Leatherhead, a historic market town, is the gateway to the beautiful Surrey Hills. This includes Box Hill on the route of the 2012 Olympic road cycle race. The town is a busy business and shopping centre.
The High Street is traffic free making it a relaxing and pleasant place to shop. Here you will find wrought ironwork street art depicting the town’s past. Noted architect, Roderick Ham designed the 1969 Theatre.
Architecture in Leatherhead
The town boasts a wealth of architecture and 80 listed buildings. The Grade II* Listed parish church of St Mary and St Nicholas dates from the late C11th and is the oldest building in the town. The chancel and the transepts are all C15th. Anthony Hope, author of The Prisoner of Zenda, is buried here.
Grade II Listed Leatherhead Station (see above) dates from 1867. Its polychromatic brickwork in contrast with the red tiled roofs is eye-catching. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company built the station in the Gothic Revival style.
Timber-framed Hampton Cottage on Church Street is the C17th home of Leatherhead Museum. The Local History Society operates the Museum and entry is free but the upper floors are not wheelchair accessible. The museum opens between April and December, please check with the society for times.
Above is the 1782-3, 14 arch, Grade II Listed, bridge over the River Mole on the site of an earlier, possibly C13th, medieval bridge. Mole Valley District Council has a PDF leaflet showing the walks and the wildlife around the river.
The Running Horse, a Shepherd Neame house, is one of the oldest inns in England. It dates from 1403 and overlooks the River Mole. Inside are many inviting homely old features such as oak beams and open fireplaces, and outside is a garden.
Fire and Iron Forge is an international centre for metal artwork. The gallery is inside the outbuildings of a listed building. Fire and Iron won the Business category overall winner of the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Garden Awards in 2016. The gallery operates a year round programme of events and demonstrations for visitors.