Editing Epsom

{{Short description|Town in Surrey, England}}
{{For-multi|the mineral named after the town|Epsomite|the active ingredient of "Epsom salts"|magnesium sulphate|other uses}}
{{distinguish|Epson}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| type                     = [[Town]]
| coordinates              = {{Coord|51|19|59|N|00|16|07|W|display=inline,title}}
| static_image_name        = Spring in Epsom (6980024124) - cropped.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Epsom Clock Tower, High Street
| official_name            = Epsom
| map_type                 = Surrey
| label_position           = left
| population               = 31489
| population_ref           = (2011 census)<ref name=ons>[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030211201309/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk |date=11 February 2003 }} [[United Kingdom Census 2011]] ''[[Office for National Statistics]]'' Retrieved 20 December 2013</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 18.04
| shire_district           = [[Epsom and Ewell]]
| shire_county             = [[Surrey]]
| region                   = South East England
| constituency_westminster = [[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell]]
| post_town                = Epsom
| postcode_district        = KT17, KT18, KT19   
| postcode_area            = KT
| dial_code                = 01372
| os_grid_reference        = TQ2060
}}
'''Epsom''' is a town in the borough of [[Epsom and Ewell]] in [[Surrey]], England, about {{convert|13.5|mi|km|adj=ri0|0|abbr=off}} south of [[central London]]. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Saxon]] landowner. The earliest evidence of human activity is from the mid-[[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]], but the modern settlement probably grew up in the area surrounding St Martin's Church in the 6th or 7th centuries and the street pattern is thought to have become established in the [[England in the Middle Ages|Middle Ages]]. Today the [[High Street]] is dominated by the clock tower, which was erected in 1847–8.

Like other nearby settlements, Epsom is located on the [[spring line settlement|spring line]] where the permeable [[chalk]] of the [[North Downs]] meets the impermeable [[London Clay]]. Several tributaries of the [[Hogsmill River]] rise in the town and in the 17th and early 18th centuries, the spring on [[Epsom Common]] was believed to have healing qualities. The mineral waters were found to be rich in ''Epsom salts'', which were later identified as [[magnesium sulphate]]. [[Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland|Charles II]] was among those who regularly [[took the waters]] and several prominent writers, including [[John Aubrey]], [[Samuel Pepys]] and [[Celia Fiennes]] recorded their visits. The popularity of the [[spa]] declined rapidly in the 1720s as a result of competition from other towns, including [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Royal Tunbridge Wells|Tunbridge Wells]].

Organised horse racing on [[Epsom Downs]] is believed to have taken place since the early 17th century. The popularity of Epsom grew as [[Epsom Oaks|The Oaks]] and [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]] were established in 1779 and 1780 respectively. The first [[grandstand]] at the [[Epsom Downs Racecourse|racecourse]] was constructed in 1829 and more than 127,000 people attended Derby Day in 1843. During the [[1913 Epsom Derby|1913 Derby]] the [[suffragette]] [[Emily Davison]] sustained fatal injuries after being hit by [[King George V]]'s horse.

The opening of the [[Epsom Town railway station|first railway station]] in Epsom in 1847, coupled with the breakup of the Epsom Court estate, stimulated the development of the town. Today [[Epsom railway station|Epsom station]] is an important railway junction, where lines to [[London Victoria station|London Victoria]] and [[London Waterloo station|London Waterloo]] diverge. Since 1946, the town has been surrounded on three sides by the [[Metropolitan Green Belt]], which severely limits the potential for expansion. Two [[local nature reserve]]s, Epsom Common and [[Horton Country Park]], are to the west of the centre and Epsom Downs, to the south, is a [[Site of Nature Conservation Importance]].

==Toponymy==
The first written record of a settlement at Epsom dates from the 10th century, when its name is given as ''Ebesham''.<ref name=Gover_1934_p74>{{harvnb|Gover|Mawer|Stenton|1969|p=74}}</ref> It appears in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Evesham''<ref name=Surrey_Domesday>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |title=Surrey Domesday Book |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715015325/http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |archive-date=15 July 2007}}</ref> and in subsequent surviving documents as ''Ebbesham'' and ''Ebesam'' (12th century), ''Epsam'' (15th century), ''Ebbisham'' and ''Epsham'' (16th century) and ''Epsome'' (17th century). The first known use of the modern spelling ''Epsom'' is from 1718.<ref name=Gover_1934_p74/>

The name "Epsom" is thought to derive from that of a [[Saxons|Saxon]] landowner, either as ''Ebba's ham'' or ''Ebbi's ham'' (where ''ham'' means home or settlement).<ref name=Gover_1934_p74/><ref name=EEHE_Brief_History>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29582 |title=A brief history of Epsom and Ewell |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Bouchard |first2=Brian |year=2009 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102103653/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29582 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|Although identity of the landowner is uncertain, it has been suggested that Ebba was a 7th-century [[Kingdom of Sussex|South Saxon]] queen.<ref name=Home_1901_pp26-27>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=26–27}}</ref>|group=note}} Alternatively the name may come from ''ebbe'', the [[Old English]] word for "flow", which may reference an [[bourne (stream)|intermittent stream]] or [[spring (hydrology)|spring]] in the area.<ref name=Swete_1860_p8>{{harvnb|Swete|1860|p=8}}</ref>

The first surviving record of land at [[Horton, Surrey|Horton]] is from a charter of 1178, in which the modern spelling is used. It is also recorded as ''Hortune'' (1263) and ''Hortone'' (1325). The name is thought to derive from the Old English words ''horh'' and ''tun'' and is generally agreed to mean a "muddy farm".<ref name=Gover_1934_p74/>

==Geography==
{{see also|Surrey#Climate}}

===Location and topography===
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[[File:High Street at the Ashley Road and Waterloo Road intersection, Epsom, 2024.jpg|thumb|left|The town centre crossroads, where Ashley and Waterloo Roads meet the High Street]]
Epsom is a town in north [[Surrey]], approximately {{convert|13.5|mi|km|adj=ri0|0}} south of central London. It lies on the southern edge of the [[London Basin]] and the highest point in the parish at Epsom Downs is {{cvt|155|m|ft|sigfig=3}} above [[ordnance datum]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_p1>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=1}}</ref> The High Street defines the main west–east axis of the town and runs roughly parallel to the {{rws|Leatherhead}}-[[Sutton (Surrey) railway station|Sutton]] railway line.

To the west of the town centre are two [[local nature reserve]]s, [[Epsom Common]] and [[Horton Country Park]], both of which are owned and managed by the borough council.<ref name="EEBC_Common">{{cite web |title=Epsom Common |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/parks/local-nature-reserves/Epsom%20Common%20Local%20nature%20reserve%20information%202020_0.pdf |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608210114/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/parks/local-nature-reserves/Epsom%20Common%20Local%20nature%20reserve%20information%202020_0.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="HCP">{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/parks/local-nature-reserves/Horton%20Country%20Park%20leaflet%20June%202016.pdf |title=Horton Country Park |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520152623/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/parks/local-nature-reserves/Horton%20Country%20Park%20leaflet%20June%202016.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Epsom Downs Racecourse]] is on Epsom Downs, an area of chalk [[downland]] to the south of the town.<ref name=Epsom_Downs_BC>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-open-space-hire/Epsom-and-Walton-Downs/Epsom%20and%20Walton%20Downs%20Map%20and%20Information.pdf |title=Epsom & Walton Downs: Map and Information |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 August 2010 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Borough Council |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610082300/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-open-space-hire/Epsom-and-Walton-Downs/Epsom%20and%20Walton%20Downs%20Map%20and%20Information.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Within the ancient parish boundaries are two settlements which were once part of Epsom. Horton, to the west of the centre, is the former location of five psychiatric hospitals, which were redeveloped to provide housing in the early 2000s.<ref name=EEBC_Horton>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/planning/historic-environment/HospitalClusterCA.pdf |title=Epsom 'Hospitals Cluster' Conservation Areas: Character appraisal and management proposals |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 2009 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801121725/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/planning/historic-environment/HospitalClusterCA.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Langley Vale]], a small village to the south of the racecourse, was predominantly developed in the first half of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29830 |title=Langley Vale - A village in a valley |last=Clifford |first=Angela |year=2007 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730194126/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29830 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Geology===
Like many of the towns and villages between [[Croydon]] and [[Guildford]], Epsom is a [[strip parish]] and [[spring line settlement]]. The areas to the south and east of the town lie on the [[Chalk Group|chalk]] of the [[North Downs]] and the centre, north and west are on the [[London Clay]]. Separating the two, and running in parallel bands along a north–south axis, are narrow [[outcrop]]s of [[Thanet Formation|Thanet Sands]] and the [[Lambeth Group]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_p1/><ref name=Geology_map>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/planning/planning-policy/SFRA%20APPENDIXH.pdf |title=Strategic Flood Risk Assessment: Appendix H (geology and groundwater) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 2008 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801202615/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/planning/planning-policy/SFRA%20APPENDIXH.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Lee_1849>{{cite report |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=64347 |title=Report to the General Board of Health |last=Lee |first=William |year=1849 |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160317/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=64347 |url-status=live}}</ref> The chalk is a natural [[aquifer]] and [[tributary|tributaries]] of the [[Hogsmill River]] rise at several points along the boundary between the [[permeability (Earth sciences)|permeable]] and impermeable rock types. During the late 17th and early 18th century, the spring on Epsom Common was thought to have healing properties and the waters were later found to be rich in [[magnesium sulfate|magnesium sulphate]], which became known as "[[Epsomite|Epsom salts]]".<ref name=Lee_1849/><ref>{{harvnb|Osbourne|Weaver|1996|p=52}}</ref>

==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>

==National and local government==
===UK parliament===
The town is in the parliamentary constituency of [[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell]] and has been represented [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|at Westminster]] since July 2024 by [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Helen Maguire]].

