Exclusive to Epsom and Ewell Times a local resident known as “The History Detectorist” will disclose on these pages intriguing discoveries. Today’s discovery relates to “Watership Down“. In the coming months other intriguing discoveries will be revealed…….

The History Detectorist could not believe his luck when he discovered pre-publication notes relating to the international best-selling novel, “Watership Down” that had remained hidden inside a book that had once belonged to the book’s author, Richard Adams.

A lifelong fan of Watership Down, he purchased a box of books from a book dealer who had won them at auction prior to the much publicized sale of Richard Adams’s more valuable books which he had collected prior to his passing in December 2016 aged 96.

Among the books purchased from the dealer were papers and photographs that had been found inside the books won at auction which are now known to have belonged to Richard Adams also.

“The significance of Richard Adams’s notes were not fully understood until I approached Oxford University and corresponded with Richard Adams’s daughters”, said the History Detectorist, who went on to discover that Alan Barrett, whose name is mentioned at the top of the notes, was an Oxford University friend of Richard Adams. Barrett would give his opinion on the likely success of many of Adams’ books and suggest changes etc.  “It would appear that the notes were hidden away for more than 50 years so I was delighted to be able to send copies of them to Richard Adams’s family”. 

Fortunately, in this instance Alan Barrett’s criticisms did not deter Richard Adams from publishing his first novel, Watership Down, although at the time the notes were drafted the popular story of rabbits fleeing their home and being forced to find a new one was due to be called “Hazel and Fiver”, a title that Alan Barrett clearly objected to and possibly helped to change prior to the first publication of Watership Down in 1972.  

Christmas comes early in the month of December
But preparations start as early as September
Toys appear in the shop and the store
And children’s expectations start to soar

Adverts appear in the News and TV
Of miraculous games for all to see
Visions of food and decorations so high
Make us all wish that the time was nigh

But leaves have not fallen from the trees
And flowers are still buzzing with the bees
Why are we tempted in this way?
When the Christ child’s birthday is still far away

Have they forgotten that the presents we bring
Are only reminders of the presents for Him
Of frankincense and myrrh and gold
Foretelling the scriptures story of old

And when finally the great day is here
Let us remember, amidst our good cheer
As we celebrate around the table,
The baby Christ child, born in a stable

Michael Barber (first published in 2012)

Michael moved to the Wells Estate in 1966 for his first family home. He continues to live there to this day. He has lived in the Borough for all of his 87 years as his parents lived in Stoneleigh. His connections with Epsom have been as President of the Epsom Cycling Club from 1981 to 1991, and he joined the Epsom Male Voice Choir in 2010 and continues to be a keen and popular member of the choir. He started writing poetry seriously when he became treasurer of the Headley Poetry Group. This group meets monthly to read and share poetry – Michael has had poetry published in the Epsom United Reformed Church Newsletter, the Mickleham Parish Magazine and the Brooklands Museum Volunteers Newsletter.

Notes authored by Audrey Ardern-Jones

Epsom Clock Tower image source: Clive Darra – https://www.flickr.com/photos/osde-info/4252252710/

Fanny Burney (1752-1840) lived and wrote in Surrey and was inspired by the area’s beautiful countryside and gardens in the Mole Valley area, particularly around Bookham, Mickleham and Box Hill. To celebrate Fanny Burney and the area she loved, Surrey Libraries and Surrey Heritage are pleased to announce our Photography Competition ‘Frances Burney’s Surrey’.

SHC would love to receive your photographs of places or buildings around Surrey, especially in the Mole Valley area, which were associated with Fanny Burney, or which inspire you today.

The competition is open from now until Sunday 22 January 2023. Submissions should be made online and emailed to leatherhead.library@surreycc.gov.uk and should have been taken during the competition period only.

We would also be pleased to receive printed entries, together with your contact information, at Leatherhead Library.

