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Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Elmbridge in north Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole.
Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks a southern limit of the Greater London Built-Up Area. Elevations range from 10m to 47m above ordnance datum.
Esher has a linear commercial high street and is otherwise suburban in density, with varying elevations, few high rise buildings and very short sections of dual carriageway within the ward itself. Esher covers a large area, between 13 and 15.4 miles southwest of Charing Cross. In the south it is bounded by the A3 Portsmouth Road which is of urban motorway standard and buffered by the Esher Commons.
Esher is bisected by the A307, historically the Portsmouth Road, which for approximately forms its high street. Esher railway station (served by the South West Main Line) connects the town to London Waterloo.
Sandown Park Racecourse is in the town near the station. In the south, Claremont Landscape Garden owned and managed by the National Trust, once belonged to Princess Charlotte and her husband Leopold I of Belgium. Accordingly, the town was selected to have a fountain by Queen Victoria and has an adjacent Diamond Jubilee column embossed with a relief of the monarch and topped by a statue of Britannia. Unite, the union, trains representatives at its Esher Place centre, and the town has the offices of Elmbridge Borough Council in its high street.
Esher appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Aissela and Aissele, where it is held partly by the Abbey of the Cross in Normandy; partly by William de Waterville; partly by Reginald; partly by Hugh do Port; and partly by Odard Balistarius (probably a ). Its domesday assets were: 14 hides, 6 and of meadow. It rendered £6 2s 0d per year to its feudal system overlords. Surrey Domesday Book
In the 16th century King Henry VIII annexed several of the manors to the Honour of Hampton Court, including Esher, to form a royal hunting ground. The town slowly grew as a stagecoach stop on the Portsmouth Road that was later numbered the A3, although it was Bypass route in the mid-1970s when it became the A307. Clive of India built the Claremont mansion and this later became a royal residence used by Queen Victoria. In 1841 Esher had 1261 inhabitants across . Queen Victoria lent Claremont to the exiled French King Louis-Philippe and his consort Queen Marie-Amelie after the revolution of 1848. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg lived there until he became King of the Belgium.
By 1908, Esher contained the fashionable residences of several important figures including Lady Emma Talbot; Sir Robert Hawthorn Collins,The Annual Register for the Year 1908, p. 146, reads: November. ... On the 2nd, aged 67, Sir Robert Hawthorn Collins, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., tutor of the Duke of Albany (H.R.H. Prince Leopold) and afterwards Comptroller of his household. The Times, 3 November 1908 p. 11 Obituary reads: Sir Robert Hawthorn Collins, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. died shortly after 1 o'clock yesterday morning at Claremont Palace, Esher...had acted as comptroller of the household of the Duchess of AlbanyEngland & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1908. Sir Robert Hawthorn Collins of Broom Hill Esher Surrey K.C.B. K.C.V.O. died 2 November 1908 at Claremont Esher aforesaid Probate London 30 December to Henry John Collins solicitor and Edward Arthur Wightwick stockbroker. Effects £40153 11s. 6d the Duchess of Albany and Sir Edgar Vincent, K.C.M.G. who was later created 1st Viscount D'Abernon.
George Harrison of The Beatles owned a house named Kinfauns in Esher, in the 1960s. The other Beatles were regular visitors to the house, and Harrison's primitive home recording studio.
Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees owned a home called The Firs in Esher, from the 1970s until 2004, which was sold after his death. The hit single "Juliet" was written and recorded by Maurice and Robin Gibb in the Studio at The Firs for Robin's solo album project in the 1980s.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle placed the murder of fictional character, Mr. Garcia, in and around Esher in his Sherlock Holmes mystery, "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge". In the mystery, Dr. Watson described his and Holmes' arrival in Esher by stating, "It was nearly six o'clock before we found ourselves in the pretty Surrey village of Esher, with Inspector Baynes as our companion."
Esher is part of the East Molesey and Esher ward of Surrey County Council. The ward is represented by a Residents' association councillor.
The town is covered by the Esher ward of Elmbridge Borough Council, which has elections in three years out of four (is elected in thirds). Esher Town Hall has reverted to its original name of Sandown House and has been converted into apartments.
Esher has a history with horse racing since the purpose-built Sandown Park race course opened in 1875.
In 1881 Esher Leopold football club was established which was formed out of the ashes of the dissolved Weybridge Swallows club. The club played at Sandown Park, close to the racecourse. The club's sole contribution to the national game was its one appearance in the FA Cup, a 5–0 home defeat to the holders, Old Carthusians, in 1881–82, although the club did reach the semi-finals of the Surrey Senior Cup, losing to Reigate Priory. The club continued into the 1883–84 season.
Esher RFC was established in 1923 and play on the Hersham borders at the Molesey Road stadium, where they have several training grounds there.
A smaller football club AFC Westend was established in 2003.
Esher West End hosts an annual flower show and the Hampton Court Flower Show is nearby. Similarly, Surrey Wildlife Trust manage Wisley and Ockham Commons, partly within the borough of Elmbridge and Esher is approximately midway between the two leading Surrey and International Gardens, the Kew Gardens and RHS Garden, Wisley.
A weekly newspaper, Esher News and Mail, closed down in 2009. Current newspapers include the Surrey Herald: Cobham, Esher and Claygate edition and Living Within monthly magazine/newspaper.
Vantage points include various outcrops of Esher Commons close to Hersham, Cobham and Oxshott for free public use; Esher Place (national training centre of Unite, the union) where a grass garden amphitheatre was built by Edwin Lutyens for what was the manor house; the facilities at Sandown Park racecourse and Claremont Landscape Garden.
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