Editing Leatherhead (section)

==Public services==
===Utilities===
The town [[gasworks]], close to the junction of Kingston Road and Barnett Wood Lane, were built in 1850 by the Leatherhead Gas Company. The first [[coal gas|gas]] was produced in February 1851 and was primarily used for street lighting, but was also supplied to some private houses.<ref name=Clube_Gas>{{cite journal |last1= Clube |first1= JR |year= 1999 |title= The Leatherhead Gas Company 1850-1936 |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_3_1999.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History |volume= 6 |issue= 3 |pages= 64–67 |access-date= 5 February 2021}}</ref> Until the railway was opened in 1859, coal was delivered by road from Epsom.<ref name=Tarplee_Gas_Electricity>{{cite journal |last1= Tarplee |first1= Peter |year= 2007 |title= Some public utilities in Surrey: Electricity and gas |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%207-5.pdf |journal= Surrey History |volume= VII |issue= 5 |pages= 262–272 |access-date= 10 January 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224313/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%207-5.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> In 1911, the Leatherhead company acquired that of [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]] and, from 1929, also supplied gas to [[Woking]] via a connection at {{stnlnk|Effingham Junction}}. In 1936, the company was acquired by the Wandsworth Gas Company and the Leatherhead gasworks closed two years later.<ref name=Clube_Gas/>

[[File:Leatherhead Pumping Station - geograph.org.uk - 108476.jpg|thumb|The Leatherhead pumping station was constructed in 1935 by the East Surrey Water Company.]]
The first public water supply in Leatherhead was created in 1884, when a [[steam engine|stream-driven]] [[water pumping|pumping station]] was constructed in Waterways Road.<ref name=Tarplee_Water>{{cite journal |last1= Tarplee |first1= Peter |year= 2007 |title= Some public utilities in Surrey: Water supply |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%207-4.pdf |journal= Surrey History |volume= VII |issue= 4 |pages= 219–225 |access-date= 10 January 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224313/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%207-4.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The works, designed by [[John William Grover]], were capable of lifting {{convert|90000|L|impgal|sigfig=1}} per hour to a reservoir on Reigate Road.<ref name=Tarplee_Water/><ref>{{cite journal|last1= Tarplee |first1= Peter |year= 2007 |title= Public water supplies for Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_7_NO_1_2007.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 7 |issue= 1 |pages= 33–36 |access-date= 21 November 2021}}</ref> A second [[diesel engine|diesel-powered]] station was constructed alongside the first in 1935 and was later converted to [[electric power system|electric power]]. The steam-powered works were demolished in 1992.<ref name=Tarplee_Water/>

An [[power station|electricity generating station]] was opened in Bridge Street in 1902. Initially it was capable of generating 75&nbsp;kW of power, but by the time of its closure in 1941, its [[nameplate capacity|installed capacity]] was 2.2&nbsp;MW.<ref name=Tarplee_Gas_Electricity/> Under the [[Electricity (Supply) Act 1926]], Leatherhead was connected to the [[National Grid (Great Britain)|National Grid]], initially to a 33&nbsp;kV [[electric power transmission|supply ring]], which linked the town to [[Croydon]], Epsom, Dorking and Reigate. In 1939, the ring was connected to the [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]]-Woking main via a 132&nbsp;kV [[electrical substation|substation]] at Leatherhead.<ref name=Tarplee_Gas_Electricity/><ref name=Crocker_1999_p118>{{harvnb|Crocker|1999|p=118}}</ref>

