View source for Leatherhead

{{Short description|Town in Surrey, England}}
{{other uses}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox UK place 
 | country                  = England
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.295|-0.329|display=inline,title}}
 | label_position           = left
 | static_image_name        = File:Barton's Bookshop, 2 Bridge Street, Leatherhead (NHLE Code 1294412) (July 2013) (1).JPG
 | static_image_caption     = 2 Bridge Street, Leatherhead
 | official_name            = Leatherhead
 | population               = 11,316
 | 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> or 32,522 as to its Built-up Area which extends to [[Effingham, Surrey|Effingham]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=1119885198 |title=Custom report - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics |access-date=4 February 2019 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182832/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=1119885198 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 12.54
 | shire_district           = [[Mole Valley]]
 | shire_county             = [[Surrey]]
 | region                   = South East England
 | constituency_westminster = [[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell]]
 | post_town                = Leatherhead 
 | postcode_district        = KT22
 | postcode_area            = KT 
 | dial_code                = 01372
 | os_grid_reference        = TQ1656
 | london_distance_mi       = 17
 | london_direction         = NNE
}}

'''Leatherhead''' is a town in the [[Mole Valley]] district of [[Surrey]], England, about {{convert|17|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Central London]]. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the [[River Mole]], from which its name is thought to derive. During the late [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] period, Leatherhead was a [[royal vill]] and is first mentioned in the [[will and testament|will]] of [[Alfred the Great]] in 880 AD. The first bridge across the Mole may have been constructed in around 1200 and this may have coincided with the expansion of the town and the enlargement of the parish church.

For much of its history, Leatherhead was primarily an agricultural settlement, with a weekly [[marketplace|market]] being held until the mid-[[Elizabethan era]]. The construction of [[turnpike trust|turnpike roads]] in the mid-18th century and the arrival of the railways in the second half of the 19th century attracted newcomers and began to stimulate the local economy. Large-scale manufacturing industries arrived following the end of the First World War and companies with factories in the town included [[Ronson (company)|Ronson]] and [[Goblin Vacuum Cleaners]]. Several organisations working with disabled people also opened treatment and training facilities, including [[SeeAbility|The Royal School for the Blind]], [[Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People|Queen Elizabeth's Foundation]] and the [[Combat Stress (charitable organisation)|Ex-services Welfare Society]].

Towards the end of the 20th century, manufacturing in Leatherhead had begun to decline and the town was instead starting to attract [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service sector employers]]. The former industrial areas were converted to [[business park]]s, which attracted multinational companies, including [[Esso]] and [[Unilever]]. A controversial redevelopment took place in the town centre in the early 1980s, which included the construction of the Swan Centre. The work, which also included the pedestrianisation of the main shopping area, was widely blamed for a decline in the local retail economy. In 2002, the [[BBC]] identified Leatherhead as having one of the worst [[High Street]]s in England, but in 2007, the local press described the town centre as "bustling".

==Toponymy==
[[File:Leatherhead Town Bridge from riverside walk cropped.jpg|thumb|Leatherhead Town Bridge over the [[River Mole]] {{#tag:ref|The Town Bridge was rebuilt by [[George Gwilt]] in 1782-3 and may originally date from the late [[Middle Ages|medieval period]].<ref name=NHLE_Bridge>{{NHLE|num=1028646|desc=Leatherhead Bridge|grade=II|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref>|group=n}}]] 
The origins and meaning of the name 'Leatherhead' are uncertain.<ref name=Coates_1980>{{cite journal |last= Coates |first= Richard |author-link= Richard Coates |year= 1980 |title= Methodological Reflexions on Leatherhead |journal= Journal of the English Place-Name Society |volume= 12 |pages= 70–74 |url= https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/epns/documents/journal/12-1980/jepns-12-1980-coates.pdf |access-date= 2 July 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230806104259/https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/epns/documents/journal/12-1980/jepns-12-1980-coates.pdf |archive-date= 6 August 2023 |url-status= live}}</ref> Early spellings include ''Leodridan'' (880),<ref name=O_Connell>{{cite journal |last= O'Connell |first= M |year= 1977 |title= Historic Towns in Surrey |journal= Surrey Archaeological Society Research Volumes |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2249-1/dissemination/pdf/r_vol_5/surreyrv005_025-048_godalming.pdf |access-date= 30 January 2021 |volume= 5 |page= 41 |archive-date= 30 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182832/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-2249-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fr_vol_5%2Fsurreyrv005_025-048_godalming.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> ''Leret'' (1086),<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> ''Lereda'' (1156), ''Ledreda'' (1160) and ''Leddrede'' (1195).<ref name=Ekwall_Dictionary>{{harvnb|Ekwall|1940|p=279}}</ref>

The name is usually thought to derive from the Old English ''lēode'' (people) + ''rida'' (a riding path or ford that can be ridden), and thus meaning 'a public ford'.<ref name="Watts">{{cite book |title=The Cambridge dictionary of English place-names : based on the collections of the English Place-Name Society |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, United States of America : Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-16855-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgediction0000unse_y6u4/page/364/mode/2up?view=theater&q=leatherhead |access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref>{{rp|365}} [[Richard Coates]] has suggested a derivation from the primitive Welsh ''lēd-rïd'' (Brittonic *letorito-) meaning 'grey ford', where the lexical field of lēd (grey) can also extend to brown, but this is not widely accepted.<ref name=Coates_1980/><ref name=Gover_1934_pp78-79>{{harvnb|Gover|Mawer|Stenton|1934|pp=78–79}}</ref>{{r|Watts|p=365}}

==Geography==
===Location and topography===
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Leatherhead is a town in central [[Surrey]], around {{convert|17|mi|km|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} south of the centre of London. It lies on the southern edge of the [[London Basin]] and the highest point in the parish, at Leatherhead Downs, is {{convert|135|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} above [[ordnance datum]]. The High Street runs roughly west to east and was part of the [[Guildford]] to [[Epsom]] road, which crossed the [[River Mole]] at the Town Bridge.<ref name=O_Connell/><ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=18–20}}</ref> The Mole, which passes to the west of the centre, has cut a steep-sided valley through the [[North Downs]], south of the town.<ref>{{harvnb|Dines|Edmunds|Chatwin|Stubblefield|1933|p=18}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Much of the catchment area of the [[River Mole]] above Leatherhead is on impermeable [[Weald Clay]] and the water level therefore rises rapidly after heavy rainfall.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Bull AJ, Gossling F, Green JF, Haywood HA, Turner EA, Wooldridge SW |year= 1934 |title= The River Mole: its physiography and superficial deposits |journal= Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |volume= 45 |pages= 35–67 |doi=10.1016/s0016-7878(34)80032-6|bibcode= 1934PrGA...45...35B }}</ref> Serious flooding events have taken place in Leatherhead in October 1891,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 24 October 1891 |title= The gale and the floods |work= Cheshire Observer |location= Chester |volume= 39 |issue= 2046 |page= 8}}</ref> September 1968<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=261–262}}</ref> and December 2013.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 25 December 2013 |title= Thousands hit by floods and power cuts at Christmas |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25512391 |work= BBC News |access-date= 10 November 2021 |archive-date= 10 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211110213730/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25512391 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |last= Murad |first= Ahmed |title= 50,000 homes without power as floods bring blackouts |date= 26 December 2013 |page= 4 |issue= 71077 }}</ref>|group=n}}

===Geology===
Leatherhead is at the southern edge of the [[London Basin]], where the [[Permeability (Earth sciences)|permeable]] [[Chalk Group|upper chalk]] of the [[North Downs]] dips beneath the impermeable [[London Clay]].<ref name=Lhead_Geol>{{cite journal |last1= Lowther |first1= AWG |year= 1956 |title= A note on the geology of the Leatherhead district of Surrey |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_1_NO_10_1956.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 1 |issue= 10 |pages= 11–13 |access-date= 4 February 2021}}</ref> The difference in properties between the two [[geological formation|formations]] results in a high [[water table]] and [[spring (hydrology)|springs]] are found at regular intervals along the boundary between them. Several settlements were established along this [[spring line settlement|spring line]] in [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] and early [[Middle Ages|medieval]] times, including the villages of [[Ashtead]], [[Fetcham]] and [[Effingham, Surrey|Effingham]], which are linked to Leatherhead by the Guildford to Epsom road.<ref name=Lhead_Geol/>

==History==
===Early history===
The earliest evidence of human activity in Leatherhead comes from the [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]]. [[Flint]]s, a probable [[well]] and two pits were discovered in 2012 during building work on Garlands Road and the finds suggest that the site was also used in the early [[Roman Britain|Roman period]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Randall |first1= Nigel |last2= Ayton |first2= Gemma |last3= Jones |first3= Phil |last4= Marples |first4= Nick |year= 2017 |title= Iron Age and Roman occupation at St John's School, Garlands Road, Leatherhead |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_100/surreyac100_055-070_randall.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 100 |pages= 55–70 |doi= 10.5284/1069426 |access-date= 30 January 2021 |archive-date= 30 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182910/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_100%2Fsurreyac100_055-070_randall.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The route of [[Stane Street (Chichester)|Stane Street]], the [[Roman roads in Britannia|Roman road]] from London to [[Chichester]], passes about {{convert|2.5|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} southeast of the town.<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>|group=n}} Traces of Iron Age field systems and settlement activity have been observed at Hawks Hill, [[Fetcham]] (about {{convert|1|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} southwest of the town centre)<ref name=Hastings_1965>{{cite journal|last= Hastings |year= 1965 |title= Excavation of an Iron Age Farmstead at Hawk's Hill, Leatherhead |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |publisher= Surrey Archaeological Society |volume= 62 |pages= 1–43 |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_62/surreyac062_001-043_hastings.pdf |access-date= 30 January 2021 |archive-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221238/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_62%2Fsurreyac062_001-043_hastings.pdf |url-status= live}}</ref> and on [[Mickleham, Surrey#Mickleham Downs|Mickleham Downs]] (about {{convert|3|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to the south).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/having-a-field-day-with-lidar-in-the-surrey-her/ |title= Having a field day with Lidar in the Surrey HER |last= Salkeld |first= E |date= 28 February 2020 |publisher= Exploring Surrey's Past |access-date= 25 September 2020 |archive-date= 24 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201024120937/https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/having-a-field-day-with-lidar-in-the-surrey-her/ |url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Hogg |first= I |year= 2019 |title= Activity within the prehistoric landscape of the Surrey chalk downland, Cherkley Court, Leatherhead |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 102 |pages= 103–129 }}</ref> Also to the south, [[Norbury Park|the Druid's Grove at Norbury Park]] may have been used for pre-Christian [[paganism|pagan]] gatherings.<ref name=Times1>{{cite news |date= 13 April 1934 |title= Norbury Park: Summer all the winter |newspaper= The Times|location=London|page=17 }}</ref>

An Anglo-Saxon settlement at Leatherhead was most likely founded on the east side of the River Mole in the second half of the 6th century. A burial ground, dating to the same period, has been identified on the west side at Hawks Hill.<ref name=Ruby_Saxons>{{cite journal |last= Ruby|first= A. T. |year= 1968 |title= The coming of the Saxons |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_2_1968.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 2 |pages= 45–49 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Smith |first1= R. A. |year= 1907 |title= Recent and former discoveries at Hawks Hill |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 20 |pages= 119–128 }}</ref> A second [[cemetery]] was discovered in 1984 on the site of the former [[Goblin Vacuum Cleaners|Goblin]] factory in Ermyn Way (now the location of the offices of [[Esso]]). Excavations uncovered the remains of at least 40 individuals and the artefacts found, including knives, buckles and necklaces, suggest that they were pagan burials.<ref>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=20–22}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Poulton |first1= Rob |year= 1987 |title= The former Goblin Works Leatherhead: Saxons and Sinners |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-457-1/dissemination/pdf/vol05/vol05_12/05_12_311_317.pdf |journal= London Archaeologist |volume= 5 |issue= 12 |pages= 311–317 |doi= 10.5284/1070745 |access-date= 22 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228122230/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-457-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol05%2Fvol05_12%2F05_12_311_317.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

From the mid-9th century, Leatherhead was the centre of a [[royal vill]], which encompassed [[Ashtead]], [[Fetcham]] and [[Great Bookham|Bookham]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp28-30>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=28–30}}</ref> The first known reference to the settlement is in the [[will and testament|will]] of [[Alfred the Great]] in 880, in which land at ''Leodridan'' was bequeathed to his son, [[Edward the Elder]].<ref name=O_Connell/> By the 10th century, there was a [[minster (church)|minster church]] in Leatherhead, and the town was administered as part of the [[Copthorne Hundred]].<ref name=Ruby_Saxons/><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp28-30/>

===Governance===
The medieval history of Leatherhead is complex, since the parish was divided into a number of manors.<ref name=O_Connell/> The town appears in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Leret'' and was held by Osbern de Ow as a [[mesne lord]] to [[William the Conqueror|William I]]. Its Domesday assets were one church, belonging to [[Ewell]], and {{convert|40|acre|m2|abbr=on}} of land. It was valued at an annual income of £1.<ref name=Surrey_Domesday/><ref name=Leatherhead_Domesday>{{cite web|url= https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1656/leatherhead/ |title= Leatherhead |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 20 November 2020 |archive-date= 15 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190115191008/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1656/leatherhead/ |url-status= live}}</ref> To the south was the manor of Thorncroft, which was held by [[Richard fitz Gilbert|Richard]] son of [[Gilbert, Count of Brionne|Gilbert]] as [[tenant-in-chief]].<ref name=Thorncroft_Domesday>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1655/thorncroft/ |title= Thorncroft |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190116072014/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1655/thorncroft/ |url-status= live }}</ref> To the north was the manor of Pachesham, subdivided into two parts, each of which was held by a mesne lord to the tenant-in-chief, [[Odo of Bayeux|Bishop Odo of Bayeux]].<ref name=Surrey_Domesday/><ref name=Pachesham_Domesday>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1558/pachesham/ |title= Pachesham |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190116025429/https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ1558/pachesham/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Finally there are sporadic mentions in surviving documents of a manor called "Minchin", which may have belonged to [[Kilburn Priory]] in [[Middlesex]].<ref name=Benger_1953_Mansion>{{cite journal |last1= Benger |first1= FB |year= 1953 |title= Pen sketches of old houses in this district: The Mansion, Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_1_NO_7_1953.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 1 |issue= 7 |pages=7–12 |access-date= 7 February 2021 }}</ref><ref name=|Harvey_1962_Cartographical_Survey>{{cite journal |last1= Harvey |first1= John |year= 1962 |title= A cartographical survey of the area: VIII Leatherhead in 1782 |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_2_NO_6_1962.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 2 |issue= 6 |pages=169–170 |access-date= 8 February 2021 }}</ref>

