| Epsom | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
_-_cropped.jpg) Epsom Clock Tower, High Street | |
  Epsom Location withinSurrey | |
| Area | 18.04 km2 (6.97 sq mi) |
| Population | 31,489 (2011 census)[1] |
| • Density | 1,746/km2 (4,520/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ2060 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Epsom |
| Postcode district | KT17, KT18, KT19 |
| Dialling code | 01372 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°19′59″N00°16′07″W / 51.33306°N 0.26861°W /51.33306; -0.26861 | |
Epsom is a town in the borough ofEpsom and Ewell inSurrey, England, about 14 miles (22 kilometres) south ofcentral London. The town is first recorded asEbesham in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of aSaxon landowner. The earliest evidence of human activity is from the mid-Bronze Age, but the modern settlement probably grew up in the area surrounding St Martin's Church in the 6th or 7th centuries and the street pattern is thought to have become established in theMiddle Ages. Today theHigh Street is dominated by the clock tower, which was erected in 1847–8.
Like other nearby settlements, Epsom is located on thespring line where the permeablechalk of theNorth Downs meets the impermeableLondon Clay. Several tributaries of theHogsmill River rise in the town and in the 17th and early 18th centuries, the spring onEpsom Common was believed to have healing qualities. The mineral waters were found to be rich inEpsom salts, which were later identified asmagnesium sulphate.Charles II was among those who regularlytook the waters and several prominent writers, includingJohn Aubrey,Samuel Pepys andCelia Fiennes recorded their visits. The popularity of thespa declined rapidly in the 1720s as a result of competition from other towns, includingBath andTunbridge Wells.
Organised horse racing onEpsom Downs is believed to have taken place since the early 17th century. The popularity of Epsom grew asThe Oaks andThe Derby were established in 1779 and 1780 respectively. The firstgrandstand at theracecourse was constructed in 1829 and more than 127,000 people attended Derby Day in 1843. During the1913 Derby thesuffragetteEmily Davison sustained fatal injuries after being hit byKing George V's horse.
The opening of thefirst railway station in Epsom in 1847, coupled with the breakup of the Epsom Court estate, stimulated the development of the town. TodayEpsom station is an important railway junction, where lines toLondon Victoria andLondon Waterloo diverge. Since 1946, the town has been surrounded on three sides by theMetropolitan Green Belt, which severely limits the potential for expansion. Twolocal nature reserves, Epsom Common andHorton Country Park, are to the west of the centre and Epsom Downs, to the south, is aSite of Nature Conservation Importance.
The first written record of a settlement at Epsom dates from the 10th century, when its name is given asEbesham.[2] It appears in theDomesday Book of 1086 asEvesham[3] and in subsequent surviving documents asEbbesham andEbesam (12th century),Epsam (15th century),Ebbisham andEpsham (16th century) andEpsome (17th century). The first known use of the modern spellingEpsom is from 1718.[2]
The name "Epsom" is thought to derive from that of aSaxon landowner, either asEbba's ham orEbbi's ham (whereham means home or settlement).[2][4][note 1] Alternatively the name may come fromebbe, theOld English word for "flow", which may reference anintermittent stream orspring in the area.[6]
The first surviving record of land atHorton is from a charter of 1178, in which the modern spelling is used. It is also recorded asHortune (1263) andHortone (1325). The name is thought to derive from the Old English wordshorh andtun and is generally agreed to mean a "muddy farm".[2]
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Show Borough of Epsom and Ewell
Epsom is a town in northSurrey, approximately 14 miles (22 km) south of central London. It lies on the southern edge of theLondon Basin and the highest point in the parish at Epsom Downs is 155 m (509 ft) aboveordnance datum.[7] The High Street defines the main west–east axis of the town and runs roughly parallel to theLeatherhead-Sutton railway line.
To the west of the town centre are twolocal nature reserves,Epsom Common andHorton Country Park, both of which are owned and managed by the borough council.[8][9]Epsom Downs Racecourse is on Epsom Downs, an area of chalkdownland to the south of the town.[10]
Within the ancient parish boundaries are two settlements which were once part of Epsom. Horton, to the west of the centre, is the former location of five psychiatric hospitals, which were redeveloped to provide housing in the early 2000s.[11]Langley Vale, a small village to the south of the racecourse, was predominantly developed in the first half of the 20th century.[12]
Like many of the towns and villages betweenCroydon andGuildford, Epsom is astrip parish andspring line settlement. The areas to the south and east of the town lie on thechalk of theNorth Downs and the centre, north and west are on theLondon Clay. Separating the two, and running in parallel bands along a north–south axis, are narrowoutcrops ofThanet Sands and theLambeth Group.[7][13][14] The chalk is a naturalaquifer andtributaries of theHogsmill River rise at several points along the boundary between thepermeable and impermeable rock types. During the late 17th and early 18th century, the spring on Epsom Common was thought to have healing properties and the waters were later found to be rich inmagnesium sulphate, which became known as "Epsom salts".[14][15]
The earliest evidence of human activity in Epsom is from the mid-Bronze Age. Remains of pits, ditches and post holes in Long Grove Road indicate that the area north of the town centre was used for agriculture in prehistoric times, which may suggest the presence of an established settlement nearby.[16] Potterysherds and workedflints, found on the site of the formerManor Hospital site in Horton, show that human activity continued into the earlyIron Age[17] and twostaters (coins) from this period have been found in the area.[18]
Although the route ofStane Street, the road betweenLondinium andChichester, passes immediately to the east of St Martin's Church, there is not thought to have been aRoman settlement there.[18][19] Archaeological evidence of Roman activity has been found to the north of the present town centre: Atilekiln, which may have been connected to the 1st- and 2nd-centurybrickworks onAshtead Common, was discovered during the construction of theWest Park Hospital in the 1920s.[20][21] There may also have been avilla at Epsom Court.[4]
