Chiddingfold Bonfire - Wiki

The Chiddingfold Bonfire

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:05:43 +0100

2009 Bonfire photos and Grand Draw Winners on the website. Click to view:

Hire our tent We have a fantastic new tent that is available for hire 363 days a year. I won't insult your intelligence by telling you the two days that it's not available. A photo will appear here really soon It's massive and we only charge £125 for delivery/erection/collection. (Chiddingfold only!!!). If you're looking for a tent / gazebo for that special event and would like to help the village in the process, then contact us.

How to find Chiddingfold

Previous years

2009 bonfire
2008 bonfire

Raffle

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:03:58 +0100

Prize Winners in the 2009 Grand Draw

A luxury one night B&B stay at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel	Mr & Mrs Wetherspoon	Chiddingfold
A Champagne Baloon Flight	Trish Gowan	Liss
B&B in a double room at The Swan Inn	Shirley	Bognor Regis
A 4 ball round of Golf at Milford	Anna Coward	Collected on the night
A Prestwick Farm Turkey	Woodison	Chiddingofld
A Leg of Lamb	Isobel	Witley
Dinner for Two at the Swan Inn	Emma Bagshaw	Haselmere
A Free MOT from Phillips Garage	J.Ayres	Sandhills
Tickets to See the Guildford Flames	D. Pfister	Witley
Top Gear Live tickets	Jo Locke	Epsom
Masterchef Live tickets	Tim	Farnham

There were dozens of outstanding prizes in 2008 including tickets for Top Gear.

And the 2008 winners were ... ...

2009 Bonfire

Bruce Devlin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:35:43 +0100

The 2009 bonfire was a great success with the rain holding off until the very last minute. The bell ringers did a great job warming the crowd ready for the torchlight procession. The fireworks were better than ever with the crescendo lighting up most of Surrey. The Bonfire burned until morning and a good time was had by all.

Enjoy the photos. Click on the icons to open a full size (3MByte 12Mpixel) original for printing. You can download them all as a0MByte a zip if you wish. Please credit "Bruce Devlin, Chiddingfold" and make a donation to our bonfire association if you use them to make some money.

Parking from the South

Bruce Devlin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:22:27 +0100

If you are driving to the Chiddingfold Bonfire from the south, please park at Chiddingfold Golf Course and use the bus service that will drop you off at the Crown on the green. Please pay the bus driver when boarding.

There will be no parking in the village under any circumstances. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. You will not be allowed through the road blocks under any circumstances so please do not beg with our volunteers on the road blocks.

Please try to avoid driving through the village during the bonfire. It gets very busy and you will not be allowed to stop. The road blocks will be in force between 5:30pm and 10:00pm.

Please note that the site at Ramster will be CLOSED to all traffic and pedestrians.

Parking

Bruce Devlin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:08:38 +0100

show and print Parking from the North
show and print Parking from the South
Please pay the bus driver when you board.

If you are driving to the Chiddingfold Bonfire from the north, please park at Witley station and use the bus service that will drop you off at the Catholic Church. Please pay the bus driver when boarding.

There will be no parking in the village under any circumstances. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. You will not be allowed through the road blocks under any circumstances so please do not beg with our volunteers on the road blocks.

Please try to avoid driving through the village during the bonfire. It gets very busy and you will not be allowed to stop. The road blocks will be in force between 5:30pm and 10:00pm.

If you are driving to the Chiddingfold Bonfire from the south, please park at Chiddingfold Golf Course and use the bus service that will drop you off at the Crown on the green.
Please pay the bus driver when boarding.

There will be no parking in the village under any circumstances. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. You will not be allowed through the road blocks under any circumstances so please do not beg with our volunteers on the road blocks.

Please try to avoid driving through the village during the bonfire. It gets very busy and you will not be allowed to stop. The road blocks will be in force between 5:30pm and 10:00pm.

Please note that the site at Ramster will be CLOSED to all traffic and pedestrians.

Parking from the North

Bruce Devlin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:46:52 +0100

Bonfire Committee

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:01:15 +0100

The Bonfire Committee

Chiddingfold Bonfire (Charities) Association most recent articles of association were adopted at its AGM in 1991. These lay down that the principal aim should be to raise funds for Christmas vouchers for the over 70s in the village by holding an annual bonfire event for the community and visitors on the village green.

Each year the members of the association elect a committee of no more than eleven which has to include a chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer.

The committee may appoint a President and up to two Vice Presidents from persons who have given long and outstanding service to the Association.

You can contact us via the web form on this site.

Committee Members

President Harold Mullard
Vice President Richard Hogsflesh
Vice President Richard Higgs
Chairman Simon Manuel
Vice Chairman Ian Travis
Treasurer Dave Rauch
Secretary Mrs K Holroyd

Committee

Gill Allen
Steve Baker
Andy Campbell
Jane Devlin
Ray Lock
Val Mills
Derek Price

History

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:00:32 +0100

A brief history of Chiddingfold Bonfire

By Richard Hogsflesh

It is doubtful if anyone can accurately chronicle the origins of Chiddingfold Bonfire but it probably began not as a Guy Fawkes celebration but as a completely different tradition related much more to the history of the village.

