This photograph appears in Roy Bacon's book "The Golden Age of British Motoring" which features a marvellous collection of W J Brunall photographs. The caption does not state where it was taken, but other photographs identify the spot as "Sutton Village". Does anyone know where Sutton Village is ?
This is just round the corner from me and is known locally as Sutton Abinger. The building in the background on the left is our nearest pub and is called the Volunteer. All the other buildings are still there and there are no new buildings so apart from the hedges being higher it all looks very similar today. Keith
We lived in nearly the next town east of Sutton (Wallington) in the 1980s, but try as I will, I can simply not remember any area of Sutton (Surrey) which looked like that. Perhaps it was only the occasional trip to the grocery store in Sutton that I remember. As I recall much of the area was quite built up and not all rural looking.
I think you've got the wrong one Lew; Sutton, now an area of London and close to Croydon. This one is nearer to Guildford and if you ask Google Maps for Sutton Abinger as Keith says, you'll get it.
As Keith says the trees & hedges have grown a bit, but the post box is still there in the wall.
What amazing detective work! All we need to do now is identity the little Riley saloon!
George L2023
Having visited Keith, I think I know where he is talking about, I'll have to have a good look next time I visit. Even the postbox built into the wall with the little tower above it is still there.
George, not only the Riley Saloon but also the car in the background, is it a Bullnose maybe or even an MG?
The car is known to the Register (meaning that it is on the database) but its identity is not known.
Here is another picture of it. Helpfully, your pic identifies the name of an individual associated with the car - we did not have that info before - so perhaps other clues may emerge?
Caption reads: MG M Type Standard 2-seater 848 cc. Vehicle Reg. No. PN5022. Event Entry No: 23. Place: Hurtwood Hill, Surrey. J.C.C. Half-day Trial. Date: 8.3.30. Artist Bill Brunell. (Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images) BRU849E/2430
Thanks Dick. The picture of the car in Sutton Village is captioned as being driven by "B P Cox" and from the Comp Number it looks as if it could be the same event. Bryan Ditchman sent the picture to me (in fact he is the person who has started this search for Sutton Village) and he found the picture in the Silver Jubilee Register of MMM cars 1961 - 1986. You might find a lot of other gems in that publication - if you have a copy of it. I haven't come across Hurtwood Hill before in my trials explorations. Yet one more to explore sometime.
Colin, I live in the middle of the "forest" that is known as the Hurtwood and it is on top of the Surrey hills. I am not familiar with any location that is known locally now as Hurtwood Hill. The nearby "hill" named locations are Pitch Hill, Holmbury Hill and Leith Hill all of which fall in or very close to the Hurtwood itself. I wonder if the caption is wrong calling the location Hurtwood Hill. The area is filled with tiny lanes that mostly are in high sided cuttings exactly as in the photo and as this is an unusual feature it seems likely that it is somewhere in the area but I cannot identify this one I'm afraid. Keith
I feel sure that the hill in question is in the same area. The trial itself started at the KLG Works on Kingston By-Pass and the first Section was Ranmore Hill where a Stop and Restart Test was set up. I would guess that Ranmore Hill is the public road leading from Dorking up on to Ranmore Common, because a long delay occurred when two non competing cars collided at the bottom of the hill. Where the trials cars were going when passing through Sutton Abinger, I don't yet know (possibly to Hurtwood Hill) but they ended up at The Goat Track which is the access road to Box Hill. In 1930 this splendid little road would have been unsurfaced, or certainly unsealed and was a very slippery chalk track. The slightest amount of moisture in the air would convert it to a skating rink very quickly. I will try and trace a route card for the event, which should tell us everything we need to know. Getting back to the picture of Hurtwood Hill, what are the two black rectangles at the bottom of the hill. Is a building ?
Where is Sutton Village.
Forum Locked
Posted - 14/07/2018 : 10:25:16
