Thames Ditton - Today

Today

Thames Ditton has a railway link to London serving the large commuter population, local workforce and Esher college student population.

Thames Ditton High Street now comprises mixed residential housing, office and retail shops in about equal proportion. The growth of supermarket shopping has decimated a formerly thriving small retail sector and many residents go to nearby towns, particularly Kingston, for their main shopping requirements. The High Street still retains a pharmacy, greengrocery, florist, delicatessen, restaurants and post-office/grocer. There are also several hairdressers, estate agents, an art gallery, gift shops, a silversmith and jewellers, tennis and hockey equipment shops (the latter run by an Olympic gold-medallist), a small but extensive modern art gallery and a wedding dress couturier. At Winter's Bridge on the Portsmouth Road is a small stand of shops that includes a nationally recognised patisserie and chocolatier, and the last remaining branch bank in the village. There is another off-licence, a pharmacy and newsagent on Thorkhill Road, formerly Workhouse Lane.

The village has an active, which was formed in 1934 in response to recurring development threats to the character of the area. The Residents' Association as at 2012 continues to hold all three seats for the ward on Elmbridge Borough Council, and the Surrey County Council seat for the Dittons.

Also in Thames Ditton is St Nicholas Church, a small but thriving United Reformed Church, Giggs Hill Green, and the Vera Fletcher Hall. There are further churches and facilities in the nearby village of Weston Green which retains a strong association with Thames Ditton while other parts of the former parish of Thames Ditton, such as Hinchley Wood and Claygate, have fostered separate identities. The Rythe is a small river that runs through Thames Ditton along the Portsmouth Road and down to the River Thames near Ferry Road.

Ye Olde Harrow, an historic inn was a base for the local militia in the days of highwaymen (see above) and subsequently hosted one of the oldest and finest bowling greens in the county. It is to be demolished by a property developer who intends to build several houses on the site.

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