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Tadworth is a large suburban village in
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. ...
, England in the south-east of the Epsom Downs, part of the North Downs. It forms part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. At the 2011 census, Tadworth (and Walton-on-the-Hill) had a population of 7,123


History


Neolithic and Roman period in Britain

On a small farm to the north-west, South Tadworth Farm, directly at the top of the westward-facing Langley Vale and south of the
Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...
, is an Iron Age '' Banjo enclosure'', a term used by archaeologists for a distinctive type of prehistoric settlement. They were mostly constructed and used during the Middle Iron Age (400–100 BC), although some remained in use up to the time of the Roman Conquest (43 AD). There are three more rectangular inclosures, which may be mentioned here as being connected in all probability with the settlement of which this villa was part, though they are actually over the border of Banstead parish. Two of these are south of the two windmills south of Tadworth. They are well-marked, nearly square inclosures, with a mound and ditch and gateways to the east or south-east. They are east of the road from Betchworth to Banstead. The third is west of the road, and very close to Walton village; but though on land known commonly as Walton Heath, is actually on the Banstead side of the boundary. It is larger than the others, less well-preserved, and with a gateway to the north-west. Roman tiles may be found in or near all three. These inclosures have been commonly referred to as the 'Roman Camps' on Walton Heath, but it is not obvious that they were camps.


Dark and Middle Ages

Tadworth appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Tadeorde'' and ''Tadorne''. It was held partly by Halsart from William de Braiose and partly by Radulf (Ralph) from the
Bishop of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...
. Its domesday assets were: 2 hides. It had 5
plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
s, woodland worth 4 hogs. It rendered £3 15s 0d. Manorialism operated for the ensuing centuries. During this period the listed mills were erected in the south.


North Tadworth Manor

In 1273 John and James, sons of William Haunsard lord of North Tadworth Manor, gave a carucate of land, 2 acres of pasture, 12 acres of wood, and 20s. rent in North Tadworth and Little Bookham to the Priory of St Mary Overy – they held until the dissolution of the monasteries. However, in 1524 they gave it with the
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...
of Banstead to William Coltson and Richard Moys and Elizabeth his wife for a term of forty years, which was widened to complete ownership in effect by
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
. From the Crown to Thomas Walson and Robert Moys, eventually the manor was given up to the latter entirely and stayed in his family until his grandson Henry who held court in 1648. At Henry Moys's death the manor passed to his five sisters and co-heirs. In 1659 of the owners finally released their income and rights to Christopher Buckle of Burgh (Burgh Heath, see Domesday section for example in Kingswood). Only in 1663 did he acquire the remaining fifth. Since that time North Tadworth has been held as part of the manor of Burgh in Banstead parish.


South Tadworth Manor

No
Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
, Assize Roll, Patent Roll or other manuscript has been found to explain how the Merton Priory came by the manor of South Tadworth, in Domesday ''Tadeorde'', but the priory gained it around the same time when the priory gained Banstead Manor; for they held it in 1291. As with the other manor, this manor was held by a priory until
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's dissolution of the monasteries.
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
wanted this land as his own so attached it to the wide, not all joined up, honour of Hampton Court. In 1553 Edward VI granted it
in fee A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
to Edward Harendon, also seen as Herrenden, whose children relinquished it from one to the other by fine. In 1631–32 Thomas Grymes acquired it leaving it to his son who became Sir George Grymes; in the English Civil War Robert Wilson acquired and conveyed it to Leonard Wessel icin 1694, who held the manor for ten years during which time he rebuilt in into today's Grade I listed Queen Anne building, children's home and charity headquarters, Tadworth Court. Later an Act of Parliament enabled a fee tail to be cleared off to sell the manor for lack of descendants of John Fleetwood who earlier acquired it, selling it to William Mabbot. Mabbot died at Tadworth Court in 1764, having devised his property to his wife, Lady Rhoda Delves and daughter Rhoda, who with Edward Beaver sold the Court to Sir Henry Harpur in 1773. Robert Hudson and later his widow held from 1808 to c. 1860 followed by Lord Chief Justice Sir Charles Russell, created later first Baron Russell of Killowen and held from 1900 by C. D. Morton.


