Chatley Heath is part of 336 hectare reserve including Wisley Common, Ockham and parts of

Hatchford Hatchford is a hamlet in the English county of Surrey outside the town of Cobham (its former civil and ecclesiastical parish); it traditionally includes the contiguous hamlet of Pointers Green. Geography Hatchford rests almost wholly on the ...

. It is an area with a mixed habitats including heathland, ancient woodland and conifer woodland. On the top of Chatley heath (formerly known as Breach Hill) is a tower built as part of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Semaphore line An optical telegraph is a line of stations, typically towers, for the purpose of conveying textual information by means of visual signals. There are two main types of such systems; the semaphore telegraph which uses pivoted indicator arms and ...

Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower - geograph

The octagonal tower was built as part of the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

semaphore chain which operated between 1822 and 1847. It is the best preserved remaining tower and has a working semaphore mast. It is high with five storeys topped by a parapet built of red brick. It was occupied until 1963, when it was condemned as unfit because of lack of services. It then suffered vandalism and was damaged by fire in 1984.

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

and the Surrey Historic Buildings Trust restored the tower to mark the centenary of the County Council. However the condition of tower has more recently deteriorated, and it is again undergoing restoration, this time by the

Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then makes them available for holiday rental. The Trust's headqua ...

who are converting it into self-catering holiday accommodation. There will be public access on certain days when the restoration is complete. Its mid-long-distance access is the first exit immediately southwest of the Wisley Interchange of the A3, after meeting the M25 there. A roundabout at the interchange enables access from the Guildford direction. Local alternative access can also be obtained via

East Clandon East Clandon is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England on the A246 between the towns of Guildford to the west and Leatherhead to the east. Neighbouring villages include West Clandon and West Horsley. In 2011 it had a population of 268 ...

East Horsley East Horsley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, 21 miles southwest of London, on the A246 between Leatherhead and Guildford. Horsley and Effingham Junction railway stations are on the New Guildford line to London Waterloo. ...

or Cobham.

References

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