49-612: The River Tillingbourne (also known as the Tilling Bourne ) runs along the south side of the North Downs and joins the River Wey at Guildford . Its source is a mile south of Tilling Springs to the north of Leith Hill at grid reference TQ143437 and it runs through Friday Street , Abinger Hammer , Gomshall , Shere , Albury , Chilworth and Shalford . The source is a semi-natural uninhabited area. The catchment
98-626: A trout farm, watercress beds, a business growing reeds and a gin distillery. The river passes through the Albury estate which operates recreational fisheries at Weston fishery, Vale End fishery and Powder Mills fishery. The river's natural course has been diverted slightly here for the purposes of the estate. The Shalford pumping station, close to the junction with the Wey, provides between 4 and 7 million gallons of water per day to supply Godalming and parts of Guildford. The River Tillingbourne supports
147-612: A fish population of both wild brown trout and coarse fish . The Environment Agency has been working with local fishermen to improve the habitat for these fish by recreating a pool and riffle habitat and by cutting back overhanging vegetation. The signal crayfish is a recent invasive species. The river and its environs are often studied by students from nearby field studies centres, such as Sayers Croft and Juniper Hall. There are on-going problems with invasive plants caused by phosphate enrichment due to waste-water treatment from sewage works in addition to agricultural run-off. The river
196-530: A more sedentary and communal lifestyle that relied upon the keeping of livestock and the growing of crops. There is substantial evidence of Neolithic activity within the North Downs, notably the long barrows concentrated in the Medway and Stour valleys. The Medway long barrows , which include Kit's Coty House and Coldrum Stones , are constructed of sarsen stone , locally found on Blue Bell Hill and in
245-406: A number of different ways. It is porous, absorbing up to 20% of its dry weight in water, and is therefore highly susceptible to weathering by freeze-thaw action , which may occur over repeated annual or diurnal cycles. This frost weathering produces a mix of rubble and viscous mud, which may be washed downhill, further eroding the landscape (a process known as solifluction ). Since chalk contains
294-691: A record of many of the places to which he ventured, including Cumbria in the summer of 1890, North Wales in the summer of 1891, and as far north as the Trossachs in Perthshire. In 1892 Wood returned to the continent to paint in towns in Northern France and travelled to Limburg in Germany, which his father had portrayed in his 1862 scene Limburg an der Lahn, Blick in die Altstadt mit dem Dom St. Georg . Paintings from Pinhorn Wood's trip included
343-604: A very high percentage of calcium carbonate , it can be dissolved by both groundwater and rainwater. Across much of the North Downs, the chalk dips below the London Clay at a relatively shallow angle (c. 18° near Dorking), however at the far west of the range, local faulting has produced a much steeper angle (up to 55°), resulting in the distinctive Hog's Back between Farnham and Guildford. The North Downs support several important habitats including chalk grassland , scrub , woodland and chalk heath . Chalk grassland
392-539: A young man Wood studied at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art , and learnt to sketch on Hampstead Heath, near to the family home at 38 Park Road, Haverstock in Hampstead. His work was influenced by his father, who he accompanied on sketching trips around the UK, and on several of his painting tours of Northern Europe. His early work from these trips includes Rue de Hallage, Rouen (1869) and A Tyrolean Scene . He also studied at
441-553: Is a list of summits on the North Downs which are more than 180 metres in height with 30 metres of topographic prominence (a commonly used threshold in Britain). The summits are arranged in order along the range, from west to east. 51°16′N 0°30′W / 51.267°N 0.500°W / 51.267; -0.500 Lewis Pinhorn Wood Lewis Pinhorn Wood (1848–1918) was a British landscapist and watercolourist , best known for his rural scenes of Sussex and Surrey. In
490-720: Is classified as a subsequent stream , since its course is determined by the direction of the stratum of softer rock for the majority of its length. The river has four principal tributaries: the Friday Street stream joins at Wotton House; the Holmbury St Mary stream joins at Abinger Hammer; the Sherbourne Brook drains the Silent Pool and Sherbourne Pond and the Law Brook joins near Postford. From
539-495: Is close to the surface. These conditions are most often found on the escarpment of the North Downs and on valley slopes, but may also occur on the plateau of the dip slope . Calcareous woodland is typically dominated by beech , hornbeam , yew and ash . Box Hill has one of the largest areas of native box woodland in England. One notable species characteristic of calcareous woodland is the nationally scarce lady orchid , which
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#1732772654617588-566: Is found in more than 100 sites on the Kent stretch of the North Downs, but is confined to just two sites elsewhere in the UK. Although its spread is often considered undesirable, scrub provides valuable habitat for a range of invertebrates, including the Roman snail , rufous grasshopper and the dark green fritillary . In Surrey, superficial deposits from the Quaternary are found overlying
