Chessington, United Kingdom
Chessington is a town of 19,433 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Chessington
Townapedia lists 12 museums and landmarks, 40 parks and trails, 30 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 11 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Clattern Bridge, Esher Theatre, Hampton Wick War Memorial and Kingston Museum.
Weather in Chessington
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Chessington
Chessington is an area in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames within Greater London, which was historically part of Surrey. At the 2011 census it had a population of 18,973. The Bonesgate Stream, a tributary of the Hogsmill River, runs through it. The popular theme park resort Chessington World of Adventures, which incorporates Chessington Zoo, is located in the south-west of the area.
From the Wikipedia article Chessington (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Chessington
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Things to do11
Clattern Bridge
Bridge · 3.2 mi
Grade I listed bridge in Kingston upon Thames, London, England
Esher Theatre
Cinema and theater · 2.6 mi
Theatre in Esher, Elmbridge, Surrey, England
Hampton Court Bridge
Bridge · 3.3 mi
Bridge in London and Surrey, England
Hampton Court Palace
Cinema and theater · 3.2 mi
Historic royal palace in Richmond, Greater London
Kingston Bridge
Bridge · 3.4 mi
Road bridge at Kingston upon Thames in south west London, England, UK
Rose Theatre, Kingston
Cinema and theater · 3.2 mi
Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames, London, England
Museums and landmarks12
Hampton Wick War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 3.4 mi
War memorial in London
Kingston Museum
Museum · 3.3 mi
History museum in Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Kingston upon Thames War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 3.3 mi
War memorial in London
Nonsuch Mansion
Museum · 3.3 mi
House in Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds40
Chessington World of Adventures
Sports field and stadium · 1.1 mi
Amusement park
Leatherhead Road, Chessington
Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
Castle Hill, Chessington
Park · 0.7 mi
Local Nature Reserve in London
Horton Country Park
Park · 0.9 mi
Nature reserve in Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, England
Cigarette Island Park
Park · 3.2 mi
Park in Surrey opposite Hampton Court
28 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes30
Hook Cafe and Bakery
Cafe · Cafe, Bakery · 0.4 mi
Hook Road, Chessington
Mo-Sa 07:00-16:00; Su off
Ace of Spades
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.0 mi
162 Hook Road, Surbiton
Mo-Fr 07:00-17:30; Sa 08:00-16:30
18 more on the map.
History
Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Cissan dūn = "hill belonging to [a man named] Cissa".
Chessington appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cisedune and Cisendone. It was held partly by Robert de Wateville and partly by Milo (Miles) Crispin. Its Domesday assets were: 1½ hides; part of a mill worth 2s, 4 ploughs, woodland worth 30 hogs. It rendered £7.
The mansion at Chessington World of Adventures, known today as the Burnt Stub, was originally built in 1348. In the English Civil War it became a royalist stronghold and was razed to the ground by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary forces, giving it its modern name. The site became an inn and was then rebuilt on a grander scale from the 18th century by the Vere Barker family in a Neo-Gothic Victorian style. The grounds were turned into a zoo in 1931 by Reginald Goddard. Chessington Zoo became part of the Tussauds Group in 1978 and is now operated as a theme park. Burnt Stub had no public access until 2003 when it became an attraction called Hocus Pocus Hall.
Chessington Hall has a place in 18th-century literary history, as home of Samuel Crisp, a failed playwright and close friend of Fanny Burney. Chessington Road Recreation Ground was purchased on 16 October 1930 for £1,000.
On 1 April 1965 the civil parish was abolished. At the 1951 census (the last before the abolition of the parish), Chessington had a population of 9194.
Read more of the history
At 207 Hook Road is a Blue plaque commemorating the author Enid Blyton, who lived at the address between 1920 and 1924.
The former farmhouse Barwell Court (on Barwell Lane) was used as a recording and residential studio during the 1970s through to the 1990s.
The former RAF Chessington Hospital, demolished in the 1990s, first opened as RAF Hook around 1938 as a regional barrage balloon depot and was operated by RAF Balloon Command. It became a vital part of Britain's defence against the Luftwaffe in World War II, and originally featured a number of large barrage balloon sheds as well as extensive garages and workshops for the station's support vehicles.
From the History section of Chessington on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Chessington
Arts and culture
Chessington houses one of Europe's leading theme park resorts Chessington World of Adventures. This includes a zoo, a theme park, an aquarium and two four star hotels – the Safari Hotel and Azteca Hotel. In the grounds of the resort lies the historic Burnt Stub Mansion.
Chessington Garden Centre is located in the south of the area near Malden Rushett.
Chessington offers a range of countryside activities with many open spaces including the "Chessington Countryside Walk" in the London Green Belt. Chessington Wood, in the south of the area, contains the source of the Bonesgate Stream, a tributary of the Hogsmill River, in turn a tributary of the River Thames.
Education
The main secondary school in Chessington is a mixed public school called Chessington School, but nearby secondary schools on the northern border of Chessington are the boys' school Southborough High School in Surbiton and Tolworth Girls' School and Centre for Continuing Education in Tolworth.
There are also many primary schools, e.g., Lovelace Primary, Ellingham Primary School.
From the Wikipedia article Chessington, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Chessington
- Kelly ReillyBritish actress
- Gary MartinEnglish cricketer (born 1968)
- Graham BlythEnglish audio design engineer and organist
Born in Chessington, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship22
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries19
Healthcare7
Map of Chessington
153 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Hook 0 mi north, about 1 min by car
- Epsom 3 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Worcester Park 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Hampton 4 mi northwest, about 7 min by car
- Sutton 5 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Walton-on-Thames 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Cobham 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Sunbury-on-Thames 6 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
- Hanworth 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Wallington 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Chessington
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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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
- Hampton Court Bridge 1, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Hampton Court Palace (3), Ricardalovesmonuments, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kingston Bridge2, Unknown author, Public domain
- The Rose Theatre, Kingston, London, Jim Linwood from London, CC BY 2.0
- Exterior of Kingston Museum, Zoopraxiscope, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chessington World of Adventures Hocus Pocus Hall, Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0
- Elmbridge Meadows, Kingston, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- HamptonCourtParkTrees, Ojw, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hogsmill LNR 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kingston, All Saints church, from the churchyard, AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Former Bugby Chapel, Prospect Place, Epsom (NHLE Code 1232197) (from SW), The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- St Mary The Virgin Chessington, steve bannister, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Nicholas' Church, Church Walk, Thames Ditton (NHLE Code 1188441) (June 2015) (6), Hassocks5489, CC0
- 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
- St Andrew's church, Surbiton, Stevekeiretsu, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Esher02, Motmit at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kingston St John01, Motmit, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Mary the Virgin's Church, London Road, Ewell, The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- Southborough High School entrance, LunaEatsTuna, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Entrance to Edith Gardens Local Nature Reserve, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bonesgate Open Space 6, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bonesgate Stream in Castle Hill, Chessington, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St James church, New Malden, Stevekeiretsu, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Your Move (9060751525), grassrootsgroundswell, CC BY 2.0
- Clattern Bridge Kingston. (39599957415), Loco Steve from Bromley , UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kingston upon Thames War Memorial 02, Jonathan Cardy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nonsuch Mansion in Nonsuch Park - Surrey - 6 December 2014, Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, julianlb, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, alexanderar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
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