TheAnglo-Saxon settlement at Epsom was most likely established in the late 6th or early 7th century.[20][22] It would have been administered as part ofCopthorne Hundred and was probably located close to the site of the present St Martin's Church, which is built on aknoll of chalk at the base of the North Downs.[20][22][23][note 2] Saxon burials have been excavated at two sites to the east of the modern town centre, close to the church.[24][25] Agarnetpendant, depicting a bearded male wearing aPhrygian cap, was discovered in the same area in the 1960s. The pendant is thought to have originated from the Mediterranean in the 7th century and its discovery suggests that high-status individuals were living in or travelling though Epsom in the Anglo-Saxon period.[22][26]
The origins of the modern town centre are obscure, but the principal road pattern may have developed during the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, anucleated village is thought to have been founded at the west end of the present High Street.[18] The 1840tithe map shows a series of narrow, regularplots along the north side of the High Street, which would be consistent with a planned, medieval settlement.[18]
Epsom was held byChertsey Abbey from Anglo-Saxon times until the first half of the 16th century. The earliest surviving charter confirming the ownership of the town is from 967, during the reign ofKing Edgar, although the settlement is thought to have been granted to the abbey in 727.[27][note 3] InDomesday Book, Epsom appears asEvesham and is listed as including twomills (valued at 10s), two churches, 24 acres (10 hectares) ofmeadow and sufficientwoodland for 20hogs. It rendered £17 per year in 1086. The residents included 34 villagers, 4 smallholders and 6villeins.[3][28]
The manor of Horton was also held by Chertsey Abbey during the medieval period. Although there are few surviving early documents relating to the settlement, an early 15th century charter indicates that it included 168 acres (68 hectares) of land, of which 60 acres (24 ha) was pasture. The Durdans estate may also have belonged to Horton.[27][note 4] There are references in historical documents to a manor of Brettgrave, also held by the abbey, which appears to have been considered part of Horton by the early 16th century.[27]
Following thedissolution of the monasteries,Henry VIII granted Epsom toNicholas Carew in 1537, but two years later his property was forfeit when he was executed for his alleged involvement in theExeter Conspiracy. The manor was part of theHonour ofHampton Court from 1597 until 1554, when it was granted toFrancis Carew byMary I.[29] After 1611, Epsom was briefly held by the Darcy family and was then sold to Anne Mynne, the widow of George Mynne, who had bought the manor of Horton. Both manors were inherited by her daughter, Elizabeth, who in 1648 married Richard Evelyn, the brother of the diarist,John Evelyn. Richard Evelyn died in 1670, but Elizabeth ran the estate until her death in 1692, when the land was split up.[29] For much of the 18th century, Epsom was held by the Parkhurst family and thereafter the lordship passed through a succession of owners before it was purchased by the borough council in 1955.[29]
Reforms during the Tudor period reduced the importance ofmanorial courts and the day-to-day administration of towns became the responsibility of thevestry of the parish church.[30] The Epsom Vestry appears to have operated as aselect vestry, to which members of the gentry were appointed orco-opted.[31] There was little change in local government structure over the subsequent three centuries, until thePoor Law Amendment Act 1834 transferred responsibility forpoor relief to thePoor Law Commission, whose local powers were delegated to the newly formedpoor law union in 1836. The Epsom Union was made responsible for workhouses in around a dozen parishes in the area, all of which were consolidated into a workhouse on the Dorking Road, now the site of Epsom Hospital.[32][33] A Local Board of Health, with responsibility for sanitation, sewerage and drinking water supply, was formed in 1850.[34]
TheLocal Government Act 1888 transferred many administrative responsibilities to the newly formedSurrey County Council and was followed by an1894 Act that created the Epsom Urban District Council (UDC). The UDC area was expanded to includeEwell in 1933[35] and the enlarged authority was awarded borough status in 1937.[36]
In 1951 thecivil parish had a population of 30,860.[37] On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.[38]
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By tradition, the discovery of spa water is attributed to Henry Wicker, a farmer who, in 1618, noticed that his cows refused to drink from a slow spring on Epsom Common.[40] However, the distinctchemical properties of the local water had already been recognised in the preceding decades: In 1603, local physicians had noted that the local water contained "bitter purging salt"[41] and, in late-Elizabethan times, it was thought that bathing in a pond to the west of the town centre could cureulcers and other disorders.[40]
The first facilities for visitors were provided in 1621, when a wall was built around the spring and a shed erected for invalids.[41] The first authentic account of the spa dates from 1629, when Abram Booth, of theDutch East India Company, visited Epsom and described how "[p]eople coming there took a few glasses of the mentioned water – which has a taste different from ordinary water – after which walking up and down, these had in our opinion very good effect".[41][42] During the mid-17th century, several prominent individuals travelled to the spring, includingJohn Aubrey, who after his visit in 1654, boiled some of the water and noted that a "flakey"sediment, "the colour of bay-salt", was left behind.[41][43]Samuel Pepys visited in both 1663 and 1667[44][note 5][note 6] and the theologian,John Owen, took the waters in 1668.[40]
Following theRestoration of the monarchy,Charles II was a regular visitor[47] and it was at Epsom that he met the actress,Nell Gwyn, who became hismistress.[42] Other royal patrons includedPrince George, theprince consort ofQueen Anne.[48]
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Despite the popularity of the spring on the Common, several early visitors were critical of their experience at Epsom. The writer,Dorothy Osborne, who visited in 1653, complained that the water had to stand overnight to allow the sediment to settle before drinking.[49] Similarly,Celia Fiennes noted that Epsom was "not a quick spring", that it was often "drank drye" and to make up the deficiency, "the people do often carry water from the Common wells to fill this in a morning; this they have found out in which makes the water weake and of little operation - unless you can have it first from the well before they can have put in any other".[49][50]
