Stoneleigh, Surrey
Stoneleigh, Surrey
Main page

Stoneleigh, Surrey

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers

Stoneleigh, Surrey

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Stoneleigh, Surrey

Stoneleigh is a suburban area southwest of London, situated in the north of the Epsom and Ewell borough in the county of Surrey, England. It is situated approximately 11 miles (18 km) from central London. In the 2011 census, the population was 8,741.

The area was formerly part of the Great Park and Little Park of Nonsuch in the Tudor era. Nonsuch Park today is situated on the site of the Little Park in the east of the suburb, extending into East Ewell and Cheam.

The construction of the railway station, in 1932, was responsible for initiating the development of most of Stoneleigh, which was largely completed by the onset of World War II in late 1939.

The Roman road Stane Street passed through the eastern area of what is now Stoneleigh (along the modern day London Road/A24) on its way from London to Chichester via the nearby spring at Ewell. Between the early 16th and early 18th century, the area which is now Stoneleigh was part of the Great Park of Nonsuch Palace. In 1731 the Nonsuch estate was sold off and the Great Park, by then known as Worcester Park was divided up and turned into farmland.

Bowling Green and Coldharbour farms in the north of the park were run jointly and in 1860 were acquired by John Jeffries Stone. He had a large house he called 'Stoneleigh', close to the Bowling Green Farmhouse, which gave its name to the district (a map published in 1871 names a cluster of buildings located between the modern-day Elmwood Drive and Ewell Park Way as "Bowling Green Farm", yet a map published in 1897 names a cluster of buildings on the same plot as "Stoneleigh").

In 1859 the London and South Western Railway opened the Wimbledon and Epsom Line, passing through Stoneleigh, although no commuter station was opened for a further 60 years. Farming was at its peak at the start of the 20th century when there were nearly twenty farms, but the number reduced rapidly after the First World War, as there was great demand for housing it became profitable to sell off the farmland for development.

Maps from 1911 show the many areas of farmland in what is now the Stoneleigh area. There was also a brick, tile, and pottery works, called the Nonsuch Works and two flour mills. In 1915 only London Road (A24) contained homes, which could be found along the length of Nonsuch Park, although most were close to the large 'Stoneleigh' house.

Between the world wars, demand for housing on commuter routes into London meant the area grew rapidly. Maps from 1931 show the land was mainly "Meadowland and permanent grass" with patches of "Forest and woodland" and "Heathland, moorland, commons and rough pasture".

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.