The winning entry will be announced in February 2023. The winner will receive an Amazon voucher for £50. Two runners-up will each receive an Amazon voucher for £25.

A selection of entries will be on display in Leatherhead Library from December 2022 onwards.

For full details please go to the Surrey History Centre’s December newsletter HERE

Text courtesy of the Surrey History Centre

Over the last 20 years the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) has allowed finds made by metal detectorists in Surrey to be added both to the national database and the county’s Historic Environment Record (HER). Any groups of coins, groups of prehistoric metal objects or individual precious metal objects over 300 years old have also been required to be reported to the Coroner under the 1996 Treasure Act. This reporting process is undertaken by the county’s Finds Liaison Officer (FLO). The purpose of the Treasure Act is to provide museums with the chance to save important finds before they are lost to commercial auctions and to preserve them for local communities and public collections. Finders and landowners receive full financial reward for everything acquired as part of this process.

One recent discovery from Surrey which has been reported under this law, is a hoard of 28 silver Roman coins (denarii), found dispersed across a small area of equestrian pasture in the Elstead area (recorded as SUR-EA4D41 and SUR-0E4DC2). The coins were most likely originally buried in a bag or box which has long decayed and released its contents to be scattered by ploughing. These coins represent an unusual and significant find for the county and after being declared Treasure at Coroner’s Inquest were acquired by Godalming Museum, with financial assistance from Surrey Archaeological Society, Council for British Archaeology South-East and the V&A Purchase Grant Fund

For full details please go to the Surrey History Centre’s December newsletter HERE

Images and text courtesy of the Surrey History Centre

Epsom Playhouse‘s capacity audience had patiently waited 12 months after Milton Jones show was postponed in 2022. The King of the One-Liners rewarded their forbearance with his unstoppable flow of puns and word play. “The other day I said to my longstanding girlfriend – sit down”. That sort of thing in isolation is OK but when one of a torrent of double-entendres laughter is irresistible.

Following one of Milton’s many granddads appearing on Zoom, Thomas Houghton provided a creditable and funny warm-up act that was a substantial part of the first half. Not wishing to give too much away in case you wish to catch his show on tour – Mr. Milton made deft use of national flags in holding topical and witty conversations between nations. The EU and Union Jack exchange was the shortest and funniest.

The funny showman has nearby performances coming up in Horsham 29th October, Camberley 2nd November and Farnham 4th November. See: https://miltonjones.com/live-dates/

The London Django Collective (LDC) charmed the capacity audience at Epsom Jazz Club on Tuesday 18th October sweeping all along with their infectious enthusiasm for Gypsy Jazz, playing fabulous versions of Django Reinhardt compositions including “Flèche d’or” and “Nuages” alongside the band’s own music. 

This Quartet don’t just perform standards from the early 20th century, they write their own tunes within this genre as well. LDC exquisitely delivered the captivating “Marrakech” and “Samoreau”, composed by guitarists Kourosh Kanani and Harry Diplock respectively. 

Violinist Matt Holborn solidly commanded The Oaks Room venue, both on his instrument and on the microphone between tracks. And the audience were kept waiting until the very last track (“Billets doux”) for a tantalising solo from bassist Pete Thomas. 

An incredible foursome, and such accomplished ambassadors for this well-loved style of Jazz. 

Epsom Jazz Club returns with its final concert of 2022 on Tuesday 15th November, welcoming the Tobie Carpenter Organ Trio to The Oaks Room. For more information and tickets visit  www.epsomjazzclub.com

@EpsomJazzClub on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook

Both “The Horton” (Arts Centre) and The Horton Cemetery featured on the agenda of the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Strategy and Resources committee Thursday 29th September. For the second time this year discussion on a request to the Council to exercise Compulsory Purchase Order powers over the neglected 9000 body 5-acre cemetery on Hook Road, Epsom, was withdrawn.