The popularity of Epsom continued to increase in the final decades of the 17th century and a regular coach service from London was established in 1684.[51] In the 1690s, John Parkhurst, Lord of the Manor of Epsom, began to develop the town into a spa resort.[40] The Assembly Rooms in the High Street were constructed in 1692 and a new well was sunk to the west of South Street. By 1707, a local businessman andapothecary, John Livingstone, had opened a bowling green,gaming rooms and aballroom.[51]
In the mid-1720s, the popularity of Epsom experienced a rapid decline, driven partly by the economic consequences of thebursting of the South Sea Bubble.[48] There was also competition from other spa towns, including Bath and Tunbridge Wells,[52] and, by the 1750s, synthetic Epsom salts were being manufactured commercially.[53][note 7] Attempts were made in the 1760s to revive the spa, but these efforts were unsuccessful.[48]
The earliest horse races on Epsom Downs are thought to have been held in the early 17th century, during the reign ofJames I. By the time of theCivil War, the sport was sufficiently popular and well known that, in May 1648,royalist forces were able to assemble on the Downs under the pretence of organising a race, before marching together toReigate. Following the Restoration of the monarchy, there was a further increase in the popularity of racing as Epsom became established as a spa town.[54]
The Irish philosopher,John Toland, noted the suitability of the Downs for sport, writing in 1711 that the land was "covered with grass finer than Persian carpets… for sheep-walks, riding, hunting, racing, shooting, with games of most sorts for exercise of the body or recreation of the mind… they are no where else to be paralleled".[55] The earliest formal races were run on an uphill course fromCarshalton to Epsom and were primarily a test of stamina rather than speed.[55] By the mid-18th century a 4-mile straight course had been established, starting at Banstead and finishing at the top of the Downs at Epsom. Heats were run in the mornings, before a break for lunch, which was followed by the final run offs in the late afternoon.[56]
The Oaks was established in 1779 and was named after the residence of the12th Earl of Derby at Banstead.[57] The race, for three-year-oldfillies, was shorter than those that had taken place in previous years and was run over a1+1⁄2-mile (2.4 km) course.The Derby was first run the following year, as a shorter race of 1 mi (1.6 km) for three-year-oldcolts,[58] but was increased to1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) in 1784.[59] As early as 1793, the crowds associated with Derby Day were causing congestion on local roads and, in 1843, more than 127,000 people attended the race. Formal royal patronage began in 1840 with the visit ofQueen Victoria and horses owned by her son,Edward VII, won the event in 1896, 1900 and 1909.[60] The world's firstliveoutside broadcast was filmed at the 1931 Derby by theBaird Television Company.[61][62]
During the1913 Derby, thesuffragette,Emily Davison,sustained fatal injuries after being hit byKing George V's horse, Anmer.[63] The incident occurred at Tattenham Corner, the final curve before the finishing straight, after she ducked under theguard rail and ran onto the course.[63] Davison was knocked unconscious and was taken to Epsom Cottage Hospital, where she died four days later on 8 June 1913.[64][65] The inquest into her death took place at Epsom on 10 June.[66][67] A road close to Tattenham Corner is named "Emily Davison Drive" in her honour[68][69] and a statue of the suffragette was installed in Epsom High Street in June 2021.[70]
The first permanent building on Epsom Downs is thought to have been a rubbing house, where horses could be brushed down and washed after racing. Parts of the Rubbing House pub, which now occupies the site, date from 1801.[71][72] Until the early 19th century, facilities for race attendees were limited to temporary wood and canvas structures and construction of the firstgrandstand did not begin until 1829.[71][73] The Queen's Stand, which incorporates a conference centre, was completed in 1992[71][73] and the current grandstand was opened in 2009.[74][75]
Following theend of Roman rule in Britain, there appears to have been no systematic planning of transport infrastructure in the local area for over amillennium. The section of Stane Street to the west of the modern town centre remained in use through the Anglo-Saxon period and is referred to as the Portway in the reign ofHenry VII. The section of the Roman road to the south of Epsom is thought to have been blocked by the enclosure ofWoodcote Park in the mid-12th century.[23] Visitors to the spa were able to reach Epsom by carriage during the 17th century, although theturnpikes to London andHorsham were not constructed until 1755.[76][77]
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The first railway line to reach Epsom was theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), which openeda railway station in the Upper High Street in 1847. Services initially ran to Croydon, where there was a junction with theBrighton Main Line.[78] The line betweenEpsom andLeatherhead was opened by the independent Epsom and Leatherhead Railway Company on 1 February 1859. It was initially constructed as a single-track line and services were run by theLondon and South Western Railway (LSWR). The LSWR's own line viaWorcester Park towardsWimbledon was completed two months later, allowing trains from Epsom to reachLondon Waterloo.[79][80] The LBSCR extended its line westwards to meet that of the LSWR in August of the same year, allowing it to run services to Leatherhead.[81] Two branch lines serving the race course opened toEpsom Downs andTattenham Corner in 1865 and 1901 respectively.[78]
Although both the LSWR and LBSCR ran services along the line to Leatherhead, the two companies maintained separate stations in Epsom for 70 years. Following the formation of theSouthern Railway in 1923, a decision was taken to combine the two on a single site. The LBSCR station was closed in 1929 and the LSWR station was reconstructed to increase the number of platforms to four, so that all trains passing though the town could serve it.[81][note 8] The changes coincided with theelectrification of the lines to London Waterloo and London Victoria in 1925 and 1929 respectively.[84] These improvements resulted in a dramatic increase in the number ofseason tickets sold and stimulated the growth of the town from a population of 18,804 in 1921 to 27,089 in 1931.[85]
