Leigh /ˈlaɪ/ is a village and civil parish in Surrey, between Reigate, Dorking and Charlwood in the east of Mole Valley district. The village centre is suburban and its remainder is agricultural, interspersed by four satellite clustered localities: Dawesgreen, Bunce Common, Shellwood Cross and Nalderswood which benefit from the amenities of the village and a minority of the remainder is woodland.
| Leigh | |
|---|---|
 Defunct village water pump above a well | |
 Village green with one of the two pubs in Leigh in the background. | |
  Leigh Location within Surrey | |
| Area | 13.82 km2 (5.34 sq mi) |
| Population | 943 (Civil Parish 2011)[1] |
| • Density | 68/km2 (180/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ217471 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Reigate |
| Postcode district | RH2 |
| Dialling code | 01306 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editA hoard of 62 Roman silver denarii was discovered in a field at Swains Farm in 2004. The oldest of the coins dates from 31 BC and the most recent were minted in around 180 AD after the death of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.[2]
Before the Norman Conquest, and in dwindling use afterwards, the village lay within the Reigate hundred. Leigh appears to have been a centre for the Wealden iron industry,[3] and the village was explicitly exempted from a legal prohibition of making charcoal from certain timber types issued by Elizabeth I, so that iron smelting could continue.[4]
Amenities
editThe village has two pubs, The Plough and The Seven Stars. In the village is a parish church, St Bartholomew's, and the Leigh site for the North Downs Primary School, for school years one to three. There is a recreation ground, home to Leigh Cricket Club since 1900,[5] and a play area for younger children.
Localities
editEach of the four communities surrounding the village is subsidiary to Leigh itself. Nalderswood however, including by road, is almost as close to Sidlow, which is a slightly smaller village with fewer amenities.
Dawesgreen
editSeparated from Leigh by a buffer of less than 200m to the south, Dawesgreen is a linear settlement on a built-up crossroads including one of the village pubs, and two other listed buildings
Bunce Common
editBunce Common is on the continuation of the road east from Dawesgreen. It is more dispersed, with plots of lower density, and has a road to Shellwood Cross.
Shellwood Cross
editShellwood Cross occupies the south-west corner of Leigh civil parish, on slopes by the upper part of the unnamed brook that flows past the east of the village centre and includes three listed buildings, one of which is a barn.
Nalderswood
editNalderswood is by a little knoll known as the Mynthurst. The Deanoak Brook is a second tributary of the Mole, itself a tributary of the Thames, and is separated from the existing line of buildings forming most of Nalderswood by the Little Mynthurst rise.
Demography and housing
editThe United Kingdom Census 2011 shows an increase of more than 8% in population from 856, ten years previously. The proportion of households in Leigh who owned their home outright was within 4% of the borough and 12% above the national average. The proportion who owned their home with a loan was 1% greater than the national average; providing overall a higher proportion than average of rented residential property and of social housing than the national average, and above the average in Surrey.[1]
| Output area | Population | Households | % Owned outright | % Owned with a loan | Area (hectares) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh CP | 943 | 370 | 42.4 | 33.8[6] | 1382 |
The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings (plus a large % of households living rent-free).
| Output area | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats and apartments | Caravans/temporary/mobile homes | Shared between households[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil parish | 202 | 121 | 23 | 21 | 3 | 0 |
The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 8%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
Local government
editAt Surrey County Council, one representative represents the Dorking Rural division[7] which includes Leigh.[8]
| Election | Member | Party (if any) | Electoral Division | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Helyn Clack | Conservative Party | Dorking Rural | |
At Mole Valley District Council, Leigh forms a part of Capel, Leigh, Newdigate & Charlwood ward which has three councillors.[9]
| Election | Member | Party (if any) | Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dineke van den Bogerd | Liberal Democrats | Capel, Leigh, Newdigate & Charlwood | |
| 2024 | Jo Farrar-Astrop | Liberal Democrats | Capel, Leigh, Newdigate & Charlwood | |
| 2024 | Kirstie Havard | Liberal Democrats | Capel, Leigh, Newdigate & Charlwood | |
Notable residents
edit- André Previn (1929–2019), pianist, composer and conductor, lived in Leigh.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density United Kingdom Census 2011 Office for National Statistics Retrieved 21 November 2013
- ^ Williams, David (2005). "A late 2nd century coin hoard from Leigh" (PDF). Surrey Archaeological Collections. 92. Surrey Archaeological Society: 259–262. doi:10.5284/1069346. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ Giuseppi, Montague S. (1902). "The manor of Ewood and the ironworks there" (PDF). Surrey Archaeological Collections. 17. Surrey Archaeological Society: 28–33. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ Malden, H. E. (1911). The Victoria County History of Surrey. Vol. 3. pp. 208–210. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Leigh Cricket Club". Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ United Kingdom Census 2011 Office for National Statistics
- ^ Electoral Divisions Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Surrey County Council. Retrieved 6 November 2013
- ^ Your Councillor Surrey County Council. Retrieved 15 September 2024
- ^ "Councillors". Mole Valley District Council. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Andre Previn hailed as 'one of a kind' after death at 89". Leigh Journal. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
External links
edit