20 Facts About Leatherhead

Much of its history, Leatherhead was primarily an agricultural settlement, with a weekly market being held until the mid-Elizabethan era.

Towards the end of the 20th century, manufacturing in Leatherhead had begun to decline and the town was instead starting to attract service sector employers.

In 2002, the BBC identified Leatherhead as having one of the worst High Streets in England, but in 2007, the local press described the town centre as "bustling".

Leatherhead is at the southern edge of the London Basin, where the permeable upper chalk of the North Downs dips beneath the impermeable London Clay.

An Anglo-Saxon settlement at Leatherhead was most likely founded on the east side of the River Mole in the second half of the 6th century.

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Medieval history of Leatherhead is complex, since the parish was divided into a number of manors.

In 1393, one year after a serious fire had destroyed much of Leatherhead, Wimbledon defaulted on the rent and was accused of dismantling several of the manor buildings.

Leatherhead developed at a crossing point of the River Mole at the intersection between the north-south Kingston-Dorking and east-west Epsom-Guildford roads.

All railway lines through Leatherhead were electrified in 1925 and the LSWR station was closed in 1927.

Large-scale manufacturing in Leatherhead was short lived and, as the 20th century progressed, the town started to attract service sector industries.

Leatherhead began to expand at the start of the 20th century and the population grew from in 4,694 in 1901 to 5,491 in 1911.

The 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division was posted to Dorking and Leatherhead, and was responsible for completing the construction of Young Street between Givons Grove and Fetcham.

Leatherhead experienced two main periods of bombing during the war.

Leatherhead is in the Mole Valley parliamentary constituency, which has been represented in the House of Commons since 1997 by the Conservative, Sir Paul Beresford.

Leatherhead is represented by a swan on the crest of the Mole Valley District Council coat of arms.

In 1911, the Leatherhead company acquired that of Cobham and, from 1929, supplied gas to Woking via a connection at Effingham Junction.

Leatherhead station is the northern terminus of the Mole Gap Trail, which rus south through Norbury Park to Dorking station.

Leatherhead had swept it out of existence, as it seemed, without any provocation, as a boy might crush an ant-hill, in the mere wantonness of power.

Leatherhead has been mentioned in a number of films and television programmes.

Leatherhead Club was founded as the Surrey Golf Club, but adopted its present name in 1908.