Chatley Heath facts for kids
Chatley Heath is a special natural area in Surrey, England. It's part of a much larger nature reserve that includes Wisley Common and parts of Ockham and Hatchford. This area is a mix of different natural places, like open heathland, very old forests, and newer pine tree woods. One of the most interesting things here is an old tower on top of Chatley Heath, which used to be called Breach Hill.
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The Historic Chatley Heath Tower
The tower on Chatley Heath is quite unique. It's an eight-sided building made of red brick. It stands about 60 feet (18 m) (18 meters) tall and has five floors, with a protective wall at the very top.
What is a Semaphore Tower?
This tower was built as part of a special communication system called a Semaphore line. Imagine a giant set of arms or flags on top of a tower. People would move these arms into different positions to spell out messages. These messages could then be seen by the next tower in the line, which would then copy the message and send it further along. It was like an old-fashioned telegraph system!
The Chatley Heath tower was part of a semaphore chain used by the Royal Navy (the British navy) between 1822 and 1847. This system helped them send important messages quickly across the country.
Life and Restoration of the Tower
The Chatley Heath tower is the best-preserved semaphore tower from that time. It even has a working semaphore mast on top! People lived in the tower until 1963. However, it was then declared unsafe because it didn't have modern services like running water or proper electricity.
After that, the tower sadly suffered from damage by vandals and even a fire in 1984. But don't worry, it was saved! The Surrey County Council and the Surrey Historic Buildings Trust worked together to restore the tower. They did this to celebrate the County Council's 100th birthday.
More recently, the tower needed more care. The Landmark Trust, a charity that saves historic buildings, is now restoring it again. They are turning it into a special place where people can stay for holidays. Once the restoration is finished, there will be certain days when the public can visit and explore this amazing piece of history.
Getting to Chatley Heath
Chatley Heath is easy to reach. If you're coming from the A3 motorway, you can take the first exit southwest of the Wisley Interchange, right after it meets the M25 motorway. There's a roundabout that helps you get there if you're coming from the Guildford area. You can also find local ways to access the area through nearby villages like East Clandon, East Horsley, or Cobham.
