Dormansland
| Dormansland | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ404426 |
| Location: | 51°9’56"N, -0°0’29"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,931 (2001) |
| Post town: | Lingfield |
| Postcode: | RH7 |
| Dialling code: | 01342 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Tandridge |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
East Surrey |
Dormansland is a village in the very south-east of Surrey, a mile south of Lingfield. The parish is bordered on the east by Kent and on the south by Sussex. The westernmost point of Surrey is here, near Lower Stonehurst Farm some 2½ miles southwest of the village, half a mile from the three shires point.
The village is surrounded by green meadows and commons. It is served by a station on the direct line to London, enabling it to be a commuter village.
The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy is outside the village. The Greenwich Meridian passes just to the west of Dormansland.
Churches
The parish church is St John the Evangelist. It was built in 1882 to a design by Arthur Blomfield and consecrated in 1884. The parish was created from part of the Lingfield parish in 1885.
History
The earliest known settlement in the parish was at Dry Hill, dating from approximately 500 BC. The camp lay at the junction of trackways from the north and east.[1]
The name of the village is derived from Richard Derman who is recorded as holding land in the area in 1435, and the name Dermannysland first appeared in the manorial rolls in 1489.[2]
In the high days of bare-knuckle prize fights, the fields outside Dormansland were a favourite place to hold the fights. The parish's position by the point where three shires meet, meant that if the Surrey magistrates sent officers to end the fight up, the organisers could pull the stakes up and move the ring across into Kent, and were the Kent magistrates to come upon them, the ring could be moved to Sussex.
Until the enclosure of the Lingfield Commons in 1816, Dormansland consisted of a few farms and cottages. A Baptist Chapel was built in 1796, and a National School in 1851.
By the time that the Dormans railway station opened in 1884 the village had most of its modern layout, except for a few housing estates (such as Locks Meadow) later built on farmland. The station allowed expansion, but it has mercifully been modest and much restricted to Dormans Park.
Dormans Park
The Dormans Park Estate has its origins in the late 19th century when the land was bought by the Bellaggio Estate Company. The new Dormans railway station made the area easily accessible from London and an attractive location for development. The estate grew steadily during the early 20th century and supported by specific planning policies, still retains its character of large plots in a wooded setting. Dormans Park was added to the parish in 1921.
Outside links