Marked GREEN on the map, this is a circular walk under 4.5 miles from Limpsfield Chart to Limpsfield Surrey (or vice versa!), starting either at the Carpenters Arms in Limpsfield Chart or in Limpsfield village at St Peter’s Church.

The Limpsfield Way – Start at St Peter’s Limpsfield Village or at The Carpenters in Limpsfield Chart

This waymarked route includes beautiful greensand woodland, open countryside, lovely views and interesting features shown on the information boards you’ll find along the way.

The total ascent is 250 feet with no stiles. There are two ‘easy access’ routes for wheelchair users and families with buggies – located from Hookwood Park up to Grub Street and also from New Road NT carpark into the family-friendly Rest & Play area

Refreshments 

Limpsfield Village

Limpsfield Village formed the 12th century administrative centre of the Manor of Limpsfield which was owned by Battle Abbey. 

The high point of Limpsfield Village’s prosperity actually occurred following the Black Death!  This prosperity influenced the construction of medieval hall houses in the village during the 15th and 16th centuries. 

During the late 17th and early 18th century, many of the medieval hall houses were re-fronted in the vernacular style and more homes and pubs built! At one time, there were five pubs in the village of Limpsfield. Click here to find out more.

In the 19th century, being on the road from London to the coast, the High Street started to develop as a small commercial centre, with a number of small shops appearing, but this was curtailed by the arrival of the railway in Oxted in 1884. 

It was designated a Conservation Area in February 1973 and is well known for its high number of listed buildings and structure, including the Lychgate at St Peters, the “Green Tomb” in the church yard and our very own K6 phone box (!), plus a plethora of mediaeval hall houses, 17 & 18C cottages and rare ironstone pavements. 

Limpsfield Chart

Limpsfield Chart is a small settlement largely centred around The Carpenters Arms and St Andrew’s Church, built in 1895 as a place of worship in the parish of Limpsfield and Titsey. 

Most of the land in and around Limpsfield Chart is owned by either the National Trust or Titsey Foundation. The High Chart to the east of the village is a large area of woodland with a network of footpaths and bridleways, including the halfway point of the 110-mile Greensand Way long distance footpath.

The remains of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way, pass through the woods to the east of the village.

The Carpenters Arms dates back to the 1800s – a popular coaching inn on the route from London to the coast. Joyce’s post office shop and adjacent reading room on Post Office Row was also a focal point of the village until the late 1970s.  The reading room was available to those receiving post who were unable to read. Their post was read to them in the reading room for a penny.

The Chart Village common land – woodland and heath – is owned by the National Trust and had cows and sheep grazing on it well into the 20th century.  

The former windmill, The Chart or “Post” Mill (which used to be on Mill Lane off Tally Road) was built around 1817 and was unique among Surrey’s mills, being the only one to have clockwise sweeps… most mills sweep anti-clockwise! 

St Andrew’s Church

As Limpsfield Chart grew in size, the school house which had been built at the top of Trevereux Hill was used for church services. However, in 1894 it was decided to build a new church for the village and land was taken from Limpsfield Common for this purpose. It would be a daughter church of St Peter’s in Limpsfield and so was called St Andrew’s. Built in the Arts and Crafts style it was consecrated on 15th April 1896. The Church house on the southern side of the B269 was built for the priest in charge and the diocese cannot change its use or it reverts to the Titsey Estate.

Other notable buildings include the 17C the Mill House and The Salt Box (Kent Hatch Road) – both being rubble stone with brick dressings to front, applied timber with rendered infill above, tile hung above to rear.

Trevereux Place, now Chart Ridge near the top of the Trevereux Hill was a convalescent home and once the Marie Curie research centre and prior to that, the Henry Radcliffe Convalescent Home, formerly Charing Cross Auxiliary Hospital.

Various convalescent homes were built in the later 19th Century for people who needed holidays and recovery from illness. Caxton House was originally built for people in the printing industry. Most of these grand old buildings are now converted into flats.

At the bottom of Trevereux Hill you’ll find the C18 Trevereux Manor, which, as well as being a beautiful Grade II listed bulding itself, is also a sit of historic and archeological importance. During a site study on behalf of its owner, Sir Richard Stilgoe in 1994, a pit containing Late Iron Age/Romano-British pottery was discovered. The evaluation confirmed that the London-Lewes Roman Road runs only about 15 metres west of the alignment indicated by the Ordnance Survey. The road has clearly suffered damage since it fell out of use, probably as a result of ploughing. Numerous finds were recovered, indicating occupation in the near vicinity during the Roman period. Prehistoric flints, principally of Bronze Age date, were also recovered, suggesting occupation of that date also lies in the vicinity [source Surrey Archeological Society].

