Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

and since 1965 it has been in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

. Surbiton comprises four of the RBK's wards: Alexandra, Berrylands, St. Mark's, and Surbiton Hill. Founded originally as Kingston-upon-Railway when the area was first developed in the 1840s, Surbiton possesses a mixture of grand 19th-century townhouses, Art Deco courts, and more recent residential blocks blending in with semi-detached 20th-century housing estates. With a population of 45,132 in 2016, it accounts for approximately 25% of the total population of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Surbiton extends over an area of .

Etymology

Though Surbiton only received its current name in 1869, the name is attested as ''Suberton'' in 1179, ''Surbeton'' in 1263, ''Surpeton'' in 1486, and finally ''Surbiton'' 1597. ''Sūth Bere-tūn'' means "southern grange" or "outlying farm" in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

, as opposed to nearby Norbiton; both Norbiton and Surbiton were possessions of the royal manor of Kingston.

History

The present-day town came into existence after a plan to build a London-Southampton railway line through nearby

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

was rejected by Kingston Council, who feared that it would be detrimental to the coaching trade. This resulted in the line being routed further south, through a cutting in the hill south of Surbiton.

Surbiton railway station Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

opened in 1838, and was originally named ''Kingston-upon-Railway''. It was only renamed ''Surbiton'' to distinguish it from the new Kingston railway station on the Shepperton branch line, which opened on 1 January 1869. The present station has an art deco façade. As a result, Kingston is now on a branch line, whereas passengers from Surbiton (smaller in comparison) can reach London Waterloo in as little as 16 minutes on a fast direct service; as well as places further afield, including Portsmouth and Southampton. Surbiton was once home to

Surbiton Studios Surbiton Studios were a British film studio located in Surbiton, then on the outskirts of London. The studio was one of several opened during the boom in British production following the First World War. It was opened in and its first film was re ...

which were owned by

Stoll Pictures Stoll Pictures was a British film production and distribution company of the silent era, founded in April 1918. Background During the early to mid-1920s it was the largest film company in Britain and one of the biggest in Europe. Its major domes ...

, before the company shifted its main production to Cricklewood Studios.

Politics

Sessions House housed the Municipal Borough of Surbiton before Surbiton became part of

in 1965. file:Surbiton London UK blank ward map.svg, Location map of Surbiton within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and

National politics

Surbiton falls within the List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, UK parliamentary constituency of Kingston and Surbiton, which is represented in the House of Commons by

Sir Ed Davey Sir Edward Jonathan Davey (born 25 December 1965) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020. He served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2012 t ...

, a Liberal Democrat who served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change during the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition. Davey also represented the constituency between

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, having been ousted for a short period of time by Conservative James Berry. In the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

, Davey went on to defeat Berry by 45% to 38%. Both Davey's and Berry's offices were located in Surbiton's Berrylands ward. In the

2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

, Kingston and Surbiton voted to remain a member of the European Union by 61.7% of the local vote.

London politics

Surbiton is represented in the

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...

by Conservative Tony Arbour, as part of Greater London's South West constituency.

Local councillors

Surbiton elects 12 of the Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council's 48 councillors. As of the 2018 local elections, the council is controlled by the Liberal Democrats, and all Surbiton's elected councillors are members of that party.

Transport

Arriva Guildford & West Surrey 3976 GN07 AVR

Surbiton is served by a number of regular bus services. Transport for London bus routes 71,

281 __NOTOC__ Year 281 ( CCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Tiberianus (or, less frequently, year 1034 ...

406 __NOTOC__ Year 406 ( CDVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arcadius and Probus (or, less frequently, year 1159 '' Ab ...

418 __NOTOC__ Year 418 ( CDXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Theodosius (or, less frequently, year 11 ...

465 __NOTOC__ Year 465 ( CDLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hermenericus and Basiliscus (or, less frequently, year 12 ...

, K1, K2, K3, and K4, as well as Hallmark Connections route 458, Reptons Coaches route 513,

Falcon Coaches Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except List of birds of Antarctica, Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there i ...

routes 514 and 515, and Stagecoach South route 715 all serve the area. These provide links to Chessington, Kingston town centre, Twickenham, Hounslow, Epsom, Leatherhead,

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

, Cobham, Staines, Weybridge and

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. Surbiton is also close to two of London's largest airports: Heathrow and Gatwick. Railways have served the town since it was founded.

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

and Berrylands stations are both served by South Western Railway services. It provides rail links to London Waterloo, Surrey and Hampshire. If approval is granted for the project, Surbiton will be connected with the London Underground system via Crossrail 2. It is expected that the project will relieve pressure on both Surbiton and Berrylands stations. Surbiton lacks major motorways, although the

A3 road The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road or London Road in sections, is a major road connecting the City of London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified ...

cuts through Berrylands ward at Tolworth Underpass. Parts of the A307 that run along the River Thames, Portsmouth Road, have become part of the London cycle routes network.

