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Dorking

Dorking is an historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.

History and development

Dorking began life as a small staging post on Stane Street, the Roman Road which linked London to Chichester on the English Channel. Dorking appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as the Manor of ''Dorchinges''. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: 1 church, 3 Mill (grinding)|mills worth 15s 4d, 16 ploughs, of meadow, woodland and herbage worth 88 hog (swine)|hogs. It rendered £18.Surrey Domesday Book. Subsequent Lords of the Manor were to include the Dukes of Norfolk, who lived in Dorking until they moved to Arundel. One of them is buried in Dorking churchyard. In the Medieval period, Dorking was a prosperous agricultural and market town, benefitting from its position on the junction of a number of important roads and tracks. In 1750, the construction of a Turnpike Road made Dorking a staging post on the route to Brighton and the coast. The Bull’s Head in South Street had a famous coachman, William Broad, whose portrait hangs in Dorking Museum in West Street. The inn which now dominates the centre of Dorking, the White Horse, was developed in the 18th century; previous buildings on this site having belonged to the Knights Templar and later the Knights of Saint John|Knights of St John. Dorking held a big wheat and cattle market in the High Street. The poultry market was held in the corner of South Street and round Butter Hill. Here the famous Dorking (chicken)|Dorking fowl were sold. This breed which has 5 claws instead of the normal four, was a favourite for 19th century tables, including Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria's. Dorking lost its stage coaches when the railways arrived, but now attracted wealthy residents who built large houses in and around Dorking, such as Denbies House and Pippbrook House (now the library, with Council Offices in the grounds). Surrounding land and beauty spots such as Cotmandene and Box Hill, Surrey|Box Hill were donated by landowners for public use and this, together with later planning controls, has enabled Dorking to remain one of the most pleasant towns within convenient reach of London, having escaped much of the modern development witnessed by its neighbours. B. 2005, Dorking Local History Group. A game resembling rugby was once played here. The two sides were unlimited in number, representing the east and west of the town. The goals were the 2 bridges on the Pipp Brooke. The Town crier kicked off the ball at 2 o' clock and stopped play at 6 o'clock. The game was started at the Church gates and was "rioted" up and down the High Street. It was ceased in 1897 after complaints by tradesmen and it was officially stopped under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835.

Topography, natural history and local landscape

Just north of the town the River Mole, Surrey|River Mole cuts a steep-sided valley through the North Downs. On the left bank is Denbies Vineyard, the largest vineyard in the UK. On the right bank is Box Hill, Surrey|Box Hill, owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust and Britain's first Country Park. The hill has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of the large number of rare orchids which grow there in the summer. Further north is Norbury Park which contains the Druids Grove — a forest of ancient yew trees, some of which are more than 1000 years old. To the south west of the town is Leith Hill — also owned by the National Trust, the highest point in the south of England, reaching at the tower on top of the hill. Along with the adjacent hills of Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill, as well as the nearby escarpment of the North Downs from Box Hill to Newlands Corner, the area is known as 'Surrey Hills AONB|The Surrey Hills'. A new species of fish-eating dinosaur — ''Baryonyx walkeri'' was discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking. The creature had a long curved claw on each hand and remains of its last meal were discovered fossilised in its ribcage. The skeleton can be seen at the Natural History Museum in London. One disused clay pit (Inholms lane) is now open to the public as a nature reserve.

Modern Dorking

The evolution of Dorking has been kind to the town centre. Much of the original character survives, whilst accommodating businesses that serve the needs of the 21st century. The town is known worldwide for its antique dealers. The town's three main trading streets of High Street, West Street and South Street are complemented by a small open-air shopping centre, St Martin's Walk which is adjacent to the town's main car park and easily accessed from the High Street. In the late 1990s Dorking Halls was given a huge refit, to make it a cinema and theatre complex. In 2003 a new modern leisure centre and swimming pool were added to the Dorking Halls Complex. There is now a big statue of the Dorking cockerel located on the Deepdene roundabout.

Famous residents and literary connections

People born in the town include: Padre George Smith in 1845, he was a defender at Rorke's Drift; and Sir Laurence Olivier in 1907 — a blue plaque marking his birthplace can be found in Wathen Road. People who have lived in the town in the past include: Daniel Defoe who attended Rev. James Fisher's boarding school in Pixham Lane, and Daniel Defoe|Defoe later mentioned Dorking in his tour through the whole Island of Great Britain.Notes on Defoe Henry Hope and his nephew Thomas Hope (1769-1831)|Thomas Hope spent summers at Deepdene (garden)|Deepdene in the beginning of the 19th century. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield|Benjamin Disraeli wrote his novel Coningsby also while staying in Deepdene (garden)|Deepdene House (demolished in 1967) on the outskirts of the town. Emma Holland was brought up in the town. Dorking and its environs, including Box Hill and the Deepdene Hotel, feature heavily in British author Robert Goddard's fictional thriller Closed Circle (1993). In this novel there are also several allusions to the notorious money-for-titles trader Maundy Gregory, the owner of the Deepdene Hotel in the inter-war years. The Cubitt family had links with the town also. Thomas Cubitt was born and lived in the town, and later built up large areas of London from the early 19th century. His politician son George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe|George also had connections with the town. Marian Hemar, famous Polish poet is buried at the local cemetery. "The Battle of Dorking" a fictional short-story written by Lt. Col. Sir George Tomkyns Chesney in 1871 was set in the town. Describing a fictional invasion and conquest of Britain, it triggered an explosion of what came to be known as invasion literature. Absolute Radio DJ Christian O'Connell resides in Dorking with his wife and two children.

