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ORIGINS
Surrey
relied on the growth of London for its origins, which became
established with the invasion of the Romans in 43 AD. There is no
evidence to suggest London existed before then as no major Iron Age
settlement has been revealed, but soon after the arrival of the Romans the
city grew to a thriving centre within just 10 to 15 years. A
radial pattern of Roman roads from London to the ports remain, one
forms the ancient boundary with Kent.
Surrey has grown around the historic Roman road to Chichester known
as 'Stane Street' (stone road)
and other major trade routes to the South Coast. Stane Street passed
through Ewell, Dorking and Ockley and some parts of the
current A29 still follow its precise
route. Other parts are still easily found following the course of bridle
paths close to Ashtead and  across the Mickleham Downs near Box
Hill. Although this road was originally built to facilitate troop
movement, when peace was established it then became an important trade
route.
There is evidence of small towns at Dorking and Ewell, with
Ashtead being the site of an important Roman villa and tile
industry. Most of the Roman villa estates in Surrey probably
concentrated on farming at Titsey, Bletchingley, Walton Heath,
Walton-on-the-Hill, Chatley Heath, Abinger, Broad Street, Compton,
Chiddingfold and Rapsley. At Farnham's villa it seems that domestic
pottery was also manufactured. The villas may have had their own shrines
for worship, but the sites of three small rural temples are known at
Titsey, Farley Heath and Wanborough.
 There
was another road to Silchester, to the west of London, that passed through
Staines and there are signs of a military establishment dating from
this time in Petters Sports Field near Egham. There were no major
towns established in Surrey, but the most important small town was Staines,
a key crossing point over the River Thames. In the fifth century AD
Roman Surrey became Saxon Surrey when the county, as we know it, really began
to first emerge. New discoveries are still happening to tell us
more about this interesting period of transition about which little
is still known.
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Surrey
Origins
