Viewpoints from your doorstep: 1. Chantry Wood

A thunderclap from the heavens above commanded the trees to part, thus revealing a celestial gateway to Guildford Cathedral on the far horizon. The bench is conveniently placed for contemplating the meaning of life, the universe, and everything! Click on the image for the full size version.

The construction of the Neo-Gothic/Art Deco styled Guildford Cathedral began in 1936 but halted for WWII. In 1952, the fund raising ‘Buy-a Brick’ campaign was launched, and by 1961, the Cathedral’s year of consecration, more than 200,000 people had paid 2s 6d (£6 in today’s money) to sign their name on a brick – including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip!

Here we see Pewley Downs, a Local Nature Reserve and a botanically rich chalk grassland where 26 species of butterflies and 119 of bees, wasps and ants have been recorded. It is an ideal location for participating in this summer’s Big Butterfly Count.

If you do, you’re very likely to see male and female chalk hill blue butterflies, as depicted in flight (on the right) in my favourite chalk grassland painting of all time – from The Shell Guide to Wildlife (1959).

Here is the third spectacular view. Chantry Wood is our most elevated ‘Greenspace on your doorstep’, with a highest point of 150m above sea-level.

And now, the end is near, and so we face the final curtain – and the of end my 10-part ‘Viewpoints from your doorstep’ series – with the contemplation of life, the universe, and everything; and a calming, vermillion view of poppies on the slopes of Chantry Wood.