===County council===
Councillors are elected to [[Surrey County Council]] every four years. The town is divided between two [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|wards]]: "Epsom Town & Downs" and "Epsom West".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=TABLE&PIC=1 |title=Your Councillors by Division |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1 August 2021 |publisher=Surrey County Council |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601211730/https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?VW=TABLE&PIC=1&FN=WARD |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Borough council===
[[File:Spring in Epsom (6980053288).jpg|thumb|[[Epsom Town Hall]]]]
Epsom is divided between five wards, each of which elects three councillors to [[Epsom and Ewell|Epsom and Ewell Borough Council]]. The five wards are: "Stamford", "Court", "Town", "College" and "Woodcote".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/council/elections-and-voting/Ward%20Map.pdf |title=Ward Map |last=Gavigan |first=Siobhan |date=12 August 2016 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303021449/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/council/elections-and-voting/Ward%20Map.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://democracy.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 |title=Your Councillors by Ward |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1 August 2021 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=18 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118204348/http://democracy.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 1995, the Borough of Epsom and Ewell has been [[Sister cities|twinned]] with [[Chantilly, Oise|Chantilly]] in northern France.<ref>{{cite news |last=Curley |first=Rebecca |date=10 January 2020 |title=Spelthorne, Mauritius and the special stories of Surrey's links to an array of foreign places |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/spelthorne-mauritius-special-stories-surreys-17538197 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128235244/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/spelthorne-mauritius-special-stories-surreys-17538197 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomtwinning.com/letter.html |title=Epsom and Ewell Town Twinning Association |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2021 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Town Twinning Association |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307145756/https://epsomtwinning.com/letter.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demography and housing==
In the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 Census]], the combined population of the college, Court, Stamford, Town and Woodcote wards was 31,489.<ref name=ons/>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''2011 Census Households'''
!Ward !!Population !!Households !!% Owned outright !!% Owned with a loan!!hectares<ref name=ons/>
|-
|College|| 5,873 || 2,248 || 41.1 || 35.9 || 316 
|-
|Court ||6,830 || 2,567 || 13.8 || 39.8 || 213 
|-
|Stamford ||6,088 || 2,348 || 38.5 || 43.7 || 436
|- 
|Town ||6,979 || 3,154 || 27 || 29.1 || 136 
|-
|Woodcote ||5,719 || 2,286 || 41.4 || 37.9 || 703 
|-
|Regional average||  ||  || 35.1 || 32.5 ||
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''2011 Census Homes'''
|-
!Ward !!Detached !!Semi-detached!!Terraced!!Flats and apartments!!Caravans/temporary/mobile homes/houseboats!!Shared between households<ref name=ons/>
|-
|College||1,040 || 425 || 144 || 622 || 0 || 17
|-
|Court ||160 || 721 || 947 || 738 || 1 || 0
|-
|Stamford||707 || 995 || 300 || 346 || 0 || 0
|-
|Town ||237 || 849 || 455 || 1,584 || 2 || 27
|-
|Woodcote||1,111|| 513 || 232 || 430 || 0 || 0
|}

==Public services==
===Utilities===
The public [[coal gas|gas]] supply to Epsom began in 1839,<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=7 |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> when the Epsom and Ewell Gas Company purchased land on East Street for the town [[gasworks]]. Initially [[coal]] was transported by road from [[Battersea]], but was delivered by train following the opening of the railway in 1847.<ref name=Bouchard_gas>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=33281 |title=Epsom and Ewell Gas Company 1839 – 1912 |last=Bouchard |first=Brian |year=2011 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606113448/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=33281 |url-status=live}}</ref> Gas-powered street lighting was installed in the town centre by 1840.<ref name=EEHE_water>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25017 |title=Epsom Local Board of Health 1850 – 1894 |last=Bouchard |first=Brian |year=2011 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606113554/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Epsom and Ewell Gas Company was amalgamated with the Wandsworth and Putney Gas Light & Coke Company and the Mitcham and Wimbledon District Gas Light Company in 1912.<ref name=Bouchard_gas/>

The Epsom [[water supply|waterworks]] were established on East Road in 1853. By 1870, there were at least two wells on the site, which supplied water to the town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvas.co.uk/reports/pdf/ESE99-85dsk.pdf |title=Epsom Water Works, East Street, Epsom, Surrey |last=Ford |first=Steve |date=December 1999 |publisher=Thames Valley Archaeological Services |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=21 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321083258/http://www.tvas.co.uk/reports/pdf/ESE99-85dsk.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Until the mid-19th century, [[sewage]] was disposed of in [[cesspit]]s, however the high [[water table]] in the town often lead to drinking water becoming contaminated.<ref name=EEHE_water/> The pond in the centre of High Street, which had become polluted with waste, was filled in 1854 under the direction of the newly formed [[local board of health]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cockman|Marshall|1988|p=6}}</ref> The first [[sewerage|sewerage system]] was created the same year, which included the construction of a [[sewage farm]] on Hook Road (then known as Kingston Lane). A comprehensive drainage plan was produced in 1895, after the formation of Epsom UDC, and arrangements were made to share the Leatherhead sewage [[outfall]]. The site of the sewage farm was redeveloped and is now the Longmead Industrial Estate.<ref name=EEHE_water/> Under the Water Act 1973, control of the water supply passed to the Thames Valley Water Authority, which was privatised to become [[Thames Water]] in 1973.<ref name=Wakefield_1997_p22>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|p=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/drainage-sewage-and-drinking-water |title=Drainage, sewage and drinking water |last=Price |first=Allen |date=29 September 2016 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Borough Council |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303021148/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/drainage-sewage-and-drinking-water |url-status=live}}</ref>

An [[power station|electricity generating station]] was opened in 1902 in Depot Road. Initially it was capable of generating 220&nbsp;kW of power, but by the time of its closure in 1939, its [[nameplate capacity|installed capacity]] was 2&nbsp;MW.<ref name=Tarplee_Gas_Electricity/><ref name=Crocker_1999_p113>{{harvnb|Crocker|1999|p=113}}</ref> Under the [[Electricity (Supply) Act 1926]], Epsom 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]], Leatherhead, 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 and justice===

Following the [[County Courts Act|County Courts Act 1848]], a courthouse was built in Epsom.<ref name=Abdy_1996>{{cite journal |last=Abdy |first=Charles |year=1996 |title=The administration of justice in Epsom and Ewell |journal=Nonsuch Antiquarian Society Occasional Paper |volume=28}}</ref> The [[County Court|County]] and [[Magistrates' Court]]s closed in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=15 December 2010 |title=Epsom County and Magistrates' Courts to close, Government announces |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8739166.epsom-county-and-magistrates-courts-to-close-government-announces/ |work=Sutton and Croydon Guardian |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606195101/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8739166.epsom-county-and-magistrates-courts-to-close-government-announces/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Epsom Police Station was opened in Church Street in July 1963. The Epsom force had been part of the [[Metropolitan Police]] since 1829, but was transferred to [[Surrey Police]] in April 2000.<ref name=Abdy_1996/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6505042.met-gears-up-for-2000/ |title=Met gears up for 2000 |author=<!--Not stated--> |orig-date=20 June 1998 |date=30 June 2000 |work=News Shopper |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604152009/https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6505042.met-gears-up-for-2000/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Epsom fire station - geograph.org.uk - 472250.jpg|thumb|right|Epsom Fire Station, Church Street]]
Epsom is thought to have acquired a "manual" [[fire engine]] in around the 1760s. It was operated by volunteers and was kept at the clock tower in the High Street. The first full-time [[Fire department|brigade]] was established in 1870 and, by the end of the century, was based on Waterloo Road. The current fire station in Church Street was opened in 1937.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28910 |title=A history of the Fire Service In Epsom and Ewell |last=Painter |first=Janet |year=2015 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606184522/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28910 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, the [[fire authority]] for Epsom 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 |title=Our Fire Station |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Surrey County Council |access-date=6 June 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 |url-status=live}}</ref> Epsom Ambulance Station 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===
[[Epsom Cottage Hospital]], the first hospital in Epsom, was opened in Pikes Hill in 1873. It moved to Hawthorne Place in 1877 and, in 1889, a new building was constructed in Alexandra Road to celebrate [[Queen Victoria#Diamond Jubilee|Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]].<ref name=Epsom_NHS_our_story>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/our-story |title=Our Story |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2021 |publisher=Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327121752/https://www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/our-story |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[suffragette]], [[Emily Davison]], died at the hospital after being hit by [[George V|King George V]]'s horse at the [[1913 Epsom Derby|1913 Derby]].<ref name=Morley_1988_p103/><ref name=Tanner_2013_pp284-285/> Epsom Cottage Hospital officially closed in 1988, however the premises are used today as a community hospital offering physiotherapy and rehabilitation services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=763 |title=New Epsom and Ewell Community Hospital: Services |publisher=NHS |access-date=3 December 2018 |archive-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204053811/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Services/DefaultView.aspx?id=763 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Epsom Hospital]] was built by the Poor Law Guardians adjacent to the [[workhouse]] on Dorking Road in 1890.<ref name=Epsom_NHS_our_story/><ref name=Abdy_2001_p44>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=44}}</ref> It was made the responsibility of Surrey County Council in 1930<ref name=Abdy_2001_p69>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=69}}</ref> and became part of the NHS in 1948.<ref name=Epsom_NHS_our_story/> Since April 1999, it has been run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, following a merger between the Epsom Health Care and St Helier NHS Trusts.<ref>{{Cite news |work=The Sunday Times |location=London |title=Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust |date=21 March 1999 |page=20 |issue=9108}}</ref> Epsom Hospital has an [[Emergency department|A&E department]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=1217 |title=Epsom Hospitals |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=National Health Service |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518090612/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=1217 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:St_ebba's_admin_2010.JPG|thumb|right|[[St Ebba's Hospital]], designed by William Clifford Smith, was opened in 1903.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=61363 |title=Hospital Cluster – St Ebba's |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Jackson |first2=Linda |date=March 2014 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130031232/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=61363 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
The [[Epsom Cluster]] was a group of five [[psychiatric hospitals]], built to the west of Epsom on land purchased by [[London County Council]] in 1896.<ref name=Epsom_Cluster_EEHE>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25027 |title=Epsom Hospital Cluster – Introduction |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Jackson |first2=Linda |date=March 2014 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606162438/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25027 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Manor Hospital, Epsom|Manor Asylum]] was the first to be opened in 1899<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=60848 |title=Hospital Cluster – Manor |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Jackson |first2=Linda |date=March 2014 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=18 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118233302/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=60848 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the fifth, [[West Park Hospital, Epsom|West Park Asylum]], was fully completed in June 1924, having been used by the Canadian military during WWI.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=61706 |title=Hospital Cluster – West Park |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Jackson |first2=Linda |date=March 2014 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=18 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218060849/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=61706 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Horton Light Railway|light railway]] was constructed to deliver building materials and coal to the construction sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29063 |title=Railways Serving The Epsom Hospital Cluster |last=Winfield |first=Nick |date=January 2013 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606162438/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29063 |url-status=live}}</ref> Clean water was supplied from a borehole and a power station was constructed to provide electricity to the five institutions.<ref name=Epsom_Cluster_EEHE/> All of the hospitals closed during the 1990s and 2000s and their sites have since been redeveloped for housing.<ref name=Epsom_Cluster_EEHE/>

