Holy Trinity Church, Claygate

Geographical location

Claygate is a large village, in the Diocese of Guildford, just outside the Green Belt but within the M25. It lies some 17 miles south west of central London and three miles south of the River Thames at Hampton Court.

Village information

Claygate village (population approximately 6,500) is separated by a narrow strip of Green Belt from the outskirts of Greater London. The majority of its working population commute to London. The area is predominantly prosperous and middle-class, a fact reflected in the high cost of local housing and dearth of low-cost rented accommodation. Traditionally a place where residents tended to ‘trade up’ and stay rather than move away, there are now growing signs of population turnover as a result of increasing job mobility. Two former council estates, a fair proportion of which are still maintained for rent by a Housing Trust, are surrounded by more affluent properties and the Trust also administers two further small estates in the village of which one is devoted to housing for the elderly.

History

Though first mentioned in the Domesday Book, Claygate only grew into a sizeable community in the second half of the 19th century. The village boundaries are quite distinct and virtually coincident with those of the ecclesiastical parish. Protected by agricultural or common land on three sides, Claygate has not been absorbed into the nearby suburban sprawl and has been able to retain – and indeed reinforce - its character as a thriving village community which opted for a third tier of local government, a Parish Council, some five years ago.

Facilities and services

The village centre has a good range of shops (including a small supermarket) meeting most day-to-day needs. There are several major supermarkets in the wider area. Kingston is the nearest major shopping centre.

The community is well served by its general and dental practitioners (and veterinary practice).

Transport

There is a half–hourly train service to London (Waterloo) and Guildford from Claygate station and a bus service to Kingston and Esher as well as school bus services. Junction 10 on the M25 is less than 15 minutes’ drive away.

Education

Within Claygate, there are several playgroups (including Holy Trinity’s own), a local authority primary school, a girls’ private preparatory school and a boys’ preparatory school of national renown. A church primary school lies just beyond the parish boundary. There is an excellent range of state and private secondary schools in the wider vicinity.

Recreation

Claygate has thriving scout and guide units (the former is one of the largest in Surrey) and a community youth club.

A large recreation ground, home to Claygate’s popular football and cricket clubs, abuts the vicarage and church grounds, there are tennis and bowls clubs in the village and many good walks in the surrounding commons and countryside.

Residents have a wide choice of clubs, societies and activities (for more information, see www.claygate.info)

Holy Trinity and the local community

Holy Trinity is anxious that everyone living in Claygate should be aware that Holy Trinity is their parish church and should feel comfortable in crossing its threshold. For this reason its facilities, which complement those of the adjacent Village Hall, are made available for a wide range of community activities. These range, in the hall, from meetings and social events of local clubs and societies, to children’s birthday parties and classes of the local dancing and stage school and, in the church, from choral and orchestral concerts and charity events to the carol services of all the local schools. The former vicarage, too, is used by many local organisations and accommodates the regular mother and baby clinic.

Holy Trinity seeks to play an active part in major village events. It has a highly visible presence at the village Flower show which usually attracts over 5,000 visitors and it plays a leading part in the annual switching on of Christmas lights (usually carried out by a national celebrity) attended by around 2,000 villagers and also organises the ‘Christmas carols on the Village Green’.

The Act of Remembrance at Holy Trinity’s war memorial and the Remembrance Service are seen as community, rather than solely church, events.