637-472: Is found on the steep south-facing scarp slopes and the more gently graded north-facing dip slopes, where woodland is absent. The alkaline soils are thin and nutrient poor, which prevents deeper-rooted lush grasses (with a high water demand) from dominating. Each square metre of chalk downland may support up to 40 different species. This semi-natural habitat is maintained through sheep, cattle and rabbit grazing which prevents scrub encroachment. Chalk grassland to
686-516: Is from Old English dun , meaning, amongst other things, "hill". The word acquired the sense of "elevated rolling grassland" around the 14th century. The name contains "North" to distinguish them from a similar range of hills – the South Downs – which runs roughly parallel to them but some 50 km (31 mi) to the south. The narrow spine of the Hog's Back between Farnham and Guildford forms
735-530: Is less apparent but occurs where the chalk submerges below the more recent Paleocene deposits. The Downs are highest near the Kent–Surrey border, often reaching heights in excess of 200 m (660 ft) above sea level at the crest of the escarpment. The highest point is Botley Hill in Surrey at 269 m (883 ft). The County top of Kent at Betsom's Hill , with a height of 251 m (823 ft),
784-530: Is limited within the British Isles to chalk grassland between Folkestone and Wye . One of the two native British sites for the nationally rare monkey orchid is on the North Downs. The nationally scarce man orchid is not uncommon on chalk grassland on the Downs in Surrey and Kent. Other scarce plant species such as early gentian , dwarf milkwort and bedstraw broomrape also occur on chalk grassland in
833-636: Is nearby, and the highest point in Greater London , Westerham Heights , at 245 m (804 ft), is on the northern side of the same hill. East of the Medway Valley the Downs become broader and flatter, extending as far as the Isle of Thanet . The ridge of the North Downs is intersected by the valleys of a series of rivers: the Wey , Mole , Darent , Medway and Stour . These drain much of
882-684: Is rated good or fail. The water quality of the Tillingbourne was as follows in 2022: 51°13′02″N 0°32′59″W / 51.2171°N 0.54984°W / 51.2171; -0.54984 North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent . Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs):
931-414: Is situated on sandstone which has a low rate of weathering. The Tillingbourne is 24 km (15 mi) in length. The Tillingbourne initially flows northward for 4 km (2.5 mi) down the northern slopes of Leith Hill over a series of weirs and cascades, before turning west to run for 14 km (8.7 mi) through Abinger Hammer and Chilworth towards the River Wey at Shalford . The river
980-635: The English Channel to the Artois region of northern France. Initially an island, this dome-like structure was drained by the ancestors of the rivers which today cut through the North and South Downs. The dome was eroded away over the course of the Cenozoic , exposing the strata beneath and resulting in the escarpments of the Downs. Chalk is a relatively soft rock that may be eroded or weathered in
1029-565: The Lower Paleolithic , about 400,000 years ago, were discovered at Barnfield Pit near Swanscombe ; this provides the earliest evidence of human occupation in the North Downs. It is suggested that human activity at that time coincided with intermittent warm phases during the last glacial period and that continuous occupation of the Downs did not occur until warming after the glaciation. Flint axes have also been found on river terraces at Farnham, on Walton and Banstead Heaths and on
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#17327726546171078-666: The Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs . The North Downs Way National Trail runs along the North Downs from Farnham to Dover . The highest point in the North Downs is Botley Hill , Surrey (270 m (890 ft) above sea level). The County Top of Kent is Betsom's Hill (251 m (823 ft) above sea level), which is less than 1 km from Westerham Heights , Bromley , the highest point in Greater London at an elevation of 245 m (804 ft). 'Downs'
1127-532: The Weald to the south. The western rivers are tributaries of the Thames ; they have carved steep valleys through the chalk and provide natural corridor routes. In addition to existing rivers, the Downs are crossed by a number of wind gaps – prehistoric river valleys no longer occupied by rivers – including those at Farnham , Betchworth , Caterham , Lyminge and Hawkinge . Except for the river valleys and wind gaps,
1176-571: The West London School of Art , in Bolsover Street. From 1873 to 1884 Wood worked as an art master at University College School in Hampstead, a job allowing him to continue his painting tours of the country, particularly during the summer months. From the 1870s onward, Wood focussed on rural landscapes, working mainly in watercolour, but occasionally in oil, across Sussex, Surrey and some London Boroughs. His work played into
