Editing Epsom (section)

==History==
===Early history===
The earliest evidence of human activity in Epsom is from the mid-[[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]]. Remains of pits, ditches and post holes in Long Grove Road indicate that the area north of the town centre was used for agriculture in prehistoric times, which may suggest the presence of an established settlement nearby.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stevenson |first1=J. |year=2005 |title=An archaeological excavation at Long Grove Road, Epsom |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_92/Surrey_Arch_Vol_92_161-170.pdf |journal=Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume=92 |pages=161–170 |doi=10.5284/1069347 |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605151304/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_92%2FSurrey_Arch_Vol_92_161-170.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Pottery [[sherd]]s and worked [[flint]]s, found on the site of the former [[Manor Hospital, Epsom|Manor Hospital]] site in Horton, show that human activity continued into the early [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Saunders |first1=M.J. |year=2000 |title=Late Bronze/Early Iron Age settlement evidence from Manor Hospital, Epsom |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_87/surreyac087_175-178_saunders.pdf |journal=Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume=87 |pages=175–178 |doi=10.5284/1069276 |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605151305/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_87%2Fsurreyac087_175-178_saunders.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and two [[Stater#Non-Greek staters|staters]] (coins) from this period have been found in the area.<ref name=EUS_2003>{{cite web |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-726-1/dissemination/pdf/epsom/epsom_eus_report.pdf |title=Extensive Urban Survey of Surrey: Epsom |last=Poulton |first=Rob |date=June 2003 |orig-year=2001 |publisher=Surrey County Archaeological Unit |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605151306/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-726-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fepsom%2Fepsom_eus_report.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Although the route of [[Stane Street (Chichester)|Stane Street]], the road between ''[[Londinium]]'' and [[Noviomagus Reginorum|Chichester]], passes immediately to the east of St Martin's Church, there is not thought to have been a [[Roman Britain|Roman]] settlement there.<ref name=EUS_2003/><ref name=Hall_2008>{{cite journal |author=Hall A |year=2008 |title=The archaeological evidence for the route of Stane Street from Mickleham Downs to London Road, Ewell |journal=Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher=Surrey Archaeological Society |volume=94 |pages=225–250 |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_94/surreyac094_225-249_hall.pdf |access-date=2 January 2021 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102535/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_94%2Fsurreyac094_225-249_hall.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Archaeological evidence of Roman activity has been found to the north of the present town centre: A [[tile]] [[kiln]], which may have been connected to the 1st- and 2nd-century [[brickworks]] on [[Ashtead Common]], was discovered during the construction of the [[West Park Hospital, Epsom|West Park Hospital]] in the 1920s.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp2-4>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=2–4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goodchild |first1=R.G. |year=2000 |title=The Roman Brickworks at Wykehurst Farm in the Parish of Cranleigh, with a note on a Roman Tile-Kiln at Horton, Epsom |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_45/surreyac045_074-096_goodchild.pdf |journal=Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume=45 |pages=74–96 |doi=10.5284/1068822 |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605151305/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_45%2Fsurreyac045_074-096_goodchild.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> There may also have been a [[Roman villa|villa]] at Epsom Court.<ref name=EEHE_Brief_History/>

The [[Anglo-Saxon]] settlement at Epsom was most likely established in the late 6th or early 7th century.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp2-4/><ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro>{{harvnb|White|Harte|1992|loc=Introduction}}</ref> It would have been administered as part of [[Copthorne Hundred]] and was probably located close to the site of the present St Martin's Church, which is built on a [[hillock|knoll]] of chalk at the base of the North Downs.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp2-4/><ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro/><ref name=Nail_1965>{{cite journal |last=Nail |first=Dorothy |year=1965 |title=The meeting place of Copthorne Hundred |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_62/surreyac062_044-053_nail.pdf |journal=Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume=62 |pages=44–53 |doi=10.5284/1068944 |access-date=24 September 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102521/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_62%2Fsurreyac062_044-053_nail.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|The meeting place of Copthorne Hundred has been suggested to be marked by an earthwork and ancient hedge at the southern end of Woodcote Park, close to [[Langley Vale]]. The earthwork is denoted as the ''Nutshambles'' on a map of [[Ashtead]] dating from 1638.<ref name=Nail_1965/>|group=note}} Saxon burials have been excavated at two sites to the east of the modern town centre, close to the church.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHHER_1107 |title=Saxon burials: Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=18 January 2012 |publisher=Exploring Surrey's Past |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915231656/http://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHHER_1107 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHHER_1118 |title=Burials from Epsom, possibly late Roman or Saxon date |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=18 January 2012 |publisher=Exploring Surrey's Past |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915212946/http://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/collections/getrecord/SHHER_1118 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[garnet]] [[pendant]], depicting a bearded male wearing a [[Phrygian cap]], was discovered in the same area in the 1960s. The pendant is thought to have originated from the Mediterranean in the 7th century and its discovery suggests that high-status individuals were living in or travelling though Epsom in the Anglo-Saxon period.<ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1970-0301-1_1 |title=Pendant; cameo |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 2014 |publisher=The British Museum |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191019/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1970-0301-1_1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The origins of the modern town centre are obscure, but the principal road pattern may have developed during the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, a [[nucleated village]] is thought to have been founded at the west end of the present High Street.<ref name=EUS_2003/> The 1840 [[tithe map]] shows a series of narrow, regular [[land lot|plots]] along the north side of the High Street, which would be consistent with a planned, medieval settlement.<ref name=EUS_2003/>

