Hooley

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.2927
longitude= -0.1645
official_name= Hooley
map_type= Surrey
population = 1,203 [ [http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/591f7dda55aad72a80256c670041a50d/1c602ea59c869c9180256e600054b26c/$FILE/Town%20populations.pdf Surrey County Council census data] ]
shire_district= Reigate and Banstead
shire_county = Surrey
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Reigate
post_town= Coulsdon
postcode_district = CR5
postcode_area= CR
dial_code= 01737
os_grid_reference= TQ287564

Hooley is a small village in Surrey, England. It lies in a "pass" which is the lowest crossing point of the North Downs for several kilometers in either direction. Both the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway recognised this pass as the best route to Brighton and built rival railway lines through Hooley. Both lines go into tunnels just south of the village. Even before these, an extension of the Surrey Iron Railway came through this pass.

Hooley consists of houses on either side of the Brighton Road plus a few roads to the west of Brighton Road and is situated about 500 metres south of the boundary of the London Borough of Croydon and about 3 km south of Coulsdon.

It has two petrol stations, a few shops, a newsagents, a village hall and a café. The village now boasts a branch of Starbucks, which replaces the former Little Chef, on the A23 by Dean Lane.

It is quite distinct from Chipstead which is to the north west, except that, confusingly, St Margaret's the parish church of Chipstead, can be considered to be in Hooley (junction of Star Lane and Church Lane - coord|51.2924|N|0.1608|W).

To the east - nearly 2 km by road - the new village of Netherne-on-the-Hill is being built on the site of the Victorian Netherne lunatic asylum.

References