Wotton, Surrey
Encyclopedia
Wotton is a small village
located on the A25
between Guildford
in the west and Dorking
in the east. Neighbouring villages include: the Abingers of Abinger Common
, Sutton Abinger, and Abinger Hammer
; Friday Street and Westcott
. Wotton lies in a small valley
, near the Tilling Bourne stream and the foot of the North Downs
escarpment
, and lies about 1 mile or 1.5 km south of the North Downs Way
.
The civil parish
of Wotton (covering 2,243 hectares) is wholly within the Surrey Hills
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and includes Leith Hill
to the south and Ranmore Common
to the north.
Wotton appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Odetone. It was held by Osuuold (Oswold). Its domesday assets were: 5 hide
s; 1 mill
worth 1s 8d, 10 plough
s, 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of meadow
, woodland
and herbage worth 73 hogs. It rendered £7.
John Evelyn
, the diarist was born at Wotton House
in 1620. In 1694 he moved in as the main legatee. Wotton House was a training college for the Fire Service and then, after being empty for nearly 13 years, has been turned into a hotel and conference centre with over 100 bedrooms. Three areas of the House remain fairly faithful to the Evelyn layout and architectural style, and the hotel looks favourably on the occasional visitor interested in the 400-year-old parts of the property. Nowadays the hotel will also cater for large weddings.
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...
located on the A25
A25 road
The A25 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A26 from Newhaven to Maidstone and the A27 along the south coast. It carries traffic from Guildford in Surrey through Dorking, and thence eastward along the southern edge of the...
between Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
in the west and Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
in the east. Neighbouring villages include: the Abingers of Abinger Common
Abinger Common
Abinger Common is a village in Surrey, England. Abinger Common was inhabited in the stone-age, and is supposed to be the oldest village in England. The church dates back to Norman times and is the second oldest Parish church in Surrey. The headquarters of the Lutyens Trust is based in the village...
, Sutton Abinger, and Abinger Hammer
Abinger Hammer
Abinger Hammer is a village situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford in Surrey, England. It lies with the parish of Abinger which includes Abinger Common and Sutton Abinger...
; Friday Street and Westcott
Westcott, Surrey
Westcott is a village situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford in Surrey, England. Neighbouring villages include Friday Street, Wotton, Abinger Common and Abinger Hammer. It was the nearest village for the John Evelyn's Wotton Estate, and was well known by the diarist in the mid to late...
. Wotton lies in a small valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, near the Tilling Bourne stream and 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...
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, and lies about 1 mile or 1.5 km south of the North Downs Way
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
.
The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Wotton (covering 2,243 hectares) is wholly within the Surrey Hills
Surrey Hills AONB
The Surrey Hills is a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , located in Surrey, England. The AONB was designated in 1958 and covers one quarter of the county of Surrey...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
and includes Leith Hill
Leith Hill
Leith Hill to the south west of Dorking, Surrey, England, reaches above sea level, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge, and is the second highest point in south-east England, after Walbury Hill near Hungerford, West Berkshire, high....
to the south and Ranmore Common
Ranmore Common
Ranmore Common is a village and an area of wooded common land on the North Downs, to the northwest of Dorking in the English county of Surrey. It is located within the civil parish of Wotton and is also within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
to the north.
Wotton appears in 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 Odetone. It was held by Osuuold (Oswold). 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 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...
worth 1s 8d, 10 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, 3 acres (12,140.6 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...
, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and herbage worth 73 hogs. It rendered £7.
John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
, the diarist was born at Wotton House
Wotton House, Surrey
Wotton House is in Wotton near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is a grade II listed building. Originally a country house and the seat of the Evelyn family, it is now a training and conference centre.-Construction:...
in 1620. In 1694 he moved in as the main legatee. Wotton House was a training college for the Fire Service and then, after being empty for nearly 13 years, has been turned into a hotel and conference centre with over 100 bedrooms. Three areas of the House remain fairly faithful to the Evelyn layout and architectural style, and the hotel looks favourably on the occasional visitor interested in the 400-year-old parts of the property. Nowadays the hotel will also cater for large weddings.