===Governance===
Epsom was held by [[Chertsey Abbey]] from Anglo-Saxon times until the first half of the 16th century. The earliest surviving charter confirming the ownership of the town is from 967, during the reign of [[Edgar the Peaceful|King Edgar]], although the settlement is thought to have been granted to the abbey in 727.<ref name=Malden_1911_pp271-278>{{harvnb|Malden|1911|pp=141–150}}</ref>{{refn|There is some doubt as to the authenticity of the Anglo-Saxon charters of Chertsey Abbey, as many are only available as later medieval copies.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp2-4/>|group=note}} In [[Domesday Book]], Epsom appears as ''Evesham'' and is listed as including two [[mill (grinding)|mill]]s (valued at 10[[British shilling coin|s]]), two churches, {{convert|24|acre|ha|0|abbr=off}} of [[meadow]] and sufficient [[woodland]] for 20 [[hog (swine)|hog]]s. It rendered £17 per year in 1086. The residents included 34 villagers, 4 smallholders and 6 [[villein]]s.<ref name=Surrey_Domesday/><ref name=Epsom_Domesday>{{cite web |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2161/epsom/ |title=Epsom |author=Powell-Smith A |year=2011 |publisher=Open Domesday |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011757/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2161/epsom/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The manor of Horton was also held by Chertsey Abbey during the medieval period. Although there are few surviving early documents relating to the settlement, an early 15th century charter indicates that it included {{convert|168|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of land, of which {{cvt|60|acre|ha}} was pasture. The Durdans estate may also have belonged to Horton.<ref name=Malden_1911_pp271-278/>{{refn|The manor of Horton was sold to the Trotter family in the 1780s and was later purchased by the Rev'd John Frederick Browning and his wife Ethelred. Their son, who had inherited the estate, died in 1842, and it was bought by Henry Willis. By 1896, a major part of the land had come into the ownership of [[Sir Fowell Buxton, 3rd Baronet|Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton]], who sold {{cvt|1000|acre|ha}} to the [[London County Council]] for the construction of the group of psychiatric hospitals, known as the [[Epsom Cluster]].<ref name=EEBC_Horton/>|group=note}} There are references in historical documents to a manor of Brettgrave, also held by the abbey, which appears to have been considered part of Horton by the early 16th century.<ref name=Malden_1911_pp271-278/>

Following the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], [[Henry VIII]] granted Epsom to [[Nicholas Carew (courtier)|Nicholas Carew]] in 1537, but two years later his property was forfeit when he was executed for his alleged involvement in the [[Exeter Conspiracy]]. The manor was part of the [[English feudal barony|Honour]] of [[Hampton Court Palace|Hampton Court]] from 1597 until 1554, when it was granted to [[Francis Carew (MP for Castle Rising)|Francis Carew]] by [[Mary I of England|Mary I]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp5-7>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=5–7}}</ref> After 1611, Epsom was briefly held by the Darcy family and was then sold to Anne Mynne, the widow of George Mynne, who had bought the manor of Horton. Both manors were inherited by her daughter, Elizabeth, who in 1648 married Richard Evelyn, the brother of the diarist, [[John Evelyn]]. Richard Evelyn died in 1670, but Elizabeth ran the estate until her death in 1692, when the land was split up.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp5-7/> For much of the 18th century, Epsom was held by the Parkhurst family and thereafter the lordship passed through a succession of owners before it was purchased by the borough council in 1955.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp5-7/>

[[Tudor period#Local government|Reforms during the Tudor period]] reduced the importance of [[manorial court]]s and the day-to-day administration of towns became the responsibility of the [[vestry]] of the parish church.<ref name=Kümin_1996_pp250-255>{{harvnb|Kümin|1996|pp=250–255}}</ref> The Epsom Vestry appears to have operated as a [[Vestry#Select vestry|select vestry]], to which members of the gentry were appointed or [[co-option|co-opted]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_p19>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=19}}</ref> There was little change in local government structure over the subsequent three centuries, until the [[Poor Law Amendment Act 1834]] transferred responsibility for [[poor relief]] to the [[Poor Law Commission]], whose local powers were delegated to the newly formed [[poor law union]] in 1836. The Epsom Union was made responsible for workhouses in around a dozen parishes in the area, all of which were consolidated into a workhouse on the Dorking Road, now the site of Epsom Hospital.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p24>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=24}}</ref><ref name=Abdy_2001_p26>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=26}}</ref> A Local Board of Health, with responsibility for sanitation, sewerage and drinking water supply, was formed in 1850.<ref name=Home_1901_p32>{{harvnb|Home|1901|p=32}}</ref>

