Epsom

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See also Epsom, New Hampshire and Epsom, New Zealand. For the chemical compound see Epsom salts
Epsom
Statistics
Population: 27,065
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference: TQ205605
Administration
District: Epsom and Ewell
Shire county: Surrey
Region: South East England
Constituent country: England
Sovereign state: United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county: Surrey
Historic county: Surrey
Services
Police force: Surrey Police
Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}}
Ambulance: South East Coast
Post office and telephone
Post town: EPSOM
Postal district: KT17, KT18 & KT19
Dialling code: 01372
Politics
UK Parliament: Epsom and Ewell
European Parliament: South East England

Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, to the south of Greater London. The town is located 18 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross, and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds London.

Contents

[edit] History

The name of Epsom derives from Ebba's ham. Ebba was a Saxon landowner. There were a string of settlements, many ending in -ham, along the northern slopes of the Downs, including Effingham, Bookham, and Cheam. The only relic from this period is a 7th century brooch found in Epsom and now in the British Museum.

The early history of the area is bound up with the Abbey of Chertsey, whose ownership of Ebbisham was confirmed by King Athelstan in 933. The town at the time of Domesday Book had 38 peasant households grouped near St. Martin's Church. Later, other small settlements grew up at the town pond (now the Market in the High Street), and at Epsom Court, Horton, Woodcote, and Langley Vale.

The Epsom Derby, the second leg of the English Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is run each June on nearby Epsom Downs.

Lord Rosebery
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Lord Rosebery

The British Prime Minister and first chairman of the London County Council, Lord Rosebery, was sent down (expelled) from the University of Oxford for buying a racehorse and entering it in the Derby - it finished last. Lord Rosebery remained closely associated with the town throughout his life, leaving land to the borough, memorialised in the names of Rosebery Park and Rosebery School.

Historically, Epsom was known as a spa town, although there is little to see nowadays. There were entertainments at the Assembly Rooms (built c1690) and is now a Wetherspoons pub. A housing estate has now been built upon the wells.

[edit] Town

Thanks in part to its position in the London commuter belt allowing easy access to the Greater London conurbation to the north and the rolling Surrey countryside to the south, the borough of Epsom and Ewell was named in August 2005 by the British television programme Location, Location, Location as the most desirable place to live in the United Kingdom.

The Ashley Shopping Centre (now known as The Mall Ashley and owned by The Mall Co.) was built in the early 1980s and subsequently parts of the high street were pedestrianised as part of the construction of the town's large one-way system. In the 1990s, a large multiplex Odeon cinema, was built in Upper High Street.

The late 1990s saw the development of the Ebbisham Centre, a community service based development, including a doctor's surgery, Epsom Library, a cafe and a health and fitness centre. There was growth in the same area (The Derby Square) of a number of franchise chain pubs/bars including a Casa, Yates, Wetherspoons and Chicago Rock Cafe. More recently, the Stir cocktail bar, Boogie Lounge nightclub and Lime restaurant & bar have been established.

Epsom salts are named after the town. Epsom salt was originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters at Epsom.

The art school, the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, has one of five outposts in Epsom.

[edit] Hospitals

As well as Epsom's NHS General Hospital, Epsom was also known for having a large number of psychiatric hospitals, although only one remains (St. Ebba's Hospital). Before their closure in the 1980s and 1990s, there were five such hospitals in the area, known as the 'Epsom Cluster'.

View of Epsom, John Constable, c. 1808.
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View of Epsom, John Constable, c. 1808.

These were (in order of date of build):

  • Manor Hospital (1899)
  • St. Ebba's Hospital(1902)
  • Horton Hospital (1903)
  • Long Grove Hospital (1907, an exact duplicate of Horton Hospital to save construction time)
  • West Park Hospital (construction started 1912, opened in 1921)

These were all built in very close proximity to each other on a 1096-acre site on the Epsom Downs, which the London County Council bought to rapidly solve the overcrowding problems in its other hopsitals. Some of these hospitals (Horton and Manor especially) were built quickly and on limited budgets, and were identical in layout to other asylums designed by the architects G.T.Hine and William Clifford-Smith who were employed by the LCC. Of the asylums that have closed, 3 have been converted into housing (Horton, The Manor and Long Grove Hospital]] ) and 2 have been run down with only limited usage in West Park & St Ebbas, Including day services & a cottage hospital.[1]. These were formerly served by the Horton Light Railway.

These days Horton Country Park is home to the Horton Park Children's Farm. [citations needed]

[edit] Local Entertainment & Leisure

Epsom Derby, Théodore Géricault, 1821.
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Epsom Derby, Théodore Géricault, 1821.

[edit] Pubs & Social Clubs

[edit] Pubs

  • Amato Inn
  • Barley Mow
  • Chicago Rock Cafe
  • Cricketers Inn
  • Fitzstephen Leisure Ltd
  • Jolly Waggoners
  • Plough & Harrow
  • Po Na Na Group Plc
  • Rawnsleys Ltd
  • Stoneleigh Inn
  • Symonds Well
  • The Albion
  • The Assembly Rooms
  • The Blenheim Arms
  • The Eight Bells
  • The Jolly Coopers
  • The Ladas
  • The Marquis Of Granby
  • The Plough Inn
  • The Railway Guard
  • The Rifleman
  • The Rising Sun
  • The Rubbing House
  • The Salt House
  • The Sefton Arms
  • The Wheatsheaf
  • The White Horse
  • Toby Carvery
  • Tread Inn Ltd

[edit] Social Clubs

Epsom used to have a, Liberal Club (C&IU), but this was closed and is now the site of the town's Odeon Cinema

[edit] Transport

[edit] Rail

Epsom railway station has frequent rail services to London (running to Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge), and also to Leatherhead, Dorking, Guildford, Horsham, Croydon and Wimbledon where it connects with the London Underground and Tramlink.

Epsom once had two stations. The present Epsom Station and the now defunct Epsom Town Station. Epsom Town was closed in 1929, (some of the building remain in an abandoned, bricked up form, located behind modern developments on the Upper High Street though more visible from the line from Ewell East railway station)

Two other railway lines were built to serve the Epsom Downs Racecourse, with termini at Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner.

There was also The Horton Light Railway which was built around 1905 to deliver building materials from the main line near Ewell West Station to the mental hospitals (see above) being built on what is now Horton Country Park.

[edit] Road

  • The A24 passes through the centre of the town.
  • The M25 motorway can be joined at Junction 9 Leatherhead, via the A24 south.
  • The B280 runs from Epsom (West Hill) through Malden Rushett (A243) to Oxshott.

[edit] Education

[edit] State

[edit] Private

[edit] Local government

[edit] Emergency services

Epsom is served by these emergency services.

[edit] Famous people, past and present

[edit] External links

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