A pensioner who has lived in the same house all his life has had a road named after his family.

According to Kingston Council, Kelsey Close, a new development of eight houses on the site of the Barwell garage in Chessington, has been named after George John Raymond Kelsey, known as Jack.

However, Jack’s son, Ray “John” Kelsey, 79, who lives next door in Leatherhead Road, believed it was in honour of his grandfather, George Kelsey, known as Tom.

He said: “It’s named after the Kelseys.

“It’s well and truly a good thing. He was the mainstay of Chessington a long time ago.

“I think it’s an honour in a sense because my granddad was the heart of Chessington.

“He used to deal with everything everybody wanted. He used to dig graves, make the coffins.

“The council suggested it to the developers funny enough.”

Mr Kelsey has criticised the “greedy council” in the past for “selling out” to developers.

He tried unsuccessfully to save the Harrow public house opposite him from being knocked down and replaced by flats.

But of his new neighbours he said: “I don’t know they’re there. I’ve only seen them in and out.

“I see the children from time to time and they kick the ball over my fence into the garden.

“The houses are good. They are a good lot of neighbours.

“I miss the history before it. It used to be farmland, orchards, everything everywhere.

“I’m glad to see the garage go. It was an eye sore really, getting to that stage.”

Mr Kelsey’s father, Jack, used to gather with friends outside the Harrow pub in the 1920s before heading to Brighton on day trips.

Mr Kelsey's letter This is about Chessington a long time ago. When Chessington was a village with no roads and no sewers anywhere. You had to go down to the bottom of the garden when my grandfather came here in the mid 1860’s.

There was farms everywhere, the only way to get about was by horse and cart. Coming from St Mary’s church was a farm and riding stables, there was no railway then! Where the Golf club is now was a large white house which was called “Whiteoaks” and there was a five bar gate which was kept locked and a little gate in Garrison lane that went to the church.

On the main Leatherhead Road, you come to the cafe, which did belong to Mrs Childs in those days. There was five wooden houses adjoining the cafe which is now number 200 Leatherhead Road and that is all there was apart from my house.

My grandfather was the man everyone consulted in Chessington because he was a Blacksmith, carpenter, builder and he was the man to see if you wanted anything done and no matter what it was he would do it. He used to dig graves, make coffins. Then he built the Harrow Pub. Every piece of wood was cut and made in his carpenter’s shop. The Harrow was built just before or just after 1900. Sometime in the 30’s it was a half-way house with changing of the horses for London to Brighton coach as there were stables at the side of the Harrow.

There was also the West Surrey Hunt with hounds because Chessington was an old village. There has been a pub on that site for 300 years.

I am sorry he died in 1936 – in those days, there were no sewers, no roads, no running water – we had a well in the front garden. Chessington was a very old village. The sewers and running water was installed in the late 30’s as was the railway.

The Leatherhead Road was put in just before the last war, and there were very very few buildings along it and at that time we were under Epsom Council.