By the early 18th century Norbiton had established itself as an important coaching town - so when the London and South Western Railway announced plans to open a station, it met with some serious opposition. Negotiations rumbled on for many years, and the station finally opened in 1869. Today there are no such squabbles, and Norbiton is a key commuter station serving the southwest London suburb of Kingston upon Thames. As TV addicts will know, the station was used in the opening credits of the classic sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Beyond the station, the 320-acre Norbiton Common is one of few surviving patches of land that was not sold off for development after the railway arrived. It's a similar story with Kingsmeadow football ground - a key lower league stadium, both AFC Wimbledon and Kingstonian F.C. use it as their home ground. If it's shopping you're after, Kingston town centre is just a mile to the west.