The [[Local Government Act 1888]] transferred many administrative responsibilities to the newly formed [[Surrey County Council]] and was followed by an [[Local Government Act 1894|1894 Act]] that created the Epsom Urban District Council (UDC). The UDC area was expanded to include [[Ewell]] in 1933<ref name="Abdy_2001_pp71-73">{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=71–73}}</ref> and the enlarged authority was awarded borough status in 1937.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Charter For Epsom And Ewell |date=30 September 1937 |page=9 |issue=47803}}</ref>

In 1951 the [[civil parish]] had a population of 30,860.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10052336/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Epsom CP/AP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=27 April 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/surrey%20mid%20eastern.html|title=Surrey Mid-Eastern Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=27 April 2024}}</ref>

===Epsom spa===
[[File:Epsom Well (geograph 5921667).jpg|thumb|upright|The wellhead marking the site of the original Epsom Well was constructed in 1989.<ref>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=55}}</ref>]]
By tradition, the discovery of spa water is attributed to Henry Wicker, a farmer who, in 1618, noticed that his cows refused to drink from a slow spring on Epsom Common.<ref name=Home_1901_pp43-45>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=43–45}}</ref> However, the distinct [[chemical property|chemical properties]] of the local water had already been recognised in the preceding decades: In 1603, local physicians had noted that the local water contained "bitter purging salt"<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp27-28>{{harvnb|Osbourne|Weaver|1996|pp=27–28}}</ref> and, in late-[[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan times]], it was thought that bathing in a pond to the west of the town centre could cure [[skin ulcer|ulcers]] and other disorders.<ref name=Home_1901_pp43-45/>

The first facilities for visitors were provided in 1621, when a wall was built around the spring and a shed erected for invalids.<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp27-28/> The first authentic account of the spa dates from 1629, when Abram Booth, of the [[Dutch East India Company]], visited Epsom and described how "[p]eople coming there took a few glasses of the mentioned water – which has a taste different from ordinary water – after which walking up and down, these had in our opinion very good effect".<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp27-28/><ref name=Abdy_2001_pp11-12>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=11–12}}</ref> During the mid-17th century, several prominent individuals travelled to the spring, including [[John Aubrey]], who after his visit in 1654, boiled some of the water and noted that a "flakey" [[sediment]], "the colour of bay-salt", was left behind.<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp27-28/><ref>{{harvnb|Aubrey|1718|p=191}}</ref> [[Samuel Pepys]] visited in both 1663 and 1667<ref name=Home_1901_p48>{{harvnb|Home|1901|p=48}}</ref>{{refn|Pepys records a first visit to Epsom on [[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1663/July#26th (Lord's-day)|Sunday 26 July 1663]] in his [[Samuel Pepys#Diary|Diary]]: "Up and to the Wells, where great store of citizens, which was the greatest part of the company, though there were some others of better quality. I met many that I knew, and we drank each of us two pots and so walked away, it being very pleasant to see how everybody turns up his tail, here one and there another, in a bush, and the women in their quarters the like. Thence I walked with Creed to Mr. Minnes's house, which has now a very good way made to it, and thence to Durdans and walked round it and within the Court Yard and to the Bowling-green, where I have seen so much mirth in my time; but now no family in it (my Lord Barkeley, whose it is, being with his family at London), and so up and down by Minnes's wood, with great pleasure viewing my old walks, and where Mrs. Hely and I did use to walk and talk..."<ref>{{harvnb|Latham|Matthews|1971a|pp=246–247}}</ref>|group=note}}{{refn|Pepys records a second visit to Epsom on [[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1667/July#14th (Lord's day)|Sunday 14 July 1667]] in his [[Samuel Pepys#Diary|Diary]]: "We got to Epsum by eight o'clock, to the well; where much company, and there we 'light, and I drank the water: they did not, but do go about and walk a little among the women, but I did drink four pints, and had some very good stools by it. Here I met with divers of our town, among others with several of the tradesmen of our office, but did talk but little with them, it growing hot in the sun, and so we took coach again and to the towne, to the King's Head, where our coachman carried us, and there had an ill room for us to go into, but the best in the house that was not taken up. Here we called for drink, and bespoke dinner; and hear that my Lord Buckhurst and Nelly are lodged at the next house, and Sir Charles Sidly with them and keep a merry house. Poor girl! I pity her; but more the loss of her at the King's house... By and by... we took coach and to take the ayre, there being a fine breeze abroad; and I went... to the well, and there filled some bottles of water to carry home with me; and there talked with the two women that farm the well, at 12l. per annum, of the lord of the manor, Mr. Evelyn... [So] the women and W. Hewer and I walked upon the Downes, where a flock of sheep was... So to our coach, and through Mr. Minnes's wood, and looked upon Mr. Evelyn's house; and so over the common, and through Epsum towne to our inne... [So] paid our reckoning, and took coach, it being about seven at night, and passed and saw the people walking with their wives and children to take the ayre, and we set out for home, the sun by and by going down, and we in the cool of the evening all the way with much pleasure home... Anon it grew dark, and as it grew dark we had the pleasure to see several glow-wormes, which was mighty pretty..."<ref>{{harvnb|Latham|Matthews|1971b|pp=336–343}}</ref>|group=note}} and the theologian, [[John Owen (theologian)|John Owen]], took the waters in 1668.<ref name=Home_1901_pp43-45/>