Rectory Manors of Banstead

These were held by
St Mary Overie Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...
Priory until the dissolution and at various times included the above two manors and the manor of Southmerfield. In 1732 Edward Fulham, son and heir of Anne daughter and eventually heir of Robert Wayth, sold his fifth share to Christopher Buckle. After this time the entire
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...
descended with the advowson (right to call a vicar), and the Earl of Egmont is the present impropriator of the great tithes with the exception of those in South Tadworth, which apparently passed out of the hands of the owner of the rectory in 1551. Theoretically therefore chancel repair liability can apply to those lay impropriators who acquired the land of the South Tadworth manor of 1551 and of the 1911 Earl of Egmont's Banstead Manor in the village of Banstead which he bought in 1847.


Post Reformation

During this period South Tadworth manor's purchasing Lord of the Manor, Leonard Wessels rebuilt the manor on its site and renamed it Tadworth Court in 1700.


Post Industrial Revolution

In 1848, the publisher Samuel Lewis described the place only under Banstead, where the living was a perpetual curacy and "A place of worship for dissenters in Tadworth"; much of the proverbial ''Banstead Mutton pasture'' was at that time being replaced by tilled fields. The great tithes were commuted for £393, the vicarial lesser tithes for £300, and a rent-charge of £201. 5. 9. was payable to the trustees of
Newport Grammar School Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport, formerly Newport Free Grammar School, is a school in Newport, Essex, England. It was founded in 1588. The school is a mixed secondary school with a sixth form. It previously existed in different forms includ ...
; the glebe (of Banstead) consisted of 6½ acres. In 1874 a school board was formed for Banstead, Tadworth, and Kingswood, and in 1875 Tadworth and Kingswood School was opened by the board, now Kingswood Primary School. Still in 1911 topographer and historian H. E. Malden describes Tadworth in detail but summarises it as "Tadworth is a hamlet on the Reigate road, included now in the ecclesiastical district of Kingswood". However, by that date there was "a Baptist chapel at Tadworth". The British Transport Police's training headquarters was located at a site between Tadworth and Walton-on-the-Hill until it was closed in 2010. The Dog Section Training School which shared the site was relocated to Keston at this time, to the same location as the Metropolitan Police Dog Training School.


Geography

Neighbouring settlements include Walton-on-the-Hill, Kingswood, Epsom, Burgh Heath, Banstead, Reigate. Tadworth lay within the Copthorne hundred, an administrative division devised by the Saxons and later adopted by the Normans. There are no watercourses draining the area as the chalk easily absorbs water on the Downs. The Tattenham Corner Branch Line forms a deep, curved cutting running past gardens in the centre of the village as it turns to the racecourse to the north, and arrives from a tunnel immediately south of the Tadworth Roundabout preserving the gently wooded heath there. The village adjoins in its north-west corner the top of Langley Vale, topped by the Iron Age enclosure in South Tadworth Farm.Iron Age banjo enclosure, associated enclosure and linear features, 323m south-west of South Tadworth Farm
Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...
is home to The Derby and forms a contiguous development with ''the Tattenhams'', a ward consisting of: the neighbourhoods of Great Tattenhams in the north by Nork, Banstead; Little Tattenhams and Tattenham Corner, see
Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner is in north Surrey, UK, the name is principally associated with Epsom Racecourse. The railway station of the same name is in the Tattenhams ward of Reigate and Banstead Borough. Location Tattenham Corner refers to the sharp ...
.


