IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Oast Road, OXTED, RH8 9DX

This new single-storey extension to the church to provide meeting rooms was opened in 2010. For a view of the north side of the church before its construction see Image

The single bell in the tower of Saint John the Evangelist, Hurst Green, is only hung for chiming, not full-circle ringing. Its inscription is "church extension 1962 HHP AGS JFB JMB". I guess the initials are those of the Vicar and Churchwardens at the time rather than being abbreviations.

For a view of the other side of the church, see Image

A view of the south side of the church from Church Way. For a similar view see Image

The inscription reads: "AMDG AD VI KAL AUG MCMXII". This appears to be an anachronistic use of the old Roman way of naming days. It translates as "To the glory of God: on the sixth day before the Kalends [first day] of August 1912". The dedication date of the church would therefore appear to be the 26 July 1912. [source of information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar ]

The north side of Image, before it was extended.

The interior of Image

Seen from the raised station approach. The area must have been entirely rural when the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway reached here in 1884, as it extended its tentacles to Lingfield, Edenbridge and Hever. Even then, it was not until 23 years later - 1907 - that trains condescended to stop. (The station was originally known as 'Hurst Green Halt', making it sound like a request stop). It was only after the place had a station that residential development could go ahead. Hurst Green's permanent parish church was not built until 1912, replacing an earlier structure first provided for the navvies who constructed the railway. The view is WNW, on a chilly November afternoon. The tower of St John's Church is just visible between two tall cypress trees, just to the right of the centre of the frame. In the distance are the North Downs, beyond the M25. The history of the railways of these parts is told, in plodding fashion, in Dendy Marshall's book, 'A History of the Southern Railway'.