Following the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration of the monarchy]], [[Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland|Charles II]] was a regular visitor<ref name=Home_1901_p50>{{harvnb|Home|1901|p=50}}</ref> and it was at Epsom that he met the actress, [[Nell Gwyn]], who became his [[mistress (lover)|mistress]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp11-12/> Other royal patrons included [[Prince George of Denmark|Prince George]], the [[prince consort]] of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].<ref name=Home_1901_pp60-61>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=60–61}}</ref>

[[File:The Assembly Rooms, Epsom (geograph 3267278).jpg|thumb|right|The Assembly Rooms, High Street]]
Despite the popularity of the spring on the Common, several early visitors were critical of their experience at Epsom. The writer, [[Dorothy Osborne]], who visited in 1653, complained that the water had to stand overnight to allow the sediment to settle before drinking.<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp34-36>{{harvnb|Osbourne|Weaver|1996|pp=34–36}}</ref> Similarly, [[Celia Fiennes]] noted that Epsom was "not a quick spring", that it was often "drank drye" and to make up the deficiency, "the people do often carry water from the Common wells to fill this in a morning; this they have found out in which makes the water weake and of little operation - unless you can have it first from the well before they can have put in any other".<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp34-36/><ref name=Fiennes_1888_289>{{harvnb|Fiennes|1888|p=289}}</ref>

The popularity of Epsom continued to increase in the final decades of the 17th century and a regular coach service from London was established in 1684.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp16-17>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=16–17}}</ref> In the 1690s, John Parkhurst, Lord of the Manor of Epsom, began to develop the town into a spa resort.<ref name=Home_1901_pp43-45/> The Assembly Rooms in the High Street were constructed in 1692 and a new well was sunk to the west of South Street. By 1707, a local businessman and [[apothecary]], John Livingstone, had opened a bowling green, [[gambling|gaming rooms]] and a [[ballroom]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp16-17/>

In the mid-1720s, the popularity of Epsom experienced a rapid decline, driven partly by the economic consequences of the [[South Sea Company|bursting of the South Sea Bubble]].<ref name=Home_1901_pp60-61/> There was also competition from other spa towns, including Bath and Tunbridge Wells,<ref name=Abdy_2001_p18>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=18}}</ref> and, by the 1750s, synthetic Epsom salts were being manufactured commercially.<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_p48>{{harvnb|Osbourne|Weaver|1996|p=48}}</ref>{{refn|The English scientist, [[Nehemiah Grew]], published a method for making synthetic Epsom salts in 1695.<ref name=Osbourne_Weaver_1996_pp34-36/>|group=note}} Attempts were made in the 1760s to revive the spa, but these efforts were unsuccessful.<ref name=Home_1901_pp60-61/>

===Horse racing===
[[File:Jean Louis Théodore Géricault 001.jpg|thumb|right|''[[The 1821 Derby at Epsom]]'' (1821) by [[Théodore Géricault]]]]
{{Main|Epsom Downs Racecourse}}
The earliest horse races on Epsom Downs are thought to have been held in the early 17th century, during the reign of [[James VI and I|James I]]. By the time of the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], the sport was sufficiently popular and well known that, in May 1648, [[cavalier|royalist]] forces were able to assemble on the Downs under the pretence of organising a race, before marching together to [[Reigate]]. Following the Restoration of the monarchy, there was a further increase in the popularity of racing as Epsom became established as a spa town.<ref name=Home_1901_pp108-109>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=108–109}}</ref>

The Irish philosopher, [[John Toland]], noted the suitability of the Downs for sport, writing in 1711 that the land was "covered with grass finer than Persian carpets… for sheep-walks, riding, hunting, racing, shooting, with games of most sorts for exercise of the body or recreation of the mind… they are no where else to be paralleled".<ref name=Abdy_2001_p90>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=90}}</ref> The earliest formal races were run on an uphill course from [[Carshalton]] to Epsom and were primarily a test of stamina rather than speed.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p90/> By the mid-18th century a 4-mile straight course had been established, starting at Banstead and finishing at the top of the Downs at Epsom. Heats were run in the mornings, before a break for lunch, which was followed by the final run offs in the late afternoon.<ref name=Hunn_1973_p40>{{harvnb|Hunn|1973|p=40}}</ref>

