Esher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a suburban development situated 14.1 miles (22.7 km) south west of Charing Cross. The name of the town is pronounced /iːʃə/ (not /ɛʃə/).
Larger towns nearby are Hersham and Walton-on-Thames; whilst smaller settlements are Claygate, Cobham, Hinchley Wood, Long Ditton, Oxshott and Thames Ditton.
Esher has a railway station and lies on the A307, Portsmouth Road.
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[edit] History
It grew as a stagecoach stop on the London–Portsmouth road that was later designated as the A3 road, although it was bypassed in the mid-1970s.
In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII of England commandeered the area as a royal hunting ground, and the town remained wealthy. Clive of India built the Claremont mansion, and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg lived there until he became King of the Belgians. Queen Victoria lent the house to the exiled French King Louis-Philippe and his consort Queen Marie-Amelie after the revolution of 1848.
George Harrison of the Beatles had a house (called Kinfauns) in Esher, during the 1960s. The other Beatles were regular visitors to the house, and Harrison's primitive home recording studio.
Sandown Park racecourse lies in the town near to its station (served by the Waterloo via Weybridge service). The town itself is now primarily a dormitory town for commuters to London.
The local newspaper is the Esher News and Mail
[edit] References to Esher in popular culture
- Monty Python has referred to Esher at least three times. In Episode 9 of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a troupe member dressed as an 'African Native' (inappropriately by today's standards) said: 'Full frontal nudity? Not in this part of Esher.' In Episode 31, a tourist played by Eric Idle complaining about package holidays ranted about 'middle-class stockbrokers' wives busily buying identical holiday villas in suburban development plots just like Esher, in case the Labour government gets in again…' In Episode 36, a character played by Michael Palin was complaining about a rare disease that affected his use of language and stated: 'It's so embarrassing when my wife and I go to an orgy.' John Cleese's character responded: 'A party?!' To which Palin responded: 'No, an orgy. We live in Esher.'
- In the Doctor Who episode 'Black Orchid', several characters believe Nyssa's home planet of Traken to be near Esher. One character states that Nyssa's lack of knowledge of Esher shows good taste.
- In the classic Only Fools and Horses episode 'Yuppy Love', (which includes the famous scene of Del Boy (David Jason) falling through the bar), Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Del are arguing over the morality of Del's decision to buy, and then hopefully sell, their Peckham council flat. Rodney says: 'Del, council properties were built so the poorer classes would have somewhere to live! If they start selling them to Hooray Henrys where are they gonna go?' To which Del casually replies: 'Esher, Orpington - somewhere like that.'