Architecture

Education

Surbiton High School.

Demographics

Religion

Until the early 19th century, Surbiton, like Norbiton, lay in the parish of All Saints, Kingston upon Thames. As a result, Surbiton's two town centre parish churches, Saint Mark's and Saint Andrew's, date back only to the Victorian era. St Matthew's Avenue - geograph

There are two further Anglican parish churches in south Surbiton, Christ Church and Saint Matthew's, both also Victorian. Christ Church was built in 1862–63, by Charles Lock Luck and lengthened in 1866. The chancel aisles were added in 1864, and 1871. It has no tower, and is built of red brick with stone dressings with some black brick voussoirs. The east stained glass window was done by Clayton and Bell, the central stained glass window by Burne-Jones, while the other stained glass was done by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake. Saint Matthew's was completed in 1875, having taken less than 2 years to build. The church and the original vicarage were paid for by one man, William Matthew Coulthurst, who was the senior partner of Coutts Bank. On the outside of the east end of the church, there is a stone plaque recording this and the fact that it was partly built in memory of Hannah Mabella Coulthurst, the dead sister of William Matthew Coulthurst. Built into the wall behind the plaque, there is a photograph of Hannah, a copy of 'The Times' newspaper of the day and a letter from William Coulthurst stipulating that the church should remain in the evangelical tradition. The church and vicarage cost £26,500. The old vicarage was pulled down in 1939 and a subsequent one was built on the same plot. In 2012, work started on a new vicarage on part of the plot and this was completed in 2013. The East stained-glass window by Henry Holiday was destroyed by a V-1 flying bomb on 23 June 1944. They were replaced in 1953 with windows by

Hugh Easton Hugh Ray Easton (26 November 1906 – 15 August 1965) was an English stained-glass artist. His workshop was in Cambridge. Biography Hugh Easton was born in London, son of Frank (a doctor) and Alice ( Howland). He studied in France and worked fo ...

, with his maker's mark of a weather vane signed H Easton with a cockerel on the top. The Clayton memorial triptych window was installed in 1921, designed by

Louis Davis Louis Davis may refer to: *Chip Davis (born 1947), born Louis F. Davis, American musician *Louis Davis (architect) (1884–1962), American architect * Louis Davis (painter) (1860–1941), British artist See also * Lou Davis (1881–1961), American ...

, 'the last of the

Pre-Raphaelites The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

', and made by Thomas Cowall (1870-1949) for James Powell and Sons. The Caporn memorial window was installed in 1970 and designed by W T Carter Shapland who had also designed the West window at St Mark's. Some of the original windows by Powell & Sons survive, known as Quarry windows because they are made up of pre-stamped diamond-shaped glass known as 'Quarries'. Other churches in Surbiton include Surbiton Hill Methodist Church on Ewell Road, opened in 1882, and the Roman Catholic church of Saint Raphael's, completed in 1848 and located to the north of Surbiton, in the Kingston upon Thames postal district. In recent years, Surbiton has become more diverse in terms of religion, the Surbiton area having a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

Gurdwara and an Orthodox Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

. According to the 2011 Census, Muslims form the largest minority religious community at about 5% of the population; the nearest mosque is located in Kingston upon Thames.

Nationality

Approximately 74% of Surbiton's residents at the 2011 Census were born in the United Kingdom (73% in Alexandra, 71% in St. Mark's, 75% in Surbiton Hill, 76% in Berrylands). The largest ethnic group, with two-thirds of the population, is "White British", with "White Other" the second largest group at just under 10%.

Sport

Surbiton Lawn Tennis Club hosted international tennis from 1900 (Surrey Grass Court Championships - SGCC) until 1981 at the tennis Club in Berrylands. From 1998 to 2008 international tennis returned to Surbiton with an event hosted by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club (SRFC).

The Surbiton Trophy The Surbiton Trophy is a tennis tournament for male and female professional players played on grass courts. The event was held annually in Surbiton, England, from 1997 through 2008 as part of the ATP Challenger Series and ITF Women's Circuit. In ...

was part of the ATP Challenger Series and in 2009 the event was moved to Nottingham as part of a reorganisation by the LTA. The event came back to SRFC in 2015 and continues to be played at Berrylands.

