Esher
Coordinates: 51°22′09″N 0°21′54″W / 51.3691°N 0.365°W
| Esher | |
 Esher High Street with the Diamond Jubilee statue |
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 Esher
Esher shown within Surrey |
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| Population | 8,387 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | TQ145645 |
| District | Elmbridge |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ESHER |
| Postcode district | KT10 |
| Dialling code | 01372 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Esher and Walton |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Esher 
i/ˈiːʃər/[notes 1] is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles (22.7 km) south west of Charing Cross.
Esher lies on the A307, Portsmouth Road. Esher railway station (served by the Waterloo via Weybridge service) connects the town to London Waterloo. Sandown Park Racecourse lies in the town near the station.
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[edit] History
Esher lay within the Saxon administrative district of Elmbridge hundred.
Esher appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Aissela and Aissele. It was held partly by the Abbey of the Cross in Normandy; partly by William de Waterville; partly by Reginald; partly by Hugh do Port; partly by Odard Balistarius (probably a crossbowman). Its domesday assets were: 14 hides 6 ploughs, 2 acres (8,100 m2) of meadow. It rendered £6 2s 0d.[2]
In the 16th century, King Henry VIII commandeered the area as a royal hunting ground, and the town was wealthy. 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, when it became the A307. Clive of India built the Claremont mansion, and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria lent the house to the exiled French King Louis-Philippe and his consort Queen Marie-Amelie after the revolution of 1848. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg lived there until he became King of the Belgians.
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.
Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees also owned a house called The Firs in Esher, during 1970s-2004 and sold after his death. This is where the hit Single 'Juliet' was written and recorded by Maurice & Robin for brother Robin's solo album project in the 1980s.
[edit] Government
Esher is within the Esher and Walton parliamentary constituency which has been represented by Dominic Raab, a member of the Conservative Party, since 2010.[3] Esher is part of the East Moseley and Esher ward of Surrey County Council. The ward is represented by a Residents Association councillor.[4] The town is covered by the Esher ward of Elmbridge borough council which is represented by three Conservative councillors.[5]
Esher was part of the Esher parliamentary constituency until it was abolished due to boundary changes before the 1997 general election.[6]
[edit] Education
Esher has a mix of State and Private schools. There are four state primary schools across the area of Esher, Hinchley Wood and Claygate.[7] Esher Church of England High School is the state secondary school in the town of Esher.[7] Hinchley Wood School in Hinchley Wood has been an Academy since February 2012.[8] Hinchley Wood is also one of the Further education establishments in the area.[9] Esher College is in nearby Thames Ditton.
[edit] Status in the media
Esher has been presented in some parts of the media as a particularly middle class part of suburbia. Monty Python referred to Esher at least three times.
The sitcom On the Up starring Dennis Waterman was set in Esher.
Moore Place, on the outskirts of Esher (now a bar and restaurant called Esteem), featured as the restaurant in the 4th episode of the first series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.[10]
[edit] Economy
There is a local farmers market held on one Saturday every month, moving forward one week each month. Vendors from all over Surrey sell locally sourced produce. The local newspaper is the Esher News and Mail.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- ^ Population figures (PDF)
- ^ Surrey Domesday Book
- ^ "Members of Parliament for Elmbridge". Elmbridge borough council. http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/council/elections/mps.htm. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ Web Operations Team (25 August 2009). "Cooper, Nigel". Surrey County Council. http://online.surreycc.gov.uk/members/membook.nsf/vwWebLookupMembersByOrdId/14032?opendocument. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ "Ward Members". Elmbridge borough council. http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/committees/wardmembers.htm?wardid=4. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ Oliver Florence (23 April 2010). "Ian Taylor looks back on 23 years as an MP". Get Surrey. http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/special_features/s/2069986_ian_taylor_looks_back_on_23_years_as_an_mp. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ a b Hannah Blackburn (7 March 2012). "Surrey County Council - Schools by Location". Surrey County Council. http://online.surreycc.gov.uk/education/schools.nsf/SchoolsByLocation?OpenView&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=21#21. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ Ian Fuoco (2 March 2012). "School status changes in academic year 11-12". Surrey County Council. https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/learning/teachers-and-education-staff/schools-and-learning-finance/numbers-on-roll-statistics/school-status-changes-in-academic-year-11-12. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ "Hinchley Wood School and Sixth Form Centre". BBC News. 19 October 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/04/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/936_5416.stm. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares: Moore Place - TV.com
[edit] External links
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West Molesey | East Molesey | Thames Ditton | |
| Hersham, Walton-on-Thames |  |
Hinchley Wood | ||
 Esher  |
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| Cobham | Oxshott | Claygate |
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