St Nicholas’ Church stands on a knoll at the Northern edge of the shallow valley formed by the river Wey. As ‘the crow flies’, it is about 2km Northwest of Ripley Village and 2km South of Woking Centre. It is thought to have been constructed adjacent to a pre-Roman track and possibly on the site of a pagan chapel. Parts of this track are thought to be what we now know as The Sheep Walk.
In the 12C, when it is generally thought the church was built, it overlooked a ford named Pirianforde (Pear tree ford). This is the name, now modified to Pyrford, which is applied to the then extensive village served by the church. The exact date of construction is unknown, but is thought to have been around 1140 – with the caveat in the final paragraph below. If it was built in the mid-12C, it would have been during the reign of King Stephen. It was certainly built before the establishment of nearby Newark Priory in 1199.
In present times, the (old) village of Pyrford is greatly reduced and consists of a few cottages and converted farm buildings. The outer extremities of this tiny community are marked by Stone Farm to the North and Wheelers Farm to the East. The very much larger and separate conurbation that has arisen close by and to the North of the old village is also known as Pyrford.
In 1976, a Conservation Area was established to encompass the church and some of the surrounding land. To the North, the area extends about 200m to include the old village and Stone Farm. 50m to the East, it includes a house named The Prae – newly constructed in about 1967. This property stands on the site of two ancient farm cottages that bore the same name and which (unfortunately) were demolished to make room for the present-day development.
The church building is small and may have originally been considered as a chapel. It seats a congregation of little more than 100 and is very similar to the slightly older church in nearby Wisley. The main fabric is of mortared flint and would originally have been without buttresses but had three of these supports added when the bell tower was constructed in the 15C/16C. The porch at the north-facing
(Norman) entrance is similarly dated. Ancient wall-paintings, dated from Norman or pre-Norman times were uncovered in 1967 – assumed to have been painted over at the time of puritan depredations. The estimated date of some of these wall-paintings has thrown doubt on the above mentioned date of construction – suggesting the church may have been built during the 11C. Certainly, Saxon remains have been uncovered during renovations, so it is best to keep an open mind when attempting to date this small and ancient archaeological gem of a church.
Ian Whittle – April 2024