DORKING

town, Mole Valley district, administrative and historic county of Surrey, England, southwest of London. It is situated in the valley of the River Mole, between the escarpment of the chalk hills of the North Downs and the wooded heights of Leith Hill. Dorking is noted for the beauty of its countryside. The nature reserves of Holmwood Common and Box Hill in the North Downs belong to the National Trust (a British conservation body). Several fine mansions are in the vicinity of the town, notably Leith Hill Place and Polesden Lacey. Another mansion of the district is Deepdene, which has associations with Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th-century statesman. With excellent access to London, Dorking has developed as a residential town. Pop. (1991) 15,658.