Чертси: История и современность английского города

Town in Surrey, England
the town in England

Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, 18 mile (29 km) south west of central London. It grew up around Chertsey Abbey, founded in AD 666 by St Erkenwald, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the early 15th century. The River Bourne through the town meets the Thames at Weybridge. The Anglican church has a medieval tower and chancel roof. The 18th century listed buildings include the current stone Chertsey Bridge and Botleys Mansion. A curfew bell, rung at 8 pm on weekdays from Michaelmas to Lady Day ties with the romantic local legend of Blanche Heriot, marked by a statue of her and the bell at Chertsey Bridge. Green areas include the Thames Path National Trail, Chertsey Meads and a round knoll (St Ann's Hill) with remains of a prehistoric hill fort known as Eldebury Hill. Pyrcroft House dates from the 18th century and Tara from the late 20th. Train services are run between Chertsey railway station and London Waterloo by South Western Railway. The town is within the M25, accessible via junction 11. It has a population of 15,967.

The first written mention of Chertsey is by Bede c. 750, in which he describes the location as Cerotaesei, id est Ceroti insula (translated as "Chertsey, that is the island of Cerotus"). The settlement appears in 13th century copies of 7th century charters as Cirotesige, Cirotesge and Cerotesge. The manor is recorded as Certesi in Domesday Book in 1086 and as Certeseye in 1129–30. Other later forms include Charteseye (mid 14th century), Charsey (in 1543) and Chutsey (in 1606). The first use of the modern spelling "Chertsey" is from 1559. The first part of the toponym "Chertsey" is thought to refer to a Celtic individual, whose name was subsequently Latinised to Cerotus.

Aside from being a London "commuter town", Chertsey is home to the head office of Compass Group, and the UK head office and European headquarters of Samsung Electronics. Samsung moved there in 2005; previously the Samsung offices were in New Malden. Thorpe Park, part of Merlin Entertainments Ltd, is on the northern boundary, connected by frequent buses from Staines upon Thames and Chertsey.

Chertsey Bridge is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II* listed structure that has a listed City (of London tax) Post at one end, and nearby milestones. It is predominantly of ashlar light stone with two white flagstone york stone pavements with a low weight limit and narrow carriageways inappropriate to HGVs, which have Staines Bridge, Walton Bridge or motorway alternatives to reach Spelthorne. Samuel Lewis included it in his opening description of the town above: " [River Thames] over which is a handsome stone bridge of seven arches, built in 1785, at an expense of £13,000, defrayed jointly by the counties of Surrey and Middlesex "

The museum contains clocks by two local makers, James Douglass and Henry Wale Cartwright. (Note however that there were three successive watchmakers called James Douglass (or Douglas) in the Douglas family, the latter based in Egham)

St. Peter's Hospital, originally intended to serve casualties of the Second World War, formally came into being on 12 September 1939. It now has 400 beds and a wide range of acute care services, on the straight A road to Woking close to the much younger parish of Ottershaw. Hospital Radio Wey has been broadcasting to the patients and staff of St Peter's Hospital since 1965 and now also broadcasts on the internet as RadioWey.

St Peter's church has a 13th/14th century west tower (with 18th century bricks above the belfry) and east chancel; a collection of the abbey's paving tiles is in its sanctuary; several are also in the British Museum and a 15th century chancel roof. St Peter's is surrounded by many Grade II listed buildings in the three mixed shopping and residential streets of the town centre however is Grade II* listed building.

Curfew House is four narrow houses west of the church, a taller red brick building in a group of five buildings of the same era; the name derives from the cruel King John and Blanche Heriot history and story which took place in the town centre. Below an open pediment are brick pilasters with moulded wood cornice, with dentils. Brick coped gable ends front the street. Enriched wood architrave features as part of its entrance door and reeded panels with raised centres. Its keystone is dated 1725, inside a Tympanum is inscribed: "c5 Founded by Sr Wm PERKINS KBE For Fifty Children clothed and taught Go and do likewise". 25 Windsor Street is also at Grade II* architecturally, early C18 however a larger three storey house in brown brick with a tile roof, nipped. A moulded wood eaves cornice, altered, has supporting brackets. Five sash windows with bars make up the windows. A central entrance encased door has an open pediment in the Tuscan order with flat pilasters. Radial bars segment its arched fanlight. At the top floor is a stone moulded band; the middle floor band is also rendered; the ground floor band is lined and painted. Red gauged brick flat arches top the windows with window dressings and quoins. Its front railings have spearhead bars and metal standards with vases, gadrooned.

Pyrcroft House on Pyrcroft Road leading to St Ann's Hill is a Grade II* listed building that was referenced by Nikolaus Pevsner and has a brick front with gauged flat arches to its windows, supplemented by square brick pilasters to the corners. Moulded brick cornice underlies a parapet (flat/almost flat) roof. Carved stone vases ornament the masonry in the corners; a band of rendering marks off the first floor. A large centre first floor window is arched with stone keystone and impost blocks, radial bars at its head. Other windows are all sash windows with bars; 12 paned. Its entrance door has a Regency period framing of its door. Wood panelling with subdued embellishment decorates the rooms.

