please empty your brain below

DG, no disrespect but what a waste of time. Yesterday's photo of Hindhead Tunnel beats any today and usually at least the photos are good even if the subject matter is not.

However what you have confirmed is why Johnson is more likely to choose the second referendum route rather than the general election route if forced into such a choice: his is a marginal constituency full, frankly, of nothing rather than a typical plush 5 figure majority Tory one.
No way should a golf course be classed as green-belt. No way.
i agree - golf courses are not a reasonable use of green belt space.

and a golf course blocking a rights of way is completely unacceptable.
J. I disagree about today's photos, which

while lacking the fluffy clouds and blue

skies of yesterday's, do illustrate a certain

creepiness of the area.

I think 1,2 and 3 set the scene marvellously

and while the remaining 14 primarily

illustrate rather than wow, i liked the

ambiguity of 9 and 17 as well.

(reading the blocks of images clockwise

from top left).
Surprised to see these new golf courses being built (there's also one near Edgware) as my impression is that there are too many golf courses now, and that many of the ones built in the 90s boom are struggling.

Golf is hardly a boom sport, it's hard to imagine too many Millenials taking it up
Ever the cynic, I suspect the 'new golf course' will in due time be presented to the local council for a change of use proposal by a 'prestgious' building firm 'prepared' to take on the flagging business land assets.

The community hall looks to be contructed of concrete slabs (not breeze blocks) btw.
Sounds awful Typical Green-Belt fringe scrubby edgelands. Rather you than me.

The community centre looks to be made of concrete slats rather than breeze-blocks. Which comment rather sums up the quality of the environment you describe!
I've often wondered what the shooting range was all about. I pass by it frequently on the main road between the Polish War Memorial and the White Hart Roundabout - though I've never seen (or heard!) any signs of life.

There is already an "American" golf course on the other side of the road - now complete with giant dinosaurs, (also oddly empty whenever I pass by) so why on earth do we need another one?

Fascinating how the name is Charville at one end and Sharvel at the other! It's rather reminiscent of Hyacinth Bouquet/Bucket with the houses being at the 'posh' end!
Looking at the nls archive, "Sharvel" was the spelling on the 1866 map. Skip forward 30 years and the western side of the brook is now spelt "Charville" and the eastern side retains "Sharvel"
Golf is very popular with the people it is popular with.

People with money are not likely to waste it building a golf course unless they are pretty confident that it will make a "suitable" return.

The green belt rules do not require public access, or even prettiness. It might be nice if they did, but we have the laws that lawmakers have given us.

I agree that today's pictures seem to capture an accurate impression of what the area is like - and they save the rest of us from any need to go there.
I've been on a decent corporate day out at the shooting centre, which included land rover trial driving up and down steep slopes on the chaotic adjacent earthworks.

Very foolish of the golf course re: footpath - they have a legal duty of care to staff, clients and (yes) visitors, and not taking steps to clearly indicate footpath routes and putting up signage on how to ensure safe play (checking for pedestrians, knowing where they may be expected, etc) leaves them absolutely wide open to risk and cases they would struggle to defend in court... If I was their legal advisor I'd be having an urgent word with them...
Enjoyed your description.
I cycled all of that on Sunday. Over the Golden Bridge and on. Didn't see you or anyone else...unfortunately.
I've never heard anthing from the shooting range either.
They've been "scraping" that land to the left for years! I'll believe it will be a golf course when I see it!!
I work in the vicinity of your start point and I recall you blogged quite a nice walk not far north of there some years back. I was thinking about exploring more of my (daytime) local area but thankfully you've save me the bother.

Boris is not hugely popular in the area, hence the collapse of his vote in the last election vs the previous one, but the north of Hillingdon (the borough) is solid blue and the south is reasonably solid red (John McDonnell MP) and their respective constituents will generally vote for whoever's wearing their favourite colour, regardless of other considerations.
Good blog, since I found it: a) interesting... even though it wasn't b) historic c) pleasant.
blog (noun): a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, written in an informal style.

blogpost (noun): a piece of writing or other item of content published on a blog.
Completely agree about the golf course thing, how come when NIMBYs are losing their minds about any new tower block, the only reaction a new golf course solicits is: *crickets*?
That community hall must be older than 1984.

dg writes: It is not.
1984's a long time ago now










TridentScan | Privacy Policy