Leatherhead
Encyclopedia
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey
, England
, on the River Mole
, part of Mole Valley
district. It is thought to be of Saxon
origin. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington
, Epsom
and Oxshott
.
Located in the centre of the county of Surrey and at a junction of ancient north–south and east–west communications, the town has been a focus for transport throughout its history. Initially there was the construction of the bridge over the River Mole
in the early medieval period. Later the Swan Hotel provided 300 years of service to horse-drawn coaches. In the late 20th century the M25 motorway
was built nearby.
. Ashtead lay within the Copthorne
hundred
, an administrative division devised by the Saxons
. The Leatherhead Museum has traced the history of the town from its beginnings in about AD 880 when it was known as Leodridan (dative case of a compound of "leode" and "rida"), meaning "place where people [can] ride [across the river]" in Anglo-Saxon). Later in the Domesday Book
it was called Leret. Later forms recorded are "Lereda", "Ledreda", "Leddrede" (all second half of 12th century). The early settlement appears to have grown up on the east side of the River Mole, although Hawk's Hill, on the west side of the river, is said to be the site of an old Saxon
burial ground.
Some say that the Anglo-Saxon form was distorted from a Celtic
form whose Welsh
equivalent is Llwyd-rhyd = "grey ford".
To the east of the town is the line of Stane Street, an old Roman Road
. Most of it is now built over or is used as rural footpaths. The road leads from London
to Chichester
, passing through the strategic Mole Gap.
It has also been suggested that a second Roman road ran from Stane Street in a straight line close to Ashtead Church crossing the Mole at Leatherhead bridge to a point very close to Effingham Church. Here it turned and continued in another straight line to Merrow Church crossing the River Wey near Guildford Bridge. It seems that this road was still in use in Saxon times and that is why all the medieval churches between Leatherhead and Guildford lie within in a few metres of these two lines.
Work on the parish church
was started some time in the 11th century. Many parts were added over the years, with a major restoration taking place in the Victorian era
.
Leatherhead appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Leret. It was held by Osbern de Ow (Eu). Its Domesday assets were: 1 church, belonging to Ewell
, with 40 acres (161,874.4 m²). It rendered £1. Pachesham within Leatherhead appears in Domesday Book
as Pachesham. It was held by Hugo (Hugh) from the Bishop of Lisieux. Its domesday assets were: 3 virgate
s. It had part of 2 mill
s worth 12 shillings, 4 plough
s, 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of meadow
, woodland
worth 3 hogs. It rendered £3 10s 0d.
A market serving the developing agricultural economy developed at the crossroads and in 1248, Henry III
granted to Leatherhead a weekly market and annual fair. The town survived an extensive fire in 1392, after which it was largely rebuilt. In common with many similar medieval towns, Leatherhead had a market house and set of stocks, probably located at the junction of Bridge Street, North Street and High Street.
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The Running Horse
pub dates back to 1403 and is one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead. It is on the bank of the River Mole, at the southern approach to the town centre. History has it that Elizabeth I once spent a night at the inn when floods made the River Mole
impossible to cross.
During the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, the town was associated with several notable people. Edmund Tylney
, Master of the Revels, who was in effect the official censor of the time to Queen Elizabeth I, lived in the Mansion House. A Wetherspoons
pub in the High Street
is now named after him. Another notable local noble was Sir Thomas Bloodworth
of nearby Thorncroft Manor, who was Lord Mayor of London
during the Great Fire of 1666
.
John Wesley
, the founder of Methodism
, preached his last sermon in Leatherhead on 23 February 1791.
In the 1870s, a group of clergymen built the private St John's School in the town, and it has produced a number of famous pupils. (See below).
The Letherhead Institute was built. The spelling was said, in Victorian
times, to be the correct form of Leatherhead.
Cherkley Court
on the Beaverbrook grounds was home of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
. During World War II
, Winston Churchill
, the new British
Prime Minister
, would appoint him as Minister of Aircraft Production
and later Minister of Supply
. Under Aitken, fighter
and bomber
production increased so much so that Churchill declared: "His personal force and genius made this Aitken's finest hour".
and Goblin Vacuum Cleaners
. Both were used as ammunitions plants in World War II
. Most of the plants pulled out of Leatherhead in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Today most employment is in commerce.
In 1940's/50s Leatherhead/Ashtead was made home to a Remploy
factory, which are designed to provide work for Disabled people in the local area. On 22 May 2007, Remploy announced that the Leatherhead factory along with 42 other sites would close.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mole Valley
District Council decided to modernise the town, with a new pedestrianised high street, and large one-way system.
In 1986, the town was joined to the UK motorway system, when the M25 motorway
was built to the north. Leatherhead became Junction 9, which has odd non-aligned entry/exit points on the two sides. The town is perhaps most frequently mentioned in the national media as the location of motorway traffic jams and accidents.
until 1974. It is now part of Mole Valley District, with Dorking
as the administrative centre of Mole Valley District Council. On the Mole Valley Coat of Arms
, Dorking is represented by two cocks
and Leatherhead by a swan
. On the shield the wavy lines are for the River Mole, the acorns are for the district's three parks, and the points are for the North Downs
.
includes a swan, as do the logos of The Swan Shopping Centre, Therfield School
and the Leisure Centre
.
Bocketts Farm
off Young Street has rare breeds and a petting zoo. It is open to the public almost all year round, and many local schools use the farm for teaching and day trips.
Leatherhead's Royal School for the Blind (now SeeAbility) was once the work-place for Paul Heaton
; he was allegedly dismissed after he encouraged residents to try cycling. Most of the school has now been sold off as private flats.
In 2004, Leatherhead was officially twinned with Triel-sur-Seine
, in the north-west of Paris
, though informal exchanges have taken place since 1992. Exchanges and communication is promoted by a local group the 'Friends of Triel'.
in a BBC poll.
Local business parks now bring lunchtime business, and a number of popular restaurants on the main street have helped to change the face of the town, bringing a more sociable atmosphere to the small town on warm summer evenings.
The Theatre (see below) is a cinema and also has art exhibitions, as well as a thriving music and comedy scene in The Mezz Bar. The cafe has also recently re-opened.
