Tolworth
Encyclopedia
Tolworth is a mostly residential area of outer South London
in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
, located 11.1 miles (17.9 km) south west of Charing Cross
. Neighbouring places include: New Malden
, Kingston
, Surbiton
, Berrylands
, Chessington
, Ewell
and Worcester Park
.
, was called Taleorde. Its Domesday assets were held partly by Picot from Richard de Tonebrige and partly by Radulf (Ralph) from the Bishop of Bayeux. It rendered: 2½ hide
s; also 4 hide
s with Long Ditton
; 1 mill
without dues, 8 plough
s, 10½ acres and ½ rod of meadow
. It rendered £
6.
An extensive low-lying development of 1940s single storey brick buildings, bounded by the A3 to the north and the rail line to the south, was occupied by the Ministry of Defence
and the Directorate of Overseas Surveys but after remaining empty for some years it was demolished in 2008 and the site currently awaits redevelopment.
In the 30's, 40's and 50's the clay extraction requirements of a brick factory north of the A3 off Red Lion Road (now Red Lion Industrial Park) produced a large water-filled pit (known locally as "The Bluey") which was used as a landfill site for bomb-damage and industrial material removed from bomb-sites resulting from the "Blitz". This land has been reclaimed and is now a Recreation Ground. The Civil Defence Corps used to have a training site with a full-size mock-up of a bomb-damaged housing estate.
During WWII a number of V1 flying bombs came down on Surbiton and Tolworth, including the notorious "Derby Day Disaster" of June 1944 when 12 people were killed by a V1 at Tolworth Park Rd.
David Bowie
launched his Ziggy Stardust
stage show with the Spiders from Mars
—Ronson, Bolder and Woodmansey—at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth on 10 February 1972.
properties, and small to medium commercial and retail developments. There is a concentration of industrial activity in an area bounded on the north by A3 London-to-Portsmouth
trunk route, which runs through the area. The access junction for the A3, linking it on the north with the Broadway and on the south with the A240
Kingston Road toward Epsom
, is known as the Toby Jug Roundabout, named after the public house which stood beside it until demolished in 2002. The area is also served by a branch rail line running from London Waterloo
to Chessington South
two stops to the south, with services run by South West Trains
.
and opened in 1964. The tower is 80.8 metres high with 22 floors. The ground floor of the building is occupied largely by a single retail unit - currently a Marks and Spencer supermarket - and smaller retail units along the Broadway, the remainder taken up with access to the other floors. The remaining floors of the building was originally occupied by commercial and government offices, but the north wing has recently re-opened as a Travelodge
hotel. The building is a local landmark and is the tallest building for miles around.
The offices and studios of Radio Jackie, a commercial radio station broadcasting to south-west London and north Surrey, can be found on the Broadway. The broadcast mast is sited, with many other antennae, atop Tolworth Tower.
with its own train station located just a short was from the main shopping area called Tolworth Broadway. Tolworth railway station
has train services direct to London Waterloo (Northbound) and Chessington South
(Southbound). Trains come to the station every half hour. Trains also stop at Clapham Junction, Vauxhall
and Raynes Park
.
, Richmond Park
, Sandown Park
, and Hampton Court
had a large research and development facility beside Tolworth Station. Their well-resourced sports ground still exists - though presumably without the full-size .22 rifle range with its fine collection of re-bored Martini-Henry
s, as used in the Zulu Wars of the 19th century.
, where Corinthian-Casuals (two semi-pro football teams that have since merged) plays its home games.
Alexandra Park on King Charles Road has a basketball
court, as featured on the basketball website.
Tolworth is also the current home of several amateur football teams, Tolworth Athletic (who play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination League) and West London Blues.
Kingston University
also has a sports ground in Tolworth at Old Kingston Road
Tolworth has always had enthusiastic support for the Scouting
movement, and is today represented by 1st Tolworth Scouts
A 32 lane Bowling Alley is situated at the Toby Jug roundabout
, in the sketch 'Picasso/Cycling Race'.
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
, located 11.1 miles (17.9 km) south west of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. Neighbouring places include: New Malden
New Malden
New Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
, Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, Berrylands
Berrylands
Berrylands is a residential neighbourhood in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames only 24 minutes from Waterloo by train in south west London, that before 1965 formed part of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton. It is a suburban development situated south west of Charing...
, Chessington
Chessington
Chessington is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. The Hogsmill river runs through it. Neighbouring settlements include: Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston upon Thames and Worcester Park.-History:Its name...
, Ewell
Ewell
Ewell is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a...
and Worcester Park
Worcester Park
Worcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
.