For the majority of its history, Thorncroft Manor appears to have remained as a single, intact entity, with the exception of the [[subinfeudation]] of [[Bocketts Farm]], which took place before 1300.<ref name=Blair_Bocketts>{{cite journal |last1= Blair |first1= WJ |year= 1977 |title= A military holding in twelfth-century Leatherhead: Bockett Farm and the origins of Pachensham Parva |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_4_NO_1_1977.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 4 |issue= 1 |pages= 3–12 |access-date= 31 January 2021 }}</ref><ref name=Lowther_>{{cite journal |last1= Lowther |first1= Anthony |last2= Ruby |first2= AT |last3= Renn |first3= Renn |year= 1984 |title= Pachensham, Leatherhead: The excavation of the medieval moated site known as 'The Mounts' |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_74/surreyac074_001-045_lowther.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 74 |pages= 1–45 |access-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221238/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_74%2Fsurreyac074_001-045_lowther.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> In 1086, the manor was held by Richard fitz Gilbert and it passed through his family (the [[de Clare|Clares]]) to his granddaughter, Margaret de Clare, who married into the [[de Montfitchet]] family of Essex. Her great-grandson, [[Richard de Montfichet]], sold the manor to John de Cheresbure in around 1190 and it was next purchased by [[Philip Basset]] and his second wife, [[Ela Longespée|Ela, Countess of Warwick]] in around 1255.<ref name=Blair_Bocketts/> In 1266, they granted Thorncroft (which provided an income of £20 per year) to [[Walter de Merton]], who used it to endow [[Merton College, Oxford|the college in Oxford]] that he had founded in 1264.<ref name=Amt_2009>{{cite journal |last1= Amt |first1= Emilie |year= 2009 |title= Ela Longespee's roll of benefits: Piety and reciprocity in the thirteenth century |jstor=27832088 |journal= Traditio |volume= 64 |pages= 1–56 |doi= 10.1017/S0362152900002245 }}</ref> Merton College remained the lords of the manor until 1904<ref name=Garnier_2008>{{cite journal |last1= Garnier |first1= Richard |year= 2008 |title= Thorncroft Manor, Leatherhead |url= https://georgiangroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GGJ_2008_06_GARNIER.pdf |journal= The Georgian Group Journal |volume= XVI |pages= 59–88 |access-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221239/https://georgiangroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GGJ_2008_06_GARNIER.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> and the continuity of ownership ensured that an almost complete set of [[manorial roll]]s from 1278 onwards has been preserved.<ref name=Harvey_Court_Roll>{{cite journal |last= Harvey |first= John |year= 1962|title= The Court Rolls of Leatherhead: The earliest surviving Court Roll of the Manor of Pachenesham |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_2_NO_6_1962.pdf |volume= 2 |issue= 6 |pages= 170–173 |access-date= 30 January 2021}}</ref> In 1497, [[Richard FitzJames]], the [[List of wardens of Merton College, Oxford|Warden of the College]], authorised the expenditure of £37 for a new [[manor house]], which was used until the [[Georgian era]].<ref name=Garnier_2008/>

In contrast, the manor of Pachesham became fragmented as the Middle Ages progressed. By the time of the Domesday Book, it was already divided into two parts, the smaller of which was later referred to as "Pachenesham Parva". No written record of either part of the manor survives from the subsequent 200 years, but in 1286 land belongong to Pachesham was recorded as passing to Eustace de Hacche. De Haache rebuilt the manor house in around 1293, which he enclosed with a [[moat]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Ruby |first1= A.T. |year= 1957 |title= The Manor of Pachenesham, Leatherhead |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_55/surreyac055_007-017_ruby.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 55 |pages= 7–17 |doi= 10.5284/1068894 |access-date= 17 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228115332/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_55%2Fsurreyac055_007-017_ruby.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> Excavations of the manor house site (now known as The Mounts) in the mid-20th century provided evidence of several medieval buildings, including a hall, a chapel and a probable stable block.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Renn |first1= D. F. |last2= Lowther |first2= A. |last3= Ruby |first3= A. T. |year= 1984 |title= Pachenesham, Leatherhead: The excavation of the medieval moated site known as 'The Mounts' |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_74/surreyac074_001-045_lowther.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 74 |pages= 1–45 |access-date= 17 February 2021 |archive-date= 31 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210131221238/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_74%2Fsurreyac074_001-045_lowther.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The value of the manor appears to have declined in the mid-14th century and, in 1386, it was let to William Wimbledon for an annual sum of £20. In 1393, one year after a serious fire had destroyed much of Leatherhead, Wimbledon defaulted on the rent and was accused of dismantling several of the manor buildings. From the start of the 15th century, the land was divided between twelve lessees and the manor then disappears from the historical record.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp52-55>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=52–55}}</ref>

Surviving records of Pachenesham Parva from around 1330 suggest that it covered an area of {{convert|46|ha|acre|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} on the east bank of the River Mole, to the north west of the town centre.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p46>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=46}}</ref> The manor appears to have remained intact through the Middle Ages and land was added to the estate as the remainder of Pachesham was broken up. By the early 17th century, the area was known as Randalls Farm and, in 1805, the associated land totalled {{convert|182|ha|acre|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p128>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=128}}</ref>

[[Tudor period#Local government|Reforms during the Tudor period]] replaced the day-to-day administration of towns such as Leatherhead in the hands of the [[vestry]] of the parish church.<ref name=Kümin_1996_pp250-255>{{harvnb|Kümin|1996|pp=250–255}}</ref><ref name=Heath_Parish>{{cite journal |last1= Heath |first1= Linda |year= 2000 |title= Leatherhead: Church and Parish, from the 17th to the 19th century |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_4_2000.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 6 |issue= 4 |pages= 81–87 |access-date= 7 February 2021 }}</ref> The vestry was charged with appointing a parish [[constable]], maintaining a [[village lock-up|lock-up]] and organising a basic fire service. Until 1834, it also administered [[poor relief]] and was responsible for building a [[workhouse]] on Kingston Road in 1808.<ref name=Heath_Parish/><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp113-116>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=113–116}}</ref>

[[File:Wesley House, Leatherhead - Surrey.jpg|thumb|right|[[Wesley House, Leatherhead|Wesley House]], Bull Hill, the former headquarters of the Leatherhead UDC]]
During the 19th century, local government reforms gradually removed the duties of running of the town's infrastructure and services from the vestry. The [[Poor Law Amendment Act 1834]] placed the workhouse in the care of a [[board of guardians]] at [[Epsom]]<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp178-179>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=178–179}}</ref> and the [[Local Government Act 1888]] transferred many administrative responsibilities to the newly formed [[Surrey County Council]]. The Leatherhead [[Urban district (England and Wales)|Urban District Council]] (UDC) was formed six years later<ref name=Vardey_1988_p148>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=148}}</ref> and in 1903 the county council was placed in charge of the town's [[National school (England and Wales)|National schools]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_p182>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=182}}</ref> The [[Local Government Act 1972]] created [[Mole Valley|Mole Valley District Council]], by combining the UDCs of Leatherhead and [[Dorking]] with the majority of the Dorking and [[Horley]] Rural District.<ref name=Jackson_1991_p103>{{harvnb|Ettinger|Jackson|Overell|1991|p=103}}</ref>

===Transport and communications===
Leatherhead developed at a crossing point of the River Mole at the intersection between the north–south [[Kingston upon Thames|Kingston]]–Dorking and east–west Epsom–Guildford roads. The original position of the ford is unclear, but it may have been around {{convert|90|m|yd|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} upstream of the present Leatherhead Bridge at a point where a continuation of Elm Road would meet the river.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp28-30/>

The first indication of a bridge at Leatherhead is a local [[deed]] dated to 1250, which was witnessed by a "Simon of the Bridge". Later that century, in around 1286, a Peter Dryaw of Fetcham is recorded as mortgaging the annual rent of a house "at the bridge in the town of Ledderede" to [[Merton College, Oxford]].<ref name=Ruby_Mole_1964>{{cite journal |last1= Ruby |first1= A.T. |year= 1964 |title= The Leatherhead River |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_2_NO_8_1964.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 2 |issue= 8 |pages= 228–247 |access-date= 18 February 2021}}</ref> It is possible that the construction of the first bridge coincided with an expansion of the town and the enlargement of the parish church, which took place around 1200.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Renn |first1= D.F. |year= 1971 |title= The date of the first Leatherhead Bridge |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_5_1971.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 5 |pages= 153–154 |access-date= 18 February 2021 }}</ref>

It is not clear to what extent the Mole was used for navigation in the past, but in the early Middle Ages, it is likely that [[draft (hull)|shallow-bottomed]] craft were able to reach Leatherhead from the [[River Thames|Thames]] for much of the year. In the late 13th century, Thorncroft Manor purchased a ''shout'', a type of boat up to {{convert|16|m|ft}} in length, used to transport produce to market.<ref>{{harvnb|Campbell|1993|p=59}}</ref> Several schemes were proposed to make the Mole navigable in the 17th and 18th centuries, but none were enacted.<ref name=Vine_1986>{{harvnb|Vine|1986|pp=6–7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/papers/law-bogart.pdf |title= Political Institutions and the Emergence of Regulatory Commitment in England: Evidence from Road and River Improvement Authorities, 1600–1750 |author= Bogart D |date= August 2007 |publisher= International Institute of Social History |access-date= 7 February 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110608072734/http://www.iisg.nl/hpw/papers/law-bogart.pdf |archive-date= 8 June 2011 |url-status= live}}</ref>

{{Annotated image
| image = 1820_Mogg_Pocket_or_Case_Map_of_London%2C_England_%2824_Miles_around%29_-_Geographicus_-_London24-mogg-1820.jpg
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| caption = Extract from ''Twenty Four Miles Round London'' (1820) by William Mogg showing the turnpike roads to Guildford, Epsom and Dorking
}}

The [[turnpike trust|turnpike road]] between Epsom and [[Horsham]], which ran through Leatherhead, was authorised by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] in 1755.<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> Turnpikes to Guildford and Kingston were opened in 1758 and 1811 respectively<ref name=Crocker_1999_p73>{{harvnb|Crocker|1999|p=73}}</ref> and one of the [[tollhouse]]s was sited near to the present Leatherhead Institute.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p129>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=129}}</ref> [[Stagecoach]]es, which had begun to run through Leatherhead to London in the 1680s,<ref name=Vardey_1988_p70>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=70}}</ref> increased in frequency after the building of the turnpikes. By 1838 there were daily coaches to [[Arundel]], [[Bognor Regis|Bognor]] and [[Worthing]],<ref name=Vardey_1988_p133>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=133}}</ref> which typically stopped at the Swan Inn in the High Street.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp165-168>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=165–168}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Swan Hotel, first recorded in 1637, stood at the junction of the High Street and Church Street.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p62/> Most stagecoaches stopped at the inn, which was described in a Directory in 1791 as "a very genteel house, with good accommodation, most excellent stabling and good post chaises with able horses for hire."<ref name=Vardey_1988_p133/> The Swan closed in 1936, was sold for development and was subsequently demolished.<ref name=Heath_2012_p11>{{harvnb|Heath|2012|p=11}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=243}}</ref>|group=n}} With the arrival of {{stnlnk|Epsom Town||the railway at Epsom}} in 1847, the long-distance coaches were discontinued and [[horsebus|horse-drawn omnibuses]] took over local journeys.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp165-168/>

The first railway to arrive in Leatherhead was built by the Epsom and Leatherhead Railway Company. The line, which terminated at a station in Kingston Road, opened on 1 February 1859. Initially all trains were operated by the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR) and, for the first two months, only ran as far as {{stnlnk|Epsom}}.<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> The completion of the line through {{stnlnk|Worcester Park}} enabled these services to be extended to {{station|London Waterloo}} from April of the same year and, in August 1859, the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LBSCR) began to run trains from Leatherhead to {{station|London Bridge}}.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp168-169>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=168–169}}</ref>

The Mole Gap through the North Downs had been identified as a potential railway corridor as early as the 1830s, but the line south from Leatherhead to {{stnlnk|Dorking}} was not opened until 1867.<ref>{{harvnb|Jackson|1988|pp=26–27}}</ref> The Kingston Road station, which had been laid out as a terminus, was closed and two new adjacent stations (either side of the present Station Approach) were opened. The LBSCR station, which was closer to the town centre, was initially the only one connected to the line to Dorking. It was designed by [[Charles Driver|C. H. Driver]] in a fine [[Gothic Revival]] style and is the station that survives today.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp168-169/><ref>{{NHLE|num=1191033|desc=Leatherhead Station|grade=II|access-date=19 February 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> The LSWR built its station as a terminus, but its line was extended westwards to {{stnlnk|Bookham}} in 1885. The two railway companies were [[Railways Act 1921|amalgamated]] in 1923, when the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] was formed.<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> All railway lines through Leatherhead were [[railway electrification|electrified]] in 1925 and the LSWR station was closed in 1927. In the late 1930s, a southward extension of the [[Chessington branch line]] was proposed, but the creation of the [[Metropolitan Green Belt]] prevented the scheme from being enacted.<ref name=Knowles_1998/>

[[File:England. The M25 motorway at Leatherhead. (32993952868).jpg|thumb|The [[M25 motorway]] at Leatherhead]]
The construction of the [[A24 road (England)|A24 bypass]] (between Givons Grove and Leatherhead Common) started in 1931<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= Leatherhead by-pass road |date= 2 April 1934 |page= 7 |issue= 46717 }}</ref> and the final section opened in May 1934.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title= The Whitsun Holiday |date= 21 May 1934 |page= 7 |issue= 46759 }}</ref> Young Street (the A246 between Bocketts Farm and Givons Grove) was built by the [[Canadian Military Engineers|Corps of Royal Canadian Military Engineers]] between June 1940 and May 1941.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Crossland |first1= EA |year= 1993 |title= The building of Young Street |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_5_NO_6_1993.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History |volume= 5 |issue= 6 |page= 160 |access-date= 8 February 2021 }}</ref> In October 1985, the town was joined to the UK motorway system when the [[M25 motorway|M25]] was opened between Wisley and Reigate.<ref>{{cite news |last= Petty |first= John |date= 5 October 1985 |title= Cracked M25 link to open |issue= 40526 |page=36 |location= London |work= Daily Telegraph }}</ref>

===Commerce===
The right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair was granted to Leatherhead in 1248 by [[Henry III of England|Henry III]].<ref name=O_Connell/> The market place is thought to have been at the junction of Bridge Street, North Street and High Street and the town stocks were probably in the same area.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p62>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=62}}</ref> The market appears to have ended in the mid-[[Elizabethan era]], however the annual fair continued and in the late 17th century was held on 8 September, the feast of the [[Nativity of Mary]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_p98>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=98}}</ref>

The construction of the turnpikes, and later the railways, attracted wealthier residents to Leatherhead. Many of these incomers had accumulated their wealth as entrepreneurs in London and had no previous connection to the area. By the start of the [[Victorian era]], they were beginning to influence the local economy. Small, family-based manufacturing firms began to grow, engaged in industries such as [[brick|brick-making]], [[sawmill|milling of logs]], [[tanning (leather)|tanning]], [[shoemaking]], [[malting]] and [[brewing]]. In the [[1841 United Kingdom census|1841 census]], 18.5% of the town's inhabitants were employed in agriculture-related trades, but [[1881 United Kingdom census|forty years later]], the proportion had fallen to 5.4%.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=149–152}}</ref>

Larger-scale industries arrived in Leatherhead in the first half of the 20th century. In 1928, the [[Rayon|Rayon manufacturing company]] opened a factory in Ermyn Way, close to the border with Ashtead parish<ref name=Stuttard_1995_p124>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=124}}</ref> and was replaced ten years later by the manufacturing plant for [[Goblin Vacuum Cleaners]].<ref name=Stuttard_1995_p134>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=134}}</ref> Also in the 1930s, a [[sericulture|silk-making]] farm and [[electrical cable]] factory were established in the town.<ref name=Stuttard_1995_p134/><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp232-234>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=232–234}}</ref> Following the end of the Second World War, [[Ronson (company)|Ronson]], the US-based manufacturer of [[lighter|cigarette lighters]], opened a manufacturing plant at Dorincourt, to the north of the town.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp257-258>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=257–258}}</ref><ref name=Potted_Hist_Ronson>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-42.pdf |title= Ronson UK, Randalls Road, Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 8 November 2021 }}</ref> The factory moved to Randalls Road in 1953, but it closed in 1981 when the company went into liquidation. A business park opened in its place.<ref name=Potted_Hist_Ronson/><ref name=Heath_Tarplee_2005_pp58-59>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|pp=58–59}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Dorincourt was acquired by the [[Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People]] in 1953.<ref name=Heath_Tarplee_2005_pp58-59/>  The charity's Independent Living Service is based at the site and provides residential care for up to 43 people with complex physical disabilities and learning disabilities.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://qef.org.uk/our-services/qef-independent-living-services |title= Independent Living Services |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 14 July 2021 |orig-date= 14 November 2015 |publisher= QEF |access-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-date= 25 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211025074056/https://qef.org.uk/our-services/qef-independent-living-services |url-status= live }}</ref> The charity announced its closure in November 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lo |first=Hsin-Yi |date=12 November 2025 |title=Leatherhead charity for disabled people to close after 90 years |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxr76929llo |access-date=13 November 2025 }}</ref>|group=n}}