In the late 1990s the town centre's only hotel, the Bull Hotel, closed down and was subsequently demolished. A new Lidl
store has now been built on the site and was opened in February 2007. In the early first decade of the 21st century Travelodge
opened a new hotel on the site of the old Swan hotel.
Course, Ashtead Common
, and M25 motorway
and to the south by the British Rail
system. It includes the town's main secondary school, Therfield School
, and part of The Trinity School, as well as the bulk of the town's public housing
.
The area is home to one local pub, The Royal Oak, on the Kingston Road, and has a social club, the North Leatherhead Community Association or NLCA, based in the old All Saints School, next to the Kingston Road Playing Grounds.
, Ashtead
, Headley
and Mickleham
may be considered part of Leatherhead, especially as a postal
area. The border with Fetcham blends into Leatherhead. Ashtead is separated from Leatherhead by the M25. Also close by are Headley Heath
, Oxshott Woods, Box Hill
and Bookham Common.
In the village of Headley
, a military hospital, Headley Court (formerly RAF Headley Court), provides long-term rehabilitation to injured members of the British Armed Forces
. There is no airfield here but its playing fields can be used by helicopters.
, such as the Ronson's lighter factory, but in and around the 1980s many closed or moved on. Recent years have seen the emergence of several industrial parks, and the town has attracted many service and headquarters operations, including well known companies.
The town has long been home to a cluster of research centres and research-focused businesses. Cobham Technical Services
(formerly ERA Technology) is an engineering consultancy that has been in Leatherhead since the 1920s. Nearby is Leatherhead Food Research. The same area of west Leatherhead was home to the Central Electricity Research Laboratory (CERL), the main research lab for the CEGB
until its dissolution in 2001.
A recently established local business cluster
is that of racing cars. Lister Cars, makers of Lister Storm, Le Mans
race cars, are based in the town, and in nearby Dorking
, while P1 International was founded here in 2000 by ex-Formula One
World Champion Damon Hill
. Other businesses in this sector are based in nearby parts of Surrey
.
The new headquarters of Police Federation of England and Wales
is based in Leatherhead.
In 1939 The Crescent Cinema, with over 1,000 seats, was built in Church Street. Run by a local family, it prospered until the 1960s.
Two attempts in the late 1940s to reinvent the Victoria Hall as a theatre were unsuccessful. However the basement was converted to the "Green Room Club", and then in 1950 the theatre became home to the small "Under Thirty Theatre Group", who had good connections with the London theatre scene. Performances in the small building often featured leading actors and became increasingly popular, even as the building itself deteriorated.
Following a public fund-raising effort, September 1969 saw the opening by Princess Margaret
of a replacement facility, the Thorndike Theatre, named after Dame Sybil Thorndike. Designed by Roderick Ham, the theatre was a complete 'cultural centre' whose radical open walkways and exposed concrete finish are thought to have influenced the later National Theatre
in London.
For 30 years, the Thorndike Theatre maintained a reputation for high quality drama, and especially for presenting 'trial run' pre-West End
shows. However, the theatre always struggled for funding, and finally closed in 1997.
After four years of physical dereliction, it was taken over by a religious group, Pioneer People, who renamed it simply 'The Theatre', and also made the building available as a cinema and for art exhibitions.
Now, the Leatherhead Theatre is once again presenting regular drama and acting as a theatrical centre for the area.
Sir Michael Caine, patron of the Festival, presents the Awards, filming schedule permitting, at the Gala Awards Night each year.
Full current details www.leatherheaddramafestival.org
, The Police
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pj Fothergill, Godley & Creme
, The Lotus Eaters, Alternative TV
and Bros
recorded at Surrey Sound recording studios.
The influential band John's Children
, which included sometime frontman Marc Bolan
, was formed in Leatherhead in 1963 by Andy Ellison
and Chris Townson
, former students of Box Hill School
.
In 1980 The Head
, a local punk band, released the infamous single "Nothing to Do in a Town Like Leatherhead".
In the 1974-75 season The Tanners were drawn against First Division
Leicester City
at home in the FA Cup
Fourth Round Proper. With the game switched to Filbert Street
, the BBC
's Match of the Day
cameras and over 32,000 people saw a dramatic match in which the Tanners went two goals up and then saw a goalbound shot that would have made it 3-0 cleared off the line. However Leicester's fitness and class eventually told as the top-flight team fought back to win 3–2 in the second half. Leicester City went on to play Arsenal
in the next round.
The centre was extended in the 1980s with the Mole Barn. Plans to build a new centre on the site were drawn up by Mole Valley District Council prior to 2006, but instead the facility was given a 20-month, £12.6m refit and further extension, reopening (ten months late) in March 2011. The upgraded centre includes: a redesigned reception and entrance area, a 400 m2 gym
with around 90 cardiovascular machines and a large free-weight area; an aerobics
studio; a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA); a 400 m2 soft play facility for children; a creche
; and two new squash
courts.
A small steam train enthusiast group is based next to Fetcham Mill Pond, a popular local walking spot and water source near the Leatherhead Leisure Centre.
. Over the years, however, Leatherhead has had four railway stations, two of which were only temporary and survived for about eight years from the railway's first opening in 1859. The current and only surviving station was designed by C. H. Driver
in fine gothic revival style. It opened in 1867 to serve the London Brighton and South Coast Railway line to Dorking. The remains of the second London and South Western Railway
Station can still be seen on the Leatherhead one way system. It was built as a separate terminus, but became a through station when the line to Effingham Junction and Guildford
was opened in 1885. It was closed in July 1927. The lines were electrified by the Southern Railway
in 1925.
Services included trains northwards to London Waterloo, London Victoria, and Wimbledon
where it connects with the London Underground
and Tramlink
, and south to Dorking
, Horsham
, Guildford
, and the south coast, like Littlehampton
and Chichester
At one point it was planned to link Leatherhead with Chessington South Railway Station
. But this was put on hold due to a protection order on Ashtead Common
. In 2005 plans were put in place for a tunnel.
's two major airport
s, 30–40 minutes' drive from each, via the M25 motorway
.
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...
, on the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
, part of Mole Valley
Mole Valley
Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking.The district, named after the River Mole, was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban districts of Dorking and Leatherhead and most of the Dorking and Horley...
district. It is thought to be of Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
origin. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington
Chessington
Chessington is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. The Hogsmill river runs through it. Neighbouring settlements include: Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston upon Thames and Worcester Park.-History:Its name...
, Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
and Oxshott
Oxshott
Oxshott is a village in Surrey, England with a growing population of around 6,100. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington, Claygate and Cobham. It is situated in fields and woodlands between Esher and Leatherhead on the A244, five minutes by car from both the A3 and the M25 London Orbital...
.
Located in the centre of the county of Surrey and at a junction of ancient north–south and east–west communications, the town has been a focus for transport throughout its history. Initially there was the construction of the bridge over the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
in the early medieval period. Later the Swan Hotel provided 300 years of service to horse-drawn coaches. In the late 20th century the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
was built nearby.
Pre-1800
The origins of the town of Leatherhead appear to be Anglo-SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
. Ashtead lay within the Copthorne
Copthorne (hundred)
Copthorne was a hundred in what is now Surrey, England. It includes the following places: Ashtead, Burgh, Cuddington, Epsom, Ewell, Fetcham, Headley, Leatherhead, Mickleham, Pachevesham , Tadworth, Thorncroft and Walton-on-the-Hill....
hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
, an administrative division devised by the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. The Leatherhead Museum has traced the history of the town from its beginnings in about AD 880 when it was known as Leodridan (dative case of a compound of "leode" and "rida"), meaning "place where people [can] ride [across the river]" in Anglo-Saxon). Later in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
it was called Leret. Later forms recorded are "Lereda", "Ledreda", "Leddrede" (all second half of 12th century). The early settlement appears to have grown up on the east side of the River Mole, although Hawk's Hill, on the west side of the river, is said to be the site of an old Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
burial ground.
Some say that the Anglo-Saxon form was distorted from a Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
form whose Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
equivalent is Llwyd-rhyd = "grey ford".
To the east of the town is the line of Stane Street, an old Roman Road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
. Most of it is now built over or is used as rural footpaths. The road leads from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, passing through the strategic Mole Gap.
It has also been suggested that a second Roman road ran from Stane Street in a straight line close to Ashtead Church crossing the Mole at Leatherhead bridge to a point very close to Effingham Church. Here it turned and continued in another straight line to Merrow Church crossing the River Wey near Guildford Bridge. It seems that this road was still in use in Saxon times and that is why all the medieval churches between Leatherhead and Guildford lie within in a few metres of these two lines.
Work on the parish church
Church of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, Leatherhead
The Church of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, Leatherhead, is an Anglican parish church. Dating originally to around the 11th Century, it remains a place of worship to this day.- Architecture :...
was started some time in the 11th century. Many parts were added over the years, with a major restoration taking place in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
.
Leatherhead appears in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Leret. It was held by Osbern de Ow (Eu). Its Domesday assets were: 1 church, belonging to Ewell
Ewell
Ewell is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a...
, with 40 acres (161,874.4 m²). It rendered £1. Pachesham within Leatherhead appears in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Pachesham. It was held by Hugo (Hugh) from the Bishop of Lisieux. Its domesday assets were: 3 virgate
Virgate
The virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
s. It had part of 2 mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
s worth 12 shillings, 4 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
worth 3 hogs. It rendered £3 10s 0d.
A market serving the developing agricultural economy developed at the crossroads and in 1248, Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
granted to Leatherhead a weekly market and annual fair. The town survived an extensive fire in 1392, after which it was largely rebuilt. In common with many similar medieval towns, Leatherhead had a market house and set of stocks, probably located at the junction of Bridge Street, North Street and High Street.
The Running Horse
The Running Horse is a pub in the town of Leatherhead, Surrey, England.Dating back to 1403, on the bank of the River Mole, the Running Horse is one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead and offers good food and good drink in an historic setting...
pub dates back to 1403 and is one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead. It is on the bank of the River Mole, at the southern approach to the town centre. History has it that Elizabeth I once spent a night at the inn when floods made the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
impossible to cross.
During the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, the town was associated with several notable people. Edmund Tylney
Edmund Tylney
Sir Edmund Tilney or Tylney was a courtier best known now as Master of the Revels to Queen Elizabeth and King James. He was responsible for the censorship of drama in England. He was also instrumental in the development of English drama of the Elizabethan period...
, Master of the Revels, who was in effect the official censor of the time to Queen Elizabeth I, lived in the Mansion House. A Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
pub in the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
is now named after him. Another notable local noble was Sir Thomas Bloodworth
Thomas Bloodworth
Sir Thomas Bloodworth was Lord Mayor of London from October 1665 to October 1666. His inaction during the early stages of the Great Fire of London was widely criticized as one of the causes for the great extent of the damage to the city.Prior to his time as mayor, Bloodworth was a wealthy...
of nearby Thorncroft Manor, who was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
during the Great Fire of 1666
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
.
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, the founder of Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, preached his last sermon in Leatherhead on 23 February 1791.
1800 onwards
Leatherhead saw much expansion, with two major railways linked to it. (See below)In the 1870s, a group of clergymen built the private St John's School in the town, and it has produced a number of famous pupils. (See below).
The Letherhead Institute was built. The spelling was said, in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
times, to be the correct form of Leatherhead.
Cherkley Court
Cherkley Court
Cherkley Court, near Leatherhead, Surrey, in England, is a late Victorian mansion and estate of 370 acres, once the home of Lord Beaverbrook.-History:...
on the Beaverbrook grounds was home of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Bt, PC, was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, and writer.-Early career in Canada:...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, the new British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, would appoint him as Minister of Aircraft Production
Minister of Aircraft Production
The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II...
and later Minister of Supply
Minister of Supply
The Minister of Supply was the minister in the British Government responsible for the Ministry of Supply, which existed to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to the national armed forces...
. Under Aitken, fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
production increased so much so that Churchill declared: "His personal force and genius made this Aitken's finest hour".
Modern era
Once there were several industries in and around the town, including Ronson's LightersRonson's Lighters
Ronson Consumer Products Corporation was formerly based in Somerset, New Jersey, USA. It was a producer of lighters and lighter accessories once known for its stylish and dependable cigarette lighter line, and the advertising slogan, "You're a winner - with a Ronson!"The Ronson brand is now owned...
and Goblin Vacuum Cleaners
Goblin Vacuum Cleaners
Goblin Vacuum Cleaners was a British brand of vacuum cleaners made from the early 1900s till the early 2000s.- History :Goblin Vacuum Cleaners in the early 1930s were manufactured by the British Vacuum Cleaner and Engineering Co Ltd...
