Tatsfield

infobox UK place
country = England
civil_parish= Tatsfield
official_name= Tatsfield
latitude= 51.2989
longitude= 0.0306
population= 2,000
shire_district= Tandridge
shire_county = Surrey
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= East Surrey
post_town= WESTERHAM
postcode_district = TN16
postcode_area= TN
dial_code= 01959
os_grid_reference= TQ415575

Tatsfield is a village of some 1,800 inhabitants located in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, and 16.2 miles (26.1 km) south south-east of Charing Cross in London. It is within the southerly bounds of the M25 motorway.

Geography

The village is located in a small protrusion into Greater London and is bordered by the London Borough of Bromley to the west, north and east with Biggin Hill immediately to the north. The boundary with Kent is also near the village, to the south east and the village forms part of the Westerham post town, which gives Tatsfield residents postal addresses associated with Kent (due to the postal county system).

Etymology

The origin of the village name is uncertain. The English Place Name Society suggests it is derived from ‘a field or open land belonging to one Tatol’ (possibly a nickname meaning the lively one) The word ‘field’ denotes a clearing of Anglo-Saxon forests. An alternative explanation is that the earliest community began on the hill with church, manor house and rectory. The name could therefore derive from Totehylefelde – meaning a look-out place in a clearing. The appearance of Tot-hyl in a place name is a reference to a watch hill and quite possibly to the whole system of Anglo-Saxon civil defence involving beacons, watch hill and army roads. Tatsfield appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Tatelefelle".

History

It was held by Anschitill (Ansketel) de Ros from the Bishop of Bayeux. Its domesday assets were: ½ hide. It had 2 ploughs. It rendered 60 shillings. [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] ] In Anglo-Saxon times, Tatsfield lay within the administrative division of Tandridge hundred.

During the 14th century the manor was held by Rhodri ap Gruffudd, brother of the last native Prince of Wales, and his descendants.

Transport

A number of ancient routes cross the parish. The best studied is the Roman road which forms much of the western boundary of the parish. It was constructed about 100 AD and ran 44 miles from London to Lewes. One other trackway appears also to be of considerable importance, this is the Biggin Hill/ Titsey route which is remarkably straight and apparently provides a direct connection between the Roman road at the entrance to the village and the two villa sites in Titsey Park.

Tatsfield is not located on a railway line and public transport to and from the village is severely restricted. The nearest railway station is at Oxted. The 464 bus service, operated by Metrobus for Transport for London, runs every half hour from outside "The Old Ship" on a route from Tatsfield to New Addington for connections on Tramlink to Croydon. Metrobus 411 service(from Redhill to Chelsham Common, near Warlingham) is occasionally extended to Tatsfield, though at most times of the day Tatsfield is not served by public transport into the rest of Surrey.

Today

The largest shop, "Linda's Stores", is a family-run business that serves as local shop, post office and newsagents. In addition, there is a greengrocers next door. Tatsfield's one and only public house, "The Old Ship", has recently undergone a period of renovation. There is also the "Tatsfield Village Club" formerly known as the "Working Men's Club" a members only non-profit drinking establishment. What was once the village's bakery is now an upmarket restaurant (suitably named "The Old Bakery").

Little St. Mary's is Tatsfield's local church, which for many years has played host to a dual congregation of Roman Catholics and Anglicans. This small Norman church overlooks the rolling hills of the North Downs, and is a favoured resting point for hikers in the Summer months during which the church puts on tea and cakes in the hall. The Village Hall is the focal point for a number of clubs and societies run by the village's inhabitants. Chief amongst these are the Tatsfield Table Tennis Club and the Not So Young Club.

Tatsfield's only tourist attraction comes in the form of a Reptile Zoo along the Approach Road into the village. The zoo houses a number of pythons, crocodiles, lizards and alligators. Until its death in 2006, the most famous of these cold-blooded residents was an alligator called "Big Boy", who had a supporting role in the James Bond film "Live And Let Die".

Tatsfield and the world

Visitors to Tatsfield often notice how much lower the temperatures can drop during Winter, as well as the almost year-round barrier of low cloud that can surround the area after nightfall. This is in keeping with Tatsfield's global location: as the crow flies, the small hilltop village is the highest point from the South of England to the Ural Mountains, although this claim is made by other places.

Outside of England, Tatsfield is not a well known place - except to the people of Vern D'Anjou in France. The two villages have been twinned with one another since the 1970s, and operate a bi-annual exchange to promote ties between their respective countries.

TATSFIELD PEOPLE

Donald Maclean, the British diplomat who defected to Russia in May 1951 lived in the village in the house known as Beaconshaw, with his wife and children, between December 1950 and May 1951. Maclean regularly visited The Old Ship public house in Tatsfield during that period.

References