Local government

Dorking is the administrative centre of Mole Valley District Council. It had been an urban district from 1894 to 1974. It is situated in the Mole Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Mole Valley parliamentary constituency, having formerly been the centre of its eponymous predecessor, the Dorking (UK Parliament constituency)|Dorking constituency.

Twin towns

The town is twinned with Gouvieux, France since 1997 and negotiations began in 2007 to twin with the Germany|German town of Güglingen.Surrey Advertiser twinning info

Transport

Road

Dorking is situated at the junction of the A24 road (Great Britain)|A24 (London to Worthing) and A25 road|A25 (Maidstone to Guildford) roads.

Rail

The town has three railway stations.
- Dorking railway station, on the Epsom to Horsham Sutton & Mole Valley Line.
- Dorking Deepdene railway station|Dorking Deepdene, on the Guildford to Redhill, Surrey|Redhill North Downs Line.
- Dorking West railway station|Dorking West, also on the Guildford to Redhill, Surrey|Redhill North Downs Line, but served infrequently.

Bus

Most bus services are run by Arriva Guildford & West Surrey|Arriva, the main locations served being Guildford, Horsham, Redhill, Surrey|Redhill and Reigate including villages in between, as well as some local services. Sunray Travel operates a Surrey County Council|Surrey CC supported route to Leatherhead and Epsom, and running via Box Hill, Surrey|Box Hill. TfL London Buses contracted London Buses route 465|route 465 goes to Kingston upon Thames|Kingston, and is also run by Arriva.

Local music

The Star on West Street has open mic evenings and a recording studio. The Kings Arms also on West Street has live music on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. This public house dates back from the 16th Century. The jazz club at the Friends Provident social club on Pixham Lane has hosted many famous musicians' performances and is open every Thursday evening (http://www.watermilljazz.co.uk). The Lincoln Arms hotel hosts gigs by local bands every Friday night, and DJ nights on Saturdays, (this ceased at the end of 2007, due to changes in the venue management, but has since re-started)which continue to be popular. The events are run by various local groups: the Dorktownpunks; a voluntary group aiming to make sure all the local bands and teens have a place to enjoy and play live music; Native Beats Sound System, a local not-for profit long-standing party crew from the local area; Fort Apache; a group of musicians loosely based around successful local band Stagecoach. Local Bands of note: QC / Quitting Cynicism: Psychedelic Rock-monkeys full of exuberant guitar and comedic song lyrics. Stagecoach: Bluegrass/Americana-style indie rock with an anecdotal representation of Life in Dorking. Have been played by radio one and on popular youth t.v. show "Skins" on Channel 4 Radio Waves Goodbye: Cutting edge electronica created with a bewildering array of keyboards and circuit-bent computers circa 1988.

Education

Various Primary Schools cater for 5–11 year olds:
- Powell Corderoy Primary School
- St Martin's School
- St Paul's School
- St Joseph's School
- St John's School, formerly Redlands Secondary education is largely provided for by:
- The Ashcombe School
- The Priory School (Dorking)|The Priory School, formerly Sondes Place School (from 1996)

Emergency Services

Dorking is served by these emergency services:
- '''Surrey Police'''
- '''South East Coast Ambulance Service''' as of 1st July 2006. The '''Surrey Ambulance Service''', Sussex, and Kent Ambulance services have all merged, and have now ceased to exist.
- '''Surrey Fire & Rescue Service''', in North Holmwood
- '''Hospital|Dorking Hospital''', small hospital with no Emergency department|A&E.

Leisure and culture

On 15 June 2004, Dorking was granted Fairtrade Town status. The Dorking Halls is a Movie theater|cinema, theatre, leisure centre and swimming pool complex. Each year in April, the town plays host to the Leith Hill Music Festival for choirs. This was founded by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. There is also an "Arts Alive" Festival which takes place annually during the last two weeks of October. Dorking Halls is also yearly host to a professional pantomime which was re-introduced in December 2006, after several years of hosting Zippo's Circus. Dorking also has a museum, a library, about thirty pubs and a CIU affiliated club. It is noted for its antique and art shops on West Street. The town has an active collection of sports clubs; the most recent of which to attract national attention was the Dorking rugby football club winners of the Powergen Vase 2005/2006.Dorking Rugby Football Club2005/2006 Powergen Vase The Dorking and Mole Valley Athletics Club is based at Pixham Sports Ground. They host the annual Dorking ten road race starting from Brockham|Brockham Green.Dorking and Mole Valley Athletics Club The Mole Valley Bowmen are located in the grounds of St Martin's primary school.Mole Valley Bowmen Near to Dorking lies the Leith Hill area, along with the adjacent hills of Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill, as well as the nearby escarpment of the North Downs from Box Hill to Newlands Corner. This place is notable in southern England for mountain biking. As a whole this area is known as 'The Surrey Hills'. Also adjacent to Dorking is Denbies Vineyard. The Dorking Group of Artists exhibit locally twice a year, in Betchworth and at Denbies Vineyard|Denbies.Dorking Group of Artists They celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2007. Underneath the town lie the Dorking Caves which are open occasionally to the public.