Elevation, geology and soil

The entire village sits on top of the North Downs and, taken as a whole, slopes very gradually from the north from 180m AOD in the south to 151m AOD at the top of Langley Vale (Downsway Close/Kingswood Road). Tadworth is roughly rectangular and is under a mile broad as it has historically been taken to include Banstead Heath to the south, on which it was placed.Map
created by Ordnance Survey, courtesy of English Heritage
Its geology is that of the North Downs (see Surrey – Geology); as to soil, Chipstead, Banstead and Tadworth have the first free-draining, slightly acid loamy soil that tops the wider downs to Guildford and is found around Dorking; it is seen further along the
Hog's Back The Hog's Back is a hilly ridge, part of the North Downs in Surrey, England. It runs between Farnham in the west and Guildford in the east. Name Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hence ...
along its northern side as well in
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. ...
.


Local government

Surrey County Council elected every four years, has one representative; Mr Jeff Harris (
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
) The second party forming the main local opposition in the 2009 election, was the UKIP candidate gaining 1042 votes versus the winning candidate's 2721. Three councillors sit on Reigate and Banstead borough council, who are:


Landmarks


The Children's Trust

The Children's Trust, Tadworth 'The Children's Trust'' is the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury. The Children's Trust runs a range of specialist care, education and therapy services for children and young people from across the UK, including the UK's larges ...
a national charity providing special care for severely disabled children and rehabilitation to children with acquired brain injuries. This is housed in Tadworth Court. Tadworth Court is a grand Grade I listed building and was built at the height of
Queen Anne style architecture The Queen Anne style of British architecture refers to either the English Baroque architecture of the time of Queen Anne (who reigned from 1702 to 1714) or the British Queen Anne Revival form that became popular during the last quarter of the ...
in the very early 18th century – namely here in 1700 for Leonard Wessels, Lord of the Manor of Banstead.


The Water Tower

Tower House, Tower Road, Tadworth This building was constructed in 1898 and provided water from the springs of the Sutton District Water Company in Sutton. This enabled substantial development to take place locally. The tower was decommissioned in the early 20th century in favour of one at Colley Hill. The tower has been a prominent landmark on the edge of the heath and now is a domestic residence.


Demography

At the 2001 Census Tadworth had a population of 9,522 in 3,792 households.


Religious buildings

The Church of the Good Shepherd is the local
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church, which celebrated its centenary in 2012. It is open daily and has a church hall. St. John the Evangelist is the local Roman Catholic church for the area. It is a modern church and parish, being built and created in the mid-twentieth century.


Sport

Tadworth has a
Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
club
Banstead Athletic F.C. Banstead Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Tadworth, near Epsom in Surrey, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Merland Rise. They are affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association. History The clu ...
who play at Merland Rise. Tadworth Athletic Club is Tadworth's local running club with men's and women's teams. Formed in 1981, they train on local roads in the winter and on the Downs in the summer every Tuesday evening. The teams participate in the Surrey Cross-Country League and the Surrey Road Running League. The men's team, led by David Williamson, won the Surrey Road League in 2012. The club caters for all abilities up to and including a number of sub 3hr Marathon runners. Each January, the club organises the Tadworth Ten race that attracts hundreds of runners. It starts and ends at Epsom Downs Racecourse and passes through Tadworth and Walton-on-the-Hill. Tadworth
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
Club is situated opposite the Duke's Head Pub, on the south-east side of the B2032. It has picturesque grounds surrounded by woodland and with the lighting from the pubs opposite illuminating it on a summer's evening. The club was founded in 1903, and at that time the club was originally based at a site some 400 yards north of where it is currently situated. It is not known exactly when the club moved to its present site, but it is believed to be before the First World War. The 'Green' was substantially smaller then and lacked a pavilion. In 1951 the club members built a new pavilion near the present site. It, along with the whole of the clubs' records and ground equipment, were destroyed by fire. The new pavilion was opened by
Alf Gover Alfred Richard Gover (29 February 1908 – 7 October 2001) was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War. He also founded and ran a ...
(formerly of Surrey CCC and England) during Tadworth Village week in 1993. During the summer months, cricket is played at the ground by members of the Club. The club has three adult teams, two of which play on Saturday afternoons in the Surrey Downs League, and the other plays Sundays. The club also has a thriving colts section, with players aged 8–16 who play competitive cricket in the NEC Surrey Colts League.