A regular postal service between Epsom and London was established in 1678. Initially the service ran three times per week,[86] but ran daily from 1683.[87] The current Post Office in the High Street opened in 1897 and a sorting office in East Street opened in 1956.[88] The first automatictelephone exchange in the UK was opened in the town in May 1912, replacing a manual exchange dating from 1905. The system usedswitching equipment designed by the American inventor,Almon Brown Strowger, and had provision for a maximum of 500lines.[89]
Epsom is unusual among Surrey towns, in that it underwent considerable expansion during theearly modern period.[18] As the spa developed in the 1670s, merchants from London started to construct their own mansions on the outskirts of the town. Thesebaroque buildings were generally made from bricks produced at thebrickfield on the Common. The demand for labourers brought incomers with new skills, who began to boost the local economy. The construction of a small row of shops at the junction of the High Street and South Street led to the establishment of a market in 1680 and, in 1692, two Londongoldsmiths developed the site further by building their own houses.[22]
By 1800, Epsom had over 400 houses and this number increased to 600 by the middle of the century.[18] In the 1860s, plans were put forward to improve the drainage on the Common and to build houses on it, but were dropped due to local objections. Following the enclosure of the common fields to the south of the town centre in 1869, housebuilding commenced along Burgh Heath, College and Worple Roads. At around the same time, houses for the working classes were constructed in the area between the two railway lines to Sutton and Wimbledon.[22]
In the final decade of the 19th century, Epsom Court, to the north of the town centre, was divided and sold for development and, over the next twenty years,terraced houses were built on the land.[22] Shops on Waterloo Road and houses in Chase Road were built from 1928 and the Copse Edge Avenue estate was begun in the same year.[90] The award of borough status to the council in 1937, allowed it to take over running of 1500 council houses that had been built between 1920 and 1939.[91]
The 1944Greater London Plan designated land on three sides of the town centre as part of the protectedMetropolitan Green Belt, which severely limited the scope for urban expansion to the east, west and south.[92] Since limited development ofLangley Vale and the Epsom Wells estate had taken place in the early 1930s, these areas were not placed into the Green Belt and housebuilding continued into the 1950s.[93] In the early 2000s, theEpsom Cluster of psychiatric hospitals in Horton was redeveloped to provide around 1850 new homes.[11]
From much of its early history, Epsom was primarily anagricultural settlement. The two common fields attached to the medieval manor, Woodcote (350 acres (140 ha)) and Smith Hatch (500 acres (200 ha)), were divided into strips, which were assigned to residents of the town.[94] In the 15th century, sheep farming became increasingly important and a wool fair was held in June each year until the 1870s.[94] There was also an annual pleasure fair which took place in July.[94] The right to hold a market at Epsom was granted to Elizabeth Evelyn byCharles II and the charter was renewed byJames II in 1685.[95]Enclosure of the common fields was completed in 1869, bringing to an end theopen-field system in the town.[96][note 9]
Brick and tile manufacturing took place on Epsom Common until the end of the 18th century[98] and between 1830 and 1938 at a site on Kiln Lane.[99] In the 19th century, chalk was quarried and converted to lime at a site in College Road.[99] Mineral water and fruit juices were bottled in the town by the Randalls company from 1884, which traded from premises in South Street until the 1980s.[100] In the 19th century, there were two breweries in Epsom - WG Bradley and Son in South Street and Pagden's in Church Street.[100] Dorling's Printworks was established in the town in the 1820s and for many years printedracecards andbrochures for the Derby, before its closure in 1979.[100] Today, one of the largest private employers in the town is the engineering consultancy firmAtkins, which moved to Epsom in 1962.[101]
In September 1914, Epsom became agarrison town. Two battalions of the university and Public Schools Brigade of theRoyal Fusiliers were billeted in the town and underwent training in Rosebery Park and on Epsom Downs.[102] Some of the racecourse buildings were converted to become a war hospital and, in January 1915, 20,000 soldiers were assembled on the Downs for an inspection byLord Kitchener.[103][104]
Woodcote Park Camp was built to house the soldiers of the Royal Fusiliers in late 1914 and early 1915.[102] The 350-acre (140 ha) site was considered suitable as it was close to London.[105] The first soldiers took up residence in February 1915, but the camp was vacated by the Brigade when it was dispatched to theWestern Front three months later.[102] Between May 1915 and August 1916 the camp became a convalescent hospital for Commonwealth soldiers.[106] It was handed over to Canadian Forces in July 1916 and remained under their control until the end of the war.[107]Following the end of theFirst World War, the Canadian soldiers were slow to be repatriated.[108] On 17 June 1919, a group of 400attacked Epsom Police station, injuringStation Sergeant Thomas Green, who died the following day.[109] At a trial in July 1919, five men were found guilty of riotous assembly[110] and were imprisoned until November of the same year.[108]
By the outbreak of theSecond World War in September 1939, publicair raid shelters had been constructed at Rosebery Park and Clay Hill Green.[111] Later in the war, large shelters were provided at Ashley Road, to the south of the town centre, and at Epsom Downs.[112][note 10] Over the course of the war around 440high-explosive bombs were dropped on the borough, 33 people were killed and nearly 200 houses were destroyed. Towards the end of the conflict, 30V-1 flying bombs landed in the area, including one, in July 1944, which destroyed the Ashley Road Police Station.[112]
During the Second World War, the defence of the town was largely in the hands of the 56th Surrey battalion of theHome Guard,[114] who were trained by a company ofWelsh Guards at Epsom Racecourse.[115][116] Throughout the borough there were 55Air Raid Precautions (ARP) posts, staffed by up to 140 paid air raid wardens and 560 volunteers.[117] In mid-1940, the Outer London Defence Line A was constructed through Epsom, running along Christchurch Road, the High Street and Alexandra Road.[118][119]
The town is in the parliamentary constituency ofEpsom and Ewell and has been representedat Westminster since July 2024 byLiberal DemocratHelen Maguire.
