2013

TQ1462 : Drive to Arbrook Farm

taken 10 years ago, near to Esher, Surrey, England

Drive to Arbrook Farm
Drive to Arbrook Farm
Access drive to Arbrook Farm across Arbrook Common. In the right foreground is a coal tax post (TQ1462 : Arbrook Common), marking the boundary of the former London metropolitan district, which here ran along the Rythe, a small stream. The posts prevent vehicular access along a horse ride, which branches off right towards a crossing of Copsem Lane. On the other side of the drive, beyond the bridge over the Rythe, can be seen the left turning onto public bridleway Esher 46, towards Birchwood Lane. And directly ahead is an area of heath and scrub, cut across the common underneath the electricity transmission line: a reminder of how Arbrook Common would have appeared before grazing ceased in the early twentieth century.
Arbrook Common :: TQ1463

A metropolitan common, registration unit CL265, extending to about 20 hectares, located just south of Claygate in north Surrey. The common is one of several contiguous areas of common land known as the Esher commons, and owned and managed by Elmbridge Borough Council (Oxshott Heath is separately managed by a board of conservators). Arbrook common is bounded by farmland belonging to Loseberry Farm on the east, and the Rythe on the west side, although in practice all of the common east of Copsem Lane tends now to be referred to as Arbrook Common.
Although once largely open heathland, a cessation of grazing, probably early in the twentieth century, has caused most of the common to be evolve into dense woodland: however, an area of heathland can be found along the line of the electricity transmission line which crosses the common from east to west, and which must be kept clear of trees to avoid the risk of short circuits and consequent fire.
The common is subject to a public right of access under section 193 of the Law of Property Act 1925, although byelaws made by the council confine horse riders to several designated horse rides, and the one public bridleway off Birchwood Lane. Oddly, the common was accidentally omitted from maps of registered common land drawn up by the Countryside Agency in 2001 under Part I of the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000 for the purposes of the statutory right of access: the section 193 rights endure regardless, but in consequence, the land is not marked on current Ordnance Survey Explorer maps as access land.

Coal Tax Posts

Coal Tax Posts were markers defining the area within which the Corporation of London could charge duty on coal entering the area. This area had been expanded in 1851 but then reduced in 1861 to coincide with the Metropolitan Police District of the day, the limits of which were between about 20 km and 30km from Charing Cross. It is from this latter time that most of the existing posts date. See LinkExternal link for further background, with much more comprehensive information at Martin Nail's excellent site, LinkExternal link. This includes a full list of extant posts, at LinkExternal link.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Hugh Craddock and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
TQ1462, 39 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Hugh Craddock   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 21 July, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 28 July, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 1422 6287 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:21.2061N 0:21.6673W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 1422 6288
View Direction
South-southeast (about 157 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image classification(about): Geograph
This page has been viewed about 165 times
You are not logged in login | register