Epsom Downs

Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey;[1] in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 in order that racehorses can be trained without interference. It is open to users such as ramblers, model aircraft flyers, golfers and cyclists. But all users are subject to the controls laid down by the purchase order; see 'The Wootton Family - Australia to Epsom' by Bill Eacott page 66/67. Since January 2006 model aircraft flyers on the Downs have been required to be members of the Epsom Downs Model Aircraft Club.[2] There are over 20 km of routeways for hack riders.[3] There are bylaws for the use of the Downs.[4] There are panoramic views of London to the north from the Downs. The area is served by Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner railway stations.

This article is about the area in Surrey. For the racecourse, see Epsom Downs Racecourse. For play by Howard Brenton, see Epsom Downs (play). For the train station, see Epsom Downs station.

The Epsom Derby is an annual horse racing event held on the Epsom Downs

Galium verum (L.) Lady's Bedstraw, a typical English chalk downland plant

Conservators

Epsom Downs is managed by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators, which consists of six borough councillors, three representatives of the Epsom Downs Racecourse and one from the racehorse trainers. They are responsible for the maintenance and control of the Downs and the cost of this is split in the same proportion as the representation. The Conservators were set up in 1984 to give a voice to the users of the Downs.[5]

References

1. Multimap
2. Epsom Downs Model Aircraft Club
3. Riding on Epsom Downs
4. Downs byelaws Archived 5 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators". Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2007.

External links

• Healthy walk