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Surbiton

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Surbiton
OS grid referenceTQ180673
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSURBITON
Postcode districtKT6, KT5
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London

Surbiton, is a suburban area of south west London (historically in Surrey) within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated next to the River Thames, about 10 miles south west of central London (12 miles by rail from London Waterloo). Surbiton was formerly within the County of Surrey, but became part of Greater London in 1965 following the London Government Act 1963, together with many areas including neighbouring Kingston and Richmond. Surbiton is a commuter town, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates.

History

The town's prosperity started after a plan to build a London-Portsmouth railway line through nearby Kingston was rejected by Kingston Council, who feared that it would be detrimental to the coaching trade. This resulted in the line being routed further south, through a cutting in the hill south of Surbiton. Surbiton railway station opened in 1838, and was originally named Kingston-upon-Railway.[1] It was only renamed Surbiton to distinguish it from the new Kingston railway station on the Shepperton branch line, which opened on 1 January 1869. The present station has a fine art deco façade.

Surbiton railway station at night

As a result, Kingston is now on a branch line, whereas passengers from Surbiton (smaller in comparison) can reach London Waterloo in about 15 minutes on a fast direct service; as well as places further afield, including Portsmouth and Southampton. This has made Surbiton a convenient and attractive location from which to commute into Central London, reflected in the size of its population. Surbiton station is located within Zone 6 of the London Transport Zones.

See the article on Thomas Pooley for his rôle in the establishment of the present-day town of Surbiton.

See also the article on the Municipal Borough of Surbiton for the period 1855 – 1965.

Resident artists and writers

The Pre-Raphaelite painters John Everett Millais (1829–1896) and William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) came to Surbiton in 1851, 26 years before Richard Jefferies (1848–1887). Millais used the Hogsmill river, near Tolworth Court Bridge, as the background for his painting Ophelia. Holman Hunt used the fields just south of this spot as the background to The Hireling Shepherd.[citation needed]

In the mid 1870s the novelist Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) lived in a house called 'St. David's Villa' in Hook Road, Surbiton for a year after his marriage to Emma Gifford. H.G.Wells, in his comic novel The Wheels of Chance, describes the cycle collision of 'Mr Hoopdriver' and a 'Young Lady in Grey'; the young lady approaching 'along an affluent from the villas of Surbiton'. The writer Enid Blyton (1897–1968) was governess to a Surbiton family for four years from 1920, at a house called 'Southernhay', also on the Hook Road.[2] C.H. Middelton (1886-1945), who broadcast on gardening during the Second World War, lived in Surbition, where he died suddenly outside his home.[3]

A 1972 episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a mock documentary which investigated whether the residents of Hounslow, another London area suburb, had long ago been descendants of the people of Surbiton "who had made the great trek north."[4]

Surbiton's main claim to popular fame is as an icon of suburbia in such British television programmes as The Good Life (starring Richard Briers, Penelope Keith, Paul Eddington and Felicity Kendal), though location filming was done in Northwood, North-West London),[citation needed] and John Sessions' comedy series Stella Street, which has on occasion led to the town being nicknamed "Suburbiton". Other names for the town include "the 'Surbs" and "the 'Tron" in reference to '80s movies The 'Burbs and Tron.[citation needed]

Surbiton station features in the 2009 film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Blood Prince with actors Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. Filming took place in November 2007.[5]

London Bus services through Surbiton

  • 65 - (Chessington to Ealing Broadway via Surbiton, Kingston, Richmond and Brentford) Night Service
  • 71 - (Chessington to Kingston via Surbiton)
  • 281- (Tolworth to Hounslow via Surbiton, Kingston, Teddington, Twickenham and Whitton) 24 Hour
  • 406- (Epsom to Kingston via Tolworth and Surbiton Hill Road)
  • 418- (Epsom to Kingston via Ruxley Lane, Tolworth and Surbiton Hill Road)
  • 465- (Dorking to Kingston)
  • K1 - (New Malden to Kingston via Tolworth Hospital and Surbiton)
  • K2 - (Hook to Kingston Hospital via Tolworth, Berrylands, Surbiton and Kingston)
  • K3 - (Roehampton Vale to Esher via Kingston Hospital, Surbiton and Claygate)
  • K4 - (Mansfield Park to Kingston Hospital via Hook, Surbiton and Villiers Road) Not on Sundays

Education

There are a number of primary schools in Surbiton. There is also a selection of Secondary Schools situated here these of which are; Southborough High School a community secondary school, Hollyfield School a foundation secondary school and Surbiton High School a private secondary school.

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

Sport

From 1998 to 2008 Surbiton hosted the first round of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) season. The Surbiton Trophy was part of the ATP Challenger Series and in 2009 the venue was moved to Nottingham as part of a reorganisation by the LTA.

Surbiton is the current home of both male and female football teams, Darkside FC, Surbiton Wanderers and Surbiton Town Ladies FC.

Surbiton is most famous for Surbiton Hockey Club, which was established in 1874, and is regarded as one of the best hockey clubs in the country with its colts, men and ladies teams all regularly being in the top leagues.

Surbiton is also the home to Surbiton Croquet Club, which is amongst the strongest croquet clubs in the country, and with seven lawns, one of the largest.

Community organisations

Surbiton Caledonian Society was formed in 1948, by Scots for the benefit of Scots living in the area, and the first dance took place on the 11th of March 1948 to the music of a band called Jock and his Blue Kittens. From those early days, social dancing formed the Society’s primary activity, but it was then made up of both ballroom and Scottish country dancing. Eventually, Scottish country dancing came to predominate and has been the mainstay of the Society ever since. The Society is affiliated to the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS). By 1966, the Society had found a permanent base at St Mark’s Church Hall, Church Hill Rd, Surbiton, although it is temporarily meeting at St Matthew’s Primary School, Langley Rd, Surbiton, during the rebuilding programme at St Mark’s.

In recent years, a group called Homage de Fromage has taking it upon themselves to improve Community Spirits by holding several crazy events. Some of these are now celebrated annually like Suburban Skiing.

Notable people

Local geography

  • The clock tower at Surbiton was built to celebrate the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII.
    The clock tower at Surbiton was built to celebrate the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII.
  • Claremont Road in Surbiton.
    Claremont Road in Surbiton.
  • Shops in Victoria Road, Surbiton.
    Shops in Victoria Road, Surbiton.
  • St Mark's Hill, Surbiton.
    St Mark's Hill, Surbiton.
  • The roundabout outside Surbiton railway station
    The roundabout outside Surbiton railway station
  • The bus shelter outside Surbiton railway station.
    The bus shelter outside Surbiton railway station.

References

  1. ^ "Railways South East". Retrieved 2007-08-10. A township developed on the hill near the railway. This was named New Kingston, New Town and Kingston-upon-Railway before becoming Surbiton
  2. ^ The Enid Blyton Society, Chronology, retrieved 2012-02-10 {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ Daniel Smith (2011) The Spade as Mighty as the Sword
  4. ^ Monty Python's Flying Circus, Episode #28, first aired 28 October 1972
  5. ^ thisislocallondon.co.uk
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