- Epsom
infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.3361
longitude= -0.2674
official_name= Epsom
map_type= Surrey
population= 27,065
shire_district=Epsom and Ewell
shire_county =Surrey
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Epsom and Ewell
post_town= EPSOM
postcode_district = KT17, KT18 & KT19
postcode_area= KT
dial_code= 01372
os_grid_reference= TQ205605:"See alsoEpsom, New Hampshire , andEpsom, New Zealand . For the chemical compound seeEpsom salts . For the British attempt of the capture ofCaen seeOperation Epsom ."Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in
Surrey ,England , to the south ofGreater London . The town is located convert|18|mi|km south-south-west ofCharing Cross , and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds London. The town lies on thechalk downland ofEpsom Downs .History
Epsom lay within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the
Saxons . 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, includingEffingham ,Bookham , andCheam . The only relic from this period is a 7th century brooch found in Epsom and now in theBritish Museum .The early history of the area is bound up with the Abbey of
Chertsey , whose ownership ofEbbisham was confirmed by King Athelstan in 933.Epsom appears in
Domesday Book of 1086 as "Evesham". It was held byChertsey Abbey . Its domesday assets were: 11 hides; 2 churches, 2 mills worth 10s, 18plough s, 24 acres ofmeadow ,woodland worth 20 hogs. It rendered £17. [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] ] The town at the time ofDomesday 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, andLangley Vale .The
Epsom Derby , the second leg of the EnglishTriple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is run each June on nearbyEpsom Downs Racecourse .The British Prime Minister and first chairman of the
London County Council , Lord Rosebery, was sent down (expelled) from theUniversity of Oxford for buying aracehorse 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 ofRosebery Park and Rosebery School. A house was also named after him atEpsom College , a public school located in Epsom.Historically, Epsom was known as a
spa town , although there is little to see nowadays. There were entertainments at theAssembly Rooms (built c. 1690) and is now aWetherspoons pub. A housing estate has now been built upon the wells.Epsom was visited by
Samuel Pepys in 1663 when the town was famous for its wells. The visit is noted in his diaries.Epsom salts are named after the town. Epsom salt was originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters at Epsom.Town
Due partially 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 ofEpsom and Ewell was named in August 2005 byChannel 4 'sLocation, Location, Location as the "Best Place to Live" in theUnited Kingdom , and ranked at numbers 8 and 3 in subsequent years. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4136342.stm Hull 'worst place to live in UK'] "] [" [http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best&worst/ Location, Location, Location: Best and Worst Live] "]The
Epsom Playhouse was opened in 1984 and is run by the local council. [cite web | url=http://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/ | title=Epsom Playhouse | accessdate=2007-11-16]The
Ashley Shopping Centre (still locally known as such despite the owners wanting everyone to refer to it asThe Mall Ashley ) 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. The Derby Square expanded and includes of a number of franchise chain pubs/bars including a
Slug and Lettuce ,Jimmy Spices ,Wetherspoons , andNandos . More recently, the Stir cocktail bar, Boogie Lounge nightclub, Lime restaurant & bar and The Native Toungue live music bar have been established.The
University for the Creative Arts , has one of five outposts in Epsom.Laine Theatre Arts School is based in the town. Students have includedVictoria Beckham . Leisure activities in the town include: the Rainbow CentreLeisure Centre ;Epsom Downs Racecourse ; the Odeon Cinema and the Horton Park Children's Farm.Hospitals
As well as Epsom's NHS General Hospital, Epsom was also known for having a large number of
psychiatric hospital s, 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 [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/Epsom.php 'Epsom Cluster'.] These were (in order of date of build):
* [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/Manor/ManorHospital.php Manor Hospital] (1899)
* [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/St%20Ebbas/Ebba.php St. Ebba's Hospital] (1902)
* [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/Horton/Horton%20Hospital.php Horton Hospital] (1903)
* [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/LongGrove/Long%20Grove%20Hospital.php Long Grove Hospital] (1907, an exact duplicate of Horton Hospital to save construction time)
* [http://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/Sites/Hospital/EpsomCluster/WestPark/westpark.php West Park Hospital] (construction started 1912, used as a military hospital from 1916, officially opened in 1921)These were all built in very close proximity to each other on a convert|1096|acre|km2|sing=on site on the Epsom Downs, which the
London County Council bought to rapidly solve the overcrowding problems in its other hospitals. 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 architectsG.T.Hine andWilliam Clifford-Smith who were employed by the LCC. The hospitals shared a central 'engineering works' next to Long Grove, which supplied all 5 establishments with water (hot and cold) and electrcity. 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. [http://www.simoncornwell.com/urbex] . These were formerly served by theHorton Light Railway .These days
Horton Country Park is home to the [http://www.hortonpark.co.uk/ Horton Park Children's Farm] .Transport
Rail
Epsom railway station has frequent rail services to London (running to Waterloo, Victoria and London Bridge), and also toLeatherhead ,Dorking ,Guildford ,Horsham ,Croydon and Wimbledon where it connects with theLondon Underground and 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 fromEwell 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.It is also part of the
South West Trains service.Bus
There are many bus service running in Epsom. Some are commercial, some run with the support of Surrey County Council, and others under contract to
London Buses (part of TfL). Coach companyEpsom Coaches and their bus divisionQuality Line are based in the town.Road
* The A24 passes through the centre of the town.
* TheM25 motorway can be joined at Junction 9Leatherhead , via the A24 south.
* The B280 runs from Epsom (West Hill) through Malden Rushett (A243) toOxshott .Education
State schools include
Blenheim High School , [http://www.epsomandewellhighschool.com Epsom and Ewell High School] ,Glyn Technology School , North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT) andRosebery School for Girls [http://www.rosebery.surrey.sch.uk] .There is also theUniversity College for the Creative Arts .Independent schools include
Epsom College ,Kingswood House School , St. Christopher's School and Ewell Castle School for Boys [http://www.ewellcastle.co.uk] .Emergency services
Epsom is served by these emergency services.
*Surrey Police
*South East Coast Ambulance Service as of 1st July 2006. TheSurrey Ambulance Service ,Sussex , andKent Ambulance services have all merged, and have now ceased to exist.
*Surrey Fire & Rescue Service
* General Hospital with A&E. Various other cottage hospitals and mental institutes.Famous people
:"See
Famous people from Epsom "References
External links
* [http://38.1911encyclopedia.org/E/EP/EPSOM.htm Epsom] -
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article
* [http://www.epsom.townpage.co.uk/ Town of Epsom]
* [http://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk Epsom & Ewell Borough Council]
* [http://www.urbanassault.t83.net/#/stebbashospital/4528789281/ Exploring St.Ebbas Hospital]
* [http://www.urbanassault.t83.net/#/westparkasylum/4528788650/ Exploring West Park Asylum]
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