The Ex-services Welfare Society purchased Long House on Ermin Way following the end of the First World War. The charity constructed a factory in the grounds to provide employment for disabled veterans, producing electrical items, such as [[electric blanket]]s. In 1933, the organisation opened a treatment centre at Tyrwhitt House in Oaklawn Road, named after [[Reginald Tyrwhitt]], its president at the time. In 1981, the factory was purchased by [[Remploy]]. It continued to manufacture electrical goods, but under the new ownership, its operations expanded to include the assembly and packaging of mechanical equipment.<ref name=Tarplee_2010_pp48-43>{{harvnb|Tarplee|2010|pp=43–48}}</ref> The Remploy factory closed in 2007, with the loss of 43 jobs.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 22 May 2007 |title= Disability firm to close 43 sites |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6679619.stm |work= BBC News |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 7 September 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070907124303/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6679619.stm |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 30 November 2007 |title= Despair as Remploy factory gets closure notice |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/despair-remploy-factory-gets-closure-4832168 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211111120101/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/despair-remploy-factory-gets-closure-4832168 |url-status= live }}</ref> The Ex-services Welfare Society, now known as [[Combat Stress (charitable organisation)|Combat Stress]],<ref name=Tarplee_2010_pp48-43/> continues to operate its treatment centre at Tyrwhitt House in north Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://combatstress.org.uk/get-help/how-we-help/treatment-centres |title= Our treatment centres |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Combat Stress |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211111120100/https://combatstress.org.uk/get-help/how-we-help/treatment-centres |url-status= live }}</ref>

Large-scale manufacturing in Leatherhead was short lived and, as the 20th century progressed, the town started to attract [[tertiary sector of the economy|service sector industries]]. Among the research institutes formerly based in the town, Leatherhead Food Research was founded in 1919<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2015/09/16/Food-research-organisation-saved-from-administration |title= Leatherhead acquired by Science Group for £1.6M |last= Gibbons |first= Laurence |date= 15 September 2015 |publisher= Food Manufacture |access-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228115332/https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2015/09/16/Food-research-organisation-saved-from-administration |url-status= live }}</ref> and the Central Electricity Research Laboratories (CERL) opened in 1950.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Forrest |first1= JS |year= 1955 |title= British Electricity Research Laboratories |journal= Physics Bulletin |volume= 6 |issue= 3 |pages= 42–52 |doi= 10.1088/0031-9112/6/3/003 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Forrest |first1= JS |year= 1965 |title= Central Electricity Research Laboratories |journal= Physics Bulletin |volume= 16 |issue= 9 |pages= 337–346 |doi= 10.1088/0031-9112/16/9/001 }}</ref> Both organisations left the town in the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite news |title= Leatherhead Food Research to leave town after 96 years |last= Weich |first= Ben |date= 24 November 2015 |work= Surrey Comet |url= https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/14099068.leatherhead-food-research-to-leave-town-after-96-years/ |access-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228115334/https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/14099068.leatherhead-food-research-to-leave-town-after-96-years/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The Ronson and Goblin factories closed in the early 1980s and their sites were redeveloped, in the latter case for the UK headquarters of [[Esso]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp257-258/> The UK head offices of [[Unilever]] (on the site of the former CERL) and [[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]] were opened in Leatherhead in 2008 and 2020 respectively.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/business/unilever-staff-move-good-news-4720156 |title= Unilever staff move 'good news' for Leatherhead |last= Martin |first= Guy |date= 2 July 2013 |orig-date= 11 January 2013 |work= Get Surrey |access-date= 21 February 2021 |archive-date= 26 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201026221132/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/business/unilever-staff-move-good-news-4720156 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Shakesby |first= Chloe |date= 30 June 2020 |title= Hyundai relocates UK headquarters to Leatherhead |url= https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2020/06/30/hyundai-relocates-uk-headquarters-to-leatherhead |work= Bdaily News |access-date= 28 February 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Swan Centre, High Street entrance, Leatherhead, Surrey.jpg|thumb|right|Swan shopping centre{{#tag:ref|The Swan shopping centre is named after the former Swan Hotel.<ref name=Heath_2012_p11/>|group=n}}]]
[[File:Looking down High Street, Leatherhead, 2024.jpg|thumb|The High Street, here in 2024.]]
A controversial redevelopment of the road network in the town centre took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The project began with the demolition of the Prince of Wales pub in 1979 and the Swan Centre, a covered shopping centre with a [[multistorey car park]], was constructed in its place. At the same time a one-way system was created and the High Street was pedestrianised.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2001|p=124}}</ref> By September 1981, the scheme was already attracting criticism from local traders and residents, who blamed the traffic alterations for a steep decline in [[People counter#Business metrics|footfall]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.leatherheadahead.org.uk/militant_300981.htm |title= Militant Town - Shopkeepers up in arms |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 30 September 1981 |publisher= Leatherhead Ahead |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 19 January 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050119173146/http://www.leatherheadahead.org.uk/militant_300981.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> In January 1983, the County Planning Officer admitted that the "complexity of present routes undoubtedly detracts from the appeal of the town to car-borne shoppers."<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 7 January 1983 |title= The county council knows best |url= http://www.leatherheadahead.org.uk/surreyad_070183.htm |work= Surrey Advertiser |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 January 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050120020340/http://www.leatherheadahead.org.uk/surreyad_070183.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> In 2002, [[BBC News]] named Leatherhead as having one of the worst High Streets in the country.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 20 September 2002 |title= Britons name "best and worst streets" |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2270840.stm |work= BBC News |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 19 May 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060519202756/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2270840.stm |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 27 March 2003 |title= Street loses "worst" title |url= https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6257226.street-loses-worst-title/ |work= News Shopper |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120165544/https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6257226.street-loses-worst-title/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Five years later, in 2007, the local press reported that the town was "bustling with people, and packed full with an abundance of shops, entertainment facilities and job opportunities." The revival in fortunes was attributed to a variety of community initiatives, including a new drama festival.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |title= Leatherhead High Street fights back |date= 23 February 2021 |orig-date= 16 October 2007 |url= https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/homes-and-gardens/places-to-live/leatherhead-high-street-fights-back-7786518 |work= Surrey Life |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120165543/https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/homes-and-gardens/places-to-live/leatherhead-high-street-fights-back-7786518 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Residential development===
Leatherhead began to expand at the start of the 20th century and the population grew from in 4,694 in 1901 to 5,491 in 1911.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=5}}</ref> New housing developments were built between 1900 and 1905 in Fairfield, Highlands and Kingston Roads, and Queen Anne's Garden. Later in the decade, houses were constructed in Copthorne, Clinton, Reigate and Woodville Roads, Kingston Avenue and St Nicholas Hill.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=8}}</ref>

The first [[council house|council housing]] in the town, a development of 59 houses in Poplar Road, was built by Leatherhead UDC in 1921. Preference for rehousing was given to [[veteran|ex-servicemen]] and their families. In 1925, 90 council houses were constructed in Kingston Road.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p231>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=231}}</ref> Private residential developments also occurred around the same time, including the construction of the St Mary's Road estate, on the site of the former Elm Bank mansion, south of the town centre.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-33.pdf |title= Elm Bank House (St Mary's Road Estate) Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 }}</ref>

The Givons Grove estate, to the south of the town, was developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Originally a constituent of Thorncroft Manor, it was an area of arable land, known as "Gibbons Farm", named after a prominent local family.<ref name=Givons_Grove>{{cite journal |last1= Fortescue |first1= SED |year= 1983 |title= Givons Grove |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_4_NO_7_1983.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 4 |issue= 7 |pages= 188–190 |access-date= 4 February 2021 }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Givons Grove House was built in the late 1780s for Henry Boulton, the then leaseholder of Thorncroft Manor and the owner of the Pachesham estate. The house was later occupied for a short time by Sir William Altum, but remained in the ownership of the Boulton family until 1859. In 1865, it was sold to [[Thomas Grissell]], the owner of [[Norbury Park]].<ref name=Givons_Grove/>|group=n}} In 1919, the estate was bought by the aircraft manufacturer, [[Humphrey Verdon Roe]], whose wife, [[Marie Stopes]], would live at Norbury Park for 20 years from 1938.<ref name=Givons_Grove/> It was sold to a consortium of developers in 1927, who divided the land into plots for housing.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p234>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=234}}</ref> Similarly in 1935, Yarm Court was sold and the estate developed for housing.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p317>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=317}}</ref>

Following the end of the Second World War, new housing was constructed to the north of the town centre, along Cleeve, Kingston and Copthorne Roads, to replace properties damaged by bombing.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p250>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=250}}</ref>

===Leatherhead in the world wars===
At the start of the First World War, members of the 20th Battalion of the University and Public Schools Brigade of the [[Royal Fusiliers]] were billeted with local residents. The recruits were primarily drawn from the [[Manchester]] area and underwent training at Randalls Farm.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=88}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=93}}</ref> The Kensington Rifles of the [[London Regiment (1908–1938)|London Regiment]] were also garrisoned in the town in the month before their deployment to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in April 1915.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=100}}</ref> Later that year, the first of 63 Belgian refugees arrived in Leatherhead, remaining in the town until the end of the war.<ref name=Spinder_2016_pp55-56>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|pp=55–56}}</ref><ref name=Spindler_2016_pp59-60>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|pp=59–60}}</ref>

Concerns that the town's water supply might be poisoned by enemy spies, prompted the authorities to arrange a guard on the waterworks on Guildford Road. Many of the duties were undertaken by the local [[The Scout Association|Scout troop]] and members of the [[Boys' Brigade]], which was affiliated with St Mary's Church.<ref name=Spinder_2016_pp55-56/> Many local men joined the Dorking and Leatherhead Battalion of the [[Volunteer Training Corps]], which was formed with the intention to defend the local area in the event of invasion.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|pp=76–77}}</ref> In October 1914, a [[British Red Cross|Red Cross]] Hospital opened on Bull Hill. By March 1915 it had 33 beds and was fully occupied. It closed in February 1919.<ref name=Spindler_2016_pp59-60/> Elsewhere in the town, the Forty Foot recreation ground was used to grow wheat<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|p=117}}</ref> and Venthams, a local firm of [[coachbuilder]]s, began to manufacture [[ammunition|munitions]].<ref name=Spindler_2016_pp132-134>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|pp=132–134}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The precise nature of the contribution of the Venthams factory to the war effort is unclear and, owing to secrecy rules, there are only sporadic mentions of munitions manufacture in the local press.<ref name=Spindler_2016_pp132-134/>|group=n}}

[[File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H20595.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Valentine tank]] at the Goblin plant, Leatherhead, 10 June 1942]]
Leatherhead was again a garrison town in the Second World War. Troops from the [[Royal Corps of Signals]] were billeted in late 1939<ref name=Vardey_2005_pp1-3>{{harvnb|Vardey|2005|pp=1–3}}</ref> and a year later, the first Canadian soldiers began to arrive in the local area.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2005|p=7}}</ref> From September 1939, children from [[Streatham]] and [[Dulwich]] were [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] to Leatherhead and the Royal School for the Blind was taken over by [[King's College Hospital]]. The cottage hospital on Poplar Road opened in May 1940 and by June of that year was treating 78 members of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]], who had been [[Dunkirk evacuation|evacuated from Dunkirk]].<ref name=Vardey_2005_pp1-3/> The Goblin factory in Ermyn Way was used to make munitions, including [[naval mine|mine]] sinkers, shell [[fuse (explosives)|fuses]] and camouflage netting.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-42.pdf |title= Goblin BVC, Ermin Way, Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211108212605/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-42.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

From the outbreak of war, the defence of Leatherhead was coordinated by the XII Corps of [[Eastern Command (United Kingdom)|Eastern Command]], reinforced from July 1940 by VII Corps GHQ Mobile Reserve. The 3rd Infantry Brigade of the [[1st Canadian Division]] was posted to Dorking and Leatherhead, and was responsible for completing the construction of Young Street between Givons Grove and Fetcham. The local unit of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]], Company F of the 6th Battalion of South Eastern Command, was formed with 200 recruits in May 1940. The training centres for the company included the Drill Hall on Kingston Road and an anti-tank obstacle was installed at the east end of the High Street, close to the Leatherhead Institute. The Home Guard company was disbanded four years later, once the threat of invasion had passed.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Marchington |first= T. |year= 2002 |title= The defence of Leatherhead in the Second World War |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_6_2002.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 6 |issue= 6 |pages= 138–140 |access-date= 11 November 2021}}</ref>

Leatherhead experienced two main periods of [[strategic bombing|bombing]] during the war. The first wave of attacks took place from late 1940 until early 1941. During the first raid, early in the morning on 27 August 1940, 20 high-explosive bombs were dropped along the border with Ashtead. The clubhouse of the golf club suffered a direct hit, but the civilians taking cover in the [[air raid shelter|shelter]] beneath it were fully protected and survived without injury. In October of the same year, the oil storage tanks next to the waterworks were set alight by an [[incendiary device|incendiary bomb]]. The resulting fires could not be extinguished until more than 24 hours later.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2005|pp=4–6}}</ref> In March 1941, [[St Andrew's Catholic School]] was almost completely destroyed by a bomb.<ref>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=136–141}}</ref> During the second period of bombing, in the summer of 1944, 16 [[V-1 flying bomb]]s landed in the Leatherhead area, including one at Thorncroft Manor.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2005|p=9}}</ref> In all 44 civilian lives were lost during the war through enemy action in Leatherhead Urban District.<ref>{{cite web|title=Civilian War Deaths, Leatherhead Urban District|url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/4004877/leatherhead-urban-district/|website=cwgc.org|access-date=15 September 2025}}</ref>

== National and local government ==
===UK Parliament===
Leatherhead is in the [[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell parliamentary constituency]].

===County council===
Councillors are elected to [[Surrey County Council]] every four years. The town is part of the 'Leatherhead and Fetcham East' ward.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|First Elected!!Member!!Ward
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|2005
|Tim Hall<ref>{{cite web |url= https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=150 |title= Mr Tim Hall |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 5 February 2021 |publisher= Surrey County Council |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 29 September 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200929075200/https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=150 |url-status= live }}</ref> || Leatherhead and Fetcham East
|-
|}

===District council===

Five councillors represent the town on [[Mole Valley]] District Council (the headquarters of which are in Dorking):
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member!!Ward
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}" |
|2016
|Bridget Kendrick || Leatherhead North<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-bridget-kendrick |title= Cllr Bridget Kendrick |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116140034/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-bridget-kendrick |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/en/page/2021-bridget-kendrick |title= Bridget Kendrick - Mole Valley District Council candidate |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Mole Valley Liberal Democrats |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116140037/https://molevalleylibdems.org.uk/en/page/2021-bridget-kendrick |url-status= live }}</ref>
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}" |
|2019
|Keira Vyvyan-Robinson || Leatherhead North<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-keira-vyvyan-robinson |title= Cllr Keira Vyvyan-Robinson |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116140036/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-keira-vyvyan-robinson |url-status= live }}</ref>
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}" |
|2022
|Josie Brinkier || Leatherhead North<ref name=MVDC_elections_2022>{{cite web |url= https://molevalley.gov.uk/district-council-election-results-5-may-2022 |title= Cllr Josie Brinkier |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 6 May 2022 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 6 May 2022 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|2021
|Simon Moss || Leatherhead South<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-simon-moss |title= Cllr Simon Moss |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116140034/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/councillor/cllr-simon-moss |url-status= live }}</ref>
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|2022
|Joanna Slater || Leatherhead South<ref name=MVDC_elections_2022/>
|}

Leatherhead is represented by a swan on the [[crest (heraldry)|crest]] of the Mole Valley District Council [[coat of arms]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/council/about-district/coat-arms-town-twinning |title= Coat of arms and town twinning |author= <!--Not stated--> |date=  |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 6 February 2021 |archive-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216200323/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/council/about-district/coat-arms-town-twinning |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Twin town===
Since 2004, Leatherhead has been [[sister city|twinned]] with [[Triel-sur-Seine]] ([[Île-de-France]], France).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.friendsoftriel.com |title= Friends of Triel Leatherhead and District Twinning Association |author= <!--Not stated--> |date=  |publisher= Leatherhead and District Twinning Association |access-date= 4 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200805051710/http://friendsoftriel.com/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Demography and housing==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''2011 Census Homes'''
|-
!Ward !!Detached  !!Semi-detached!!Terraced!!Flats and apartments!!Caravans/temporary/mobile homes/houseboats!!Shared between households<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Leatherhead North||	307	||	906	||	575	||	1,381	||	6	||	2
|-
|Leatherhead South||737	||	331	||	171	||	670	||	4	||	4
|-
|}
Region-wide, 28% of dwellings were detached houses and 22.6% were apartments.
{| class="wikitable"  
|+ '''2011 Census Households'''
!Ward !!Population !!Households !!% Owned outright !!% Owned with a loan!!hectares<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Leatherhead North	||7,035	||	3,177	||	19	||	31	||	617
|-
|Leatherhead South	||4,281	||	1,913	||	44	||	30	||	637	
|- 
|}
The proportion of households 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 negligible % of households living rent-free).