. Both were used as ammunitions plants in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Most of the plants pulled out of Leatherhead in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Today most employment is in commerce.
In 1940's/50s Leatherhead/Ashtead was made home to a Remploy
Remploy
Remploy Ltd is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the 1944 Disabled Persons Act, and opened its first factory in Bridgend, Wales, in 1946...
factory, which are designed to provide work for Disabled people in the local area. On 22 May 2007, Remploy announced that the Leatherhead factory along with 42 other sites would close.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mole Valley
Mole Valley
Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking.The district, named after the River Mole, was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban districts of Dorking and Leatherhead and most of the Dorking and Horley...
District Council decided to modernise the town, with a new pedestrianised high street, and large one-way system.
In 1986, the town was joined to the UK motorway system, when the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
was built to the north. Leatherhead became Junction 9, which has odd non-aligned entry/exit points on the two sides. The town is perhaps most frequently mentioned in the national media as the location of motorway traffic jams and accidents.
Local government
Leatherhead was an urban districtUrban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
until 1974. It is now part of Mole Valley District, with Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
as the administrative centre of Mole Valley District Council. On the Mole Valley Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, Dorking is represented by two cocks
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
and Leatherhead by a swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
. On the shield the wavy lines are for the River Mole, the acorns are for the district's three parks, and the points are for 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...
.
The town
The symbol of Leatherhead is a swan holding a sword in its beak. This can be seen on the old Leatherhead coat of arms, and on the Mole Valley coat of arms. The insignia of Leatherhead football clubLeatherhead F.C.
Leatherhead F.C. is a football club based in Leatherhead, Surrey, England. The club is nicknamed The Tanners and plays home at Fetcham Grove.-History:...
includes a swan, as do the logos of The Swan Shopping Centre, Therfield School
Therfield School
Therfield School is a mixed comprehensive school for students aged 11–18 in Leatherhead, Surrey, England.- House system :Therfield provides a pastoral support system...
and the Leisure Centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
.
Bocketts Farm
Bocketts Farm
Bocketts Farm in Leatherhead, Surrey, England is a working family farm set in the countryside on the slopes of the North Downs. Animals on the farm include lambs, piglets, goat kids, chicks and ducklings born throughout the year. In addition there are play areas for children of all ages...
off Young Street has rare breeds and a petting zoo. It is open to the public almost all year round, and many local schools use the farm for teaching and day trips.
Leatherhead's Royal School for the Blind (now SeeAbility) was once the work-place for Paul Heaton
Paul Heaton
Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was a member of The Housemartins, who disbanded in 1988, and a member of The Beautiful South, who disbanded in 2007. He is currently pursuing a solo career....
; he was allegedly dismissed after he encouraged residents to try cycling. Most of the school has now been sold off as private flats.
In 2004, Leatherhead was officially twinned with Triel-sur-Seine
Triel-sur-Seine
Triel-sur-Seine is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is positioned approximately to the north-west of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.Inhabitants are known as Triellois or Trielloises according to gender....
, in the north-west of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, though informal exchanges have taken place since 1992. Exchanges and communication is promoted by a local group the 'Friends of Triel'.
Town centre and South Leatherhead
The fortunes of the town centre have risen and fallen over recent decades. Up to the 1970s, it was a bustling place with many busy shops. But with risks from increased traffic close to narrow pavements, the whole of the central area was pedestrianised, leading to a disastrous decline in pedestrian throughput and many shop closures. The construction of the Swan Centre, including a large supermarket, brought some reprieve but the years since have seen fluctuating fortunes. Notoriously, in 2002, the high street was voted one of the worst in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in a BBC poll.
Local business parks now bring lunchtime business, and a number of popular restaurants on the main street have helped to change the face of the town, bringing a more sociable atmosphere to the small town on warm summer evenings.
The Theatre (see below) is a cinema and also has art exhibitions, as well as a thriving music and comedy scene in The Mezz Bar. The cafe has also recently re-opened.
In the late 1990s the town centre's only hotel, the Bull Hotel, closed down and was subsequently demolished. A new Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
store has now been built on the site and was opened in February 2007. In the early first decade of the 21st century Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
opened a new hotel on the site of the old Swan hotel.
North Leatherhead or Leatherhead Common
North Leatherhead or Leatherhead Common is the area north of the Kingston Road bridge, bordered to the north by Leatherhead GolfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
Course, Ashtead Common
Ashtead Common
Ashtead Common is a wooded area to the north of the village of Ashtead in England which is open to the public. It is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation at no cost to the public. There are 180.5 ha of this common in the National Nature Reserve...
, and M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
and to the south by the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
system. It includes the town's main secondary school, Therfield School
Therfield School
Therfield School is a mixed comprehensive school for students aged 11–18 in Leatherhead, Surrey, England.- House system :Therfield provides a pastoral support system...
, and part of The Trinity School, as well as the bulk of the town's public housing
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
.
The area is home to one local pub, The Royal Oak, on the Kingston Road, and has a social club, the North Leatherhead Community Association or NLCA, based in the old All Saints School, next to the Kingston Road Playing Grounds.
Local area
The villages of FetchamFetcham
Fetcham is a village in Surrey, England. It is west of Leatherhead, on the other side of the River Mole and Mill Pond springs and the associated nature reserve....
, Ashtead
Ashtead
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 :...
, Headley
Headley, Surrey
Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling...
and Mickleham
Mickleham, Surrey
Mickleham is a village and civil parish between the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey, England covering . The parish includes the hamlet of Fredley.-History:Mickleham lies near to the old Roman road known as Stane Street...
may be considered part of Leatherhead, especially as a postal
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
area. The border with Fetcham blends into Leatherhead. Ashtead is separated from Leatherhead by the M25. Also close by are Headley Heath
Headley, Surrey
Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling...
, Oxshott Woods, Box Hill
Box Hill, Surrey
Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately south west of London. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst...
and Bookham Common.
In the village of Headley
Headley, Surrey
Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling...
, a military hospital, Headley Court (formerly RAF Headley Court), provides long-term rehabilitation to injured members of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
. There is no airfield here but its playing fields can be used by helicopters.
