Thorpe, Surrey

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St Mary's Church Earliest parts C12th with brick built crenellated tower from C17 and restoration in 1893

St Mary's brick built C17th crenellated tower, diagonal buttresses and square-headed three pane window above wooden door

Thorpe is a village in Surrey, United Kingdom, located between Egham and Chertsey. While probably best known for the nearby Thorpe Park theme park, it also contains The American School In England, St Mary's twelfth century church, and Thorpe Industrial Estate on the edge of the village is home to Maranello Concessionaires, Ferrari's UK distributor.

In appearance this is an island of former rural community which has survived the construction of nearby motorways and gravel pit extraction. Much of the local surroundings are now a conservation area. This contains a number of listed buildings and others constructed within the style of the area. Archeological finds in the surrounds point to Bronze and Iron Age as well as Roman settlements and Chertsey Abbey records note a place of worship at Thorpe from C7. The present church however dates in part from the C12th at the earliest despite the tourist sign claiming C10th origins. The Domesday Book does not record a church at Thorpe for example.

Renald Herne a C18th brick built house constructed of local materials to traditional local design

St Mary's Church is part of the conservation area along with a number of other listed and protected buildings possibly dating from the 1600s onwards. Renald's Herne an C18th brick built house stands almost opposite the Church facing a picturesque close with a thatched cottage adjacent to another C18th brick built house with an obviously brick filled window possibly because of the window tax. Entrances to the American School in England (TASIS) join Church Approach and adjacent Coldharbour Road. Apart from discreet signage this does not affect the character of the "streets"