==Public services==
===Utilities===
The town [[gasworks]], close to the junction of Kingston Road and Barnett Wood Lane, were built in 1850 by the Leatherhead Gas Company. The first [[coal gas|gas]] was produced in February 1851 and was primarily used for street lighting, but was also supplied to some private houses.<ref name=Clube_Gas>{{cite journal |last1= Clube |first1= JR |year= 1999 |title= The Leatherhead Gas Company 1850-1936 |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_3_1999.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History |volume= 6 |issue= 3 |pages= 64–67 |access-date= 5 February 2021}}</ref> Until the railway was opened in 1859, coal was delivered by road from Epsom.<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= VII |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> In 1911, the Leatherhead company acquired that of [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]] and, from 1929, also supplied gas to [[Woking]] via a connection at {{stnlnk|Effingham Junction}}. In 1936, the company was acquired by the Wandsworth Gas Company and the Leatherhead gasworks closed two years later.<ref name=Clube_Gas/>

[[File:Leatherhead Pumping Station - geograph.org.uk - 108476.jpg|thumb|The Leatherhead pumping station was constructed in 1935 by the East Surrey Water Company.]]
The first public water supply in Leatherhead was created in 1884, when a [[steam engine|stream-driven]] [[water pumping|pumping station]] was constructed in Waterways Road.<ref name=Tarplee_Water>{{cite journal |last1= Tarplee |first1= Peter |year= 2007 |title= Some public utilities in Surrey: Water supply |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%207-4.pdf |journal= Surrey History |volume= VII |issue= 4 |pages= 219–225 |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%207-4.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The works, designed by [[John William Grover]], were capable of lifting {{convert|90000|L|impgal|sigfig=1}} per hour to a reservoir on Reigate Road.<ref name=Tarplee_Water/><ref>{{cite journal|last1= Tarplee |first1= Peter |year= 2007 |title= Public water supplies for Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_7_NO_1_2007.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 7 |issue= 1 |pages= 33–36 |access-date= 21 November 2021}}</ref> A second [[diesel engine|diesel-powered]] station was constructed alongside the first in 1935 and was later converted to [[electric power system|electric power]]. The steam-powered works were demolished in 1992.<ref name=Tarplee_Water/>

An [[power station|electricity generating station]] was opened in Bridge Street in 1902. Initially it was capable of generating 75&nbsp;kW of power, but by the time of its closure in 1941, its [[nameplate capacity|installed capacity]] was 2.2&nbsp;MW.<ref name=Tarplee_Gas_Electricity/> Under the [[Electricity (Supply) Act 1926]], Leatherhead 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]], Epsom, 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===
Leatherhead Police Station was on Kingston Road, to the north of the town centre. It closed in 2011. The building was demolished and retirement apartments were built on the site.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/Leatherhead-Kingston-Road.htm |title= Street and roads – Leatherhead – Kingston Road |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 20 November 2021 }}</ref> In 2021, the local police force is [[Surrey Police]] and the nearest [[police station]] to the town is at [[Reigate]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/north-leatherhead/ |title= North Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Surrey Police |access-date= 15 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113111634/https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/north-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/south-leatherhead/ |title= South Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Surrey Police |access-date= 15 October 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113111637/https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/surrey-police/south-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The headquarters of the [[Police Federation of England and Wales]] is in Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite news |last= Foster |first= Alice |date= 24 February 2014 |title= 'Extravagant' Police Federation HQ boasts swimming pool and hotel in Leatherhead |url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11032854.extravagant-police-federation-hq-boasts-swimming-pool-and-hotel-in-leatherhead/ |work= Sutton and Croydon Guardian |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 16 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210116102408/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11032854.extravagant-police-federation-hq-boasts-swimming-pool-and-hotel-in-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Fire engine, church parade, Leatherhead, Surrey, 1928.jpg|thumb|A fire engine at a [[church parade]] in Leatherhead in 1928]]
The Vestry was responsible for organising the local fire service in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The west door of the parish church was enlarged in 1759, in order to accommodate the town [[fire engine]], which was housed in the tower.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> In 1821, the engine was moved to an existing building on North Street and a new fire station was built on the same road in 1859. The first motor fire engine was delivered to the town in 1926 and was housed in a new building close to the river.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> In 2021, the local [[fire authority]] 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#leatherhead |title= Our Fire Stations |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Surrey County Council |access-date= 12 November 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#leatherhead |url-status= live }}</ref> Leatherhead Ambulance Station, in Kingston Road, 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===
The first hospital in Leatherhead was opened in Clinton Road in 1893. As a small [[cottage hospital]], it only had seven or eight beds and was supervised by a matron.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=178}}</ref> It closed in 1902, having accrued a debt of £130. A replacement facility, the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital (QVMH), on Epsom Road, was opened in 1905. It was built on land donated by [[Walter Cunliffe, 1st Baron Cunliffe|Walter Cunliffe]], who lived at Tyrells Wood.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=220}}</ref> Initially it had 6 beds for adults and one cot for infants, but by 1928, it had expanded to 17 beds.<ref name=Hosp_Hist>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadhospitalfriends.org.uk/History.htm |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= The League of Friends of the Leatherhead Hospital |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 17 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160317233441/http://leatherheadhospitalfriends.org.uk/History.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> The QVMH closed at the end of the Second World War.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220/>

Leatherhead Community Hospital, on Poplar Road, was opened in 1940 and was built on land donated by Charles Leach. Initially it had 40 beds and came under the management of Epsom Hospital, although it had its own medical committee. By 1960, the hospital had expanded to 52 beds,<ref name=Hosp_Hist/> but in 2014, the in-patient wards were closed to allow the improvement of outpatient services.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://sdccg.nhsdigital.org.uk/about-us/our-governing-body/governing-body-papers/2015-16/25-september-2015/733-05-community-hospitals-service-review-outcomes-paper/file |title= Community Hospital Service Review – Outcomes Paper |last= Blythe |first= Elrick |date= 25 September 2015 |publisher= Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120144619/https://sdccg.nhsdigital.org.uk/about-us/our-governing-body/governing-body-papers/2015-16/25-september-2015/733-05-community-hospitals-service-review-outcomes-paper/file |url-status= dead }}</ref> The NHS has retained ownership of the hospital, but many services are now run by CSH, a [[nonprofit organization|not-for-profit organisation]].<ref name=Hosp_Hist/> The [[radiography|X-ray radiography department]] is run by the [[Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nhs.uk/services/hospitals/overview/defaultview.aspx?id=601 |title= Leatherhead Community Hospital |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 7 June 2017 |publisher= NHS |access-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-date= 22 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210922211239/https://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=601 |url-status= live }}</ref>

The nearest hospital with an [[Emergency department|A&E]] is [[Epsom Hospital]], {{convert|5.3|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} away.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Hospital/Leatherhead/Results/3/-0.326/51.292/7/12434?distance=25 |title= Hospitals near Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= National Health Service |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224315/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other-services/Hospital/Leatherhead/Results/3/-0.326/51.292/7/12434?distance=25 |url-status= live}}</ref> As of 2021, the town has two [[General practitioner|GP]] practices, on Kingston Road and Upper Fairfield Road.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Leatherhead?latitude=51.296161883887024&longitude=-0.3311191725067626 |title= GPs near Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= National Health Service |access-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210205224315/https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp/results/Leatherhead?latitude=51.296161883887024&longitude=-0.3311191725067626 |url-status= live }}</ref>

== Transport ==
===Rail===
[[File:leatherheadfront.jpg|thumb|The entrance to [[Leatherhead railway station]]]]
[[Leatherhead railway station]] is to the west of the town centre and is managed by [[Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|Southern]]. It is served by trains to {{station|London Victoria}} via {{stnlnk|Sutton|London}}, to {{station|London Waterloo}} via {{station|Wimbledon}}, to {{stnlnk|Horsham}} via {{stnlnk|Dorking}} and to {{stnlnk|Guildford}} via {{stnlnk|Bookham}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/station-information/stations/leatherhead |title= Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Southern Railway |access-date= 17 February 2021 |archive-date= 5 December 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201205084851/https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/station-information/stations/leatherhead |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Buses===
Route 21 (Epsom – Leatherhead – [[Crawley]]) is run by Metrobus and route 408 (Epsom – Cobham) is run by Falcon Buses.<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> Route 465 from [[Kingston upon Thames]] to Dorking via Leatherhead is run by [[London United Busways|London United]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/465.pdf |title= 465: Dorking – Leatherhead – Kingston |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 16 March 2015 |publisher= London Bus Routes |access-date= 31 December 2020 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102014/http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/465.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> Route 478 to Guildford is run by Reptons Coaches and Route 479 from Epsom to Guildford via Leatherhead is run by Arriva Kent & Sussex and Stagecoach.<ref name=SCC_Bus/>

===Long-distance footpaths===
Leatherhead station is the northern terminus of the [[Mole Gap Trail]], which rus south through [[Norbury Park]] to Dorking station.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/bw/walk_surrey-hills.pdf |title=Mole Gap Trail |date=5 October 2011 |work=Diamonds in the Landscape |publisher=Natural England |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930165949/http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/bw/walk_surrey-hills.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2011  }}</ref>

==Education==
===Early schools===
The earliest record of a school in Leatherhead is from 1596, when reference is made to a [[charity school]] for ten boys, which was probably held in the tower of the parish church.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> By 1712, the school had expanded to included eleven girls<ref>{{harvnb|Heath|1986|p=13}}</ref> and, later that century, two bequests to fund the[salary of a schoolmaster are recorded.<ref name=Heath_Parish/>

In 1838 a boys' school was established in Highlands Road by the then Vicar, Benjamin Chapman, and a girls' school followed a year later.<ref name=Heath_Parish/> The two institutions were [[National school (England and Wales)|National schools]] and were funded by a combination of local subscriptions and grants from the [[National Society for Promoting Religious Education]].<ref>{{harvnb|Heath|1986|p=19}}</ref>

===Maintained schools===
Leatherhead Trinity School opened in 2010, having been created by a merger of three existing schools. It traces its origins to the All Saints’ School, which opened in 1877 in Kingston Road. Trinity School is a primary school and educates children up to the age of eleven.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadtrinity.surrey.sch.uk/history-of-leatherhead-trinity-school/ |title= History of Leatherhead Trinity School and Nursery |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Trinity School and Nursery |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 18 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210118003152/https://www.leatherheadtrinity.surrey.sch.uk/history-of-leatherhead-trinity-school/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School was founded in September 1947 and was initially located next to St Peter's Church in Garlands Road. The school's present site in Grange Road was opened in 1958.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.stpeters-leatherhead.co.uk/page/?title=About+Us&pid=6 |title= About us |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= St Peter's Catholic Primary School |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 30 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201130144653/https://www.stpeters-leatherhead.co.uk/page/?title=About+Us&pid=6 |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[Therfield School]] was founded in Kingston Road in 1913 as the County Upper Mixed Senior School. It moved to Dilston Road in 1953<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/therfieldalumni/go_to_history.htm |title= History of the schools on the Woodville (Kingston Road) site |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Therfield alumni |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 13 December 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171213045943/http://www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/therfieldalumni/go_to_history.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> and was renamed in 1964 after John de Therfield, a former lord of the manor of Pachesham, who was awarded the land in 1205 by [[John, King of England|King John]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp253-254>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=253–254}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/therfieldalumni/go_to_history.htm |title= Our history from 1945 |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Therfield alumni |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 13 December 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171213045943/http://www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/therfieldalumni/go_to_history.htm |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[St Andrew's Catholic School]] was founded in Grange Road in 1935 by five nuns from the [[Order of St. Andrew|Order of St Andrew]]. The main building was constructed in 1952 and, in 1971, the school became a co-educational comprehensive.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp253-254/>

West Hill School is a [[special education|special school]] for children with learning needs.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.west-hill.surrey.sch.uk/School/About-West-Hill/ |title= About West Hill |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= July 2020 |publisher= West Hill School |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 7 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190107064327/http://west-hill.surrey.sch.uk/school/about-west-hill/ |url-status= live }}</ref> It was founded at West Hill, Epsom in 1960<ref>{{harvnb|Heath|1986|p=109}}</ref> and moved to Leatherhead three years later.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp253-254/> Fox Grove School, a second school for pupils with special Education Needs, opened in September 2021 in Molesey. It is due to move to Leatherhead, to a site adjacent to West Hill School, in Spring 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last= Armstrong |first= Julie |date= 5 October 2021 |orig-date= 28 September 2021 |title= New special educational needs school building opening delayed until next year |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/new-special-school-building-opening-21698813 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 27 November 2021 }}</ref>

===Independent schools===
[[Downsend School]] was founded in [[Hampstead]] in 1898<ref name=Downsend_history>{{cite web |url= https://www.downsend.co.uk/about-us/our-history/ |title= History of Downsend |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 3 January 2017 |publisher= Downsend School |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 17 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210117194140/https://www.downsend.co.uk/about-us/our-history/ |url-status= live }}</ref> and moved to its current site in stages between 1918 and 1940.<ref name=Stuttard_1995_pp187-189>{{harvnb|Stuttard|1995|pp=187–189}}</ref> The school underwent a period of expansion in the late 1970s and 1980s, which included the purchase of pre-preparatory departments in Leatherhead, Ashtead and Epsom.<ref name=Downsend_history/> In 2002, the school was sold by the Linford family (who had owned it since its opening) to Asquith Court Schools Ltd and it was bought by [[Cognita]] in 2006.<ref name=Downsend_history/> In 2017, the school announced that it would build a new study centre to accommodate students studying for [[GCSE]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last= George |first= Sarah |date= 14 November 2017 |title= Leatherhead school wants to build a new £3 million block so it can start teaching to GCSE level |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/leatherhead-school-wants-build-new-13887140 |work= Get Surrey |access-date= 20 February 2021 |archive-date= 1 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201001090416/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/leatherhead-school-wants-build-new-13887140 |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:The_dining_hall,_St_Johns_School_(geograph_6276552).jpg|thumb|right|Dining Hall and the Quad War Memorial, [[St John's School, Leatherhead|St John's School]]]]
St John's School was founded in [[St John's Wood]] in 1851 by [[Ashby Haslewood]] and moved to Leatherhead in 1872.<ref name=SJS_history>{{cite web |url= https://www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/history |title= Our history |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= St John's School |access-date= 21 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128231325/https://www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/history |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Stuttard |first1= JC |year= 1997 |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_1_1997.pdf |title= St John's School celebrates 125 years in Leatherhead |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 6 |issue= 1 |page= 2 |access-date= 1 February 2021 }}</ref> Initially intended for the sons of poor clergymen, the school began to accept fee-paying pupils at the start of the 20th century. In 1989, girls were accepted into the [[sixth form]] and the school became fully coeducational from 2012.<ref name=SJS_history/> Several parts of the school are [[Grade II listed]], including the library, formerly the chapel, which was built in 1876.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1028621|desc=Library at St John's School|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>

