[133], Esher Mill also known as Royal Mill was at the end of Mill Road in Lower Green, where there is now an industrial estate. The gauging station south of Gatwick Airport was installed in 2005, replacing an earlier station located 200m (220yd) downstream. Get more Esher news from SurreyLive straight to your inbox for free here. It was used to produce gunpowder from the time of the Commonwealth until about 1780. [18] The river leaves the Weald Clay at Brockham, passing Betchworth Castle [19] and flowing briefly across greensand and Gault Clay to Pixham, 1km (0.6mi) north east of Dorking. The second-largest Sewage Treatment Works (STW) in the Mole catchment is located on the Gatwick Stream 3km (1.9mi) upstream of the confluence with the Mole: Crawley STW discharges 15,000m3 (530,000cuft) of water per day, and in prolonged dry periods it accounts for up to 75% of the flow of the Mole downstream of the confluence. Glacial meltwater from the Anglian ice sheet caused the Thames to divert southwards and flood the valley of the MoleWey river, thus adopting its present route through London. The River Mole arises in Sussex and enters Surrey at Gatwick airport. [1], The geographical distribution of many species of invertebrate in the river reflects the geology of the catchment area. [40] The white-legged damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) is also found along the river, and the downy emerald (Cordulia aenea) is found between Box Hill and Leatherhead. What does Hersham mean? - definitions Hersham contained one manor alone known as Morehall alias Sylkesmore or Southwood. Emergency services conducted a search at the scene but were unable to locate anything. The bridge is largely composed of flint and has a large inverted scallop shell in the place of the keystone and similar shells in the spandrels at each side. [29], In 1972 a sub-debate on the future cleanliness of the Mole was had by the House of Lords, involving a member of the South-East Strategic Committee of the Thames Conservancy (succeeded by the Environment Agency) and four others. The River Mole originally flowed into the River Thames at the point where the present Hampton Court bridge now crosses the Thames (approximately 500 m upstream of the present confluence, on the reach above Teddington Lock). You have a choice here. [39] Information about angling in Esher, covering fishing venues, tackle shops, supermarkets, and local weather. Hersham Green, in the nucleus of the village, is 3.4 acres (1.4 ha) of open space where regular events take place throughout the summer. Mole (Horley to Hersham) is 60.133 km long and is not designated artificial or heavily modified. [88][90] The location is popular with anglers and families, but swimming is strongly discouraged as the water is polluted in places. Mention of a court held at Hersham in 1272 by Reginald de Imworth and Matilda his wife, may indicate that he was then lord of the manor. [6] The catchment area receives 761mm (30.0in) of rain each year; the greatest average level of rainfall is 800mm (31.5in) around Crawley. [68] This name is probably derived from the Old English word men meaning misty or causing mists,[67] and the name of the River Ember probably has its origins in this name. [12] There is only one aquifer in the drainage basin, at Fetcham, which means that the majority of the water in the river is from surface drainage, particularly from Gatwick Airport and the urban areas of Horley and Crawley, and that the flow rate responds rapidly to rainfall.[1]. ), Prior to the last ice age, the River Thames followed a more northerly route to the North Sea, from Reading via Marlow, Chorleywood, St Albans, Hertford and along the present SuffolkEssex border. Just before the gate take the footpath on the right between 2 tree stumps. The restoration project was dedicated to the memory of the Canadian servicemen who were billeted in the manor during the Second World War. During the Commonwealth it was used for gunpowder manufacture, but after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 it reverted to corn milling. [36], The River Mole has the most diverse fish population of any river in England. Get flood warnings by phone, text or email. The island where it stood now forms part of the ornamental gardens of a housing development called "The Wilderness". [1] Investment in the Sewage Treatment Works in the catchment area has improved the quality of the discharges into the river,[1] and modifications to the runway and apron drainage systems