From mansion to mains and from drawing rooms to drains, it was the Victorians who transformed a Surrey rural hamlet into the Garden Suburb we know and value today.

 

Following the success of our 2017 “Where Do You Think You Are?” exhibition, which over 350 people came to see, it’s time to dig out more material from the John Innes Society’s archives.   We hold many fascinating items including school records and even the original personal photo albums of Henry Quartermain, John Innes’s principal architect.  

 

Please make a diary date now and come to the Coach House to find out what was there before your house was built and what inspired the Victorians to create the special character of such a beautiful, functional and lasting heritage.  

 

The Victorians also made many changes to nearby St. Mary’s Church which will be open for visitors during the exhibition.   They extended it from a narrow Norman building into the larger Church we see today, at the same time letting in more light and adding some wonderful stained glass and memorials.    Guides will be at the Church to help visitors to “see for themselves”.   As you pass, don’t fail to stop and admire the magnificent Purple Beech tree in the Church Yard, planted to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.