windlesham.life

Windlesham Field of Remembrance 

At the centre of the Village
The very heart of our community
 Windlesham Field of Remembrance
a brief history

   In 1946 a public meeting was held during which it was decided to raise funds to buy a 9.8 acre piece of land from Admiral Cochrane of Windlesham House as a living memorial to those from the village who had lost their lives in the two World Wars. 
 
The money was raised by public subscription and fundraising events and, in 1948, HRH The Princess Elizabeth, who was then living at Windlesham Moor, consented to become a patron and sent a donation.
  
In March 1950 the final meeting of the Windlesham War Memorial and Thanksgiving Fund was held and the name Field of Remembrance was formally adopted. The land was purchased for £2,750 in April and officially opened on 2nd September 1950 .

The land is now held in Trust “as an open space and place of rest, recreation and entertainment for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Windlesham”. The Field is run as a Charity which is managed by a volunteer committee made up or representatives of local groups and organisations and members of the community. 


In 1987 the Charity purchased the 7 acres of woodland, which is now known as Admiral’s Field, from The Admiral Cochrane Trust for £12,000 and the Field that we all know and love today was created. The Field, woods, and all the facilities, are maintained by the volunteer committee and the Charity is reliant on the fees and rents paid by the users and by public donations from the community. 


The original Pavilion was a timber building which was donated by Mr Edward Lumley and transported to site from Windlesham Moor in 1953, along with the timber Cricket Hut which remained on the site until 2018.


The timber building was replaced by a brick pavilion in 1961; this building gave sterling service to the community for many years, as changing facilities for the cricket and football clubs, as a preschool, and the kitchen was extensively used in the summer months for the popular “Teas on the Field”. 

However, by the start of the 21st Century the old building was starting to show its age; the facilities no longer met the modern needs of the majority of the users and the decision was made to replace it. After many years of planning and fundraising the old pavilion was demolished in August 2018 with help from local celebrity Brian Blessed. The new pavilion, renamed the Community Hub, was formally opened by Brian Blessed in January 2020.


The new building was financed by grants from the Football Foundation, Sport England and the London Marathon, by years of community fundraising, a “Buy a Brick” scheme and from generous private donations.

Over the years the field has hosted countless community events, football and cricket matches, and the annual Village Fete which is held on the second Saturday in June.


There has been a playground at the School Lane end of the field for many years and in 2007 it was rebuilt by an enthusiastic group of parents. It is believed this is the only playground in Surrey Heath that is looked after solely by volunteers and public donation.


In 2018 a Big Lottery Awards for All grant was received to enable the committee to install an Outdoor Gym at the far end of the field next to the playground.

The New Sign

The Charity relies heavily on donations from the community to maintain the Field and the woodland and the Trustees have recently launched a scheme to encourage the community to give regular donations.
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The Field

The Field of Remembrance has always been held in Trust for the community and in 2017 the Field was formally dedicated as a Centenary Field by Fields in Trust, offering even more protection and ensuring that our unique community asset is protected for future generations.

The Community Hub

Every year on 11th November, the Windlesham Branch of the Royal British Legion lay wreaths at the Memorial during a service of Remembrance. As part of the redevelopment of the pavilion the Memorial stone was relocated from its original position next to the road at the Pound Lane/ Kennel Lane junction, to a more convenient and prominent situation in front of the building. 

The Remembrance Playground 

“The Heart of the Village, so special and it belongs to all of us.”

Kevin
“A classic example of how well this community gets things done when we don't have those politicians telling us what we can't have .”
Liz
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