at Gatwick Airport mean that surface water is diverted to aerated pollution control lagoons and balancing ponds for treatments, including acid/alkali neutralisation, before release into the river. Between Dorking and Leatherhead the Mole cuts a steep-sided valley (the Mole Gap) though the North Downs, carving a 170-metre-high (560ft) river cliff on the western flank of Box Hill and a smaller 50-metre (160ft) cliff at Ham Bank in Norbury Park. In World War II, in a daring daylight raid on 4th September 1940, German bombers successfully attacked the important Vickers aircraft factory at Brooklands killing nearly 90 people. Allaboutangling.net: built by anglers for anglers. A police spokesperson said: "Officers were called to the riverside at Esher Road in Walton-on-Thames by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, after a report of what was believed to be a body part in the water this morning. Turn left, signposted Hersham and follow this almost to the gates of a caravan site. At Cobham the river swings round in a pronounced axehead meander skirting Painshill Landscape Garden, where a 11-metre (35ft) diameter waterwheel raises water 5 metres (16ft) from the river to feed the ornamental lake in the park. Designed by Anthony Fletcher and fitted with an ABC Scorpion aero engine, this was test flown from nearby Brooklands and had could have been built in quantity but became a victim of the economic depression of 1929-32. [12] The Mole passes Horley to the west, flowing north towards Sidlow and entering a largely rural area. The path leads to the Mole near a concrete bridge. Bushy park, rivers mole and ember, west end common - Visorando The Mole catchment reaches a maximum elevation of 265m (869ft) above Ordnance Datum at Leith Hill to the southwest of Dorking. The present bridge opened in 1971. We'll update this page when there's a flood warning in the area. A similar trench is runs up several of the Mole's tributaries, notably along Deanoak Brook which follows a local strike. We use some essential cookies to make this service work. The path leads to the Mole near a concrete bridge. [85] The river may be paddled all year by canoe between Brockham and Fetcham with an appropriate licence from the British Canoe Union. The Pipp Brook drains the northernmost heavily wooded slopes of Leith Hill (which include Squire's Great Wood and Abinger Forest), as well as areas of. stream Col. Terry of Burvale, Hersham. [33], The marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus, a non-native species introduced from Europe in the 1930s) is now commonly found in the upper Mole and its tributaries around Newdigate and Gatwick. Another well-established commercial business is the popular Squires Garden Centre adjacent to the Burvale Cemetery in Burwood Road. An old timber structure was replaced by a brick building in the 1820s which can be seen from the bridge over the Ember in Hampton Court Way. [86][87][88] An anti-tank ditch was dug from the Stepping Stones eastwards across the fields belonging to Bradley Farm (now Denbies vineyard). [note 3]. Own label and private label building products. [53] A few much larger swallow holes were also observed separated from the main river by a channel[clarification needed] of about a metre. Today the Mole and Wey are less than 2km (1.2mi) apart at their closest point near Painshill Park. Library, Hersham is 311 meters away, 5 min walk. History. The parish boundaries run from the South West Main Line railway in the North to the East and through St George's Hill in the West. Two golf courses are within its bounds, Burhill Golf Club and Hersham Village Golf Club; considerable other land is wooded, used for mixed farming or Esher Rugby Club,[n 1] much of which is Metropolitan Green Belt. [44], Molesey Heath Local Nature Reserve lies on the west bank of the Mole, west of the Island Barn Reservoir. quickly develops into a wild ramble along the River Mole and then over beech- and pine-clad hills. The major tributaries of the River Mole are the Ifield Brook, Gatwick Stream, Earlswood Brook, Pipp Brook and The Rye, which drains Ashtead. About 90% of the energy generated is fed into the regional electricity grid, while the remainder is used to supply the Betchworth Park Estate, where the weir is situated. It was used for fulling woollen cloth and milling corn. The stones give their name to the pub in the nearby village of Westhumble. Hersham is in the borough of Elmbridge, in northwest Surrey and has no particular sub-localities except for Burwood Park, which alongside certain other addresses in the village is, when published for any purposes, due to its proximity to Walton-on-Thames railway station, done so under the name of Hersham's post town only, Walton on Thames. In this manner it goes away, lessening the stream for above a mile, near two, and these they call the Swallows. The Thames was lapping the edge of Hurst road, but fortunately that major river had reached its peak. Mole (Horley to Hersham) takes in water from an area around 151.017 km2 in size and is part of the Mole Lower and Rythe catchment area. [_ch MP=e(3+K}h;,x5K_>. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary how she saw her first steam train in Hersham when she was a young girl. [66][67] Variations in the name are recorded throughout the Middle Ages and the river appears as Amele in the Domesday Book of 1086, and subsequently as Emele in 12th- and 13th-century Court Rolls. Hersham is served by Hersham and Walton-on-Thames railway stations with a minimum of two trains per hour and differing types of services on the South West Main Line. Robert Bloomfield (17661823) writes the following lines about the Mole Valley in his 1806 poem Wild Flowers. The Mole skirts the northern suburbs of Crawley where it is joined by its first major tributary, Ifield Brook, which drains Ifield Mill Pond. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Up to date as of 9:36pm on 27 February 2023. In the 18th century and until 1802 at least, the estate, then known as 'the manor of Southwood and Silksmore,' appears to have been held by the Frederick family. [1] The next major tributary, The Rye, (which drains Ashtead) joins to the north of Leatherhead, before the river is crossed by the M25 motorway. [86] Between Betchworth and Box Hill, the north bank of the River Mole was stabilised and made steeper to prevent wheeled vehicles from crossing. Turn right on the wide track beside the river. Plant species typical of ancient woodland are found in this area, including bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scriptus), marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris) and golden saxifrages (Chrysosplenium sp.). Mole (Horley to Hersham) is a river in Surrey River Mole, West End Recreation Ground NO FISHING. In The Faerie Queene (first published in 1590) Edmund Spenser wrote of the river: In Poly-Olbion (first published in 1612) the poet Michael Drayton described the journey taken by the River Thames to the sea: This Mole runnes into the earth, about a mile from Darking in Surrey, and after some two miles sees the light againe, which to be certaine hath been affirmed by Inhabitants thereabout reporting triall made of it. The walk begins beside the Prince of Wales Pond, grid ref 129639, postcode However the river's name is unlikely to have derived from this behaviour: The Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names suggests that Mole either comes from the Latin mola (a mill) or is a back-formation from Molesey (Mul's island). xmqV$@$"HQmJy'T\bU`l)qJYk[{BR&5~xr><97o?oyo?iQ/Og~wo;>OaO=_|o|o?|M~.toI%8mx?u?oV^0 zqO~~6s?;SS|sW\}N2omlc]GCxvWPwN`Tim'Ba~Vr:? Four of the victims were never identified but buried in Hersham's Burvale Cemetery and another Vickers worker, 36 year old William E Hunt, was buried close by. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The M25 Junction 10 is 4 miles away and an A-roads and dual carriageway connect neighbouring (but not contiguous) Esher and the almost bordering towns of Weybridge and Cobham, across a narrow strip of Walton on Thames. [92] The bridge was constructed as an ornamental feature in parkland laid out by Capability Brown in the late 18th century. The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. The 1st XV play in a black-amber strip. Hersham is a village in Surrey, within the M25. At the east end of Painshill Park, the flood plain narrows into a trench about 60m (66yd) wide, in which the river runs northwards for 6.5km (4.0mi) towards Hersham, where the river enters the flood plain of the River Thames. It was occupied by pre-historic folk whose flint instruments have been found in large numbers beside the River on Southwood Manor Farm.These date mostly from the mesolithic period. [55] When the Dorking to Leatherhead railway was constructed in 1859, a fossilised swallow hole was discovered in the cutting at the south end of Box Hill & Westhumble railway station, suggesting that even in its early history, the river had swallow holes.[53].