Kingswood, Surrey
Encyclopedia
Kingswood is a village
in Surrey
just to the east of the A217
near Tadworth
. Other nearby villages are Lower Kingswood
, Chipstead, Burgh Heath
and Walton-on-the-Hill
. The village forms a ward with Burgh Heath in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead
. The census area of Kingswood with Burgh Heath has a population of 6,219.
There are several independent shops, a large mock-Tudor
public house, called the "Kingswood Arms", and a railway station along the northern side of the main street, Waterhouse Lane. The southern side is not built up and looks out onto open fields.
The first specific reference to Kingswood is in the Domesday Book
, where a passage in the entry for Ewell states that ‘2 hides and 1 virgate were removed from this manor; they were there before 1066, but reeves lent them to their friends; and 1 woodland pasture and 1 croft’.
Kingswood is today characterised by housing which is described as Arcadian, which implies it is 'spacious and tree-dominated'.
M.P. From 1948 until 2010 it was used to house the BBC
's Research and Development department. Octagon Developments completed the purchase of Kingswood Warren on 1 March 2010.
The original church of St Andrew was built in 1835, in a "Norman" style of architecture, accommodating a congregation of 150. It was consecrated in 1836 and became a parish church in 1838. It soon proved too small for the growing population and in 1848 work began on a larger building on another site. The present St. Andrew's Church was built between 1848 and 1852 at the expense of the then owner of Kingswood Warren, Thomas Alcock. It was built in imitation of the fourteenth century church at Shottesbrooke, Berkshire under the supervision of the architect Benjamin Ferrey
. In younger years Thomas Alcock had been a frequent house guest of the Vansittart family at Shottesbrooke Park in Berkshire and worshipped at the church there. The old church served as a parish hall until its demolition in the early twentieth century.
The financial services company Legal & General
has one of its largest office
s (not its registered office
) at a site on the northern outskirts of Kingswood. Its corporate training centre, known as St Monica's, was once a girls' boarding school of the same name. A notable former student was the author Vera Brittain
. It was used as the fictional St Trinian's in the comedy films of that name.
is on the Tattenham Corner Line
, close to the centre of the village. No bus
services pass through the village. The nearest bus stop
is on the A217, on the side of the Tadworth roundabout, for services to Reigate
and Redhill
; or for services to Epsom
and Sutton
the stop is across the A217 opposite Tadworth Children's Hospital.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
just to the east of the A217
A217 road
The A217 is a road in the United Kingdom. It runs south from Kings Road in Fulham, London, crossing the Thames at Wandsworth Bridge, then passing through Wandsworth, Tooting, Mitcham, Cheam, Banstead, crossing the M25 motorway at Junction 8, then passing through Reigate and terminating shortly...
near Tadworth
Tadworth
Tadworth is a large suburban village in Surrey, on the south-east slope of Epsom Downs. It forms part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The census area Tadworth and Walton has a population of 7,016. Neighbouring settlements include Walton-on-the-Hill, Kingswood, Epsom, Burgh Heath, Banstead,...
. Other nearby villages are Lower Kingswood
Lower Kingswood
Lower Kingswood is a small village located in Surrey, just within the M25 motorway. It is between Kingswood and Reigate, and is bisected by the A217 dual carriageway...
, Chipstead, Burgh Heath
Burgh Heath
Burgh Heath is a residential area of the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is located on the A217 road, between Banstead and Tadworth. A neighbouring village is Nork...
and Walton-on-the-Hill
Walton-on-the-Hill
Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, is a village in England, situated midway between Reigate and Epsom, just inside the M25 orbital motorway around London. It is situated close to the larger village of Tadworth. Other neighbouring villages include: Kingswood, Burgh Heath, Headley and Box Hill...
. The village forms a ward with Burgh Heath in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in east Surrey England. It covers the towns of Reigate, Banstead, Redhill and Horley....
. The census area of Kingswood with Burgh Heath has a population of 6,219.
There are several independent shops, a large mock-Tudor
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
public house, called the "Kingswood Arms", and a railway station along the northern side of the main street, Waterhouse Lane. The southern side is not built up and looks out onto open fields.
The first specific reference to Kingswood is in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, where a passage in the entry for Ewell states that ‘2 hides and 1 virgate were removed from this manor; they were there before 1066, but reeves lent them to their friends; and 1 woodland pasture and 1 croft’.
