Puttenham and Crooksbury Commons is a biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

between

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

and

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

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. ...

. Puttenham Common is owned by the Hampton Estate and managed on behalf of

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 ...

by the

Surrey Wildlife Trust Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) was founded in 1959 as Surrey Naturalists' Trust and it is one of forty-six wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. SWT carries out conservation activities on a considerable ...

. Hillbury Hillfort on Puttenham Common is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. It is a

univallate hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Rom ...

which probably dates to the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

Crooksbury Common

Crooksbury hill Crooksbury Hill is a nature reserve within Puttenham and Crooksbury Commons east of Farnham in Surrey. It is owned by Surrey County Council and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. Soldier's Ring on the north side of the hill is a Scheduled ...

at , is the highest point on Crooksbury Common. It is the 21st highest hill in Surrey. Atop the hill lies a

triangulation point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...

with views over the valley towards Hindhead and Gibbet Hill. It was mentioned in a

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

short story, "

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

", in which Holmes is called upon to solve a singularly interesting case involving Miss

Violet Smith Violet Virginia "Pinkie" Smith was the first licensed female jockey in the Pacific Northwest and the sixth woman to be licensed as a jockey in the United States. History Smith grew up in Auburn, Washington. Smith rode horses from the time she was ...

. The name Crooksbury is of

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

origin. The fragments 'cruc' or 'crug' refer to burial mounds usually on a hill-top, which may pertain to fact there are earthworks on the flank of Crooksbury hill one of which is called Soldier's Ring.

Puttenham Common

Puttenham Common is of archaeological interest. There is a hill fort at Hillbury which is a

, probably dating back to the

. The site can be found on the highest point of the hill above Cutmill pond.Surrey Wildlife trust - Puttenham Common
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puttenham and Crooksbury Commons Surrey Wildlife Trust Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Surrey Parks and open spaces in Surrey