St Anne is numerous forested hills within Chertsey, and it has had great influence in the area’s development. However, it has a very small amount of documented history that is readily available to the public. This work demonstrates that the history of St Anne is right in front of us but not on the central path, this work takes you on the journey which he took when delving into the byways of St Anne’s hill.

This piece of work is a collection of videos and images that reflects on St Anne’s past use and its quiet transformation into a nature walk and reserve, attending to the traces that remain — worn ground, altered routes, and the sense of something once purposeful now absorbed into the landscape.

This work was produced within the context of St Anne’s current status as a nature walk and reserve, a site now primarily experienced through leisure and conservation rather than its former functional use. Made through repeated visits, walking, and close observation, the project responds to the way the landscape has been reframed and managed, often prioritising a singular route and present-day use over historical complexity. By working away from the central path, the project positions itself within the less visible spaces of the site, where traces of past uses remain embedded but largely unacknowledged. In this context, the work reflects on how landscapes are re-presented over time and how history becomes subdued within environments shaped for contemporary public engagement.

work was informed by research conducted at the local museum, where I examined the limited material available on St Anne’s history. The fragments uncovered, including its use in Roman times and later as a monastery in its distant path, highlighted significant archival gaps. Responding to this absence, the project reflects on what is unknown and draws from the site itself, allowing observation and experience to guide the work.