1225-646: The straw belle moth . On the summit of the cliffs between Deal and Folkestone the early spider orchid occurs in large numbers, as well as the rare oxtongue broomrape . Naturally exposed chalk is rare inland with the exception of the river cliffs formed by the River Mole on the west face of Box Hill and at Ham Bank in Norbury Park . However, quarry lakes within chalk pits provide habitats for great crested newt . The scarce musk orchid has colonised disused chalk pits near Hollingbourne in Kent. Woodland
1274-482: The 17th to the mid 20th centuries the Tillingbourne valley was a major industrial area due to its closeness to London and the ease of transport via the Wey and the Thames . The river was used to power a relatively large number of mills in the area. Some 24 mill sites have been identified along the course of the river, used for such diverse industries as gunpowder , paper making for bank-notes, iron-working, wire-making, fulling , tanning and pumping water, as well as
1323-458: The Downs has provided a natural transport route for centuries. Much of the historic Pilgrims' Way still survives at the foot of the scarp slope, and this has been joined much more recently by the M20 motorway . The scarp slope has also been used for fortification; many examples of this still exist, such as Thurnham Castle and on Castle Hill, Folkestone Castle Hill near Folkestone. Many beauty spots on
1372-461: The Downs, a network of narrow lanes and minor roads has developed. This has resulted in a landscape similar to that found in Normandy known as bocage . The predominant type of farming on the Downs is arable farming; this increased greatly during the 20th century. Pastoral farming also occurs but to a lesser extent. Human settlements within the Downs have generally formed in sheltered valleys and at
1421-428: The Downs, particularly along the scarp slope. Oil has been drilled at the foot of the Downs in several locations in Surrey. The Kent Coalfield was established in the late 19th century after coal was found in 1890. Four successful collieries continued to be worked through much of the 20th century: Betteshanger , Snowdown , Tilmanstone and Chislet ; Bettershanger was the last to close in 1989. The east to west ridge of
1470-527: The North Downs are owned by the National Trust , for instance Box Hill and Langdon Cliffs . Other areas of interest are Newland's Corner , Wye Downs and the Hog's Back . Much chalk grassland and ancient woodland on the Downs is open-access, and there are also many historic sites such as Kit's Coty House (near Maidstone) and Dover Castle . The topography of the North Downs means there are relatively few summits with topographic prominence . Below
1519-557: The North Downs consists of distinct lithostratigraphic units (the types of strata, the names of which are always capitalised): Following the Cretaceous, the sea covering the south of England began to retreat and the land was pushed higher. The Weald (the area covering modern day south Surrey, south Kent and north Sussex) was lifted by the same geological processes that created the Alps , resulting in an anticline which stretched across
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1568-475: The North Downs. Chalk grassland also supports a rich fauna, particularly insects. Notable butterfly species include Adonis blue and silver-spotted skipper , which may be found on warm, sheltered, south-facing slopes. The chalk downland above the Stour Valley is the only British site for the black-veined moth . Other notable moth species that occur on the North Downs include the fiery clearwing moth and
1617-1202: The Victorian appetite for idyllic, sentimental scenes of rural life. He exhibited regularly in London at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours , the Dudley Gallery, and elsewhere. He exhibited three times at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, with In the Meadows at Arundel (1876), As the tree falls, so must it lie (1877), and Wheat Field, near Fairley, Sussex (1881). Pinhorn Wood also travelled widely around Britain in pursuit of iconic scenes beyond his mainstay of Surrey and Sussex. From early in his career he compiled an album of his travels entitled Sketches from Nature 1869–1908 . Full of dated pencil and watercolour sketches, it provides
1666-426: The chalk. These sands and gravels indicate the position of a former sea shore. Where these deposits occur, they are thin and the chalk also comes to the surface in the same areas (e.g. Headley Heath on the north east side of Box Hill), allowing acid-loving plants to thrive alongside those that prefer alkaline conditions , producing the rare chalk heath habitat. Worked flints and human and animal remains dating from
1715-421: The choicest retreats of man, which seems formed for a scene of innocence and happiness, has been, by ungrateful man, so perverted as to make it instrumental in effecting two of the most damnable of purposes; in carrying into execution two of the most damnable inventions that ever sprang from the minds of man under the influence of the devil! Namely, the making of gunpowder and of banknotes! Present day users include
1764-554: The crest of the escarpment is almost continuous along its length. The dip slope is dissected by many small dry valleys , and in the broad eastern part in Kent, by further river valleys such as that of the Little Stour . Leith Hill (the highest point in Surrey) is sometimes incorrectly referred to as part of the North Downs, but it is located on the parallel Greensand Ridge and does not consist of chalk. The Downland of
