Fetcham

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.289
longitude= -0.354
official_name= Fetcham
map_type= Surrey
population = 8,300
shire_district= Mole Valley
shire_county = Surrey
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Mole Valley
post_town= Leatherhead
postcode_district = KT
postcode_area= KT
dial_code= 01372
os_grid_reference= TQ147557

Fetcham is a residential area 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.

The Mill Pond springs are a large number of chalk springs, which provide much of the water supply for the surrounding area. These springs even continued to supply water during the droughts of 1976 and 2006.

Although some would call it a suburb of Leatherhead, Fetcham is actually a busy village with good local shops, and has easy access to London, Guildford, Cobham, Epsom and, of course, Leatherhead.

History

The name Fetcham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “Fecca’s ham” - Fecca's settlement. Fetcham lay within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the Saxons.

Indeed, there is evidence that there were even earlier settlements, with the discovery of Stone and Bronze Age tools and Roman artefacts, as well as three ancient burial grounds.

Fetcham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Feceham". It was held partly by William the Conqueror; partly by Richard from the Bishop of Bayeux partly by Oswald the Thegn. Its Domesday assets were: 7 hides; 5½ mills worth 17s, 10½ ploughs and 2 oxen, 30 acres of meadow, woodland, herbage and pannage worth 23 hogs. It rendered £10 10s 0d. [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] ] Fetcham, therefore, was referenced in the Domesday survey as three manors; one known as King's Manor was probably Fetcham Park; another was given to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux after the Norman conquest. The third was an Augustinian foundation from Merton Priory, at Cannon Court, which Henry VIII dissolved in 1538.

Its small manorial farming community numbered 176 in the survey, but halved as a result of the Black Death in 1349. In the first half of the nineteenth century the population was still only around 370 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=50962#s1] [http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/ENG-SURREY/1999-04/0924853766] . In the 1931 census it had reached 1,318, and by 1972 was 7,331 [http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/ENG-SURREY/1999-04/0924853766] .

The Fetcham Conservation Area includes the impressive 18th century mansion of Fetcham Park House. The Well House, The Dower House and Ballands Hall are three of a cluster of old buildings in the area.

St Mary's Church has been a place of Christian worship for over 1000 years. Built during Anglo-Saxon and early Norman periods, it is probably on the site of an even earlier timber church. There are many hints of its past in its structure. These include the south-west quoin of the nave, and a single splay window high on the south wall with traces of Roman brick as well as arches that are presumed to pre-date 1066.

Village

The village of Fetcham is quite large; extending from the River Mole at the village's east side, it is bounded by the neighbouring villages of Great Bookham and Little Bookham on its west.

To non-residents, Fetcham is regarded as part of Leatherhead. In its postal address, Royal Mail prefer you to use the format of "Fetcham, Leatherhead".

The centre of the village has a number of shops, various in nature, with roadside free car parking. These are sufficient for the day-to-day demands of the local population. Food and drink is catered for by restaurants and food outlets supplying Indian, Chinese, and Italian cuisine, as well as a friendly fish and chips shop and a pleasant bakery coffee shop.

There are four Christian congregations in the village:
* Cannon Court Evangelical Church, in Cannonside
* Church of the Holy Spirit (RC), in Bell Lane
* Community Church, which meets in Fetcham Infants School
* St Mary's Church, off The Ridgeway

To its south are the Fetcham and Leatherhead Downs, which are a part of the North Downs.

Education

There are two popular village schools:
* [http://www.fetcham.surrey.sch.uk/ Fetcham Infants School] for ages 4-7 with an attached pre-school for ages 2-4
* [http://www.oakfieldjunior.ik.org/ Oakfield Junior School] for ages 7-11

Social Life

Fetcham has just one pub, The Bell. It had a major refit in late 2004 and again in late 2007 by its new owner the Youngs brewery chain.

There is a large and well used Village Hall in The Street, and a small reading room, in Cobham Road.

There was a Social Club, called the Fetcham Sports and Social Club, but this closed in 2001 after the membership dwindled. The building is now used as offices.

Transport

Road

The main village thoroughfare is the A245 Cobham Road.

Rail

There is no British Rail link to Fetcham. The nearest stations are Leatherhead and Bookham.

Emergency Services

Fetcham is served by the following emergency services:
* Surrey Police. Leatherhead Police Station is now used only for minor issues; everything else is handled from Dorking Police Station.
* South East Coast Ambulance Service as of 1 July 2006. The Surrey, Sussex, and Kent Ambulance services have merged, and no longer exist separately.
* Surrey Fire & Rescue Service, the local branch of which is actually located in Fetcham, but called Leatherhead Fire Station.
** Fetcham (Leatherhead) fire station has 28 personnel and one fire engine (water tender ladder). It also has special vehicles, one that is capable of transporting a large quantity of water or foam to an incident (water carrier), and a fire victim support vehicle crewed by the Red Cross.
** Appliances:
*** 1 x water tender ladder
*** 1 x water carrier

References

External links

* [http://www.surreyproperty.com/fetcham-history.html Brief history]
* [http://www.visitleatherhead.com/community_fetcham_commInfo.asp Fetcham Community Information]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42968 Fetcham history (British History Online)] (5,500ww)
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=50962 'Fetcham - Fincham', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 232-35]