Epsom is a market town in Surrey which is probably best known as the place where Epsom Salts were first found, and also for the location of the Epsom Derby on the nearby Downs. The Epsom Derby is notable for being the event where the Suffragette Emily Davison lost her life in 1913, four days after running onto the course in front of King George V’s horse. There is a statue to her in the town, as well as a plaque at the racecourse. She was buried in Morpeth, and we saw her statue there in 2021. The Waterstones in Epsom is located at the east end of the High Street.
Emily Davison Statue
Evocation of Speed Sculpture
This sculpture is located in the market area of the west end of the High Street, not far from the Emily Davison Statue, and, like that, it is a nod to the nearby Epsom Racecourse. The sculptor is Judy Boyt. According to her website, it represents the first ever horse to win the Derby, named Diomed, and the horse that won in 2001, Galileo.
Epsom Clock Tower
Built in 1847 and designed by James Butler and Henry Hodge, this clock tower stands on the site of an earlier one which was demolished the same year.
Before we arrived in Epsom, we popped to Chessington so I could take a photograph of the blue plaque on the house where Enid Blyton lived between 1920 and 1924. Whilst some of her books are rather dated by today’s standards, she was one of my favourite authors when I was a child, and definitely fostered my love of reading.
Currently reading: Waiting for the Miracle by Anna McPartlin and Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Janet's Adventures in Waterstones 