The Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt is a
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
foxhound pack,
with hunting country covering around 42 miles East to West and 30 miles North to South, within the counties of
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
and
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
History
The hunt was formed by the merger of three separate foxhound packs: the Old Surrey, the Burstow and the West Kent.[
The first recorded pack on the Surrey country was in 1735 at Lovells Grove, Croydon, where the Earl of Onslow lived, and by 1800 a merchant pack was hunting the country. In 1808 is found the first evidence of the Old Surrey pack, based in ]Godstone
Godstone is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Surrey, England, east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 road, A22 and A25 road, A25 roads, near the M25 motorway and the North Downs. Godstone railway station is separate ...
, and retaining the merchant membership.[
In 1915, the Old Surrey and Burstow hunts amalgamated, and took the Felbridge base of the Burstow as their home.][
The West Kent hunt dates back to 1776, and did not join with the Old Surrey and Burstow until 1999.][
]
Hunt Country
The hunt covers three territories, as a result of the merger of the three former hunts, which gives the hunt a large country, although a large portion is not huntable due to urbanisation, roads and railway lines.[ The country runs from the M23 motorway in the west to Hadlow in the East, and from the Isle of Grain in the North to Fletching in the south.
The hunt's best centres are ]Edenbridge Edenbridge may mean:
* Edenbridge (band), a symphonic metal band from Austria
*Edenbridge, Kent, a town in England
*Edenbridge, Saskatchewan, a former Jewish settlement in Canada
*Humber Valley Village
Humber Valley Village is a neighbourhood lo ...
, Horsted Keynes, Penshurst and Mereworth.
Pony Club
The hunt is linked to branches of The Pony Club
The Pony Club is a voluntary organisation founded in England in 1929. It has now expanded internationally and Pony Club branches can be found worldwide. It is one of 16 organisations that form the British Equestrian Federation.
The Pony Club ...
including an Old Surrey and Burstow Branch.
See also
*List of fox hunts in the United Kingdom
The following is a list of foxhound packs in the United Kingdom, which are recognised by the Masters of Foxhounds Association. Fox hunting is prohibited in Great Britain by the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Hunting Act 20 ...
References
External links
Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Hunt
Sport in Sussex
Sport in Surrey
Sport in Kent
Fox hunts in the United Kingdom
Fox hunts in England