A Hundred Years Behind the Times* is the title of Tim Price’s – recently retired clerk to Windlesham Parish Council – book about the history of the village of Bisley.
I visited Tim in the Parish Council offices the week he retired to offer my best wishes. Somehow we got round to his new book, a copy of which he conveniently produced, costing me a Bobby Moore.
There are many fascinating bits of historical information in his book.
I’ve often wondered how stone was so carefully cut hundreds of years ago. Imagining the hard work and graft involved.
From Tim’s book I learned that the sarsen stone in the heathland, deposited there during the ice age, was used in local buildings, notably Holy Trinity Church in West End. In the mid 1800′s much such sandstone was dug out of the wet and boggy heathland to build the church. While still wet, and sometimes still partly under water, sandstone is easy to cut. It’s only after it has dried out that it becomes as hard as brick.
* Published by Melrose Books, ISBN 978-1-908645-17-3
An excellent read: some fascinating snippets can be gathered too just talking to individuals like Tim Price.
Frinstance, the large block of Sarsen right by the 4 (3?) Tumulii on Brentmoor Common, by Red Road – has a reference on the adjacent Notice about the Burial Mounds, commenting on how pre-historic tool marks can be seen on the stone, made when it was still soft.
The real story is that the block was transported there from the A322 roundabout construction in the mid 1970s by JCB, and the ‘tool marks’ are the evidence of the teeth in the JCB bucket ….
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on February 13, 2013
at 8:58 am
Glad to hear this bit of history, I’d always felt it was in an odd location. Next time I walk by it I’ll look out for the marks. Thks
By: timdodds on February 13, 2013
at 5:38 pm
Tim, the big old sandpit – just to the east of where we last chatted outside Peggy’s house – provided sand for local building too. allegedly if you look at the mortar joints in the pre-WW2 houses locally, the mortar is full of bits as they used it pretty much raw from the pit !
Dunno if you’ve walked the ‘gallop’ track in from the Red Rd to the New England houses of late – getting very congested at peak dog-walking times. I’ve generated a petition to improve things on the SHBC site – be great if you could promote?
By: Speedicus Triplicatum on February 13, 2013
at 6:20 pm
I’ll look into it. I heard, only last week, that there are discussions about things, of which I know not, in the New England area.
By: Tim Dodds on February 13, 2013
at 9:43 pm