This neighbourhood loops around a truly rural-urban periphery, with much of the area within easy access of open space and country parks. It is also home to a major source of employment and tourism in the area, with the Chessington World of Adventures resort taking up much of the western side of the area. Most of the urban grain is composed of suburban residential streets, predominantly a mix of semi- detached family homes, a number of council estates and smaller apartment units clustered near the Chessington South station. This national rail station is served by south western railway, and provides two services an hour into central London, ending at Waterloo. Of note in this area, apart from the theme park, is the Horton Country park, which is popular with local families and dog walkers. Residents can also access a number of bus routes towards other nearby shopping and retail hubs such as Surbiton and Kingston, with many locals opting to drive too. Overall this is a pleasant area with enough essential amenity and schools to serve the population.

First mentioned in the Domesday Book as Cisendone, the history of this suburban area on the outermost fringes of south west London is very much tied to the development of Chessington World of Adventures resort. The centre of the theme park, as it stands today, is oriented around the Chessington Zoo and historic ‘burnt stub’ building, which stood long before any rides came into existence. This historic building, however, used to be known as Chessington Lodge, and its history extends back as far as 1348, when the original mansion was built. During the civil war, the original building was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s forces, and after it was rebuilt was appropriately renamed ‘burnt stub’. In 1931, the animal-enthusiast Reginald Goddard bought the property and subsequently opened Chessington Zoo. Eventually, over the 20th century expanding to become the theme park it is today. More widely, suburban development in the area developed in quite a dense form following world war two, and it is now a well-populated outer London suburb with many younger residents working at the theme park in the summer.

One famous resident who frequently used to visit Chessington Hall in the 1700’s was the English novelist Fanny Burney. Whilst she did not pen as many works as the likes of Jane Austen and her other contemporaries, Burney was pioneering in her writings about the challenges faced by women who sought to gain an education, and navigating the complex social workings of Georgian England. Her most notable works include Cecilia and Evelina, but her diaries are also a source of insight into the scandal and gossip of 18th century intellectual and literary circles, with Virginia Woolf reportedly calling her ‘the mother of English fiction’!

Chessington World of Adventures is the only full-scale theme park in London. It is in fact one of the most popular paid-for attractions, with over 1.5 million visitors per year.

Whilst on the whole a pleasant area to live in, the benefits of living so close to a major tourist attraction also have their limitations. There are often problems with traffic along Leatherhead Road alongside the theme park, with those trying to reach or get off the M25 often stumped and stuck in traffic during busy peak summer times. Furthermore, many park-goers experience long queues and wait times in and out of the park, which contributes to the build up of road congestion.

There has however been attention to this issue locally, and plans to tackle this issue and the issue of traffic in the area more generally were suggested in 2016. Kingston Council was in discussions to create a bypass at the A253 Malden Rushett near the theme park, which could help ease the traffic pressures. More generally, the area continues to be popular with residents and visitors alike, in particular because the resort is ‘unique in combining family fun with animal conservation.’

In the long term the biggest change to Chessington is likely to be the introduction of Crossrail 2 at nearby Chessington North and Chessington South stations, which will reduce journey times into central London and alleviate congestion on the busy South Western Main Line. However, the project has been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and is not expected to be completed until well after 2030. One new development to the local area which has been overwhelmingly popular is the opening of a new roller coaster and two new flat rides in a new area code-named “Project Amazon”, suspected to be opening in 2023. This development is expected to help business at the park, enabling it to expand its appeal to visitors travelling from further away.