Councillors are elected toSurrey County Council every four years. The town is divided between twowards: "Epsom Town & Downs" and "Epsom West".[120]
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Epsom is divided between five wards, each of which elects three councillors toEpsom and Ewell Borough Council. The five wards are: "Stamford", "Court", "Town", "College" and "Woodcote".[121][122]
Since 1995, the Borough of Epsom and Ewell has beentwinned withChantilly in northern France.[123][124]
In the2011 Census, the combined population of the college, Court, Stamford, Town and Woodcote wards was 31,489.[1]
| Ward | Population | Households | % Owned outright | % Owned with a loan | hectares[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College | 5,873 | 2,248 | 41.1 | 35.9 | 316 |
| Court | 6,830 | 2,567 | 13.8 | 39.8 | 213 |
| Stamford | 6,088 | 2,348 | 38.5 | 43.7 | 436 |
| Town | 6,979 | 3,154 | 27 | 29.1 | 136 |
| Woodcote | 5,719 | 2,286 | 41.4 | 37.9 | 703 |
| Regional average | 35.1 | 32.5 |
| Ward | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats and apartments | Caravans/temporary/mobile homes/houseboats | Shared between households[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College | 1,040 | 425 | 144 | 622 | 0 | 17 |
| Court | 160 | 721 | 947 | 738 | 1 | 0 |
| Stamford | 707 | 995 | 300 | 346 | 0 | 0 |
| Town | 237 | 849 | 455 | 1,584 | 2 | 27 |
| Woodcote | 1,111 | 513 | 232 | 430 | 0 | 0 |
The publicgas supply to Epsom began in 1839,[125] when the Epsom and Ewell Gas Company purchased land on East Street for the towngasworks. Initiallycoal was transported by road fromBattersea, but was delivered by train following the opening of the railway in 1847.[126] Gas-powered street lighting was installed in the town centre by 1840.[127] The Epsom and Ewell Gas Company was amalgamated with the Wandsworth and Putney Gas Light & Coke Company and the Mitcham and Wimbledon District Gas Light Company in 1912.[126]
The Epsomwaterworks were established on East Road in 1853. By 1870, there were at least two wells on the site, which supplied water to the town.[128] Until the mid-19th century,sewage was disposed of incesspits, however the highwater table in the town often lead to drinking water becoming contaminated.[127] The pond in the centre of High Street, which had become polluted with waste, was filled in 1854 under the direction of the newly formedlocal board of health.[129] The firstsewerage system was created the same year, which included the construction of asewage farm on Hook Road (then known as Kingston Lane). A comprehensive drainage plan was produced in 1895, after the formation of Epsom UDC, and arrangements were made to share the Leatherhead sewageoutfall. The site of the sewage farm was redeveloped and is now the Longmead Industrial Estate.[127] Under the Water Act 1973, control of the water supply passed to the Thames Valley Water Authority, which was privatised to becomeThames Water in 1973.[130][131]
Anelectricity generating station was opened in 1902 in Depot Road. Initially it was capable of generating 220 kW of power, but by the time of its closure in 1939, itsinstalled capacity was 2 MW.[125][132] Under theElectricity (Supply) Act 1926, Epsom was connected to theNational Grid, initially to a 33 kVsupply ring, which linked the town toCroydon, Leatherhead, Dorking and Reigate. In 1939, the ring was connected to theWimbledon-Woking main via a 132 kVsubstation at Leatherhead.[125][133]
Following theCounty Courts Act 1848, a courthouse was built in Epsom.[134] TheCounty andMagistrates' Courts closed in 2010.[135] Epsom Police Station was opened in Church Street in July 1963. The Epsom force had been part of theMetropolitan Police since 1829, but was transferred toSurrey Police in April 2000.[134][136]
Epsom is thought to have acquired a "manual"fire engine in around the 1760s. It was operated by volunteers and was kept at the clock tower in the High Street. The first full-timebrigade was established in 1870 and, by the end of the century, was based on Waterloo Road. The current fire station in Church Street was opened in 1937.[137] In 2021, thefire authority for Epsom is Surrey County Council and thestatutory fire service isSurrey Fire and Rescue Service.[138] Epsom Ambulance Station is run by theSouth East Coast Ambulance Service.[139]
Epsom Cottage Hospital, the first hospital in Epsom, was opened in Pikes Hill in 1873. It moved to Hawthorne Place in 1877 and, in 1889, a new building was constructed in Alexandra Road to celebrateQueen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.[140] Thesuffragette,Emily Davison, died at the hospital after being hit byKing George V's horse at the1913 Derby.[64][65] Epsom Cottage Hospital officially closed in 1988, however the premises are used today as a community hospital offering physiotherapy and rehabilitation services.[141]
Epsom Hospital was built by the Poor Law Guardians adjacent to theworkhouse on Dorking Road in 1890.[140][142] It was made the responsibility of Surrey County Council in 1930[143] and became part of the NHS in 1948.[140] Since April 1999, it has been run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, following a merger between the Epsom Health Care and St Helier NHS Trusts.[144] Epsom Hospital has anA&E department.[145]
TheEpsom Cluster was a group of fivepsychiatric hospitals, built to the west of Epsom on land purchased byLondon County Council in 1896.[147] TheManor Asylum was the first to be opened in 1899[148] and the fifth,West Park Asylum, was fully completed in June 1924, having been used by the Canadian Military during WWI.[149] Alight railway was constructed to deliver building materials and coal to the construction sites.[150] Clean water was supplied from a borehole and a power station was constructed to provide electricity to the five institutions.[147] All of the hospitals closed during the 1990s and 2000s and their sites have since been redeveloped for housing.[147]
As of 2021, the town has three GP practices.[151]
Epsom is linked by a number of bus routes to surrounding towns and villages in north Surrey and south London. Operators serving the town include Falcon Buses,London United andGo-Ahead London.[152]
Epsom railway station is a short distance to the north of the town centre and is managed bySouthern.[153] The current station building was opened in 2013, following a three-year, £20M redevelopment.[154] It is served by trains toLondon Victoria andLondon Bridge viaSutton, toLondon Waterloo viaWimbledon, toHorsham viaDorking and toGuildford viaBookham.[153][note 11]
TheThames Down Link long-distance footpath betweenKingston upon Thames andBox Hill runs through Horton Country Park and across Epsom Common.[157]
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The Epsomcampus of theUniversity for the Creative Arts was founded as the Epsom Technical Institute & School of Art in 1896. The original building in Church Street was designed by John Hatchard-Smith in theEnglish Renaissance style and was financed by public subscription.[158] It moved to new premises in Ashley Road in 1973[159] and merged with the West Surrey College of Art and Design[160] to form the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in 1994. The combined institution was granteduniversity college status in 1999.[161] In 2005, it merged with the Kent Institute of Art and Design to become the University for the Creative Arts.[162][163]
