Friday, September 20, 2013
Warnham Nature Reserve and Village
The sun was shining on this late September day. I wanted to be out in it....but where to go?
We settled on Warnham.
Every time we go to Dorking we pass the road to Warnham and I think of Bill's Uncle Fred ( the one that lost any fortune that the family may have had). Fred lived in Warnham - amongst the dozens of other places he lived. He was a bit of a fly by night character - wish I had met him. He died a few years before I met Bill.
Bill's Aunty Kath stayed in Warnham, though, for very many years. She died only 2 or 3 years ago. Perhaps I shouldn't publish - but I will.........Aunty Kath was not a legitimate aunt! Fred and Kath never married - they couldn't because he already had a wife.
I had never been down the road to Warnham - and had a slightly wrong impression of the place. I imagined it had become a big overspill village for Horsham. There has been some new development of course, but the village has an old heart.
Our first plan seemed doomed to failure - we thought we would look at the Warnham Nature Reserve. Well, just like the country park at Southwater that we didn't find, the nature reserve is not in the village that gives it its name!
I would say it is actually in Horsham......on the edge.
We had a snack in the nature reserve information centre and then took a walk under a brilliant blue sky.
My camera has done well - the heron hide was a long way (80 to 100 metres) away from the birds.
There was a true ornithologist in the hide and he showed me the kingfishers.
True they were skimming fast and low over the water and I saw shape, but no vivid flash of blue.
I call these two pictures, "wood sculpture" and "tree statue".
After our walk we went back to Warnham.
Old joke coming up........."Warn 'em of what danger?"
"Warn 'em we are coming?"
There has been a church on this site for centuries.
But we see is almost a complete Victorian renovation.
Warnham has its church, shops and a pub - a typical English village.
We bought award winning sausages at the butcher's.
And then went to the pub.
We settled on Warnham.
Every time we go to Dorking we pass the road to Warnham and I think of Bill's Uncle Fred ( the one that lost any fortune that the family may have had). Fred lived in Warnham - amongst the dozens of other places he lived. He was a bit of a fly by night character - wish I had met him. He died a few years before I met Bill.
Bill's Aunty Kath stayed in Warnham, though, for very many years. She died only 2 or 3 years ago. Perhaps I shouldn't publish - but I will.........Aunty Kath was not a legitimate aunt! Fred and Kath never married - they couldn't because he already had a wife.
I had never been down the road to Warnham - and had a slightly wrong impression of the place. I imagined it had become a big overspill village for Horsham. There has been some new development of course, but the village has an old heart.
Our first plan seemed doomed to failure - we thought we would look at the Warnham Nature Reserve. Well, just like the country park at Southwater that we didn't find, the nature reserve is not in the village that gives it its name!
I would say it is actually in Horsham......on the edge.
We had a snack in the nature reserve information centre and then took a walk under a brilliant blue sky.
My camera has done well - the heron hide was a long way (80 to 100 metres) away from the birds.
There was a true ornithologist in the hide and he showed me the kingfishers.
True they were skimming fast and low over the water and I saw shape, but no vivid flash of blue.
I call these two pictures, "wood sculpture" and "tree statue".
After our walk we went back to Warnham.
Old joke coming up........."Warn 'em of what danger?"
"Warn 'em we are coming?"
There has been a church on this site for centuries.
But we see is almost a complete Victorian renovation.
Warnham has its church, shops and a pub - a typical English village.
We bought award winning sausages at the butcher's.
And then went to the pub.
