How did Epsom grow from a village smaller than Ewell into the first public spa in England – a place visited by Kings and Queens? How were Epsom Salts discovered? What did visitors make of Epsom at that time and what would they have seen on a night out at the Assembly Rooms? Meet Samuel Pepys and other characters that came here – the great, the good, and not so good. Discover how the need to amuse visitors gave birth to horseracing, and the rise of the legendary horse Eclipse. This early racing led to the Derby: find out how it was named and why it grew from a few gentlemen betting on their own horses to the greatest horse race in the world. The Derby was London’s first Bank Holiday before there were Bank Holidays and even those who did not come to the Downs would stand at the roadside and watch people coming and going. It was because of the race that a Victorian Lord came to live in Epsom – hear about the effect he had on the town,