@mistymorning12 - oh yes, weirdly when I try to access that link on this device it won't let me. But I can on another device so here you go.
A Seer Green Heritage Walk
Enjoy a short walk around the quiet village of Seer Green, whilst exploring some of the village's history and heritage.
Nigel Rothwell & Alan Kell, Our Living Village project
7 July 2024
Introduction & Welcome to Seer Green
Today this is a modern and vibrant commuter village, but before the arrival of the railway in the early 20 th century, it was a small isolated rural community. At the historical heart of this village is essentially a Victorian hamlet, but it has a suprisingly rich heritage built around a Tudor agricultural settlement, which itself has roots in the medieval period, and with evidence of even earlier occupation.
Here we take a short walk to explore some of the natural, social and built history of the village, to discover some of its surprising stories and interesting former residents.
- The Old Vicarage
Walk a few metres uphill to look at the property which is immediately up the hill on the right, behind the splendid wrought iron gates. This is the Old Vicarage, built at the same time as Holy Trinity Church in 1846.
Rev. John Marratt Taylor, who lived here from 1870-1900, was also a keen cyclist and engineer. He invented the 'Oarsman' tricycle, powered by the legs but using a rowing-machine like action. He patented this and exhibited it at various technical and commercial shows including the 1885 Colonial and Indian exhibition in South Kensington, but clearly it didn't catch on!
Originally, access to the vicarage was from School Lane, along the path we have just walked down, until the development along Old Long Grove which started after the arrival of the railway.