Moira MacQuaide’s history of Burpham

After the recent consultations about the proposed development of Gosden Hill Farm, it is timely to look at the history of the place.

Old maps showed Gosden Hill from 1768, sometimes spelled as Gosling or Gosding Hill. It was in the parish of Send & Ripley, on the edge of the parishes of Merrow and Worplesdon, and became part of Burpham, and Guildford, with the boundary changes in 1933.

The earliest mention of the farm at Surrey History Centre appears to be around 1708, as part of a marriage settlement between Thomas Onslow and Elizabeth Knight. In the late 18th century John Hale was the tenant farmer, and George Street took over the tenancy by 1809.

In the Tithe Maps book of 1844, the farmhouse is called Gosden Hill Homestead, but on the map it is Gosding Hill. The landlord was the Rt Honourable Arthur George Onslow, and the occupier was John Lawrence. The farm, of just over 100 acres seemed to include about 16 fields, various wooded areas, as well as the house, barn and yard.

The 1881 census showed Thomas Stephens, Farm Steward, living there. By 1884 John Mitchell was the tenant farmer. The 1891 census shows that the family was Scottish, from Lanarkshire, John was widowed, and living with his son James and daughter Elizabeth at Gosden Hill Farm. By the 1911 census, James, with his wife Janet and two daughters, was the farmer. Next door, in Gosden Hill Cottage, lived John’s sister and brother, both retired.

In the 1930s William (Leo) Keene and his brother were the tenant farmers. The Earl of Onslow sold a lot of his Merrow properties in 1959, and Leo Keene bought Gosden Hill Farm. Leo never went to school, but worked on farms all his life. During WW2 the farm provided accommodation for girls from the ATS, WRAF and WRNS, who swapped food coupons for board and lodging. Two of the farm workers lived in Dillon Cottages, next to the farmhouse. Leo worked for the Milk Marketing Board, was a governor of Merrist Wood, a delegate to the NFU, and gave support to the Young Farmers’ Club.

After Leo’s death in 1974, the farm was sold to Mr & Mrs Martin Grant. They were both from farming families in Ireland, and at Gosden Hill Farm they had beef cattle, chickens and farmed potatoes.

The farmland is now owned by Martin Grant Homes, headed up by Noel Grant. Planning applications by the company have been made since 1981. Proposals have varied in the number of houses (1700-2000), facilities (primary and secondary schools), other community facilities and traveller pitches. Consultations have taken place recently and some access issues seem to be addressed, but will other infrastructure challenges be resolved, such as drainage, flooding, volume of traffic on local roads? Watch this space.

If you are willing to share your memories and/or photos to tell us more about Burpham then please contact Moira MacQuaide, either by e-mail (moira.macquaide@gmail.com) or by phone or text (07963 756543). My book, Burpham – A Gateway to Guildford is still available from me for £10 (free delivery locally) or on Amazon, but the History of Burpham Primary School 1908-2014 is now out of print (available to borrow at Guildford Library).