Titsey lies on the Pilgrims' Way, as shown in this Ordnance Survey map. The north–south road at the extreme right, and the "Clarkslane Shaw" field boundary top centre, lie on the track of a Roman road.[2]
In local government it forms the south-western part of the wardTatsfield and Titsey and in national statistics approximates to output area E00157289. It has no railway stations however one is centred 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west, Oxted which also has the administrative centre of the district. Approximately half of it land is owned by a charity running the Titsey Place estate, with the remainder being a mixture of common and privately owned woodland and smallholdings.
The eastern parish boundary follows the London to Lewes Way Roman road which descends the escarpment of the North Downs here, crossing two important ancient east–west routes, the North Downs ridgeway and the Pilgrims Way on the lower slopes.[4]
Titsey appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as a village: Ticesei held by Haimo the Sheriff (of Kent) when its assets were: 2 hides; 1 church, 9 ploughs, pasture worth every seventh hog of the villains. It rendered £11 per year to its feudal system overlords.[5]
The parish church of St James the Greater dates from 1861 and is on the site of an earlier church built in 1776. That in turn replaced a much older church, dating from the 14th century.[6] Some of the memorials to the Gresham family date from the 16th and 17th centuries.[7] There is a 19th century side chapel with memorials to the Leveson-Gower family.[6]
Until the early 20th century, the local economy was entirely agricultural.[6]
In 1929, the BBC established its radio signals receiving station in the parish of Titsey, though the facility was named after the nearby village of Tatsfield. The station's masts and shortwave aerials were a prominent local landmark.[8][9] The station closed in 1974 when its work was merged with that of BBC Monitoring's receiving station at Crowsley Park in South Oxfordshire.[10] Some derelict remains of the BBC station can still be seen.[11]
The proportion of households 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 (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free).
In 2011 the ward of the United Kingdom, Tatsfield and Titsey, almost twice its size, had 1,816 inhabitants
Local government
The (civil) parish council clerk is David Innes.[12][13]
Geography
Titsey covers a long tract which reaches up the southern escarpment of the North Downs, specifically to the highest point of the range, Botley Hill, which is in the parish. The north has altitude of around 230 metres (750 ft) where the North Downs Way passes through the parish. Springs in Titsey, rising at the foot of the chalkscarp of the North Downs, are the source of the River Eden.[14][15]
The administrative centre is Oxted. The largest town is Caterham. Three of the post towns have urban centres Caterham, Godstone and Oxted. Lingfield and Warlingham are major villages which have post town status. The others are outside the area.