As of 2021, the town has three GP practices.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Epsom?latitude=51.33317021974096&longitude=-0.2669861789410312 |title=GPs near Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=National Health Service |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606113517/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Epsom?latitude=51.33317021974096&longitude=-0.2669861789410312 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transport==
===Bus===
Epsom is linked by a number of bus routes to surrounding towns and villages in north Surrey and south London. Operators serving the town include Falcon Buses, [[London United Busways|London United]] and [[Go-Ahead London]].<ref name=SCC_Bus>{{cite web |url=https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/buses-and-other-transport/bus-timetables/dorking-leatherhead-epsom-and-banstead |title=Banstead, Epsom, Dorking and Leatherhead bus timetables |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=16 December 2020 |publisher=Surrey County Council |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102015/https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/buses-and-other-transport/bus-timetables/dorking-leatherhead-epsom-and-banstead#22 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Train===
[[Epsom railway station]] is a short distance to the north of the town centre and is managed by [[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]].<ref name=Southern_Railway_Station>{{cite web |url=https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/station-information/stations/epsom-surrey |title=Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Southern Railway |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127094241/https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/station-information/stations/epsom-surrey |url-status=live}}</ref> The current station building was opened in 2013, following a three-year, £20 million redevelopment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Matharu |first=Hardeep |date=10 July 2013 |title=Epsom Station celebration marks end of redevelopment |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10537846.epsom-station-celebration-marks-end-of-redevelopment/ |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160304/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10537846.epsom-station-celebration-marks-end-of-redevelopment/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It is served by trains to {{stn|London Victoria}} and {{stn|London Bridge}} via {{rws|Sutton|London}}, to {{stn|London Waterloo}} via {{stn|Wimbledon}}, to {{rws|Horsham}} via {{rws|Dorking}} and to {{rws|Guildford}} via {{rws|Bookham}}.<ref name=Southern_Railway_Station/>{{refn|Epsom Downs racecourse is served by {{rws|Epsom Downs}} and {{rws|Tattenham Corner}} railway stations, both of which are in the [[Reigate and Banstead|Borough of Reigate and Banstead]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/epsom-downs-railway-station-reigate-and-banstead |title=Epsom Downs railway station, Reigate and Banstead |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=6 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706074653/https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/epsom-downs-railway-station-reigate-and-banstead |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/tattenham-corner-railway-station-reigate-and-banstead |title=Tattenham Corner railway station, Reigate and Banstead |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=6 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706074653/https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/tattenham-corner-railway-station-reigate-and-banstead |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=note}}

===Long-distance footpath===
The [[Thames Down Link]] long-distance footpath between [[Kingston upon Thames]] and [[Box Hill & Westhumble railway station|Box Hill]] runs through Horton Country Park and across Epsom Common.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/f2d920e015d1183d80256c670041a50b/359f0ef32e86608b80257212004640cd/$FILE/TDLroute.pdf |title=Thames Down Link |publisher=Surrey County Council |access-date=6 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622015653/http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/f2d920e015d1183d80256c670041a50b/359f0ef32e86608b80257212004640cd/%24FILE/TDLroute.pdf |archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref>

==Education==
===Further and Higher Education===
[[File:University of the Creative Arts, Epsom Campus (July 2021).jpg|thumb|University for the Creative Arts, Epsom campus]]
The Epsom [[campus]] of the [[University for the Creative Arts]] was founded as the Epsom Technical Institute & School of Art in 1896. The original building in Church Street was designed by John Hatchard-Smith in the [[English Renaissance#Architecture|English Renaissance style]] and was financed by public subscription.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28916 |title=Epsom and Ewell Technical Institute and School of Art Archive Catalogue |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=2 October 2017 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608110815/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=28916 |url-status=live}}</ref> It moved to new premises in Ashley Road in 1973<ref name=Abdy_2001_p84>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=84}}</ref> and merged with the West Surrey College of Art and Design<ref>{{cite news |last=Hodges |first=Lucy |date=22 September 1999 |title=A-Z of Higher Education Colleges: The Surrey Institute of Art & Design |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/az-of-higher-education-colleges-the-surrey-institute-of-art-design-1121154.html |work=The Independent |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608110745/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/az-of-higher-education-colleges-the-surrey-institute-of-art-design-1121154.html |url-status=live}}</ref> to form the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in 1994. The combined institution was granted [[university college]] status in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/seven-crowned-with-university-college-title/145600.article |title=Seven crowned with university college title |date=26 March 1999 |website=Timeshighereducation.com |url-access=registration |access-date=2 October 2017 |archive-date=3 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003031002/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/seven-crowned-with-university-college-title/145600.article |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2005, it merged with the Kent Institute of Art and Design to become the University for the Creative Arts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Grylls |first=Vaughan |date=19 February 2019 |title=Elaine Thomas obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/19/elaine-thomas-obituary |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108000722/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/19/elaine-thomas-obituary |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=28 September 2020 |title=University for the Creative Arts, an institution of diverse crafts |url=https://archive.telanganatoday.com/university-for-the-creative-arts-an-institution-of-diverse-crafts |work=Telangana Today |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608110744/https://archive.telanganatoday.com/university-for-the-creative-arts-an-institution-of-diverse-crafts |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Laine Theatre Arts]] is an independent [[performing arts]] college, founded by [[Betty Laine]] in 1974.<ref name= Laine_about_us>{{cite web |url=https://laine-theatre-arts.co.uk/about-us |title=About us |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2013 |publisher=Laine Theatre Arts |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117022408/https://laine-theatre-arts.co.uk/about-us |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Laine_Comet>{{cite news |last=Foster |first=Alice |date=21 December 2012 |title=Epsom's Laine Theatre Arts trained Victoria Beckham and Viva Forever! star |url=https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/10123569.epsoms-laine-theatre-arts-trained-victoria-beckham-and-viva-forever-star/ |work=Surrey Comet |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608065431/https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/10123569.epsoms-laine-theatre-arts-trained-victoria-beckham-and-viva-forever-star/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It prepares students for careers in professional [[musical theatre]] and teaches the core skills of dance, singing and acting.<ref name= Laine_about_us/> [[Alumnus|Alumni]] include [[Victoria Beckham]],<ref name=Laine_Comet/><ref>{{Cite news |first=Ellen |last=Barbara |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1076151,00.html |title=Watch this Spice |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 November 2003 |access-date=20 December 2007 |location=London |archive-date=7 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907171542/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1076151,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kerry Ellis]],<ref name=Foster_2013>{{cite news |last=Forster |first=Alice |date=22 March 2013 |title=Students dream of stardom at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10306512.students-dream-of-stardom-at-laine-theatre-arts-in-epsom/ |work=Sutton and Croydon Guardian |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608070707/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/10306512.students-dream-of-stardom-at-laine-theatre-arts-in-epsom/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ben Richards (actor)|Ben Richards]]<ref name=Foster_2013/> and [[Sarah Hadland]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wilmslowexpress.co.uk/news/s/513/513379_sarahs_big_break_as_star_of_confetti.html |title=Sarah's big break as star of Confetti |date=24 May 2006 |work=Wilmslow Express |access-date=11 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409212328/http://www.wilmslowexpress.co.uk/news/s/513/513379_sarahs_big_break_as_star_of_confetti.html |archive-date=9 April 2008}}</ref>

===Maintained schools===
[[Blenheim High School]] opened in 1997<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blenheim.surrey.sch.uk/365/welcome-to-blenheim-high-school |title=Welcome to Blenheim High School |last=Bodell |first=Anthony |year=2017 |publisher=Blenheim High School |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125070549/https://www.blenheim.surrey.sch.uk/365/welcome-to-blenheim-high-school |url-status=live}}</ref> and it became an [[Academy (English school)|academy]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/blenheim-high-school-epsom |title=Blenheim High School |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=November 2019 |publisher=Good Schools Guide |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227181813/https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/blenheim-high-school-epsom |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Glyn School]] was founded as the Epsom County School in 1927<ref name=Proctor_Glyn>{{cite web |url=https://glyn.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/SECTION-1-THE-FOUNDATION-YEARS.pdf?ts=1623150841 |title=The Foundation Years |author=Mr Proctor |date=13 February 2013 |publisher=Glyn School |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608114859/https://glyn.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/SECTION-1-THE-FOUNDATION-YEARS.pdf?ts=1623150841 |url-status=live}}</ref> and became a [[grammar school#England|grammar school]] in 1944.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p84/> It was renamed Glyn Grammar School in 1954, after [[Glyn baronets|Sir Arthur Glyn]], the first chairman of the school [[School governor|Governing Body]].<ref name=Proctor_Glyn/> It became a [[comprehensive school (England and Wales)|comprehensive school]] in 1976 and its name changed again to Glyn/ADT School of Technology in 1994.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p84/> The school gained academy status in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/glyn-school-epsom-kt17-1nb |title=Glyn School |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=26 July 2019 |publisher=Good Schools Guide |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=5 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305004607/https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/glyn-school-epsom-kt17-1nb |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Rosebery School for Girls|Rosebery School]] was opened in 1921 as the Epsom County Secondary School for Girls.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p74>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=74}}</ref><ref name=Berry_1992_p69>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=69}}</ref> In 1927, it moved to its current site on land donated by Lord Rosebery, acquiring its present name at the same time.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p74/> It became an academy in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/rosebery-school-epsom |title=Rosebery School |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=November 2019 |publisher=Good Schools Guide |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608110745/https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/rosebery-school-epsom |url-status=live}}</ref>

Both Glyn School and Rosberry School are part of the multi-academy trust GLF Schools<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glyn School - GOV.UK |url=https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/136534 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=get-information-schools.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rosebery School - GOV.UK |url=https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/137736 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=get-information-schools.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>

===Independent schools===
[[File:Epsom College main building.jpg|thumb|Epsom College]]
[[Epsom College]] was founded in 1851 as the Medical Benevolent College by the physician, [[John Propert]]. The school buildings were opened in 1855 by [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] and the first cohort of 100 pupils were all sons of medics.<ref name=Home_1901_pp41-42>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=41–42}}</ref> By 1865, the school roll had grown to 300 and had been opened to those able to pay fees.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomcollege.org.uk/about-epsom/history/dr-john-propert/ |title=A history of Dr John Propert |last=Jallot |first=Rebecca |date=18 January 2019 |publisher=Epsom College |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226162704/https://www.epsomcollege.org.uk/about-epsom/history/dr-john-propert/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Grade II-listed chapel, dedicated to [[Luke the Evangelist|St Luke]], was built in 1857<ref name=EC_history>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomcollege.org.uk/about-epsom/history/ |title=A unique history |last=Jallot |first=Rebecca |date=13 November 2020 |publisher=Epsom College |access-date=1 June 2021 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119143813/https://www.epsomcollege.org.uk/about-epsom/history/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and was enlarged by [[Arthur Blomfield]] in 1895.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1044738|desc=Epsom College Chapel|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> Girls were first admitted to the school in 1976<ref name=EC_history/> and Epsom College became fully coeducational in 1996.<ref name=Scadding_2004_pp130-131>{{harvnb|Scadding|2004|pp=130–131}}</ref>

