Coordinates: 51°22′09″N 0°21′54″W / 51.3691°N 0.365°W / 51.3691; -0.365

Esher
The Diamond Jubilee statue Esher High Street
Apartments in Esher
Esher  Esher shown within Surrey
Population	8,387 [1]
OS grid reference	TQ145645
- London	14.1 miles (22.7 km)
District	Elmbridge
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ESHER
Postcode district	KT10
Dialling code	01372
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Esher and Walton
List of places UK England Surrey

Esher ⁱ/ˈiːʃər/^{[n 1]} is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is a locality within the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, 14.1 miles (22.7 km) southwest of London.

Esher lies on the A307, Portsmouth Road. Esher railway station (served by the South West Main Line) connects the town to London Waterloo. Sandown Park Racecourse lies in the town near the station.

History [edit]

Esher lay within the Saxon feudal division of Elmbridge hundred.^[2][3]

Esher appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Aissela and Aissele held partly by the Abbey of the Cross in Normandy; partly by William de Waterville; partly by Reginald; partly by Hugh do Port; and partly by Odard Balistarius (probably a crossbowman). Its domesday assets were: 14 hides, 6 ploughs and 2 acres (8,100 m²) of meadow. It rendered £6 2s 0d.^[4]

In the 16th century, King Henry VIII annexed several of the manors to the Honour of Hampton Court to form a royal hunting ground and new residences were permitted by a number of wealthy courtesans. Esher's town slowly grew as a stagecoach stop on the London–Portsmouth road that was later designated as the A3 road, although it was bypassed in the mid-1970s, when it became the A307. Clive of India built the Claremont mansion^{[n 2]} and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria. In 1841 Esher had 1261 inhabitants across 2,075 acres (840 ha).^[2] Queen Victoria lent Claremont to the exiled French King Louis-Philippe and his consort Queen Marie-Amelie after the revolution of 1848. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg lived there until he became King of the Belgians.

By 1908, Esher contained the fashionable residences of several important figures including Lady Emma Talbot; Sir Robert Hawthorn Collins,^[5][6] the Duchess of Albany and Sir Edgar Vincent, K.C.M.G. who was later created 1st Viscount D'Abernon.^[3]

George Harrison of the Beatles had a house (called Kinfauns) in Esher, during the 1960s. The other Beatles were regular visitors to the house, and Harrison's primitive home recording studio.

Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees also owned a house called The Firs in Esher, during 1970s-2004 and sold after his death. This is where the hit single "Juliet" was written and recorded by Maurice & Robin for brother Robin's solo album project in the 1980s.

Government [edit]

Esher is within the Esher and Walton parliamentary constituency which has been represented by Dominic Raab, a member of the Conservative Party, since 2010.^[7] The predecessor Esher parliamentary constituency was replaced on boundary changes before the 1997 general election.^[8]

Esher is part of the East Molesey and Esher ward of Surrey County Council. The ward is represented by a Residents' association councillor.^[9]

The town is covered by the Esher ward of Elmbridge borough council, which has elections in three years out of four (is elected in thirds) represented by:

Education [edit]

Esher has a mix of state and private schools. There are four state primary schools across the area of Esher, Hinchley Wood and Claygate.^[12] Esher Church of England High School is the state secondary school in the town of Esher.^[12] Hinchley Wood School in Hinchley Wood has been an Academy since February 2012.^[13] Hinchley Wood is also one of the Further education establishments in the area.^[14] Esher College is in nearby Thames Ditton.

Status in the media [edit]

Claremont House which is in the town

Esher has been presented in some parts of the media as a particularly middle class part of suburbia. Monty Python referred to Esher at least three times.

The sitcom On the Up starring Dennis Waterman was set in Esher.

Economy [edit]

There are some office buildings located in the High Street and its continuation, Portsmouth Road. There is a local farmers market held on one Saturday every month, moving forward one week each month. Vendors from all over Surrey sell locally sourced produce and two nearby riverside farms, one with large shop and grow-your-own to the public.