Laine Theatre Arts is an independentperforming arts college, founded byBetty Laine in 1974.[164][165] It prepares students for careers in professionalmusical theatre and teaches the core skills of dance, singing and acting.[164]Alumni includeVictoria Beckham,[165][166]Kerry Ellis,[167]Ben Richards[167] andSarah Hadland.[168]
Blenheim High School opened in 1997[169] and it became anacademy in 2012.[170]
Glyn School was founded as the Epsom County School in 1927[171] and became agrammar school in 1944.[159] It was renamed Glyn Grammar School in 1954, afterSir Arthur Glyn, the first chairman of the schoolGoverning Body.[171] It became acomprehensive school in 1976 and its name changed again to Glyn/ADT School of Technology in 1994.[159] The school gained academy status in 2011.[172]
Rosebery School was opened in 1921 as the Epsom County Secondary School for Girls.[173][174] In 1927, it moved to its current site on land donated by Lord Rosebery, acquiring its present name at the same time.[173] It became an academy in 2011.[175]
Both Glyn School and Rosberry School are part of the multi-academy trust GLF Schools[176][177]
Epsom College was founded in 1851 as the Medical Benevolent College by the physician,John Propert. The school buildings were opened in 1855 byPrince Albert and the first cohort of 100 pupils were all sons of medics.[178] By 1865, the school roll had grown to 300 and had been opened to those able to pay fees.[179] The Grade II-listed chapel, dedicated toSt Luke, was built in 1857[180] and was enlarged byArthur Blomfield in 1895.[181] Girls were first admitted to the school in 1976[180] and Epsom College became fully coeducational in 1996.[182]
Kingswood House School is apreparatory school to the west of the town centre. It was founded in 1899 and moved to its present site on West Hill in 1920. Since the 1960s it has operated exclusively as aday school. Girls were admitted for the first time in September 2021.[183]
The Domesday Book entry for Epsom includes two churches,[28] one of which is thought to have been on the site of the present St Martin's Church.[185] The oldest part of the current building is theflinttower, which dates from around 1450. Much of the remainder of the church dates from a rebuilding in 1824, with the exception of thechoir,chancel andtransepts, which were added bySir Charles Nicholson in 1908.[186] The 15th centuryspire was damaged in a storm in 1947 and was subsequently demolished.[187]
Following the 1824 rebuilding, many of the memorials from the medieval church were reinstalled in the new church, including several by the sculptorJohn Flaxman.[188][189] The parish chest, made from carved Spanish mahogany, is reputed to contain wood recovered from ships of theSpanish Armada.[189][190] The church also holds a copy of the so-calledvinegar bible of 1717.[190] The east window, by the local designer F.A. Oldaker, showsChrist the Light of the World, in the style ofthe painting byWilliam Holman Hunt.[191]
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Christ Church was founded as achapel of ease to St Martin's in 1843.[192] Initially a temporary structure was provided until the first permanent building was opened in 1845.[193] In July 1874, Epsom parish was divided into two, with the western half becoming the new parish of Epsom Common.[192] The chapel of ease became the parish church, but was considered too small for thecongregation.[192] Its replacement, the present church, was designed in theGothic revival style byArthur Blomfield and opened in 1876.[193][194] It is constructed from flint with stone dressings and there is aclerestory above thenave. The tower and south aisle were added in 1879 and 1887 respectively.[194]
The chancel arch is decorated with amural ofChrist flanked byangels,[193][194] beneath which is therood screen, made ofwrought iron andbronze, which was erected 1909.[195] The alabasterreredos, behind thealtar, contains figurative scenes inmosaic and the east wall is decorated with panels depicting thefour Evangelists.[194] Thepulpit dates from 1880 and was originally inSt Andrew's Church, Surbiton.[194] The interior of the church was reordered between 1987 and 1995 to increase the versatility of the nave.[193]
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Following theAct of Uniformity 1662, localnonconformists began meeting in small groups at Ewell, before establishing themselves at Epsom in around 1688.[196] The Dissenting community flourished in the town in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and, in 1720, the first purpose-built meeting house was constructed on Church Street.[197] As the population of the town decreased in the later 18th century, the congregation declined and the meeting house appears to have been sold by 1803, but remained in use for worship.[198] A new, Gothic revivalcongregational church was opened in 1905 on the same site.[198] Much of the church, including the roof and organ, was destroyed in fire in 1961, but the building was rebuilt two years later. It was renamed Epsom United Reformed Church in 1972.[199]
The Catholic parish of St Joseph, traces its origins to 1859, when the congregation began to meet regularly for mass in the parlour of a house in Stanley Villas.[200] The first permanent church, in Heathcote Road, was completed in 1866 and was constructed of local red brick withBath stone dressings.[201] It was extended in 1930[202] and the west end was rebuilt between 1959 and 1961,[203] but by 1996 it had become clear that it was inadequate for the size of the congregation. Land in St Margaret's Drive was purchased from the county council and construction of a new church began in 1999. The old church was demolished in 2000 and its replacement opened in April 2001.[204] The new church was dedicated byCormac Murphy-O'Connor in May 2001.[205]
Epsom Wells, arestoration comedy written byThomas Shadwell (c. 1642 – 1692), is one of a series of plays set in English spa towns. It received its first performance in 1673 at theDuke's Theatre in London.[206] A revival of the play in the 1690s included newincidental music by the composer,Henry Purcell.[207]
Epsom Downs, acomic play written byHoward Brenton (born 1942), is set at the 1977 Epsom Derby. It received its first performance in 1977 atThe Roundhouse in London.[208][209]
Epsom Choral Society was founded in 1922 by the publisher,Humphrey Milford. His son, the composerRobin Milford was the firstconductor. The choir hascommissioned works from the BritishcomposersCecilia McDowall andJonathan Willcocks.[210] Epsom Symphony Orchestra for amateur musicians was founded in 1951 and gives four concerts each year at the Epsom Playhouse.[211][212] The Epsom & Ewell Silver Band is based in Epsom. It is a traditionalBritish brass band and was founded in 1910 as the Banstead Silver Band.[213]
