- Tolworth
infobox UK place
country= England
map_type= Greater London
region= London
static_
population=
official_name= Tolworth
latitude= 51.3799
longitude= -0.2807
london_borough= Kingston
constituency_westminster= Kingston & Surbiton
post_town= SURBITON
postcode_area= KT
postcode_district= KT5, KT6
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ197659Tolworth is a mostly residential
suburb ofLondon in theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames , located convert|11.1|mi|km|1 south west ofCharing Cross . Neighbouring places include:Berrylands ,Surbiton ,Chessington ,Ewell andNew Malden .History
Tolworth, in the
Domesday Book , was called "Taleorde". Its Domesday assets were held partly by Picot from Richard de Tonebrige and partly by Radulf (Ralph) from theBishop of Bayeux . It rendered: 2½ hides; also 4 hides withLong Ditton ; 1 mill without dues, 8plough s, 10½ acres and ½rod ofmeadow . It rendered £6. [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] ]In the early 1970s, a
pillar box in Raeburn Avenue was painted lime green for a brief period. However thePost Office decided that the familiar red colour should be restored. Since then all pillar boxes in the town have remained in their traditional colour.Fact|date=November 2007Description
Architecturally Tolworth consists mainly of low-density 1930s
semi-detached properties, and small to medium commercial and retail developments. There is a concentration of industrial activity in an area bounded on the north by A3 London-to-Portsmouth trunk route, which runs through the area. The access junction for the A3, linking it on the north with the Broadway and on the south with the A240 Kingston Road towardEpsom , is known as the Toby Jug Roundabout, named after the public house which stood beside it until 2002 when it was demolished. The area is also served by a branch rail line running from London Waterloo to Chessington South two stops to the south, with services run bySouth West Trains . An extensive low-lying office development, bounded by the A3 to the north and the rail line to the south, was once occupied by the Ministry of Defence. Having lain vacant for a number of years it has now (2008) been demolished.The principal shopping centre - the Broadway - is dominated by
Tolworth Tower , an office block designed by the lateRichard Seifert and opened in 1964. The tower is 80.8 metres high with 22 floors. The ground floor of the building is occupied largely by a single retail unit - currently aMarks and Spencer supermarket - and smaller retail units along the Broadway, the remainder taken up with access to the other floors. The remaining floors of the building was originally occupied by commercial and government offices, but the north wing has recently re-opened as aTravelodge hotel. The building appears in theTaschen book of "Boring Postcards".The offices and studios of
Radio Jackie , a commercial radio station broadcasting to south-west London and north Surrey, can be found on the Broadway. The broadcast mast is sited, with many other antennae, atop Tolworth Tower.Tolworth is the home of its own community arts centre: The CornerHOUSE (Previously known as the Douglas Centre).
The suburb is served by
Tolworth railway station .Education
:"For education in Tolworth see the main Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames article."
port and recreation
Tolworth has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, where
Corinthian-Casuals (two amateur football teams that have since merged) plays its home games.Alexandra Park on King Charles Road has a
basketball court, as featured on the basketball website [http://www.streetball.co.uk Streetball.co.uk] .Cutural references
Tolworth is mentioned in the first episode of "
Monty Python's Flying Circus ", in the sketch 'Picasso/Cycling Race'.Notable residents
*
Alan Wheatley , who is probably best known for his role asThe Sheriff of Nottingham in the TV series "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in the 1950s, was born in Tolworth. He was also the first person killed by aDalek in an episode of "Doctor Who " in 1964.
*The actorDrew Varley , probably best known asMungojerrie in "Cats", was born here.
*Musician,Eric Clapton used to live in Tolworth, attending Hollyfield High School.References
External links
* [http://www.skyscrapernews.com/list2001.pdf UK skyscraper list 2001, for Tolworth Tower data]
* [http://www.radiojackie.com/ Radio Jackie]
* [http://www.thecornerhouse.org/ The CornerHOUSE]
* [http://www.surbiton.com/ Surbiton.com local community news]
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