Even some 80 years later, there are still a few locals who remember Dr Cranstoun ("Cranny") doing his rounds on a Douglas motor bike. He set up practice in Worplesdon in 1922, moving into Hollow Trees in 1929, opposite the Worplesdon Place Hotel. This remained the surgery until 1961. He had public health responsibilities for a large sweep of sparsely populated countryside from the Green Man at Burpham to the Puttenham crossroads (now a flyover on the A31).

He was joined in 1946 by Dr John Moir, straight from being an anaesthetist with the RAMC. In 1952 they were joined by Dr Robert Harwood, who came to live at Wyke Cottage, to which was added a consulting room which served as the village surgery for many years to those patients living in and around Normandy. Dr Anthony Hillard joined them as assistant in 1958, taking over from Dr Cranstoun upon his retirement in 1960. Cranny died in 1972; one of the roads in Keens Park is named after him.

The partners bought the last remaining plot on the Fairlands estate and built the old Fairlands surgery at 21 Fairlands Road, which was opened in 1961. This building originally had two only consulting rooms and an upstairs flat for a receptionist. The practice grew rapidly, and the upstairs flat was converted into more consulting rooms. Additional partners were needed too and Dr Hugh Foster joined in 1966 followed by Dr John Nichols in 1973.

In 1981 Robert Harwood died aged 58. John Moir retired in 1982, aged 70, and died a year later. In their place Dr David Laurence and Dr Jonathan Norris joined the partnership in 1982.

By this time the NHS was changing rapidly and the demands on general practice increasing beyond the ability of the old Fairlands Surgery to cope. As it was getting impossibly overcrowded, it was decided to build a branch surgery and Glaziers Lane in Normandy which opened in 1988. Dr Hilary Trigg joined as a sixth partner in 1987 and was our first ever lady partner. Dr Foster took early retirement in 1991 and was replaced by Dr Christopher Lukaszewicz. Dr Hillard retired in 1993, severing the last link with the old village surgery in Worplesdon and was succeeded by Dr Timothy Arnold.

The Fairlands Medical Centre was opened in 1998. With much assistence from the community of the Fairlands Estate in Guildford along with many other organisations, the wish to create a surgery that would offer all of our patients the space and facilities to accommodate a new style of general practice was finally fulfilled. Now we have two more new partners, Dr Marty McKendry and Dr Sarah Dobbs to serve our practice population of 11,900 patients.