Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; [1] in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 and are open to users such as ramblers, model aircraft flyers, golfers and cyclists. Since January 2006 model aircraft flyers on the Downs have been required to be members of the Epsom Downs Model Aircraft Club. [2] There are over 20 km of routeways for hack riders. [3] There are bylaws for the use of the Downs. [4] There are panoramic views of London to the north from the Downs. The area is served by Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner railway stations.
Epsom Downs is managed by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators, which consists of six borough councillors, three representatives of the Epsom Downs Racecourse and one from the racehorse trainers. They are responsible for the maintenance and control of the Downs and the cost of this is split in the same proportion as the representation. The Conservators were set up in 1984 to give a voice to the users of the Downs. [5]
Surrey is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west. The largest settlement is Woking.
The Derby Stakes, also known as the Derby or the Epsom Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey on the first Saturday of June each year, over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards, or about 1½ miles. It was first run in 1780.
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amongst other horse racing assets such as the National Stud, and the property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. The registered charity Racing Welfare is also a company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member. As it is governed by Royal Charter, all profits it makes are reinvested back into the sport.
Reigate and Banstead is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Reigate and the borough also includes the towns of Banstead, Horley and Redhill. Parts of the borough are within the Surrey Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Northern parts of the borough, including Banstead, lie inside the M25 motorway which encircles London.
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about 14 miles south of central London. The town is first recorded as Ebesham in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The earliest evidence of human activity is from the mid-Bronze Age, but the modern settlement probably grew up in the area surrounding St Martin's Church in the 6th or 7th centuries and the street pattern is thought to have become established in the Middle Ages. Today the High Street is dominated by the clock tower, which was erected in 1847–8.
Epsom and Ewell is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, covering the towns of Epsom and Ewell. The borough lies just outside the administrative boundary of Greater London, but it is entirely within the M25 motorway which encircles London. Many of the borough's urban areas form part of the wider Greater London Built-up Area.
Tadworth is a large suburban village in Surrey, England in the south-east of the Epsom Downs, part of the North Downs. It forms part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. At the 2011 census, Tadworth had a population of 7,123
The Tattenham Corner line is an 8-mile-14-ch (13.2 km) railway line in Surrey and Greater London, England. It runs from its western terminus at Tattenham Corner, near Epsom Downs Racecourse, to a junction with the Caterham line south of Purley. There are intermediate stations at Tadworth, Kingswood, Chipstead, Woodmansterne, Coulsdon Town and Reedham. All seven stations are managed by Southern, which operates all passenger trains. Most services run between Tattenham Corner and London Bridge via East Croydon.
Epsom Downs railway station is in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southern. It is on the Epsom Downs line 18 miles 57 chains down the line from London Bridge, measured via West Croydon. In the past the station had nine platforms, but today only one remains.
Walton-on-the-Hill is a village in the Reigate and Banstead district, in the county of Surrey, England. It is midway between the market towns of Reigate and Epsom. The village is a dispersed cluster on the North Downs centred less than one mile inside of the M25 motorway. The village hosts the Walton Heath Golf Club, whose former members include King Edward VIII, Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George.
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is 3 miles (5 km) south of Sutton, 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Croydon, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Kingston-upon-Thames, and 13 miles (21 km) south of Central London.
The Epsom Downs Branch is a 3-mile-65-chain (6.1 km) railway line in Greater London and Surrey, England. It runs from Sutton to its southern terminus at Epsom Downs, with intermediate stations at Belmont and Banstead. With the exception of the northernmost 39 ch (780 m), the branch is single track. All stations are managed by Southern, which operates all passenger trains. Most services run between Epsom Downs and London Victoria via Selhurst.
Tattenham Corner is in north Surrey, England, the name is principally associated with Epsom Racecourse. The railway station of the same name is in the Tattenhams ward of Reigate and Banstead Borough.
Nork is a residential area of the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey and borders Greater London, England. Nork is separated from its post town Banstead only by the A217 dual carriageway, and the built-up area is also contiguous with similar parts of Tattenham Corner and Burgh Heath. A thin belt of more open land separates it from the communities to the north: Epsom, Ewell, Cheam and Belmont. There are two parades of shops, one called the Driftbridge and another at the north-eastern end of Nork Way, the street which runs centrally through the residential area. Nork lies on chalk near the top of the gentle north-facing slope of the North Downs, 175 m (575 ft) above sea level at its highest point.
Langley Vale is a village in the Borough of Epsom and Ewell, in Surrey, England, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of central London. As its name suggests, the village is in a dry valley between Epsom Downs and Walton Downs. Historically part of the Ashtead Park estate, Langley Vale was the location of a farm in Medieval times. The modern village began to develop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Headley is a village and civil parish in the North Downs in Surrey, England. The nearest settlements are, to the west, Mickleham and Leatherhead; to the north, Ashtead and Langley Vale; to the east, Walton-on-the-Hill; and to the south, Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling London.
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs.
Banstead Downs is a 126.7-hectare (313-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Banstead in Surrey. There are Saxon burial mounds on the site and they are a Scheduled Monument. Today, with wooded areas and wide open fields, Banstead Downs are predominantly used for walks by local residents. The downs also form a pathway from Belmont Village and Brighton Road to Banstead.
In certain areas of England, conservators are statutory bodies which manage areas of countryside for the use of the public.
Epsom Town Hall is a municipal building in The Parade, Epsom, Surrey, England. It is the headquarters of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council.