===Emergency services===
Leatherhead Police Station was on Kingston Road, to the north of the town centre. It closed in 2011. The building was demolished and retirement apartments were built on the site.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/Leatherhead-Kingston-Road.htm |title= Street and roads – Leatherhead – Kingston Road |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 20 November 2021 }}</ref> In 2021, the local police force is [[Surrey Police]] and the nearest [[police station]] to the town is at [[Reigate]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/north-leatherhead/ |title= North Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Surrey Police |access-date= 15 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113111634/https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/north-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/south-leatherhead/ |title= South Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Surrey Police |access-date= 15 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113111637/https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/south-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The headquarters of the [[Police Federation of England and Wales]] is in Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite news |last= Foster |first= Alice |date= 24 February 2014 |title= 'Extravagant' Police Federation HQ boasts swimming pool and hotel in Leatherhead |url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11032854.extravagant-police-federation-hq-boasts-swimming-pool-and-hotel-in-leatherhead/ |work= Sutton and Croydon Guardian |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210116102408/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11032854.extravagant-police-federation-hq-boasts-swimming-pool-and-hotel-in-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Fire engine, church parade, Leatherhead, Surrey, 1928.jpg|thumb|A fire engine at a [[church parade]] in Leatherhead in 1928]]
The Vestry was responsible for organising the local fire service in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The west door of the parish church was enlarged in 1759, in order to accommodate the town [[fire engine]], which was housed in the tower.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> In 1821, the engine was moved to an existing building on North Street and a new fire station was built on the same road in 1859. The first motor fire engine was delivered to the town in 1926 and was housed in a new building close to the river.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> In 2021, the local [[fire authority]] is Surrey County Council and the [[fire services in the United Kingdom|statutory fire service]] is [[Surrey Fire and Rescue Service]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/fire-and-rescue/about/fire-stations#leatherhead |title= Our Fire Stations |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Surrey County Council |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 7 April 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210407142930/https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/fire-and-rescue/about/fire-stations#leatherhead |url-status= live }}</ref> Leatherhead Ambulance Station, in Kingston Road, is run by the [[South East Coast Ambulance Service]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.secamb.nhs.uk/our-locations/ |title= Our Locations |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= South East Coast Ambulance Service |access-date= 9 January 2021 |archive-date= 10 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201110224056/https://www.secamb.nhs.uk/our-locations/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Healthcare===
The first hospital in Leatherhead was opened in Clinton Road in 1893. As a small [[cottage hospital]], it only had seven or eight beds and was supervised by a matron.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=178}}</ref> It closed in 1902, having accrued a debt of £130. A replacement facility, the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital (QVMH), on Epsom Road, was opened in 1905. It was built on land donated by [[Walter Cunliffe, 1st Baron Cunliffe|Walter Cunliffe]], who lived at Tyrells Wood.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=220}}</ref> Initially it had 6 beds for adults and one cot for infants, but by 1928, it had expanded to 17 beds.<ref name=Hosp_Hist>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadhospitalfriends.org.uk/History.htm |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= The League of Friends of the Leatherhead Hospital |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 17 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160317233441/http://leatherheadhospitalfriends.org.uk/History.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> The QVMH closed at the end of the Second World War.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220/>

Leatherhead Community Hospital, on Poplar Road, was opened in 1940 and was built on land donated by Charles Leach. Initially it had 40 beds and came under the management of Epsom Hospital, although it had its own medical committee. By 1960, the hospital had expanded to 52 beds,<ref name=Hosp_Hist/> but in 2014, the in-patient wards were closed to allow the improvement of outpatient services.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://sdccg.nhsdigital.org.uk/about-us/our-governing-body/governing-body-papers/2015-16/25-september-2015/733-05-community-hospitals-service-review-outcomes-paper/file |title= Community Hospital Service Review – Outcomes Paper |last= Blythe |first= Elrick |date= 25 September 2015 |publisher= Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120144619/https://sdccg.nhsdigital.org.uk/about-us/our-governing-body/governing-body-papers/2015-16/25-september-2015/733-05-community-hospitals-service-review-outcomes-paper/file |url-status= dead }}</ref> The NHS has retained ownership of the hospital, but many services are now run by CSH, a [[nonprofit organization|not-for-profit organisation]].<ref name=Hosp_Hist/> The [[radiography|X-ray radiography department]] is run by the [[Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nhs.uk/services/hospitals/overview/defaultview.aspx?id=601 |title= Leatherhead Community Hospital |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 7 June 2017 |publisher= NHS |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211239/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=601 |url-status= live }}</ref>

The nearest hospital with an [[Emergency department|A&E]] is [[Epsom Hospital]], {{convert|5.3|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} away.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Hospital/Leatherhead/Results/3/-0.326/51.292/7/12434?distance=25 |title= Hospitals near Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= National Health Service |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224315/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Hospital/Leatherhead/Results/3/-0.326/51.292/7/12434?distance=25 |url-status= live}}</ref> As of 2021, the town has two [[General practitioner|GP]] practices, on Kingston Road and Upper Fairfield Road.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Leatherhead?latitude=51.296161883887024&longitude=-0.3311191725067626 |title= GPs near Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= National Health Service |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224315/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Leatherhead?latitude=51.296161883887024&longitude=-0.3311191725067626 |url-status= live }}</ref>