Commerce and Services
The biggest employer in Claygate is the retail sector and there is a large and diverse selection of shops and restaurants, with two main centres known as "The Parade" and "The Old Village". The village has a very active Chamber of Commerce which funds the annual Christmas decorations in the parade and supports the Claygate Flower Show. The Parade is the larger shopping area, being adjacent to Claygate railway station and extending to shops in St Leonards Road and Hare Lane. Claygate has its own supermarket, a Post Office, two newsagents, four estate agents and a number of specialist shops. Many of the shops in Claygate are family-run, independent businesses with long histories. One of the oldest is likely to be "The Game Larder", which opened in the early 1960s as a butcher's shop called R.E. Grimes.
Claygate has five public houses, and one of the annual village traditions is a Boxing Day tour of all the pubs by Morris Dancers.
As well as the pubs, there are several restaurants in Claygate. In the "Old Village" there is a range of popular restaurants representing wide selection of international cuisine. In "The Parade" there are two fast food eateries a Chinese restaurant and a Tandoori restaurant still run by the same family since 1974, there is also a kebab shop and a fish and chip shop.
Claygate is served by the K3 Bus to Esher, Kingston and Roehampton Vale, operated by London United for Transport for London. Most properties have the Esher 01372 code, but properties right on the village boundary have been assigned the London telephone code: 020 8398.
Local newspapers covering Claygate include The Surrey Advertiser, The Surrey Comet and The Herald, and two freely distributed newspapers, The Informer and The Guardian. Claygate is in the editorial area of BBC Surrey, although its proximity to London means all of the capital's radio stations can be heard.
There are several small farms in Claygate, the most known being Horringdon Farm, at the end of Vale road. Many of the farms are riding centres.
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Famous quotes containing the words commerce and, commerce and/or services:
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—Elizabeth M. Gilmer (1861–1951)