Chessington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chessington | |
  Chessington shown within Greater London |
|
| Population | 22,875 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| London borough | Kingston |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHESSINGTON |
| Postcode district | KT9 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| European Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Kingston and Surbiton |
| London Assembly | South West |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
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: Hook, Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Leatherhead, Esher, and Kingston upon Thames.
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[edit] History
Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Cissan dūn = "hill belonging to [a man named] Cissa".
Chessington appears in Domesday Book as Cisedune and Cisendone. It was held partly by Robert de Wateville and partly by Milo (Miles) Crispin. Its domesday assets were: 1½ hides; part of a mill worth 2s, 4 ploughs, woodland worth 30 hogs. It rendered £7.[1]
The mansion known today as the Burnt Stub was originally built in 1348. In the English Civil War it became a royalist stronghold and was raised to the ground by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary forces giving it its modern name. The site became an inn and was then rebuilt on a grander scale from the eighteenth century by the Vere Barker family in a neo-gothic Victorian style. The grounds were turned into a zoo in 1931 by Reginald Goddard. Chessington Zoo became part of the Tussauds Group in 1978 and is now operated as a Theme park. The mansion remain as part of the park as a haunted house called Hocus Pocus Hall. [2]
Chessington Hall has a place in 18th century literary history, as home of Samuel Crisp, who was a failed playwright and close friend of Fanny Burney. Chessington Road recreation ground was purchased on the 16th of October 1930 for £1,000.[3]
At 207 Hook Road is a Blue Plaque commemorating the author Enid Blyton who lived at the address between 1920 and 1924.
[edit] Locality
The areas of Chessington have these names:-
- Chessington North, also referred to as North Parade, immediately adjacent to Chessington North railway station. This has a population of 4,666.[4]
- Hook, generally referred to as the central point in Chessington, although historically considered a separate entity. It incorporates the majority of bus routes which pass through the area. The census area Chessington North and Hook has a population of 8,721.[5]
- Copt Gilders, named after the farm which was once on this area.
- Chessington South, previously called Fleetwood, incorporating the majority of buildings south of Chessington Community College and Chessington South railway station.
- Southborough is close to the A3 and nearby Surbiton and Tolworth. This census area has a population of 9,488.[6]
It was home of the former RAF Chessington Hospital and Chessington World of Adventures (branded, and often referred to simply as "Chessington"), a zoo and theme park with a broader appeal. Within the park there is the Burnt Stub Mansion from the English Civil War.
Within the town there are various sporting organisations including: Chessington & Hook United F.C., who play football in the Combined Counties League; and Kingston R.F.C. based on the Hook Road. Kingston RFC play in Surrey division 1 union league. The club has recently built a brand new 2-storey clubhouse.
The former Formula one racing team Brabham had their factory in Chessington. The site is now occupied by the Carlin DPR GP2 team.[7]
Churches include: St Paul's C of E, Hook Road, in the Diocese of Southwark; St Mary's C of E, Church Lane, in the Diocese of Guildford; St. Catherine of Siena RC, Leatherhead Road, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark; and Chessington Evangelical Church, The King's Centre, Coppard Gardens.
[edit] Education
- For education in Chessington see the main Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames article.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Rail
Chessington has two railway stations: Chessington North and Chessington South. They are half a mile apart with trains every half hour to London Waterloo. Chessington South is the end of the line. Many people know it as the Chessington World of Adventures Station. The line was originally intended to split at Motspur Park railway station, pass through Chessington and proceed on to Leatherhead, but construction was halted at Chessington South in 1940 as World War II began, and it was then the Green Belt with Ashtead Common's 200+ year protection order that stopped it from continuing. As of 2005 plans were put in place for a tunnel.[citation needed].
The line past Chessington South has fallen into heavy disrepair and leads over a concrete bridge into a patch of full-grown trees. It is interesting to point out that the crossover, signal, and 3rd-rail electricity at this point is still active, even though a passenger train has never passed over this section.
[edit] Roads
Chessington is about four miles (6 km) from junction 9 of the M25 motorway. The town is situated on the A243 Leatherhead Road, close to the A3 London-to-Portsmouth trunk route to the north. The un-numbered Bridge Road runs through the area from the A243 toward the adjacent district of West Ewell, in the neighbouring borough of Epsom and Ewell (the boundary being marked crossing the course of the Hogsmill river).
[edit] Buses
The Chessington area is served by a number of bus routes. For specific route detail consult the Transport for London web site. Amongst the routes serving the area are 71, 465, 467, and local routes K2 and K4. It is also served by the school service 671.
[edit] Gallery
 1880s map of Chessington |
[edit] References
- ^ Surrey Domesday Book
- ^ Leisure/tourism Geographies: Practices and Geographical Knowledge By David Crouch, 1999, Routledge,ISBN 0415181097
- ^ Chessington Road recreation ground
- ^ Chessington North census data
- ^ Chessington North and Hook census data
- ^ Chessington South census area
- ^ Carlin motorsport
[edit] External links
- St. Paul's C of E Church, Hook Road, Chessington, KT9 1EF
- St. Catherine of Siena RC Church, 100 Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2HY
- Chessington Evangelical Church, The King's Centre, Coppard Gardens, Chessington
- St. Mary's C of E Church, Garrison Lane, Chessington, KT9 2LB
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