Coulsdon

The town of Coulsdon is in the county of Surrey and set within the Greater London greenbelt. The town has a recorded history dating back to 675 when a deed was granted to Chertsey Abbey by King Frithwald; although the area had been inhabited since long before then. Evidence has been found of flint axes that date back to around 100,000 BC as well as a Celtic field system on Farthing Downs that dates from about 550 BC. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Coulsdon is recorded as having a church and a population of about 55 people.

Today Coulsdon is actually an amalgamation of the former towns of Old Coulsdon and Smitham Bottom, with the area between filled by a housing development in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries. There is still a contrast between the two areas; with a quaint village atmosphere complete with traditional village green, pretty parade of shops and mediaeval church in Old Coulsdon and the influence of modernisation, the importance of the Brighton Road and the impact of the railway making the old Smitham Bottom area, a bustling hive of activity.