History And Heritage Of Surrey
30th September 2008
Since the earliest times, South East England has been a battleground for a succession of armies and invaders - Danes, Angles, Saxons and Romans. Today it is one of the most affluent areas of England, comprised of sloping hills, flower-filled fields and wonderful woodlands. To the north is London and the River Thames and to the south, the famous white cliffs have been a welcoming sight for travellers returning home.
The South East is divided into the North and South Downs, which form opposing sides of an oval around the Weald - from the old English word "wold" for the forest that was there until huge areas were destroyed by the Romans. The Downs are gently rounded hills, composed mainly of chalk deposited on the seabed some 120 million years ago. Until about 20,000 years ago, England was connected to the rest of Europe by dry land which means that the first settlers in the South East would have arrived on foot.
From around the 16th century, the green belt surrounding the country's capital became known as "London's Larder" and it wasn't long before the demand for meat and groceries reached unprecedented proportions. Kent or the "Garden of England" as it became known, was famous for its produce and its orchards and hop fields are now landmarks of the South East. Coal seams were discovered in Kent in 1804 and exploratory mining began near Dover in 1886, with production starting in 1912. The colliers employed up to 3,000 men and produced over 800,000 tonnes of coal per annum. The last remaining coalfield in Kent shut down in the 1990's.
As London grew and trade links increased throughout the world, it became possible for affluent citizens to build large houses along the pretty streets of Surrey, Kent and Sussex. London is continuing to expand and the encircling M25 is already struggling to contain it and cope with the huge amount of daily traffic. Many small villages in Surrey and Kent have grown into towns and have had to build new road systems, housing estates and shopping malls. Luckily, southern parts of Surrey have managed to hang onto pieces of idyllic countryside where one can forget the stress of city life for a little while.