Surbiton F.C. Surbiton Football Club was a short-lived England, English association football club based in the London suburb of Surbiton, founded by members of Kingston Rowing Club. It was a founder member of the Football Association. History The club's firs ...

was a short-lived football club that was among the founders of The Football Association in 1863. Surbiton is the current home of both male and female football teams, Darkside FC, Surbiton Wanderers and Surbiton Town Ladies FC.

Surbiton Hockey Club Surbiton Hockey Club is a field hockey club based in Long Ditton, Surrey, England. The club is one of the oldest hockey clubs in the world, being established in 1874. The home ground is based in Long Ditton, at Sugden Road. The club is currently ...

, established in 1874, is regarded as one of the best hockey clubs in the country. Its men's and ladies' 1st XIs currently both play in their respective national premier leagues, while its youth section regularly produces players of international quality. Surbiton is also the home to Surbiton Croquet Club, which is amongst the strongest croquet clubs in the country and, with seven lawns, one of the largest. The Cooper Car Company was based in a garage on Hollyfield Road from 1946 to 1968, celebrating wins in the Formula One Constructors Championships in 1959 and 1960 and developing the iconic Mini Cooper in 1961.

Popular culture and notable residents

Resident artists and writers

The Pre-Raphaelite painters John Everett Millais (1829–1896) and William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) came to Surbiton in 1851, 26 years before Richard Jefferies (1848–1887). Millais used the Hogsmill River, in Six Acre Meadow, Tolworth, as the background for his painting '' Ophelia''. Holman Hunt used the fields just south of this spot as the background to ''

The Hireling Shepherd ''The Hireling Shepherd'' (1851) is a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt. It represents a shepherd neglecting his flock in favour of an attractive country girl to whom he shows a death's-head hawkmoth. The meaning of the ...

''. In the mid-1870s the novelist

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

(1840–1928) lived in a house called 'St. David's Villa' in Hook Road, Surbiton for a year after his marriage to Emma Gifford.

H.G.Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

The Wheels of Chance ''The Wheels of Chance'' is an early comic novel by H. G. Wells about an August 1895 cycling holiday, somewhat in the style of ''Three Men in a Boat''. In 1922 it was adapted into a silent film ''The Wheels of Chance (film), The Wheels of Chance' ...

, describes the cycle collision of 'Mr Hoopdriver' and a 'Young Lady in Grey'; the young lady approaching 'along an affluent from the villas of Surbiton'. The writer Enid Blyton was governess to a Surbiton family for four years from 1920, at a house called 'Southernhay', also on the Hook Road.

C. H. Middleton Cecil Henry Middleton (22 February 1886 – 18 September 1945) was a British gardener, writer and one of the earliest radio and television broadcasters on gardening for the BBC. Middleton broadcast in Britain during the 1930s and 40s, especiall ...

(1886–1945), who broadcast on gardening during the Second World War, lived in Surbiton, where he died suddenly outside his home. The artist who brought Rupert the Bear to life for a whole generation, Alfred Bestall, sketched out his cartoons from his home in Cranes Park, Surbiton Hill.

In popular culture

Surbiton was the setting of

Keble Howard Keble Howard was the pen name of John Keble Bell (8 June 1875 – 29 March 1928). He was an English writer and journalist, who wrote a large number of novels, short stories, sketches and plays, mainly light comic pieces, often depicting subur ...

's novel ''The Smiths of Surbiton'', published in 1906. The novel proved successful and led to two sequels, ''The Smiths of Valley View'' (1909) and ''The Smiths in War-Time'' (1918), both also set in Surbiton. A 1972 episode of ''

Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known ...

'' featured a mock documentary which investigated whether the residents of Hounslow, another London area suburb, had long ago been descendants of the people of Surbiton "who had made the great trek north". Surbiton is popularly remembered as an icon of suburbia in such British television programmes as ''

The Good Life The Good Life or Good Life may refer to: Film * ''The Good Life'' (1996 film), a Spanish film by David Trueba * ''The Good Life'' (1997 film), an American crime comedy film * ''The Good Life'' (2007 film), a Canadian-American film by Stephen ...

'' (starring Richard Briers, Penelope Keith, Paul Eddington and Felicity Kendal), though location filming was done in Northwood, North-West London, and John Sessions and Phil Cornwell's comedy series ''

Stella Street ''Stella Street'' is a British television comedy programme, originally screened in four series on BBC Two between 1997 and 2001. It takes the form of a mockumentary filmed on a camcorder, based on the fantastical premise that a group of British ...

