At the end of the 12th century, Nutfield was held by Hubert de Anstey and his wife Dionysia, then in 1210 it passed to his son and heir Nicholas de Anstey.[3]
St Peter & St Paul's Church - interior
The Grade II* listed St Peter and St Paul's church was built in the early 13th century, with the lower part of the chancel wall still surviving. The chancel was extended and the upper part rebuilt in the early 14th century. The tower dates from the early 15th century but was partly rebuilt in 1786 and then restored in 1882. The roofs of the nave and chancel are covered with slabs of Horsham Stone while the spire is tiled with wood shingles.[4] A sacristy was constructed in 1884.[5] There are two stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones.[6]
In 1755, around 900 Roman brass coins dating to the Later Empire were found in an earthenware pot along one of the village's roads.[4]
The Grade II listed Nutfield Priory, to the west of the village centre, was constructed by John Gibson in 1872–4.[7]
The railway reached Nutfield in 1842,[4] but it was not until 1884 that Nutfield station was opened, around which time many mansion houses were constructed by the Victorians, exploiting the views over the South Downs.[8]
Geography
Map showing the position of Nutfield Civil Parish in Tandridge
The Nutfield Marshes are located at the north of the parish, in the Vale of Holmesdale. The area contains a series of wetland nature reserves restored from mining activities.[9]
Fuller's earth pits are worked along the ridge of the Lower Green Sand, and have accounted for 65% of the United Kingdom's bentonite production since records began.[4][10] Both blue and yellow varieties of fuller's earth are extracted, with the clays in Nutfield considered to be of exceptional quality.[11]
A branch of the River Mole, Nutfield Brook, runs through South Nutfield.[4][12]
Localities
The village centre stretches south from the A25 towards Nutfield station where the neighbourhood of South Nutfield has grown up,[13] exceeding its parent village in size. North of the A25 is Nutfield Marsh. Also to the north of the A25 is Nutfield Court, a former country house that has been redeveloped into apartments, adjacent to St Peter & St Paul's church.
Governance
There is one representative on Surrey County Council, Chris Farr of the Independent group, for Godstone Division which includes Nutfield.[14]
The village is served by Nutfield railway station on the Redhill–Tonbridge line which is located in South Nutfield, approximately 1 mile to the south of the village. The station is served by hourly train services between Redhill and Tonbridge.
The A23 has road junctions to the village in Redhill and Salfords to the west, each 2 miles (3.2 km) away.
There are two churches in the village, serving the separate Anglican parishes of Nutfield and South Nutfield:[21] the mediaeval St Peter and St Paul's Church in Nutfield, and Christ Church in South Nutfield, constructed of red brick and opened in 1888.[22]
A village hall is located at the centre of South Nutfield.[23] Around 200 children are enrolled in Nutfield Church of England Primary School, which opened in 1969 and is located next to the Village Hall.[24][25]
The Queens Head public house is located on the High Street, the east wing of which has been dendro-dated to 1505.[26] Another public house, the Inn on the Pond, is based in Nutfield Marsh with earliest construction dated to the 17th century.[27]
Famous Inhabitants
Maria Louisa Charlesworth, popular author of religious books for children in the 1800s, lived at Church Hill House, Nutfield, and at The Cottage, where she died in 1861. She was buried at St Peter & St Paul's Church.
Arthur James Stark, landscape painter, retired to Nutfield in 1886 and died there in 1902.
Wilfrid Sanderson, composer and organist, moved to Nutfield after the First World War and lived there until his death in 1935.
Bernard Corfield, vicar of Christ Church, South Nutfield until 1938 when he was appointed Bishop of Travancore and Cochin.
Michael Maw (1912–1944), cricketer and Royal Air Force airman.
The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free).
^Knox, R.W.O’B.; Ruffell, A.H.; D.E., Highley (1998). "Stratigraphy of the Late Aptian Lower Greensand around Nutfield, Surrey". Proceedings of the Geologists ' Association. 109: 169.
The administrative centre is Oxted. The largest town is Caterham. Three of the post towns have urban centres Caterham, Godstone and Oxted. Lingfield and Warlingham are major villages which have post town status. The others are outside the area.
