Kingswood is a large semi-rural area in the North Downs area, a collection of chalk hills in Surrey. The area is set just within the M25, with the main village being located about 3-4 kilometres away from the motorway. The village mainly consists of detached houses built along wide, winding roads, interspaced with greenery. At the centre of the village is Kingswood railway station, where a small shopping district is located, containing some eateries and other basic stores. Otherwise, Kingswood is overwhelmingly residential, with quite a few retirement homes. There is also a smaller settlement to the south, called Lower Kingswood, which itself has a few stores, as well as several petrol stations serving the M25. Alongside this, the area is popular with those enjoying a quick round of golf, due to the number of surrounding golf clubs.

Kingswood was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, where a manor was described. Henry II further expanded it and included the woods nearby. Henry VIII would later seize Kingswood Manor upon the Dissolution of the Monasteries, annexing it to Hampton Court. The area saw little development until 1899, when the terminus of a branch of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway arrived, and the area gradually took on today’s residential nature.

British Pobjoy Mint is based in the area. The Mint, founded in 1965, produces commemorative coins, medals, tokens and bullion, as well as some circulating currency for certain British Overseas Territories and countries, such as Sierra Leone and Vanuatu. There are also a few famous footballers and football managers who live in the area, such as Chris Coleman, Danny Murphy and Simon Jordan.

Kingswood as a whole is a nice semi-rural suburb of Surrey. The main issues in the area come from the relatively infrequent trains running to central London (only two trains per hour to London Bridge), as well as the perception of the Lower Kingswood area, which some residents have described as ‘a bit grotty’.

Development is typically slow in this rural corner of Surrey. Surrounded on three sides by protected green belt land, and doggedly defended by a number of committed community campaign groups, this area is nonetheless highly sought after. Nonetheless, one recently completed development is Tadworth Gardens, providing new housing and community oriented open space in nearby Tadworth. In addition to private sector retail developments, the Reigate and Banstead council have announced a £10 million investment in discounted homes for local people.