===Royal School for the Blind===
[[File:Lavender Court (formerly the Royal School for the Blind), Leatherhead (geograph 6243608).jpg|thumb|Lavender Court]]
{{main|SeeAbility}}
The School for the Indigent Blind was founded at [[St George's Fields]], [[Southwark]] in 1799 and, for the first 102 years of its existence, was based in London.<ref name=SeeAbility_Hist>{{cite web |url= https://www.seeability.org/about-us/our-history |title= Our history |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= August 2021 |publisher= The Royal School for the Blind |access-date=  |archive-date= 10 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211110210621/https://www.seeability.org/about-us/our-history |url-status= live }}</ref> In 1900, it purchased 15 acres of land in Leatherhead and construction of a new building, in Highlands Road, began the following year. The new school, capable of accommodating up to 250 students, opened in 1904.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220/> The school was granted royal patronage by [[George V]] in 1911, at which point it became known as the Royal School for the Blind.<ref name=SeeAbility_Hist/>

By the mid-1930s, the focus of the school had changed from classroom-based learning to the teaching of practical skills in a workshop setting. During the Second World War, the building was requisitioned by King's College Hospital and, although part of the premises were returned to the school in 1946, a group of [[Chelsea Pensioner]]s continued to live on the site until the 1950s.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p220/> A redevelopment took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included converting the dormitories into apartments. Students were increasingly encouraged to take responsibility for their everyday living, with the aim of facilitating their integration into wider society.<ref name=SeeAbility_Hist/>

The charity adopted the name "[[SeeAbility]]" as its [[brand|operating identity]] in 1994 and, later in the same decade, began to transition away from offering residential education and towards providing community-based support. In the early 2000s, the main school building was sold and converted to apartments. It is now known as Lavender Court.<ref>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=11}}</ref> The headquarters of the charity has since moved to Epsom.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2001|p=119}}</ref>

==Places of worship==
{{see also|List of places of worship in Mole Valley}}

===Anglo-Saxon minster===
The church mentioned in Domesday Book is thought to have been an Anglo-Saxon [[Minster (church)#Early and mid Anglo-Saxon periods|minster]], a large church with a small team of priests who ministered to the [[royal vill]] and its dependent parishes. It is described as a belonging to Ewell and being held by Osbern of Eu, a [[prebendary|prebend]] at [[St Paul's Cathedral#Pre-Norman cathedral|St Paul's Cathedral]].<ref name=Blair_church_origins>{{cite journal |last= Blair |first= WJ |year= 1976 |title= The origins of Leatherhead Parish Church |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_10_1976.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 10 |pages= 323–328 |access-date= 14 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp29-30>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=29–30}}</ref> Its location in the town is unknown, but an enclave of land in the north west of the parish is recorded as belonging to Ewell in the 13th century and this may be the remnant of the [[glebe]] lands of the former minster.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp29-30/> The church was probably a constructed from wood<ref name=Hayward_church_origins>{{cite journal |last= Hayward |first= Geoffrey |year= 2008 |title= Where was Leatherhead's early church? |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_7_NO_2_2008.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 7 |issue= 2 |pages= 22–23 |access-date= 14 February 2021}}</ref> and, like other similar minsters, likely lost influence as Norman [[manorialism|manors]] superseded the Anglo-Saxon [[hundred (county division)|hundreds]] as the principal division of local administration.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp29-30/>

===St Mary and St Nicholas Church===
[[File: Leatherhead Parish Church - geograph.org.uk - 688043.jpg|thumb|upright|Tower of St Mary and St Nicholas Church]]
The [[Church of St Mary & St Nicholas, Leatherhead|Church of St Mary and St Nicholas]] is thought to have originally been built as the estate chapel for the manor of Thorncroft. Although it is not mentioned in Domesday book, the oldest parts date from around 1080 and it may have superseded the Anglo-Saxon minster as the parish church at the start of the 12th century. Shortly after 1100, it was granted to [[St John's Abbey, Colchester|Colchester Abbey]], which held it until 1279.<ref name=Blair_church_origins/><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp273-285>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=273–285}}</ref> The earliest parts of the building that survive are from the 1240s, when the church is thought to have undergone a major expansion that included the addition of side [[aisle]]s. Much of the [[chancel]] dates from the first half of the 14th century and this work may have been commissioned by [[Leeds Priory]] in [[Kent]], which was given the church by [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] in 1341. The dedication to [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] and [[Saint Nicholas|Nicholas]], who were the joint [[patron saint|patrons]] of the Priory, probably occurred at this time.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp273-285/><ref name=NHLE_church>{{NHLE|num=1190429|desc=Church of St Mary and St Nicholas|grade=II*|access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref>

The tower was built in around 1500 and is set at an angle to the rest of the building, so that its east wall protrudes into the [[nave]]. It originally had a tall [[spire]], which was blown down in the [[Great storm of 1703]]. A major rebuilding of the church took place in the second half of the 19th century, during which much of the roof was replaced.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp273-285/><ref name=NHLE_church/> Renovation works between 2018 and 2020, uncovered several vaults beneath the floor including one belonging to the Boulton Family who had lived at Thorncroft Manor in the 18th century.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://leatherheadparish.com/heritage/transept-vaults/ |title= Transept vaults |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 5 February 2020 |publisher= Leatherhead Parish |access-date= 21 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228115336/https://leatherheadparish.com/heritage/transept-vaults/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

The churchyard contains the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission|Commonwealth war graves]] of 12 British service personnel of the First and Second World Wars.<ref>{{cite web|last=CWGC|title=Leatherhead (SS.Mary and Nicholas) Churchyard {{!}} Cemetery Details |url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/44685/leatherhead-ss-mary-and-nicholas-churchyard/ |access-date=9 February 2023|website=CWGC|language=en}}</ref>

===Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Peter===
The [[Church of Our Lady and St Peter, Leatherhead|Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Peter]] was constructed in 1923 and was partly financed by the newspaper proprietor, Sir [[Edward Hulton]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp231-232>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=231–232}}</ref> The [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] building was designed by [[Edward Goldie#Joseph Goldie|Joseph Goldie]] and the [[stained glass]] windows were installed in the 1930s. The [[Stations of the Cross]] were designed in [[Caen stone]] by the sculptor [[Eric Gill]].<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp288-289>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=288–289}}</ref>

===Methodist Church===
[[File:Leatherhead Methodist Church, Church Road, Leatherhead.JPG|thumb|upright|Methodist Church, Church Road]]
[[John Wesley]], the founder of [[Methodism]], visited Leatherhead only once in his lifetime. On 23 February 1791, he preached his final sermon in a house on Bull Hill, one week before his death.<ref name=Banks_Methodism>{{cite journal |last1= Banks |first1= Joyce |year= 2002 |title= Some notes on early Methodism in Surrey |url= https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%206-4.pdf |journal= Surrey History |volume= VI |issue= 4 |pages= 194–206 |access-date= 21 November 2020 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102102031/https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/Surrey%20History%206-4.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=Benger_Methodism>{{cite journal |last1= Benger |first1= FM |year= 1965 |title= John Wesley's visit to Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_2_NO_9_1965.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 2 |issue= 9 |pages= 265–269 |access-date= 1 February 2021 }}</ref> Despite his visit, there appears to have been no significant Methodist community in the town until the mid-19th century, when a small group of worshipers began meeting in Bridge Street.<ref name=Godfrey_Methodism>{{cite journal |last1= Godfrey |first1= B.E. |year= 2002 |title= The early history of Methodism in Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_6_NO_6_2002.pdf  |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 6 |issue= 6 |pages= 158–161 |access-date= 19 February 2021 }}</ref><ref name=Vardey_1988_p289>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=289}}</ref> The first purpose-built place of worship, the "Iron Chapel", so-named because it was primarily constructed of metal, was erected in 1887 on Church Road. The following year, the congregation numbered around 50, but grew rapidly to over 400 by 1891. Two years later, a new brick building, the present church, was constructed. The Iron Chapel, behind the new church, remained standing and was used for the [[Sunday school]], but was replaced in 1903 by a new hall.<ref name=Godfrey_Methodism/>

===Disciples Church===
Disciples Church is part of the [[Calvary Chapel Association]] of [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] churches. It was formed in 2007 and adopted its present name in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://discipleschurch.co.uk/about-disciples-church/ |title= About Disciples Church |access-date= 1 November 2021 |date= 20 October 2020 |orig-date= 18 November 2014 |publisher= Disciples Church |archive-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211101220433/https://discipleschurch.co.uk/about-disciples-church/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Culture==
===Art===
[[J. M. W. Turner]] (1775{{en dash}}1851) is among the artists who have been inspired to paint scenes of the town and local area. His pencil and watercolour composition ''Leatherhead, Surrey, from across the River Mole, with cattle watering in the foreground'' was probably created in the summer of 1797, when he staying at [[Norbury Park]]. The painting was sold at [[Christie's]] in 2014 for £35,000.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5812644 |title= Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A. (London 1775-1851): Leatherhead, Surrey, from across the River Mole, with cattle watering in the foreground |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Christie's |access-date=  |archive-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211108212610/https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5812644 |url-status= live }}</ref> Other artists who have worked in the town include [[John Hassell]] ({{circa|1767}}{{en dash}}1825) and [[John Varley (painter)|John Varley]] (1778{{en dash}}1842).<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/people/artists/john_hassell/leatherhead/ |title= Leatherhead: Hassell images |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 27 January 2020 |orig-date= 9 August 2013 |publisher= Exploring Surrey's Past |access-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-date= 26 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201026130406/https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/people/artists/john_hassell/leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-45.pdf |title= Leatherhead Bridge |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211108212606/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-45.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|2012|p=3}}</ref>

The [[List of public art in Surrey#Leatherhead|works of public art in the town]] include ornamental ironwork at the King George V Memorial Park<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.forgingmatters.co.uk/portfolio/sculptural-handrails-entrances/ |title= Park improvements |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 30 October 2018 |publisher= Forging Matters |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211111185413/https://www.forgingmatters.co.uk/portfolio/sculptural-handrails-entrances/ |url-status= live }}</ref> and at the junction between the High Street, North Street and Bridge Street.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.molevalley.gov.uk/2019/03/20/repair-and-fresh-new-look-for-leatherheads-high-street-feature/ |title= Repair and fresh new look for Leatherhead's High Street feature |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 20 March 2019 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 11 November 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6322210 |title= Bridges ironwork |last= Capper |first= Ian |date= 17 November 2019 |publisher= UK Geograph |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211111185412/https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6322210 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Theatres and cinemas===
The first presentation of a [[cinematograph]] film in the town took place at the Leatherhead Institute in October 1898. The following year, a second screening took place at the Victoria Hall in the High Street, which had been built in 1890.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=194}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|2001|p=89}}</ref> By 1914, the Victoria Hall was renamed to become the Grand Theatre and was operating as a cinema with a capacity of 550. Further name changes took place before 1946, around which time the venue became known as the Ace Cinema.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30782 |title= Ace Cinema, Leatherhead |last= Roe |first= Ken |year= 2021 |publisher= Cinema Treasures |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116131555/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30782 |url-status= live }}</ref>

In 1949, the Ace Cinema was converted to a 300-seat theatre and a year later, the Leatherhead Theatre was established at the venue.<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131>{{harvnb|Turnbull|2008|pp=129–131}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Leatherhead Theatre was founded by Hazel Vincent Wallace and Michael Marriott as a permanent home for the Under Thirty Theatre Club, which had been established in London in 1948 by the actor, [[Oscar Quitak]].<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/researchers/guides/archives-of-20th-century-repertory-theatre |title= Archives of 20th century repertory theatre |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 24 March 2015 |publisher= Surrey Heritage |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116131556/https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/researchers/guides/archives-of-20th-century-repertory-theatre |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wallace-hazel-vincent/ |title= Wallace, Hazel Vincent |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 23 April 2019 |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Archive |access-date= 16 November 2021 }}</ref>|group=n}} The theatre operated until 1969, but as its popularity increased, its size became restrictive and there was a need for a new and better-equipped performing arts venue in the town.<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131/>

The [[Thorndike Theatre]], in Church Street, was designed by [[Roderick Ham]] in the [[modern architecture|modernist style]]<ref name=C20_Thorndike>{{cite web |url= https://c20society.org.uk/building-of-the-month/thorndike-theatre-leatherhead |title= Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead: Building of the Month |last= Calder |first= Barnabas |date= June 2004 |publisher= 20th Century Society |access-date= 27 August 2021 |archive-date= 27 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210827153416/https://c20society.org.uk/building-of-the-month/thorndike-theatre-leatherhead |url-status= live }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Thorndike Theatre was rebuilt from the former Crescent Cinema, which was originally constructed in 1939 and which was run by a local family until the 1960s.<ref name=Vardey_2001_pp123-124>{{harvnb|Vardey|2001|pp=123–124}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-30.pdf |title= The Crescent Cinema, Church Street, Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125437/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-30.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> Although the exterior walls of the Crescent were retained, the interior, including the 526-seat auditorium and lobby, was built anew for the Thorndike Theatre.<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131/>|group=n}} and was opened in 1969 by [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]].<ref name=Vardey_2001_pp123-124/> Named for the actor [[Sybil Thorndike]], its construction was primarily paid for by private donations, with some additional funding from the Leatherhead UDC and the [[Arts Council England|Arts Council]].<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131/> Although it was initially popular, the theatre regularly ran operating deficits and, following several years of cuts in public subsidy, it closed in 1997 with a total debt of almost £1.2 million.<ref name=Turnbull_2008_pp129-131/><ref name=Lhead_Theatre>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-theatre.org/history.php |title= History |publisher= Leatherhead Theatre |access-date= 16 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911144255/http://www.the-theatre.org/history.php |archive-date=11 September 2009 }}</ref> It reopened in 2001 as a part-time theatre,<ref name=Lhead_Theatre/> cinema, community space and meeting place for the [[Evangelicalism|evangelical group]], Pioneer People.<ref name=Vardey_2001_pp123-124/><ref name=C20_Thorndike/> The annual Leatherhead Drama Festival, for amateur theatre groups, was launched at the theatre in 2004 and ran for 16 years.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheaddramafestival.co.uk |title= Leatherhead Drama Festival |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= October 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Drama Festival |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211116110523/https://www.leatherheaddramafestival.co.uk/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Literature===
The [[Sherlock Holmes]] short story "[[The Adventure of the Speckled Band]]" is partly set near the town. During the story, Holmes and Watson travel to Leatherhead from Waterloo station by train. It was first published in 1892 and is one of 12 featured in ''[[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cawthorne|2011|p=66}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2014|p=54}}</ref> The 1984 [[interactive fiction]] video game ''[[Sherlock (video game)|Sherlock]]'', developed by [[Beam Software]], is partly set in Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite news |last= Gerrard |first= Mike|date= 30 August 1984 |title= Adventuring into an unknown world |work= The Guardian |page= 13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.giantbomb.com/sherlock/3030-18050/ |title= Sherlock |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 29 October 2021 |publisher= Giant Bomb |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211102104132/https://www.giantbomb.com/sherlock/3030-18050/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

Leatherhead features in the novel ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' by  [[H. G. Wells]], first published in 1897. On about the tenth day following the [[Martian]] invasion of Earth, the entire town (where the narrator has sent his wife for safety) is obliterated:  "it had been destroyed, with every soul in it, by a Martian. He had swept it out of existence, as it seemed, without any provocation, as a boy might crush an ant-hill, in the mere wantonness of power."<ref>{{harvnb|Wells|1898|p=285}}</ref>