1813-520: The crest of the escarpment above Folkestone. There is considerable evidence of Mesolithic activity in the Surrey Downs through the discovery of pit-dwellings at Weston Woods near Albury and the quantity of discarded tools, microliths and other implements discovered. In about 3000 BC the emergence of Neolithic culture saw the lifestyle of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers shift to
1862-532: The foot of the scarp slope (known as spring line settlements). In recent years vineyards have been planted along the southern slopes of the Downs, in particular the Denbies Wine Estate , Dorking , which is the largest vineyard in the country, accounting for 10% of the country's vines. The chalky soils are similar to those of the Champagne region. There is plenty of evidence of chalk extraction on
1911-630: The illustrator and designer Clarence Lawson Wood (1878–1957), Eveline, Esmond and Enid. In early married life Pinhorn Wood lived and worked at Burnside in the village of Shere , Surrey, before moving to Highgate , London, and latterly to Homefield Road in Chiswick . In later life he lived in Pevensey , Sussex, where he registered as a member of the Sussex Archaeological Society in 1910, and died on 7 November 1918. As
1960-626: The moon". In January 1901 he joined the Savage Club as an 'Art' member. In April 1906 the Modern Gallery on New Bond Street, London, held an exhibition titled ‘Three Generations’, showing work by LJ Wood (cathedrals), Pinhorn Wood (landscapes) and Lawson Wood (humorous scenes) together. A similar exhibition of work from the three generations of the family was held by Walker’s Galleries of New Bond Street in February 1912. In 1921
2009-521: The more conventional flour, grist and malt milling. Some of the earliest gunpowder mills were those set up in 1626 by The East India Company at Chilworth . John Evelyn wrote in his diary in 1676: I do not remember to have seen such Variety of Mills and Works upon so narrow a Brook, and in so little a Compass, there being Mills for Corn, Cloth, Brass, Iron, Powder etc. Not every one was so impressed, William Cobbett wrote: This valley, which seems to have been created by bountiful providence, as one of
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2058-426: The river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations,
2107-525: The substantial Limburg an der Lahn , an idyllic view across the Lahn river towards the castle and cathedral of Limburg. In 1890, aged 41 and with a young family of four, he wrote a story for children entitled "Harry Goodchild's Day Dream: A Tale". The 28 page book was published by George Stoneman. The monthly magazine The Coming Day reviewed it as "A childish but rather pretty story about two children who were gifted with wings to enable them to fly for once to
2156-525: The tradition of the Victorian era, his work depicted idyllic scenes of rural life across the home counties . Born in Middlesex in 1848, his father was Lewis John Wood (1813–1901), the 19th-century architectural artist and lithographer renowned principally for his specialisation in architectural scenes from across Belgium and Northern France . In 1875, he married Louisa Howard Watson in the church of St Saviour in Hampstead, Middlesex. They had four children;
2205-440: The valleys of the dip slope, whilst the Stour Valley long barrows are constructed of earth. The landscape of the Downs has been greatly shaped by man. There has been deforestation of the Downs for centuries. The woodland that remains today is largely located where deforestation has been inhibited by steep slopes or by the layer of clay with flints, which is difficult to plough. Because of the many small farms that have survived on
2254-474: The west of the Medway Valley is dominated by upright brome and fescue , whilst grassland to the east is dominated by tor-grass . Owing to the close proximity of the North Downs to the European continent, the warm climate and the south-facing escarpment, several plant species survive on the chalk grassland which are scarce or not found elsewhere in the British Isles. The nationally rare late spider orchid
2303-415: The western extremity of the North Downs, whilst the cliffs between Folkestone and Deal terminate the ridge in the east. The North Downs cuesta has a steep south-facing scarp slope and a more gentle north-facing dip slope . Its southern boundary is defined by the low-lying Vale of Holmesdale at the foot of the escarpment, in which the underlying stratum is primarily gault clay . The northern boundary
2352-616: Was championed by the Victorian landscape painter, Lewis Pinhorn Wood , who lived in Shere from 1884 to 1897, and painted extensively along its banks with scenes including The Silent Pool , Twilight (1888) and Evening on the Tillingbourne (1889). The writer, Ralph Lawrence, recalls hearing the guns on the Western Front while walking in Hurtwood on the southern slopes of the valley . The Environment Agency measure water quality of
2401-416: Was far more extensive on the North Downs prior to human clearance 5000 to 4000 years ago. Fragments still remain particularly where the layer of clay-with-flints overlying the chalk has inhibited clearance. Where this is the case species such as pedunculate oak predominate, although much woodland has been replanted with conifer and sweet chestnut . Calcareous woodland occurs on thin soils where chalk
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