[[Kingswood House School]] is a [[preparatory school (United Kingdom)|preparatory school]] to the west of the town centre. It was founded in 1899 and moved to its present site on West Hill in 1920. Since the 1960s it has operated exclusively as a [[day school]]. Girls were admitted for the first time in September 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kingswoodhouse.org/news/history/ |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=15 July 2020 |publisher=Kingswood School |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123050352/https://www.kingswoodhouse.org/news/history/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Places of worship==
{{see also|List of places of worship in Epsom and Ewell}}

===St Martin's Church===
[[File:St Martin of Tours, Epsom - geograph.org.uk - 1143885.jpg|thumb|St Martin's Church, Epsom{{refn|The church is dedicated to [[Martin of Tours]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stmartinsepsom.org/find-us/ |title=St Martin's Epsom, Find Us |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=27 February 2021 |publisher=St Martin of Tours, Epsom |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=28 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228212911/https://www.stmartinsepsom.org/find-us/ |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=note}}]]
The Domesday Book entry for Epsom includes two churches,<ref name=Epsom_Domesday/> one of which is thought to have been on the site of the present St Martin's Church.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p10>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=10}}</ref> The oldest part of the current building is the [[flint]] [[tower]], which dates from around 1450. Much of the remainder of the church dates from a rebuilding in 1824, with the exception of the [[choir (architecture)|choir]], [[chancel]] and [[transept]]s, which were added by [[Sir Charles Nicholson, 2nd Baronet|Sir Charles Nicholson]] in 1908.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1028592|desc=PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARTIN|date=18 June 2000|access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref> The 15th century [[spire]] was damaged in a storm in 1947 and was subsequently demolished.<ref name=Berry_1992_p31>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=31}}</ref>

Following the 1824 rebuilding, many of the memorials from the medieval church were reinstalled in the new church, including several by the sculptor [[John Flaxman]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_p25>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=25}}</ref><ref name=Home_1901_pp67-69>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=67–69}}</ref> The parish chest, made from carved Spanish mahogany, is reputed to contain wood recovered from ships of the [[Spanish Armada]].<ref name=Home_1901_pp67-69/><ref name=StM_internal>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=60594 |title=St Martin of Tours, Epsom: A summary of its internal features |last=Turner |first=Stephen |date=July 1977 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120104906/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=60594 |url-status=live}}</ref> The church also holds a copy of the so-called [[Bible errata#King James|vinegar bible]] of 1717.<ref name=StM_internal/> The east window, by the local designer F.A. Oldaker, shows [[Light of the World|Christ the Light of the World]], in the style of [[The Light of the World (painting)|the painting]] by [[William Holman Hunt]].<ref name=Berry_1992_p29>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=29}}</ref>

===Christ Church===
[[File:Christ Church, Christ Church Road, Epsom Common (NHLE Code 1289540) (August 2013) (1) copy.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Christ Church, Epsom Common]]
Christ Church was founded as a [[chapel of ease]] to St Martin's in 1843.<ref name=Home_1901_pp73-74>{{harvnb|Home|1901|pp=73–74}}</ref> Initially a temporary structure was provided until the first permanent building was opened in 1845.<ref name=Christ_Church>{{cite web |url=https://www.christchurchepsom.org.uk/history |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2021 |publisher=Christ Church, Epsom Common |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123131938/https://www.christchurchepsom.org.uk/history |url-status=live}}</ref> In July 1874, Epsom parish was divided into two, with the western half becoming the new parish of Epsom Common.<ref name=Home_1901_pp73-74/> The chapel of ease became the parish church, but was considered too small for the [[church (congregation)|congregation]].<ref name=Home_1901_pp73-74/> Its replacement, the present church, was designed in the [[gothic architecture|Gothic revival]] style by [[Arthur Blomfield]] and opened in 1876.<ref name=Christ_Church/><ref name=NHLE_Christ_Church>{{NHLE|num=1289540|desc=Christ Church|access-date=22 June 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> It is constructed from flint with stone dressings and there is a [[clerestory]] above the [[nave]]. The tower and south aisle were added in 1879 and 1887 respectively.<ref name=NHLE_Christ_Church/>

The chancel arch is decorated with a [[mural]] of [[Jesus|Christ]] flanked by [[Christian angelology|angels]],<ref name=Christ_Church/><ref name=NHLE_Christ_Church/> beneath which is the [[rood screen]], made of [[wrought iron]] and [[bronze]], which was erected 1909.<ref name=Berry_1992_p62>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=62}}</ref> The alabaster [[reredos]], behind the [[altar]], contains figurative scenes in [[mosaic]] and the east wall is decorated with panels depicting the [[four Evangelists]].<ref name=NHLE_Christ_Church/> The [[pulpit]] dates from 1880 and was originally in [[St Andrew's Church, Surbiton]].<ref name=NHLE_Christ_Church/> The interior of the church was reordered between 1987 and 1995 to increase the versatility of the nave.<ref name=Christ_Church/>

===United Reformed Church===
[[File:Epsom United Reformed Church, Church Road, Epsom (August 2013) (5).JPG|thumb|right|United Reformed Church, Church Road]]
Following the [[Act of Uniformity 1662]], local [[nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformists]] began meeting in small groups at Ewell, before establishing themselves at Epsom in around 1688.<ref name=Cary_1988_pp2-3>{{harvnb|Cary|Cary|1988|pp=2–3}}</ref> The Dissenting community flourished in the town in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and, in 1720, the first purpose-built meeting house was constructed on Church Street.<ref name=Cary_1988_pp7-8>{{harvnb|Cary|Cary|1988|pp=7–8}}</ref> As the population of the town decreased in the later 18th century, the congregation declined and the meeting house appears to have been sold by 1803, but remained in use for worship.<ref name=Cary_1988_pp13-14>{{harvnb|Cary|Cary|1988|pp=13–14}}</ref> A new, Gothic revival [[congregational church]] was opened in 1905 on the same site.<ref name="Cary_1988_pp13-14" /> Much of the church, including the roof and organ, was destroyed in fire in 1961, but the building was rebuilt two years later. It was renamed Epsom United Reformed Church in 1972.<ref name=Cary_1988_pp31-33>{{harvnb|Cary|Cary|1988|pp=31–33}}</ref>

===St Joseph's Catholic Church===
The Catholic parish of St Joseph, traces its origins to 1859, when the congregation began to meet regularly for mass in the parlour of a house in Stanley Villas.<ref name=McInally_1998_p2>{{harvnb|McInally|1998|p=2}}</ref> The first permanent church, in Heathcote Road, was completed in 1866 and was constructed of local red brick with [[Bath stone]] dressings.<ref name=McInally_1998_p6>{{harvnb|McInally|1998|p=6}}</ref> It was extended in 1930<ref name=McInally_1998_pp16-19>{{harvnb|McInally|1998|pp=16–19}}</ref> and the west end was rebuilt between 1959 and 1961,<ref name=McInally_1998_p22-23>{{harvnb|McInally|1998|pp=22–23}}</ref> but by 1996 it had become clear that it was inadequate for the size of the congregation. Land in St Margaret's Drive was purchased from the county council and construction of a new church began in 1999. The old church was demolished in 2000 and its replacement opened in April 2001.<ref name=StJoseph>{{cite web |url=http://www.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/history.php |title=History of the Parish |publisher=St Joseph's Church |year=2011 |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819164107/http://st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/history.php |archive-date=19 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The new church was dedicated by [[Cormac Murphy-O'Connor]] in May 2001.<ref>{{harvnb|Carre|2003|p=26}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:John Constable 002.jpg|thumb|''View at Epsom'' (1809) by John Constable]]

===Literature===
''[[Epsom Wells]]'', a [[restoration comedy]] written by [[Thomas Shadwell]] ({{circa|1642}} – 1692), is one of a series of plays set in English spa towns. It received its first performance in 1673 at the [[Duke's Company|Duke's Theatre]] in London.<ref>{{harvnb|Orr|2020|p=200}}</ref> A revival of the play in the 1690s included new [[incidental music]] by the composer, [[Henry Purcell]].<ref>{{harvnb|Van Lennep|1965|p=201}}</ref>

''[[Epsom Downs (play)|Epsom Downs]]'', a [[city comedy|comic play]] written by [[Howard Brenton]] (born 1942), is set at the 1977 Epsom Derby. It received its first performance in 1977 at [[Roundhouse (venue)|The Roundhouse]] in London.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16703 |title=Epsom Downs |last1=Baker |first1=John |last2=Barfield |first2=Steve |date=3 February 2005 |publisher=The Literary Encyclopedia |access-date=5 August 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224235734/https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16703 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=12 April 2005 |title=MAC Youth Theatre - Epsom Downs |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2005/04/05/mac_youth_theatre_feature.shtml |work=BBC |access-date=5 August 2021 |archive-date=7 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607062031/http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2005/04/05/mac_youth_theatre_feature.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music===
Epsom Choral Society was founded in 1922 by the publisher, [[Humphrey Sumner Milford|Humphrey Milford]]. His son, the composer [[Robin Milford]] was the first [[conducting|conductor]]. The choir has [[commission (art)|commissioned]] works from the British [[composer]]s [[Cecilia McDowall]] and [[Jonathan Willcocks]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epsomchoral.org.uk/history.shtml |title=A history of Epsom Choral Society |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2020 |publisher=Epsom Choral Society |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221045806/http://www.epsomchoral.org.uk/history.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> Epsom Symphony Orchestra for amateur musicians was founded in 1951 and gives four concerts each year at the Epsom Playhouse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epsomsymphony.co.uk |title=Welcome to Epsom Symphony Orchestra |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=9 September 2017 |publisher=Epsom Symphony Orchestra |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125231642/http://www.epsomsymphony.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epsomsymphony.co.uk/about-us/ |title=About us |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=9 September 2017 |publisher=Epsom Symphony Orchestra |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=11 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911082952/http://www.epsomsymphony.co.uk/about-us/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Epsom & Ewell Silver Band is based in Epsom. It is a traditional [[British brass band]] and was founded in 1910 as the Banstead Silver Band.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Epsom and Ewell Silver Band |url=https://www.eesb.org.uk/band.php |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=www.eesb.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>

