Woking Welsh Society

24/08/2026

Great photo of Aberaeron!

23/08/2026

Welsh poet, illustrator and journalist Myfanwy Haycock was born in Pontnewynydd near Pontypool. She was educated locally and then at Cardiff College of Art, after which she taught art. However, on winning at the Welsh National Eisteddfod at Port Talbot in 1932, she decided to give up teaching and go into journalism - frequently accompanying her pieces with her own woodcuts and black and white illustrations. After marrying her Welsh consultant husband, she moved to live in Buckland near Reigate and brought up their three children, all the time writing and broadcasting her poetry. There is now a Poetry Trail in Pontypool in her memory. Incidentally it seems that Llancayo Mill is now available as a holiday let.

21/08/2026

It’s not long now until the Heritage Open Days - this year they’re on 11 to 20 September - a great way to explore some of the fantastic places which are not usually open to the public! This is the Surrey page but it’s a nationwide event so just put ‘Heritage Open Days 2026’ into Google and start to plan where and what you want to visit! PS Some places require pre-booking so have a look soon to avoid disappointment.

The Heritage Open Days programme of buildings, walking tours and exhibitions in Surrey

20/08/2026

As a change from views of Wales, here’s a painting of Box Hill, near Dorking by artist John Brett (1831-1902), who was born in Reigate. The picture was painted in 1857 and first exhibited in 1858 where it made the reputation of the artist. It shows a ‘Stonebreaker’ a hard task, often given to the poor, but the scene is depicted in such detail that it’s possible to deduce that it was painted in August or September. Coincidentally, Brett and his family spent many summers in Newport, Pembrokeshire, so we may see some of the scenes he created there in the future. This painting is held in the Walker Art Gallery, one of the Liverpool Museums.

18/08/2026

Back on our trip along the Wey Navigations, this is Trigg’s or Triggs Lock. It marks the half way point along the Navigation from the Thames at Weybridge to Guildford. The lock was completed in 1653 and the lock keepers cottage was built in 1769 and extended in 1916. The lock keeper from 1856 was William Grove who had 9 children and died in 1915. He was also a trained blacksmith who made and repaired a lot of the ironwork for the navigations in his forge behind the cottage. A very peaceful spot, reached by walking down from the Cartbridge at Send or from Runtley Wood Lane.

16/08/2026

Interesting to note the big contrast between this and the distribution of sheep, which we saw a while ago.

14/08/2026

Following up a mention, on the post of 31 July, of the three Welsh recipients of the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Passchendaele. The Victoria Cross is our highest and most prestigious decoration and it is awarded to individuals, of any rank, for valour ‘in the presence of the enemy’. Such a man was Cpl James Llewellyn Davies VC (1886-1917) who was born in Ebbw Vale. He became a coal miner and lived in Nantymoel with his wife and 4 children. He enlisted in 1914, served in Gallipoli in 1915 and then, in 1917, joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the 38th Welsh Division. On the 31 July 1917, after several of his colleagues had been killed, he single handedly attacked an enemy gun emplacement in Polygon Wood. He succeeded in silencing, and bringing in the gun and then, although wounded, led an assault on a defended house nearby. He died of his injuries later that day in a casualty dressing station and was buried in Canada Farm Cemetery. His name is on the Nantymoel War Memorial. His widow and eldest son received the VC from King George V in October 1917. The information below comes from the Victoria Cross online website. Members will remember we had a great talk on the Welsh holders of the VC a few years ago.

12/08/2026

Do you recognise this view of Woking? It's from the bridge over the Broadmead Cut. The Broad Mead lies between Send and Old Woking and it extends up towards Woking Palace and Papercourt Lock. The whole area (and more) is the floodplain of the River Wey and the Cut was created during the 1930's to improve the drainage, it did help, but it's still very muddy during wet periods. Now is a good time to explore it!!

11/08/2026

A good excuse for a road trip around Wales (as if you need any excuse!)!

Wales Castles Road Trip 🏰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (🔗⬇️ Itinerary & Map in Comments)

Discover some of the most iconic and historic castles in Wales with this epic road trip — from dramatic seaside fortresses to hilltop ruins and fairytale-style strongholds.

09/08/2026

Are you ready for the Solar Eclipse on Wednesday?! A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth and this one is going to be the eclipse with greatest coverage since 1999. Those of us in Woking can expect the eclipse to start at about 6.17 pm, reach a maximum coverage of about 91% at 7.12pm and end around 8.06pm. As you can see from the map below coverage varies across the country from 90 to 96% with Pembrokeshire getting about 94%. It is very important that you do NOT look at the sun during the eclipse without special glasses (sunglasses are not enough). Alternatively you can make yourself a pinhole projector or watch the free livestream from the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Plenty of information online for those who want more details.