The landscape painter,John Constable (1776–1837), visited Epsom regularly between 1806 and 1812. His works include several depictions of the town, includingView at Epsom (1809), held byThe Tate.[214] The gallery also owns paintings of horse racing taking place on the Downs, including works byAlfred Munnings (1878–1959)[215] andWilliam Powell Frith (1819–1909).[216]The 1821 Derby at Epsom (1821) byThéodore Géricault (1791–1824) is held byThe Louvre.[217] Paintings ofNonsuch Palace, attributed toHendrick Danckerts (c. 1625–1680),[218] and of the view from Epsom Downs, by William Henry David Birch (1895–1968), are held byEpsom Town Hall.[219]
Astatuette by theAustraliansculptor Tom Merrifield was erected outside the Playhouse in 1999. It depicts thedancer,John Gilpin, performing thetitle role ofLe Spectre de la rose from theballet byJean-Louis Vaudoyer.[220][221]
Evocation of Speed, a bronze sculpture byJudy Boyt, was installed at Epsom Square in 2002. It depicts two horses -Diomed, the winner of the first Derby in 1780 andGalileo, the winner of the 2001 race. The depictions of the two riders show how the clothing worn byjockeys has changed over time.[222]
A statue of Emily Davison by the artistChristine Charlesworth, was installed in the marketplace in 2021, following a campaign by volunteers from the Emily Davison Memorial Project.[70]
Epsom Playhouse opened in 1984 as part ofThe Ashley Centre development. It has two performance spaces:[223] The main auditorium seats a maximum of 450.[224] The Myers Studio, which has anoctagonal floor plan, seats 80 and is suited to smaller-scale drama, comedy and jazz performances.[223][225]
British comedy podcastMy Dad Wrote a Porno sets the second episode of its third season,Epsom Hall, in the eponymous building.[226]
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The current Rainbow Leisure Centre opened in 2003, replacing the original facility which dated from the 1930s. The centre includesswimming pools, twodance studios and a sports hall with fourbadminton courts.[227][228] In 2011, aspa facility was added as part of an extensive refurbishment, during which thegym equipment was also upgraded.[229] The centre is managed byGreenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) under their "Better" brand.[230]
Epsom & Ewell F.C. traces its origins to the Epsom Juniors Cricket Club, founded in March 1918.[231][232] A year later the team began to play football and was a founder member of the Sutton & District League in 1920. The team changed its name to Epsom Town F.C. in 1922 and played itshome games at the Horton Hospital Sports Ground. The club became Epsom F.C. in 1934 and adopted its current name in 1960.[231] Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the club has been based at Fetcham Grove, theLeatherhead F.C. stadium.[233]
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The earliest reference tocricket being played in the town is from 1711 andEpsom Cricket Club is thought to have been founded in around 1800. During the early 19th century, matches appear to have taken place on the Downs and also at Stamford Green on Epsom Common. By 1860, the club had established a new ground on Woodcote Road, on land belonging to Edward Richard Northey, and plays its home games there today.[234]
Epsom Hockey Club is afield hockey club that competes in theLondon Hockey League and theSouth East Hockey League.[235] It is thought to have been founded in around 1900 and was well established by the 1909/10 season. Initially, home games were played at the Court Recreation Ground, but the club established a permanent base in Woodcote Road after the Second World War.[236]
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Epsom Lawn Tennis Club was founded as acroquet club in the 1850s, based at Woodcote House. By the 1870s,tennis became the more important sport and in 1913 the club had fivetennis courts and three croquet courts. The last remaining croquet court was converted to agrass tennis court in 1923.[237]
Epsom and Ewell Harriers is a club fortrack and field athletes, based at the Poole Road Track in Ewell.[238] Epsom Cycling Club was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest in the country. The club arranges organised rides and regulartime trials in the local area.[239]Sutton and Epsom Rugby Football Club was founded in 1881 and their main ground is at Rugby Lane,Cheam.[240]
Construction ofThe Ashley Centre was proposed in the late 1970s, following concerns that theretail sector of the local economy was in decline.[241] Theshopping centre was designed byHumphrey Wood and the building makes extensive use of steel, glass and marble. Amultistorey car park and an office block were included in the scheme, in addition to 23,000 m2 (250,000 sq ft) of retail space.[242] The centre was opened byQueen Elizabeth II on 24 October 1984[241] and is named after the adjacent Ashley Road.[243]
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Ashley House is named after Mary Ashley, a former resident who lived at the property until 1849.[244] The three-storey, brick townhouse was constructed in the late 1760s and is protected by a Grade II* listing. It features anAdam-style central doorcase with a compositeTower of the Winds andIonic columns.[245]
The Assembly Rooms building was constructed in around 1692, when the spa was at the height of it popularity. It functioned as a meeting place and included a tavern,coffee house andbilliard room. Abowling green and acockpit, in which fightingcocks were set against each other forsport, were also part of the same complex.[246][247] Following the decline of the spa in the first half of the 18th century, much of the building was converted to shops and to housing for private families.[247] Since April 2002, the Assembly Rooms has operated as apublic house, owned byWetherspoons.[248]
Thefoundation stone for the Clock Tower was laid in November 1847, following the demolition of the watch house which had stood on the site since the 17th century.[249] The 70-foot-tall (21-metre)[249] tower, designed by James Butler and Henry Hodge,[250] is constructed from red and grey brick withashlar dressings.[251] Initially fourlion sculptures made ofCaen stone were positioned at each corner of the base, however by 1902 they had been replaced by electric lanterns, which were replaced, in 1920, by the current globe lights. In the same year, the base of the tower was extended to the east and west to provide toilet facilities.[249] Several public events and civic ceremonies have taken place in the area at the base of the tower, including the official granting of the foundationcharter of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in September 1937.[35] In March 2023, following many discussions, the clock tower received a full LED lighting upgrade allowing the tower to change colour.[252]
