RH5 5PB

NEIGHBOURHOOD REPORT

RH5 5PB - Forest Green

Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about 21 mi (34 km) south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly eastu2013west, parallel to the Pipp Brook and along the northern face of an outcrop of Lower Greensand. The town is surrounded on three sides by the Surrey Hills National Landscape and is close to Box Hill and Leith Hill.

The earliest archaeological evidence of human activity is from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, and there are several Bronze Age bowl barrows in the local area. The town may have been the site of a staging post on Stane Street during Roman times, however the name 'Dorking' suggests an Anglo-Saxon origin for the modern settlement. A market is thought to have been held at least weekly since early medieval times and was highly regarded for the poultry traded there. The Dorking breed of domestic chicken is named after the town.

The local economy thrived during Tudor times, but declined in the 17th century due to poor infrastructure and competition from neighbouring towns. During the early modern period many inhabitants were nonconformists, including the author, Daniel Defoe, who lived in Dorking as a child. Six of the Mayflower Pilgrims, including William Mullins and his daughter Priscilla, lived in the town before setting sail for the New World.

Dorking started to expand during the 18th and 19th centuries as transport links improved and farmland to the south of the centre was released for housebuilding. The new turnpike, and later the railways, facilitated the sale of lime produced in the town, but also attracted wealthier residents, who had had no previous connection to the area. Residential expansion continued in the first half of the 20th century, as the Deepdene and Denbies estates began to be broken up. Further development is now constrained by the Metropolitan Green Belt, which encircles the town." [1]

Situated in local authority Okewood, Forest Green is classed as urban with significant rural (rural including hub towns 26-49%). Nearest towns are Cranleigh (4 miles away), Dorking (5 miles away), Horsham (6 miles away), with the capital city, London being 28 miles away.

Surrey

It is easy to think of Surrey as simply a rich suburb of London for wealthy commuters to spend their bonuses. But that would be to ignore some of the magnificent landscapes and important historical sites that lie at the heart of Surrey.

The Surrey Hills, for example, are quite beautiful and have been declared an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty whose lush valleys have inspired musicians, writers and artists for hundreds of years. Dotted around the hills are numerous charming and historic market towns with bustling markets and shops and a wealth of old English heritage.

From Runnymede Meadow in Egham and the Magna Carta Memorial (where King John met up with the 25 barons and signed possibly the most famous document in history) to the gorgeous county town of Farnham with some of southern England's finest Georgian architecture and a castle dating back to the 12th century, to Dorking, birthplace of composer Vaughn Williams and hundreds of other villages and towns, there are plenty of picturesque historic spots across Surrey. Most famous of all is Hampton Court Palace, built for Cardinal Wolsey by Henry VIII in 1514 and one of the most famous buildings in all of England. Similarly, the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens (the world's leading botanic gardens) are also impossible to avoid and one of the UK's most recognizable attractions.

Getting out and about there are famous sporting arenas such as the Oval for the cricket or Epsom for the racing. And for walkers and ramblers, bikers and hikers there are the Greensand Hills and the epic chalk hills of the North Downs Way and something approaching 6,500 acres of countryside to explore, including trails that run along the rivers Wey, Thames and Mole.

Lastly, for daytime entertainment of a different kind there is Chessington World of Adventures and for laid back nightlife there are the numerous bars and clubs of Guildford.

Where is it?

Location
Forest Green

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Ward
Okewood

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Local Authority
Mole Valley

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Council

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Constituency

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County
Surrey

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Region
South East

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Country
England

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Classification
Urban with Significant Rural (rural including hub towns 26-49%)

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Area Type
Non-metropolitan District

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ONS GSS ID
E00155851

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LSOADZ_NAME
Mole Valley 012C

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Government ID
Mole Valley 012

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Coordinates
51.153, -0.381

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Phone Code
(01306) xxxxxx

Nearby Towns

Cranleigh	4.4 mi
Dorking	5.1 mi
Horsham	6.1 mi
Betchworth	7.2 mi
Brighton	24.8 mi
Reading	32.3 mi
Portsmouth	39.5 mi
London	28.5 mi
Cardiff	122.1 mi
Edinburgh	348.7 mi