Notice: St Martha Parish Council Needs Your Votes For West Lodge Fund Raising

Published on: 23 Jul, 2021
Updated on: 23 Jul, 2021

St Martha Parish Council is looking to raise vital funds to refurbish West Lodge, a small but important building on Blacksmith Lane. And they need your votes.

West Lodge was the entrance to the Gunpowder Mills, now a scheduled ancient monument.

They plan to use West Lodge as a base for the volunteer groups and the working parties within the Gunpowder Mills site as well as a fantastic and beautiful place for local history and educational groups to meet. There is also a suggestion that it could be used as a contact point for St Martha’s parish residents.

They have applied to the Surrey County Council Your Fund Surrey to raise the money to refurbish West Lodge. They desperately need your vote so they can renovate the innocuous looking building of significant historical importance. It was the entry point for the workers entering the Gunpowder Mills and was in use until 1920.

You can vote for the West Lodge funding here.

Gunpowder Mills site map.

The parish council would love to have more community input on Gunpowder Mills site with a history going back to 1626.

Surrey Industrial History Group award in 2010 for Gunpowder Mills.

Next year is the 100th anniversary of the Gunpowder Works site closing. The Friends of West Lodge and the Gunpowder Mills, the parish council and Chilworth2gether are planning to organise various events to mark the occasion.

Clare Price of St Martha Parish Council, said: “If you would like to be part of the newly formed Friends group or require further information, please contact email me on price.c@stmarthaparishcouncil.co.uk.

“The historic site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is owned and managed by Guildford Borough Council. There is so much to admire with the Tillingbourne stream, the flora and fauna, and the canal that feeds into the Tillingbourne.

“We want to want to make the most of it. So please vote for our funding application.”