Newlands Corner is a nature reserve east of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is owned by the Albury Estate and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust under an access agreement between the estate and

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

Features

The site reaches with hill-grazed grass slopes below interspersed with trees. There are areas of

chalk grassland Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover ...

and woodlands. Visible are some of the greatest prominences of the Western

Greensand Ridge The Greensand Ridge, also known as the Wealden Greensand is an extensive, prominent, often wooded, mixed greensand/sandstone escarpment in south-east England. Forming part of the Weald, a former dense forest in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, it r ...

and the site lies on the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Be ...

. There are 129 ancient yews with a girth over 3.5m (over approx 500 years old) with some over 6m girth (probably at least 1000 years old) on the northern wooded slope. Some trees are so old the centre is hollow and the whole tree can be walked through. Newlands Corner was a key location in the crime writer Agatha Christie's disappearance in December 1926. Her car was found in a bush overhanging a chalk pit at Newlands Corner, at the bottom of the south side of the hill. She was found some days later having checked in under an

alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

at a hotel in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

. As a result, Newlands Corner is the setting of the climax of the final scene of the '' Doctor Who'' episode "

The Unicorn and the Wasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the seventh episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was aired on BBC One on 17 May 2008. Set in an English manor house in 1926, shortly before the ...

". Drove Road at Newlands Corner is a good site in the region for amateur astronomy as it is a dark sky site, close to London and its southern satellite towns. With a downhill slope facing south, the viewer faces many constellations such as Orion and

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Norther ...

in winter. Once or twice a year the Guildford Astronomical Society and other local societies hold public events at Newlands Corner with about 25 telescopes and 150 members of the public in attendance.

Future plans

In October 2015, Surrey County Council announced the first stage of plans to cut funding of Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT). The plans spawned an online petition, criticism from the local residents and parish councils in the area, and a "Save Newlands Corner" website. In July 2018, parking charges were introduced, although plans for development of a restaurant, shops, and coach park were halted.

Gallery

Image:Newlands corner snow panorama.jpg, Panorama view south Image:NewlandsPanSnow.JPG, Panorama view south west Image:NewlPanSE.JPG, Panorama view south east

References

External links

{{Surrey Wildlife Trust Surrey Wildlife Trust Hills of Surrey Parks and open spaces in Surrey