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LA MERIDIANA, now owned and managed by Massimo Fallica, is a much-loved East Horsley restaurant and bar specialising in Italian cuisine, including, naturally, an appetising range of pasta and pizzas, with traditional roast dinners available on Sunday. But what of the name? Before we reveal the origin, let’s look back at the history of the building. There has been a hostelry on this site since around 1880. When it was announced that, from 1885, Horsley would have a brand-new train station with connections to London and Guildford, Lord Lovelace, the founding father of East Horsley, saw the potential and arranged for the construction of a hotel named, naturally, The Railway Hotel. Between the wars, the building was enlarged, and the name changed to ‘The Horsley Hotel’, which could accommodate parties of up to 100 guests and proved to be very popular with Canadian soldiers billeted nearby. In the 1970s, it became solely a bar and restaurant called ‘The Horsley’ then ‘The Steak House’. In the early 1990s, the building was acquired by Tony Costello, who had long dreamed of opening an Italian restaurant in the village. When it came to the name, Tony figured that it was located at the intersection of Ockham Road North and Ockham Road South. It was also midway between East and West Horsley, so Tony elected to call his restaurant ‘The Meridian’ or, in Italian, ‘La Meridiana’. Tony has now retired but still lives locally in Ripley. He recalls that in the early days, La Meridiana was often frequented by Ken Tyrrell, who ran the Formula 1 racing team from premises in West Horsley. For a few months, Tony was privileged to display an actual Formula 1 car in the restaurant. In 1998, the site was redeveloped to incorporate flats and cottages but retaining the restaurant, albeit in a slimmed-down size. Recent additions include an outdoor seating area. From time to time, La Meridiana features musical evenings, which have proven very popular. After more than 30 years of serving the residents of East and West Horsley and many others from the surrounding area, we wish Massimo and his team continued success with La Meridiana.