Directions

The Limpsfield Way – Circular walk Under 4.5 miles without stiles

From Limpsfield Village:

  1. Starting from St Peter’s Church, go up Limpsfield High Street past The Bull Inn to Hookwood Park (L), marked ‘leading to Hookwood Park’.  Walk approx. 300yds, past Hookwood Cott. R, and continue to BW on R.  Walk up to Grub Street, ignoring FPs L and R. At top of hill, TR, walk along LHS of golf course (take care of golfers) parallel to Grub Street. Cross tarmac road to A 25. TL, cross Grub street then cross A25 carefully. Pass Limpsfield Chart Golf club house. Take BW L. 
  2. At 5-way junction TL along FP until you leave golf course and go through wood. Turn L through gate into field.  Go through field with fence L to kissing gate L. Do not go thru but TR across field, into woods.
  3. TL to end of wood, Cross open area to enter another wood thru kissing gate. Go L and then R uphill to Vanguard Way (VGW). TR and follow VGW to Ridlands Lane. Cross to cricket ground and children’s playground L, on FP (Stoneleigh Road lane) by houses. Keep straight ahead on Stoneleigh Road to junction with Moorhouse Lane and Tally Road R. Go R to Carpenters Arms, or ahead to St Andrew’s church, then back to Tally Road. 
  4. From Carpenters Arms, TR to bus shelter: TL before bus shelter to Kent Hatch road. Cross carefully to the driveway towards ‘The High’.  Just along drive, TR on FP close to road: Continue to Caxton Lane. Go straight ahead to road. TL past The Salt Box on your L.   
  5. Join footpath (The Greensand Way). Cross the drive for Tenchleys Place. Pass ‘The Hollies’ on your left and go through gate. Pass 2 houses on R, to reach Pastens Cott’ on L, with board commemorating Sergey Stepnyak.
  6. TR onto Pastens Road. TR onto FP just before Oast Cottage to Chapel Road, ending with Pains Hill Chapel on L. Cross road towards golf course, go diagonally left past 4th/13th tee to Brick Kiln Lane. TR onto road. 
  7. At Stoneswood Rd take FP L. Ignore paths R and L until the path ascends. Go L to Rest and Play area. Continue to road. Cross, take first L, parallel to road, then R. Bear L down to Wolf’s Row. TR (The Pound is on R).
  8. Go down Wolf’s Row to traffic lights. Cross to walk down to Limpsfield Village. Refreshments at Memorial Stores, Coffee at Kiwi House or The Bull Inn. St Peter’s Church is further down R.
  9. LINK TO OXTED: In order to carry on to Oxted – please turn westwards down Detillens Lane from Limpsfield High Street and right down the public footpath by No.33. Then cross diagonally (L) on the FP down through the fields, through the cow gate, over the stream and 2 kissing gates to Granville Road. TL onto Granville Road, then TL onto Gresham Road and then TR onto Station Road East up to the Station at the top of the hill (L).

From Limpsfield Chart:

  1. Starting from Carpenters Arms, TR to bus shelter: TL before bus shelter to Kent Hatch road. Cross carefully to the driveway towards ‘The High’.  Just along drive, TR on FP close to road: Continue to Caxton Lane. Go straight ahead to road. TL past The Salt Box on your L.  
  2. Join footpath (The Greensand Way). Cross the drive for Tenchleys Place. Pass ‘The Hollies’ on your left and go through gate. Pass 2 houses on R, to reach Pastens Cott’ on L, with board commemorating Sergey Stepnyak.
  3. TR onto Pastens Road. TR onto FP just before Oast Cottage to Chapel Road, ending with Pains Hill Chapel on L. Cross road towards golf course, go diagonally left past 4th/13th tee to Brick Kiln Lane. TR onto road. 
  4. At Stoneswood Rd take FP L. Ignore paths R and L until the path ascends. Go L to Rest and Play area. Continue to road. Cross, take first L, parallel to road, then R. Bear L down to Wolf’s Row. TR (The Pound is on R).
  5. Go down Wolf’s Row to traffic lights. Cross to walk down to Limpsfield Village. Refreshments at Memorial Stores, Coffee at Kiwi House or The Bull Inn. St Peter’s Church is further down R.
  6. If you visit the church, retrace your steps back past The Bull Inn to Hookwood Park (L), marked ‘leading to Hookwood Park’.  Walk approx. 300yds, past Hookwood Cottage R, and continue to BW on R.  Walk up to Grub Street, ignoring FPs L and R. At top of hill, TR, walk along LHS of golf course (take care of golfers) parallel to Grub Street. Cross tarmac road to A 25.
  7. TL, cross Grub street then cross A25 carefully. Pass Limpsfield Chart Golf club house. Take BW L 
  8. At 5-way junction TL along FP until you leave golf course and go thru wood. Turn L through gate into field.  Go through field with fence L to kissing gate L. Do not go thru but TR across field, into woods.
  9. TL to end of wood, Cross open area to enter another wood thru kissing gate. Go L and then R uphill to Vanguard Way (VGW). TR and follow VGW to Ridlands Lane. Cross to cricket ground and children’s playground L, on FP (Stoneleigh Road lane) by houses.
  10. Keep straight ahead on Stoneleigh Road to junction with Moorhouse Lane and Tally Road R. Go R to Carpenters Arms, or ahead to St Andrew’s church, then back to Tally Road. 

Key: L = left     R = right     BW = bridleway  TL = turn left   TR = Turn right   FP = footpath