Banstead, United Kingdom
Banstead is a town of 46,280 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Banstead
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 40 parks and trails, 76 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Charles Cryer Theatre, Nonsuch Mansion, Whitehall and Ashtead Park.
Weather in Banstead
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Banstead
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is 3 miles (5 km) south of Sutton, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Croydon, 7 miles (11 km) north of Reigate, 8.5 miles (14 km) south-east of Kingston-upon-Thames, and 14 miles (23 km) south of Central London.
From the Wikipedia article Banstead (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Charles Cryer Theatre
Cinema and theater · 3.6 mi
Theatre and former cinema in Carshalton, London
Museums and landmarks7
Nonsuch Mansion
Museum · 2.7 mi
House in Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, England, UK
Whitehall
Museum · 2.6 mi
House museum in Cheam, Greater London, England, UK
Promenade de Verdun War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 3.2 mi
War memorial in Croydon, London
Parks, trails and playgrounds40
Ashtead Park
Park · 3.6 mi
Area of parkland at Ashtead in Surrey, England, UK
Carshalton Park
Park · 3.4 mi
Public park in Carshalton, in the London Borough of Sutton
Devonshire Avenue Nature Area
Park · 2.4 mi
Public nature reserve in London, England
Grove Park
Park · 3.6 mi
Public park in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton
28 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes76
Tattenham Corner
Bar and pub · European, British, Salad, Steak House, Chicken, Dessert · 1.8 mi
Tattenham Crescent, Epsom
Mo-Su 11:00-23:00
Lavender Kitchen
Cafe · 0.4 mi
133 High Street, Banstead
Mo-Sa 07:00-17:00, Su 08:00-16:00
64 more on the map.
History
The earliest recorded mention of Banstead was in an Anglo-Saxon charter of AD 967, in the reign of King Edgar.
The settlement appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Benestede. The first element is probably the Anglo Saxon word bene, meaning bean, and the second element stede refers to an inhabited place without town status (as in farmstead).
Banstead's non-ecclesiastical land and 50 households were held by Richard as tenant-in-chief, under the Bishop of Bayeux. Its assets were: 9½ hides, 1 church, 1 mill worth £1, 17 ploughs, woodland worth 20 hogs. It rendered £8 per year.
The Manor had two ploughs, and there were 28 villeins and 15 cottars (people with a small cottage but no land) with 15 ploughs.
This was a farming area that later became well known for its high quality wool. The manor was owned by increasingly wealthy gentry, then by the church, before it fell into the hands of the Crown in the 13th century; Edward I visited more than once. Henry VIII made Banstead part of Catherine of Aragon's dowry, but took it away again and gave it to a court favourite, Sir Nicholas Carew. Carew was later beheaded for treason, but the manor, once covering most of the village but mostly sold piecemeal, stayed in his family until the 18th century.
Read more of the history
Banstead Downs, which for many centuries meant all the open land stretching from Epsom to Croydon and Reigate, became well known for horse racing in the 17th century. On 20 November 1683, King Charles II and the Duke of York attended a race meeting near the core of the village. The town also gained a reputation as a health resort during that era, famous for its "wholesome air", and London physicians recommended a visit to Banstead to their ailing patients.
Banstead's population remained low until the late 19th century when the improved roads and the building of the railways led to gradual growth, which continued with low density social housing and post-Blitz rehousing projects in the mid 20th century. Banstead's housing stock is generally low density and set in overwhelmingly green surroundings; there are a few listed buildings of some historical and architectural interest. Banstead was a spring line settlement whose main source of water was The Old Well until the arrival of pumped water. The 18th-century well-head cover, which still houses the elaborate winding gear, is a listed building.
In 1930, the ecclesiastical parish of Nork was formed, taking in part of Epsom as far as Wallace Fields and Higher Green in the west of the parish, loosely termed Epsom Downs.
From the History section of Banstead on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Banstead
Economy
The centre of Banstead has a High Street from its war memorial to its public library. A churchyard occupies part of the south side. Local Scouts and Guides parade the street on Remembrance Day and May Day. In December 2008 a fire destroyed the Waitrose supermarket. While being rebuilt, Waitrose opened a temporary store in the former Woolworths. The rebuilt store opened in November 2009. There are various restaurants and coffee bars as well as largely upmarket independent stores and the professional offices: six estate agencies, three firms of solicitors and a notary public.
Other than High Street jobs the large village has some in the public sector: in council offices and NHS facilities to the west of the Banstead's centre, and in various local schools. Self-employed such as contracting engineers and domestic tradespeople make up some of the labour force but most of Banstead's residents commute out of the district for employment: annual exits from the town's station rose from 93,069 in the tax year 2004–05 to 128,148 in 2011–12.
