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Dorking is a market town in Surrey, England, in the valley of the Pipp Brook between the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge 〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gridreferencefinder.com/ )〕 from London. It lies between two hills, Box Hill and Leith Hill. In the Georgian and Victorian periods, seven foothills and slopes in the neighbourhood became grand country estates: Norbury Park, Denbies Vineyard, Betchworth Castle, Polesden Lacey, Wotton House and Deepdene. Dorking is a commuter settlement and has three railway stations. In 1911, it was described as "almost entirely residential and agricultural, with some lime works on the chalk, though not so extensive as those in neighbouring parishes, a little brick-making, water-mills (corn) at Pixham Mill, and timber and saw-mills." Dorking chickens with an extra toe are a major breed. Sand of fine texture and often in veins of pink, used for mortar and in glassmaking, was dug, particularly in the 19th century, and the Dorking Caves were excavated for this purpose under southern parts of the town centre. == History and development == Dorking began to become more than an agricultural village as a small staging post on Stane Street, the Roman road between London and Chichester on the English Channel. Dorking appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as the Manor of ''Dorchinges''. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its Domesday assets were: one church, three mills worth 15s 4d, 16 ploughs, of meadow, woodland and herbage for 88 hogs. It rendered £18 per year to its feudal system overlords.〔(Surrey Domesday Book )〕 Subsequent Lords of the Manor included the Dukes of Norfolk, who lived in Dorking until they moved to Arundel. One of them is buried in Dorking churchyard. In the medieval period, Dorking was a prosperous agricultural and market town with businesses, including milling and brewing, capitalising on its position on the junction of a number of long distance roads and local tracks. In 1750, the construction of a turnpike road made Dorking a staging post on the route to Brighton and the coast. The Bull's Head in South Street had a famous coachman, William Broad, whose portrait hangs in Dorking Museum in West Street. An inn in the centre of Dorking, the White Horse, was developed in the 18th century; previous buildings on this site belonged to the Knights Templar and later the Knights of St John. Dorking held a big wheat and cattle market in the High Street. The poultry market was held in the corner of South Street and round Butter Hill. Here the famous Dorking fowl were sold. This breed, which has five claws instead of the normal four, was a favourite for 19th century tables, including that of Queen Victoria. Dorking lost its stagecoaches when the railways arrived, but then attracted wealthy residents who built large houses in and around the town, such as Denbies House and Pippbrook House (now with council offices in the grounds). Surrounding land and beauty spots such as Cotmandene〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.molevalley.gov.uk )〕 and Box Hill were donated by landowners for public use, protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt and the AONB designation of the North Downs and Greensand Ridge. Cotmandene is a area of common land to the east of the town centre, (the name is thought to mean ''the heath of the poor cottages''). Cricket matches were played on the heath during the 18th century and are recorded in Edward Beavan's 1777 poem ''Box Hill''. A painting entitled ''A Cricket Match on Cotmandene, Dorking'' by the artist James Canter, dating to around 1770, is now held by the Marylebone Cricket Club. A game resembling rugby was once played here. The two sides were unlimited in number, representing the east and west of the town. The goals were the two bridges on the Pipp Brook. The Town Crier kicked off the ball at 2 pm and stopped play at 6 pm. The game was started at the church gates and was "rioted" up and down the High Street. It ceased in 1897 after complaints by tradesmen and it was officially stopped under section 72 of the Highway Act 1835. Dorking was an urban district from 1894 to 1974. In 1911 it was described in the Victoria County History, compiled for the county that year and the next, as "almost entirely residential and agricultural, with some lime works on the chalk, though not so extensive as those in neighbouring parishes, a little brick-making, water-mills (corn) at Pixham Mill, and timber and saw-mills." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dorking」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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