Beautiful old Church, gorgeous river and ancient spring (yes I would drink that water) fabulous bridges and a lovely lunch; what more could you ask for? A really great watch Marq. Glad we came along 🥰
The Mole loses water due to the river disappearing down very small pipe-like hollows (swallows) in the chalk of its banks. This only occurs in limestone rocks of which chalk is a form. Daniel Defoe observed that the water lost down the swallows returned to the river as it approached Leatherhead in "thousands of little springs". I bet you found one of these swallow springs..
Any idea how the town got the name Leatherhead? That is what they called our early US football players as their helmets were made of leather. My very own Grandpa was a leatherhead back in the day in the original Salem Village, now Danvers, Massachusetts.
The name "Leatherhead" has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon period. The most widely accepted theory is that the name derives from the Old English words "leodridan" or "leodrida," which roughly translates to "place where people ride" or "place where people can cross (a river)." The town is situated near a natural crossing point of the River Mole, which would have been significant in the early development and naming of the settlement. Over the centuries, the name evolved through various forms, including "Leret," "Lereda," and "Ledred," before eventually becoming "Leatherhead." The evolution of the name reflects the changes in language and pronunciation over time. Therefore, Leatherhead's name is closely linked to its geographic location and historical significance as a crossing point.
That was a lovely walk- chalk streams can’t be bettered! The railway bridge was built to last & take weight! We build cheaply today & know our constructs won’t last! Possibly because the builders expect our tastes to change I suppose! Thanks Marq.
Like you, I also used to live near the Wandle river, but my favourite is also the river Mole, which I also happened to live very near to until recently. Many nice memories of summer evening riverside walks there. Keep up the great videos.
Beautiful old Church, gorgeous river and ancient spring (yes I would drink that water) fabulous bridges and a lovely lunch; what more could you ask for? A really great watch Marq. Glad we came along 🥰
Thanks Lynn, appreciated.
Really interesting, Marq - it’s a town I’ve never really stopped in either - I will have to take a wander at some point!
The Mole loses water due to the river disappearing down very small pipe-like hollows (swallows) in the chalk of its banks. This only occurs in limestone rocks of which chalk is a form. Daniel Defoe observed that the water lost down the swallows returned to the river as it approached Leatherhead in "thousands of little springs".
I bet you found one of these swallow springs..
That's really interesting, thank you.
Any idea how the town got the name Leatherhead? That is what they called our early US football players as their helmets were made of leather. My very own Grandpa was a leatherhead back in the day in the original Salem Village, now Danvers, Massachusetts.
The name "Leatherhead" has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon period. The most widely accepted theory is that the name derives from the Old English words "leodridan" or "leodrida," which roughly translates to "place where people ride" or "place where people can cross (a river)." The town is situated near a natural crossing point of the River Mole, which would have been significant in the early development and naming of the settlement.
Over the centuries, the name evolved through various forms, including "Leret," "Lereda," and "Ledred," before eventually becoming "Leatherhead." The evolution of the name reflects the changes in language and pronunciation over time.
Therefore, Leatherhead's name is closely linked to its geographic location and historical significance as a crossing point.
@@markalienhead1944 Thanks for the information as was about to comment too.
That was a lovely walk- chalk streams can’t be bettered! The railway bridge was built to last & take weight! We build cheaply today & know our constructs won’t last! Possibly because the builders expect our tastes to change I suppose! Thanks Marq.
Like you, I also used to live near the Wandle river, but my favourite is also the river Mole, which I also happened to live very near to until recently. Many nice memories of summer evening riverside walks there. Keep up the great videos.
Thank you, lovely memories you have.
Loved the old bridge. Hope the replacement lunch was up to the marq!! I did not realise Leatherhead was quite so interesting...
The alternative Lunch was just fine Jean.
Why have I never explored Leatherhead?!?! Been to countless weddings at the registry office and driven around that damned bypass road a million times.
Leatherhead in the past for me was a gateway into the Surrey Hills.