Ashtead
Ashtead is a village within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey. The Ashtead Residents' Association, established in 1945, aims to represent the opinions of all who live in Ashtead by way of a network of over a hundred Road Stewards and regular meetings. Ashtead has a substantial two-part conservation area which includes the mansion Ashtead House utilised by City of London Freemen's School, and 6 other schools. Amenities include parks, outlying woodland trails plus a high street with convenience shopping, cafes and restaurants, a football club and a cricket club. There has been settlement in Ashtead since at least the Roman period, with a Roman villa excavated in what's now Ashtead Common. Ashtead features within the Domesday Book as Stede. The oldest part of Ashtead has the main shopping and social area of the village, with 2 pubs plus the Ashtead Village Club which is a C&IU affiliate. It includes a small southern conservation area, however outside of this has eight listed brick buildings, each more than two centuries old, including the Old Rectory which has been broken up into Ashtead Lodge, Forge Cottage and Wisteria Cottage which are dated to roughly the 17th century and are also Grade II listed. The area north of the railway line is Ashtead Common, managed by the City of London Corporation subject to a long-standing preservation order, and is a national nature reserve. Lower Ashtead is a relatively flat area leading to Ashtead Common that has a recreation ground, a youth club and skate park, a pub, and a range of shops all built near the preserved large square of wood in front of the railway station. Ashtead Park contains three significant listed buildings and four lakes/ponds. For all of your house upgrades, ensure that you use trustworthy specialists in Ashtead to ensure you get the top service.