Loseley Park - Autumn update

As we move into autumn and shorter days, I wanted to share a short update on estate activity over the past few months. The change in season brings a different rhythm to land and countryside management, and I hope this summary is of interest to residents and neighbours.

Seasonal Land Management
The estate team has been focused on late-summer and early-autumn stewardship tasks, preparing the landscape for the colder months ahead. Grazing rotations continue, with the English Longhorn cattle now moving into their autumn pasture blocks. The dry spell was challenging, but recent rainfall has refreshed the grassland.

Sandy Field, Conduit, Farleys, Road Field, Lodge Field and Claypits will be benefitting from hedge-laying, coppicing, scrub clearance and the installation of dead hedging. Much of our work remains centred on long-overdue maintenance and compliance tasks, and we appreciate the community’s patience as we steadily bring various areas back into good order.

Chalkpit and Rutherford’s permissive path: Some residents have objected to the new agreement (approved by the residents steering committee) and have applied to Surrey County Council to have a route recorded as a public right of way. This legal process is likely to take several years, in such circumstances, the permissive path would be closed until the matter is resolved.

FarMM Shop

Many of you will be aware that a fire severely damaged Loseley’s barn at Mellersh Farm just off New Pond Road. The building has been restored and will be opening soon. It will provide a wider range of fresh produce, hot and cold

restaurant food (eat-in or takeaway), snacks, a variety of drinks and other familiar items already enjoyed by visitors to the existing FarMM shops.

Eastbury Manor and the Right of Way

EASTBURY MANOR has been on the market for nearly three years. Hopefully this magnificent building with its lovely grounds and lake will be sold in the near future. ST NICHOLAS CHURCH is aware that some misunderstandings may have arisen in the village regarding the existence of a Right of Way (RoW) across the Manor drive to the churchyard and would like to take this opportunity to clarify the position.

Over the centuries St Nicholas Church and Eastbury Manor have been closely linked and parishioners have walked from Eastbury Lane, across the front drive of the Manor and entered the churchyard via the full height wooden gate in the shared boundary wall. The re-opening of the church’s north door (with no steps) four years ago had meant that, using this route, level access into the church had finally been achieved. The Church wishes to preserve this vital pedestrian route, particularly for members of the congregation and visitors with health and mobility issues. The level access is so important because of the steepness of the main church path from the war memorial and also the need to cross the very busy road from the church car park. So, in 2023 the Church started the process of registering the RoW. The application was supported by multiple affidavits demonstrating more than twenty years of regular use.

Later in that year the Church became aware that BUPA was closing the care home and selling the Manor and asked BUPA to inform the estate agents of the pending RoW registration in order that prospective buyers were aware; and in October 2023 Eastbury Manor LLP (the ‘LLP’) representatives contacted the Rector to discuss the RoW application in order to understand what the impact would be for them should they wish to purchase the Manor. The Rector and the churchwardens met the representatives at the Rectory and agreed to work constructively to find a solution whereby level access was retained. In early December 2023 the RoW application was submitted to the Land Registry. (The registration was subsequently included on the Manor’s title deeds once these were updated by the Land Registry some months later). Just before Christmas 2023 the LLP purchased Eastbury Manor.

In the years since, the Church and the LLP have discussed possible options for rerouting or reimagining the RoW. Unfortunately, these discussions have not proven fruitful owing to each option either being impractical or unrealistic. Since October 2024 the LLP has blocked the entrances to the Manor thereby unlawfully preventing access to the Church along the Right of Way despite repeated requests for restoration in person and via solicitors. Whether you are a church-goer or not, most Compton residents will visit St Nicholas church at some point, be it a wedding, a funeral, a baptism or a Christmas or Easter service. The Church seeks to be welcoming to the entire community and hence access for all is vital. Sadly, some parishioners and visitors are currently unable to attend or visit the church.

The Church remains hopeful that this issue can be resolved with the LLP or subsequent buyers and looks forward to both the Manor being brought back into use and level access to the churchyard being restored as soon as possible.

Compo — minibus service — shopping trips to Godalming.