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The Spread Eagle Walk shopping centre was constructed as a coaching inn in the late 17th century.[253] The main hotel building has two storeys with an attic and basement. The externalstucco finish andsash windows are later additions.[254] The distinctive black eagle sculptures above the two porticos are thought to date from the mid-late 19th century. The inn traded as apublic house until around 1990, when it closed for renovation.[255] The driveway into the former stables was converted into the main entrance to the shopping centre[256] and in 1994 the main building was occupied by Lester Bowden outfitters,[255] which had been founded by Arthur Bowden at start of the 20th century.[256]
Theneo-Georgian Epsom Town Hall, designed by Hubert Moore Fairweather and William Alfred Pite, was opened in March 1934.[257][258] The building has served as the headquarters of Epsom UDC, Epsom Borough Council and, since 1974,Epsom and Ewell Borough Council. The New Town Hall was opened in 1992 and is connected to the older building by covered walkways.[259]
Epsom War Memorial at Epsom Cemetery was erected in 1921 to commemorate the 256 residents of Epsom and Ewell who had died in the First World War. The memorial consists of aCeltic cross ingranite and the gates are dedicated to the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions of theRoyal Fusiliers, who were billeted in Epsom before the opening of the Woodcote Park camp.[260][261] Following the end of the Second World War, an additional inscription was added to commemorate those who had died between 1939 and 1945.[260]
The Commonwealth War Graves Memorial was erected in Epsom Cemetery in 1925. It consists of a cross, behind which is a screen wall on which names of 148Commonwealth soldiers are inscribed.[261] The majority of those commemorated died in the hospitals of the Epsom Cluster.[262]
Woodcote Park was created as a hunting park in the mid-12th century by the abbot of Chertsey Abbey. Following theDissolution of the Monasteries in the mid-16th century, the park was briefly held bySir Nicholas Carew, before being annexed to theHonour ofHampton Court.[263] In the mid-17th century, the land was inherited by Elizabeth Mynne, wife of Richard Evelyn, for whom the first mansion house was constructed. The building included decorative features by the sculptor,Grinling Gibbons, and a ceiling by the painter,Antonio Verrio.[264] In 1715, the estate was inherited byCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, who commissionedIsaac Ware to rebuild the mansion in the FrenchRococo Revival style. Some of the features of the original house were reused, including the Verrio ceiling.[264] Shortly before his death, Calvert engagedJohn Vardy to design aPalladian stone frontage.[263]
Following long periods of ownership by the Tessier and Brooks families during the 19th century,[264] theRoyal Automobile Club (R.A.C.) purchased Woodcote Park in 1913.[265][266] Many of the historic interiors were not required by the R.A.C. and were removed[263] and sold at auction. In 1927, woodpanelling and other decorations in the style ofThomas Chippendale, from one of thedrawing rooms, were installed in theMuseum of Fine Arts at Boston, Massachusetts.[267] The mansion was destroyed by fire in August 1934,[268] but within two years had been rebuilt with an identical exterior appearance.[263] Today the 350-acre (140 ha) site features two 18-holegolf courses, sports and spa facilities, as well as restaurants and guest accommodation. The club also houses a fleet of heritagemotor vehicles, owned by the R.A.C.[269]
During the medieval period, Epsom Common was the manorial waste land[8] and, in the 12th century, the monks of Chertsey Abbey built the Great Pond to rear fish.[270] The first cottages had been built around the edges of the common by 1679 and by the mid-18th century there were over 30, mostly on the land around Stamford Green.[271] The Common was purchased by Epsom Urban District Council (UDC) in 1935 and its successor body, the Borough Council, continues to own and manage it today. Together with the adjacentAshtead Common, Epsom Common comprises aSite of Special Scientific Interest and is aLocal Nature Reserve. The 176-hectare (430-acre) site has a range of distinctive habitats and is a breeding ground for 59 bird species.[8]
Epsom Downs and the neighbouring Walton Downs are to the south east of the town and together comprise 240 hectares (600 acres) of chalkdownland. The Downs are owned by Epsom Racecourse and are managed by a board of Conservators under the framework of the Epsom and Walton Downs Regulation Act 1984. A number of rare plants are present, includinground-headed rampion,bastard-toadflax andchalk hill eyebright. The area provides a habitat for bird species including theEurasian skylark.[272] Since 2013, Epsom Downs has been aSite of Nature Conservation Importance.[273]
Horton Country Park was created in 1973 from two farms belonging to the Epsom Cluster of psychiatric hospitals and is owned and managed by the Borough Council.[9] Around 152 hectares (380 acres) have been designated aLocal Nature Reserve in 2004.[274] The country park includes areas ofancient woodland and provides a habitat for a wide range of mammal, bird and insect species including thegreen woodpecker androe deer.[9] It also contains agolf course,equestrian centre and achildren's farm.[275][276]
Mounthill Gardens, south west of the town centre, was formed from the grounds of two adjacent houses, both purchased by Epsom UDC in 1950. The smaller house, Rosebank, had been bombed during the Second World War and was subsequently demolished by the council. The larger house, Mounthill, was used as offices for a time, before it too was demolished.[note 13] The two hectares (5 acres) of steeply sloping land surrounding the two buildings was converted into a public park that opened in 1965.[277][278]
Rosebery Park, to the south of the town centre, was presented to Epsom UDC in 1913 by Lord Rosebery as "proof of [his] deep and abiding affection" for the town. Rosebery's wish was for the creation of "a public pleasure ground for the resort and recreation of the inhabitants of Epsom." Work to create the formal areas of the park had begun by the outbreak of the First World War, including the enlargement of an existing pond to create the lake. Non-landscaped areas were converted intoallotments during the two world wars. Today the 4.5-hectare (11-acre) park is owned and managed by the Borough Council.[279][280]
Alexandra Recreation Ground was opened in 1901 on land previously owned by Chertsey Abbey.[281][282] The land was purchased by Epsom UDC in response to a publicpetition[282] and was intended for local residents to use for sporting activities.[281] During WWI, the football pitches were ploughed and the land was used to grow potatoes. An adjacent chalk pit was filled in 1933 and is now the site of the children's playground.[282]
The Court Recreation Ground, to the north of the town centre, is the largest recreation ground in the borough. The land was acquired between 1924 and 1926 and a bowling green was created in 1934. The ground has anartificial turf sports pitch, five football pitches and three tennis courts.[283]
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