the encyclopedic entry of Charlwood

Charlwood

Charlwood is a small village in southeastern Surrey, an historical parish adjoining Gatwick Airport. It is close west of Horley although the largest nearby town is Crawley in West Sussex. The Surrey-Sussex border, which ran to the south of Gatwick Airport, was moved to the north for administrative purposes in 1974 so that the administrative county boundary, delineated by the Sussex Border Path, now runs along the northern perimeter of the airport and marks much of the village boundary.

The village lay within the Reigate hundred.

Local government

Charlwood is located in Mole Valley although along with Hookwood, it has its own parish council. The village is noted for having the highest council tax in the Mole Valley district. It was moved from Surrey to West Sussex in a local government reorganisation and is notable for having an eponymous act of parliament - the Charlwood and Horley Act 1974 - to move it back into Surrey.

Features

Charlwood is the home of the Lowfield Heath Windmill which was moved from the village of Lowfield Heath when it was threatened with demolition in the 1970s to make room for the expansion of Gatwick Airport.

The village is centred around the "rec" which now contains an excellent redeveloped children's playground. The rec is the home of Charlwood F.C., Charlwood Village Residents F.C. and Ifield Cricket Club.

The village used to have its own cricket club (Charlwood C.C.) which for many years was seen playing on both Saturdays and Sundays on the green. In latter years the club only put out one side, on a Sunday but managed to achieve the distinction of not losing a single game for over 3 seasons (between 1989 and 1991) - this record still stands. The cricket ground became known as "The Field of Dreams" in the media after the famous film. The club closed in 2002.

The village has its own infant school, a small number of shops and three pubs - The Greyhound, The Rising Sun and The Half Moon - and a restaurant, Limes Bistro, as well as two hotels and numerous Bed and Breakfasts on its outskirts. It has a sister village in Hookwood, at the southern tip of the A217, between Charlwood and Horley.

SSSI

Glover's Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest is located close west of Charlwood, and is noted for its bluebell displays in springtime.

Record-breaking temperature

On 19 July 2006, it was believed that Charlwood had recorded the highest UK July temperature of 36.3 °C (97. 3°F); however, it was later confirmed that Wisley had beaten it with 36.5 °C.