===Music===
The Leatherhead Town Band was founded in 1887. Its activities ceased during the First and Second World Wars and, on its reformation in 1947, it was known as the Bookham and District Silver Band. In 1974, it changed its name again to the Mole Valley Silver Band, to reflect the formation of the new local authority area.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.molevalleysilverband.org.uk/history.html |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Mole Valley Silver Band |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200208092118/http://molevalleysilverband.org.uk/history.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=91}}</ref> The band performs regularly in and around the towns of Leatherhead and Dorking.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.molevalleysilverband.org.uk/home.html |title= Home |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Mole Valley Silver Band |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200208174444/http://molevalleysilverband.org.uk/home.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

The Leatherhead Operatic Society was founded as the Leatherhead Pierrots in 1904. Two years later, the group was reformed as the Leatherhead & District Amateur Dramatics & Operatic Society and gave its first performance, ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' by [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]. The group performed at the Victoria Hall until 1922, when the venue was turned into a cinema. For the next seventeen years, the society used a number of venues in the local area, until the Crescent Cinema opened in 1939. Since 1970, the group has staged its summer performances at the Thorndike Theatre and the Leatherhead Theatre, with a brief hiatus between 1996 and 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.los.org.uk/history/ |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2019 |publisher= Leatherhead Operatic Society |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120170300/https://www.los.org.uk/history/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=88}}</ref>

The Leatherhead Choral Society (LCS) was formed in 1907, but its early history is unclear. It was refounded in 1928 to take part in the [[Leith Hill Musical Festival]]. [[Kathleen Riddick]] conducted the group in 1939 and LCS continued to perform during the Second World War. A musical work was composed by [[William Blezard]] to celebrate the society's 50th anniversary in 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/history |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Choral Society |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 12 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210212232121/https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/history |url-status= live }}</ref> In recent years, the LCS has typically given concerts in the summer and in early December, as well as participating in the Leith Hill Musical Festival around Easter.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/what-we-do |title= What we do |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Choral Society |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 14 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210214152149/https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/what-we-do |url-status= live }}</ref>

The Leatherhead Orchestra traces its origins to an [[adult education]] class established {{circa|1954}}, but was formally founded in around 1958 by Kathleen Riddick.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/history.php |title= A short history of Leatherhead Orchestra |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Orchestra |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211101215142/https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/history.php |url-status= live }}</ref> Since 2015, the group has given three concerts each year.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/past_programmes.php |title= Past programmes 2015-2019 |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Orchestra |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 27 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201127223759/https://leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/past_programmes.php |url-status= live }}</ref>

The band [[John's Children]], which included sometime frontman [[Marc Bolan]], was formed in the town in 1963 by [[Andy Ellison]] and [[Chris Townson]], former pupils of nearby [[Box Hill School]]. They occasionally appeared at the Chuck Wagon Club on Bridge Street.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.johnschildren.co.uk/ |title=John's Children official site |access-date=16 August 2009 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182936/http://www.johnschildren.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= George |first= Sarah |date= 22 January 2018 |title= The Bluesette Club: The fascinating history of Leatherhead's much-loved former live music venue as plaque is unveiled to commemorate its influence |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/bluesette-club-fascinating-history-leatherheads-14186353 |access-date= 24 July 2022 }}</ref>

[[Nigel Gray#Surrey Sound Studios|Surrey Sound recording studio]] was established in 1974 by producer [[Nigel Gray]] in a former village hall in the north of the town. Early demo pieces for, among others, [[the Wombles]] and [[Joan Armatrading]] were followed, by the recording of much of the early repertoire of [[the Police]].<ref name=NigelGray>{{cite web |first=Craig |last=Richard |url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14657438.Doctor_who_recorded_The_Police_albums_in_Leatherhead_dies/ |title=Doctor who Recorded The Police albums in Leatherhead died |publisher=yourlocalguardian.co.uk |date=2 August 2016 |access-date=4 August 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817115903/http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14657438.Doctor_who_recorded_The_Police_albums_in_Leatherhead_dies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Police songs recorded at Surrey Sound Studio included "[[Roxanne (The Police song)|Roxanne]]" and the band's debut album, ''[[Outlandos d'Amour]]''; ''[[Reggatta de Blanc]]'' and its singles "[[Message in a Bottle (The Police song)|Message in a Bottle]]" and "[[Walking on the Moon]]"; and the [[Grammy Award]]-winning ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' and its hit single "[[Don't Stand So Close to Me]]".<ref name=NigelGray/>|group= n}} Other groups recording there included [[Godley & Creme]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Rick Astley]], the [[The Lotus Eaters (band)|Lotus Eaters]], [[Alternative TV]] and [[Bros (British band)|Bros]]. The studio was sold by Gray in 1987.<ref name=NigelGray/>

[[Robyn Hitchcock]] refers to Leatherhead in the song "Clean Steve".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/26866015/Robyn+Hitchcock |title= Clean Steve lyrics |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Lyrics.com |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211102104149/https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/26866015/Robyn+Hitchcock |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Television and film===
Leatherhead has been mentioned in a number of films and television programmes. The film ''[[I Want Candy (film)|I Want Candy]]'', released in March 2007, is partly set in the town. [[Brooklands College]], [[Weybridge]] was used as the filming location for the fictional "Leatherhead University".<ref>{{cite news |last= Macnab |first= Geoffrey |date= May 2007 |title= I want Candy |volume= 17 |issue= 5 |page= 66 |work= Sight and Sound |location= London}}</ref>

[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]] refers to Leatherhead in the "Red Indian in Theatre" sketch. [[Eric Idle]], in Native American costume says, "When moon high over prairie, when wolf howl over mountain, when mighty wind roar through Yellow Valley, we go Leatherhead Rep - block booking, upper circle - whole tribe get it on three and six each."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_1/41.htm |title= Monty Python Scripts: Red Indian in Theatre |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Another bleedin' Monty Python website |access-date= 31 October 2021 |archive-date= 25 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180925094954/http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_1/41.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> The television sketch show ''[[That Mitchell and Webb Look]]'' took a jab at Leatherhead in series two, episode four. In one sketch, a librarian comments to a customer that she is "possibly one of the stupidest people I've ever met. And I lived in Leatherhead for six miserable years."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=that-mitchell-and-webb-look-2006&episode=s02e04|title=That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006) s02e04 Episode Script {{!}} SS|website=Springfield! Springfield!|access-date=29 February 2020|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122214211/https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> The house that was used as the filming location for [[Arthur Dent]]'s residence for the TV series ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', is in Leatherhead.<ref>{{harvnb|Gaiman|2018|p=93}}</ref>

==Sport==
===Leisure Centre===
[[File:Leatherhead Leisure Centre (geograph 5410389).jpg|thumb|Leatherhead Leisure Centre]]
The Leisure Centre was opened in 1975 by the Leatherhead Urban District Council<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp264-265>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=264–265}}</ref> and was extended in the 1980s with the addition of the Mole Barn. Plans to build a new centre on the site were drawn up by Mole Valley District Council prior to 2006, but instead the facility was given a 20-month, £12.6m refit and a further extension, which was opened by the [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent|Duke of Kent]] in March 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mole |first=Charlie |date= 2 April 2011 |title= Duke of Kent opens new Leatherhead Leisure Centre |url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8949639.duke-of-kent-opens-new-leatherhead-leisure-centre/ |work= Sutton and Croydon Guardian |access-date= 16 February 2021}}</ref> The upgraded centre includes a redesigned reception and entrance area, a new gym, [[aerobics]] studio, [[sauna]] and play areas.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-10677513|title=Leatherhead Leisure Centre revamp nears completion|work=BBC News|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122214213/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-10677513|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8912552.Duke_of_Kent_to_open___12_6m_leisure_centre/ |title=Duke of Kent to open £12.6m leisure centre |last=Mole |first=Charlie |work=Your Local Guardian |access-date=17 March 2011 |archive-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120330013013/http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/8912552.Duke_of_Kent_to_open___12_6m_leisure_centre/|url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2023, a report to the cabinet committee of Mole Valley District Council stated that 750,000 visits were made each year to Leatherhead Leisure Centre.<ref>{{cite news |last= Caulfield |first= Chris |date= 1 August 2023 |title= Futures of 'extremely well used' Surrey leisure centres secured |work= SurreyLive |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/futures-extremely-well-used-surrey-27435786 |access-date= 2 August 2023 }}</ref>

===Cricket===
Cricket has been played at Leatherhead since at least 1840, when a match is recorded against a team from Dorking. The Leatherhead Cricket Club was founded in 1850<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadcc.co.uk/a/club-history-49092.html |title= Club History |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 28 August 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Cricket Club |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 16 September 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170916135207/http://www.leatherheadcc.co.uk/a/club-history-49092.html |url-status= live }}</ref> and initially played its home games at the Kingston Road recreation ground. It moved to Fetcham Grove in the 1930s.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp264-265/>

===Football===
[[File:Altrincham_v_Leatherhead_1978.jpg|thumb|right|[[Altrincham F.C.]] ''versus'' [[Leatherhead F.C.]], [[FA Trophy|F. A. Trophy]] Final at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], April 1978<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lusaweb.co.uk/players78.htm |title= F. A. Trophy Final, 29 April 1978 |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 27 May 2013 |publisher= The Alty Files |access-date= 16 November 2021 |archive-date= 31 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210831145937/http://www.lusaweb.co.uk/players78.htm |url-status= live }}</ref>]]
[[Leatherhead F.C.]], commonly known as "The Tanners",<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp264-265/> was formed in 1946 as a result of the merger of two existing clubs, Leatherhead Rose and Leatherhead United. Leatherhead Rose, founded {{circa|1907}}, drew the majority of its players from the Leatherhead Common area and was named after the Rose Coffee Rooms on Kingston Road; Leatherhead United was formed in 1924 and the following season were Division One Champions of the Sutton and District League.<ref name=Lhead_FC>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadfc.com/a/club-history-58517.html |title= Club History |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 23 October 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead F. C. |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125449/https://www.leatherheadfc.com/a/club-history-58517.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=192}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-87.pdf |title= Leatherhead Rose Football Club |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125440/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-87.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

Following the merger, the new club adopted Fetcham Grove as its home ground and, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, were champions of the Surrey County Senior League for four consecutive years.<ref name=Lhead_FC/> In 1969, the team won the Surrey County FA Senior Challenge Cup, the Senior Shield and the Intermediate Cup. They were semi-finalists in the 1971 and 1974 [[FA Amateur Cup]] competitions.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp264-265/> The Tanners achieved national press coverage in the 1974–75 season, when they were drawn against [[Football League First Division|First Division]] [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] at home in the [[FA Cup]] Fourth Round Proper.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp264-265/><ref name=Lhead_FC/> In the [[2017–18 FA Cup|2017]]–18 FA Cup they reached the second round proper, in which they played against [[Wycombe Wanderers F.C.|Wycombe]] Wanderers.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42126511 |title= Wycombe Wanderers 3 – Leatherhead 1 |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 3 December 2017 |publisher= BBC Sport |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200203155513/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42126511 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Golf===
The Leatherhead Club was founded as the Surrey Golf Club, but adopted its present name in 1908. The 18-hole course was designed by the Scottish golfer, [[Peter Paxton]], and the first nine holes opened in October 1903. The Prime Minister, [[Arthur Balfour]], was one of those who played at the course in 1907. In 1928, [[Alf Perry]] joined as Club Professional and, seven years later, he won the [[1935 Open Championship]] at [[Muirfield]]. The clubhouse suffered bomb damage during the Second World War. The construction of the M25 motorway in the late 1970s, necessitated changes to the layout of the southern part of the course.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://theleatherheadclub.com/club-history/ |title= Club History |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 30 August 2020 |orig-date= 20 August 2020 |publisher= The Leatherhead Club |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 19 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210119150614/https://theleatherheadclub.com/club-history/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-24.pdf |title= Leatherhead Golf Club, Kingston Road |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125439/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-24.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

The 18-hole Tyrells Wood Golf Course was designed by [[James Braid (golfer)|James Braid]] in the grounds of Tyrells Wood House in 1922.<ref name=TW_golf>{{cite web |url= https://www.tyrrellswoodgolfclub.com/history |title= History at Tyrells Wood |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2001 |publisher= Tyrells Wood Golf Club |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 23 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210123164808/https://www.tyrrellswoodgolfclub.com/history |url-status= live }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Tyrells Wood house was built for the banker, Roger Cunliffe, in around 1880.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=158}}</ref> The house and the surrounding {{convert|250|acre|ha|order=flip|abbr=on}} were bought by the politician, [[Henry Keswick (politician)|Henry Keswick]] in 1913. The estate was sold again in 1922 to the founders of the Golf Club, although not all of the land was required for the course and, in 1925, some land was released for housebuilding.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=325}}</ref>|group= n}} The Club opened two years later.<ref name=TW_golf/>

Pachesham Golf Centre opened in 1989 as a nine-hole course, but was remodelled in 2014 to a six-hole course. The centre has a 28-bay, floodlit [[driving range]], which is the longest in Surrey.<ref>{{cite news |last= Dunsmuir |first= Alistair |date= 24 July 2019 |title= This is why we converted our golf club into a six-hole venue |url= https://www.thegolfbusiness.co.uk/2019/07/this-is-why-we-converted-our-golf-club-into-a-six-hole-venue/ |work= The Golf Business |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 24 December 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191224124608/http://www.thegolfbusiness.co.uk/2019/07/this-is-why-we-converted-our-golf-club-into-a-six-hole-venue/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.pacheshamgolf.co.uk/driving_range.htm |title= Driving Range |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 1 September 2020 |publisher= Pachesham Golf Centre |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 24 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210224223640/https://www.pacheshamgolf.co.uk/driving_range.htm |url-status= live }}</ref>

Beaverbrook golf course, to the south of Leatherhead, was designed by David McLay-Kidd and [[Tom Watson (golfer)|Tom Watson]]. The 7,100 yard, 72-par course opened in the grounds of [[Cherkley Court]] in 2016.<ref name=Golf_100>{{cite web |url= https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/beaverbrook |title= Beaverbrook - Surrey - England |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 25 August 2021 |publisher= Top100 golf courses |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 14 April 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210414072751/https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/beaverbrook |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Whitbread |first= John |date= 24 July 2015 |title= Tom Watson tees off talk on the Beaverbrook golf course |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/sport/other-sport/tom-watson-tees-talk-beaverbrook-9718255 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210120015930/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/sport/other-sport/tom-watson-tees-talk-beaverbrook-9718255 |url-status= live }}</ref> The construction of the course was opposed by local residents and environmental campaigners, who mounted a series of legal challenges to the development.<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 22 August 2013 |title= Surrey Cherkley Court Hotel and golf club plan quashed |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-23795592 |work= BBC News |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210713020929/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-23795592 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 21 May 2014 |title= Cherkley Court leave to appeal denied |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-27508918 |work= BBC News |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 25 February 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150225154123/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-27508918 |url-status= live }}</ref> Construction of the clubhouse was completed in 2018.<ref name=Golf_100/>

==Tourist attractions==
===Bocketts Farm===
{{main|Bocketts Farm}}
Bocketts Farm covers an area of {{convert|52|ha|acre|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} to the southwest of the town.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p128>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=128}}</ref> Formerly part of the manor of Thorncroft, it was subinfeudated around 1170.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=35}}</ref> Both the [[farmhouse]] and the [[timber framing|timber-framed]] [[granary]] date from around 1800 and are [[Grade II listed]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1028597|desc=Bocketts Farmhouse, Young Street|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1028598|desc=Granary approximately 15 metres northeast of Bocketts Farmhouse, Young Street|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref> The farm was purchased by the Gowing family in 1990 and was opened to the public two years later.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bockettsfarm.co.uk/about-us/our-story.asp |title= Our Story |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Bocketts Farm Ltd |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 27 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201127224235/https://www.bockettsfarm.co.uk/about-us/our-story.asp |url-status= live}}</ref>

