Only the southern slope of the North Downs is steep and its towns and farmland form the Vale of Holmesdale, a series of headwaters across Surrey and Kent to separate rivers.

[14][note 2] The town centre is primarily on the Folkestone Beds, which take the form of a ferruginous quartz-rich sandstone, containing seams of ironstone[15] and mica.

[16] To the west of Oxted railway station, there is a thin wash of pebbles, thought to have been deposited by river action during the Pleistocene.

[18] The earliest evidence of human activity in the civil parish is from the Iron Age and finds include a metal brooch dating from the 3rd or 4th centuries BCE.

[20] The name Oxted suggests that the modern settlement was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period and it is possible that St Mary's Church is built on a pre-Christian religious site.

[36] However, construction became increasingly difficult as a result of the 1866 financial panic caused by failure of Overend, Gurney and Company and, in 1869, there was a riot at Edenbridge because Belgian navvies were being employed to build the line.

[36] A second act of Parliament was obtained in 1869 to formally transfer line to the LBSCR, who immediately asked for powers to suspend works.

All Saints’ Catholic Church was built in 1913–1928 designed by Arts and Crafts architect James L. Williams (died 1926, his other work includes Royal School of Needlework, St George's in Sudbury, London (1926–27) and The Pound House in Totteridge (1907)).

[45] The United Reformed Church's building followed in 1935, which is listed for its coloured glass and Byzantine design by architect Frederick Lawrence.

[52] In September 1939, the boys of Haberdashers Aske 's School were evacuated to the town[53] and a public Anderson shelter was constructed on Master Park.

The hut was sited on the corner of the then recreation ground owned by Mr Charles Hoskins Master, near Court Farm and St Mary's Church.The branch was one of about 700 in 30 counties UK wide.

An organisation created to inaugurate and maintain in a strong, stimulating, united and democratic comradeship all those who have served in any capacity in the Sea, Land, and Air Forces during the Great War, so that neither their efforts nor their interests shall be forgotten or neglected.

May 1921 The British Legion was founded bringing together four similarly minded organisations, creating a unified national voice for ex-servicemen and their families.

In December 1926 the Oxted Branch ( Club ) new building overlooking Master Park was opened by Admiral Sir Charles Madden.

[63][64] The land and building upon which the club is built was officially transferred between Charles Hoskins Master and Francis Morton Thrupp on the 22nd January 1927.

The current freehold title SY787642 shows the registered owners as The Royal British Legion, Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London SE1 1AA.

Entrants wear fancy dress and must push a pram around the two-thirds of a mile course, stopping at each of the seven licensed premises on the way to quaff a drink as quickly as they can.

[71] The building, parts of which date from between 1362 and 1433, was originally used as a barn for a sawmill and was moved from Limpsfield to its current site in Blue House Lane.

[79][80] The early use of cinematograph as media entertainment in Oxted took place in the Hoskins Arms Hotel Assembly Rooms to a crowded audience in late 1913.

[85] The town is also served by Metrobus routes 236, 410, 594 and 595 which provide connections to Westerham, Redhill, Godstone, Edenbridge and East Grinstead.

In August 1998, a fire destroyed 22 classrooms, the dining hall and the library, but the school reopened for the Autumn Term on time, with many lessons held in temporary buildings.

[91] Moor House School and College, in Hurst Green, was founded in 1947 by the neurologist Cecil Worster-Drought to educate children with speech and language impairments.

[94] The oldest part of the current church is the tower, which is constructed of Bargate stone with brick battlements and which is thought to date from the 12th century.

[95] The aisles, built partly from clunch, were added in the 14th century along with the stained glass panels in the east window, depicting the four Evangelists.

[98] It was designed by John Oldrid Scott in the Gothic Revival style and was built on land owned by Uvedale Lambert, who lived at South Park, Bletchingley.

During the subsequent rebuilding, the opportunity was taken to remodel the church, and both the rood screen and altar rails were repositioned to make the chancel more accessible from the nave.

[105] The following year, the stained glass window of St Hedwig, designed by Margaret Agnes Rope was installed in the lady chapel.

The waggon roof, decorated to a design of Geoffrey Fuller Webb, was completed in 1928[108] and the Stations of the Cross, carved in oak, were installed in 1931.

[120] Oxted and Limpsfield Cricket Club was formed November 1889[121] and the first matches took place following year on Marls Field, much of which later became Master Park.

[136] The 6 ha (15-acre) Mill Lane Playing Fields are owned by the District Council and leased by the Holland Sports and Social Association.