The Hitching Rail: Earliest Settlement in Windlesham
By Sally Clark, Local Historian
Windlesham's Church, originally dedicated to All Hallows or All Saints and built around 1189 AD, was rebuilt and dedicated to St John in 1689 after a devastating lightning fire. It formed the center point of our original village long before development spread down Up Down Hill to the Chertsey Road in Victorian times.
Yet, right up to the late 18th century, Windlesham remained predominantly agricultural. With the church sited in the middle of fields, far from the London road and the nearest village of Bagshot, a fascinating question arises: Why was this specific location chosen?
Evidence from the Windlebrook Dig (1984)
An archaeological dig on South Farm lands along the Windlebrook in 1984 revealed that this area has been continuously occupied for millennia:
The Iron & Roman Age: Excavators discovered an iron re-smelting site active at the end of the Iron Age and through the Roman period up to 300 AD, alongside the remains of a bathhouse indicating a nearby Roman villa.
The Saxon Era (360–410 AD): Several buildings consistent with the early Saxon period were uncovered. These included storage structures containing sandstone querns (cereal grinding stones), at least two sunken huts (grubenhauser), and the remains of a substantial Hall House built after 410 AD.
The Saxons were technically primitive compared to their Iron Age predecessors and lacked advanced ploughs. They preferred farming the lighter soils near the heathlands, favoring damp meadowlands with natural springs. The Windlebrook site was perfect for their needs, supporting the Saxon translation of our name: Windles(winding brook) and ham (settlement).
From Pagan "Hearg" to Christian Church
Until around 700 AD, the local Saxons were pagan. They worshipped at natural landmarks, such as sacred trees and prominent hilltops known as a hearg, communal places of high-altitude worship.
We know nature was central to their beliefs; for instance, neighboring Ribsdowne hill featured a great victory tree called Shigtreen, which marked a battle site between the West and Kent Saxons circa 600 AD.
Could St John’s Church hill, with its close proximity to the Windlebrook settlement, have once been a sacred Saxon hearg?
As Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity between 700 and 800 AD, they frequently built wooden churches directly on top of their former pagan sites (a practice recommended by Pope Gregory the Great to ease the transition). Nearby Eversley in Hampshire is a proven example of this conversion.
The Chertsey Abbey Connection
When Chertsey Abbey was established in 666 AD, the surrounding lands began to be systematically recorded.
762–764 AD: A land charter by Frithumwold mentions Wipsedown (now Ribsden, meaning the "hill of Briars").
933 AD: A charter by King Athelstan officially includes Windlesham in the land granted to Chertsey Abbey.
Though St John's original records were lost in the great fire, 19th-century historian Kemble famously stated that "religious sites tended towards continuity even if the God changed." It is highly possible that the ground beneath St John's Church has been a sacred place of worship since 350 AD. Without digging beneath the foundations, however, we may never know for sure.