Epsom
Epsom, lies on the spring line of the North Downs. In Roman times the road now known as Stane Street, which ran from London to Chichester, passed through both Epsom and Ewell. Many Roman remains have been found in Ewell suggesting that it was a sizeable Roman settlement.
Epsom became a spa in the early 17th century when a spring containing Epsom salts was discovered on the Common. Its popularity with London society brought visits from Samuel Pepys and Nell Gwyn, the development of shops and inns and of the oldest spa assembly rooms in England. This still stands at the western end of Epsom High Street.
Horse racing on Epsom Downs began during the spa period, but it was not until the Oaks was first run in 1789 and the Derby the following year that it took on something like its present form. The first grandstand was built in 1830 and the present complex of three stands in 1927 and 1995.
Today Epsom & Ewell has a population of 67,000.