===Paintings===
The landscape painter, [[John Constable]] (1776–1837), visited Epsom regularly between 1806 and 1812. His works include several depictions of the town, including ''View at Epsom'' (1809), held by [[Tate|The Tate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-view-at-epsom-n01818 |title=John Constable: View at Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 2004 |publisher=The Tate |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524154754/https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-view-at-epsom-n01818 |url-status=live}}</ref> The gallery also owns paintings of horse racing taking place on the Downs, including works by [[Alfred Munnings]] (1878–1959)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/munnings-epsom-downs-city-and-suburban-day-n03554 |title=Alfred Munnings: Epsom Downs - City and Suburban Day |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 2004 |publisher=The Tate |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524165546/https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/munnings-epsom-downs-city-and-suburban-day-n03554 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[William Powell Frith]] (1819–1909).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/frith-the-derby-day-n00615 |title=William Powell Frith: Derby Day |last=Fowle |first=Francis |editor-last=Upstone |editor-first=Robert |date=August 2001 |orig-date=November 2000 |publisher=The Tate |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524224947/https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/frith-the-derby-day-n00615 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The 1821 Derby at Epsom]]'' (1821) by [[Théodore Géricault]] (1791–1824) is held by [[Louvre|The Louvre]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=15359 |title=Course de Chevaux, dit traditionnellement Le derby de 1821 à Epsom |year=2015 |publisher=Louvre |language=French |last=Fuzeau |first=Philippe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225094406/http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=15359 |archive-date=25 February 2012}}</ref> Paintings of [[Nonsuch Palace]], attributed to [[Hendrick Danckerts]] ({{circa|1625}}–1680),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/nonsuch-palace-from-the-north-east-13665 |title=Nonsuch Palace from the North East |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Art UK |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623213849/https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/nonsuch-palace-from-the-north-east-13665 |url-status=live}}</ref> and of the view from Epsom Downs, by William Henry David Birch (1895–1968), are held by [[Epsom Town Hall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/epsom-and-ewell-from-the-grandstand-13666 |title=Epsom and Ewell from the Grandstand |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Art UK |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623213924/https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/epsom-and-ewell-from-the-grandstand-13666 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Public art===
[[File:John Gilpin as Spectre de la Rose.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''Spectre de la Rose'' by Tom Merrifield<ref name=EEHE_Gilpin>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=71224 |title=Epsom Playhouse & its sculpture, ''Le Spectre de la Rose'' |last=Morgan |first=Roger |year=2021 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref>]]
A [[figurine|statuette]] by the [[Australia]]n [[sculptor]] Tom Merrifield was erected outside the Playhouse in 1999. It depicts the [[ballet dancer|dancer]], [[John Gilpin (dancer)|John Gilpin]], performing the [[title character|title role]] of [[Le Spectre de la rose]] from the [[ballet]] by [[Jean-Louis Vaudoyer]].<ref name=EEHE_Gilpin/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0FB2E9EC-A004-42DD-8BF5-3946B19937A0/0/InsightWinter09finall_r.pdf |year=2009 |work=Borough Insight |issue=41 |page=5 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Borough Council |title=Happy Birthday Epsom Playhouse |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001548/http://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0FB2E9EC-A004-42DD-8BF5-3946B19937A0/0/InsightWinter09finall_r.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Evocation of Speed'', a bronze sculpture by [[Judy Boyt]], was installed at Epsom Square in 2002. It depicts two horses - [[Diomed]], the winner of the first Derby in 1780 and [[Galileo (horse)|Galileo]], the winner of the 2001 race. The depictions of the two riders show how the clothing worn by [[jockey]]s has changed over time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Philips |first=Carol |date=13 June 2001 |title=Epsom pays tribute to racing |url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/racing/epsom-pays-tribute-to-racing-36189 |work=Horse and Hound |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925044038/https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/racing/epsom-pays-tribute-to-racing-36189 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A statue of Emily Davison by the artist [[Christine Charlesworth]], was installed in the marketplace in 2021, following a campaign by volunteers from the Emily Davison Memorial Project.<ref name=Orlando_2021/>

===Theatre===
[[Epsom Playhouse]] opened in 1984 as part of [[The Ashley Centre]] development. It has two performance spaces:<ref name= Williamson_1983>{{cite news |last=Williamson |first=Elizabeth |date=15 November 1983 |title=Scheming to keep the High Street's old charm |work=The Daily Telegraph |page=15 |issue=39941 |location=London}}</ref> The main auditorium seats a maximum of 450.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/venue-hire/technical-information/information-main-auditorium |title=Information for the Main Auditorium |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2016 |publisher=Epsom Playhouse |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702023927/http://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/venue-hire/technical-information/information-main-auditorium |url-status=live}}</ref> The Myers Studio, which has an [[octagon]]al floor plan, seats 80 and is suited to smaller-scale drama, comedy and jazz performances.<ref name= Williamson_1983/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/venue-hire/technical-information/information-myers-studio |title=Information for the Myers Studio |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2016 |publisher=Epsom Playhouse |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623213925/https://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/venue-hire/technical-information/information-myers-studio |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Podcasts===
British comedy podcast ''[[My Dad Wrote a Porno]]'' sets the second episode of its third season, ''Epsom Hall'', in the eponymous building.<ref>{{cite web |title=S3E2 Epsom Hall |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Rtsb6xHut5mr5tTGmeHLk |website=Spotify |access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref>

==Sport==
===Rainbow Leisure Centre===
[[File:Exterior of Rainbow Centre, Epsom (July 2021).jpg|thumb|Rainbow Leisure Centre]]
The current Rainbow Leisure Centre opened in 2003, replacing the original facility which dated from the 1930s. The centre includes [[swimming pool]]s, two [[dance studio]]s and a sports hall with four [[badminton court]]s.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=10 April 2003 |title=Rainbow Leisure Centre opens in Epsom |url=https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/Rainbow-Leisure-Centre-opens-in-Epsom/4302 |work=Leisure Opportunities |location=Hitchin |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623162235/https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/Rainbow-Leisure-Centre-opens-in-Epsom/4302 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savillejones-architects.com/projects/leisure/rainbow-leisure-centre/ |title=Rainbow Leisure Centre, Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=October 2010 |publisher=Saville Jones Architects |access-date=12 July 2021 |archive-date=14 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814114418/http://www.savillejones-architects.com/projects/leisure/rainbow-leisure-centre/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, a [[health club|spa]] facility was added as part of an extensive refurbishment, during which the [[health club|gym]] equipment was also upgraded.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Tim |date=16 January 2012 |title=£1m Leisure Centre revamp complete |url=https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/1m-Leisure-Centre-revamp-complete/297293 |work=Leisure Opportunities |location=Hitchin |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623162304/https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/1m-Leisure-Centre-revamp-complete/297293 |url-status=live}}</ref> The centre is managed by [[Greenwich Leisure Limited]] (GLL) under their "Better" brand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/epsom-and-ewell/rainbow-leisure-centre |title=Rainbow Leisure Centre, Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 June 2021 |publisher=Greenwich Leisure Limited |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526152947/https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/epsom-and-ewell/rainbow-leisure-centre |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Association Football===
[[Epsom & Ewell F.C.]] traces its origins to the Epsom Juniors Cricket Club, founded in March 1918.<ref name=EFC_Hist>{{cite web |url=http://www.eefconline.co.uk/base6.html |title=Epsom & Ewell F.C. Club History |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2019 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell F.C. |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228123032/http://www.eefconline.co.uk/base6.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Lambert|2007|p=7}}</ref> A year later the team began to play football and was a founder member of the Sutton & District League in 1920. The team changed its name to Epsom Town F.C. in 1922 and played its [[home (sports)|home games]] at the Horton Hospital Sports Ground. The club became Epsom F.C. in 1934 and adopted its current name in 1960.<ref name=EFC_Hist/> Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the club has been based at Fetcham Grove, the [[Leatherhead F.C.]] stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eefconline.co.uk/base6.html |title=Epsom & Ewell F.C. Club History 1918-2021 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Football Club |year=2022 |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>

===Cricket===
[[File:Epsom Cricket Club (July 2021).jpg|thumb|Epsom Cricket Club ground]]
The earliest reference to [[cricket]] being played in the town is from 1711 and [[Epsom Cricket Club]] is thought to have been founded in around 1800. During the early 19th century, matches appear to have taken place on the Downs and also at Stamford Green on Epsom Common. By 1860, the club had established a new ground on Woodcote Road, on land belonging to Edward Richard Northey, and plays its home games there today.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=24056 |title=Epsom's cricketers in the 18th & 19th centuries |last=Bouchard |first=Brian |date=December 2016 |orig-date=December 2012 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623191922/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=24056 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Hockey===
Epsom Hockey Club is a [[field hockey]] club that competes in the [[London Hockey League]] and the [[Southern Counties Hockey Association|South East Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/clubs/epsom-hc|title=England Hockey - Epsom Hockey Club |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref> It is thought to have been founded in around 1900 and was well established by the 1909/10 season. Initially, home games were played at the Court Recreation Ground, but the club established a permanent base in Woodcote Road after the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epsomhc.co.uk/epsom-hockey-club-history/ |title=Epsom Hockey Club and its history |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=19 November 2018 |publisher=Epsom Hockey Club |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122225127/http://www.epsomhc.co.uk/epsom-hockey-club-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tennis===
[[File:Epsom Tennis Club (July 2021).jpg|thumb|Epsom Tennis Club]]
Epsom Lawn Tennis Club was founded as a [[croquet]] club in the 1850s, based at Woodcote House. By the 1870s, [[tennis]] became the more important sport and in 1913 the club had five [[tennis court]]s and three croquet courts. The last remaining croquet court was converted to a [[grass court|grass tennis court]] in 1923.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epsomtennisclub.co.uk/history-of-eltc/ |title=History of ELTC |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 2019 |publisher=Epsom Lawn Tennis Club |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811165622/http://www.epsomtennisclub.co.uk/history-of-eltc/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Other sports===
Epsom and Ewell Harriers is a club for [[track and field]] athletes, based at the Poole Road Track in Ewell.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eandeharriers.weebly.com/about-us.html |title=About us |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2020 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Harriers |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623191919/https://eandeharriers.weebly.com/about-us.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Epsom Cycling Club was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest in the country. The club arranges organised rides and regular [[time trial]]s in the local area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsomcc.co.uk/?p=8 |title=About |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=18 January 2018 |publisher=Epsom Cycling Club |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623191923/https://www.epsomcc.co.uk/?p=8 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sutton & Epsom RFC|Sutton and Epsom Rugby Football Club]] was founded in 1881 and their main ground is at Rugby Lane, [[Cheam]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.suttonrugby.co.uk/about/ |title=A profile of Sutton and Epsom |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 2013 |publisher=Sutton & Epsom R.F.C. |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201172144/https://www.suttonrugby.co.uk/about/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable buildings and landmarks==
===The Ashley Centre===
Construction of [[The Ashley Centre]] was proposed in the late 1970s, following concerns that the [[retail]] sector of the local economy was in decline.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp92-93>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=92–93}}</ref> The [[shopping center|shopping centre]] was designed by [[RHWL|Humphrey Wood]] and the building makes extensive use of steel, glass and marble. A [[multistorey car park]] and an office block were included in the scheme, in addition to {{cvt|23000|m2|ft2}} of retail space.<ref>{{cite news |last=Williamson |first=Elizabeth |date=15 November 1983 |title=Scheming to keep the High Street's old charm |work=The Daily Telegraph |page=15 |issue=39941 |location=London}}</ref> The centre was opened by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 24 October 1984<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp92-93/> and is named after the adjacent Ashley Road.<ref name=Brooks_2019>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29572 |title=Ashley Centre |last1=Brooks |first1=David |date=21 May 2019 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202202244/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29572 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ashley House===
[[File:Ashley House, Epsom (geograph 1879145).jpg|thumb|right|Ashley House]]
Ashley House is named after Mary Ashley, a former resident who lived at the property until 1849.<ref name=Abdy_2001_p112>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=112}}</ref> The three-storey, brick townhouse was constructed in the late 1760s and is protected by a Grade II* listing. It features an [[Adam style|Adam-style]] central doorcase with a composite [[Tower of the Winds]] and [[Ionic order|Ionic columns]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1289636|desc=Ashley House|access-date=9 June 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

