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Brockham

Coordinates:51°13′59″N0°17′10″W/ 51.233°N 0.286°W/51.233; -0.286
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Brockham
Brockham viewed from theNorth Downs Way
Brockham Big Field: football and rugby with light surrounding woodland (NT)
Brockham is located in Surrey
Brockham
Brockham
Location withinSurrey
Area6.9 km2(2.7 sq mi)
Population2,8682011
•Density416/km2(1,080/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ2049
Civil parish
  • Brockham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBETCHWORTH
Postcode districtRH3
Dialling code01737
PoliceSurrey
FireSurrey
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Surrey
51°13′59″N0°17′10″W/ 51.233°N 0.286°W/51.233; -0.286

Brockhamis a village andcivil parishin theMole Valleydistrict ofSurrey,England. It is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east ofDorkingand 4 miles (6.4 km) west ofReigate.The village lies south ofBox Hill,with theRiver Moleflowing west through the village. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 2,868.[1]

Name

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Brockham, originally 'Brook-ham' (bend in a brook) is so called from the Anglo Saxon meaning 'river meadow by the brook' and is first recorded in 1241.[2]It is often mistakenly believed that there is an association with badgers but this is a modern affectation from the 1950s when Cecily M Rutley created Brock the Badger in a children's story[1].

Landmarks

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On a spur of land to the north west of the village standsBetchworth Castle,originally built by Richard FitzGilbert on land granted to him byWilliam the Conquerorsoon after theNormaninvasion in 1066, but later replaced by amedievalhouse which was probably built in the mid-to-late 14th century. Only a few ruins survive today.[3][4]

Christ Church, the parish church is relatively recent in origin, having been commissioned in 1847 by SirHenry Goulburn,who served as bothChancellor of the ExchequerandHome Secretary.[5]

Village green

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The village green is a focal point for the village. Once popular for itscricketmatches –WG Graceis said to have played there[6]– it is a focal point of aGuy Fawkes Nightbonfire every year on the closest Saturday to 5 November. It has been at times, the UK's largest bonfire and firework display, believed to date back to the 1880s.[7]Around 20,000 people gather round the village green, over 4 tonnes of fireworks typically light up the sky and the event is widely regarded by local residents as the highlight of the Mole Valley's calendar. Dorking Rugby Club on Kiln Lane, opens for the event, as the Club House is near to the bonfire. In the 20 years to 2023, almost £450,000 has been raised by the event in aid of local organisations and charities.[8] There is also an annual Victorian fair weekend in mid-July, with a village picnic and firework display on the Saturday evening, also showcasing local talent.

Industry

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Agriculture previously provided most of the employment for villagers, although further work was to be found in the nearby Brockham Hills from the mid-19th century, when they were quarried forchalkand hearthstone – an operation run by the Brockham Brick Company Limited until 1911 and by the Brockham Lime and Hearthstone Company until 1936 when the works closed.[9]

From 1945,BeechamResearch Laboratories Ltd (which merged with SmithKline in 1989, then with Glaxo, to becomeGlaxoSmithKlinein 2000) operated fromBrockham Parkat the southern end of the village. In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus,6-APA(6-aminopenicillanic acid); this discovery allowed the synthesis of a number of new semisyntheticpenicillins. In 1959, Beecham marketed pheneticillin, followed shortly bymethicillin(or meticillin), which is active against the bacteriumStaphylococcus aureus('golden staph').[10]In time some bacterial strains developed resistance to these antibiotics, such as theMRSA(for methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus). The site became Beecham's Chemotherapeutic Research Centre.[11]The site is now a housing estate.[12]

In August 2018, retrospective planning permission was granted bySurrey County Councilfor a secondaryoilwellborein Brockham.[13]

Education

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Brockham Primary School merged with The Acorns Infant School in nearby Betchworth in 2010 to create a new combined primary school now named The North Downs Primary School.[14][15]

Governance

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There are three tiers of local government covering Brockham, at parish, district, and county level: Brockham Parish Council, Mole Valley District Council, and Surrey County Council.

