Place Name
Comes from the Old English words sūð meaning south and bere-tūn meaning grange or barley farm; Norbiton, on the other side of the hill, has the same origins. It features as Suberton in the records of 1179, Surberton in 1263, Surburton in 1272 and Surbition in 1597. This was originally farmland and remained largely undeveloped until the start of the 19thCentury when the coming of the London and Southampton railway in 1838 led to extensive building in the Surbiton area. The Victorian houses were built from 1864 to 1887, as a middle class residential estate. It was constructed by a number of developers, reflected by the different architectural styles to be found in this conservation area. Many of the houses on the north side of Surbiton Hill Park form part of the original estate built in the 1860s.
