A public road in the south of Thorpe has a wooded backdrop being at the foot of St Ann's Hill marking a north-western boundary of Chertsey.

Accordingly, Thorpe lay in the Godley hundred, so-named for the national religious prominence of this abbey, and percentage of dues payable to it.

Sizeable portions of the land of Godley hundred belonged to the medieval Roman Catholic church before the dissolution of the monasteries.

From 1610, the family of Sir Francis Leigh (later Lord Chichester) owned the very large manor and the neighbouring later manor in the parish, Hall Place, with the exception of a period of 99 years when it saw a complex series of transactions which saw it profit instead Sir Francis Bacon, William Minterne and George Evelyn.

[5] In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales said Thorpe was 1,495 acres (605 hectares (2.3 sq mi)) in which lived 552 people in 110 houses.

[8] A Local Government Board of inquiry held in 1910 found that many families in Thorpe were living in crowded, unsanitary cottages.

Tenants were reluctant to have their cottages inspected in case repairs were undertaken and their rent increased from the average of 4 shillings per week.

[11] St Mary's Church at Grade II*[12] is part of the conservation area along with a number of other listed buildings locally and nationally dating from the 17th century onwards.

Thorpe House has walls made of stock brickwork with red brick dressings, an entablature front.

Inside are moulded door architraves, many ornate features such as dado rails, marble and cast iron interiors.

Official statistics of the 2011 Census reveal that the most significant sectors of employment were Transport & Storage, and Education with 12% and 11% of the workforce respectively.

Reflecting national statistics of suburban areas, 0.4% of the population worked in agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining or quarrying.

Junctions of motorways providing fast links to London Heathrow airport are accessible in the outskirts of the two adjoining towns.

Notable former residents of Thorpe include Frank Muir, David Williams and Admiral Hardy (1769–1839), captain of HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar.

Malden's edition of the Victoria County History described Thorpe as "picturesque and consists of a group of houses at the cross-roads, with others scattered along a winding road to the east."