In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Banstead like this:
BANSTEAD, a village and a parish in Epsom district, Surrey. The village stands under the SW side of Ban stead Downs, 4 miles E of Epsom; and has a post office under Epsom, a r. station, and a police station. The parish comprises 5,518 acres. Real property, £7,214. Pop., 1,461. Houses, 275. ...
The property is subdivided. Banstead Park is a seat belonging to Mr. Yong; and Burgh House, in the neighbourhood, is the seat of the Earl of Egmont. Banstead downs rise to the height of 576 feet; command extensive views; and are famous for coursing, for hunting, and for fine sheep pasturage. Here, said Pope,
To Hounslow-Heath I point, and Banstead Down,
Thence comes your mutton, and these chicks my own.The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £300.* Patron, the Earl of Egmont. The church is chiefly perpendicular English; has a good tower, surmounted by a tall spire; stands on high ground, and serves well, for miles round, as a landmark. Charities, £39. The Banstead and Epsom Downs railway, from the Sutton station of the Croydon and Epsom, was authorised in 1862 and opened in 1865.
Banstead through time
Banstead is now part of Reigate and Banstead district. Click here for graphs and data of how Reigate and Banstead has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Banstead itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Banstead, in Reigate and Banstead and Surrey | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1314
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
Not where you were looking for?
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Banstead".