[[File:Diomed by John Nost Sartorius 1777.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Diomed]]'' by [[John Nost Sartorius]] (1755–1828). Diomed was the winner of [[1780 Epsom Derby|the first Derby in 1780]].]]
[[Epsom Oaks|The Oaks]] was established in 1779 and was named after the residence of the [[Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby|12th Earl of Derby]] at Banstead.<ref name=Home_1901_pp111-112>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=111–112}}</ref> The race, for three-year-old [[filly|fillies]], was shorter than those that had taken place in previous years and was run over a {{convert|1+1/2|mi|km|adj=on}} course. [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]] was first run the following year, as a shorter race of {{cvt|1|mi|km}} for three-year-old [[colt (horse)|colts]],<ref name=Hunn_1973_p45>{{harvnb|Hunn|1973|p=45}}</ref> but was increased to {{cvt|1+1/2|mi|km}} in 1784.<ref name=Brannan_2004_p6>{{harvnb|Brannan|2004|p=6}}</ref> As early as 1793, the crowds associated with Derby Day were causing congestion on local roads and, in 1843, more than 127,000 people attended the race. Formal royal patronage began in 1840 with the visit of [[Queen Victoria]] and horses owned by her son, [[Edward VII]], won the event in 1896, 1900 and 1909.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p95>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=95}}</ref> The world's first [[live broadcast|live]] [[outside broadcasting|outside broadcast]] was filmed at the 1931 Derby by the [[John Logie Baird|Baird Television Company]].<ref name=Hunn_1973_p141>{{harvnb|Hunn|1973|p=141}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28911 |title=The first outside television broadcast: The Epsom Derby, 1931 |last=Winfield |first=Nick |date=July 2014 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709202011/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28911 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[1913 Epsom Derby|1913 Derby]], the [[suffragette]], [[Emily Davison]], [[Emily Davison#Fatal injury at the Derby|sustained fatal injuries]] after being hit by [[King George V]]'s horse, Anmer.<ref name=Tanner_2013_pp214-215>{{harvnb|Tanner|2013|pp=214–215}}</ref> The incident occurred at Tattenham Corner, the final curve before the finishing straight, after she ducked under the [[guard rail]] and ran onto the course.<ref name=Tanner_2013_pp214-215/> Davison was knocked unconscious and was taken to Epsom Cottage Hospital, where she died four days later on 8 June 1913.<ref name=Morley_1988_p103>{{harvnb|Morley|Stanley|1988|p=103}}</ref><ref name=Tanner_2013_pp284-285>{{harvnb|Tanner|2013|pp=284–285}}</ref> The inquest into her death took place at Epsom on 10 June.<ref>{{harvnb|Tanner|2013|p=287}}</ref><ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Suffragist Outrage at the Derby: Verdict of Misadventure |date=11 June 1913 |page=15 |issue=40235}}</ref> A road close to Tattenham Corner is named "Emily Davison Drive" in her honour<ref>{{harvnb|Fisher|2018|p=221}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25513 |title=Emily Davison (1872-1913) |last=Painter |first=Janet |date=November 2011 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=16 August 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816100727/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25513 |url-status=live}}</ref> and a statue of the suffragette was installed in Epsom High Street in June 2021.<ref name=Orlando_2021>{{cite news |last=Orlando |first=Jenkinson |date=8 June 2021 |title=Emily Davison statue unveiled in Epsom |url=https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/19357342.emily-davison-statue-unveiled-epsom/ |work=Surrey Comet |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160255/https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/19357342.emily-davison-statue-unveiled-epsom/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first permanent building on Epsom Downs is thought to have been a rubbing house, where horses could be brushed down and washed after racing. Parts of the Rubbing House pub, which now occupies the site, date from 1801.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_p8>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|p=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rubbinghouse.com |title=The Rubbing House |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=14 June 2021 |publisher=The Rubbing House |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709200518/https://www.rubbinghouse.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Until the early 19th century, facilities for race attendees were limited to temporary wood and canvas structures and construction of the first [[grandstand]] did not begin until 1829.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_p8/><ref name="Abdy_2001_p103">{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=103}}</ref> The Queen's Stand, which incorporates a conference centre, was completed in 1992<ref name=Wakefield_1997_p8/><ref name="Abdy_2001_p103"/> and the current grandstand was opened in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |orig-date=22 April 2009 |date=2 July 2013 |title=Duchess opens new racecourse stand |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/duchess-opens-new-racecourse-stand-4824618 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718111551/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/duchess-opens-new-racecourse-stand-4824618 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.architecture.com/find-an-architect/roberts-limbrick-ltd/gloucester/the-duchess39s-stand-epsom-downs-racecourse |title=The Duchess's Stand, Epsom Downs Racecourse |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=RIBA |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718111538/https://www.architecture.com/find-an-architect/roberts-limbrick-ltd/gloucester/the-duchess39s-stand-epsom-downs-racecourse |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transport and communications===
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Following the [[end of Roman rule in Britain]], there appears to have been no systematic planning of transport infrastructure in the local area for over a [[millennium]]. The section of Stane Street to the west of the modern town centre remained in use through the Anglo-Saxon period and is referred to as the Portway in the reign of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]]. The section of the Roman road to the south of Epsom is thought to have been blocked by the enclosure of [[Woodcote Park]] in the mid-12th century.<ref name=Nail_1965/> Visitors to the spa were able to reach Epsom by carriage during the 17th century, although the [[turnpike trust|turnpikes]] to London and [[Horsham]] were not constructed until 1755.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bogart |first1=Dan |date=October 2005 |title=Turnpike trusts and the transportation revolution in 18th century England |journal=Explorations in Economic History |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=479–508 |doi=10.1016/j.eeh.2005.02.001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dorkingmuseum.org.uk/the-turnpike-road/ |title=The Turnpike Road |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=4 June 2020 |publisher=Dorking Museum |access-date=17 December 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102101951/https://dorkingmuseum.org.uk/the-turnpike-road/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Epsom Town station (postcard).jpg|thumb|right|{{rws|Epsom Town}} station building (LBSCR), photographed {{circa|1900}}]]
The first railway line to reach Epsom was the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LBSCR), which opened [[Epsom Town railway station|a railway station in the Upper High Street]] in 1847. Services initially ran to Croydon, where there was a junction with the [[Brighton Main Line]].<ref name="Abdy_2001_pp29-31">{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=29–31}}</ref> The line between {{rws|Epsom}} and {{rws|Leatherhead}} was opened by the independent Epsom and Leatherhead Railway Company on 1 February 1859. It was initially constructed as a single-track line and services were run by the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR). The LSWR's own line via {{rws|Worcester Park}} towards {{rws|Wimbledon}} was completed two months later, allowing trains from Epsom to reach {{rws|London Waterloo}}.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp168-169>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=168–169}}</ref><ref name=Stuttard_1995_pp85-90>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=85–90}}</ref> The LBSCR extended its line westwards to meet that of the LSWR in August of the same year, allowing it to run services to Leatherhead.<ref name=Cockman_Marshall_1988_p128>{{harvnb|Cockman|Marshall|1988|p=128}}</ref> Two branch lines serving the race course opened to {{rws|Epsom Downs}} and {{rws|Tattenham Corner}} in 1865 and 1901 respectively.<ref name="Abdy_2001_pp29-31"/>