Economy
Leatherhead formerly had a number of light manufacturing businessesLight industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
, such as the Ronson's lighter factory, but in and around the 1980s many closed or moved on. Recent years have seen the emergence of several industrial parks, and the town has attracted many service and headquarters operations, including well known companies.
The town has long been home to a cluster of research centres and research-focused businesses. Cobham Technical Services
Cobham Technical Services
Cobham Technical Services is a UK-based technology organisation with a history dating back to 1920. Its primary business comprises three distinct business streams, focused on delivery of leading-edge technologies and services for aerospace, defence, security and commercial applications...
(formerly ERA Technology) is an engineering consultancy that has been in Leatherhead since the 1920s. Nearby is Leatherhead Food Research. The same area of west Leatherhead was home to the Central Electricity Research Laboratory (CERL), the main research lab for the CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
until its dissolution in 2001.
A recently established local business cluster
Business cluster
A business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and globally. In urban studies, the term agglomeration is used...
is that of racing cars. Lister Cars, makers of Lister Storm, Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
race cars, are based in the town, and in nearby Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, while P1 International was founded here in 2000 by ex-Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Champion Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
. Other businesses in this sector are based in nearby parts of 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...
.
The new headquarters of Police Federation of England and Wales
Police Federation of England and Wales
The Police Federation of England and Wales is the representative body to which all police officers in England and Wales up to and including the rank of Chief Inspector belong. There are 141,000 members as of July 2009...
is based in Leatherhead.
Major local businesses
- ExxonMobilExxonMobilExxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
has several major divisions based at ExxonMobil House in Leatherhead, including its ExxonMobil Aviation and ExxonMobil Marine businesses, as well as its aviation fuels operations. - KBR has offices in Leatherhead, with its Granhernehttp://www.granherne.com subsidiary based there.
- Logica has had several offices on different sites in the town and is now on the Springfield Drive site.
- The Tussauds GroupThe Tussauds GroupThe Tussauds Group is now part of Merlin Entertainments, the world's second largest leisure group, second only to Disney. It is based in Poole, Dorset from where it manages a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions including the famous Madame Tussauds waxworks, Legoland Parks, Sealife Centres,...
has minor offices in the town, associated with its worldwide HQ in nearby ChessingtonChessingtonChessington is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. The Hogsmill river runs through it. Neighbouring settlements include: Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston upon Thames and Worcester Park.-History:Its name...
. - Unilever PLC has its UK and Ireland headquarters in Leatherhead at the purpose-built Unilever House - home to the nation favorite consumer brands including: BertolliBertolliBertolli is an international brand of Italian and Mediterranean food. The company was founded in 1865, in Lucca, Tuscany, by Francesco Bertolli, and was then bought by Unilever....
, Colman'sColman'sColman's is a UK manufacturer of mustard and various other sauces, based at Carrow, in Norwich, Norfolk. Presently an operational division of the multinational Unilever company, Colman's is one of the oldest existing food brands, famous for a limited range of products, almost all varieties of...
, Knorr, MarmiteMarmiteMarmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...
, Hellmann'sHellmann's and Best FoodsHellmann's and Best Foods are brand names that are used for the same line of mayonnaise and other food products. The Hellmann's brand is sold in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and also in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Canada...
, Surf, DoveDove (brand)Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever.Dove products are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey and United States. The products are sold in more than 35 countries and are offered for both women and men.. The Dove...
, LynxAxe (grooming product)Lynx is a brand of male grooming products, owned by the British/Dutch company Unilever and marketed towards young males.-History:Axe was launched in France in 1983 by Unilever...
, RadoxRadoxRadox is a brand of bubble bath and shower gels available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic, Australia, Malaysia and South Africa. It comes in both bath salt and liquid form...
, SureSure (brand)In the UK and other European countries, Sure is the name of a brand of antiperspirant deodorant for men and women produced by Unilever, marketed with the tagline "It Won't Let You Down"....
, Persil, FloraFlora (margarine)Flora is a brand of margarine, sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. It is produced by Unilever and sold in other parts of the world under the brand name of Becel...
, TresemmeTRESemméTRESemmé is a brand of haircare products first manufactured by Godefroy Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, Missouri starting in 1947. The brand name is a word play and reference to Edna L...
, Toni & Guy, Wall's ice creamWall's ice creamWall's is a United Kingdom-originated food brand, covering both meat products and ice cream, owned by Unilever. Founded in London in 1786 by butcher Richard Wall, it was acquired in 1922 by Lever Brothers, which became a part of Unilever in 1930. To avoid summer lay-offs due to the down turn in its...
, CifCifCif is a brand of household cleaning products by Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif is the largest selling abrasive cleaner product in the world.-History:...
, VO5 and Domestos. - Ashtead GroupAshtead GroupAshtead Group plc is a British industrial equipment rental company formerly based in Leatherhead, Surrey but which has since moved to new offices in the City of London. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index....
was based in the town from 1947 till 2007. - Hardware chain Robert DyasRobert DyasRobert Dyas is a large UK retailer founded London 1872. The stores provide ranges of house wares, small electrical appliances, gardening products, kitchen wares, DIY, and consumer electronics throughout 98 stores, mainly in Greater London and South East England.-History :Robert Dyas emigrated from...
is based in Leatherhead - ERA Technology Ltd (trading as Cobham Technical ServicesCobham Technical ServicesCobham Technical Services is a UK-based technology organisation with a history dating back to 1920. Its primary business comprises three distinct business streams, focused on delivery of leading-edge technologies and services for aerospace, defence, security and commercial applications...
), a strategic business unit within Cobham plcCobham plcCobham plc is a British manufacturing company based in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
is based in Leatherhead.
Churches
- Calvary Chapel Leatherhead - A Bible-teaching, gospel-centred church.
- Church of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, LeatherheadChurch of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, LeatherheadThe Church of St. Mary & St. Nicholas, Leatherhead, is an Anglican parish church. Dating originally to around the 11th Century, it remains a place of worship to this day.- Architecture :...
Theatre and cinema
Leatherhead's theatrical history dates from at least Tudor times, when performances were held at village halls in the area. In 1890 the Victoria Hall opened in the High Street and presented popular melodramas. In 1910, it was converted to a picture house, putting on the new "movies", at first silent but later showing "talkies".In 1939 The Crescent Cinema, with over 1,000 seats, was built in Church Street. Run by a local family, it prospered until the 1960s.