Owner Joseph Mawbey had architect Kenton Couse build this substantial Georgian building surrounded by a manicured estate, now a private nursing home. U shaped it is a rectangle of three storeys with seven windows to each of the four fronts, built of ashlar its ground floor is rusticated with a modillion eaves cornice; a parapet roof tops the structure. Each front has three centre window bays that project slightly with a pediment above and their original glazing bars intact. Ground floor windows have keystones. Upper windows have moulded architraves, those on 1st floor with cornices over, the centre one with a pediment. On the north front, the centre projection has four engaged Ionic columns with a pediment above containing a cartouche flanked by swags of husks; a piano nobile to one side connects the middle floor with a doorway with a rectangular fanlight, approached by a horse shoe shaped stair connected with doorway by a bridge, beneath which is the service entrance to the ground floor below. Two fronts are prolonged in the same style by large modern additions. Entrance has a good hall with screen of four Ionic columns and a high plaster ceiling. Other good ceilings and doorcases to principal rooms on 1st floor. Bournewood House is part of Bournewood Park Hospital a central building in a large medical NHS trust adjoining St Peter's Hospital, formerly a nursing wing of the above hospital when it was run from the Victorian period as a mental hospital or asylum retreat. Nearby across Bridge Street by the bridge, to the north of this, is the Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club Site There is another camping site at Laleham Park on the opposite bank of the Thames. Annually, in early August, the Chertsey Agricultural Show is held here.

This 7.25" gauge miniature railway, off Hardwick Lane, opened in September 1968.

This is an annual event on the 2nd Saturday of July each year with live music and refreshments.

The Salesian School is a state funded, voluntary aided Catholic comprehensive school with endowments for 1,200 pupils, located in Chertsey since the 1920s.

Chertsey is located in the Borough of Runnymede and Weybridge. It was represented in Parliament by former Conservative MP Philip Hammond from 1997 until his resignation in 2019. It is currently represented by Conservative MP Ben Spencer. The town is divided into two wards for the purpose of Borough Council elections – Riverside (Cllr Derek Cotty, Cllr Stephen Dennett, Cllr Shannon Saise Marshall) and West (Cllr Dolsie Clarke, Cllr Mark Nuti, Cllr Myles Willingale). The town is represented on Surrey County Council by Cllr Mark Nuti.

ElectionMemberParty 1973 T. Reddy Labour1977N. PayneConservative1985Ray Lowther Labour2009Chris NormanConservative2017Mark NutiConservative

St. Anne's Church is a Catholic church in Eastworth road. St. Anne's School is a Catholic Primary school in Free Prae road. Salesian School is a Catholic Secondary school and Sixth Form College located in Guildford Road and Highfield Road respectively. St. Peter's is a town centre Anglican church with a range of ministries. Sunday worship is held at 9 am (traditional) and 10.30 am (contemporary). Beacon Church is a Community Church based on Guildford Street in central Chertsey. The International Community Church of Surrey, a non denominational, international congregation, meets at Chertsey Hall each week. Equippers Church is based at the Hub near Chertsey High School and meets each Sunday and in homes during the week.

The final series of the TV series Public Eye (1965–1975) was filmed in and around Chertsey. The TV series Moving Wallpaper (2008–2009) was filmed and set in Chertsey. Chertsey made a fleeting appearance in the 1964 classic film First Men in the Moon with the Old Town Hall standing in for Dymchurch Town Hall. Other films partly shot in or around Chertsey include The Italian Job (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970), The Dark Knight (2008) and One Chance (2013). Portions of the music video for the Oasis song "Don't Go Away" were filmed in Chertsey in August, 1997.

The Chertsey Panto has been performed since 2012 in aid of local charities at The Crown public house in Chertsey.

Radio Wey is a hospital radio station, based at St. Peters Hospital in Chertsey, which also broadcasts to the local community. The station has been running since 1965, originally at Weybridge Hospital and then transferred to studios in the grounds of St. Peters Hospital in 1979.

The 1983 album Music for Piano and Drums by Patrick Moraz and Bill Bruford was recorded at Gallery Studios, engineered by Barry Radman and assisted by Trevor Smith.

Richard Steere (c. 16431721) colonial American poet and merchant born in Chertsey. Rev'd Peter Cunningham (c. 17471805) political poet and cleric died in Chertsey. John Narrien (17821860) astronomer and author born in Chertsey. Charles Cooper Henderson (18031877) painter born at Abbey House, Chertsey. Albert Richard Smith (18161860) author, entertainer and mountaineer born in Chertsey. Ethel Mary Boyce (18631936), English composer, pianist and teacher, born and lived in Chertsey. Charlie Llewellyn (18761964) the first non white South African Test cricketer died in Chertsey. James Ottaway (19081999) actor born in Chertsey. Leslie Lewis (19241986) Olympic track and field athlete born in Chertsey. Keith Moon (19461978) drummer with the rock band The Who lived at "Tara" on St Ann's Hill from 1971 to 1975. Mike Rutherford (b. 1950) guitarist and co founder of the band Genesis born in Chertsey. His Excellency Sir Ian Khama (b. 1953) President of Botswana 20082018 born in Chertsey. Vince Clarke (b. 1960) of pop bands Yazoo, Depeche Mode and Erasure lived in Chertsey from 1990 to 2003 and recorded much of the Erasure material in the studio adjacent to his home. Sean Lock (19632021) comedian born in Chertsey. Chesney Hawkes (b. 1971) singer and songwriter lived in Chertsey. Ashley Giles (b. 1973) England cricketer born in Chertsey. Richard Johnson (b. 1974) England cricketer born in Chertsey. Tim Brabants (b. 1977) Olympic sprint kayaker born in Chertsey. Robert Green (b. 1980) goalkeeper was born in Chertsey. Harvey Elliott (b. 2003) Liverpool F. C. football player born in Chertsey.