Horley

See also: Horley, Oxfordshire

Horley is a town in Surrey, UK, situated between Reigate, Redhill and Gatwick.

With fast links by train to London, it has grown popular with commuters in recent years. The Horley Master Plan, which was approved by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in February 2005, will see almost 3,000 new homes, built by Wates and Martin Grant Homes.

There has been criticism from the local community as the site of these new houses lies in an area which suffered from major flooding in 1968, 2000 and 2001. Some local residents have tried to fight the development, supported by photographic and video evidence. Councillors have admitted that the 'gardens will flood' and where plans show electrical power points and sockets placed one metre up walls to avoid flood water.

Contents

1 History
2 Schools
3 Sports
4 External links

History

In early times the Weald was a densely forested and marshy area unsuitable for agricultural purposes. During Saxon times, the Manor of Horley came under the control of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter at Chertsey. No mention is made of Horley in the Domesday Book and it is thought to have been included in the northern manor returns. The Manor passed to Henry VIII on the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and changed hands several times during the next sixty years.

In 1602 it became the property of Christ’s Hospital in London and the original map of the manor is now held at the Guildhall in the City of London. This shows that Horley consisted of three hamlets around a huge open common. One was around the area occupied by St Bartholomew’s Church and the Six Bells public house; another by the River Mole and the third in Horley Row where some of Horley’s oldest buildings can still be seen.

The Railway Crossing The Common was enclosed in 1812, new roads were laid and the intervening land was sold. In 1809 and later in 1816, two turnpikes were introduced to allow the operation of regular coach services from London to Brighton. The railway was laid in 1841 and a station was built in the town. From that position, and from that date, Horley grew at a slow rate until 1950. Since then its population has doubled.

Schools

Horley has one secondary school(Y7-Y11), 1 primary school (Y1-Y6), 2 junior schools(Y3-Y6), and 3 infant schools, as well as close links with schools from Charlwood, Salfords and Smallfield/Burstow. The main secondary school is Oakwood School, on Balcombe Road, where the headteacher is Andy Thompson.

Sports

Horley is the home town of Horley Town F.C..

External links

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