Merstham

Merstham

Coordinates: 51°15′50″N 0°09′09″W / 51.2640°N 0.1525°W / 51.2640; -0.1525

Merstham
Merstham is located in Surrey
Merstham

 Merstham shown within Surrey
Population 7,385 [1]
OS grid reference TQ295535
District Reigate and Banstead
Shire county Surrey
Region South East
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Redhill
Postcode district RH1
Dialling code 01737
Police Surrey
Fire Surrey
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament Reigate
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Merstham is a village in the Reigate and Banstead borough of Surrey, England, in the London commuter belt. It is just north of Redhill, near the intersection of the M25 and M23 motorways, on the edge of the North Downs and on the North Downs Way.

Contents

History

The area has been settled since pre-Roman times.

A piece of the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway near Quality Street

The village lay within the Reigate hundred, an Anglo-Saxon administrative division. Its name was recorded in 947 as Mearsætham, which seems to be Anglo-Saxon Mearþ-sǣt-hām = "Homestead near a trap set for [[marten]s or weasels".

Merstham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Merstan. It was held by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Its domesday assets were: 5 hides; 1 church, 1 mill worth 2s 6d, 10 ploughs, 8 acres (32,000 m2) of meadow, woodland and herbage worth 41 hogs. It rendered £12.[2]

The area has long been known for its quarries, and it was to serve these that the village became the terminus of the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway, an extension of the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway of 1803, the world's first public railway[citation needed]. A small section of the railway is on display near Quality Street.

The village's oldest church, St. Katharine's, dates from approximately 1100, and the current building originates from approximately 1220.

Merstham's most historic street is called 'Quality Street'. This was so named after the male and female lead actors in J.M. Barrie's play of the same name lived in the 'Old Forge' at the end of the street.

The earlier of the two Merstham railway tunnels was the scene of a murder on 24 September 1905. The mutilated body of Mary Sophia Money was found in the tunnel and was first thought to be a case of suicide. On inspection, however, a scarf was found in the victim's throat, and marks on the tunnel wall showed that she had been thrown from a moving train. The crime was never solved, but suspicion rested on Miss Money's brother, Robert Money.

After World War II, a large housing estate was built to the south-east of Merstham village. This area has its own shops and amenities, and is usually known as Merstham Estate. South Merstham is south of both mentioned areas and is made up of mainly Victorian and Edwardian terraces, which served Albury Manor. There is currently a new development underway in South Merstham close to Mercers Park, called Water-Colour. The old village is sometimes known as Old or Top Merstham.

Rockshaw Road, in Top Merstham, was developed at the very end of the 19th century and between the World Wars was home to many notable people, among them senior Army and Navy figures, financiers and politicians.[3]

At the junction of Battlebridge Lane and Nutfield Road is All Saints church, the original building of which was destroyed in the war. Volunteers from the Canadian regiments worked to build a temporary church for the village, which became known as Canada Hall and is used as a village hall and weekly meeting hall for some Merstham branches of the Girl Guides.

Transport

Buses run to Croydon, Coulsdon, Purley and Redhill town centre.

The village is served by Merstham railway station on the Brighton Main Line, with services to Croydon, London Bridge and London Victoria, and Gatwick Airport is a few miles to the south.

References

  1. ^ Census data
  2. ^ Surrey Domesday Book
  3. ^ The history of Edwardian houses at the Rockshaw Road

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Merstham F.C. — Merstham Full name Merstham Football Club Nickname(s) The Moatsiders Founded 1892 …   Wikipedia

  • Merstham railway station — Merstham Location Place Merstha …   Wikipedia

  • Merstham tunnels — Coordinates: 51°16′26″N 0°09′07″W / 51.274°N 0.152°W / 51.274; 0.152 …   Wikipedia

  • Surrey Iron Railway — Watercolour showing the Surrey Iron Railway, the first public railway company , passing Chipstead Valley Road, Surrey. Locale England Dates of operation …   Wikipedia

  • Coulsdon South railway station — Coulsdon South …   Wikipedia

  • Croydon — For the larger local government district, see London Borough of Croydon. For other uses, see Croydon (disambiguation). Coordinates: 51°22′22″N 0°06′36″W /  …   Wikipedia

  • Metrobus (South East England) — Metrobus 476 (YN53 RYF), a Scania OmniDekka ex London bus in Horsham Parent …   Wikipedia

  • Crawley and District Football League — The Crawley and District Football League was a football competition in England. In its final season, it had three divisions, headed by the Premier Division, with Divisions One and Two below. The league members could apply for promotion to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Michael Gordon (footballer) — Michael Gordon Personal information Full name Michael Alexander Gordon[1] Date of birth …   Wikipedia

  • Croydon Canal — A short section of the canal remains in Betts Park, Anerley Date of act 1801 Date of first use 1809 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”