Marker F.
Marker F – Head now along the paved path towards the flagpole and when you reach the path to the right, follow the sign which will take you to the Lloyd memorial. This was surmounted by sundials at the top and appropriate poems at the base. The originals were stolen a few years ago when the church and grounds suffered a spate of metal theft. However. the relatives of the Lloyd family were traced and provided replacement plaques in stone and the column was refurbished. To the left you will see a double grave plot with stone balls on each corner. This marks the resting-place of Reverend William Wilks, the second vicar of St John’s1880-1912’ who was Secretary of The Royal Horticultural Society and Founder of The Chelsea Flower Shows and the gardens at Wisley. He discovered and cultivated a new strain of poppy from the wildflowers of the vicarage garden which he called the ‘Shirley Poppy’. Make your way carefully towards the ancient Yew tree at the southwest corner of the churchyard. Beneath the tree is a bank of wildflowers which brighten this area each spring and early summer. The next marker takes you along the holly hedge towards the flagpole, passing on your way a young Cercis tree, commonly known as ‘The Judas Tree’. According to legend this is the species of tree from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself after betraying Jesus.
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