As of November 2023, the land that previously known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) became known as National Landscapes. This reflected the change of status, as the new National Landscapes are now afforded similar protection to those of National Parks. This gave Rob Fairbanks, (Director for the Surrey Hills National Landscape) and I good impetus to refresh the old tired AONB boundary markers with something new.

Old AONB Boundary Marker

We started chatting about the look and feel, use of materials and staying recognisably Surrey Hills. We thought portrait markers would fit onto roadside verges better than landscape. We designed a small sign for quiet lanes and a larger one for trunk-roads. We incorporated the Walter Bailey seedhead design, which has been recognisable as the Surrey Hills logo for over twenty years. We couldn’t decide whether the logo looked better cut out, or in stainless steel matching the letters, so we made one of each for consultation – see below.

Both Rob and I love corten steel for its durability and aesthetics. Whilst undeniably it’s a manufactured material, when it oxidises it produces an array of russet colours from orange to dark brown. In the same way an autumnal leaf might be many shades of golden browns, the corten steel carries many colours and textures to the surface. We admired the South Downs National Park use of this material for their boundary markers.

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Canvassing Public Opinion

We presented our draft signage at the 2024 Surrey Hills Symposium held in Guildford University where it was unveiled by Saj Hussain, Chairman of Surrey County Council and Cllr Sallie Barker, Mayor of Guildford. The signs were presented to the audience as an ‘Aunt Sally’ to inspire constructive criticism. To our amazement, everyone who spoke to us, or filled in the comment cards, loved the boundary signs with the majority preferring the logo cut out.

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Engagement

Surrey Youth Opportunities Team visited JK Forges to help attach some letters. Jack even had them welding after some brief tuition.

We took the signs to the Surrey Hills Wood Fair, where visitors were offered an opportunity to express their views about them, where they should be located, and help to bolt-in some letters to them.

The BBC covered the Chairman of Surrey County Council, Tim Hall, unveiling the first one we dug in, on the A25 between Dorking and Westcott.

To date we have dug-in forty signs along the boundary of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, raising the profile of this very special place. It’s very rewarding to have been part of this project from concept to implementation. Special thanks goes to Rob Fairbanks for leading on this lasting legacy.

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