September will herald a significant milestone in the history of Epsom and Ewell when the borough celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Until 1937, Epsom was a relatively urban area surrounded by rural villages, including Ewell and Stoneleigh.
These villages were engulfed by the suburbs from the 1920s thanks to an influx of a new ‘commuting class’ who settled there because of the improved transport links to London. Farmland was sold to make way for housing and Epsom, which already had a town council, was increasingly looked to for the provision of services.
When local boundaries were re-drawn by the Government in the 1930s the two villages were included with Epsom which led to their unification in a single borough. This was enacted in the Charter of the Incorporation of the borough of Epsom and Ewell which was granted on September 29, 1937.
To mark the anniversary, the Epsom Guardian, together with Bourne Hall curator and local history expert Jeremy Harte, visited the town hall to explore some of the many historical artefacts acquired by the borough in the past 75 years.
The mace, a functional piece of regalia which represents the delegation of powers by the state to local government, was made for the borough’s first council meeting in 1937. It is carried in at the start of each meeting and placed before the mayor in the council chamber.
The arms of Epsom and Ewell, granted in 1937, were designed by Edward Erle Dorling, a heraldic writer, whose son became the clerk of Epsom Downs racecourse. There is a Dorling Drive in Epsom named after the family.
Mr Harte says: "Dorling wanted the arms to be easily recognisable but meaningful. The green represents the Downs, and the horses refer to Epsom’s racing industry. The blue and white signify Epsom Spa and Ewell Spring."
The borough’s motto ‘Non Such’ is taken from the palace founded by Henry VIII in 1538 in what is now Nonsuch Park.
This was donated to the council by Charles Riddick in 1937, who owned a jewellery shop in Upper High Street and was the resident provider of medals for sporting events and other occasions in Epsom.
Presented to the council in 1980 by United Racecourses, the then name of the managers of Epsom Downs racecourse. It depicts the first Derby on May 4, 1780 - a race which is now synonymous with Epsom all across the world.
This was given to the council in 1937 by the ancient order of the Foresters - a local branch of a national social benefits organisation, established in 1834, which met in the Foresters Hall -situated where Co-op in Waterloo Road stands today.
Members recognised that by paying a few pence a week into a common fund they would be able to offer sick pay and funeral grants when necessary.
HM Queen Elizabeth II opened the Ashley Centre in Epsom town centre in 1984. It was Epsom’s first shopping development.
Mr Harte says: "The Ashley Centre saved Epsom from decline. It was a comparatively late development of its kind for the town compared to surrounding areas."
Ted Faulks’ mayoral gift to the council after his term 1986 to 1987.
Mr Harte says: "This represents a time when town policy moved towards maintaining Epsom as a town of racing excellence."
The first ‘charter’ mayor of Epsom and Ewell Council in 1937, Mr Harte says: "Chuter Ede was a local boy made good."
A schoolteacher in Epsom, he went on to be elected as a Labour MP for Mitcham, in 1923, and then South Shields in 1929, and served as Home Secretary under Clement Attlee from 1945 to 1951.
The bust was presented to the borough by Mr Ede’s wife Lilian in 1947.
Presented to the council by the town twinning steering committee in 1994, the item represents the importance of the borough’s ties with the northern French town of Chantilly, which it was twinned with on September 30, 1995.
Painted by Sean Khan, curator of Bourne Hall between 1975 and 1988, it is a celebration of the different elements of Epsom.
Mr Harte says: "It’s bringing together the 1930s and 1980s. The depiction of Bourne Hall and the Ashley Centre show how development had taken off."
The original robes worn by the charter mayor were paid for by the children of the borough, who contributed one penny each towards its production.
Mr Harte says: "The children were regarded as the future of the new borough and those who contributed received leaflets drafted by Chuter Ede. The council wanted them to be proud of Epsom and Ewell."
The mayoral chains, worn with the robes, consists of medals - with one added to the chains for each new mayor inscribed with their name.
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