===Assembly Rooms===
The Assembly Rooms building was constructed in around 1692, when the spa was at the height of it popularity. It functioned as a meeting place and included a tavern, [[coffeehouse|coffee house]] and [[billiard room]]. A [[bowling green]] and a [[cockfight|cockpit]], in which fighting [[rooster|cocks]] were set against each other for [[blood sport|sport]], were also part of the same complex.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/149-153-high-street-epsom-5103 |title=149-153 High Street, Epsom, Surrey |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Historic England |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624191857/https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/149-153-high-street-epsom-5103 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Wetherspoon>{{cite web |url=https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/england/surrey/the-assembly-rooms-epsom |title=The Assembly Rooms |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=2015 |publisher=J.D. Wetherspoon |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119114531/https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/england/surrey/the-assembly-rooms-epsom |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the decline of the spa in the first half of the 18th century, much of the building was converted to shops and to housing for private families.<ref name=Wetherspoon/> Since April 2002, the Assembly Rooms has operated as a [[public house]], owned by [[Wetherspoons]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Jennifer |date=25 July 2018 |orig-date=11 February 2017 |title=How every Wetherspoon pub in Surrey got its name |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/how-every-wetherspoon-pub-surrey-12581958 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225114411/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/how-every-wetherspoon-pub-surrey-12581958 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Clock Tower===
The [[cornerstone|foundation stone]] for the Clock Tower was laid in November 1847, following the demolition of the watch house which had stood on the site since the 17th century.<ref name=EEHE_Clock_Tower>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29760 |title=Epsom Clock Tower |last=Harte |first=Jeremy |date=21 May 2019 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=22 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522100814/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29760 |url-status=live}}</ref> The {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=mid|-tall}}<ref name=EEHE_Clock_Tower/> tower, designed by James Butler and Henry Hodge,<ref name=Abdy_2001_p30>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=30}}</ref> is constructed from red and grey brick with [[ashlar]] dressings.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1213296|desc=Clock Tower|access-date=24 June 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Initially four [[Cultural depictions of lions|lion sculptures]] made of [[Caen stone]] were positioned at each corner of the base, however by 1902 they had been replaced by electric lanterns, which were replaced, in 1920, by the current globe lights. In the same year, the base of the tower was extended to the east and west to provide toilet facilities.<ref name=EEHE_Clock_Tower/> Several public events and civic ceremonies have taken place in the area at the base of the tower, including the official granting of the foundation [[charter]] of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in September 1937.<ref name="Abdy_2001_pp71-73"/> In March 2023, following many discussions, the clock tower received a full LED lighting upgrade allowing the tower to change colour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Epsom Clock Tower LED Upgrade |url=https://stlsevents.co.uk/about/case-studies/epsom-clock-tower-led-upgrade/ |website=STLS |access-date=5 April 2023}}</ref>

===Spread Eagle Walk===
[[File:Spring in Epsom (7126105551).jpg|thumb|Spread Eagle Walk]]
The Spread Eagle Walk shopping centre was constructed as a coaching inn in the late 17th century.<ref name=Berry_1992_p9>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=9}}</ref> The main hotel building has two storeys with an attic and basement. The external [[stucco]] finish and [[sash window]]s are later additions.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1028564|desc=The Spread Eagle Hotel and No. 89|access-date=24 June 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The distinctive black eagle sculptures above the two porticos are thought to date from the mid-late 19th century. The inn traded as a [[public house]] until around 1990, when it closed for renovation.<ref name=EEHE_Spread_Eagle>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=31227 |title=The Black Spread Eagle, High Street, Epsom |last=Bouchard |first=Brian |date=April 2017 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624191904/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=31227 |url-status=live}}</ref> The driveway into the former stables was converted into the main entrance to the shopping centre<ref name=Berry_1992_p15>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=15}}</ref> and in 1994 the main building was occupied by Lester Bowden outfitters,<ref name=EEHE_Spread_Eagle/> which had been founded by Arthur Bowden at start of the 20th century.<ref name=Berry_1992_p15/>

===Town Hall===
{{main|Epsom Town Hall}}
The [[Neo-Georgian style (Great Britain)|neo-Georgian]] Epsom Town Hall, designed by Hubert Moore Fairweather and William Alfred Pite, was opened in March 1934.<ref name=riba>{{cite web |url=https://www.architecture.com/image-library/ribapix/image-information/poster/epsom-town-hall-surrey-the-main-front/posterid/RIBA73695.html |title=Epsom Town Hall, Surrey: the main front |publisher=Royal Institute of British Architects |access-date=28 December 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624131252/https://www.ribapix.com/epsom-town-hall-surrey-the-main-front_riba73695 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Opening of Epsom's new town hall |date= 17 March 1934 |work= Surrey Advertiser and County Times |volume= CXXX |issue= 9648 |page= 9}}</ref> The building has served as the headquarters of Epsom UDC, Epsom Borough Council and, since 1974, [[Epsom and Ewell Borough Council]]. The New Town Hall was opened in 1992 and is connected to the older building by covered walkways.<ref name=Harte_2005_pp111-112>{{harvnb|Harte|2005|pp=111–112}}</ref>

===War memorials===
[[File:Cross of Sacrifice in the CWGC section at Epsom Cemetery.jpg|thumb|Commonwealth War Graves Memorial, Epsom Cemetery]]
Epsom War Memorial at Epsom Cemetery was erected in 1921 to commemorate the 256 residents of Epsom and Ewell who had died in the First World War. The memorial consists of a [[Celtic cross]] in [[granite]] and the gates are dedicated to the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions of the [[Royal Fusiliers]], who were billeted in Epsom before the opening of the Woodcote Park camp.<ref name=NHLE_war_memorial>{{NHLE|num=1406252|desc=Epsom War Memorial|access-date=22 June 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref name=EEBC_war_memorial>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/residents/environmental-services/war-memorials |title=War Memorials |last=Price |first=Allen |date=15 July 2016 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526153031/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/residents/environmental-services/war-memorials |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the end of the Second World War, an additional inscription was added to commemorate those who had died between 1939 and 1945.<ref name=NHLE_war_memorial/>

The Commonwealth War Graves Memorial was erected in Epsom Cemetery in 1925. It consists of a cross, behind which is a screen wall on which names of 148 [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] soldiers are inscribed.<ref name=EEBC_war_memorial/> The majority of those commemorated died in the hospitals of the Epsom Cluster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/100790 |title=CWGC: Epsom Cemetery |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=6 August 2013 |publisher=War Memorials Online |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624191817/https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/100790 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Woodcote Park===
[[File:WoodcotePark_1816_Hassell.jpg|thumb|''Woodcote Park'' ({{circa|1816}}) engraving by [[John Hassell]]]]
[[Woodcote Park]] was created as a hunting park in the mid-12th century by the abbot of Chertsey Abbey. Following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in the mid-16th century, the park was briefly held by [[Nicholas Carew (courtier)|Sir Nicholas Carew]], before being annexed to the [[English feudal barony|Honour]] of [[Hampton Court Palace|Hampton Court]].<ref name=EEHE_Woodcote>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29903 |title=Woodcote Park |last=Bouchard |first=B |year=2012 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=24 September 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102812/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29903 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the mid-17th century, the land was inherited by Elizabeth Mynne, wife of Richard Evelyn, for whom the first mansion house was constructed. The building included decorative features by the sculptor, [[Grinling Gibbons]], and a ceiling by the painter, [[Antonio Verrio]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp104-106>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=104–106}}</ref> In 1715, the estate was inherited by [[Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore]], who commissioned [[Isaac Ware]] to rebuild the mansion in the French [[Rococo Revival]] style. Some of the features of the original house were reused, including the Verrio ceiling.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp104-106/> Shortly before his death, Calvert engaged [[John Vardy]] to design a [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] stone frontage.<ref name=EEHE_Woodcote/>

Following long periods of ownership by the Tessier and Brooks families during the 19th century,<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp104-106/> the [[Royal Automobile Club]] (R.A.C.) purchased Woodcote Park in 1913.<ref name=Berry_1992_p83>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=83}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=<!--Not stated--> |first=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 March 1913 |title=Golf Club Company |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |issue=18069 |page=3}}</ref> Many of the historic interiors were not required by the R.A.C. and were removed<ref name=EEHE_Woodcote/> and sold at auction. In 1927, wood [[panelling]] and other decorations in the style of [[Thomas Chippendale]], from one of the [[drawing room]]s, were installed in the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collections.mfa.org/objects/326396 |title=Paneled Drawing Room from Woodcote Park |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Museum of Fine Arts Boston |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160255/https://collections.mfa.org/objects/326396 |url-status=live}}</ref> The mansion was destroyed by fire in August 1934,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Epsom R.A.C. Burnt Out |date=3 August 1934 |page=3 |issue=46823}}</ref> but within two years had been rebuilt with an identical exterior appearance.<ref name=EEHE_Woodcote/> Today the {{convert|350|acre|ha|adj=on}} site features two 18-hole [[golf course]]s, sports and spa facilities, as well as restaurants and guest accommodation. The club also houses a fleet of heritage [[motor vehicle]]s, owned by the R.A.C.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/woodcote-park/ |title=Woodcote Park |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=4 March 2021 |publisher=Royal Automobile Club |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502100447/https://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/woodcote-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Parks and open spaces==
===Epsom Common===
[[File:Epsom Common, Great Pond - geograph.org.uk - 1054352.jpg|thumb|right|The Great Pond, [[Epsom Common]]]]
During the medieval period, Epsom Common was the manorial waste land<ref name="EEBC_Common"/> and, in the 12th century, the monks of Chertsey Abbey built the Great Pond to rear fish.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25290 |title=Epsom Common Local Nature Reserve Part One: Background and access |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 May 2019 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=15 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160258/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25290 |url-status=live}}</ref> The first cottages had been built around the edges of the common by 1679 and by the mid-18th century there were over 30, mostly on the land around Stamford Green.<ref name=Abdy_2001_pp50-51>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|pp=50–51}}</ref> The Common was purchased by Epsom Urban District Council (UDC) in 1935 and its successor body, the Borough Council, continues to own and manage it today. Together with the adjacent [[Ashtead Common]], Epsom Common comprises a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] and is a [[Local Nature Reserve]]. The {{convert|176|hectare|acre|adj=on}} site has a range of distinctive habitats and is a breeding ground for 59 bird species.<ref name=EEBC_Common/>

