Horton Lane clockwise

An occasional return to the Horton Lane clockwise this morning, it being too wet for cycling to be much fun. Walking with umbrella much better.

Running along the northern side of Christchurch Road I came across an expensively refurbished stretch of fencing, including top panels along the same lines as those noticed at reference 1. Although not particularly neatly done. But why had anyone gone to so much expense and bother? Just to keep the deer out?

Curiosity aroused, I took a look at gmaps.

Where I found that the fence was fencing off a quite substantial patch of rough woodland, over the road from Epsom Common, of which it might well have once been part. Lower middle in the snap above. Below and to the left of the allotment field, in the top left hand corner of which I had my allotments - more than ten years ago now.

Checking with my large map of the hospital cluster prepared by Epsom Council at the time the hospitals were being sold off for housing, I find that this patch was once hospital land, the southeast corner of what was the Manor Hospital site. An oddment, which presumably happened to be included when the land for the hospitals was bought up in the second half of the nineteenth century.

It seems unlikely that it was included with the lodge, a little to the right of the right hand roundabout. So who does this bit of what I take to be inaccessible land belong to? Do I have to pay whatever the Land Registry is called these days to find out? Would the council be in a helpful mood if I called in at the Town Hall? Masked up, naturally.

Carrying on, the clockwise circuit seemed like rather hard work. Needed to make an effort, to face down the temptation to cut the excursion short. To pay a visit to the Luna Coffee House for a spot of refreshment. Perhaps cycling uses different muscles, even if it does do more for the heart.

But got there in the end. To a reward of dry figs and wet water.

PS: later: BH now tells me that the nearby Stamford Green school uses at least some of the patch for nature lessons, walks in the woods and that sort of thing. Convenient enough as it abuts the bottom of their playing field, next to the allotments already mentioned. So pleased to find that it is being put to a good use. But that does not explain why someone saw fit to have the fence raised.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/06/new-fence.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/08/new-figs.html. The figs.