Kingswood is today characterised by housing which is described as Arcadian, which implies it is 'spacious and tree-dominated'.
Notable buildings
Kingswood Warren is a battlemented Gothick mansion to the south of the village, much enlarged in the early nineteenth century by the architect, T.R. Knowles, for its owner, Thomas AlcockThomas Alcock (MP)
Thomas Alcock was a British politician.Thomas Alcock was born in Putney,the son of Joseph Alcock of Roehampton. He was educated at Harrow and served briefly in the 1st Dragoon Guards...
M.P. From 1948 until 2010 it was used to house the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Research and Development department. Octagon Developments completed the purchase of Kingswood Warren on 1 March 2010.
The original church of St Andrew was built in 1835, in a "Norman" style of architecture, accommodating a congregation of 150. It was consecrated in 1836 and became a parish church in 1838. It soon proved too small for the growing population and in 1848 work began on a larger building on another site. The present St. Andrew's Church was built between 1848 and 1852 at the expense of the then owner of Kingswood Warren, Thomas Alcock. It was built in imitation of the fourteenth century church at Shottesbrooke, Berkshire under the supervision of the architect Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....
. In younger years Thomas Alcock had been a frequent house guest of the Vansittart family at Shottesbrooke Park in Berkshire and worshipped at the church there. The old church served as a parish hall until its demolition in the early twentieth century.
The financial services company Legal & General
Legal & General
Legal & General Group Plc , commonly known as Legal & General, is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its products include life insurance, general insurance, pensions and investments. It has operations in the United Kingdom, Egypt, France, Germany,...
has one of its largest office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s (not its registered office
Registered office
Registered office is a term used to describe the address which is registered with the government registrar as the official address of a company, an association or any other legal entity. Generally it will form part of the public record...
) at a site on the northern outskirts of Kingswood. Its corporate training centre, known as St Monica's, was once a girls' boarding school of the same name. A notable former student was the author Vera Brittain
Vera Brittain
Vera Mary Brittain was a British writer, feminist and pacifist, best remembered as the author of the best-selling 1933 memoir Testament of Youth, recounting her experiences during World War I and the beginning of her journey towards pacifism.-Life:Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Brittain was the...
. It was used as the fictional St Trinian's in the comedy films of that name.
Transport
Kingswood railway stationKingswood railway station
Kingswood railway station is in the county of Surrey. It is a late-Victorian station on the Tattenham Corner Line. Train services and the station are operated by Southern....
is on the Tattenham Corner Line
Tattenham Corner Line
The Tattenham Corner Line is a railway line in Southern England. It was opened in two parts: from Purley to Tadworth as the Chipstead Valley Railway in 1893, and to Tattenham Corner as the Epsom Downs Extension Railway in 1894. Both companies were then acquired by the South Eastern Railway...
, close to the centre of the village. No bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services pass through the village. The nearest bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
is on the A217, on the side of the Tadworth roundabout, for services to Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
and Redhill
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
; or for services to Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
and Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
the stop is across the A217 opposite Tadworth Children's Hospital.
Famous residents
- Chris ColemanChris Coleman (footballer)Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
- former manager of Fulham Football ClubFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season... - Ben ThatcherBen ThatcherBenjamin David "Ben" Thatcher is a professional association football player, who is currently a free agent...
- Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
footballer - Mark PembridgeMark PembridgeMark Anthony Pembridge is a former footballer whose favoured position was the left side of midfield. He won numerous caps for Wales. He is currently a coach at the academy for Fulham.-Club career:...
- former Fulham Football ClubFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season... - Danny Murphy - Fulham Football ClubFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
footballer - Simon JordanSimon JordanSimon Jordan is an English businessman who made his fortune in the mobile phone industry. In 2000 he purchased Crystal Palace Football Club and remained chairman of the club until they entered administration in early 2010....
- Owner of Crystal Palace Football ClubCrystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... - Nigel Reo-CokerNigel Reo-CokerNigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker is an English footballer of Sierra Leonean descent. He currently plays for Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League. He is known for being a robust midfielder with good overall tackling and passing qualities...
- Aston Villa Football ClubAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... - Steve SidwellSteve SidwellSteven James "Steve" Sidwell is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fulham in the Premier League. His previous clubs include Arsenal, Reading, Chelsea and Aston Villa.-Arsenal:...
- Aston Villa footballer - Arjen RobbenArjen RobbenArjen Robben is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills...
- Chelsea footballer