History
Tolworth, in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
, was called Taleorde. Its Domesday assets were held partly by Picot from Richard de Tonebrige and partly by Radulf (Ralph) from the Bishop of Bayeux. It rendered: 2½ 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; also 4 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 with Long Ditton
Long Ditton
Long Ditton is a village in Surrey, England lying on the boundary with Greater London. Neighbouring settlements include Thames Ditton, Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.-History:...
; 1 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...
without dues, 8 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, 10½ acres and ½ rod 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...
. It rendered £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
6.
An extensive low-lying development of 1940s single storey brick buildings, bounded by the A3 to the north and the rail line to the south, was occupied by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and the Directorate of Overseas Surveys but after remaining empty for some years it was demolished in 2008 and the site currently awaits redevelopment.
In the 30's, 40's and 50's the clay extraction requirements of a brick factory north of the A3 off Red Lion Road (now Red Lion Industrial Park) produced a large water-filled pit (known locally as "The Bluey") which was used as a landfill site for bomb-damage and industrial material removed from bomb-sites resulting from the "Blitz". This land has been reclaimed and is now a Recreation Ground. The Civil Defence Corps used to have a training site with a full-size mock-up of a bomb-damaged housing estate.
During WWII a number of V1 flying bombs came down on Surbiton and Tolworth, including the notorious "Derby Day Disaster" of June 1944 when 12 people were killed by a V1 at Tolworth Park Rd.
David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
launched his Ziggy Stardust
Ziggy Stardust Tour
The Ziggy Stardust Tour was a concert tour by David Bowie in United Kingdom, North America, and Japan in 1972-73, to promote the studio albums Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane.-The band:*David Bowie - vocals, guitar, harmonica...
stage show with the Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie 's backing band in the early 1970s, and consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums....
—Ronson, Bolder and Woodmansey—at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth on 10 February 1972.
Description
Architecturally, Tolworth consists mainly of high-density 1930s semi-detachedSemi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
properties, and small to medium commercial and retail developments. There is a concentration of industrial activity in an area bounded on the north by A3 London-to-Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
trunk route, which runs through the area. The access junction for the A3, linking it on the north with the Broadway and on the south with the A240
A240 road
The A240 is a part primary A road in Surrey and Greater London , It connects the A217 with the A3 and beyond to Kingston upon Thames. It can be used to access parts of Greater London whilst avoiding the congested A24.-Route:...
Kingston Road toward 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...
, is known as the Toby Jug Roundabout, named after the public house which stood beside it until demolished in 2002. The area is also served by a branch rail line running from London Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
to Chessington South
Chessington South railway station
Chessington South railway station is in Chessington in the south of the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, England, and is the terminal station of the Chessington branch. The station is served by South West Trains, and is from London Waterloo in Travelcard Zone 6.-History:The...
two stops to the south, with services run by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
Tolworth Tower
The principal shopping centre - the Broadway - is dominated by Tolworth Tower, an office block designed by the late Richard SeifertRichard Seifert
Reubin Seifert - normally known as Richard Seifert was a British architect, best known for designing the Centrepoint tower and Tower 42 , once the tallest building in the City of London...
and opened in 1964. The tower is 80.8 metres high with 22 floors. The ground floor of the building is occupied largely by a single retail unit - currently a Marks and Spencer supermarket - and smaller retail units along the Broadway, the remainder taken up with access to the other floors. The remaining floors of the building was originally occupied by commercial and government offices, but the north wing has recently re-opened as a Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
hotel. The building is a local landmark and is the tallest building for miles around.
The offices and studios of Radio Jackie, a commercial radio station broadcasting to south-west London and north Surrey, can be found on the Broadway. The broadcast mast is sited, with many other antennae, atop Tolworth Tower.
Community Centre
Tolworth is the home of its own community arts centre: The CornerHOUSE (Previously known as the Douglas Centre).Tolworth Hospital
Tolworth Hospital provides services for South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. The Trust provides a comprehensive mental health and social care service to the residents of Kingston, Richmond, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth boroughs, as well as a number of specialist regional and national services.National Rail
Tolworth is served by South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
with its own train station located just a short was from the main shopping area called Tolworth Broadway. Tolworth railway station
Tolworth railway station
Tolworth railway station in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, is a station on the Chessington branch south west of London Waterloo...
has train services direct to London Waterloo (Northbound) and Chessington South
Chessington South railway station
Chessington South railway station is in Chessington in the south of the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, England, and is the terminal station of the Chessington branch. The station is served by South West Trains, and is from London Waterloo in Travelcard Zone 6.-History:The...