Two attempts in the late 1940s to reinvent the Victoria Hall as a theatre were unsuccessful. However the basement was converted to the "Green Room Club", and then in 1950 the theatre became home to the small "Under Thirty Theatre Group", who had good connections with the London theatre scene. Performances in the small building often featured leading actors and became increasingly popular, even as the building itself deteriorated.
Following a public fund-raising effort, September 1969 saw the opening by Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
of a replacement facility, the Thorndike Theatre, named after Dame Sybil Thorndike. Designed by Roderick Ham, the theatre was a complete 'cultural centre' whose radical open walkways and exposed concrete finish are thought to have influenced the later National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London.
For 30 years, the Thorndike Theatre maintained a reputation for high quality drama, and especially for presenting 'trial run' pre-West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
shows. However, the theatre always struggled for funding, and finally closed in 1997.
After four years of physical dereliction, it was taken over by a religious group, Pioneer People, who renamed it simply 'The Theatre', and also made the building available as a cinema and for art exhibitions.
Now, the Leatherhead Theatre is once again presenting regular drama and acting as a theatrical centre for the area.
The Leatherhead Drama Festival
The Leatherhead Drama Festival began in 2004 and is the UK's largest drama festival of its type, in which schools and drama groups from around Surrey and beyond compete each year for the Sir Michael Caine Drama Awards, the Richard Houghton Awards and New Writing Awards.Sir Michael Caine, patron of the Festival, presents the Awards, filming schedule permitting, at the Gala Awards Night each year.
Full current details www.leatherheaddramafestival.org
Music
Leatherhead has strong connections with modern music. Artists including Rick AstleyRick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pj Fothergill, Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme were an English pop music duo composed of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing albums as a duo after splitting from the pop band 10cc. In 1979 they directed their first music video for their own single "An Englishman in New York"...
, The Lotus Eaters, Alternative TV
Alternative TV
Alternative TV were an English rock band, formed in London in 1976. Their punk rock and post-punk sound was influential for several musical artists.-History:...
and Bros
Bros
Bros were a British band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan...
recorded at Surrey Sound recording studios.
The influential band John's Children
John's Children
John's Children were a 1960s pop art/mod rock band from Leatherhead, England that briefly featured future T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. John's Children were known for their outrageous live performances and were booted off a tour with The Who in Germany in 1967 when they upstaged the headliners...
, which included sometime frontman Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
, was formed in Leatherhead in 1963 by Andy Ellison
Andy Ellison
Andrew "Andy" Ellison is a musician and vocalist best known as the frontman in John's Children, Jet and Radio Stars....
and Chris Townson
Chris Townson
Chris Townson was a musician, illustrator and social worker. He was a founding member of the 1960s rock group John's Children, and a member of several other bands, including Jook, Jet and Radio Stars...
, former students of Box Hill School
Box Hill School
Box Hill School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school situated in the village of Mickleham near Dorking, Surrey, England. The school has approximately 425 pupils aged 11–18, about a quarter of which are from overseas...
.
In 1980 The Head
The Head
The Head began as an ongoing series that originally ran under the title MTV's Oddities, on MTV. It has begun airing on MTV2 in August 2009. It was released on DVD on December 15, 2009.-Plot:...
, a local punk band, released the infamous single "Nothing to Do in a Town Like Leatherhead".
Leatherhead Football Club
There is a local football team Leatherhead FC ('The Tanners') who play at Fetcham Park Grove.In the 1974-75 season The Tanners were drawn against First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
at home in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Fourth Round Proper. With the game switched to Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
cameras and over 32,000 people saw a dramatic match in which the Tanners went two goals up and then saw a goalbound shot that would have made it 3-0 cleared off the line. However Leicester's fitness and class eventually told as the top-flight team fought back to win 3–2 in the second half. Leicester City went on to play Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the next round.
Local leisure and entertainment
Leatherhead has a large range of leisure facilities including:Leatherhead Leisure Centre
The Leisure Centre was built in the 1970s, and is owned by Mole Valley District Council and managed by Fusion Lifestyle.The centre was extended in the 1980s with the Mole Barn. Plans to build a new centre on the site were drawn up by Mole Valley District Council prior to 2006, but instead the facility was given a 20-month, £12.6m refit and further extension, reopening (ten months late) in March 2011. The upgraded centre includes: a redesigned reception and entrance area, a 400 m2 gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
with around 90 cardiovascular machines and a large free-weight area; an aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
studio; a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA); a 400 m2 soft play facility for children; a creche
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
; and two new squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts.
Other clubs and activities
- Leatherhead & District Angling Society
- Bocketts FarmBocketts FarmBocketts Farm in Leatherhead, Surrey, England is a working family farm set in the countryside on the slopes of the North Downs. Animals on the farm include lambs, piglets, goat kids, chicks and ducklings born throughout the year. In addition there are play areas for children of all ages...
- Leatherhead Operatic Society
- Cannons Health Club
- Leatherhead Army Cadet Force
- Leatherhead & Cobham Cricket Club
- Leatherhead Golf Club
- Leatherhead Model Flying Club (LMFC)
- Leatherhead Hockey Club
- Leatherhead Swimming Club, which welcomes anyone for a swim.
- Leatherhead Museum
- Miniature Railway Club http://www.ssme.co.uk/
- Tyrrells Wood Golf Club
- Tumble Tots
- Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
. Theme Park is five miles (8 km) from Leatherhead.
A small steam train enthusiast group is based next to Fetcham Mill Pond, a popular local walking spot and water source near the Leatherhead Leisure Centre.
Pubs
- Royal Oak (Greene King)
- The Duke's Head
- The Edmund Tilney. (WetherspoonsWetherspoonsJ D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
, Free houseFree HouseFree House may refer to:*Free House , an American Thoroughbred racehorse.*Free house , a British pub that is owned independently of the breweries that supply it....
) - The Penny BlackPenny BlackThe Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
. (YoungsYoungsYoungs can refer to:people*Ben Youngs , English rugby union player*Elaine Youngs , American beach volleyball player*Jenny Owen Youngs , American singer-songwriter...
former Hogshead Brewery) - The Plough
- The Running HorseThe Running HorseThe Running Horse is a pub in the town of Leatherhead, Surrey, England.Dating back to 1403, on the bank of the River Mole, the Running Horse is one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead and offers good food and good drink in an historic setting...
