Oxshott
Encyclopedia
Oxshott is a village in Surrey
, England
with a growing population of around 6,100. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington
, Claygate
and Cobham
. It is situated in fields and woodlands between Esher
and Leatherhead
on the A244, five minutes by car from both the A3 (Portsmouth Road) and the M25 London Orbital motorway. It is situated in London
's stockbroker belt and the area consequently has some of the highest property prices in the UK - it was voted as the most expensive suburb to live in, by the Daily Telegraph on 26 December 2007. In 2010, the Daily Telegraph called Oxshott "the village with most footballers" in England.
personal name
Ocga and sceat (related to modern 'shoot') "corner of land". The first element does not, contrary to popular belief, have anything to do with oxen.
The name was recorded in 1179 as Occesete.
At this time Oxshott was a hamlet
of about 200 people earning their living from forestry, farming and the keeping of pigs.
For 600 years Oxshott was in an isolated position, which was surrounded by heath
and scrubland and connected to nearby villages only by footpaths.
In 1885 the nature of the village was changed forever with the building of the railway. The railway allowed both day trippers and wealthy residents quickly to appreciate the area's scenery. The following 30 years saw Oxshott expand to meet their demands and in doing so it acquired all the characteristics of a stereotypical
English village.
The Crown Commissioners limited early housing development to mansions suitable for occupation by wealthy families. Examples of these include Danes Hill, Broom Hall and Bevendean. Subsequently the village has expanded to include all types of housing, but it has retained a degree of prosperity.
The religious needs of the growing population were met by the consecration of St. Andrew's Church in 1912. Oxshott became a parish in its own right in 1913. The high street expanded from an initial nucleus of three shops: a draper's, a tobacconist and a set of tea-rooms. Industry arrived in Oxshott when John Early Cook set up his brickworks in 1866. Production continued until 1958, with the famous and distinctive chimney being demolished in 1967. Heathfield pond is the sight of the brickwork pit previously called Brick Pond. The pond is approximately 100 ft deep with a cottage and machinery at the bottom. Alfie Skelton (15yrs) died in a boating accident on the pond in March 2011.
During WW2 Canandian army engineers were billeted on Oxshott Heath whilst they built The Cabinet War Rooms.
Today, Oxshott is a thriving residential and commercial community, thanks to its relative proximity to London coupled with its semi-rural location.
Oxshott is served by commuter trains and is 38 minutes from Waterloo Station
in London, with local bus services also available. Oxshott railway station
is situated just off Oxshott Heath
, to the south of Oxshott Woods. Oxshott Heath is interesting geologically as it has an escarpment where the London clay
and sand strata emerge from the ground. For this reason, Oxshott had a brickworks from 1866 to 1958. The brickworks was served by a branch line that ran from the station, West (towards Guildford
). This is why the footbridge at the end of Sheath's Lane (this is the proper, historic spelling) can span three tracks.
At Cook's Crossing, the railway crossing had three lines: two for the electrified main line to Guildford via Cobham
and Stoke D'Abernon
and a single track to the brickyards. This latter track is still in evidence if one looks hard, and the old hand-operated gates were still there less than 5 years ago. This single track now disappears into the houses built on the brickyards on Somerville Road. Many people have signed petitions to have a proper bus route. Currently there is one arriving in Oxshott every three hours.
to . Only four people out of the 40 on board the train were injured. The driver of the cement mixer
was badly injured, and also apparently had a heart attack and had to be carefully taken out of the cab by the medical services.
, church, St. Andrew's. Oxshott has its own Primary School, the Royal Kent, named because its predecessor was founded by the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria's mother, in 1820. The original building stood on the sight now occupied by the village petrol station. There is also the private preparatory school, Danes Hill School
, and its pre-prep school, Bevendean. Another school located near Oxshott is Reed's School that caters for boys aged 11 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18.
There is also a very active sports club, which has expanded from the village cricket club founded in 1896. Oxshott also has two public houses: The Victoria and The Bear. Both used to be Courage Brewery houses, but now only The Victoria continues that alliance.
The village has a large number of expatriates, due in part to the nearby ACS Cobham International school
.
The local newspaper is the Surrey Advertiser
.
The local newsagents is named Beejays.
Oxshott is featured in the popular Shopaholic novels by British author Sophie Kinsella
, as the hometown of the series' narrator, Becky Bloomwood
.
A greater part of the historic novel "Unter der Asche" (Beneath the ashes) by German author Tom Finnek is set in Oxshott and nearby Cobham. The novel deals with the Great Fire of London
1665-66 and the so-called "Diggers", a nonconformist dissenting group during the English Civil War
.
