Ripley is a village in Surrey, England. The village has existed since Norman times – the chancel of the church of St. Mary Magdalen shows construction of circa 1160 there and supporting feet of fines and ecclesiastical records mention the village at the time. Ripley's sister village of Send to the south-west was the governing parish over the village for over 700 years until 1878 when they became two separate ecclesiastical parishes; they became separate civil parishes in 1933. Lying on the main road from London to Portsmouth, Ripley was the post town for the whole area from 1813 to 1865. With the coming of the railway to what was then WokingCommon in 1838, Ripley's importance diminished, and Woking became its post town in 1865. As motor traffic increased during the 1960s and the 1970s, the Portsmouth Road at Ripley became a notorious bottleneck, relieved by the building of the Ripley bypass in 1976. The A3 was renamed the B2215, and what has always been a major trunk road was expanded into six lanes north of Guildford, bypassing Send and Ripley. The distance is to the M25 motorway. It is centred southeast of Woking, northeast of Guildford and southwest of London. Neighbouring villages Send and Send Marsh to the South-West and Ockham to the East have fewer shopping facilities.
Amenities
The village includes a coaching inn, the Talbot Inn, which dates back to 1453, as well as The Clockhouse restaurant, which has been awarded a Michelin star and 3 AA rosettes. The village high street includes two small supermarkets, cobblers and a bakery. The other pubs in the village are the Jovial Sailor on the western outskirts, The Anchor, The Ship Inn, The Seven Stars and The Half Moon. The village church of St Mary Magdalen has a fine Norman chancel and is a Grade II* listed building. Among the more than 20 listed buildings and cottages in the village are Pinnocks Café the Ship Inn and Ye Old Sweet Shoppe, J Hartley Antiques, Sage Antiques, the Clock House and the Old Pharmacy. This last building is a historical place of interest with a Blue Plaque located outside commemorating the production of penicillinfor the first time in the UK, possibly the world, for civilian use, by Kenneth White in 1944. Cedar House, another listed building, is now home to an art gallery Ripley has two schools, Ripley C of E Primary School and Ripley Court Preparatory School, a private school.
Ripley is the birthplace of the acclaimed rock/blues guitarist Eric Clapton, and resting place of his son, Conor, who died after falling from his mother's New York apartment window. Paul Weller is a long-term resident of Ripley and runs local recording studios Black Barn Studios.
Sport
Cricket
has been a popular sport in the village for 200 years and is played on the Green.
Cycling
Cycling heritage
In the 1870s, cycling also became a popular activity in the South of England and Ripley was a convenient distance from London so that many cyclists would stop there for a break at the Anchor Inn. Sisters Annie and Harriet Dibble encouraged the cyclists so much that, in some years in the following decade, their visitors' book was signed with over 7,000 names – all arriving on penny-farthings or boneshakers.
Since the 1930s a bonfire has been held on the Green to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. It is a major local event with several thousand attending to see the bonfire, fireworks and funfair.
Demography and housing
The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
Output area
Population
Households
% Owned outright
% Owned with a loan
hectares
2,029
762
39.6%
29.9%
927
The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings.
