Oxted
Encyclopedia
Oxted is a commuter town
in Surrey
, England
at the foot of the North Downs
, north of East Grinstead
and south-east of Croydon
.
administrative division of Tandridge
hundred
.
Oxted appears in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Acstede, meaning 'Place where oaks grew'. It was held by Eustace II of Boulogne
. Its Domesday assets were: 5 hide
s; 1 church, 2 mill
s worth 12s 6d, 20 plough
s, 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of meadow
, pannage
worth 100 hogs. It rendered £14 and 2d from a house in Southwark
.
The original village of Oxted (now Old Oxted) is a small village centred around a short high street with four pubs (The Old Bell, The George Inn, The Crown Inn and The Wheatsheaf) just off the A25. Oxted's oldest church (St Mary's) was built some distance north-east from the original settlement of Oxted, but it is almost surrounded by the new town. The church dates from at least Norman times and stands on a conspicuous mound, perhaps artificial. It is possible that a Saxon church of wattle and daub existed on the site before the later stone construction. With the arrival of the railway in 1884 (after many years' delay caused by lack of funds) Oxted boomed around its station
, north-east of Old Oxted), and new buildings created "New Oxted". These new buildings were built in the Tudor
style.
The Greenwich Meridian runs through Oxted School
and Oxted.
In 2011 The Daily Telegraph
listed Oxted as the twentieth richest town in Britian.
Oxted is one of the few Surrey towns to retain its town brass band, Oxted Band, which has been a permanent fixture within the town since 1901.
(Oxted County School until 2000), which is a large secondary school
. Opened in 1929, it has over 2000 pupils and is one of the largest in the country.
There are two other state schools in Oxted, Downs Way primary school and St Mary's C of E junior school
.
There is one private school, Hazelwood School
(co-education 2.5 to 13 years).
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at the foot of the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, north of East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and south-east of Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
History
The town lay within the Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
administrative division of Tandridge
Tandridge (hundred)
Tandridge was a hundred in what is now Surrey, England. It includes the borough of Tandridge.It includes the parishes of Bletchingley, Caterham, Chelsham, Crowhurst, Farleigh, Godstone, Horne, Limpsfield, Lingfield, Oxted, Tandridge, Tatsfield, Titsey, Warlingham and Woldingham.The hundred has...
hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
.
Oxted appears 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...
of 1086 as Acstede, meaning 'Place where oaks grew'. It was held by Eustace II of Boulogne
Eustace II of Boulogne
Eustace II, , also known as Eustace aux Gernons was count of Boulogne from 1049–1087, fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards received a large honour in England. He is one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror.He was the son of Eustace I...
. Its Domesday assets were: 5 hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
s; 1 church, 2 mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
s worth 12s 6d, 20 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
, pannage
Pannage
Pannage is the practice of turning out domestic pigs in a wood or forest, in order that they may feed on fallen acorns, beechmast, chestnuts or other nuts. Historically, it was a right or privilege granted to local people on common land or in royal forests...
worth 100 hogs. It rendered £14 and 2d from a house in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
.
The original village of Oxted (now Old Oxted) is a small village centred around a short high street with four pubs (The Old Bell, The George Inn, The Crown Inn and The Wheatsheaf) just off the A25. Oxted's oldest church (St Mary's) was built some distance north-east from the original settlement of Oxted, but it is almost surrounded by the new town. The church dates from at least Norman times and stands on a conspicuous mound, perhaps artificial. It is possible that a Saxon church of wattle and daub existed on the site before the later stone construction. With the arrival of the railway in 1884 (after many years' delay caused by lack of funds) Oxted boomed around its station
Oxted railway station
Oxted railway station is a relatively busy interchange station and terminus located in Surrey, in the South East region of England. At present, all train services are provided by Southern. The station is the busiest suburban station on the Oxted Line and is a terminus for some services on the...
, north-east of Old Oxted), and new buildings created "New Oxted". These new buildings were built in the 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...
style.
The Greenwich Meridian runs through Oxted School
Oxted School
Oxted School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the English town of Oxted, Surrey. It was opened in 1929 as the first mixed grammar school in Surrey and now has over 2000 pupils aged 11–18)...
and Oxted.
