England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Pyrford St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Pyrford lies in northwestern Surrey roughly 3 miles east of the modern suburban town of Woking. Pyrford sits on the meandering B367 road which links the A245 (Cobham to Woking) road with the A3 (London to Portsmouth) road. Modern Pyrford is wholly modern development, a suburb of Woking sitting on part of what was once heathland, the original village of Pyrford sits at the top of a small river cliff formed in ancient times by the River Wey which rises abruptly from the current river side floodplain. Early maps show a small village clustered around the church whereas today there is also Ridgway suburb stretching down to Pyrford Green, which was once a single farmstead. The parish contained not only the Wey's floodplain, home to grazing cattle, but also substantial heathland on poor quality soils that would have been used for pannage and exploited for typical heathland products. Modern developments have come to the parish, the Wey Navigation, part of an ambitious plan to link the Thames through to the English Channel, passes through the parish but is primarily used by leisure boaters today. Pyrford is drained northwards by the River Wey which takes about 6 miles to reach the Thames from where water turns eastwards passing though the capital to the North Sea. Pyrford is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in generally flattish terrain, a few spots on the heathland rise to around 45 metres as the highest nearby ground. Pyrford parish was one of the smaller in this area of the county covering a little over 1,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Despite this small size in Domesday times Pyrford was large enough to just be a member of the 20% of settlements by population, held by Westminster Abbey it assets of 7 ploughs, meadows, pastures & woodland was backed up by 2 mills, presumably powered by the Wey.

The Church

St Nicholas' church stands at the lip of its bluff with the slope dropping to the Wey's floodplain immediately south of the churchyard giving outstanding views down to the ruins of Newark Prior and the canal. The church's initial construction is well documented in the annals of West Minster Abbey with its dedication falling in 1157. The church remains largely from that early 12th century period with an undivided nave and chancel showing many Norman Romanesque styled windows characteristic of the period. The church's stand-out feature is also 12th century, a notable southern doorway exhibiting classic Norman zigzag and geometric carved detailing. Other than the insertion of a Decorated styled east window the church remained unchanged until the 15th century & the Perpendicular style, a substantial buttress had to built supporting the weakening western wall and the church also acquired its shingled bell-turret and small play-footed spire. Even pevsner was impressed with the sensitivity of the Victorian restoration and praises retrospectively its architect Sir T.. G. Jackson for his restraint and sensitivity. The B367 which passes the church forks away eastwards to descend the slope, a subsidiary road remains on the height to arrive at the churchyard gates where a small car park sits. Unfortunately for the photographer the church sits tight to the southern edge of the churchyard which has much thick tree cover removing all of the favoured angles, all other angles do remain unencumbered however.