. (The Huddlestone Family)
Social clubs
- Constitutional Club (Former ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Club) - Leatherhead and District Social Club, C&IU Affiliate.
- Leatherhead Royal British Legion Club, C&IU Affiliate.
- NLCA or North Leatherhead Community Association
Hotels
- TravelodgeTravelodgeTravelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
, In Leatherhead and DorkingDorkingDorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :... - Holiday InnHoliday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, New at Chessington world of Adventures (September 2007) - Swan Lodge B&BBed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
- Burford Bridge HotelBurford Bridge HotelBurford Bridge Hotel is an historic hotel in the village of Mickleham, Surrey, England. It is to the south of Leatherhead and north of Dorking at the foot of Box Hill on the River Mole. It is now owned by Mercure Hotels.- History :...
, Historic Hotel south of Mickleham, where Lord Nelson spent his last hours with his love Emma Hamilton, before the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. - Woodlands Park Hotel
State schools
- Therfield SchoolTherfield SchoolTherfield School is a mixed comprehensive school for students aged 11–18 in Leatherhead, Surrey, England.- House system :Therfield provides a pastoral support system...
Therfield is also a Specialist Sports College - St. Andrew's Catholic School.
- Leatherhead Trinity School and Children's Centre. On 1 September 2006, the school came into being as the result of a merger between Woodville School, St Mary's School, and All Saints School. The new uniform is bright red, chosen as a bold colour and because it is different from the uniforms of the three old schools.
- Fetcham Infants School for ages 4–7
- Oakfield Junior School for ages 7–11
Private schools
- Downsend SchoolDownsend SchoolDownsend School is a private school located in Leatherhead, Surrey, UK. Founded in 1891 as a non-denominational preparatory school for boys since 1927 aged 8 to 13, it is now a school for boys and girls, and takes on pupils from 6 to 13 years of age. Unusually the school does not have charitable...
, close to AshteadAshteadAshtead 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 :... - Downsend Lodge Leatherhead, part of Downsend SchoolDownsend SchoolDownsend School is a private school located in Leatherhead, Surrey, UK. Founded in 1891 as a non-denominational preparatory school for boys since 1927 aged 8 to 13, it is now a school for boys and girls, and takes on pupils from 6 to 13 years of age. Unusually the school does not have charitable...
- St John's School
Rail
Leatherhead is served by Leatherhead railway stationLeatherhead railway station
Leatherhead railway station is a railway station serving the town of Leatherhead in Surrey, England. The station is managed by Southern, who provide train services along with South West Trains....
. Over the years, however, Leatherhead has had four railway stations, two of which were only temporary and survived for about eight years from the railway's first opening in 1859. The current and only surviving station was designed by C. H. Driver
Charles Henry Driver
Charles Henry Driver was a significant British architect of the Victorian era, with a reputation for pioneering use of ornamental iron work for which he was seen as a leading authority. He was also an expert in its casting and manufacture. He consulted in this area for Joseph Paxton on The Crystal...
in fine gothic revival style. It opened in 1867 to serve the London Brighton and South Coast Railway line to Dorking. The remains of the second London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
Station can still be seen on the Leatherhead one way system. It was built as a separate terminus, but became a through station when the line to Effingham Junction and Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
was opened in 1885. It was closed in July 1927. The lines were electrified by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1925.
Services included trains northwards to London Waterloo, London Victoria, and Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
where it connects with the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and Tramlink
Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
, and south to Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, and the south coast, like Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
and Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
At one point it was planned to link Leatherhead with Chessington South Railway Station
Chessington South railway station
Chessington South railway station is in Chessington in the south of the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, England, and is the terminal station of the Chessington branch. The station is served by South West Trains, and is from London Waterloo in Travelcard Zone 6.-History:The...
. But this was put on hold due to a protection order on Ashtead Common
Ashtead Common
Ashtead Common is a wooded area to the north of the village of Ashtead in England which is open to the public. It is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation at no cost to the public. There are 180.5 ha of this common in the National Nature Reserve...
. In 2005 plans were put in place for a tunnel.
Road
- The main London to WorthingWorthingWorthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
road, the A24A24 road (Great Britain)The A24 is a major road in England. It runs south from Clapham in southwest London through Morden before entering Surrey and heading through Ewell, Epsom, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Dorking...
, also runs though the town, and makes up part of its large bypass, to the east. - The M25 motorwayM25 motorwayThe M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
lies to the north of the town, with Leatherhead being accessible and known as Junction 9.
Taxis
- Mole Valley Premier Taxis - local Taxi Service Provide both residents and business in Leatherhead with a clean reliable service. Leatherheads largest taxi and private hire company. Licensed by Mole Valley District Council.
- Reptons Coaches - Coach Service Provide first class coach services to the local area.
- A taxi rank is located at the train station outside the entrance to platform 2 (southbound).
Air
Leatherhead is situated between LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's two major airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s, 30–40 minutes' drive from each, via the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
.
- Gatwick
- Heathrow
Emergency services
Leatherhead is served by these emergency services:- Surrey PoliceSurrey PoliceSurrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in the south of England.The force is led by Chief Constable Mark Rowley and has its headquarters at Mount Browne, Guildford, Surrey...
. Leatherhead Police Station is only used for minor issues now; everything else is handled from Dorking Police Station. - South East Coast Ambulance ServiceSouth East Coast Ambulance ServiceThe South East Coast Ambulance Service is the NHS Ambulance Services Trust for south-eastern England, covering Kent , Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex . It also covers a part of north-eastern Hampshire around Aldershot...
as of 1 July 2006, is the local NHSNational Health Service (England)The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
Ambulance Services Trust. The Surrey Ambulance ServiceSurrey Ambulance ServiceSurrey Ambulance Service was the ambulance service for the County of Surrey in England until July 1, 2006, when it was succeeded by a South East Coast Ambulance Service also covering Sussex and Kent....
, SussexSussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
ambulance services have merged, and have now ceased to exist independently. - Surrey Fire & Rescue Service, Actually just inside FetchamFetchamFetcham is a village in Surrey, England. It is west of Leatherhead, on the other side of the River Mole and Mill Pond springs and the associated nature reserve....
