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Dunsfold Aerodrome

Aircraft assembly plants in EnglandAirports in South East EnglandBuildings and structures in SurreyHawker SiddeleyRoyal Canadian Air Force stations
Use British English from May 2013World War II airfields in the United Kingdom
Dunsfold Aerodrome from the air (cropped)
Dunsfold Aerodrome from the air (cropped)

Dunsfold Aerodrome (former ICAO code EGTD) is an unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It extends across land in the villages of Dunsfold and Alfold. It was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contractors as a Class A bomber airfield for Army Co-operation Command. It was commanded by the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942 to 1944 and was known as Royal Canadian Air Force Station Dunsfold. Under RAF control it was RAF Dunsfold. Post-war it was used by Hawker Siddeley and then its successor British Aerospace. From 2002 to 2020, it was used as the main site of the BBC show Top Gear.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Dunsfold Aerodrome (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Dunsfold Aerodrome
Simmonds Bridge, Waverley Alfold

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N 51.115 ° E -0.5325 °
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Dunsfold Aerodrome (Top Gear Test Track)

Simmonds Bridge
GU6 8HY Waverley, Alfold
England, United Kingdom
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Dunsfold Aerodrome from the air (cropped)
Dunsfold Aerodrome from the air (cropped)
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London to Portsmouth canal
London to Portsmouth canal

The London to Portsmouth canal was a concept for the construction of a secure inland canal route from the British capital of London to the headquarters of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth. It would have allowed craft to move between the two without having to venture into the English Channel and possibly encounter enemy ships. There is no naturally navigable route between the two cities, which resulted in several schemes being suggested. The first, which was put before Parliament in 1641, was for a canal to link the River Wey and the River Arun, whose sources were only 2 miles (3.2 km) apart, but the bill was defeated. Improvements to the River Wey were authorised in 1651, and navigation was extended to Godalming in 1763. During the American War of Independence, goods was conveyed to Godalming by water, and overland from there to Portsmouth, but this ceased when the war ended. Several other routes for a canal were proposed around the end of the 18th century, as was a railway, but the first to be authorised was the Wey and Arun Junction Canal, which would link the River Wey to the Arun Navigation. It was authorised in 1813 and completed in 1816. This provided a link to the south coast, but the link to Portsmouth was completed by the building of the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal linking the Arun to a ship canal near Chichester. This was authorised in 1817, and included provision for dredging a channel around Thorney and Hayling Islands and construction of another ship canal across Portsea Island. The work was finished in 1823. It was not a success, as there were problems with salt water leaking into farmland and contaminating the water supply for Portsmouth, while it was easier and cheaper to ship goods around the coast once the war with France had ended. Between 1823 and 1825, three grand schemes for an overland ship canal were proposed, but came to nothing, despite brief interest from the Admiralty. The Portsea Canal was abandoned in 1830, having been hardly used. Trade on the Portsmouth and Arundel and the Wey and Arun canals was much lower than anticipated, and they were abandoned in 1841 and 1871, but the Chichester Canal continued to operate until 1892, when it was given to Chichester Corporation. Parts of it have been restored since 1984, and the Wey and Arun Canal Trust has also succeeded in restoring significant sections of that canal since it was formed in 1970.

St Peter's Church, Hascombe
St Peter's Church, Hascombe

St Peter's church in Hascombe, which is grade II* listed, was rebuilt during the mid-19th century, and the new church consecrated in June 1864. The original church dated from the 13th century but by 1862, when Canon Vernon Musgrave became rector, it was described as being in a poor condition. Musgrave set about raising funds to have the church rebuilt, paying for the chancel himself and persuading four local landowners to pay for the rest. The architect of the new church was Henry Woodyer, a pupil of William Butterfield. During the demolition and rebuilding, services were held in the village pub, The White Horse. The church is built of local Bargate stone, with a simple nave, chancel, and lady chapel. The roof rafters are cusped and gilded. The stained-glass is mostly by Hardman and Powell and the decoration is by J A Pippet, a freelance artist employed by Hardman. The medieval rood screen, made from Jerusalem olive trees and featuring elaborate carvings and paintings, remains from the old church and was restored in 1864 and decorated by Hardman and Powell. The font of Purbeck marble, also recovered from the old church, dates back to 1690. The belfry, reached by a spiral staircase from the nave, houses a ring of five bells. Regarded by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of Surrey's best Victorian churches and one of the best by Henry Woodyer. John Betjeman described the church as "a Tractarian work of art". The walls of the nave are decorated with the scene of the ‘miraculous draught of fishes’ with 'one hundred and fifty and three' fishes caught in a net dragged by the six disciples. Above the chancel arch is a painting of the Last Judgement, and on the inside of the arch is a picture of our Lord with angels. The walls of the choir and sanctuary have scenes from the Bible depicting the ministry of Angels. The stained glass in the chancel are scenes from the life of our Lord. The central window shows Christ on the cross. The reredos above the altar shows the Adoration of the Lamb. At the entrance to the chancel is a Victorian brass to Canon Musgrave. The pulpit panels show our Lord together with Noah, St Peter, and St John the Baptist. The west window, by William Holland shows Jesus in the fishing boat calming the storm, is in memory of Conyers Middleton who was rector from 1747 to his death in 1750. The Lady Chapel was created in 1935 and contains a squint window. The east window in the Lady Chapel is by Clayton and Bell and the lancet windows, commemorating the Godman family, are by Hardman and Powell.