Esher
Encyclopedia
Esher is a town
in the Surrey
borough of Elmbridge
in South East England
near the River Mole
. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area
, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles (22.7 km) south west of Charing Cross
.
Esher lies on the A307, Portsmouth Road
. Esher railway station
(served by the Waterloo via Weybridge service) connects the town to London Waterloo. Sandown Park Racecourse lies in the town near the station.
The local newspaper is the Esher News and Mail.
administrative district of Elmbridge
hundred
.
Esher appears in Domesday Book
of 1086 as Aissela and Aissele. It was held partly by the Abbey of the Cross in Normandy
; partly by William de Waterville; partly by Reginald; partly by Hugh do Port; partly by Odard Balistarius (probably a crossbow
man). Its domesday assets were: 14 hide
s 6 plough
s, 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) of meadow
. It rendered £6 2s 0d.
In the 16th century, King Henry VIII
commandeered the area as a royal hunting ground, and the town was wealthy. It 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
, and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria
. Queen Victoria lent the house 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
.
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.
referred to Esher at least three times. In episode 9 of Monty Python's Flying Circus
, a troupe member (Terry Jones
) dressed as an 'African Native' said: 'Full frontal nudity? Not in this part of Esher.'
Then in episode 31, a tourist played by Eric Idle
complaining about package holiday
s ranted about 'middle-class stockbrokers' wives busily buying identical holiday villas in suburban development plots just like Esher, in case the Labour government gets in again…'
Furthermore in episode 36, a character played by Michael Palin
was complaining about a rare disease that affected his use of language and stated: 'It's so embarrassing when my wife and I go to an orgy.' John Cleese
's character responded: 'A party?!' To which Palin responded: 'No, an orgy. We live in Esher.'
Python member Idle's All You Need Is Cash
, a 1978 mockumentary
of a fictional Beatles-like band called The Rutles
, mentions Esher. Parodying the "Paul is dead
" rumors surrounding the supposed death of Beatle Paul McCartney
, Idle, narrating the film, says of one Rutles member, "Stig, was, of course, far from dead ... although not in fact far from Esher." Idle is standing in front of a sign saying "Welcome to Esher" in the shot.
The middle-class suburbia theme was taken up again in Only Fools and Horses
. In the episode 'Yuppy Love', Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst
) and Del Boy (David Jason
) are arguing over the morality of Del's decision to buy, and then hopefully sell, their Peckham
council flat. Rodney says: 'Del, council properties were built so the poorer classes would have somewhere to live! If they start selling them to Hooray Henrys where are they gonna go?' To which Del casually replies: 'Esher, Orpington
- somewhere like that.'
Esher was often referred to in The Good Life by Margo Leadbetter as both a place to aspire to after Surbiton
and somewhere where behaviour was more lax.
The sitcom On the Up
starring Dennis Waterman
was set in Esher.
In the Doctor Who
episode 'Black Orchid
', several characters believe Nyssa's home planet of Traken to be near Esher. One character states that Nyssa's lack of knowledge of Esher shows good taste.
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.
Moore Place, on the outskirts of Esher (now a bar and restaurant called Esteem), featured as the restaurant in the 4th episode of the first series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
borough of Elmbridge
Elmbridge
Elmbridge is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Esher. The district has only one civil parish, which is Claygate...
in South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
near the River Mole
River Mole, Surrey
The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Gatwick Airport and flows north west through Surrey for to the Thames near Hampton Court Palace. The river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley...
. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area
Greater London Urban Area
The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, England, as defined by the Office for National Statistics. It had an estimated population of 8,505,000 in 2005 and occupied an area of at the time of the 2001 census. It includes most of Greater London,...
, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles (22.7 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...
.
Esher lies on the A307, Portsmouth Road
A307 road
The A307 road is a link road running through SW London and NW Surrey, which is primary at the start but for the most part is now more local in character...
. Esher railway station
Esher railway station
Esher railway station is served by the Waterloo to Woking service, operated by South West Trains. The station serves Esher via the main entrance, and a footpath leading to Sandown Park Racecourse. At off-peak times there are 2 trains per hour north and 2 trains per hour south. The station is...
(served by the Waterloo via Weybridge service) connects the town to London Waterloo. Sandown Park Racecourse lies in the town near the station.
The local newspaper is the Esher News and Mail.
History
Esher lay within the SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
administrative district of Elmbridge
Elmbridge (hundred)
Elmbridge Hundred or the Hundred of Elmbridge was an ancient hundred in the north of the county of Surrey, England. The majority of its area forms the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, with the remainder now forming part of Greater London....
hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
.
Esher 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 Aissela and Aissele. It was held partly by the Abbey of the Cross in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
; partly by William de Waterville; partly by Reginald; partly by Hugh do Port; partly by Odard Balistarius (probably a crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
man). Its domesday assets were: 14 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 6 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, 2 acres (8,093.7 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...