''. Surbiton station features in the 2009 film version of '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,'' with actors Daniel Radcliffe as

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

and

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

as Albus Dumbledore. Filming took place in November 2007. The station also appears in Agatha Christie's Poirot: ''The Adventure of the Clapham Cook'', a 1989

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

adaptation of the short story by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

. The station reflects the 1930s Art Deco style that often featured in locations used in the series. The guitarist and singer-songwriter

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

purchased one of his first guitars from a shop in Surbiton called ''Bells''; the shop has since closed. According to the cassette insert for the 1980s computer game '' Manic Miner'', the mine complex in which the game action takes place was located "while prospecting down Surbiton way..."

List of notable residents

* Thomas John Barnardo - Irish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and founder of Barnardo's charity. * Mike Batt - Singer, songwriter, musician, known for The Wombles * George Best – a retired footballer and TV pundit before his death (having been born in Belfast and lived much of his life in Manchester) * Alfred Bestall – illustrator of the

Rupert Rupert may refer to: People * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada *Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert' ...

books * Charlie Brooks – actress * William Bryant – co-founder of

Bryant and May Bryant & May was a British company created in the mid-19th century specifically to make matches. Their original Bryant & May Factory was located in Bow, London. They later opened other match factories in the United Kingdom and Australia, such ...

's matches, lived with his wife at their property 'Oakenshaw' in Surbiton * Wilberforce Bryant – chairman of

's matches, eldest son of co-founder William Bryant, lived at 'The Gables' (now Hillcroft College) *

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist a ...

– Archdeacon of Kingston-upon-Thames from 1879 to 1904 * Arthur Brian Burton, founder and owner of

Thames Ditton Foundry The Thames Ditton Foundry was a foundry in Thames Ditton, Surrey, which operated from 1874 to 1939 and which under various owners produced numerous major statues and monuments as one of the United Kingdom's leading firms of bronze founders.

* Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton – equality and human rights champion * Rosalbina Caradori-Allan – opera singer *

Frank Cellier Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

– actor * Julian Clary – comedian and novelist * William Francis Dundonald Cochrane – brigadier-general in the Army, and great-grandson of Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald * John Cooper – car maker * Allan Cuthbertson – actor * Ed Davey MP – politician,

leader of the Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a political party in the United Kingdom. Party members elect the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the head and highest-ranking member of the party. Liberal Democrat members of Parliament also elect a deputy leader of ...

* Phyllis Dixey – singer, dancer and impresario *

Bernard George Ellis Bernard George Ellis GC (21 November 1890 – 1 July 1979) was a junior officer in the British Army who was awarded the Albert Medal (AM) for bravery during World War I while serving in Mesopotamia. His Albert Medal was translated to the Geor ...

– winner of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

* David Essex – musician, singer-songwriter and actor, lived on Ditton Road for 16 years until 2002. * John Foxx – musician and digital artist, former resident * Susan George - actress * Eileen Gray – cyclist * Jennifer Guy – actress, ''

Cavegirl ''Cavegirl'' is a 2002-03 British TV series created and written by Daniel Peacock. It starred Stacey Cadman, Stephen Marcus and Lucinda Rhodes-Flaherty. It followed the adventures of a teenage cavegirl. Although based in a Stone Age world, t ...

'' *

– author (while completing and for the publishing of ''

Far from the Madding Crowd ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in ''Cornhill Magazine'', where it gained a wide readership. The novel is set in ...

'') *

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to th ...

– football manager * Saskia Howard-Clarke – ''

Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' ** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control ** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...

'' contestant and glamour model *

Leslie Illsley Leslie Illsley was an English artist and sculptor based in West Penwith. He was one of the founders of the Troika group (also known as Troika Pottery). Illsley is also the brother of prominent St Ives artist Bryan Illsley. Early life Illsley w ...

– artist and one of the founders of Troika Pottery * James Johnston – rugby union player, lived in Surbiton until 2013 while playing for Harlequins * Lukin Johnston – English-Canadian journalist who interviewed Adolf Hitler and subsequently disappeared * John Keen – racing cyclist * Rob Lee - former councillor * Lara Lewington – television presenter, attended

Surbiton High School Surbiton High School is a private independent school in Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England. It has seven buildings overall including the Boys’ Preparatory School, Girls’ Preparatory School, the Se ...

Chris McCausland Chris McCausland (born ) is a British actor and comedian. He is known to television audiences for his role as Rudi in the CBeebies show ''Me Too! (British TV series), Me Too!'' He regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including The ...

– comedian, '' Would I Lie To You?'', '' Live at the Apollo'' * John McCririck – horse racing pundit, '' Celebrity Big Brother'' (2005), and '' Ultimate Big Brother'' (2010) * Debbie McGee – widow of late magician Paul Daniels, born in Kingston, lived in Tolworth, went to Our Lady Immaculate and Tolworth Girls' Schools *

Art Malik Athar ul-Haque Malik (born 13 November 1952), known professionally as Art Malik, is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant Ivory tel ...