As previously reported HERE the bone of contention, between the charity, The Friends of Horton Cemetery and a report to Councillors, concerns the valuation basis for compensation to the property speculator, to whom the intact Cemetery was incongruously sold by the NHS in 1983. Trustee of the Charity Hon. Alderman Alan Carlson stated “We are grateful our request has not been determined by the Strategy and Resources Committee. Our own independent expert and affordable valuations have not been enough to persuade the Council. We will now obtain more. We are also grateful to the many supporters who on short notice of the matter mounted an effective email campaign to Councillors in protest”. He further added: “This 5-acre Cemetery is sacred to a growing number of relatives of the dead. It is a white elephant in the possession of Michael Heighes of Marque Securities, who cannot in a thousand years develop it at all. This is why he has totally neglected the site for 40 years”.

Chairman of the Committee, Councillor Neil Dallen (RA Town Ward), responded to the supporters’ campaign stating the Council will meet the Charity as “aspects of the Council Report have been misunderstood by the Trust”.

The Horton

Just one week after an opening event at The Horton arts and heritage centre, the venue appeared on the agenda of the same meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee. However, without challenge from any of the 10 Councillors present, the Committee went into secret session to discuss the item. The committee stating that the item concerned the finances of a “third party” and it was not “in the public interest” for them to be disclosed publicly.

Other items:

The committee approved investment in a new gas boiler for the Council’s Community and Wellbeing Centre on Longmead, Epsom. The Council has investigated the efficacy of ground and air heat-pump systems, but the building is not well enough insulated for them to be effective. This prompted Cllr David Gulland (LibDem College Ward) to query whether insulation should be invested in. The officer responded that the Council was reviewing insulation across the Council’s entire estate.

Following the sudden departure of Kathryn Beldon from the top Council post of Chief Executive (reported HERE) the committee agreed to extend the employment of Jackie King as interim Chief Executive pending a permanent posting. The meeting also noted a requirement for the appointment of a chief legal officer. Cllr Kate Chinn (Labour Court Ward) joked she had asked a previous Council law officer Simon Young to return from The Falklands where he had migrated to be the islands’ lead attorney.

The chief IT officer had been lost recently so an Information Technology strategy review was withdrawn from the meeting.

The committee approved the business plan being put this Autumn to a vote of business rate payers in the central Epsom area. This would allow Epsom Bid Ltd (known as Go Epsom) to continue for another 5 years to make improvements to the business zone, funded by an additional levy to business rates. Cllr Eber Kington (RA Ewell Court Ward) expressed enthusiastic support for the recent work of Epsom Bid in the changes and activities it has initiated.

Surrey libraries are the second most visited in the country according to the latest UK Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) data, with the figures showing the libraries attracted over 550,000 visits last year.

CIPFA surveyed residents as part of the findings, with questions ranging from the overall customer experience, satisfaction with the quality of book stock, and the role libraries play in combating loneliness and isolation.

97% of respondents said they received good or very good standard of care when visiting Surrey’s libraries, whilst 83% felt the choice of books on offer was either good or very good (with a further 93% happy with the physical condition of the books).

The results also reinforced the important role libraries play in their communities, with 62% of those surveyed who felt lonely saying libraries help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.

The findings from the CIPFA survey reflect the broadening appeal of Surrey’s libraries and emphasise that modern libraries provide more to residents than just books. They have become a place for performances, workshops and exhibition spaces and offer a myriad of services including free digital access for those without access to a computer.

Below are some examples of what libraries have been providing over and above their core service offerings:

• A year-long partnership with Farnham Maltings has resulted in libraries being a space for some exciting creative events to be staged, exhibited and performed, extending the reach and accessibility of cultural experiences.
• Ensuring that no one is left behind libraries have been the backbone of delivering Surrey’s Period Dignity campaign with period products available to be collected for free or donated at all 52 libraries. 
• Libraries are there for all people in the community and have been welcoming families from the Ukraine ensuring books in Ukrainian and Russian  are available on their shelves. Young Ukrainians have been able to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge thanks to translated materials provided in Ukrainian and Russian.
• This summer during the Jubilee weekend there were 85 Jubilee events and 46 Big Lunches hosted in Surrey libraries as an opportunity for communities to come together and celebrate – to ensure everyone had an opportunity join up and join in with their community.