In 2011 The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
listed Oxted as the twentieth richest town in Britian.
Oxted is one of the few Surrey towns to retain its town brass band, Oxted Band, which has been a permanent fixture within the town since 1901.
Notable residents
- Artist Albert HouthuesenAlbert HouthuesenAlbert Houthuesen was a Dutch-born British artist. He was born in Amsterdam, but came to London in 1912, following the death of his father. During the 1920s, he studied at the Royal College of Art with Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Edward Burra, Ceri Richards and Cecil Collins...
lived and painted in Oxted in 1950. - Since the 1970s businessman Mohamed Al-FayedMohamed Al-FayedMohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
has lived at Barrow Green Court and farm near Oxted. - Band RoosterRoosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
come from the Oxted area. - Photographer Bert HardyBert HardyBert Hardy was a documentary and press photographer known for his work published in the Picture Post magazine between 1941 and1957....
moved to Oxted in 1964 and died there in 1995. - Palaeontologist, TV presenter and author, Alan Charig lived in Oxted from 1958 until his death in 1997.
- Singer LouiseLouise RedknappLouise Elizabeth Redknapp is an English singer and media personality. She was a member of the girl group Eternal from 1992 to 1995, before becoming a solo singer . She has presented several television shows and served as a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance...
, formerly of the band EternalEternal (band)Eternal were an English R&B girl group formed in 1992. The group featured two sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, alongside Kelle Bryan and Louise Nurding...
and now married to footballer Jamie RedknappJamie RedknappJamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
, lived in Oxted during her childhood. - Television presenter Kim WoodburnKim WoodburnKim Woodburn is an English television presenter and expert cleaner who is best known for co-presenting the British television programme How Clean Is Your House? and in 2007, starred in the Canadian series Kim's Rude Awakenings.-Early career:Woodburn undertook many jobs in her adult life...
lives in Old Oxted - Footballers who have lived in Oxted include Julián SperoniJulián SperoniJulián Maria Speroni is an Argentine footballer who plays for Crystal Palace in the Championship. He wears the number 1 shirt and is a goalkeeper.-Dundee:...
, goalkeeper for Crystal Palace Football Club, Ian PearceIan PearceIan Anthony Pearce is an English footballer who plays as a defender, spending the majority of his career in the Premier League. He is currently playing for Kingstonian in the Isthmian Premier League....
who is currently assistant manager at Lincoln City Football Club, Hull City A.F.C.Hull City A.F.C.Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
striker Nicky ForsterNicky ForsterNicholas Michael "Nicky" Forster is a former professional footballer who has also been player-manager at Brentford, and is now manager of Dover Athletic...
, former Manchester City and Middlesbrough midfielder, Jamie PollockJamie PollockJamie Pollock is a retired professional football player.-Playing career:His career began at Middlesbrough where he played as a defensive midfielder. He left Middlesbrough in 1996 joining Spanish side CA Osasuna. After failing to make an impression in Spain he returned to England, signing for...
, and former Hearts winger, David Wagstaff, retired to Oxted in 1993. - Reality star and former Atomic KittenAtomic KittenAtomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
member, Kerry KatonaKerry KatonaKerry Jayne Elizabeth Katona is an English media personality and singer best known for her television work, predominantly in light entertainment and reality shows. She has also been a pop singer with girl group Atomic Kitten, a magazine columnist, an actress, and the author of ghostwritten books...
.
Education
Oxted's main school is Oxted SchoolOxted School
Oxted School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the English town of Oxted, Surrey. It was opened in 1929 as the first mixed grammar school in Surrey and now has over 2000 pupils aged 11–18)...
(Oxted County School until 2000), which is a large secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. Opened in 1929, it has over 2000 pupils and is one of the largest in the country.
There are two other state schools in Oxted, Downs Way primary school and St Mary's C of E junior school
Junior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
.
There is one private school, Hazelwood School
Hazelwood School
Hazelwood School is an independent prep school located in Limpsfield, Surrey.The school's history began in 1890 when the institution was established as a boarding school for boys aged 8–13 by Edward Baily and his wife Ruth....
(co-education 2.5 to 13 years).