The received wisdom passed down by generations of village residents is that Coopers Stick Factory, the successful village based business started in the reign of Queen Victoria, at one time used to stack stick faggots as they were cut from the abundant copses that surround this area, at the North end of the green outside Hadmans. During the course of time many faggots, tied with their usual hazel wythe, became broken and the sticks brittle and therefore of no further use. They were then taken onto the village green in late Autumn where they would eventually be burned. What better time to do this than the beginning of November before the onset on winter and the start of the new season’s copse cutting? No doubt at some point someone suggested linking this to the Guy Fawkes night celebrations and so began a long tradition on the village green.

The torches

Although Coopers Stick Factory finally closed down in the 1990’s its connection with the bonfire continues through the parting gift to the Bonfire Association of approximately 10,000 chestnut sticks for use as torches in the annual procession to light the fire.

A local event

The bonfire celebrations remained very much a local village event right up to the end of the 1920’s. Fireworks were much more difficult to obtain and those that were let off tended to be hand made by local youths. This was of course a dangerous practice and no doubt led in 1929 to the village policeman, Sergeant Brake, having to arrest several high spirited schoolboys for letting off their home made fireworks in the street. When brought to court Mr. Jackson of Botley House, then the local magistrate, fined each of them the large sum of £2 to make an example of them and dissuade others from following suit.

The Riot Act

Mysteriously the bonfire being built at the time was then prematurely set on fire and local villagers threw bricks and stones through the windows of Botley House and the sergeant’s home. The bonfire was then rebuilt and the event proceeded as originally planned, despite the fact that many police were drafted into the village to prevent further riots and the Riot Act was read at the local pubs – The Swan and The Winterton Arms. This is the last recorded reading of the Act anywhere in this country and apparently there was a non existent audience to listen save for one small boy and the attending police.

1930s

In the 1930’s the event was run by a number of local inhabitants from round the green and a procession was introduced starting at the Winterton Arms. It included many in fancy dress with decorated floats and was led by torches. These processions were soon enhanced by the attendance of many local fire brigades, including Chiddingfold’s own, which in 1929 had become motorised. Fire engines came from Godalming, Grayshott and Hindhead, Cranleigh and sometimes two from Haslemere with even on some occasions an appliance from Guildford. Such processions continued until the outbreak of the second world war but after that the visiting engines never returned. The Chiddingofld Brigade continued to make an appearance until it was disbanded in 1960.

Post-war

After the war the original committee of the Bonfire Association had somewhat lost its impetus and the continuity became disjointed. In an attempt to revive the event several residents around the green got together and took over the event mainly at their own expense. This did not prove overly successful and at a meeting it was decided to abandon the event. As a result, a new committee was formed largely from the Chiddingfold School Parent Teacher Association and the successful run of post war bonfires was begun.

Today the event attracts 8-10,000 people and is held on the Saturday nearest to November 5th.

Bonfire Times and Dates

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:59:58 +0100

Chiddingfold Bonfire - 7th November 2009

Road Closures, Diversions, Park & Ride and Events programme

3:00pm South side of Village Green (by the Spar and the Chemist) road closes. The bus slip road closes.
5:00pm Stalls open for business. Park & Ride shuttle buses start operating from Witley Station to the North, Ramster to the South. Please note that once the car parks are full we have no further availability.
5:30pm A283 Petworth Road from the junction with Woodside Road to the Crown closes, traffic diverted along Coxcombe Lane
5:30pm North side of the Village Green from Petworth Road to Pockford Road closes, traffic diverted via Pockford Road / Skinner's Lane
6:30pm Torches go on sale at St Mary's School.
7:00pm Procession of 400 torches departs St Mary's School.
7:30pm (approx) Bonfire set alight.
8:00pm (approx) Fireworks
8:15pm (approx) Grand Draw
9.30pm (approx) Last shuttle bus back to car parks
10:00pm (approx) Roads re-open.

It is NOT possible to let cars through into the closed area after the road blocks are in place and cars should not park in these areas. The only exceptions are for disabled access provided Simon Manuel or Ian Travis have been informed beforehand.

Helpers

Bruce Devlin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:59:06 +0100

Bonfire News 2009

Remember, remember the 7th of November, building, marshalling and Bonfire!

The build

Usually starts in October. Here are some handy numbers for bonfire building enthusiasts everywhere:

tripod leg length (m)	12	14	15	this is what you set!
bonfire height (m)	11	13	14	this is what you get!
mass ( tonnes)	86	103	111	depends on assumed density of bonfire stuff
energy expended to build it ( calories)	372,349	535,056	625,797	mostly in beer and sausage butties

Marshals

Regulations make it essential we have enough marshalls for the crowd, car parks and road blocks on the night. If you can Help Us with marshalling this great occasion then come along to one of the meetings listed opposite or Contact us via the web.

Marshalls Meetings

In the Half Crown Inn. Please turn up to find out how you can help. Nowadays, the law says that if we don't have enough helpers, then the event could be cancelled. Please turn up to the meeting, even if you can only Help Us for 10 minutes on the night. Times and Dates for meetings are on the front page. It seems that buying Simon a beer is not compulsory - only recommended.

Setting up and clearing away

As you can imagine, an event like this involves a huge amount of setting up – putting up tents, trestle tables, fences, road diversions, etc and clearing away afterwards – leaving the village green as clean and tidy as we can. If you can Help Us with any of the above please do!

The Chiddingfold bonfire is brought to you by volunteers, we are not paid for this work. Please help us to make the event the best one ever.