Culture, Community and Sport [edit]

Theatre [edit]

The Cecil Hepworth Theatre and Riverhouse Barn are the closest theatres, both in Walton on Thames. Woking's Peacock Theatre and London's West End Theatres frequently have performances from national and international actors and actresses.

Cinema [edit]

The Odeon cinema is a central feature of Esher's High Street with four screens whereas Walton on Thames's Everymans cinema has two screens and tends to show more children's films and niche productions.

Sport [edit]

• Esher Rugby Club play on the Hersham borders and have several training grounds there.
• Esher Cricket Club play 1st and 2nd team matches in the Esher Park private estate, in New Road, have a youth cricket training and playing squad and have seven corporate sponsors.
• AFC Westend Football Club
• West End (Esher) Cricket Club (Est. 1875)

Other [edit]

King Georges Hall is multi-functional conferencing technology-equipped venue available for corporate or group hire, a non-for-profit community facility .^[15]

Moore Place, on the outskirts of Esher, bar and restaurant Esteem, featured as the restaurant in the 4th episode of the first series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.^[16]

St George's Church, Esher

Esher West End hosts an annual flower show and the Hampton Court Flower Show is nearby. Similarly, Surrey Wildlife Trust manage Wisley and Ockham Commons, partly within the borough of Elmbridge and Esher is approximately mid-way between the two leading Surrey and International Gardens, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and RHS Garden, Wisley.

A weekly newspaper, Esher News and Mail, closed down in 2009. Current newspapers include the Surrey Herald: Cobham, Esher and Claygate edition and Living Within magazine/newspaper.

See also [edit]

• Esher Place
• St. George's Church, Esher
• Claremont
• Wayneflete Tower
• Esher Commons
• West End, Esher
• William Brett, 1st Viscount Esher

Notes and References [edit]

Notes

References

External links [edit]

• Esher Residents Association
• History of Esher
• Christ Church, Esher
• (Esher) West End Flower Show
• Esher Athletic Football Club
• AFC Westend Football Club
• West End (Esher) Cricket Club
• Esher Rugby Club
• Esher Cricket Club

Destinations from Esher

	West Molesey	East Molesey	Thames Ditton
	Hersham, Walton-on-Thames		Hinchley Wood
		Esher
	Cobham	Oxshott	Claygate

v t e Borough of Elmbridge Towns, villages and hamlets Burwood Park Claygate Cobham Downside Esher Hersham Hinchley Wood Long Ditton Molesey Oatlands Oxshott Saint George's Hill Stoke d'Abernon Thames Ditton Walton-on-Thames West End Weston Green Weybridge Whiteley Village Parks Esher Commons Giggs Hill Green Oxshott Heath and Woods Painshill Weybridge Heath Churches St. George's Church, Esher Church of St. Nicholas, Thames Ditton Education ACS International Schools Brooklands College Danes Hill School Esher Church of England High School Esher College Feltonfleet School Heathside School Hinchley Wood School Notre Dame School Reed's School Rydens Enterprise School St George's College, Weybridge Transport Claygate railway station Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon railway station Esher railway station Hampton Court railway station Hersham railway station Hinchley Wood railway station Oxshott railway station Thames Ditton railway station Walton-on-Thames railway station Weybridge railway station Buildings and structures Bessborough Reservoir Brooklands Brooklands Museum Claremont Estate Cobham Park Cobham Training Centre Esher Place Hurst Park Racecourse Knight Reservoir Island Barn Reservoir London Bus Museum Molesey Lock Molesey Reservoirs Moulsey Hurst Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir Sandown Park Racecourse Shepperton Lock Sunbury Lock Wayneflete Tower Sport Addlestone & Weybridge Town F.C. Dittons Skiff and Punting Club East Molesey Cricket Club Esher RFC Metropolitan Police F.C. Molesey Boat Club Molesey F.C. Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club Thames Valley Skiff Club Walton Casuals F.C. Walton & Hersham F.C. Walton Rowing Club Weybridge Rowing Club