Hooley
Encyclopedia
Hooley is a small village
in Surrey
, England
. It lies in a "pass
" which is the lowest crossing point of the North Downs
for some distance in either direction. Both the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
and the South Eastern Railway
recognised this pass as the best route to Brighton
and built rival railway lines through Hooley. Both lines go into tunnels just south of the village. Even before these, an extension of the Surrey Iron Railway
came through this pass.
Hooley consists of houses on either side of the Brighton Road
plus a few roads to the west of Brighton Road and is situated about 500 m south of the boundary of the London Borough of Croydon
and about 3 km south of Coulsdon
.
It has two petrol stations, a few shops, a newsagent, a village hall, a social club and bar http://www.Hooleysocialclub.com and a café. The village now boasts a branch of Starbucks, which replaced the former Little Chef, on the A23 by Dean Lane.
It is quite distinct from Chipstead which is to the north west, except that, confusingly, St Margaret's the parish church of Chipstead, can be considered to be in Hooley (junction of Star Lane and Church Lane - 51.2924°N 0.1608°W).
To the east, nearly 2 km by road, the new village of Netherne-on-the-Hill
is being built on the site of the Victorian
Netherne lunatic asylum.
A large proportion of the inhabitants of Hooley attend Sutton Grammar School, in nearby Sutton. A common term for people from Hooley is "Hooleygans", a play on words.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies in a "pass
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
" which is the lowest crossing point of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
for some distance in either direction. Both the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
and the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
recognised this pass as the best route to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and built rival railway lines through Hooley. Both lines go into tunnels just south of the village. Even before these, an extension of the Surrey Iron Railway
Surrey Iron Railway
The Surrey Iron Railway was a horse drawn plateway whose width approximated to a standard gauge railway that linked the former Surrey towns of Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham...
came through this pass.
Hooley consists of houses on either side of the Brighton Road
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
plus a few roads to the west of Brighton Road and is situated about 500 m south of the boundary of the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
and about 3 km south of Coulsdon
Coulsdon
Coulsdon is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt of the Farthing Down, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common...
.
It has two petrol stations, a few shops, a newsagent, a village hall, a social club and bar http://www.Hooleysocialclub.com and a café. The village now boasts a branch of Starbucks, which replaced the former Little Chef, on the A23 by Dean Lane.
It is quite distinct from Chipstead which is to the north west, except that, confusingly, St Margaret's the parish church of Chipstead, can be considered to be in Hooley (junction of Star Lane and Church Lane - 51.2924°N 0.1608°W).
To the east, nearly 2 km by road, the new village of Netherne-on-the-Hill
Netherne-on-the-Hill
Netherne-on-the-Hill is a small village in Surrey, England, built on the site of the Victorian Netherne lunatic asylum. The village is situated in the borough of Reigate and Banstead. Local amenities include a swimming pool and a leisure centre for Netherne residents. opened in 1903 and closed in...
is being built on the site of the Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
Netherne lunatic asylum.
A large proportion of the inhabitants of Hooley attend Sutton Grammar School, in nearby Sutton. A common term for people from Hooley is "Hooleygans", a play on words.