Although both the LSWR and LBSCR ran services along the line to Leatherhead, the two companies maintained separate stations in Epsom for 70 years. Following the formation of the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] in 1923, a decision was taken to combine the two on a single site. The LBSCR station was closed in 1929 and the LSWR station was reconstructed to increase the number of platforms to four, so that all trains passing though the town could serve it.<ref name=Cockman_Marshall_1988_p128/>{{refn|A similar process occurred at Leatherhead, where, in 1927, the LSWR station closed and the track layout was altered so that all trains could use the LSBCR-built station.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=H.J. |year=1993 |title=The Epsom and Leatherhead Railway 1856-59 |url=https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_5_NO_6_1993.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Leatherhead& District Local History Society |volume=5 |issue=6 |pages=170–172 |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=Knowles_1998>{{cite journal |last1=Knowles |first1=H.G. |year=1998 |title=Leatherhead's railway stations |url=https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_2_1998.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Leatherhead& District Local History Society |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=46–52 |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref>|group=note}} The changes coincided with the [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrification]] of the lines to London Waterloo and London Victoria in 1925 and 1929 respectively.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p68>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=68}}</ref> These improvements resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of [[season ticket]]s sold and stimulated the growth of the town from a population of 18,804 in 1921 to 27,089 in 1931.<ref name=Cockman_Marshall_1988_p138>{{harvnb|Cockman|Marshall|1988|p=138}}</ref>

A regular postal service between Epsom and London was established in 1678. Initially the service ran three times per week,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=4 April 1678 |title=Postal services |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/1292/page/2 |work=London Gazette |issue=1292 |page=2 |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209071513/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/1292/page/2/ |url-status=live}}</ref> but ran daily from 1683.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=25 June 1683 |title=Postal services |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/1837/page/2 |work=London Gazette |issue=1837 |page=2 |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209062409/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/1837/page/2/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The current Post Office in the High Street opened in 1897 and a sorting office in East Street opened in 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PostalHistory-4.pdf |title=The Postal History of Epsom: Buildings (Part 4) |last=Bond |first=Les |year=1994 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184546/https://eehe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PostalHistory-4.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The first automatic [[telephone exchange]] in the UK was opened in the town in May 1912, replacing a manual exchange dating from 1905. The system used [[Strowger switch|switching equipment]] designed by the American inventor, [[Almon Brown Strowger]], and had provision for a maximum of 500 [[telephone line|lines]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Harper |first=Paul |date=18 May 2016 |title=104 years ago Epsom became first UK place to use automatic telephone exchange |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/104-years-ago-epsom-became-11350020 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126152401/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/104-years-ago-epsom-became-11350020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Residential development===
Epsom is unusual among Surrey towns, in that it underwent considerable expansion during the [[early modern period]].<ref name=EUS_2003/> As the spa developed in the 1670s, merchants from London started to construct their own mansions on the outskirts of the town. These [[baroque architecture|baroque]] buildings were generally made from bricks produced at the [[brickfield]] on the Common. The demand for labourers brought incomers with new skills, who began to boost the local economy. The construction of a small row of shops at the junction of the High Street and South Street led to the establishment of a market in 1680 and, in 1692, two London [[goldsmith]]s developed the site further by building their own houses.<ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro/>

