Runfold is a village in Surrey,

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, about ENE of Farnham. Runfold lies on the

ancient trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackways ...

known as the

Pilgrims' Way The Pilgrims' Way (also Pilgrim's Way or Pilgrims Way) is the historical route supposedly taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. This name, of comparatively recent coinage ...

and on the former route of the A31 road, which has by-passed the village since the early 1990s. Loss of through traffic has made the village safer and quieter but has affected the village economy, with the loss of the service station,

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

and "Alf's Café", a notable

transport café In Britain, a cafe (), also known colloquially as a caff or greasy spoon, is a small, cheap eatery typically specialising in fried foods or home-cooked meals. Though it uses the same word origin as the term "café", it is distinct from the ...

. One

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

remains; the ''Princess Royal'', which has recently expanded and now offers hotel accommodation; the former ''Jolly Farmer'' has now become a Chinese restaurant. The village has been seriously affected by mineral extraction, subsequent infilling of the resultant sand and gravel pits, and the heavy vehicle movements associated with that industry. Runfold Manor is a large house in the east of the village, at the foot of the

Hog's Back The Hog's Back is a hilly ridge, part of the North Downs in Surrey, England. It runs between Farnham in the west and Guildford in the east. Name Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hen ...

. Much of the contents were auctioned in 2005 when the owners decided to move away. John Henry Knight, a former resident of Barfield House in the village, built "The first petroleum carriage for two people made in England". Barfield School, an independent mixed gender Primary School, is now located there;

Mike Hawthorn John Michael Hawthorn (10 April 1929 – 22 January 1959) was a British racing driver. He became the United Kingdom's first Formula One World Champion driver in 1958, whereupon he announced his retirement, having been profoundly affected by the ...

, Britain's first

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

World Champion was educated here. Kei's Beijing Restaurant, Runfold in listed building - geograph

Runfold, along with a number of other villages in the Surrey and Sussex

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

(such as

Alfold Alfold is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England on the West Sussex border. Alfold is a dispersed or polyfocal village in the Green Belt, which is buffered from all other settlements. The Greensand Way runs north of the village along t ...

, Dunsfold, Durfold, Kingsfold and

Chiddingfold Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 road between Milford and Petworth. The parish includes the hamlets of Ansteadbrook, High Street Green and Combe Common ...

) comprise the "

Fold Villages {{Short description, Villages in England The Fold villages are a group of villages in the Weald of Surrey and Sussex, whose suffix of -fold indicates a common origin as Saxon settlements in cleared areas of woodland. Such settlements were establish ...

", the suffix probably relating to the clearance of forest and its use as pasturage for sheep or cattle in Saxon times.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Surrey Borough of Waverley