Hersham
| Hersham | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 Hersham | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ114641 |
| Location: | 51°22’5"N, 0°24’3"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 11,913 (2001) |
| Post town: | Walton on Thames |
| Postcode: | KT12 |
| Dialling code: | 01932 and 01372 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Elmbridge |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Esher and Walton |
Hersham is a village in northern Surrey beside the River Mole. The main A3 London to Portsmouth road runs through Hersham and close by are towns including Esher, Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames. The village has a growing population and is at the meeting of the rural with the suburban, with heavy housing at one edge running into Walton and farms at the other.
Hersham Green, which is within the village, is three and a half acres of open space where regular events take place throughout the summer months. Within a few minutes walk of the built-up area of Hersham to the east are green fields and meadows alongside the River Mole and open countryside.
The village has a diverse social mix: houses vary from small bedsits to multimillion-pound popstar mansions in Burwood Park. It has two golf clubs; Hersham Village Golf Club and Burhill near Burwood Park.
Hersham is served by Hersham railway station and Walton-on-Thames railway station both on the main London Waterloo Southwest line.
History
According to the George Greenwood book "Hersham in Surrey" (1986):
Hersham began as a strip of woodland beside the River Mole. It was occupied by pre-historic folk whose flint instruments have been found in large numbers beside the River on Southwood Manor Farm (Burhill Road KT12 4BJ) These date mostly from the mesolithic period. Somewhere around 200 BC a hugh defensive earthwork was erected on top of St Georges Hill, probably as a refuge camp against invaders coming up the Thames Valley.
Bronze Age and Iron Age burials have been found on the slopes of the Hill which was clearly a feature of some importance in ancient times.
The Anglo-Saxons seem to have been the first permanent settlers here and its name is from the Old English language. In the 12th century the name was written Haverichesham, probably derived from a lost original Hæferices ham ("Hæferick's Hamlet").
Whiteley Village near Hersham and within the parish was created from a will of £1 million left by a London businessman, William Whiteley of Whiteley's, a leading department store in London in its day. It is a planned village built in a distinctive pattern of concentric octagons and served as retirement homes for Whiteley's staff.
King George III visited Weylands farm in Hersham where he saw the first drill plough. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary how she saw her first steam train in Hersham when she was a young girl.
In the media
Due to its proximity to London and Shepperton Studios, Hersham is frequently a filming location for film and television productions. Those filmed here include Nighty Night, The Glass, Monty Python and Being April.
Hersham is also home to Britain's largest colony of feral parakeets near Esher Rugby Club. This is estimated to consist of around 7,000 birds.[1]
References
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Hersham) |