Places in Surrey(2)

Hindhead is a village on the A3 in Surrey, about 10 miles south-west of Guildford. Neighbouring settlements include Haslemere, Grayshott and Beacon Hill. Liphook is the next major town southwards on the A3.

The village has been blighted for years by traffic queues, and is now the only place on the A3 route which is not dual carriageway. Detailed design of the Hindhead Tunnel to bypass the village has been completed; construction work began on 8 January 2007. This £371 million project will remove the A3 from both Hindhead and the nearby Devil's Punch Bowl. The scheme consists of a 6.5 km dual two-lane highway and includes a 1.8 km twin-bore tunnel, which will be the longest non-estuarial tunnel in the UK. The target completion date for the project is 2011.^[2]

Near Hindhead is the Devil's Punch Bowl, a site of special scientific interest. This area was notorious in times past for highwaymen and lawlessness and was only "tamed" in the 19th Century when the London to Portsmouth railway line removed much of the freight being transported by road. Gibbet Hill above the Devil's Punch Bowl is where murderers and robbers were hung in chains to warn others.

George Bernard Shaw, playwright, lived in Hindhead at the current site of St. Edmund's School (Hindhead). Whilst Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived at Undershaw (which became a hotel and restaurant on the A3, now closed).

Grayshott is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire,England. It is located on the Hampshire / Surrey border 2.4 miles (3.9km) northwest ofHaslemere, approximately one hour by road from central London.

The nearest railway station is 2.1 miles (3.4km) southeast of the village, at Haslemere.

The village is a collection of houses on either side of a road called Headley Road, which leads from the A3 to Headley Down, and Bordon. Just east of the village centre, splitting the village in two, is Boundary Road, which marks the boundary between Hampshire and Surrey. Grayshott was counted as part of Headley parish until 1901 (ecclesiastical parish) and 1902 (civil parish). It is now the basis of Grayshott civil parish, which is part of East Hampshire District.

Facilities in the village include St. Luke's Church, which is a part of the Guildforddiocese, and Grayshott Primary School; both of these trace their origins to the 19th century. The village also has a village hall, a fire station, and a village square. Two village greens are close to the centre. There is also a recreation ground with cricket pavilion, football club and skate park, and good woodlands for walking in, including nearby Waggoners Wells. Ludshott Common, one mile to the west, is an area of heathland and woodland and part of the East Hampshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[1]

From 1898 to 1901 Flora Thompson,^[2] author of Lark Rise to Candleford, was assistant postmistress in Grayshott. Among her customers were Arthur Conan Doyle, who lived at what became the Undershaw Hotel (now closed) next to Hindhead traffic lights, andGeorge Bernard Shaw, who lived at Blen Cathra, now St Edmunds School, Hindhead.

Towards Headley Down is the health farm Grayshott Spa. This building, known as Grayshott Hall, is on the site of a small farm which Alfred Tennyson and his family rented in 1867 while he had Aldworth built nearby in Haslemere.

Grayshott is also noted as the birthplace of internationally-famous actor Colin Firth, best known for his appearances in films such asBridget Jones's Diary and Hope Springs.

Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire andWest Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately 12 miles or 19 km south west of Guildford.

Haslemere is surrounded by hills, with Blackdown (280 m or 920ft) to the south and Gibbet Hill to the north (272 m or 895ft). The latter was the site of executions in past centuries. Many of those hanged there were highwaymen, because the roads around Haslemere, particularly alongside the nearby Devil's Punch Bowl, were notoriously dangerous. Today, much of the heathland and woodland is owned and protected by theNational Trust, and has become a popular attraction for walkers.

The town also marks the western end of the Greensand Way footpath which extends for 110 miles to Hamstreet in Kent.