===Epsom Downs===
[[Epsom Downs]] and the neighbouring Walton Downs are to the south east of the town and together comprise {{convert|240|ha|acre|-2}} of chalk [[downland]]. The Downs are owned by Epsom Racecourse and are managed by a board of Conservators under the framework of the Epsom and Walton Downs Regulation Act 1984. A number of rare plants are present, including [[Phyteuma orbiculare|round-headed rampion]], [[Thesium humifusum|bastard-toadflax]] and [[Euphrasia|chalk hill eyebright]]. The area provides a habitat for bird species including the [[Eurasian skylark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-open-space-hire/Epsom-and-Walton-Downs/Epsom%20and%20Walton%20Downs%20Map%20and%20Information.pdf |title=Epsom & Walton Downs: Map and Information |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 August 2010 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell Borough Council |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610082300/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-open-space-hire/Epsom-and-Walton-Downs/Epsom%20and%20Walton%20Downs%20Map%20and%20Information.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2013, Epsom Downs has been a [[Site of Nature Conservation Interest|Site of Nature Conservation Importance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/EpsomandWaltonDownsHabitatManagementPlan.pdf |title=Epsom & Walton Downs: Habitat Management Plan 2015-2020 |last=Howarth |first=Peter |date=10 November 2016 |orig-date=6 June 2015 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=4 August 2021 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804141443/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/residents/venues-sport-and-leisure-facilities/EpsomandWaltonDownsHabitatManagementPlan.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Horton Country Park===
[[File:Hobbledown Children's Farm, Nilgai.jpg|thumb|right|[[Nilgai]] at Hobbledown Children's Farm, Horton Country Park]]
[[Horton Country Park]] was created in 1973 from two farms belonging to the Epsom Cluster of psychiatric hospitals and is owned and managed by the Borough Council.<ref name="HCP"/> Around {{convert|152|ha|acre}} have been designated a [[Local Nature Reserve]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1009732&SiteName=&countyCode=41&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Horton Country Park |series=Local Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |access-date=26 November 2018 |archive-date=18 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018003046/https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1009732&SiteName=&countyCode=41&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |url-status=live}}</ref> The country park includes areas of [[ancient woodland]] and provides a habitat for a wide range of mammal, bird and insect species including the [[European green woodpecker|green woodpecker]] and [[roe deer]].<ref name=HCP/> It also contains a [[golf course]], [[equestrian facility|equestrian centre]] and a [[petting zoo|children's farm]].<ref name=Abdy_2001_p89>{{harvnb|Abdy|2001|p=89}}</ref><ref name=Wakefield_1997_p33>{{harvnb|Wakefield|1997|p=33}}</ref>

===Mounthill Gardens and Rosebery Park===
Mounthill Gardens, south west of the town centre, was formed from the grounds of two adjacent houses, both purchased by Epsom UDC in 1950. The smaller house, Rosebank, had been bombed during the Second World War and was subsequently demolished by the council. The larger house, Mounthill, was used as offices for a time, before it too was demolished.{{refn|The Sadlers Court retirement apartments opened in 1998 on the site of the former Mounthill House.<ref name=Mounthill>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Mounthill%20Gardens%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |title=Mounthill Gardens |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608210115/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Mounthill%20Gardens%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Morgan_2020>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=62160 |title=Mounthill Gardens: A tale of two estates |last1=Reed |first1=Peter |last2=Morgan |first2=Roger |year=2020 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=5 June 2021 |archive-date=25 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125190849/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=62160 |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=note}} The {{convert|2|ha|acre|0|spell=in}} of steeply sloping land surrounding the two buildings was converted into a public park that opened in 1965.<ref name=Mounthill/><ref name=Morgan_2020/>

[[File:Rosebery Park, Epsom - geograph.co.uk - 3981517.jpg|thumb|right|The lake in Rosebery Park]]
Rosebery Park, to the south of the town centre, was presented to Epsom UDC in 1913 by Lord Rosebery as "proof of [his] deep and abiding affection" for the town. Rosebery's wish was for the creation of "a&nbsp;public pleasure ground for the resort and recreation of the inhabitants of Epsom." Work to create the formal areas of the park had begun by the outbreak of the First World War, including the enlargement of an existing pond to create the lake. Non-landscaped areas were converted into [[Allotment (gardening)|allotments]] during the two world wars. Today the {{convert|4.5|ha|acre|frac=4|adj=on}} park is owned and managed by the Borough Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Rosebery%20Park%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |title=Rosebery Park |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160255/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Rosebery%20Park%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Morgan_Rosebery>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=62262 |title=Rosebery Park |last1=Morgan |first1=Roger |year=2020 |publisher=Epsom and Ewell History Explorer |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630032058/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=62262 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Recreation grounds===
[[File:Alexandra Recreation Ground - geograph.org.uk - 1115941.jpg|thumb|right|Alexandra Recreation Ground]]
Alexandra Recreation Ground was opened in 1901 on land previously owned by Chertsey Abbey.<ref name=Berry_1992_p52>{{harvnb|Berry|1992|p=52}}</ref><ref name=Alex_Rec>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Alexandra%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |title=Alexandra Recreation Ground |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622160255/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Alexandra%20Accessibility%20version.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The land was purchased by Epsom UDC in response to a public [[petition]]<ref name=Alex_Rec/> and was intended for local residents to use for sporting activities.<ref name=Berry_1992_p52/> During WWI, the football pitches were ploughed and the land was used to grow potatoes. An adjacent chalk pit was filled in 1933 and is now the site of the children's playground.<ref name=Alex_Rec/>

