Sun Shines For Successful Westborough and Park Barn Community Fun Day

Published on: 3 Jul, 2012
Updated on: 3 Jul, 2012

The rain stayed away on Saturday and the crowds came to enjoy a range of attractions at this year’s Westborough and Park Barn Community Fun Day.

Martin Giles and David Rose ready to lead their walk to the site of Guildford’s medieval royal hunting lodge.

The event was centred around the Park Barn Centre and was organised by the borough council’s community safety wardens, members of the Park Barn & Westborough Community Association, and help from local historian and writer David Rose.

The car boot sale in front of the Park Barn Centre. One visitor asked whether it would be returning next Saturday!

A car boot sale in the car park outside the Park Barn Centre attracted more than 25 stallholders in addition to stands from community groups including St Francis’ Church’s Community shop, Travel Smart and its Guildford Bike Project, Guildford Borough Council’s Tackling Climate Change and the British Heart Foundation.

Les Ames, a governor at Kings College (left) and the chairman of the Park Barn & Westborough Community Association, Wayne McShane.

Those from the Guildford Bike Project were selling used cycles for the first time. They were especially pleased as they quickly sold seven and had three donated to them.

Jigsaw puzzles galore!

Inside the centre there were jigsaw puzzles for sale and a chance to take part in a jigsaw puzzle making competition.

Guildford Borough Council’s Play Rangers had a spot outside where youngsters could try out various activities and equipment.

Mark Havler and Tasha Feddery from Surrey Wildlife Trust led a group of adults and children on a nature walk over nearby Broadstreet Common where the chiuldren had the chance to become a ‘Live ‘n’ Deadly’ detective.

“They all had a great time,” Tasha said: “We fed ourselves on lots of plants that we found growing as we walked around the common.”

Local historian David Rose gave another of his popular illustrated talks. This one featured a selection of vintage photos from his collection of Stoughton, Woodbridge Hill, Rydes Hill, Westborough and Park Barn.

The talk was made more fascinating and nostalgic as a number of those in the audience added their memories of the building of Park Barn, including stories associated with the prefab homes erected at the end of the Second World War and the construction by the community in the 1960s of St Clare’s Church.

In the afternoon David was joined by fellow local historian Martin Giles and they led about 30 people on a circular walk to the site of Guildford’s medieval royal hunting lodge – near today’s Surrey Sports Park.

The walk also went along the edge of woodland known as Strawberry Grove and back to the Park Barn Cenre via the Surrey Research Park.

A number of those on the walk had never been to area before and were fascinated by the story David and Martin told of how this area was once an enclosed deer park. Royal visitors to it over the years included several Plantagenet kings of England.

There are remains of the moat that once surrounded what is believed to have been a substantial hunting lodge. A later building now occupies the site that is known as Manor Farm.

Owned by the University of Surrey, the site is a scheduled ancient monument. However, all on the walk agreed that it would be fitting if a plaque or signboard could be erected to give details about the site.

Shirley West at the car boot fair.

Community safety warden Richard Musgrove was extremely pleased with the community fun day. He said: “We have built on last year’s event attracting more people this time. IWe certainly drew people from all corners of the local community. We hope that next year’s day will be even bigger and better.”

For more pictures and details about the Park Barn & Westborough Community Association click here to go to its Facebook site.