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Mugswell Memories
Lower Kingswood isn't just the area either side of the A217 round the Wisdom of God Church and The Fox On The Hill public house - its frontiers are rather more distant. I should know
because I live on one. At the top of Monkwell Lane is a group of eight cottages on one side of the hill and another cottage on the other; the remaining fourteen houses and The Mission
Hall are in Chipstead - our frontier is the Parish boundary.
We seem to be in 'no-man's land', Chipstead Residents' Association (although we joined) never seemed to consider us and, until we discovered the newsletter at David's Kingswood News,we
weren't even aware of a Lower Kingswood one!
In 1958, when we first moved in, our links with the village were quite strong. Lower Kingswood was still a village then, with at least two butchers, two general grocers (the Co-operative
and Roberts), greengrocer/fishmonger, delicatessan/bakers, hairdresser, post office/newsagents, woolshop/haberdashers, and the wonderful Dunns, who could show you exactly how to
make/repair anything in the house and garden - and Loddy. Dear Loddy, the fount of all wisdom and Welsh cheer, in the chemists. His own cough mixture was so wonderful - its base was
sherry!
In those days Roberts delivered on Saturdays, the butcher twice a week, milk was delivered every day and the baker every other day - so we didn't feel isolated.
Then along came 'road improvements' and the beautiful avenue of beeches (mentioned in Cobbett's Rural Rides) from St. Andrews to Chipstead Lane bit the dust. The A217 was widened and
Lower Kingswood as a village almost vanished. Both sides of the village were virtually cut off from each other as it became more and more dangerous to cross the road. It hasn't improved
over the years either. Even with the pedestrian crossing it is still wiser to wait until ALL the traffic has stopped before venturing across, even if the 'green man' is showing in your
favour.
The shops gradually closed, customers acquired cars and went elsewhere. I used to push a pram the mile to the shops two or three times a week when my son was small. I even did it with my
foster children some time later. Our last one was surprised that everyone knew each other, and that we were greeted with smiles everywhere we went. Mind you she was the teensiest bit
worried when Dr. Ursula stopped us to ask "have they started stringing you up by your thumbs yet?". Only to be bested by her brother Dr. Paul who said (with a wicked twinkle) "you're
getting better with the make-up, I can't see the bruises any more."
Now few people recognise us 'frontiers people' - only a couple of us Golden Oldies manage to stagger to the village each week to collect our pensions from David.
How times have changed!
Audrey Day
Some historical notes:
Mugswell is the location of one of the 10 remaining windmills in Surrey; of these, one is derelict, six have been converted - usually into houses (including the one at Mugswell), two
have been restored and one is still in working order. Mugswell was a 'post windmill' where the whole body of the mill (not just the sails) pivoted on a vertical post enabling the sails to
be brought into the wind. The rotating body of the mill was typically made of wood.
The Mugswell post mill - located off Monkswell Lane - was built in 1821, ceased grinding in 1895 and was partially demolished in 1912. Only the roundhouse remains and bears the
inscription 532 (its height in feet above sea level). If you want to see what this type of windmill might have looked like in its working days, a visit to the Outwood post mill is a must
as it is still in working order. Alternatively both the mills at Charlwood and Reigate Heath have been restored and are accessible to the public.
Just over the 'frontier' in Chipstead Lane is the Well House Inn. The Inn itself dates from the 14th century (and has three bars each with a log fire), but the garden contains a well,
which is known as St. Margaret's Well or Mag's Well. The name of Mugswell is derived from the latter and this well is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Even today this 100-foot deep well
still enables our local Sutton and East Surrey Water company to regularly monitor the water levels in the underground aquifers which provide 85% of its supplies.
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