. It rendered £6 2s 0d.
In the 16th century, King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
commandeered the area as a royal hunting ground, and the town was wealthy. It grew as a stagecoach stop on the London–Portsmouth road that was later designated as the A3 road
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
, although it was bypassed in the mid-1970s, when it became the A307. Clive of India built the Claremont
Claremont (country house)
Claremont, also known historically as 'Clermont', is an 18th-century Palladian mansion situated less than a mile south of Esher in Surrey, England...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Queen Victoria lent the house to the exiled French King Louis-Philippe
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
and his consort Queen Marie-Amelie after the revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
of 1848. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
lived there until he became King of the Belgians
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
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
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
.
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Ernest Gibb, CBE was a musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born on the Isle of Man, the twin brother of Robin Gibb, and younger brother to Barry. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees, formed with his brothers...
of the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
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.
Status in the media
Esher has been presented in some parts of the media as a particularly middle class part of suburbia. Monty PythonMonty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
referred to Esher at least three times. In episode 9 of Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty 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...
, a troupe member (Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
) dressed as an 'African Native' said: 'Full frontal nudity? Not in this part of Esher.'
Then in episode 31, a tourist played by Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
complaining about package holiday
Package holiday
A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...
s ranted about 'middle-class stockbrokers' wives busily buying identical holiday villas in suburban development plots just like Esher, in case the Labour government gets in again…'
Furthermore in episode 36, a character played by Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
was complaining about a rare disease that affected his use of language and stated: 'It's so embarrassing when my wife and I go to an orgy.' John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
's character responded: 'A party?!' To which Palin responded: 'No, an orgy. We live in Esher.'
Python member Idle's All You Need Is Cash
All You Need Is Cash
All You Need Is Cash is a 1978 television film that traces the career of a fictitious British rock group called The Rutles...
, a 1978 mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of a fictional Beatles-like band called The Rutles
The Rutles
The Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
, mentions Esher. Parodying the "Paul is dead
Paul Is Dead
"Paul is dead" is an urban legend suggesting that Paul McCartney of the English rock band The Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike....
" rumors surrounding the supposed death of Beatle Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Idle, narrating the film, says of one Rutles member, "Stig, was, of course, far from dead ... although not in fact far from Esher." Idle is standing in front of a sign saying "Welcome to Esher" in the shot.
The middle-class suburbia theme was taken up again in Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
. In the episode 'Yuppy Love', Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst
Nicholas Lyndhurst
Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies...
) and Del Boy (David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
) are arguing over the morality of Del's decision to buy, and then hopefully sell, their Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
council flat. Rodney says: 'Del, council properties were built so the poorer classes would have somewhere to live! If they start selling them to Hooray Henrys where are they gonna go?' To which Del casually replies: 'Esher, Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
- somewhere like that.'
Esher was often referred to in The Good Life by Margo Leadbetter as both a place to aspire to after 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...
and somewhere where behaviour was more lax.
The sitcom On the Up
On the Up
On the Up was a British situation comedy written by Bob Larbey. It ran for three series, from 1990 to 1992.-Plot summary:Tony Carpenter is a self-made millionaire who turned his South London minicab firm into a successful chauffeur-driven car service...
starring Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
was set in Esher.
In the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor 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...
episode 'Black Orchid
Black Orchid (Doctor Who)
Black Orchid is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two parts on 1 March and 2 March 1982...
', several characters believe Nyssa's home planet of Traken to be near Esher. One character states that Nyssa's lack of knowledge of Esher shows good taste.
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.
Moore Place, on the outskirts of Esher (now a bar and restaurant called Esteem), featured as the restaurant in the 4th episode of the first series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is a television programme featuring British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. The BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning programme debuted on Channel 4 in 2004....
.
See also
- Esher PlaceEsher PlaceEsher Place is a Grade-II listed country house, now used as a college by the trade union Unite, in Esher, Surrey, United Kingdom. The current building is at least the fourth on the site.-History:...
- St. George's Church, EsherSt. George's Church, EsherSt. George’s Church, Esher is a Grade I listed Anglican church in Esher, Surrey, England. Built in the 16th century, it was Esher’s parish church for 300 years, though later worshippers included Queen Victoria. However, by the mid-19th century the building was deemed too small for the growing...
- ClaremontClaremont (country house)Claremont, also known historically as 'Clermont', is an 18th-century Palladian mansion situated less than a mile south of Esher in Surrey, England...
- Esher CommonsEsher CommonsEsher Commons comprises several large wooded areas to the South West of Esher in the English county of Surrey. The designation includes Esher Common, Fairmile Common, West End Common and Oxshott Heath.-Geology and terrain:...
- West End, EsherWest End, EsherWest End is a place in Surrey, UK, a kilometre south-east of Esher.West End contains a number of houses, a pub, a disused school building and chapel, grouped round a large green with a pond. It links to West End Common, which is part of Esher Commons beside the River Mole. West End is also home to...