Gatton, Surrey facts for kids
Gatton is a small, quiet place in Surrey, England. It used to be a village and even a special type of town called a "borough." Today, Gatton is mostly countryside with only about 12 houses and two farms. It sits on the slopes of the North Downs hills, close to the town of Reigate.
This area was once part of a larger district known as the Reigate hundred.
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What Does the Name Gatton Mean?
The name Gatton has a long history! In old records from the years 871 to 889, it was called Gatatune. Later, in 1121, it was known as Gatetuna.
Experts believe the name means "goat-farm." This might mean that Gatton was a place specially used for raising goats. Or, it could mean that the people living there had to give goats as a special payment to their powerful ruler.
Gatton's Interesting History
Gatton is mentioned in the famous Domesday Book from 1086. This book was a huge survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. In it, Gatton was called Gatone. It was owned by Herfrid, who worked for the Bishop of Bayeux. The survey noted that Gatton had about 2.5 "hides" of land (a hide was a measure of land), 5 areas for ploughing, a church, 6 acres of meadow, and enough woodland and grazing land for 7 pigs. It was valued at £6.
Why Was Gatton a "Rotten Borough"?
From 1332, Gatton was taxed like a town, which meant it paid more than a village. Even more surprisingly, from 1450, part of Gatton became a "parliamentary borough." This meant it could send two people to the House of Commons, which is like today's Parliament.
However, Gatton never really grew into a busy town. In fact, it got smaller! By the early 1600s, a writer named William Camden said it was "scarce a small village." By 1831, the parliamentary borough of Gatton was very small. It had only seven voters and 23 houses. This made it one of the most famous "rotten boroughs."
What was a rotten borough? It was a place with very few people that still had the right to send members to Parliament. This meant a powerful landowner could easily control who was elected, making the system unfair. The Reform Act of 1832 finally stopped this system, and Gatton lost its right to send members to Parliament.
The Gatton "Town Hall"
The building known as Gatton "Town Hall" is on the Gatton Park estate. It was built in 1765 and is actually a "folly." A folly is a building made for decoration, not for a real purpose. This "Town Hall" looks like an open Greek temple. This is where the elections for Parliament used to happen.
Behind it, there's a large pot with a Latin message. Part of the message says: "Let the well-being of the people be the supreme law." In 1914, someone joked that the building could only shelter about 30 people from the rain!
St Andrew's Church
The church in Gatton is called St Andrew's Church. Before the early 1800s, it was an old building from the Middle Ages, with some parts showing very early Norman designs.
In 1834, a man named Frederick John Monson, who was the 5th Baron Monson, completely changed the church. He made it look like a "Gothick" style building. He basically used it as his own private chapel and a place to show off his collections.
Inside, there's a beautiful wooden screen from the 1400s. It was brought from another church in England. Later, in 1930, some stones from the church were given to Colorado College in the United States. They were used in a chapel there to honor Edward Shove, who was the rector (a type of priest) of Gatton from 1615 to 1646.
Today, the church is next to the Royal Alexandra and Albert School. It is mostly used as a chapel now. Regular services are held in Merstham Village, which is nearby.
Gatton's Location and Landscape
Gatton sits on the top and southern slopes of the North Downs hills. Most of its southern part is taken up by Gatton Park, which is now home to the students of The Royal Alexandra and Albert school. As a very small place, Gatton has only about 12 houses. In the northern part of Gatton, places like Upper Gatton Farm and Crossways Farm are on the higher parts of the North Downs, close to the village of Chipstead.
The North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long walking path. It goes through Gatton, starting from Colley Hill near Reigate. It passes through Gatton Park and then the Reigate Hill golf course. After that, it goes down into Quality Street and Old Merstham, then crosses under the M25 motorway, and continues towards Chaldon.
Gatton Park
Gatton Park has huge, beautifully designed gardens and grounds. While there are public footpaths you can use, the larger areas are usually only open to visitors on a few special afternoons each year.
Gatton Bottom
Gatton Bottom is a road that follows a dry valley. It runs from Reigate Hill down towards Old Merstham. It's one of the roads that leads to Junction 8 of the M25 motorway. This area marks where the steep hills of the Downs meet the rising and falling land of Gatton Park. Homes on the east side of Gatton Bottom are part of the Merstham Village Conservation Area.
Hills, Soil, and Rocks
Gatton has different heights, with the highest point being about 215 meters (about 705 feet) above sea level. This high point is along Fort Lane, near the M25 motorway.
The soil in Gatton changes from north to south. In the northeast, there's a round area of "free-draining, slightly acid, sandy soil." This type of soil is good for dry pastures, pine forests, and growing wheat. In the north, the soil is "fertile slightly acid loamy and clayey soil."
In the middle, there's a narrow strip of "shallow lime-rich soils over chalk or limestone." The M25 motorway cuts through this area in Gatton, creating a steep chalk cliff on one side. The North Downs themselves are made of hard chalk, which was formed about 90 million years ago from tiny sea creatures. This chalk is a white limestone with small bits of flint inside.
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Kingswood | Chipstead | Kingswood | |
| Colley Hill, Reigate |  |
Merstham | ||
 Gatton  |
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| Reigate | Reigate | Redhill |