Education
There are several schools in and around Banstead. Further education is not available in the town, most students go to institutions in Sutton, Epsom or Reigate.
The Beacon School, previously Nork Park Secondary School, is the predominant secondary comprehensive school in the area. Nork Park, a public park, borders the back of the school. It is one of the 23 schools that supply ball boys to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. It has over 1000 students.
The neighbouring London Borough of Sutton has five grammar schools, which accept pupils from outside the borough.
Aberdour School (co-educational preparatory school for ages 3 to 13)
Banstead Preparatory School (co-educational preparatory school for ages 2 to 11)
Priory Preparatory School and Greenacre School for girls both closed in 2017 and formed the Banstead Preparatory School.
From the Wikipedia article Banstead, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Banstead
David WalliamsEnglish actor, comedian and writerPhoto: Sriya Sarkar, CC BY 4.0
Mel CollinsBritish musicianPhoto: RoweCo, CC BY 2.0
Angus DeaytonEnglish television presenter, actor, writer, comedianPhoto: Piers Allardyce, CC BY 2.0
Gordon BrowneEnglish artist and children's book illustrator (1858-1932)Photo: Unnamed ILN artist - possibly from a..., Public domain
Jacob PaulBritish athletics competitorPhoto: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0- Nicholas SmithBritish actor (1934–2015)
- Virginia GabrielEnglish singer and composer (1825-1877)
- Annie WalkeEnglish artist and poet (1877-1965)
- Nigel Smithprofessional footballer (born 1958)
- Mark ShivasBritish television executive (1938–2008)
- Gerald MicklemBritish golfer (1911-1988)
- Donald Swain LewisRoyal Flying Corps officer (1886–1916)
Born in Banstead, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship25
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries17
Healthcare8
Map of Banstead
188 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Sutton 2 mi north, about 3 min by car
- Epsom 3 mi west, about 4 min by car
- Coulsdon 3 mi east, about 5 min by car
- Carshalton 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Wallington 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Purley 4 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Ashtead 4 mi west, about 7 min by car
- Worcester Park 4 mi north, about 7 min by car
- Kenley 5 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Morden 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Banstead
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Headlines from INDB.
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- High Street, Banstead, Stacey Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Horse trough Little Garratts Banstead, Ademac, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Horse trough Little Garratts Banstead alt view, Ademac, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Banstead Church Muggeridge Tomb, Ademac, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Muggeridge Tomb in the grounds of the Church of All Saints, Banstead, Bobulous, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church Of All Saints, Banstead, Bobulous, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Charles Cryer Theatre Carshalton, G.Rogers ( Rodge500 ), CC BY-SA 2.5
- The Grotto Carshalton Park, G.Rogers ( Rodge500 ), CC BY-SA 2.5
- Devonshire Avenue Nature Area 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Grove Park Carshalton, G.Rogers ( Rodge500 ), CC BY-SA 2.5
- Hogsmill LNR 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- All Saints Church, Benhilton, SUTTON, Surrey, Greater London, A P Monblat, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Former Bugby Chapel, Prospect Place, Epsom (NHLE Code 1232197) (from SW), The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- Interior of Lumley Chapel, view of the rear-right wall, Bobulous, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Martin's Church, Church Street, Epsom (NHLE Code 1028592) (August 2013) (3), I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:, CC0
- 2016-06-04 TheSecombe, Ungry Young Man from Vienna , Austria, CC BY 2.0
- St Mary the Virgin's Church, London Road, Ewell, The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- Sutton, Surrey, Greater London, St Nicholas Church 6, A P Monblat, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trinity Church , Cheam Road, SUTTON, Surrey, Greater London (2), A P Monblat, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Epsom College main building and lawn, Naveed Barakzai/Maxal Photography, CC BY-SA 2.5
- The Beacon School, Picquets Way, Banstead, Surrey - May 2026 - 01, Mertbiol, CC0
- Belmont Pastures 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cuddington Meadows 1, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Nonsuch Mansion in Nonsuch Park - Surrey - 6 December 2014, Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Upstairs panelling at Whitehall, Cheam 2024-09-14, Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0
- Belmont War Memorial, looking north-west, Bobulous, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Teaching room (MH101), Ashtead Park House, City of London Freeman's School, Ashtead, Surrey - September 2025, Mertbiol, CC0
- Tattenham Corner Downs Wood bus stop in June 2010, Malc McDonald, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, caranteth, CC BY-SA 4.0
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