Until 1933, Brockham formed part of the civil parish ofBetchworth,which was administered as part of theReigateRural District. A civil parish of Brockham was created on 1 April 1933 and transferred to theDorkingUrban District. This parish was classed as an urban parish and so did not have its own parish council, but was directly administered by Dorking Urban District Council.[16]Dorking Urban District was abolished to become part of Mole Valley district on 1 April 1974, and the urban parishes it had contained, including Brockham, becameunparished areas.A new parish of Brockham, this time with its own parish council, was created on 1 April 1982.[17]

Surrey County Councilelected every four years, has one representative, from Buckland for Dorking Rural:

  • Helyn Clack, conservative who participates in these committees:
    • Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games decisions
    • People, Performance and Development
    • The Mole Valley local committee (obligatory)[18]

The second party forming the main local opposition in the 2013 election, was theLiberal Democratsgaining 1,527 votes versus the winning candidate's 1,810.[19]

2 councillors sit onMole Valleyborough council, who are:

Election Member[20][21]

Ward

2011 John Muggeridge Brockham, Betchworth & Buckland
2010 Paul Potter Brockham, Betchworth & Buckland

Demography and housing

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2011 Census Homes
Output area Detached Semi-detached Terraced Flats and apartments Caravans/temporary/mobile homes shared between households[1]
(Civil Parish) 402 505 170 104 10 0

The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.

2011 Census Key Statistics
Output area Population Households % Owned outright % Owned with a loan hectares[1]
(Civil Parish) 2,868 1,191 43.0% 39.2% 690

The proportion of households in the civil parish 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).

Nearest Settlements

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References

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  1. ^abcKey Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population DensityArchived11 February 2003 at theWayback MachineUnited Kingdom Census 2011Office for National StatisticsRetrieved 21 November 2013
  2. ^Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names
  3. ^"Betchworth Castle ruins made safe for Surrey visitors".BBC News.8 February 2012.Retrieved4 October2023.
  4. ^Roberts, Stephen (16 June 2020)."Exploring the history of Surrey's seven castles".Great British Life.Retrieved4 October2023.
  5. ^Brockham church historyArchived17 May 2008 at theWayback Machine
  6. ^"W.G. Grace & Surrey".RH Uncovered. 13 May 2019.Retrieved4 October2023.
  7. ^Brockham bonfireArchived11 September 2011 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^"Brockham Bonfire - 4th November 2023".Brockham Parish Council. 23 September 2023.Retrieved4 October2023.
  9. ^About Brockham Brick CompanyArchived16 May 2008 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^From Pills to Penicillin: The Beecham Story – by H. G. Lazell, Published by Heinemann - London (1975)
  11. ^New Scientist January 1977
  12. ^"Brockham Park".RIBA.Retrieved4 October2023.
  13. ^Surrey councillors approve secondary oil wellbore at Brockham9 August 2018,bbc.co.uk/news,accessed 27 February 2019
  14. ^"North Downs Primary School".Leigh Parish Council. 6 May 2020 [20 December 2019].Retrieved4 October2023.
  15. ^"North Downs Primary School Inspection report".Ofsted.Retrieved4 October2023.
  16. ^Youngs, Frederic A. (1979).Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 1: Southern England.London: Royal Historical Society. p. 474.ISBN0-901050-67-9.
  17. ^The Mole Valley (Parishes) Order 1981(PDF).1981.Retrieved11 February2022.
  18. ^Surrey Councillor details Surrey Councillor details
  19. ^2013 Surrey County Council election
  20. ^"Mole Valley Councillors. Retrieved 28 April 2012".Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2012.Retrieved28 April2012.
  21. ^"Mole Valley Results 2009–11"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.Retrieved28 April2012.
  • Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names
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