Scenes from Monty Pythons feature film Jabberwocky (1977) were filmed in Oxshott Woods.
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...
, 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...
with a growing population of around 6,100. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington
Chessington
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: Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston upon Thames and Worcester Park.-History:Its name...
, 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...
and Cobham
Cobham, Surrey
Cobham is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, about south-west of central London and north of Leatherhead. Elmbridge has been acclaimed by the Daily Mail as the best place to live in the UK, and Cobham is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt...
. It is situated in fields and woodlands between 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....
and Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
on the A244, five minutes by car from both the A3 (Portsmouth Road) and the M25 London Orbital motorway. It is situated in 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...
's stockbroker belt and the area consequently has some of the highest property prices in the UK - it was voted as the most expensive suburb to live in, by the Daily Telegraph on 26 December 2007. In 2010, the Daily Telegraph called Oxshott "the village with most footballers" in England.
History
Oxshott means "Ocga's corner of land", from the Old EnglishOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Ocga and sceat (related to modern 'shoot') "corner of land". The first element does not, contrary to popular belief, have anything to do with oxen.
The name was recorded in 1179 as Occesete.
At this time Oxshott was a hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of about 200 people earning their living from forestry, farming and the keeping of pigs.
For 600 years Oxshott was in an isolated position, which was surrounded by heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
and scrubland and connected to nearby villages only by footpaths.
In 1885 the nature of the village was changed forever with the building of the railway. The railway allowed both day trippers and wealthy residents quickly to appreciate the area's scenery. The following 30 years saw Oxshott expand to meet their demands and in doing so it acquired all the characteristics of a stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
English village.
The Crown Commissioners limited early housing development to mansions suitable for occupation by wealthy families. Examples of these include Danes Hill, Broom Hall and Bevendean. Subsequently the village has expanded to include all types of housing, but it has retained a degree of prosperity.
The religious needs of the growing population were met by the consecration of St. Andrew's Church in 1912. Oxshott became a parish in its own right in 1913. The high street expanded from an initial nucleus of three shops: a draper's, a tobacconist and a set of tea-rooms. Industry arrived in Oxshott when John Early Cook set up his brickworks in 1866. Production continued until 1958, with the famous and distinctive chimney being demolished in 1967. Heathfield pond is the sight of the brickwork pit previously called Brick Pond. The pond is approximately 100 ft deep with a cottage and machinery at the bottom. Alfie Skelton (15yrs) died in a boating accident on the pond in March 2011.
During WW2 Canandian army engineers were billeted on Oxshott Heath whilst they built The Cabinet War Rooms.
Today, Oxshott is a thriving residential and commercial community, thanks to its relative proximity to London coupled with its semi-rural location.
Transport
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
in London, with local bus services also available. Oxshott railway station
Oxshott railway station
Oxshott railway station serves the village of Oxshott, in Surrey, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is situated on the New Guildford Line, and is served by trains from London Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham.-Services:South West Trains operate...
is situated just off Oxshott Heath
Oxshott Heath
Oxshott Heath and Woods is an area of woods and heathland in Oxshott, Surrey, England covering approximately 200 acres and having an interesting geology where the London Clay stratum meets the overlying sand stratum and emerges to the surface. This has created a sand escarpment, from which views to...
, to the south of Oxshott Woods. Oxshott Heath is interesting geologically as it has an escarpment where the London clay
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
and sand strata emerge from the ground. For this reason, Oxshott had a brickworks from 1866 to 1958. The brickworks was served by a branch line that ran from the station, West (towards Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
). This is why the footbridge at the end of Sheath's Lane (this is the proper, historic spelling) can span three tracks.
At Cook's Crossing, the railway crossing had three lines: two for the electrified main line to Guildford via Cobham
Cobham, Surrey
Cobham is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, about south-west of central London and north of Leatherhead. Elmbridge has been acclaimed by the Daily Mail as the best place to live in the UK, and Cobham is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt...
and Stoke D'Abernon
Stoke d'Abernon
Stoke d'Abernon is a small village situated between Cobham and Leatherhead in the county of Surrey. The census area Oxshott and Stoke d'Abernon has a population of 6,100.-History:...
and a single track to the brickyards. This latter track is still in evidence if one looks hard, and the old hand-operated gates were still there less than 5 years ago. This single track now disappears into the houses built on the brickyards on Somerville Road. Many people have signed petitions to have a proper bus route. Currently there is one arriving in Oxshott every three hours.
2010 Oxshott train accident
An incident occurred on the afternoon of 5 November 2010 at 3:40 pm, when a 26 tonne concrete mixer lorry fell from 30 foot or more drop onto a train travelling from GuildfordGuildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
to . Only four people out of the 40 on board the train were injured. The driver of the cement mixer
Concrete mixer
A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components...
was badly injured, and also apparently had a heart attack and had to be carefully taken out of the cab by the medical services.