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By 1800, Epsom had over 400 houses and this number increased to 600 by the middle of the century.<ref name=EUS_2003/> In the 1860s, plans were put forward to improve the drainage on the Common and to build houses on it, but were dropped due to local objections. Following the enclosure of the common fields to the south of the town centre in 1869, housebuilding commenced along Burgh Heath, College and Worple Roads. At around the same time, houses for the working classes were constructed in the area between the two railway lines to Sutton and Wimbledon.<ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro/>

In the final decade of the 19th century, Epsom Court, to the north of the town centre, was divided and sold for development and, over the next twenty years, [[terraced house]]s were built on the land.<ref name=White_Harte_1992_intro/> Shops on Waterloo Road and houses in Chase Road were built from 1928 and the Copse Edge Avenue estate was begun in the same year.<ref name=Essen_1992_p7>{{harvnb|Essen|1992|p=7}}</ref> The award of borough status to the council in 1937, allowed it to take over running of 1500 council houses that had been built between 1920 and 1939.<ref name=Essen_1992_p8>{{harvnb|Essen|1992|p=8}}</ref>

The 1944 [[Greater London Plan]] designated land on three sides of the town centre as part of the protected [[Metropolitan Green Belt]], which severely limited the scope for urban expansion to the east, west and south.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://democracy.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/documents/s5660/Epsom%20Ewell%20Green%20Belt%20Study%202017%20Annexe%201.pdf |title=Epsom and Ewell Green Belt Study |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=February 2017 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801121725/https://democracy.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/documents/s5660/Epsom%20Ewell%20Green%20Belt%20Study%202017%20Annexe%201.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Since limited development of [[Langley Vale]] and the Epsom Wells estate had taken place in the early 1930s, these areas were not placed into the Green Belt and housebuilding continued into the 1950s.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p79>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=79}}</ref> In the early 2000s, the [[Epsom Cluster]] of psychiatric hospitals in Horton was redeveloped to provide around 1850 new homes.<ref name=EEBC_Horton/>

===Commerce and industry===

From much of its early history, Epsom was primarily an [[Agriculture in the United Kingdom|agricultural]] settlement. The two common fields attached to the medieval manor, Woodcote ({{cvt|350|acre|ha}}) and Smith Hatch ({{cvt|500|acre|ha}}), were divided into strips, which were assigned to residents of the town.<ref name=White_1928_pp54-55>{{harvnb|White|1928|pp=54–55}}</ref> In the 15th century, sheep farming became increasingly important and a wool fair was held in June each year until the 1870s.<ref name=White_1928_pp54-55/> There was also an annual pleasure fair which took place in July.<ref name=White_1928_pp54-55/> The right to hold a market at Epsom was granted to Elizabeth Evelyn by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] and the charter was renewed by [[James II of England|James II]] in 1685.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp5-6>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=5–6}}</ref> [[Enclosure]] of the common fields was completed in 1869, bringing to an end the [[open-field system]] in the town.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p27>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=27}}</ref>{{refn|Epsom was one of the last settlements in the country to have its common fields enclosed. In comparison, the common fields of Ewell and Ashtead were enclosed in 1802<ref name=Abdy_2001_p27/> and 1838 respectively.<ref name=Smith_1991>{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=L.A. |year=1991 |title=Ashtead Great and Little Glibes |url=https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_5_NO_4_1991.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=118–120 |access-date=23 May 2021}}</ref>|group=note}}

