Ashtead

This article is about the village in Surrey. For the equipment rental company, see Ashtead Group. For the area of Birmingham, see Ashted.

Ashtead
Ashtead  Ashtead shown within Surrey
Population	13,494 [1]
OS grid reference	TQ1858
District	Mole Valley
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Ashtead
Postcode district	KT21
Dialling code	01372
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Epsom and Ewell
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.

History

There has been settlement in Ashtead since at least Roman times, with a Roman villa excavated in what is now Ashtead common. Ashtead lay within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the Saxons.

Ashtead appears in the Domesday Book as Stede. It was held by the Canons of Bayeux from the Bishop of Bayeux. Its Domesday Assets were: 3 hides and 1 virgate; 16 ploughs, 4 acres (16,000 m²) of meadow, woodland worth 7 hogs. It rendered (in total): £12. Its main source of water at the time seems to have been the Rye.

St Giles Church in Ashtead Park dates from the 12th century, and Ashtead is mentioned twice in Samuel Pepys' diaries. Part of his entry for 25 July 1663 reads:

Towards the evening we bade them adieu and took horse, being resolved that, instead of the race which fails us, we would go to Epsom When we come there we could hear of no lodging, the town so full, but which was better, I went towards Ashsted, and there we got a lodging in a little hole we could not stand upright in While supper was getting I walked up and down behind my cosen Pepys's house that was, which I find comes little short of what I took it to be when I was a little boy.

Ashtead is frequently misspelt, examples being "Ashsted" and "Ashstead". Until 1967, Ashtead Railway Station had both "Ashtead" and "Ashstead" displayed on station name plates hanging on opposite platforms.

The Ashtead Psalms were commissioned by Ashtead Choral Society to mark their fiftieth anniversary in the year 2000 from composer Robert Steadman.

The Village

Locals commonly refer to three areas of Ashtead: The Village (The Village Centre, around The Street); Lower Ashtead; and The Common. There is also Ashtead Park, Ashtead Heath and Ashtead Downs.^{[citation needed]}

The village is the oldest part of Ashtead and has the main shopping and social area of the village, with two pubs and the Ashtead Village Club which is a C&IU affiliate.

The area north of the railway line is Ashtead Common, managed by the City of London Corporation and subject to a long standing preservation order. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Lower Ashtead is a flat area leading to Ashtead Common, where there is a recreation ground, a youth club, a skate park, a pub, housing estates and a few shops all built near the railway station.

Business

Ashtead Pottery was produced in the village from 1923 until the company ceased trading in 1935.

Activities

Ashtead Players have a long and successful history with a distinguished artistic record equalled by few dramatic societies. Established for over 50 years, with two distinct elements: 1) Adult Ashtead Players, successfully presenting a whole range of popular theatrical productions. 2) Young Ashtead Players (12-18 years), offering a real performance experience for younger members.

1st Ashtead Scout Group was incorporated on 21st June 1920 and is still offering adventurous and educational programmes to young people between the ages of 6 and 18. It has its own headquarters in Lower Ashtead near Ashtead Common. The group has over 250 members including young people, adult leaders and supporters.

Schools

Ashtead has several schools, including:

• Barnett Wood Infant School
• City of London Freemen's School - private school associated with City of London Corporation
• St. Giles' (Church of England) Infant School
• The Greville Primary School
• West Ashtead Primary School
• Downsend School
• Downsend School Ashtead Lodge

Transport

Rail

Ashtead has a small modern railway station with direct services to London Waterloo, London Victoria, London Bridge, Horsham, Dorking and Guildford lines. It is served by both Southern and South West Trains services.

Road

The London to Worthing road, the A24, runs through the village.

Emergency services

Ashtead is served by these emergency services:

• Surrey Police
• South East Coast Ambulance Service
• Surrey Fire & Rescue Service
• Ashtead Hospital, a small private hospital with no A&E department. The nearest general hospital with an A&E department is in Epsom.

Notable residents

• Evan Davis, presenter of Dragons' Den
• Clara Dow, singer, soprano for Gilbert and Sullivan
• Albert "Smiler" Marshall, the last British cavalryman to have ridden into battle on the Western Front, lived and died in Ashtead.
• Andrea McLean, the Scottish television presenter currently lives in the village.
• Beverley Nichols, whose Merry Hall trilogy is about his decade restoring a house in this area.
• Samuel Pepys, visited Ashtead in the 17th century and spent some time living there as a boy.
• Alec Stewart, the former England cricketer and wicketkeeper lives in the village.
• Arthur Duckham, founder and first President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, lived at High Warren, where he died at the age of 52 after a game of squash.

External links

• Save Ashtead's Village Environment
• Transition Ashtead - Working towards a sustainable Ashtead
• Read a detailed historical record about Ashtead Roman Villa
• Ashtead Parish Church and Village
• Ashtead Choral Society
• Ashtead Residents Association
• Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall
• Ashtead Hospital
• Local community magazine
• Stained Glass Windows at St. George Ashtead, Surrey
• Stained Glass Windows at St. Giles Ashtead, Surrey
• Stained Glass Windows at St. Michael (RC) Ashtead, Surrey
• Ashtead Players
• 1st Ashtead Scout Group