By Chris Head
I first became aware of Richard Jefferies and his writings some years ago. But my interest was recently rejuvenated by a chance visit to Kingston Museum, where I found a leaflet entitled ‘Richard Jefferies in Surbiton’. This leaflet gave information on Jefferies time in Surbiton, but more importantly for me, stated that a ‘Charles G Freeman’ had supplied the names of the places Jefferies had written about, whilst in the area. I could not find any information about Mr. Freeman on the Internet, so I contacted the ‘Richard Jefferies Society’ and was kindly sent a copy of an article written by him in the ‘Surbiton Times’ dated June 18th 1896.
Most of the essays in ‘Nature Near London’ relate to Jefferies time in Surbiton and Freeman’s article went through them one by one, giving locations to his descriptions. I was particularly interested in two, ‘A Brook’ and ‘A London Trout’. These two essays are among my favourites and should be read together, as the story of the trout begins in the former. The brook is the Hogsmill and the trout that Jefferies observed was viewed from a bridge across it. “ Some low wooden rails guarding the approach to a bridge over a brook one day induced me to rest under an aspen, with my back against the tree.” This spot became a place of pilgrimage for Jefferies, returning to it again and again. (It is also referred to in “The Story of My Heart”). Freeman named this as ‘Tolworth Court Bridge’, a place I had driven over many times without realising its significance. Sadly the actual bridge was replaced in 1939, to accommodate a dual carriageway, which now runs over it. I have leant over the northern parapet in an attempt to evoke the sights and sounds that Jefferies speaks of but the traffic noise is too harsh. However, the brook still runs underneath it and a short walk along its banks will lead you to a quiet and shady spot, where you can still imagine Jefferies sitting against a tree observing the wildlife and plants. From this spot, just along from the southern parapet, you can see, in the middle of a field, some “detached oaks.” Could it be these are the ones Jefferies talks about in ‘A Brook’? It’s worth mentioning here that Tolworth Court Farm which is adjacent to the bridge, though not mentioned by Jefferies, is opposite (on a now disused road) the site of ‘A Barn’ (the essay which follows ‘A London Trout’). Again, sadly this is no more, although frustratingly it survived until 1969.
Tolworth Court Bridge
The Pre-Raphaelite painters John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, came to Surbiton in 1851 (26 years before Jefferies). Millais actually used the Hogsmill, close to Tolworth Court Bridge, as the background for his painting ‘Ophelia’. Holman Hunt used the fields just south of this spot as the background to ‘The Hireling Shepherd.’
The second site that I tried to locate, is mentioned in ‘Footpaths.’ Again it is a bridge and Jefferies describes it thus. “Another footpath leads from the road across the meadows to where the brook is spanned by the strangest bridge, built of brick, with one arch, but only just wide enough for a single person to walk, and with parapets only four or five inches high. It is thrown aslant the stream, and not straight across it, and has a long brick approach. It is not unlike-on a small scale-the bridges seen in views of Eastern travel.” Freeman says this bridge can be seen by following a footpath from Ruxley Farm to South Ewell. I don’t believe the farm still exists but there is a Ruxley Lane. It looked as if it might be difficult to find the footpath Freeman mentioned, if indeed it still exists. So I found a few likely candidates for the bridge, on my map and set off.
The bridges I found were certainly not the one Jefferies described, I was beginning to think that perhaps it had been knocked down or replaced. The only thing to do was follow the Hogsmill in the general direction Freeman suggested. This I did for some time with no luck, when suddenly, through the trees I saw it. There was no mistaking Jefferies description, which still holds true today. It is tucked away in a corner, just outside the grounds of Ewell Court. There have been some repairs to the top few courses of brick, but otherwise still very much the bridge Jefferies saw. I sat on the grass beside it for some time, lost in my thoughts.
‘The strangest bridge’
It would be nice to think that I was the first person (since Charles Freeman) to find these locations, but I’m sure that isn’t the case.
Jefferies says in the preface to ‘Nature Near London’ that he did not want to give the “precise locality” to the places, which so pleased him. As “Everyone must find their own.” Which of course, I would agree with, but I like to think he would forgive us for retracing his steps, after the passing of more than a century.
I still have many more places to find and I’m looking forward to the journey.
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