, but called Leatherhead Fire Station and manned by a full time crew.- 1 x Water Tender Ladder
- 1 x Water Carrier
- HospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, Small NHSNational Health Service (England)The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
unit with no A&EEmergency departmentAn emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
. It is used for outpatients and rehabilitation.
Notable people
- Edmund Tilney (c. 1536–1610), Master of the RevelsMaster of the RevelsThe Master of the Revels was a position within the English, and later the British, royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally had responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities, known as revels, and later also became responsible for stage censorship,...
to Queen Elizabeth I, lived in the Mansion house. The Master of the Revels was in effect the official censor of the time. All of William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's work would have passed his eyes before going public. In the movie, Shakespeare in LoveShakespeare in LoveShakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
, he is portrayed by the actor Simon CallowSimon CallowSimon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
. (A local WetherspoonsWetherspoonsJ D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
Pub is now named after him).
- Sir Thomas BloodworthThomas BloodworthSir Thomas Bloodworth was Lord Mayor of London from October 1665 to October 1666. His inaction during the early stages of the Great Fire of London was widely criticized as one of the causes for the great extent of the damage to the city.Prior to his time as mayor, Bloodworth was a wealthy...
(1620–1682), Lord Mayor of LondonLord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
during the Great Fire of 1666Great Fire of LondonThe Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, owned and lived at nearby Thorncroft Manor.
- John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
preached his last sermon in Leatherhead on 23 February 1791, delivered at the top of Bull Hill when he was 88.
- Admiral Sir John Thomas DuckworthJohn Thomas DuckworthAdmiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British naval officer, serving during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as the Governor of Newfoundland during the War of 1812, and a member of the British House of Commons during his...
(1747–1817), accomplished Royal NavalRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who served under NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
- Edward Wilkins WaiteEdward Wilkins WaiteEdward Wilkins Waite RBA was a prolific English landscape painter.Waite was born in Leatherhead in Surrey, the son of the Rev. Edward Waite, MA, and his wife Cleopha Julia - there were 6 sons and two daughters in total...
(1854–1924) was a noted local landscape painter.
- Marie StopesMarie StopesMarie Carmichael Stopes was a British author, palaeobotanist, campaigner for women's rights and pioneer in the field of birth control...
(1880–1958), family planning pioneer, lived in the town.
- Ted BowleyTed BowleyEdward Henry "Ted" Bowley, born at Leatherhead, Surrey on 6 June 1890 and died at Winchester on 9 July 1974, was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
(1890–1974), English Test cricketTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er
- Commander Harold AutenHarold AutenCommander Harold Auten VC DSC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
DSCDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
(1891 – 1964), recipient of the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, was born in Leatherhead.
- Madron SeligmanMadron SeligmanMadron Seligman was born in Leatherhead, Surrey. He spent most of his career in industry, where he came to understand and support the European Economic Community and was latterly a Member of the European Parliament , winning the West Sussex seat in 1979 by a record margin of 95,484 votes, which...
(1918–2002), Member of the European ParliamentMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
and friend of Edward HeathEdward HeathSir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
- Donald CampbellDonald CampbellDonald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
(1921–1967), Bluebird pilot and fastest man on land and water, lived in Leatherhead.
- John Campbell-JonesJohn Campbell-JonesMichael John Campbell-Jones is a former Formula One driver from England. He participated in two World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on June 17, 1962. He scored no championship points...
(born 1930), former Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing driver
- Michael CaineMichael CaineSir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
(born 1933), lives in Leatherhead and is patron to the Leatherhead Drama Festival
- Andy EllisonAndy EllisonAndrew "Andy" Ellison is a musician and vocalist best known as the frontman in John's Children, Jet and Radio Stars....
(born 1946) and Chris TownsonChris TownsonChris Townson was a musician, illustrator and social worker. He was a founding member of the 1960s rock group John's Children, and a member of several other bands, including Jook, Jet and Radio Stars...
(1947–2008), founding members of the band John's ChildrenJohn's ChildrenJohn's Children were a 1960s pop art/mod rock band from Leatherhead, England that briefly featured future T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. John's Children were known for their outrageous live performances and were booted off a tour with The Who in Germany in 1967 when they upstaged the headliners...
, and former students at Box Hill SchoolBox Hill SchoolBox Hill School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school situated in the village of Mickleham near Dorking, Surrey, England. The school has approximately 425 pupils aged 11–18, about a quarter of which are from overseas...
- Richard Patterson (b 1963) and his brother Simon Patterson (b 1967), both artists, were born in the town.
- John Drinkwater BethuneJohn Drinkwater BethuneColonel John Drinkwater Bethune , born John Drinkwater, was an English army officer and military historian, and was well known for his journal, which he kept during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.- Life and career :...
(1762-1844) lived at Thorncroft Manor in the town from about 1838 until his death and is burried in the churchard of the parish church.
- George Roger Waters (1943 - ) Musician/songwriter/composer; vocalist and bassist of the famous English rock act, Pink Floyd.
Fictional references
- Leatherhead is mentioned in the original H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
book The War of the Worlds. Day Ten (roughly) is when Leatherhead (where the narrator sent his wife for safety) is destroyed by a MartianMartianAs an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
attack, killing everyone. Fortunately, his wife makes it out before the attack and they are reunited after the Martians' destruction. Chapter 10, "In the Storm", begins with the words "Leatherhead is about twelve miles (19 km) from Maybury Hill".
- In the TV series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy broadcast in January and February 1981 on BBC Two...
, the house that was used for Arthur DentArthur DentArthur Philip Dent is a fictional character, the hapless protagonist and anti-hero in the comic science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams....
's residence is in Leatherhead.
- The film I Want Candy (released 23 March 2007) has the tagline "Two lads from Leatherhead are making a movie...and it's all gone pear-shaped".
- That Mitchell and Webb look took a jab at Leatherhead in series two, episode four.
External links
- Mole Valley District Council
- VisitLeatherhead.com
- Leatherhead Residents Association
- Leatherhead Community Garden
- North Leatherhead Community Group
- Live local weather
- Leatherhead Local History
- Leatherhead Ahead
- Local community magazine
- Leatherhead Web - local websites
- Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce
- Mint Taxis Of Leatherhead - local Taxi Service
- Reptons Coaches - Coach Service