Let Compo take the strain! Leave your car at home, save fuel and meet other Compton residents along the way. About four Compton residents use the regular shopping run to Godalming on Tuesday mornings. However, Compton Village Association is keen for more people to use Compo in order to ensure that the service will continue as it is a scheduled bus service. If you hold a Bus Pass, the service is FREE but it is available for everyone. If you are young enough and do not qualify for a Bus Pass, the return fare to Godalming is £4. Compo will collect youm from your home at approximately 9.15am and return you to your door with your shopping at around 11.30am, without the hassle of negotiating the traffic, roadworks and parking. To book a place, contact Margaret Cox on 01483 810518 – preferably at least the day before – so that she can advise the driver to pick you up.

Loseley Estate

Loseley Estate. The path running along the edge of the tenant farmer’s field at Chalkpit and Rutherford’s (adjacent to Bridleway 14 near the Hog’s Back) is now open again. Maintenance has been undertaken to ensure a minimum path width of two metres for walkers. A new fence with stock-netting and split chestnut stakes will be installed along the south side.

Loseley intends to keep the route open for the long term, hence the investment in the new fence line. Dog walkers will be able to let dogs off the lead without risk to cthe farmer’s crop. The permissive path will close for only one day each year, proposed as the first Monday in February, when days are still short, to affect the least number of people

Compton Village Association Subscription

A reminder to those who have yet to pay their 2026 subscriptions to Compton Village Association. £4 per family or £2 for  individuals and Senior Citizen couples. Please refer to the February issue of the compton news for details of what your subscription supports. 

PAYMENT METHOD - Bank Transfer to Compton Village Association - please contact David Hunt (e-mail: david.hunt0808@gmail.com) for the Compton Village Association

Compton Village Welcome Pack

Compton Village Welcome Pack has been updated. Don’t forget, it’s FREE and is available in both printed and electronic versions. Contact Jane Turner at janewturner@mac.com if you would like one. Although it’s designed for newcomers, the pack is full of useful information and facts so even longstanding residents of the village might enjoy the latest version!

Compton Village—Past & Present

Compton Village – Past & Present by Fiona Curtis, would make a really special Christmas gift for someone this year. Copies cost £20 each — a veritable bargain for a coffee table book about our unique neighbourhood. Find out more at www.compton-village-history-book. com/.

Collection can be arranged, either with a bank transfer in advance or cash on collection. For mailings, please provide full address and include an additional charge of £5.50 in the bank transfer for tracked postage and packing. Bank transfers should be made to the Compton Village Association account at

Lloyds Bank, Sort Code 30-93-49, Account No. 00115047 and reference Book.

Details for ordering as follows: David Hunt — david.hunt0808@gmail.com/07831 768970 OR

Jane Turner – janewturner@mac.com/07763 146448.

Some copies are available to buy at the Compton Club also for £20. Copies also retail at Watts Gallery for £25. The book launch discount has been made possible through the Compton Village Association.

Compton Phone Box

Compton Phone Box raised £364 for Save the Children over Christmas 2025. The theme comprised a copy of Giovanni Bellini’s Virgin and Child, painted by Jonathan Moore, which garnered a message of support from the National Gallery, where the painting hangs. The locally grown tree was donated by Hans Christmas Andersen fir tree farm, which sells its trees at Van Arnhem nursery on Priorsfield Road. All local supporters and donations are appreciated for their role in enabling Compton Phone Box installations to raise money for charitable causes at Christmas time.

After the decommissioning of the telephone box by BT, Compton residents wondered what to do with it. It was agreed that it should remain where it was as it was part of the village scene, but sadly it was rusty and the glass was either broken or replaced by plastic.

An anonymous benefactor assisted the Parish Council in covering the costs of repairing the box and Cllr Chris Sharples and another anonymous helper went about restoring the box.

Its central position made it a great place to advertise the village's support for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This was followed by Armistice Day when it stood as a prominent act of remembrance.

Later it sported a gold cup for the World Cup and latterly it bore a kilt and matching headwear for Burns Night and beautiful Chinese Lanterns for the Chinese New Year.

Spring saw a beautiful array of purple both inside and outside the box to raise awareness of The Meath and the common, but often stigmatised problem of epilepsy. This was followed by a nod to our Dutch neighbours and friends, one of whom provided initial funding and motivation to cheer up the phone box when it was looking rather derelict.

Compton residents love the various incarnations and Cllr Chris Sharples will hopefully go onto surprise us with future transformations, which not only entertain residents, but also bring a smile to the users of the B3000.