[[File:High Street, Epsom, Surrey, England - very early 1900s.jpg|thumb|right|The High Street in the early 1900s]]
Brick and tile manufacturing took place on Epsom Common until the end of the 18th century<ref name=Harte_2017_pp75-76>{{harvnb|Harte|2017|pp=75–76}}</ref> and between 1830 and 1938 at a site on Kiln Lane.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_pp26-27>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|pp=26–27}}</ref> In the 19th century, chalk was quarried and converted to lime at a site in College Road.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_pp26-27/> Mineral water and fruit juices were bottled in the town by the Randalls company from 1884, which traded from premises in South Street until the 1980s.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_pp29-30>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|pp=29–30}}</ref> In the 19th century, there were two breweries in Epsom - WG Bradley and Son in South Street and Pagden's in Church Street.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_pp29-30/> Dorling's Printworks was established in the town in the 1820s and for many years printed [[racecard]]s and [[brochure]]s for the Derby, before its closure in 1979.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_pp29-30/> Today, one of the largest private employers in the town is the engineering consultancy firm [[Atkins (company)|Atkins]], which moved to Epsom in 1962.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wabe |first=J.S. |year=1967 |title=Dispersal of employment and the journey to work |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/e-journals/jtep/pdf/Volume_1_No_3_345-361.pdf |journal=Journal of Transport, Economics and Policy |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=345–362 |access-date=2 August 2021 |archive-date=2 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802181307/http://www.bath.ac.uk/e-journals/jtep/pdf/Volume_1_No_3_345-361.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Epsom in the world wars===
[[File:UPS Epsom High Street Sep 19th 1914.JPG|thumb|right|New recruits in Epsom High Street, 19 September 1914]]
In September 1914, Epsom became a [[garrison]] town. Two battalions of the University and Public Schools Brigade of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] were billeted in the town and underwent training in Rosebery Park and on Epsom Downs.<ref name="Essen_1991_pp9-10">{{harvnb|Essen|1991|pp=9–10}}</ref> Some of the racecourse buildings were converted to become a war hospital and, in January 1915, 20,000 soldiers were assembled on the Downs for an inspection by [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Alec |date=10 November 2019 |title=Lord Kitchener's arrival and a hospital ghost: Five stories from World War 1 in Epsom |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/lord-kitcheners-arrival-hospital-ghost-17222160 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411001602/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/lord-kitcheners-arrival-hospital-ghost-17222160 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=25 January 2015 |title=Lord Kitchener inspection re-enacted on Epsom Downs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-30952050 |work=BBC News |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008235234/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-30952050 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Postcard of Woodcote Park during the First World War - 2.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers from the Royal Fusiliers at Woodcote Park in 1915]]
Woodcote Park Camp was built to house the soldiers of the Royal Fusiliers in late 1914 and early 1915.<ref name="Essen_1991_pp9-10"/> The {{cvt|350|acre|ha|adj=on}} site was considered suitable as it was close to London.<ref name=Essen_1991_p7>{{harvnb|Essen|1991|p=7}}</ref> The first soldiers took up residence in February 1915, but the camp was vacated by the Brigade when it was dispatched to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] three months later.<ref name=Essen_1991_pp9-10/> Between May 1915 and August 1916 the camp became a convalescent hospital for Commonwealth soldiers.<ref name=Essen_1991_pp13-14>{{harvnb|Essen|1991|pp=13–14}}</ref> It was handed over to Canadian Forces in July 1916 and remained under their control until the end of the war.<ref name=Essen_1991_pp17-18>{{harvnb|Essen|1991|pp=17–18}}</ref>
Following the end of the [[World War I|First World War]], the Canadian soldiers were slow to be repatriated.<ref name=Shortland_1998_p5>{{harvnb|Shortland|1998|p=5}}</ref> On 17 June 1919, a group of 400 [[Epsom riot|attacked]] Epsom Police station, injuring [[Police ranks of the United Kingdom|Station Sergeant]] Thomas Green, who died the following day.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Epsom Camp Outbreak |date=23 July 1919 |page=10 |issue=42159}}</ref> At a trial in July 1919, five men were found guilty of riotous assembly<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Epsom Riots trial |date=24 July 1919 |page=7 |issue=42160}}</ref> and were imprisoned until November of the same year.<ref name=Shortland_1998_p5/>

By the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]] in September 1939, public [[air raid shelter]]s had been constructed at Rosebery Park and Clay Hill Green.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brent |first=Stevens |date=13 September 2009 |title=Wartime Epsom: Air raids, rations and radio |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/4589319.wartime-epsom-air-raids-rations-and-radio/ |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |access-date=7 July 2021 |archive-date=29 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729211130/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/4589319.wartime-epsom-air-raids-rations-and-radio/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Later in the war, large shelters were provided at Ashley Road, to the south of the town centre, and at Epsom Downs.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp75-78>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=75–78}}</ref>{{refn|Although construction of the Ashley Road shelter is officially recorded as starting in 1941, it has been suggested that parts were built as early as 1937 and that it was originally intended for use as a [[necropolis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29574 |title=Ashley Road deep-level shelter |last=Jackson |first=Linda |year=2014 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=7 July 2021 |archive-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119110159/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29574 |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=note}} Over the course of the war around 440 [[bomb|high-explosive bombs]] were dropped on the borough, 33 people were killed and nearly 200 houses were destroyed. Towards the end of the conflict, 30 [[V-1 flying bomb]]s landed in the area, including one, in July 1944, which destroyed the Ashley Road Police Station.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp75-78/>

During the Second World War, the defence of the town was largely in the hands of the 56th Surrey battalion of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]],<ref name=Crook_2000_p25>{{harvnb|Crook|2000|p=25}}</ref> who were trained by a company of [[Welsh Guards]] at Epsom Racecourse.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p77>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=77}}</ref><ref name=Crook_2000_p30>{{harvnb|Crook|2000|p=30}}</ref> Throughout the borough there were 55 [[Air Raid Precautions in the United Kingdom|Air Raid Precautions (ARP)]] posts, staffed by up to 140 paid air raid wardens and 560 volunteers.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p75>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=75}}</ref> In mid-1940, the Outer London Defence Line A was constructed through Epsom, running along Christchurch Road, the High Street and Alexandra Road.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_p35>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|p=35}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Matharu |first=Hardeep |date=17 January 2013 |title=New interactive map shows where high explosive bombs fell in Epsom during the Blitz |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10165771.new-interactive-map-shows-where-high-explosive-bombs-fell-in-epsom-during-the-blitz/ |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |access-date=29 July 2021 |archive-date=29 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729211118/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10165771.new-interactive-map-shows-where-high-explosive-bombs-fell-in-epsom-during-the-blitz/ |url-status=live}}</ref>