With its position in a dry valley in the rural North Downs but nevertheless close to the A22, it is unsurprising that Caterham is a popular commuter town: divided into Caterham Valley, where this neighbourhood area falls, and Caterham-on-the-Hill. For those that work in the town itself, there is a thriving small business scene, but little in the way of business or industrial parks. The town is well-served for shops, amenities and restaurants. Bua Thai, Casa Lola (Spanish), and Shabebs (Indian) are particularly highly recommended but there is food here to suit everyone’s taste. The Harrow is a popular family pub and the Crown and Pepper is the go-to place in town for cocktails. Good schools (especially in the private sector), easy access rolling countryside, and lower house prices than several of the surrounding towns make this an excellent choice for families and those looking for countryside charm in close proximity to London.

Archaeologists estimated that the encampment and fort at the top of White Hill date back to the Iron Age. A number of manors were established around the town in feudal times; and the town expanded in the Victorian era. Famously, in 1975 an IRA bomb exploded in The Caterham Arms.

The area has been home to several famous actors: Bill Nighy was born here in 1949; and John Finch, Pamela Matthews, and Peter Yates have all graced these suburban streets!

Caterham is famous for being home to the ‘S3’ version of the Lotus 7 classic car.

The town centre can get clogged in rush hour; and local residents have complained that on a lot of the nicest residential roads, many of the larger houses have been turned into flats, resulting in a more transient population. However, residents also note the cheaper house prices as compared to nearby Warlingham and Oxted, and the conveniently located station and relatively short commute. Paul Colairo, who owns Colairo’s coffee shop in the station said: ‘if they could sort the traffic and parking out it would be an ideal place to live. It’s very close to the M25 which is great. It’s a stone’s throw away from countryside and feels very rural here’.

Village Developments, a local property company, completed a few years back a development of ten semi-detached and five detached three, four, and five-bedroom houses in a quiet cul-de-sac close to the town centre. Corner House on Godstone Road near the station is another recent development of flats from Croudace Homes. Near to the area, a new proposal for a 140-home development on the site of a former quarry in Godstone was submitted to Tandridge Council. Some residents are concerned about the impact of such a large scheme on their village and the surrounding landscape.