Bramley and the Wey-South Path

Bramley’s big claim to fame is that it was the childhood home of the famous garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll. She was born in 1843 in London, but at the age of five she moved with her family to Bramley House, a building which is now almost completely demolished. She studied at the South Kensington School of Art, travelled widely and returned to Surrey in 1878 to live at nearby Munstead. In 1904, she renewed her interest in Bramley when she collaborated with her friend, Sir Edwin Lutyens, to build Millmead House, in Snowdenham Lane, where she designed the garden. The house and garden are not open to the public, but there are several gardens in this area designed by Gertrude Jekyll that open at certain times for the National Gardens Scheme. Just south of the village, Birtley House has lovely grounds and parkland, which are open for special events from time to time.

Canal and railway

The village’s history goes back to Anglo-Saxon times, and it was well established by the time of the Domesday Book. Holy Trinity Church was probably first built in the 1100s, with some parts dating from the following century. Agriculture was the main occupation of the villagers, and there were also a couple of mills. One of the biggest developments affecting the village was the building of the Wey and Arun Junction Canal. The plan was to create a waterway between London and Portsmouth because shipping in the English Channel was disrupted during the Napoleonic Wars. It was built in 1816, and canal traffic reached its peak in 1839, but with the advent of the railways, the waterway was abandoned in 1871. It is currently being brought back to life with the restoration of bridges, locks and an aqueduct, as well as the dredging of the canal bed. Parts of the former canal can be seen along this walk. The old railway track has been made into a footpath and also forms part of this walk.

From the car park, cross the main road (A281) with care. Turn left and walk south on the pavement. Cross Mill Lane, pass Coronation Green with its oak tree planted in 1911 for the coronation of George V, then take the public bridleway up Woodrough Lane. Ignore the sign to the left, but cross the road and bear left through Ricardo Court to its end, to take the public bridleway directly opposite through woodland on a sunken lane up Hurst Hill. The path levels out with a field on the right. Pass an open-sided barn (Hurst Hill Farm) on your right and walk between two fields. As you enter woodland again, the path descends. Where the path divides, keep going straight ahead, with farm buildings over to your right. At Danes Hill, cross a metalled path and continue past the house. Look over the gate on the left for a wonderful view to the east. The level path becomes sunken as you start to descend and, at the far end of the woodland, take the public bridleway straight on along a gravel track, which narrows to a tree-lined path as you pass a house on the left.

Reach a T-junction and turn left. At the metalled road, turn left on the Greensand Way. At the sign for Brookwell Cottage, follow the public footpath over a cattle grid and through a gap beside a gate lost in the undergrowth. This grassy fenced path leads to a main road (Rooks Hill, A281). Cross with care, turn left and, after 155yds (142m), turn right following the Greensand Way through Rooks Hill Farm.

Just before a brick bridge, turn left down some steep steps to reach the Wey-South Path and turn left. This long-distance path runs from near Amberley to Guildford and this particular section uses the track of the former Guildford–Horsham railway line. To the right of the path you can see the remains of the Wey and Arun Junction Canal. Continue along this path for 1.5 miles (2.6km) to return to Bramley.

Just after passing a Neighbourhood Watch sign on your right and before a level brick bridge, turn left down steps to reach a small path through Windrush Close (if you pass a house with ornamental gardens and a lake on the left, you’ve gone too far). Walk through the Close and pause in the Robertson Garden on the right at the far end. It commemorates the Robertson family, who brought electricity to the village in the 1920s. Continue to the main road and turn left to return to the car park.