(Southbound). Trains come to the station every half hour. Trains also stop at Clapham Junction, Vauxhall
Vauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
and Raynes Park
Raynes Park
Raynes Park is a suburb within the London Borough of Merton south-west London, centred around Raynes Park station and situated between Wimbledon and New Malden. It is 8.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross. The area is effectively divided into two by the Waterloo - Southampton mainline railway...
.
London Buses
London Buses connect Tolworth with long distance buses and local buses with destinations shown below:- Hook
- Surbiton
- Kingston
- Epsom
- West Ewell
- New Malden
- Putney
- Kingston Vale
- Roehampton
- Norbiton (Kingston Hospital)
- Berrylands
- Kingston University
- Twickenham
- Hounslow
- Teddington
- Fulwell
- Hampton Wick
Road
Standing on the A3 from London to Guildford, Tolworth has good connections to London and to the M25 motorway. Kingston town centre is just 2 miles distant and Surbiton is just under 1 mile away.Nearby Attractions
Also in the immediate area are Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
, Richmond Park
Richmond Park
Richmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...
, Sandown Park
Sandown Park
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing during afternoons, evenings and on weekends, and also hosts many non racing events such as trade...
, and Hampton Court
In The Area
Many things to do are situated around TheTolworth Broadway which is practically the heart of the community with shops, banks, cafes, fast food shops, barbers, M&S supermarket, Tolworth Tower, Travelodge Hotel and Charrington Bowl'. Also near the Tolworth Station there is a Goals Soccer CentreIndustry
Apart from the MoD and DOS sites on the south side of the A3, Gala Cosmetics had a large production facility as did Andre Rubber (who specialised in bonding rubber to metal and made components for cars, docks, armoured fighting vehicles, hospitals, warships and diving helmets) - now the site of the Hook Rise South Industrial Park. Decca RadarDecca Radar
The Decca Company, a British gramophone manufacturer that, as Decca Records, released records under the Decca label, contributed to the British war effort during the Second World War...
had a large research and development facility beside Tolworth Station. Their well-resourced sports ground still exists - though presumably without the full-size .22 rifle range with its fine collection of re-bored Martini-Henry
Martini-Henry
The Martini-Henry was a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini , with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry...
s, as used in the Zulu Wars of the 19th century.
Education
- For education in Tolworth see the main Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames article.
Sport and recreation
Tolworth has a King George's Field in memorial to King George VGeorge V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, where Corinthian-Casuals (two semi-pro football teams that have since merged) plays its home games.
Alexandra Park on King Charles Road has a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court, as featured on the basketball website.
Tolworth is also the current home of several amateur football teams, Tolworth Athletic (who play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination League) and West London Blues.
Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
also has a sports ground in Tolworth at Old Kingston Road
Tolworth has always had enthusiastic support for the Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
movement, and is today represented by 1st Tolworth Scouts
A 32 lane Bowling Alley is situated at the Toby Jug roundabout
Cultural references
Tolworth is mentioned in the first episode of Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, in the sketch 'Picasso/Cycling Race'.
Notable residents
- Musician, Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
used to live in Tolworth, attending Hollyfield SchoolHollyfield SchoolHollyfield School is a co-educational comprehensive foundation school, located in Surbiton, in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London – with Technology College status. There are approximately 1,100 students on roll, with 220 in the sixth form...
. - The actor Drew Varley, probably best known as MungojerrieMungojerrieMungojerrie is a fictional character in T. S. Eliot's book, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats which was adapted into the musical Cats.-Characteristics:Mungojerrie and his partner in crime, Rumpelteazer, specialize in petty theft and mischief...
in CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, was born here. - Alan WheatleyAlan WheatleyAlan Wheatley was a radio announcer who turned to stage and screen acting in the 1930s and was much seen in British films, being a television actor during the black and white era....
, who is probably best known for his role as The Sheriff of NottinghamSheriff of NottinghamThe Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
in the TV series The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
in the 1950s, was born in Tolworth. He was also the first person killed by a DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
in an episode of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in 1964. - Actor David HemmingsDavid HemmingsDavid Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
, lived on the Sunray Estate in the 50's while attending Glyn Grammar School in Ewell - News anchor Dan ElliottDan ElliottDaniel Michael Elliott , commonly known as Dan Elliott, currently anchors KXTV News10 Good Morning from 5-7am with Kelly Jackson and News10 Midday from 11-11:30am with Jennifer Smith and solo on Friday....
, is set to move to Tolworth in March 2011.