Sue Wills MBE Assistant Director Art, Culture, Heritage and Libraries said “This is just the tip of the iceberg! We’ve come a long way in terms of the diversity of services that libraries can offer. This is an exciting period of transformation for our much-loved Surrey Libraries where spaces are re-imagined to deliver a place where social, educational, economic, and cultural activities can be made accessible to all in the community, often free of charge. It’s not the physical building that changes it’s what’s happening inside at the heart of the building that changes.”

To find out about all the different events taking place in Surrey Libraries follow on Twitter and Facebook or visit the Surrey Libraries web pages. Libraries – Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)

Results are from the Surrey County Council CIPFA plus survey, 2022

The Borough’s libraries are:

Epsom Library

6 Epsom Square, Epsom · 03456009009

Ewell Court Library

Ewell Court House Lakehurst Road, Epsom · 03002001001

Stoneleigh Community Library

1 Stoneleigh Broadway, Epsom · 03002001001

Bourne Hall Library

Spring Street, Ewell  020 8393 9571

Epsom man Philip Lovel celebrates his 80th birthday today (Thursday 28 July) in the knowledge that he has successfully published his first ever novel – a classic ‘whodunnit’ now available on Amazon and at bookshops.

Philip is a retired police officer who has lived in Epsom for almost fifty years and has had a decades-long ambition to write. The result was the 190-page crime thriller ‘The Tribulations of Miss Glass’, published through London publishing house Austin Macauley.

Set in the 1920s and 1930s, the novel tells the story of a missing headmistress, a murder and mysterious goings-on in and around a small town in the Midlands. The enigmatic schoolteacher Letitia Glass and her disappearing colleague are at the centre of the action – with fictional detectives Chief Inspector Martin
and Inspector Carlsen on the trail.

The book’s twists and turns aim to keep readers guessing. Will Miss Glass – who can be cruel and kind in quick succession – reveal her secrets? And whose is the body in the quarry?

Philip said: “I had great fun writing it and am delighted the book has now been published. I drew on my policing experience from the 1960s and 1970s and then adapted it. Policing a century ago was very different to now – no radios, no DNA, and operating under different laws and procedures.” He adds: “A few of the characters are amalgamations of teachers and other people I knew from my childhood growing up in Malvern, Worcestershire and later at work but I don’t think anyone will recognise themselves!”

Philip plans to spend his birthday in Epsom, celebrating with family – and his new status as a published author.

The Tribulations of Miss Glass is published by Austin Macauley
wwww.austinmacauley.com.

Surrey County Council and partners are making Surrey culture count. A new cultural website has been launched which aims to put Surrey Culture firmly on the map.

The new website and cultural map will be a good resource for those living in or visiting Surrey to find out about all the rich, diverse, and inclusive cultural events. This will also enable the creative industries in Surrey to network, keep up to date and ensure they’ve been counted on the map.

Susan Wills MBE Assistant Director Arts, Culture & Libraries said;

“Surrey is a place where creative people, ideas and enterprises thrive, and where everyone has equal access to and benefits from a rich, diverse and inclusive culture. We want to support the cultural sector by raising awareness of all the great things on offer in Surrey, and provide a resource  to empower the sector to further develop and enhance initiatives . We want our residents and visitors to Surrey to understand what a truly great cultural offer there is right on their doorstep.”

Mark Nuti Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities said “I think residents in Surrey will be surprised at the vast range of cultural activities going on in their local communities. We’d love you to take a look at the new cultural website to find out more.”

Epsom and Ewell Times has reached out to all its local culture contacts to make them aware. Play your part and spread the word…..

Visit surreycc.gov.uk/culture