Miscellaneous
Oxshott has one, AnglicanChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, church, St. Andrew's. Oxshott has its own Primary School, the Royal Kent, named because its predecessor was founded by the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria's mother, in 1820. The original building stood on the sight now occupied by the village petrol station. There is also the private preparatory school, Danes Hill School
Danes Hill School
Danes Hill School is an independent preparatory school in Oxshott, Surrey, England. It is the largest coeducational preparatory school in England...
, and its pre-prep school, Bevendean. Another school located near Oxshott is Reed's School that caters for boys aged 11 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18.
There is also a very active sports club, which has expanded from the village cricket club founded in 1896. Oxshott also has two public houses: The Victoria and The Bear. Both used to be Courage Brewery houses, but now only The Victoria continues that alliance.
The village has a large number of expatriates, due in part to the nearby ACS Cobham International school
ACS International Schools
ACS International Schools is a group of three schools based in England and one in Qatar. Until 2005, the organisation was known as American Community Schools. The four campuses are located in Cobham and Egham in Surrey and in the London Borough of Hillingdon and Doha, Qatar which is due to open in...
.
The local newspaper is the Surrey Advertiser
Surrey Advertiser
The Surrey Advertiser is a newspaper for Surrey, which was established in 1864. Guardian Media Group sold the paper to current owner Trinity Mirror in 2010...
.
The local newsagents is named Beejays.
Oxshott is featured in the popular Shopaholic novels by British author Sophie Kinsella
Madeleine Wickham
Madeleine Wickham is an English author of chick lit who is most known for her work under the pen name Sophie Kinsella.-Career:...
, as the hometown of the series' narrator, Becky Bloomwood
Becky Bloomwood
Rebecca Jane 'Becky' Brandon is a fictional character and the main protagonist from the Shopaholic series of novels by British author, Sophie Kinsella.-Personal life:...
.
A greater part of the historic novel "Unter der Asche" (Beneath the ashes) by German author Tom Finnek is set in Oxshott and nearby Cobham. The novel deals with the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
1665-66 and the so-called "Diggers", a nonconformist dissenting group during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Scenes from Monty Pythons feature film Jabberwocky (1977) were filmed in Oxshott Woods.
Notable people
- Carlo AncelottiCarlo AncelottiCarlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
- former Chelsea manager - Becky BloomwoodBecky BloomwoodRebecca Jane 'Becky' Brandon is a fictional character and the main protagonist from the Shopaholic series of novels by British author, Sophie Kinsella.-Personal life:...
(Fictional) - Didier DrogbaDidier DrogbaDidier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
- professional footballer for ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... - David Hamilton - radio, television presenter and matchday compere at Fulham Football Club.
- Salomon KalouSalomon KalouSalomon Armand Magloire Kalou is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League.He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot...
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- ex professional footballer - David LloydDavid Lloyd (tennis)David Lloyd is a former professional English tennis player and businessman.He was born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. He and his younger brother John Lloyd became two of the most successful British tennis players throughout the 1970s and 1980s. David captained the British Davis Cup team and became a...
- Founder of David Lloyd Leisure Clubs - Colin MontgomerieColin MontgomerieColin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
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- John Obi Mikel - professional footballer for ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
- Michael Perkins - owner of Perkins Fox
- Vanessa Perroncel - ex-wife of Manchester City player Wayne BridgeWayne BridgeWayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
, and alleged mistress of John TerryJohn TerryJohn George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League... - Jamie RedknappJamie RedknappJamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
- ex-LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
midfielder - Louise RedknappLouise RedknappLouise Elizabeth Redknapp is an English singer and media personality. She was a member of the girl group Eternal from 1992 to 1995, before becoming a solo singer . She has presented several television shows and served as a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance...
- wife to Jamie and ex-singer - John TerryJohn TerryJohn George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
- professional footballer for ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... - Chris WolstenholmeChris WolstenholmeChristopher Tony Wolstenholme better known as Chris Wolstenholme, is an English musician and the bassist and backing vocalist for the English rock band Muse...
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- A number of professional footballers have recently moved to Oxshott because of the proximity of the Chelsea Football ClubChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
training groundsCobham Training CentreThe Cobham Training Centre is the state of the art training ground of Chelsea Football Club located in Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The Chelsea first team have trained at Cobham since 2005, but it was not officially opened until 2007.-History:...
at Stoke D'Abernon.Players are required to live within 6 miles of the training ground.
- A number of professional footballers have recently moved to Oxshott because of the proximity of the Chelsea Football Club