– actor * Dudley Mason GC – master of the SS ''Ohio'' *

("Mr Middleton") – gardener, writer and BBC broadcaster * William Newton - Olympic sports shooter, killed in World War I, grew up in Surbiton where his parents settled. *

Elizabeth Norton Elizabeth Norton is a British historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She obtained a Master of Arts in archaeology and anthropology from the University of Cambridge, being awarded a Double First Class degree, and a ...

– historian and author *

Betty Nuthall Betty May Nuthall Shoemaker (née Nuthall; 23 May 1911 – 8 November 1983) was an English tennis player. Known for her powerful forehand, according to Wallis Myers of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', Nuthall was ranked in the wor ...

– amongst other major titles, winner of the 1930 Women's US Singles Tennis Championship, ranked number 4 in the world *

Katherine Parkinson Katherine Jane Parkinson (born 9 March 1978) is an English actress. She appeared in Channel 4's ''The IT Crowd'' comedy series as Jen Barber, for which she received a British Comedy Best TV Actress Award in 2009 and 2014, and was nominated twic ...

- actress, IT Crowd * Andy Parsons – comedian, '' Mock The Week'' * Alf Pearson (of musical double act Bob and Alf Pearson) lived in Surbiton until 2007 *

Emma, Lady Radford Emma Louisa (Radford), Lady Radford, FSA, FRHistS, JP (died 26 April 1937) was an English antiquarian and public servant. A noted local historian and a contributor to the ''Dictionary of National Biography'', she was the first woman to be elected ...

– English antiquarian and public servant, incl. chairman of the Kingston-upon-Thames Women's Land Army. Resided at Chiswick House, Ditton Hill, Surbiton. * Jon Richardson – comedian, '' 8 out of 10 Cats'', ''

Stand Up for the Week ''Stand Up for the Week'' is a British television comedy series that was shown on Channel 4, featuring stand-up comedy performances reflecting topical events. The show began in June 2010 with a six-episode series aired on Friday nights, moving t ...

'' *

L. J. K. Setright Leonard John Kensell Setright (10 August 1931 – 7 September 2005) was an English journalist, motoring journalist and author. Early life and education Setright was born in London to Australian parents; his father, Henry Roy Setright, was an e ...

– motoring journalist and author * Dr. Helen Sharman – first Briton in space, first woman to visit Mir space station * David Spinx – actor * Twinkle (Lynn Ripley) – singer * Naunton Wayne – actor * Jimmy White - Snooker Player * Joe Wicks - Coach and personal trainer * Dorothy Wrinch – first woman to receive an Oxford DSc., 1938 Nobel Prize nominee, grew up in Surbiton

Geography

The terrain of Surbiton is relatively flat, except for a small hill near its centre. It is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in

, and borders the Borough of Elmbridge in

. Surbiton consists of several smaller areas, including much of Seething Wells.

Nearby areas

Surbiton is a post town in the

KT postcode area The KT postcode area, also known as the Kingston upon Thames postcode area,Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) is a group of 24 postcode districts in England, within 19 post towns. These cover boroughs in south-west Greater London ...

, consisting of the KT5 and KT6 postcode districts. KT5 includes Berrylands, Tolworth and part of Surbiton; and KT6 includes Tolworth, Long Ditton and part of Surbiton.

Gallery

Image:SurbitonClockTower.JPG, The clock tower at Surbiton was built to celebrate the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII. Image:SurbitonPlace.JPG, Claremont Road in Surbiton. Image:Surbiton.JPG, Shops in Victoria Road, Surbiton. Image:Surbiton War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1077838.jpg, Surbiton War Memorial Image:SomewhereinSurbiton.JPG, The roundabout outside Surbiton railway station Image:Surbitonbus.JPG, The bus shelter outside Surbiton railway station. Image:Surbiton Branch Office AD 1898, c.1994 - Flickr - sludgegulper.jpg, Surbiton Branch Post Office, subsequently redeveloped by

CNM Estates CNM can refer to: * CNM, IATA code for Cavern City Air Terminal, Carlsbad, New Mexico, US * CNM, station code for Cheltenham Spa railway station in Cheltenham, UK * cnm, ISO 639-3 code for the Chuj language * Central New Mexico Community College, i ...

. Image:Surbiton fire station - geograph.org.uk - 472247.jpg, Surbiton Fire Station

References

External links

Kingston Borough Council
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Surbiton People

Surbiton Croquet Club

Surbiton Parish Church
{{Authority control Areas of London Districts of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Districts of London on the River Thames Railway towns in England District centres of London