Epsom and Ewell - a great place to live, to work and to visit! So boasts the borough's website www.epsom.townpage.co.uk and who's going to argue with that? Whatever your purpose - this site is certainly worth a pit stop before you head off over the London border.

If you're not particularly web-wise, the site does look a little intimidating at first, as it is chock-full of small text links.

But stick with it, as the site holds a wealth of information about the borough, from shops and roofing contractors to building heritage and mums and kids.

It's not fully comprehensive - some sections perhaps could do with expanding. I'm sure there are more than two restaurants in Epsom and Ewell, for example, yet it is just C'est La Vie in Ewell and the Haywain in Epsom that made the list.

But in some areas it is a superb resource, particularly local history thanks to an informal link with Bourne Hall Museum.

Essays on everything from Epsom and Ewell in Saxon times and the ominous-sounding Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to Epsom in the Thirties and neighbourhood characters through the centuries. It also offers links to the borough's many clubs and societies, a commercial listings service, sights and pictures of various parts of the borough - including every street in Ewell Village.

If you really want a feel for the place and are prepared to wait a few minutes, the site includes a panoramic view of the town covering the High Street, the station, and the clock with handy arrows allowing you to pan either left or right around a 360 degree film of life in the town centre.

And for anyone desperately seeking Susan, or anyone else with an Epsom connection for that matter, check out 'Was it you?' on the bulletin board section where calls for old flames to get in touch and appeals for holiday friends to pass on their details rub shoulders.

The 'Far flung friends/we lived in Epsom' page also looked intriguing, but unfortunately wouldn't load up when I tried it for the purposes of this review.

The site is run by a company called Internetworks, which says it does so as a 'service to the community'. In these cynical times that seems hard to believe, but it does indeed offer a service - the full gamut of information on Epsom and Ewell for those prepared to take the time to trawl through it all.

November 20, 2001 12:01