The Court Recreation Ground, to the north of the town centre, is the largest recreation ground in the borough. The land was acquired between 1924 and 1926 and a bowling green was created in 1934. The ground has an [[artificial turf]] sports pitch, five football pitches and three tennis courts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Court%20Recreation%20Ground%20Accessibility%20Version.pdf |title=Court Recreation Ground |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher=Epsom & Ewell Borough Council |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608210114/https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/business/Rangers/Court%20Recreation%20Ground%20Accessibility%20Version.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
{{Main|List of people from Epsom}}
<!-- This brief section is intended to list only the most notable people to have lived for a significant proportion of their lives in Epsom. Please do not add to this section without obtaining talk page consensus first. 'New' notable people should be added to the linked List of people from Epsom article. -->
*[[Sally Mapp]] ({{circa|1706}}–1737) [[bonesetter]]<ref name=Swete_1860_pp77-79>{{harvnb|Swete|1860|pp=77–79}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25029 |title=Mrs Sarah Mapp (Crazy Sally) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 May 2019 |publisher=Epsom & Ewell History Explorer |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625205342/https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25029 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[John Parkhurst (lexicographer)|John Parkhurst]] (1728–1797) academic, clergyman and [[Lexicography|lexicographer]] – lived in Epsom and is commemorated in a memorial by John Flaxman in St Martin's Church.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Parkhurst, John (1728-1797) |last=Haigh |first=John D. |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/21364}}</ref>
*[[Jonathan Boucher]] (1738–1804) clergyman, teacher, [[philology|philologist]] – was vicar of Epsom from 1784 until his death.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Boucher, Jonathan (1738–1804) |last=Calhoun |first=Robert M. |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/2972}}</ref>
*[[Isabella Beeton]] (1836–1865) (Mrs Beeton) journalist, editor, writer - lived in Epsom for much of her childhood.<ref>{{harvnb|Freeman|1977|p=33}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hughes|2006|pp=71–72}}</ref>
*[[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery]] (1847–1929) [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] and [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] MP – lived at The Durdans to the south of the town.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Primrose, Archibald Philip, fifth earl of Rosebery and first earl of Midlothian (1847–1929) |last=Davis |first=John |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/35612}}</ref>
*General Sir [[Charles Grant (British Army officer)|Charles Grant]] (1877–1950), senior military officer, son-in-law of Lord Rosebery – died at The Durdans.<ref>{{cite news |work=Shrewsbury Chronicle |date=17 November 1950 |title=Sir Charles Grant |page=4}}</ref>
*[[James Chuter Ede]] (1882–1965) [[Home Secretary]] and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] MP – was the first mayor of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Ede, James Chuter Chuter-, Baron Chuter-Ede (1882–1965) |last=Jefferys |first=Kevin |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/32414}}</ref>
*[[Norman Wisdom]] (1915–2010) actor, comedian, singer-songwriter<ref name=Times_Manors>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Good Manors: Epsom |author=Kidd, Patrick |date=6 June 2003 |page=12 |issue=67782}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=18 August 2007 |title=Comedy legend leaves Epsom flat for good |url=https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/1619398.comedy-legend-leaves-epsom-flat-for-good/ |work=Surrey Comet |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921022036/https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/1619398.comedy-legend-leaves-epsom-flat-for-good/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Frank Hampson]] (1918–1985) [[cartoonist]] and [[illustrator]] – worked at studios in College Road.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Hampson, Frank (1918–1985) |last=Varah |first=Chad |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31192}}</ref><ref name=Harte_2005_p90>{{harvnb|Harte|2005|p=90}}</ref>
*[[John Challis]] (1942–2021) actor, most famous for portraying [[Boycie|Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce]] in the long-running [[BBC Television]] sitcom ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', was raised in Epsom.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.zani.co.uk/film-tv/item/3268-john-challis-aka-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-talks-to-zani |title=John Challis AKA Boycie from Only Fools and Horses talks to ZANI |first=Matteo |last=Sedazzari |website=zani.co.uk |access-date=19 September 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212012/https://www.zani.co.uk/film-tv/item/3268-john-challis-aka-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-talks-to-zani |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Jimmy Page]] (b. 1944) musician and record producer – spent his formative years at Epsom, where he learned to play the guitar.<ref name=Times_Manors/><ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Alec |date=18 May 2019 |title=Seven musicians and pop stars you may not know have links to Epsom and Ewell |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/seven-musicians-pop-stars-you-16274126 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126152831/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/seven-musicians-pop-stars-you-16274126 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*Dame [[Cheryl Gillan]] (1952-2021), [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician, [[Secretary of State for Wales]] 2010-2012, lived in Epsom shortly before her death.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Watts|first1=Robert |name-list-style=and|author2=Adam Lusher|date=14 January 2012|title=Cabinet minister Cheryl Gillan sells home near route of HS2|work=The Telegraph|location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/9015543/Cabinet-minister-Cheryl-Gillan-sells-home-near-route-of-HS2.html|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=5 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909071143/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/9015543/Cabinet-minister-Cheryl-Gillan-sells-home-near-route-of-HS2.html|archive-date=9 September 2012}}</ref> 
*[[Jimmy White]] (b. 1962) [[snooker]] player<ref name=Times_Manors/><ref>{{cite news |last=Matharu |first=Hardeep |date=8 April 2015 |title=Snooker Whirlwind Jimmy White's house to be auctioned - but he's not leaving Epsom |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/12876734.snooker-whirlwind-jimmy-whites-house-to-be-auctioned-but-hes-not-leaving-epsom/ |work=Sutton & Croydon Guardian |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625205410/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/12876734.snooker-whirlwind-jimmy-whites-house-to-be-auctioned-but-hes-not-leaving-epsom/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Warwick Davis]] (b. 1970) actor, comedian – born in Epsom and attended Laine Theatre Arts<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilber |first=Gerard |date=26 October 2011 |title=Size matters: Warwick Davis is no small talent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/size-matters-warwick-davis-no-small-talent-2372841.html |work=The Independent |location=London |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=27 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527064946/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/size-matters-warwick-davis-is-no-small-talent-2372841.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ryder |first=Liam |date=30 April 2022 |title=Warwick Davis' quiet life in Epsom - from growing up in Surrey to lucky Star Wars break |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/warwick-davis-quiet-life-epsom-23832310 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref>
*[[Andrew Garfield]] (b. 1983) actor<ref>{{cite news |last=De-Keyzer |first=Amy |date=10 April 2014 |title=Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield on his early acting days in Surrey |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/amazing-spider-man-star-andrew-garfield-6948035 |work=Surrey Live |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303083804/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/amazing-spider-man-star-andrew-garfield-6948035 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Patrick |date=15 March 2019 |title=Andrew Garfield: 'The Kardashian effect is sick-inducing' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/andrew-garfield-interview-under-silver-lake-kardashian-lgbt-spiderman-social-network-a8825126.html |work=The Independent |location=London |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819181319/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/andrew-garfield-interview-under-the-silver-lake-kardashian-lgbt-spiderman-social-network-a8825126.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Joe Wicks (coach)|Joe Wicks]] (b. 1985) fitness coach, TV presenter, social media personality and author – born and educated in Epsom.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Christy |date=24 May 2022 |title=Joe Wicks' early life in Epsom where he grew up with his parents' mental health struggles |work=Surrey Live |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/joe-wicks-early-life-epsom-24045154 |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Epsomite|Epsom salt]]
*[[Grade II* listed buildings in Epsom and Ewell]]
*[[List of public art in Surrey]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Abdy |first=Charles |year=2001 |title=Epsom Past |location=Bognor Regis |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=978-18-6-077180-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Aubrey |first=John |author-link=John Aubrey |year=1718 |title=The natural history and antiquities of the county of Surrey: Begun in the year 1673, and continued to the present time |location=London |publisher=E. Curll |volume=2}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Berry |editor-first=Patricia |year=1992 |title=Around Epsom in old photographs |location=Stroud |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-7509-0122-5}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Brannan |editor-first=Laurie |year=2004 |title=The Vodafone Book of Derby Quotations |location=Crowthorne |publisher=Sportsguide Press |isbn=0-954-47102-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Carre |first=A |year=2003 |title=Epsom Catholic Churches Past and Present in Pictures |location=Epsom |publisher=John St Joseph's Church}}
*{{cite book |last1=Cary |first1=Phyllis |last2=Cary |first2=Winifred |year=1988 |title=Into the fourth century: History of Epsom United Reformed Church |location=Epsom |publisher=Epsom}}
*{{cite book |editor-last1=Cockman |editor-first1=George |editor-last2=Marshall |editor-first2=John |year=1988 |title=Old views of Epsom town |location=Steyning |publisher=West Printing}}
*{{cite book |last=Crocker |first=Glenys |year=1999 |title=Surrey's Industrial Past |publisher=Surrey Industrial History Group |location=Guildford |url=http://www.sihg.org.uk/books/SurreyIndPast.pdf |isbn=978-0-95-239188-3 |access-date=6 June 2021 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809141851/http://www.sihg.org.uk/books/SurreyIndPast.pdf |url-status=live}}
*{{cite book |last=Crook |first=Paul |year=2000 |title=Surrey Home Guard |location=Midhurst |publisher=Middleton Press |isbn=1-901-70657-5}}
*{{cite book |last=Essen |first=R.I. |year=1991 |title=Epsom's Military Camp |location=Epsom |publisher=Pullingers Ltd |isbn=0-902424-05-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Essen |first=R.I. |year=1992 |title=Thirties Epsom |location=Epsom |publisher=Pullingers Ltd |isbn=0-902-42406-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Fiennes |first=Celia |author-link=Celia Fiennes |year=1888 |title=Through England on a Side Saddle in the Time of William and Mary |location=London |publisher=Leadenhall Press}}
*{{cite book |last=Fisher |first=Lucy |year=2018 |title=Emily Wilding Davison: The Martyr Suffragette |location=London |publisher=Biteback Publishing |isbn=978-1-78-590413-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Freeman |first=Sarah |title=Isabella and Sam: The Story of Mrs. Beeton |year=1977 |publisher=Victor Gollancz Ltd |location=London |isbn=978-0-575-01835-8}}
*{{cite book |last1=Gover |first1=J.E.B |last2=Mawer |first2=A. |author-link2=Allen Mawer |last3=Stenton |first3=F.M. |author-link3=Frank Stenton |year=1969 |title=The place-names of Surrey |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}
*{{cite book |last=Harte |first=Jeremy |year=2005 |title=Epsom: A History and Celebration |location=Salisbury |publisher=Francis Frith |isbn=1-845-89201-1}}
*{{cite book |last=Harte |first=Jeremy |year=2017 |title=Epsom & Ewell at work |location=Stroud |publisher=Amberley Publishing |isbn=978-1-4456-7258-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Home |first=Gordon |year=1901 |title=Epsom: Its history and surroundings |location=Epsom |publisher=S.R. Publishers Ltd |access-date=4 June 2021 |url=https://archive.org/details/epsomitshistoryi00home/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book |last=Hughes |first=Kathryn |author-link=Kathryn Hughes |title=The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p5NvuLMB3tYC&pg=PP1 |year=2006 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-0-7524-6122-9 |access-date=25 June 2021 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103055217/https://books.google.com/books?id=p5NvuLMB3tYC&pg=PP1 |url-status=live}}
*{{cite book |last=Hunn |first=David |year=1973 |title=Epsom Racecourse |location=London |publisher=Davis-Poynter Ltd |isbn=0-706-70099-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Kümin |first=Beat A |year=1996 |title=The shaping of a community : the rise and reformation of the English parish, c. 1400-1560 |location=Aldershot |publisher=Scholar |isbn=978-1-85-928164-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Lambert |first=Richard |year=2007 |title=Two legs not four |location=Taunton |publisher=Tony Williams Publications Ltd |isbn=978-1-869833-58-9}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Latham |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-link=Robert Latham (editor) |editor2-last=Matthews |editor2-first=William |year=1971a |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |location=London |publisher=Harper Collins |volume=4 |isbn=978-0-00-499024-8 |doi=10.1093/actrade/9780004990248.book.1}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Latham |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-link=Robert Latham (editor) |editor2-last=Matthews |editor2-first=William |year=1971b |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |location=London |publisher=Harper Collins |volume=8 |isbn=978-0-00-499028-6 |doi=10.1093/actrade/9780004990286.book.1}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Malden |editor1-first=H.E. |editor-link=Henry Elliot Malden |year=1911 |title=A History of the County of Surrey |volume=3 |location=London |publisher=Victoria County History |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3 |access-date=5 July 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128235333/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3 |url-status=live}}
*{{cite book |last=McInally |first=Mary |year=1998 |title=A history of the parish of St Joseph, Epsom |location=Ewell |publisher=Bourne Hall Museum}}
*{{cite book |last1=Morley |first1=Ann |last2=Stanley |first2=Liz |title=The Life and Death of Emily Wilding Davison |date=1988 |publisher=The Women's Press |location=London |isbn=978-0-7043-4133-3}}
*{{cite book |last=Orr |first=Bridget |title=British Enlightenment Theatre: Dramatizing Difference |year=2020 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-1-10-849971-2}}
*{{cite book |last1=Osbourne |first1=Bruce |last2=Weaver |first2=Cora |year=1996 |title=Rediscovering 17th century springs and spas |location=Malvern |publisher=Aldine Press}}
*{{cite book |last=Scadding |first=Alan |year=2004 |title=Benevolence and excellence: 150 years of The Royal Medical Foundation of Epsom College |location=Epsom |publisher=Epsom College}}
*{{cite book |last=Shortland |first=Edward |year=1998 |title=The murder of Station Sergeant Thomas Green at Epsom Police Station 17 June 1919 |location=Chessington |publisher=Actel}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Stuttard |editor1-first=J.C. |year=1995 |title=A History of Ashtead |location=Leatherhead |publisher=Leatherhead & District Local History Society |isbn=978-0-95-060092-5}}
*{{cite book |last=Swete |first=C.J. |year=1860 |title=A handbook of Epsom |location=Epsom |publisher=J.N. Collingwood}}
*{{cite book |last1=Tanner |first1=Michael |title=The Suffragette Derby |year=2013 |publisher=The Robson Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-8495-4518-1}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Van Lennep |editor-first=William |title=The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700 |year=1965 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |isbn=978-0-80-930171-3}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Vardey |editor1-first=Edwina |year=1988 |title=History of Leatherhead: a town at the crossroads |location=Leatherhead |publisher=Leatherhead & District Local History Society |isbn=978-0-95-060091-8}}
*{{cite book |last=Wakefield |first=Peter |year=1997 |title=Industrial History of Epsom and Ewell |location=Guildford |publisher=Surrey Industrial History Group |isbn=0-952-39185-6}}
*{{cite book |last=White |first=Reginald |year=1928 |title=Ancient Epsom: The common fields and ancient roads |location=Sutton |publisher=W. Pile}}
*{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Trevor |last2=Harte |first2=Jeremy |year=1992 |title=Epsom, a pictorial history |location=Bognor Regis |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=978-08-5-033841-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Epsom |volume=9 |pages=708–709|short=x}}
*[https://eehe.org.uk Epsom & Ewell History Explorer]
*[http://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk Epsom & Ewell Borough Council]

{{Geographic Location
|title = '''Neighbouring areas of Surrey and south London'''
|Northwest = {{unbulleted list|[[Hook, London|Hook]]|[[Ewell|West Ewell, Ewell]]}}
|North = [[Ewell]]
|Northeast = {{unbulleted list|[[Cheam]]|[[Sutton, London|Sutton]]}}
|East = [[Banstead]]
|Centre = Epsom
|West = [[Chessington]]
|Southwest = [[Ashtead]]
|South = [[Walton on the Hill]]
|Southeast = [[Tattenham Corner]]
}}
{{Surrey}}
{{Epsom and Ewell}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Epsom]]
[[Category:Epsom and Ewell|*Epsom]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:Towns in Surrey]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Surrey]]