English Heritage sites near Thursley Parish
WAVERLEY ABBEY
5 miles from Thursley Parish
Fragments of the church and monastic buildings of the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128.
FARNHAM CASTLE KEEP
7 miles from Thursley Parish
The impressive motte and shell keep of Farnham Castle, Surrey, founded in 1138 by Bishop Henry of Blois. An enjoyable day out within travelling distance of London.
BOXGROVE PRIORY
19 miles from Thursley Parish
The guest house and other remains of a Benedictine priory: much of the fine 12th to 14th century monastic church survives as the parish church.
THE GRANGE AT NORTHINGTON
21 miles from Thursley Parish
Set like a lakeside temple in a landscaped park, The Grange at Northington is the foremost example of the Greek Revival style in England.
SILCHESTER ROMAN CITY WALLS AND AMPHITHEATRE
22 miles from Thursley Parish
Originally a tribal centre of the Iron Age Atrebates, Silchester became the large and important Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum.
BRAMBER CASTLE
25 miles from Thursley Parish
The remains of a Norman castle on the banks of the River Adur, founded by William de Braose soon after the Norman Conquest.
Churches in Thursley Parish
St Michael & All Angels
Highfield Lane
Thursley
01252 705941
https://parishesofetsph.org.uk/
St Michael and All Angels dates back to the 11th century Saxon times and is a Grade 1 listed building. Two surviving Anglo-Saxon windows, which still retain their original wooden frames have painted woad decorations in each of the window recesses which is still visible. There is also a very finely carved Anglo-Saxon font at the back of the church under the rear windows. In 2006 a vault underneath the chancel floor was discovered quite by chance. It was planned to position new fixings for the oak screen walls in front of the choir stalls and while inspecting the floor a single loose brick dropped into a void, Under investigation it exposed the surprising existence of an 18th century vault containing two coffins. Marble plaques above the choir stalls, give clues to the vaults inhabitants.
The church is well maintained, is situated at the heart of the village and has seating for 120. Our services average 20 adults and 6 children at Family Services, but numbers are substantially larger at Christmas, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance, usually +60 adults and 15 children.
In 2006 much of Thursley Commons went up in flames - only a last minute shift in the direction of the wind saved the village from very serious damage. Later the interior of the church was reordered and the South Transept became the Vicar's Vestry. To provide a suitable screen and doorway to the new Vestry Tracey Sheppard, a distinguished member of the Guild of Glass Engravers, was commissioned to engrave a pair of glass doors. She chose to depict the great fire on the Common. One door shows flames devouring all in its path and the other shows the Tree of Life gradually emerging from the ashes bringing rebirth and renewal back to the heathland. A book of remembrance kept in the Vestry lists the names of all who generously contributed to the cost of the project.
Pubs in Thursley Parish
Three Horseshoes
Dye House Road, Thursley, GU8 6QD
(01252) 703900
threehorseshoesthursley.com/