Molesey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Molesey | |
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| Population | 18,565[1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Elmbridge |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EAST MOLESEY |
| Postcode district | KT8 |
| Post town | WEST MOLESEY |
| Postcode district | KT8 |
| Dial code | 020 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | Esher and Walton |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Molesey is a place in the Elmbridge district of Surrey. Situated in the commuter-belt of London, it is a typical suburban area.
East and West Molesey are named after the an ancient land owner, Mul, who owned the then-island of Molesey, and 'Eye', being an old word for island. Molesey is not, as commonly believed, named after the River Mole, which runs through it. Molesey is divided into an 'East' and a 'West'- the old stone that divides the two can be found by the side of the road, opposite the public library.
One of the first documented references to Molesey appears in a 10th century charter(933); King Æthelstan to the familia of Chertsey Minster; confirmation of lands in Surrey and Berks. Source: PASE S420
Hampton Court Palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is accessed from East Molesey by Hampton Court Bridge. East Molesey boasts some interesting landmarks, including The "Crooked" Bell, a public house constructed in the mid 1400s. Molesey used to be the bare-knuckle boxing centre of England, and has an unused horse-racing track stretching the length of the river from the new Tesco shopping centre at Hurst Park down to Molesey lock. You can still see the remains of this with the long wide grass expanse and the big old iron gates that are separated by a road that used to be opened on race days.
The local train station is Hampton Court railway station. Bus links serve the short distance to nearby Kingston, as well as Richmond, both suburban boroughs of London.
Over the river from Molesey is Hampton, and the home of eighteenth-century actor and Theatre Manager, David Garrick. His temple to Shakespeare can also be seen from the river bank in Molesey.
East Molesey Cricket Club is the second oldest cricket club in the entire world (est. 1730).
Molesey also contains some very large reservoirs, which provide the water for central London. Some of these are now empty, and are being converted into nature-reserves. Another is used as a quarry.
'Molesey Heath' is a large piece of common land situated at the back of the town. Once a tip, it is now a lovely place to walk. Old pieces of pottery and bottles can be found buried from the time when it was a large waste-ground. Many bottles are from the old Lemonade factory that used to exist in nearby Thames Ditton. The lake, which has recently started to be filled in with earth, was once a quarry.
One famous person to come out of Molesey is Matt Willis, who was once in the band "Busted". Matt Willis is also known as the winner of ITV's 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' in 2006. Another is Rob Cole, from the pioneering electronic music project Filterlab'
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Molesey History - This site has lots of books, papers and pictures about the history of Molesey written by local historian Rowland Baker.
- Molesey News & Mail local newspaper
- Molesey Residents' Association - The local Residents Association.
