The Wey Navigation is one of the earliest in the country and was built by Richard Weston. The current Stoke lock, that was opened in 1653 and has a large grey dressed stone incorporated into the structure which was brought here from Henry VIIIs palace at Oatlands near Weybridge after it had been demolished in 1650. The lock-keeper’s…
Category: Bellfields-SLyfield
Stoke Mill
Stoke Mill is included in the Doomsday book. It was converted to a paper mill in 1635 by Sir Richard Weston of Sutton Place. The original mill burnt down in 1863. Such was the rivalry between Stoke and Guildford that the good people of Guildford refused to yoke horses to the fire engine, causing the…
Stoke Hill House
Stoke Hill House was situated in the modern Bellfields Estate close to Slyfield Greet. It enjoyed magnificent views across farmland to Guildford prior to the building of the Bellfields Estate from 1944. Its owner, Francis Paynter was to have a big influence on the shaping of Guildford. As Rector of Stoke Church he built Christ…
Old School House Demolished
Sad to have to say goodbye to the Old Schoolhouse in Slyfield. Dating from 1870 it was apparently once the only building in the area and over the years a community grew up around it. It was an original school building dating from the time of the 1870 Education Act which introduced national education into…