Moulsey Hurst

Coordinates: 51°24′36″N 0°21′40″W / 51.410°N 0.361°W / 51.410; -0.361

Moulsey Hurst is located in what is now West Molesey, Surrey on the south bank of the River Thames above Molesey Lock. It is one of England's oldest sporting venues and was used in the 18th and 19th centuries for cricket, prizefighting and other sports.

The site can be reached from Hampton across the river by Hampton Ferry when it is running in the summer.

Sporting venue

When James VI and I became King of England in 1603, he brought his golf clubs with him and the first games of golf in England were played at Molesey, Westminster and Greenwich which were large open spaces adjacent to royal palaces.^[1]

This venue is considered to be one of the oldest used for organised cricket, along with other historical cricket greens, such as Mitcham Cricket Green. The earliest known use of the site for cricket was in 1723 for a game between Surrey and London.^[2] One of cricket's most famous paintings is Cricket at Moulsey Hurst, by Richard Wilson in 1780. The painting is owned by MCC and on display at Lord's.^[3]

It was the site of the now defunct Hurst Park horse race course. The 1872 Ordnance Survey map shows a race course marked Molesey Hurst in this position. The location of the cricket ground was probably in the centre of the racecourse, which was common practice in the 18th century. It was at this ground where the now modern-day East Molesey CC began, although the current ground now lies (albeit still on the bank of the River Thames) on Graburn Way, about a quarter of a mile further east and a short walk from Hampton Court Palace.

Molesey Hurst Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1907. The club disappeared at the onset of WW2.^[4]

Other sports and activities included ballooning, sprinting and archery.

Moulsey Hurst today

In 2004, Hurst Park Residents Association laid out a "heritage marker" close to the river, which contains a number of illustrations of the history and activities of the area.^[5]

Chronology of events

• 871 – Vikings sailed up the Thames here to sack Chertsey Abbey
• 1723 – the earliest known use of the site for cricket: Surrey v. London (see above)
• 1726 – mentioned in the London Evening Post dated Sat 27 August 1726, in the paper's first year of publication; it carried an advertisement for a single wicket match.^[6]
• 1733 – earliest known use of the site for an inter-county match when Surrey played Middlesex
• May 1785 – James Sadler made a hot air balloon ascent near here, accompanied by a Member of Parliament, about a year after the success of the Montgolfier Brothers balloon
• Autumn 1787 – a professional runner named Powell ran a mile in 4 minutes and 3 seconds at Moulsey Hurst in preparation for an attempt on the 4 minute mile
• August 1795 – in a cricket match at Moulsey Hurst, John Tufton was dismissed leg before wicket (lbw) by John Wells; according to Arthur Haygarth^[7] it was the first time lbw had ever been recorded in a scorecard
• 1798 – a Mr Troward, a member of the Toxophilite Society, shot an arrow on a level piece of ground on Moulsey Hurst seventeen score, or 340 yards
• 1806 – last known use of Moulsey Hurst for important matches was a Surrey versus England match.^[8]

References

Bibliography

• Maun, Ian (2009). From Commons to Lord's, Volume One: 1700 to 1750. Roger Heavens. ISBN 978-1-900592-52-9. 
• Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-713-99330-8. 

External links

• From Lads to Lord's – Moulsey Hurst
• CricketArchive re Moulsey Hurst

Borough of Elmbridge
Towns, villages and neighbourhoods	Cobham Cobham Downside Stoke d'Abernon Esher Claygate Esher Hinchley Wood West End Surbiton Long Ditton Thames Ditton Thames Ditton Weston Green Molesey Molesey (in traditional parish, East Molesey and West Molesey) Leatherhead Oxshott Walton on Thames Ashley Park Burwood Park Hersham Walton-on-Thames Weybridge Oatlands St. George's Hill Weybridge
Notable Parks	Esher Commons Giggs Hill Green Hurst Park Oxshott Heath and Woods Painshill Weybridge Heath
Grade I Listed Churches	St. George's Church, Esher Church of St. Nicholas, Thames Ditton
Education	ACS International Schools Brooklands College Danes Hill School Esher Church of England High School Esher College Feltonfleet School Heathside School Hinchley Wood School Milbourne Lodge School Notre Dame School Reed's School Rydens Enterprise School St George's College (part)
Transport	Railway stations Claygate Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon Esher Hampton Court Hersham Hinchley Wood Oxshott Thames Ditton Walton-on-Thames Weybridge Roads M25 A3 A244 A307 A3050 Notable other Thames Path London Outer Orbital Path
Buildings and structures	Bessborough Reservoir Brooklands Brooklands Museum Claremont Estate Cobham Park Cobham Training Centre Esher Place Hurst Park Racecourse Knight Reservoir Island Barn Reservoir London Bus Museum Molesey Lock Molesey Reservoirs Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir Sandown Park Racecourse Sunbury Lock Wayneflete Tower Wey Navigation
Sport	Dittons Skiff and Punting Club East Molesey Cricket Club Esher RFC Metropolitan Police F.C. Molesey Boat Club Molesey F.C. Surbiton Hockey Club Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club Thames Valley Skiff Club Walton Casuals F.C. Walton & Hersham F.C. Walton Rowing Club Weybridge Rowing Club
Places listed are articles notable as settlements, arranged by post town The M25 motorway follows approximately a boundary and is included for its regional importance.