of Burstow Parish Council), look up and on the end wall you will see mosaics that were designed and made by local residents. These celebrate some of the rich variety of places, events and activities that have gone to make up Burstow, Smallfield and Keepers Corner. Many of the local clubs and societies originated in these earlier days and they, together with those formed more recently, contribute to the strong community spirit that exists in the village.

It is also the home to Tom Cain, the golfer, who won the US tour at the age of 18.^{[citation needed]}

References

Smallfield won the Redhill & District Saturday Football League and Surrey County FA - Junior Cup Double of 2010/11!!

External links

Media related to Smallfield at Wikimedia Commons

• Smallfield on UK Parishes (Javascript required)
• Smallfield's history

Smallfield Football Club won the Redhill & District Saturday Football League and Surrey County FA - Junior Cup Double of 2010/11!!