Chertsey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chertsey | |
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| Population | 15,967[1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Runnymede |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHERTSEY |
| Postcode district | KT16 |
| Dial code | 01932 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | Runnymede and Weybridge |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames, and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed via road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It is part of the borough of Runnymede.
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[edit] History
Chertsey is a town of historical importance, having grown around Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 by Eorcenwald, Bishop of London. After the priests were driven out by King Edgar in 964 and replaced by Benedictine monks, the Abbey grew to become one of the largest Benedictine abbeys in England, supported by large fiefs in the northwest corner of Sussex until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536. The King took stone from the Abbey to construct his palace at Oatlands, and the villagers used stone for raising the streets, and by the late 17th century, only some outer walls remained. Today the ghost of the abbey is detected in local place names and the fishponds that still fill with water after a heavy rain. In the 18th century Chertsey Cricket Club was one of the strongest in the country.
[edit] Thorpe Park
The town is also notable for being the location of the popular tourist attraction Thorpe Park. This thrill seeker's paradise was originally a gravel pit before being converted into a lake and becoming the UK's first theme park. The park now serves massive numbers of visitors every year and brings many jobs and visitors to the area.
[edit] Celebrated residents
England cricketer Ashley Giles and England Footballer Robert Green were born in Chertsey. The eighteenth century landscape designer Richard Woods also came from the town.
Renowned 19th Century chemist, explorer and magician Oliver Van Hoogstraten resided in the town for a number of years before his death.
[edit] Chertsey in literature
Chertsey was visited by Charles Dickens to make notes for Oliver Twist, and the poem "The Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" by Rosa Hartwick Thorpe was written in the town.
In H. G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds, Chertsey was destroyed by attacking Martian fighting-machines in the early afternoon of 8 June 1902.