===Leatherhead Museum===
[[File:Leatherhead Museum (uk geograph 3482724).jpg|thumb|right|Leatherhead Museum]]
Leatherhead Museum was opened in 1980 by the Leatherhead & District Local History Society. It houses a wide range of historical artefacts and permanent displays explain the history of the town from its origins to the present day. Hampton Cottage, the building in Church Street in which the museum is based, dates from before 1682.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadhistory.org/museum |title= The Museum |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128231041/https://www.leatherheadhistory.org/museum |url-status= live }}</ref>

===River Mole local nature reserve===
The [[River Mole LNR|River Mole local nature reserve]] is a {{convert|23.3|ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} protected corridor that stretches along the banks for the river from Young Street (in the south) to Waterway Road (in the north).<ref name=LNR>{{cite web|url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1123058&SiteName=&countyCode=41&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=River Mole |series=Local Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England |access-date=27 November 2018 |archive-date=18 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018003155/https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1123058&SiteName=&countyCode=41&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=LNRmap>{{cite web |url= https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=Ref_CODE%3D%271123058%27 |title= Map of River Mole |series= Local Nature Reserves |publisher= Natural England |access-date= 27 November 2018 |archive-date= 12 December 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181212184046/https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271123058%27 |url-status= live }}</ref> It was designated in 2005 for its diversity of plant and animal species.<ref name=LNR/>

==Notable buildings and landmarks==
===All Saints' community café and hub===
[[File:All Saints Church Centre, Kingston Road, Leatherhead (geograph 6344148).jpg|thumb|All Saints' community café and hub, Leatherhead]]
All Saints' Church on Kingston Road was consecrated in February 1889 as a daughter church to St Mary's. It was designed by the architect, [[Arthur Blomfield]], and was built to serve a new area of housing under construction to the north of the town centre.<ref name=Heath_Tarplee_2005_p40>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=40}}</ref> On opening, the church could accommodate 300 people, but was later extended with the addition of a lady chapel.<ref name=All_Saints>{{cite web |url= http://www.parishchurch.leatherheadweb.org.uk/allsaints.html |title= All Saints' Church, Kingston Road, Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 14 June 2005 |publisher= Parish of Leatherhead |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 4 December 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041204170757/http://www.parishchurch.leatherheadweb.org.uk/allsaints.html |url-status= live }}</ref> By 1980, the congregation had dwindled and the building was in need of repair. A decision was taken to convert the nave of the church to a community space, while retaining the chancel as a place of worship.<ref name=Heath_Tarplee_2005_p40/> The dual-purpose facility was rededicated by the [[Bishop of Dorking]] in March 1982.<ref name=All_Saints/> 

In 2005, the nave of the church was converted to a Youth Project Café, known as "B Free", to be a space for young people to meet and socialise.<ref name=Heath_Tarplee_2005_p40/> In 2014, the Leatherhead Youth Project, launched a new social enterprise at the church called "AllSaints". The project supports disadvantaged young people, especially those [[NEET|not in education, employment or training]], and provides opportunities for participants to gain employment and life skills.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://allsaints.so/our-story/ |title= Our Story |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 18 August 2021 |publisher= AllSaints Coffee Shop |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211111171703/https://allsaints.so/our-story/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Cherkley Court===
{{main|Cherkley Court}}
Cherkley Court was constructed in around 1870 for Abraham Dixon, a wealthy industrialist from the Midlands.<ref name=Cherkley_NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1028629|desc=Cherkley Court, with attached garden walls|access-date=2 February 2019|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref name=Vardey_1988_pp155-156>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=155–156}}</ref> It was substantially rebuilt after a fire in 1893<ref name=Cherkley_NHLE/><ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Fire |location= London |date= 27 July 1893 |issue= 34014 |page= 10}}</ref> and was sold in 1910 to [[Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook]], the Canadian-born owner of the ''[[Daily Express]]''.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=30358|title=Aitken, William Maxwell, first Baron Beaverbrook}}</ref> Following the death of [[Sir Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet|Beaverbrook's son]] in 1985,<ref>{{Who's Who | id= U161392 | doi= 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U161392 | title=Aitken, Sir (John William) Max}}</ref> the estate was owned by the Beaverbrook Foundation until 2011, when it was bought by a consortium of private investors.<ref>{{cite news |last= Adams |first= James |date= 27 April 2011 |title= Lord Beaverbrook's legendary English estate sold to investors |url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/lord-beaverbrooks-legendary-english-estate-sold-to-investors/article577756/ |work= The Globe and Mail |location= Toronto, Ontario |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 2 April 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170402180900/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/lord-beaverbrooks-legendary-english-estate-sold-to-investors/article577756/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Despite considerable local opposition,<ref>{{cite news |last= Edwards |first= Mark |date= 26 September 2014 |title= Second court rejection for Cherkley Court campaigners |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/second-court-rejection-cherkley-court-7836215 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 19 December 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151219233746/http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/second-court-rejection-cherkley-court-7836215 |url-status= live }}</ref> the house was converted to a luxury hotel, spa and golf course, which opened in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last= Edwards |first= Mark |date= 10 August 2015 |title= Cherkley Court set for luxury hotel and golf course revamp |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cherkley-court-set-luxury-hotel-9823256 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 19 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170319225835/http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cherkley-court-set-luxury-hotel-9823256 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Morris |first= Deborah |date= 15 September 2017 |title= An iconic Leatherhead country house is now a luxurious hotel and this is what it looks like inside |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/iconic-leatherhead-country-house-now-13608610 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 15 February 2017 |archive-date= 28 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210228115336/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/iconic-leatherhead-country-house-now-13608610 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Cradlers===
[[File:Cradlers, 33-35 High Street, Leatherhead (geograph 6323226).jpg|thumb|right|Cradlers, High Street]]
The building at 33 and 35 High Street, commonly known as "Cradlers", is a late-medieval open [[hall house]], formerly owned by the Manor of Thorncroft. It most likely originated as a farmhouse and was built on the edge of one of the common fields. Although the earliest surviving records of the building date from 1527,<ref name=Blair_1975>{{cite journal |last1= Blair |first1= WJ |year= 1975 |title= "Cradlers" Leatherhead, 33/5 High Street |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_9_1975.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 9 |pages= 298–312 |access-date= 31 January 2021 }}</ref> the construction methods used suggest that it was built in the 13th or 14th century (most likely between 1320 and 1360).<ref name=Blair_1987>{{cite journal |last1= Blair |first= W. J. |year= 1987 |title= Cradlers, Leatherhead: a 14th century timber-framed house |url= https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-379-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_78/surreyac078_073-077_blair.pdf |journal= Surrey Archaeological Collections |volume= 78 |pages= 73–77 |doi= 10.5284/1069129 |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125440/https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-379-1%2Fdissemination%2Fpdf%2Fvol_78%2Fsurreyac078_073-077_blair.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The western part of the building (now number 33) was constructed as a single-storey hall, but the height of the walls was later raised and an upper floor inserted. The larger eastern part (number 35) was built as two storeys from the outset. In the late medieval period, the rooms closest to the street were probably used as living quarters, but the northernmost third of the [[wing (building)|wing]] may have contained a workshop and hayloft.<ref name=Blair_1975/>

Although much of its original timber frame survives, Cradlers has been altered at several points in its history.<ref name=Blair_1987/> In the 17th century, a chimney stack and internal staircase were added<ref name=NHLE_Cradlers>{{NHLE|num=1190843|desc=33 and 35 High Street|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date= 2 November 2021}}</ref> and the roof was rebuilt around the same time, probably reusing used timbers from other buildings. In the early modern period, Cradlers may have served as a tavern or hostelry<ref name=Blair_1987/> and at different times in the 19th and 20th centuries, it housed a butchers, a fruiterers and a ladies' outfitters.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/Leatherhead-High-Street.htm |title= Streets and Roads: Leatherhead High Street |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 30 March 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Local History |access-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125452/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/Leatherhead-High-Street.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> As part of a renovation project carried out in the mid-1980s, the modern shopfronts were removed and the street-facing frontage was restored to its original position.<ref name=Blair_1987/><ref name=NHLE_Cradlers/>

===Leatherhead Institute===
[[File:Leatherhead Institute (uk geograph 6328060).jpg|thumb|right|Leatherhead Institute]]
The Leatherhead Institute was built in 1892. It was given to the town by Abraham Dixon,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://leatherheadinstitute.uk/history/ |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Leatherhead Institute |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216200341/https://leatherheadinstitute.uk/history/ |url-status= live }}</ref> who wanted the building to be used to provide educational, social and recreational opportunities to local residents.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp155-156/> During the Second World War, it housed the local Food and Fuel Offices.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp244-249>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=244–249}}</ref> A major restoration project was completed in 1987.<ref name=Vardey_1988_p268>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=268}}</ref>

===Running Horse pub===
[[File:The Running Horse Pub, Leatherhead - Surrey.jpg|thumb|The Running Horse]]
[[The Running Horse]] pub, at the east end of Leatherhead Bridge, is one of the oldest buildings in the town. It is a late-medieval open hall house and was part of the Manor of Thorncroft. Much of the timber frame is original and probably dates from the late 15th century, although the roof was later rebuilt. Later alterations include the insertion of the first floor in the 17th century and installation of interior panelling in the 18th century.<ref name=Blair_Running_Horse>{{cite journal |last1= Blair |first1= WJ |year= 1976 |title= The Running Horse |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_10_1976.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 10 |pages= 347–351 |access-date= 31 January 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1293800|desc=The Running Horse public House|grade=II*|fewer-links=yes|access-date= 31 January 2021}}</ref>

===Sweech House===
The timber-framed Sweech House, on Gravel Hill, is one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead. Its name is thought to derive from "switch", indicating that it stood close to a road junction.<ref name=Sweech_Potted>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-22.pdf |title= Sweech House & Gravel Hill, Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125440/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-22.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The land on which it stands may have belonged to the manor of Minchin during the late-medieval period. The southernmost part of the building is the oldest and dates from the 15th century. It was probably constructed as a farmhouse and originally it had an open hall structure.<ref name=NHLE_Sweech>{{NHLE|num=1028622|desc=Sweech House|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date= 3 November 2021}}</ref><ref name=Harvey_1971>{{cite journal |last1= Harvey |first1= John H. |year= 1971 |title= Sweech House (Nos 2, 4 and 6) Gravel Hill, Leatherhead |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_3_NO_5_1971.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 3 |issue= 5 |pages= 146–153 |access-date= 3 November 2021 }}</ref> In the late 16th century, it was extended to the north in two separate phases.<ref name=NHLE_Sweech/> At different points in its history, the building has been divided into up to four cottages, most likely to provide accommodation for farm labourers. Sweech House was donated to the Leatherhead Countryside Protection Society in the 1940s.<ref name=Harvey_1971/>

===The Mansion===
[[File:The Mansion, Leatherhead (uk geograph 2438831).jpg|thumb|right|The Mansion]]
The Mansion, in Church Street, houses the [[public library]], [[register office (United Kingdom)|register office]] and council offices.<ref name=Potted_Mansion>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-7.pdf |title= The Mansion, Leatherhead |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-date= 3 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103125440/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-7.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=Mansion_NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1028620|desc=The Manison|access-date=15 February 2019|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>  A map of the town from 1600 shows a house on the site, which may formerly have been the manor house for the manor of Minchin.<ref name=Benger_1953_Mansion/>{{#tag:ref|It has been suggested that the name "Mansion'" may be a corruption of 'Minchin'.<ref name=Benger_1953_Mansion/>|group= n}} During the late [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] period, it was the home of [[Edmund Tylney]], Master of the Revels, in effect the official censor of the time.<ref name=Potted_Mansion/><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Benger |first1= FB |year= 1951 |title= Edmund Tylney: A Leatherhead worthy |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_1_NO_5_1951.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 1 |issue= 5 |pages=16–21 |access-date= 1 February 2021 }}</ref> and [[Elizabeth I]] is thought to have dined with him in Leatherhead in August 1591.<ref name=Potted_Mansion/>{{#tag:ref|The [[Wetherspoons]] pub on Leatherhead [[High Street]] is named after Edmund Tylney.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/surrey/the-edmund-tylney-leatherhead |title= The Edmund Tylney |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= JD Wetherspoon plc |access-date= 7 February 2021 |archive-date= 25 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201125021337/https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/surrey/the-edmund-tylney-leatherhead |url-status= live }}</ref>|group= n}}

The external appearance of The Mansion largely dates from 1739, when the house was rebuilt in red brick, although a partial remodelling took place {{circa|1810}}.<ref name=Mansion_NHLE/> From 1846 until some point in the 1870s, the building was used as a boarding and day school for around 50 boys, who were taught using the [[Joseph Jacotot|Jacotot education system]]. In 1949, The Mansion was subject to a compulsory purchase order and was acquired by Surrey County Council and Leatherhead UDC for use as a health clinic and the public library.<ref name=Potted_Mansion/> During a refurbishment in 2000, the library was moved from the ground floor to the south range and the space released was repurposed for the Registry Office.<ref name=Potted_Mansion/><ref name=Mansion_NHLE/>

===Thorncroft Manor house===
The current Thorncroft Manor house was designed {{circa|1763}} by the architect, [[Robert Taylor (architect)|Robert Taylor]], for the politician and businessman, [[Henry Crabb-Boulton]]. It is built in a [[Palladian architecture#Neo-Palladianism|Neo-Palladian]] style, influenced by the [[Renaissance architecture|early Rennaissence]], with light [[Rococo]] ornamentation. The building was enlarged with the addition of a rear wing in 1789, possibly designed by George Gwilt. The engineering firm, Howard Humphreys & Sons, purchased the house in 1971 and subsequently constructed additional office space, glazed with reflective glass.<ref name=Garnier_2008/><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Blair |first1= WJ |year= 1976 |title= Pen sketches of old houses in this district |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_1_NO_6_1952.pdf|journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 1 |issue= 6 |pages= 19–23 |access-date= 2 November 2021 }}</ref>

===War memorial===
[[File:War Memorial, Leatherhead, Surrey - geograph.org.uk - 1394110.jpg|thumb|right|Leatherhead War Memorial]]
The war memorial in North Street was designed by Stock, Page and Stock, a London firm of architects and was dedicated in April 1921.<ref name=ImpWarMus>{{cite web |url= https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/23398 |title= Leatherhead Garden of Remembrance |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= March 2019 |publisher= Imperial War Museum |access-date= 16 February 2021}}</ref> It consists of a long, [[storey|single-storey]] building with 11 open arches, constructed of brick and [[flint]]. The arches face a terraced garden, in which there is a free-standing cross made of Portland stone.<ref name=NHLE_WarMemorial>{{NHLE|num=1028627|desc=War Memorial|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref> The land on which the memorial stands was given to the town by Charles Leach, who funded much of the building work and whose son had been a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[History of the Scots Guards (1914–1945)|Scots Guards]]. In total, 186 names are inscribed on stone tablets inside the cloister-like structure, of whom 117 died in the First World War.<ref name=ImpWarMus/> The memorial is protected by a Grade II listing.<ref name=NHLE_WarMemorial/>

===Wesley House===
{{main|Wesley House, Leatherhead}}
The [[Art Deco]] [[Wesley House, Leatherhead|Wesley House]], on Bull Hill, was built in 1935 as the offices of the Leatherhead Urban District Council (UDC).<ref name=NHLE_Wesley>{{NHLE|num=1113328|desc=Wesley House, with steps and walls to front|grade=II|fewer-links=yes|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|From 1922 until the opening of Wesley House in 1935, the Leatherhead UDC offices were in Surrey House, Church Street.<ref>{{harvnb|Hennegan|Powell|2011|p=58}}</ref>|group=n}} It was designed by the architects C. H. Rose and H. R. Gardner and was constructed of red brick. The original [[debate chamber|council chamber]] is preserved at the rear of the property.<ref name=NHLE_Wesley/> Wesley House was vacated by the UDC in 1983, when it became part of Mole Valley District Council.<ref name=Vardey_1988_pp296-299>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=296–299}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|2012|p=33}}</ref>

