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Conservation areas
Find the details of all the conservation areas in the borough and find the boundaries of conservation areas, buildings of merit and listed buildings on our maps.
Surbiton Town Centre
Designation date
June 1991
Number of properties
311
Area
5.2 hectares
Designation summary
The special architectural and historic interest of this area can be summarised as: Part of the Surbiton “New Town” conceived by Thomas Pooley following the relocation of Surbiton Railway Station to its current site in 1838. Early houses in Victoria Road and Brighton Road were converted to commercial use by 1865, and the area now forms a substantial part of the district centre.
Historical Background
Until the early 19th century, this part of Surbiton, often referred to as Surbiton Hill, was a rural area with a network of small farms and estates, with some scattered development along Ewell Road, Claremont Road and Victoria Road. Properties in this area were first laid out at the time that Thomas Pooley was building houses in the 1840’s around Claremont Gardens, to the north of the area.
By 1865 both sides of Victoria Road, Claremont Road and the north side of Brighton Road were lined with terraced and semi-detached houses giving the town a residential dormitory character. However by 1900 Surbiton had changed to become an important commercial centre and resulted in the conversion of residential to retail and commercial units. Examples of some purpose built commercial properties include the Post Office in Victoria Road and properties along the east side of Claremont Road.
Architectural key features
There are a number of notable buildings and different styles which make a positive contribution to the townscape quality of the area. Examples of Regency style buildings decorated in stucco survive on the dominant 3 storey buildings at 2-8 Victoria Road. Surbiton Station, designed by Architect James Rob Scott is Art Deco in style and is a landmark feature of the conservation area. There are also many Flemish style buildings, including the Old Post Office at 38 Victoria Road, 6-24 Claremont Road and nos 15-63 Brighton Road.
Listed Buildings
- Surbiton Station, grade II listed building
- Shop front, 12 Victoria Road, Grade II listed building
- 2- 8 Victoria Road, Grade II listed building
Locally Listed Buildings
- 1-63 Brighton Road
- 1, 9, 10, 11, 13,14, 28, 31, 38, 84 Victoria Road
- 2-24 Claremont Road
- Former Ritz Cinema 7 St Marks Hill
- 17 St James Road
Adjacent Conservation Areas (CA) / Local Areas of Special Character (LASC)
- St Andrews Square Conservation Area
- Claremont Road Conservation Area
- Victoria Road Conservation Area
Archaeological Priority Area
No
Article 4 Directions
None
Enquiries
If you have any general enquiries relating to conservation areas you can contact us using our general enquiries form.
For enquiries relating to planning advice for properties within a Conservation Area, you can use our pre application advice service.
Further Information
- Surbiton Town Centre Conservation Area Designation Report
- Assessment of Surbiton Conservation Areas and Local Areas of Special Character (2004)
Article 4 Directions
None