Tolworth

Tolworth
Tolworth roundabout. An untypically quiet road scene from the southern approach to the traffic interchange.
OS grid reference	TQ197659
London borough	Kingston
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SURBITON
Postcode district	KT5, KT6
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Kingston & Surbiton
London Assembly	South West

Tolworth is a mostly residential suburb of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, located 11.1 miles (17.9 km) south west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include: Berrylands, Surbiton, Chessington, Ewell and New Malden.

History

Tolworth, in the Domesday Book, was called Taleorde. Its Domesday assets were held partly by Picot from Richard de Tonebrige and partly by Radulf (Ralph) from the Bishop of Bayeux. It rendered: 2½ hides; also 4 hides with Long Ditton; 1 mill without dues, 8 ploughs, 10½ acres and ½ rod of meadow. It rendered £6.

In the early 1970s, a pillar box in Raeburn Avenue was painted lime green for a brief period. However the Post Office decided that the familiar red colour should be restored. Since then all pillar boxes in the town have remained in their traditional colour.

Description

Architecturally Tolworth consists mainly of low-density 1930s semi-detached properties, and small to medium commercial and retail developments. There is a concentration of industrial activity in an area bounded on the north by A3 London-to-Portsmouth trunk route, which runs through the area. The access junction for the A3, linking it on the north with the Broadway and on the south with the A240 Kingston Road toward Epsom, is known as the Toby Jug Roundabout, named after the public house which stood beside it until 2002 when it was demolished. The area is also served by a branch rail line running from London Waterloo to Chessington South two stops to the south, with services run by South West Trains. An extensive low-lying office development, bounded by the A3 to the north and the rail line to the south, was once occupied by the Ministry of Defence. Having lain vacant for a number of years it has now (2008) been demolished.

The principal shopping centre - the Broadway - is dominated by Tolworth Tower, an office block designed by the late Richard Seifert and opened in 1964. The tower is 80.8 metres high with 22 floors. The ground floor of the building is occupied largely by a single retail unit - currently a Marks and Spencer supermarket - and smaller retail units along the Broadway, the remainder taken up with access to the other floors. The remaining floors of the building was originally occupied by commercial and government offices, but the north wing has recently re-opened as a Travelodge hotel. The building appears in the Taschen book of Boring Postcards.

The offices and studios of Radio Jackie, a commercial radio station broadcasting to south-west London and north Surrey, can be found on the Broadway. The broadcast mast is sited, with many other antennae, atop Tolworth Tower.

Tolworth is the home of its own community arts centre: The CornerHOUSE (Previously known as the Douglas Centre).

The suburb is served by Tolworth railway station.

Education

For education in Tolworth see the main Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames article.

Sport and recreation

Tolworth has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, where Corinthian-Casuals (two amateur football teams that have since merged) plays its home games.

Alexandra Park on King Charles Road has a basketball court, as featured on the basketball website Streetball.co.uk.

Cultural references

Tolworth is mentioned in the first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, in the sketch 'Picasso/Cycling Race'.

Notable residents

• Musician, Eric Clapton used to live in Tolworth, attending Hollyfield High School.
• The actor Drew Varley, probably best known as Mungojerrie in Cats, was born here.
• Alan Wheatley, who is probably best known for his role as The Sheriff of Nottingham in the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood in the 1950s, was born in Tolworth. He was also the first person killed by a Dalek in an episode of Doctor Who in 1964.

More recently, you will be able to spot the famous 'Penny Guy' wandering the streets and the shops on his never ending quest for small change. People will often help him on his journey by rolling coins past his feet to see him run. (All in good humour, of course)!

External links

• UK skyscraper list 2001, for Tolworth Tower data
• Radio Jackie
• The CornerHOUSE
• Surbiton.com local community news