Culture and community


Shops and services

The village has two, or possibly three, small shopping areas. The largest is around the station, approximately in the centre of the Tadworth area. There is another towards the south of the area, nearer to Walton Heath, and a third, known locally as Shelvers Hill, to the north, near to Epsom Downs. The shops in these areas are part of the increasingly rare British village landscape, featuring amongst them a butcher’s shop, fishmonger and game dealer,
baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...
,
greengrocer A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United ...
and delicatessen. There are also two estate agents, a travel agent, an off licence, a gift shop, several
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
s and two
newsagent A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...
s/general stores. Services include one bank a post office, a medical centre, a
dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...
, an optician, tyre specialist and a vet's surgery. There are three public houses situated to the south-east of the village centre, along the B2032 Dorking Road, these being the Blue Anchor, the Dukes' Head and Inn on the Green. International film actress,
Betty Stockfeld Betty Stockfeld (15 January 190527 January 1966), often misspelled "Stockfield", was an Australian film actress. She appeared mostly in British and French films. Betty was the daughter of Sydney businessman Harry Hooper Stockfeld and Susan Eli ...
died in Tadworth on the 27th. of January, 1966.


Scouting

1st Tadworth Sea Scout Group was registered on 2 December 1947, originally 1st Tadworth (Church of the Good Shepherd). They became Sea Scouts in 1997 following the Scout Masters' passion for sailing. The group falls under Banstead District. and follows the Policies, Organisation and Rules of the UK Scout Association.


Education

* St John's Nursery School is situated to the side of St John's catholic church on The Avenue. * Tadworth Primary School is located on the Tadworth Park estate to the east of the village centre, with entrances on Heathcote and Tadorne Road. * The nearest secondary school is The Beacon School in Banstead with alternative schools in Ashtead, Epsom or Reigate. * Independent co-educational preparatory school,
Chinthurst School Chinthurst School is an independent co-educational nursery, pre-preparatory and preparatory school in semi-rural surroundings in the village of Tadworth, Surrey, England, 15 miles south of the centre of London. As a member of the RGS Group, ...
is located to the south of the village, on the road to Walton-on-the-Hill, and caters for boys and girls aged two to eleven years.


Transport


Rail

There are two national rail stations, Tadworth close to the centre of the village and for some residents Tattenham Corner railway station is nearer, adjoining Epsom Downs. Both are in Oyster card Zone 6 and are run by the Southern Railway. There are 2 Surrey CC bus services which operate through the town, namely the 420 and 460 both run by Metrobus. Route 420 runs from Sutton through Bandstead, Tadworth following the
A217 The A217 is a road in London and Surrey in England. It runs north–south. It runs from Kings Road in Fulham, London, crosses the Thames at Wandsworth Bridge, then passes through Wandsworth, Earlsfield, Summerstown, Tooting, Mitcham, Rosehi ...
through Reigate and terminates at Whitebushes with an extension to
Crawley Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...
on Sundays, while route 460 runs from Epsom through Epsom Downs, Tadworth, Reigate, Gatwick Airport and then Crawley bus station.
Metrobus network map dated July 2022 DF document © Go-Ahead Group et. al. 2022.


Roads

The wood-lined Brighton Road (
A217 The A217 is a road in London and Surrey in England. It runs north–south. It runs from Kings Road in Fulham, London, crosses the Thames at Wandsworth Bridge, then passes through Wandsworth, Earlsfield, Summerstown, Tooting, Mitcham, Rosehi ...
) marks the eastern boundary of Tadworth as a
dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
with direct access of Reigate Hill junction of the
M25 London Orbital Motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...
across Banstead/Walton Heath to the south.


References


External links

* {{authority control Villages in Surrey Reigate and Banstead