Historic Chilworth Chicken Memorial Topiary Accidentally Felled by Railway Upgrade Contractors

Published on: 26 Sep, 2025
Updated on: 26 Sep, 2025

A historic topiary beside the railway line between Chilworth and Gomshall has been “accidentally felled” by contractors working for Network Rail during this week’s upgrades to the signalling and level crossings on the North Downs Line.

Jessie’s Seat memorial topiary, fondly known as the ‘Chilworth Chicken’ by local train drivers.

The box hedging topiary memorial named Jessie’s Seat, that also goes by the name of the Chilworth Chicken, is well known locally and loved, especially by railway enthusiasts.

It is in memory of a guard who, in 1892, died when the goods train he was traveling in was involved in a crash near the site where the topiary stood.

In a statement today (Friday, September 26) Network Rail said: “We’re incredibly sorry for the accidental removal of the Chilworth Chicken memorial during recent work on the North Downs Line. It was a genuine mistake, and we take full responsibility. 

“The memorial, a tribute to railway guard Henry Wicks who died in a crash over 130 years ago, had lost its shape and was mistaken for a shrub. It was removed for safety reasons, as it was blocking signs that remind train drivers to sound their horn near crossings.

“We’re working closely with our contractor, Coombes, to replant the memorial and are speaking with local stakeholders to choose a safer, more visible location. We will also be installing a plaque to honour its historic and local importance. We understand how much this means to the community and are committed to putting things right.”

The timing of the felling of the topiary is most unfortunate especially during 2025, it being the year of hundreds of celebrations and events of Railway 200. This marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, widely regarded as the birth of the modern railway. The actual date of that first steam-hauled fare-paying passenger journey on a public railway was September 27, 1825!

In February 2020, a packed special train, organised by Great Western Railway, marked the 128th anniversary of the railway accident on the line near Chilworth and a salute to the memorial.

In the Dragon’s report of that special train to commemorate the accident, we wrote that the topiary was named after Henry Wicks’s daughter-in-law, Jessie Wicks, who was said to be very fond of him.

Sir Peter Hendy, the then chairman of Network Rail (left), with with one of the volunteers who have been carefully looking after Jessie’s Seat, pictured on the train organised by GWR to remember the fatal crash on February 29, 1892.

On the train that day was the then chairman of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy. He became a life peer in 2022, and in 2024 was appointed as a minister of state in the Department for Transport, upon which he left Network Rail.

Continuing the Dragon’s 2020 story, we noted the memorial topiary was a hardy box hedge buxus balearica, and shaped as a guard’s seat for “Guard Wick’s spirit’” to sit upon for “tranquil eternity”.

Perched upon the topiary seat was the shape of a pheasant which has inspired local train drivers to give it the good-natured nickname of the Chilworth Chicken.

We noted that over the years it had been maintained by the railway’s permanent way gangs. Since 1981 the work had been undertaken by volunteers from the local operations staff supported by British Rail, then Railtrack and now Network Rail.

Of the railway crash, it happened on Monday night, February 29, 1892 to a goods train consisting of 49 wagons, two brake vans and two steam locomotives.

With no continuous braking system throughout the train, it divided at some point. The rear 40 wagons caught up with the front section on a steep downhill section at the location of Jessie’s Seat.

Guard Henry Wicks was instantly killed and his body was thrown clear of the wreckage. It was found the next morning on the embankment.

It took four days to completely reopen the line.

Jassie’s Seat photographed in 1968 by Alan Edwards. Courtesy of Ben Darnton.

Ben Darnton, a railway enthusiast and owner of Ben’s Collectors Records shop in Tunsgate, Guildford, said today: “A terrible mistake on Network Rail’s part and I’m relieved they are admitting full responsibility and are working to put the memorial and a new commemorative plaque in place as soon as possible.

“I was honoured to be invited on to GWR’s Jesse’s Seat Anniversary train back in 2020 and was privileged to sit next to [the then] Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy on the outbound journey from Guildford to Redhill which stopped at Jesse’s Seat.”

Retired train driver, senior instructor and South West Train’s training design manager Geoff Burch, added: “As a driver (and fireman) working over this line for many years, (working trains without headlights that modern trains now possess) to say that the topiary was removed for safety reasons as it was blocking signs that remind drivers to sound their horn near crossings is absolute rubbish.

“It was also a landmark for drivers which has now been removed.

“A driver signs a route card which ensures he / she knows exactly where the signs are and when to blow the horn.

“I also find it an absolute disgrace that as Network Rail had possession of this line for two weeks that no one in charge of this section of line had bothered to reshape this important memorial topiary or even worse, hadn’t bothered to inform the contractors beforehand that the topiary memorial existed.”

In the Dragon’s story, Guildford to Gatwick Line To Close For a Fortnight For Major Upgrades, published on September 8, 2025, it included that buses will replace trains between Guildford and Gatwick Airport for two weeks during the second half of September so that signalling and level crossing upgrades can be carried out.

And that Network Rail engineers will install 16 new signal sets, the railway’s equivalent of traffic lights, between Shalford and Gomshall.

Additionally, engineers will upgrade four level crossings: Chilworth, Tangley, Brook, and Burrows Lane.

Today, Friday, September 26, Network Rail’s press office said the work was on schedule to be completed on time.

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