About The Elmbridge Hundred

A remarkable roll-call of life stories

Many famous (and a few infamous!) figures are associated with the historic borough of Elmbridge in Surrey. Many of their life stories are now forgotten and in danger of disappearing. The Elmbridge Hundred aims to research, document, and celebrate this rich human heritage.

It reveals the industrious, enterprising, scientific, artistic, musical, poetic, political, religious, and romantic, often scandalous, occasionally scurrilous, always intriguing, and sometimes world-changing life stories and events that took place here. Travel back and forth in time, place, or genre, to meet local luminaries from Julius Caesar to John Lennon.

Biographical Research

The Elmbridge Hundred is a community partnership, which brings together the following:

• Elmbridge Museum
• Brooklands Museum
• Claremont Landscape Garden
• Landskip Organisation
• Painshill Park
• Surrey History Centre
• All the borough's senior schools.

The project is also supported by:

• Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust
• Esher District Local History Society
• Molesey and District Antiques Society
• Molesey Local History Society
• Walton and Weybridge Local History Society
• The Weybridge Society

The project works with local students to develop their research and writing skills, create historical and cultural resources, and learning opportunities. The use of primary research material has played an important role in the students' experiences, involving collaboration with:

• The V&A Archives
• National Art Library
• The National Archives at Kew
• The British Library
• Surrey History Centre

Elmbridge Museum, together with artist, writer and historian Alistair Grant worked with AS, A-level and International Baccalaureate (IB) students from the following schools and colleages. Each student was allocated an historic figure to research.

• American Community School
• Brooklands College
• Claremont Fan Court
• Esher College
• Esher Church of England High School
• Heathside
• Hinchley Wood
• Notre Dame
• Rydens School
• Yehudi Menuhin School.

The criteria for each of the 600 historic individuals inclusion on The Elmbridge Hundred website was that they have a strong association with somewhere within the historic boundaries of Elmbridge. The outcome for each student was the research, writing and online publication of a biography, focused around the figure's relationship with Elmbridge. These biographies have been recorded on this website to develop a lasting community resource.They will continue to be updated on a regular basis.

Support

The Elmbridge Hundred is funded by grants from:

• R.C. Sherriff Trust
• Renaissance South East
• The Friends of Elmbridge Museum
• The Cuneo Estate and the Cuneo Society
• Mrs Myra Cohen
• Mrs Judy Hopper
• Cargill Plc
• Mrs Elisabeth A. Smith
• The Cremation Society of Great Britain