==Parks and open spaces==
===King George V memorial gardens===
The memorial gardens on Bull Hill, to the north of the town centre, were opened in 1936, following the death of [[George V]].<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|p=241}}</ref> The {{convert|0.39|ha|acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} site is managed by Mole Valley District Council and has been protected by the [[Fields in Trust]] charity since 1938.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/King-George's-Field,-Leatherhead |title= King George's Field, Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 8 November 2021 |publisher= Fields in Trust |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110759/https://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/King-George%27s-Field%2C-Leatherhead |url-status= live}}</ref>

===Leach Grove Wood===
Leach Grove Wood is a {{convert|2.9|ha|acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} area of woodland, adjacent to Leatherhead Hospital, owned by the NHS.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oss.org.uk/appeal-court-upholds-village-green-registrations-in-lancashire-and-surrey/ |title= Appeal court upholds village green registrations in Lancashire and Surrey |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 17 April 2018 |publisher= Open Spaces Society |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110759/https://www.oss.org.uk/appeal-court-upholds-village-green-registrations-in-lancashire-and-surrey/ |url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=Leach_Grove_Wood_NHS>{{cite web |url= https://www.property.nhs.uk/news-insight/news/leatherhead-supreme-court/ |title= NHS Property Services wins appeal to the Supreme Court |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 16 December 2019 |publisher= NHS Property Services |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110756/https://www.property.nhs.uk/news-insight/news/leatherhead-supreme-court/ |url-status= live }}</ref> It is named after Charles Leach, who donated the land on which the hospital is built, to the town.<ref>{{harvnb|Vardey|1988|pp=225–226}}</ref> In 2013, a group of local residents applied to register the wood as a [[village green]], to guarantee public access to the site in perpetuity.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.womblebonddickinson.com/uk/insights/news/wbd-advising-nhs-property-services-supreme-court-village-green-case |title= WBD advising NHS Property Services on Supreme Court village green case |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 11 July 2019 |publisher= Womble Bond Dickinson |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110756/https://www.womblebonddickinson.com/uk/insights/news/wbd-advising-nhs-property-services-supreme-court-village-green-case |url-status= live }}</ref> The registration was upheld by the High Court in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last= Johnson |first= Thomas |date= 30 April 2018 |title= Leatherhead resident saves Leach Grove Wood from being turned into NHS car park |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/leatherhead-resident-saves-leach-grove-14547272 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110805/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/leatherhead-resident-saves-leach-grove-14547272 |url-status= live }}</ref> The NHS subsequently successfully appealed against the registration at the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom|Supreme Court]] and the village green status was removed.<ref name=Leach_Grove_Wood_NHS/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2018-0094-judgment.pdf |title= R (on the application of Lancashire County Council) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Respondent) |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 11 December 2019 |publisher= The Supreme Court |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 15 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210715175751/https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2018-0094-judgment.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Mansion Gardens===
[[File:The Mansion House in Leatherhead - geograph.org.uk - 342270.jpg|thumb|right|Garden at the rear of The Mansion]]
The Mansion Gardens is a small formal garden between The Mansion and the River Mole.<ref name=MVDC_gardens>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/leisure/parks-playgrounds/parks-gardens-and-open-spaces |title= Parks, Gardens and Open Spaces |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2020 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110754/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/leisure/parks-playgrounds/parks-gardens-and-open-spaces |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Park Gardens===
The Park Gardens form the frontage to St Mary's Parish Church at the north end of Gimcrack Hill.<ref name=MVDC_gardens/> The {{convert|0.52|ha|acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} site has been protected by the Fields in Trust charity since 2018. In the gardens, there is a memorial stone to [[Harold Auten]], who was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] in September 1918.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/park-gardens |title= Park Gardens, Church Road, Leatherhead |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 8 November 2021 |publisher= Fields in Trust |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110801/https://www.fieldsintrust.org/FieldSite/park-gardens |url-status= live}}</ref>

===Recreation grounds===
There are two recreation grounds in Leatherhead. The Fortyfoot ground contains a children's [[playground]] and a football pitch, as well as the [[bowling green]] for Leatherhead Bowling Club.<ref name=MVDC_Recs>{{cite web |url= https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/leisure/parks-playgrounds/recreation-and-play-facilities |title= Recreation and play facilities |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2020 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110756/https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/home/leisure/parks-playgrounds/recreation-and-play-facilities |url-status= live }}</ref> The playground was upgraded in 2017 and includes a [[sensory garden]], a [[trampoline]] and a [[zip line]].<ref>{{cite news |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 24 October 2017 |title= Transformed Forty Foot Playground in Leatherhead is now open |url= https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/15616728.transformed-forty-foot-playground-in-leatherhead-is-now-open/ |work= Surrey Comet |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110759/https://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/epsom/15616728.transformed-forty-foot-playground-in-leatherhead-is-now-open/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Tobin |first= Olivia |date= 27 October 2017 |title= Take a look at this new Leatherhead playground with a zip wire and games to support children with learning disabilities |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/take-look-new-leatherhead-playground-13805500 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110817/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/take-look-new-leatherhead-playground-13805500 |url-status= live }}</ref>
The Kingston Road ground has a children's playground, football pitch, [[pavilion]] and a sensory garden.<ref name=MVDC_Recs/> A new [[skatepark]] was installed at the ground in 2017–18, part-funded by a £20,000 donation by the [[London Marathon|London Marathon Charitable Trust]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Richard |first= Craig |date= 29 April 2017 |url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/15254211.mole-valley-district-council-unveil-winning-plans-for-new-skate-park-in-kingston-road-recreation-ground-in-leatherhead/ |work= Sutton & Croydon Guardian |title= Mole Valley District Council unveil winning plans for new skate park in Kingston Road Recreation Ground in Leatherhead |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113110756/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/15254211.mole-valley-district-council-unveil-winning-plans-for-new-skate-park-in-kingston-road-recreation-ground-in-leatherhead/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://teamrubicon.co.uk/launch-event-for-new-leatherhead-skatepark/ |title= Launch Event for new Leatherhead Skate Park |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 1 November 2018 |publisher= Team Rubicon |access-date= 11 November 2021 |archive-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211113123810/http://teamrubicon.co.uk/launch-event-for-new-leatherhead-skatepark/ |url-status= live }}</ref> The skatepark adjacent to Leatherhead Leisure Centre was refurbished in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.molevalley.gov.uk/2020/05/26/skate-park-installation-to-begin-at-leatherhead-leisure-centre/ |title= Skate park installation to begin at Leatherhead Leisure Centre |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 26 May 2020 |publisher= Mole Valley District Council |access-date= 12 November 2021 |archive-date= 2 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210102103217/https://news.molevalley.gov.uk/2020/05/26/skate-park-installation-to-begin-at-leatherhead-leisure-centre/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Harold Auten]] (1891{{en dash}}1964), recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]] during the First World War, was born in Leatherhead.<ref>{{harvnb|Spindler|2016|pp=203–208}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ggusa.htm|title=VC BURIALS - USA|access-date=18 November 2011|archive-date=30 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182837/http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ggusa.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[John Drinkwater Bethune]] (1762{{en dash}}1844), army officer, lived at Thorncroft Manor just outside the town from about 1838 until his death and is buried in the churchyard of the parish church.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=2309|title=Drinkwater, John [later John Drinkwater Bethune]}}</ref>
* Sir [[Thomas Bloodworth]] (1620{{en dash}}1682), [[Lord Mayor of London]] during the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire of 1666]], lived at Thorncroft Manor.<ref name=Benger_1953_Mansion/><ref name=Bastian_Bludworth>{{cite journal |last1= Bastian |first1= F |year= 1962 |title= Leatherhead families of the 16th and 17th centuries: Bludworth of Thorncroft |url= https://leatherheadhistoryarchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VOL_2_NO_6_1962.pdf |journal= Proceedings of the Leatherhead & District Local History Society |volume= 2 |issue= 6 |pages= 177–187 |access-date= 7 February 2021 }}</ref>
* [[Ted Bowley]] (1890{{en dash}}1974), English [[Test cricket]]er.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sussexcricketmuseum.org/edward-h-ted-bowley |title= Edward H. (Ted) Bowley |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 18 October 2020 |publisher= Sussex Cricket Museum |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 1 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201101020346/http://sussexcricketmuseum.org/edward-h-ted-bowley |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Michael Caine]] (born 1933), has lived in Leatherhead and is patron to the Leatherhead Drama Festival.<ref>{{cite news |last= Seymour |first= Jenny |date= 7 January 2019 |title= Sir Michael Caine puts Leatherhead mansion up for sale for £3.75 |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/sir-michael-caine-puts-leatherhead-15641056 |work= Surrey Live |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 1 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201001235131/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/sir-michael-caine-puts-leatherhead-15641056 |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Donald Campbell]] (1921{{en dash}}1967), [[Bluebird record-breaking vehicles|Bluebird]] pilot and fastest man on land and water, lived in Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-50.pdf |title= Donald Campbell: Prior's Ford - Campbell Court |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216200305/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-50.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[John Campbell-Jones]] (1930{{en dash}}2020), former [[Formula One]] racing driver.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/John_Campbell-Jones |title= John Campbell-Jones |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 26 March 2020 |publisher= oldracingcars.com |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 27 October 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191027031943/http://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/John_Campbell-Jones |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Leonard Dawe]] (1889{{en dash}}1963), footballer, teacher and crossword compiler for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''; while living in Leatherhead in 1944 he was wrongly suspected of espionage by inserting codewords for [[Operation Overlord]] into his puzzles.<ref>{{cite news |last= Gilbert |first= Val |date= 3 May 2004 |title= D-Day crosswords are still a few clues short of a solution |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1460892/D-Day-crosswords-are-still-a-few-clues-short-of-a-solution.html |work= Daily Telegraph |location= London |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-date= 28 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201128082041/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1460892/D-Day-crosswords-are-still-a-few-clues-short-of-a-solution.html |url-status= live }}</ref>
* Admiral Sir [[John Thomas Duckworth]] (1747{{en dash}}1817), accomplished [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval]] officer who served under [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=8137|title=Duckworth, Sir John Thomas, first baronet}}</ref>
* [[Andy Ellison]] (b. 1945) and [[Chris Townson]] (1947{{en dash}}2008), founding members of the band [[John's Children]], and former pupils at [[Box Hill School]].<ref name=HistoryJohnsChildren>{{cite web |url= http://johnschildren.info/history.html |title= The history of John's Children |access-date= 20 May 2011 |archive-date= 20 October 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151020010752/http://johnschildren.info/history.html |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Mel Giedroyc]] (b. 1968), TV presenter, actress and comedian, grew up in Leatherhead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11658286.buns-in-the-oven-great-british-bake-off-presenter-officially-opens-new-birth-centre-at-epsom-hospital/ |title=Buns in the oven! Great British Bake off presenter officially opens new birth centre |first=Hardeep |last=Matharu |date=11 December 2014 |website=yourlocalguardian.co.uk}}</ref>
* [[Badri Patarkatsishvili]] (1955{{en dash}}2008), businessman, collapsed and died in his mansion in Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite news |date= 14 February 2008 |title= Badri Patarkatsishvili: Billionaire businessman who failed to buy his way into the presidency of Georgia |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/badri-patarkatsishvili-billionaire-businessman-who-failed-to-buy-his-way-into-the-presidency-of-georgia-781980.html |work= The Independent |location= London |access-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-date= 19 December 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131219060632/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/badri-patarkatsishvili-billionaire-businessman-who-failed-to-buy-his-way-into-the-presidency-of-georgia-781980.html |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Richard Patterson (artist)|Richard Patterson]] (b. 1963) and his brother [[Simon Patterson (artist)|Simon Patterson]] (b. 1967), both artists, were born in the town.<ref>{{cite news |last= Pilger |first= Zoe |date= 13 May 2013 |title= Art review: Richard Patterson, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/art-review-richard-patterson-timothy-taylor-gallery-london-8613947.html |work= The Independent |location= London |access-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-date= 22 May 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190522211859/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/art-review-richard-patterson-timothy-taylor-gallery-london-8613947.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Barnett |first= Laura |date= 29 April 2008 |title= Portrait of the artist: Simon Patterson, artist |url= https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/apr/29/art |work= The Guardian |location= London |access-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-date= 27 February 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150227021024/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/apr/29/art |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[Jean Ross]] (1911{{en dash}}1973), an English writer was educated in Leatherhead and briefly confined in a nearby [[sanatorium]] as a young woman.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=74425|title=Ross, Jean Iris (1911–1973)}}</ref>
* [[Madron Seligman]] (1918{{en dash}}2002), [[Member of the European Parliament]] and friend of [[Edward Heath]].<ref>{{cite news |date= 12 July 2002 |title= Obituary: Madron Seligman |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1401094/Madron-Seligman.html |work= Daily Telegraph |location= London |access-date= 15 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210215185458/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1401094/Madron-Seligman.html |archive-date= 15 February 2021}}</ref>
* [[Marie Stopes]] (1880{{en dash}}1958), family planning pioneer, lived in the town.<ref name=visitlh>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitleatherhead.com/historyAndHeritage_leatherheadPeople.php|title=Visit Leatherhead|access-date=14 September 2010|archive-date=25 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425135527/http://visitleatherhead.com/historyAndHeritage_leatherheadPeople.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Richard Wakeford]] (1921{{en dash}}1972), recipient of the Victoria Cross in the Second World War, died at Leatherhead.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/richard-wakeford-vc/ |title= Richard Wakeford VC |year= 2023 |publisher= Victoria Cross Online}}</ref>
* Sir [[Mortimer Wheeler]] (1890{{en dash}}1976), archaeologist and broadcaster, lived at "The Bothy", Downs Lane from September 1973 until his death.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31825|title=Wheeler, Sir (Robert Eric) Mortimer}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hawkes|1982|p=373}}</ref>
* [[Edward Wilkins Waite]] (1854{{en dash}}1924), local landscape painter, was born in the town, was educated at the school at The Mansion and later lived at Long Cottage, Church Street.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-60.pdf |title= Edward Wilkins Waite |last= Powell |first= Goff |publisher= Leatherhead & District Local History Society |access-date= 10 November 2021 |archive-date= 10 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211110204434/https://www.leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk/miscellany/potted-history-60.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.burlington.co.uk/artist-biography/edward-wilkins-waite.html |title= Edward Wilkins Waite |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Burlington |access-date= 16 February 2021 |archive-date= 29 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201029041223/http://www.burlington.co.uk/artist-biography/edward-wilkins-waite.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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{{refend}}

==See also==
{{Commons category}}
* [[List of leisure and entertainment in Leatherhead]]

==External links==
*[https://www.molevalley.gov.uk Mole Valley District Council]
*[http://www.leatherheadresidents.org.uk/ Leatherhead Residents Association]
*[https://www.leatherheadhistory.org Leatherhead & District Local History Society]

{{Adjacent communities
|title     = '''Neighbouring areas of Surrey'''
|Northwest = [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]]
|North     = [[Chessington]]
|Northeast = [[Ashtead]]
|East      = [[Kingswood, Surrey|Kingswood]]
|Centre    = Leatherhead
|West      = [[Fetcham]]
|Southwest = [[Great Bookham]]
|South     = [[Mickleham, Surrey|Mickleham]]
|Southeast = [[Headley, Surrey|Headley]]
}}
{{Surrey}}
{{Mole Valley}}
{{London commuter belt|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Leatherhead| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Surrey]]
[[Category:Market towns in Surrey]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Surrey]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Surrey]]
[[Category:Mole Valley]]