Hinchley Wood
Encyclopedia
Hinchley Wood is a residential community approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) south-west of London
, England
. At the 2001 census it consisted of 1,429 households with a population of 3,674. It developed largely because of the railway line which passes through the area, and many of its residents are commuters to London
. There are a number of shops and a petrol station. The suburb is served by a railway station.
In 1999, Hinchley Wood residents took on McDonalds to defeat a plan to turn their local pub into a fast-food outlet. In 1997, the pub had earlier provided a historical footnote when former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
and his wife, Raisa, visited it when their flight home to Russia was delayed.
. In 1925, Esher
Council considered a petition from the small number of residents of Manor Road, in which ribbon development from Thames Ditton
was taking place, for the provision of a new station between Surbiton
and Claygate
on the railway that had opened in 1885. The Southern Railway
was not interested in a new station in 1925 because it would create no new traffic, but the opening of the Kingston Bypass
changed everything.
Immediately the speculative possibilities created by the bypass were considered. Furthermore even as it was being built a sewer was laid under it, at Manor Road, to facilitate development. The opening of Hinchley Wood railway station brought about the rapid emergence of Hinchley Wood as a coherent, identifiable settlement, with a housing stock so plainly superior to that typical of the 1930s.
At its annual general meeting in 1927, the chairman called attention to “great increment in the value of the land, which goes into the pockets of vigilant people at our expense”. G.T. Crouch agreed to contribute £2,500 towards the cost (about one-third) of the building of the station.
Having been given planning permission to build Hinchley Wood in September 1929, Crouch struck a deal with the Southern Railway
for the construction of the station. In order to persuade the Southern Railway
to build it, Crouch had to help pay for it. Although the Southern Railway
knew that a new settlement would bring new business, it also knew the benefit to Crouch.
bought some more land on which to build a goods yard, which in the event was never built because competition from road haulage became too great, but the land was retained, ultimately to allow a car park to be provided.
When the station opened, Hinchley Wood comprised a couple of dozen houses and a petrol filling station in a field that bordered the bypass. Development took place around the shops that were built next to the station.
The speed at which the houses in Hinchley Wood were built was phenomenal, with the peak years being in 1933-34 when 750 residents moved in, many of whom were London commuters. The Hinchley Wood Residents’ Association was formed in 1931 and quickly became an effective voice for the community on Esher
Council.
The train service in the 1930s, although considerably more frequent and faster than today, was the regular cause of complaint: such was the rapid growth of Hinchley Wood that overcrowding of trains became an issue as well as their timing.
Hinchley Wood is served by the K3 bus route
through Claygate to Esher to the south and through Surbiton to Kingston
to the north.
, one of the main secondary schools in the area
used to have offices on the north side of the railway station, but this has since become a housing development.
Hinchley Wood is placed at number 49 in the 2003 book Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK (ISBN 0-7522-1582-5).
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the 2001 census it consisted of 1,429 households with a population of 3,674. It developed largely because of the railway line which passes through the area, and many of its residents are commuters to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There are a number of shops and a petrol station. The suburb is served by a railway station.
In 1999, Hinchley Wood residents took on McDonalds to defeat a plan to turn their local pub into a fast-food outlet. In 1997, the pub had earlier provided a historical footnote when former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and his wife, Raisa, visited it when their flight home to Russia was delayed.
History
Initially the farmland on which Hinchley Wood was to be built was an outpost of Thames DittonThames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
. In 1925, Esher
Esher
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 south west of Charing Cross....
Council considered a petition from the small number of residents of Manor Road, in which ribbon development from Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
was taking place, for the provision of a new station between 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 Claygate
Claygate
Claygate is a village in the English county of Surrey, approximately south west of London and within the Metropolitan Green Belt.It is primarily a residential area but with offices, farms and two shopping areas with a supermarket, five pubs and numerous restaurants...
on the railway that had opened in 1885. The Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
was not interested in a new station in 1925 because it would create no new traffic, but the opening of the Kingston Bypass
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...
changed everything.
Immediately the speculative possibilities created by the bypass were considered. Furthermore even as it was being built a sewer was laid under it, at Manor Road, to facilitate development. The opening of Hinchley Wood railway station brought about the rapid emergence of Hinchley Wood as a coherent, identifiable settlement, with a housing stock so plainly superior to that typical of the 1930s.
At its annual general meeting in 1927, the chairman called attention to “great increment in the value of the land, which goes into the pockets of vigilant people at our expense”. G.T. Crouch agreed to contribute £2,500 towards the cost (about one-third) of the building of the station.
Having been given planning permission to build Hinchley Wood in September 1929, Crouch struck a deal with the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
for the construction of the station. In order to persuade the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
to build it, Crouch had to help pay for it. Although the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
knew that a new settlement would bring new business, it also knew the benefit to Crouch.
Transportation and Growth
Hinchley Wood railway station was to be built where conveniently the tracks separated already, making it the more economically built and manned. Additionally, the Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
bought some more land on which to build a goods yard, which in the event was never built because competition from road haulage became too great, but the land was retained, ultimately to allow a car park to be provided.
When the station opened, Hinchley Wood comprised a couple of dozen houses and a petrol filling station in a field that bordered the bypass. Development took place around the shops that were built next to the station.
The speed at which the houses in Hinchley Wood were built was phenomenal, with the peak years being in 1933-34 when 750 residents moved in, many of whom were London commuters. The Hinchley Wood Residents’ Association was formed in 1931 and quickly became an effective voice for the community on Esher
Esher
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 south west of Charing Cross....
Council.
The train service in the 1930s, although considerably more frequent and faster than today, was the regular cause of complaint: such was the rapid growth of Hinchley Wood that overcrowding of trains became an issue as well as their timing.
Hinchley Wood is served by the K3 bus route
London Buses route K3
London Buses route K3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to London United.-History:...
through Claygate to Esher to the south and through Surbiton to Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
to the north.
Education
Hinchley Wood has two schools, Hinchley Wood Primary School and Hinchley Wood SchoolHinchley Wood School
Hinchley Wood School is a foundation secondary school located in Hinchley Wood, Surrey, England.Hinchley Wood School consists two sites next to each other. On one site is a Primary School, with pupils from the ages of four to eleven, and on the second site is a Secondary School with students from...
, one of the main secondary schools in the area
McDonald's dispute
In 1999, Hinchley Wood residents, organised as Residents Against McDonald's (RAM), took on McDonalds to defeat a plan to turn their local pub into a drive-through fast-food outlet. The residents defeated McDonald's on June 16, 2000 after a 552-day continuous occupation. The pub has since been demolished and has been replaced by retirement flats.Trivia
The Inland RevenueInland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
used to have offices on the north side of the railway station, but this has since become a housing development.
Hinchley Wood is placed at number 49 in the 2003 book Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK (ISBN 0-7522-1582-5).