Epsom was originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters which sprung at Epsom. The town's market is built on the pond that existed in the Middle Ages. Within the centuries-old boundaries is Epsom Downs Racecourse which features two of the five English Classic horse races; "The Derby" and "The Oaks", which were first run in 1780 and 1779 respectively. On 4 June 1913, Emily Davison, a militant women's suffrage activist, stepped in front of King George V's horse running in the Derby, sustaining fatal injuries. The British Prime Minister and first chairman of the London County Council, Lord Rosebery, was sent
King George V College New Road in 1926, in preparation for a reopening by the Earl of Derby on 16 October of that year, when the institution was rechristened King George V Grammar School. In September 1979 the college assumed its current name; in 1982 its school section ceased to exist. In October 2014, Ofsted placed KGV — previously a grade 1 'outstanding' college — in the 'inadequate' or grade 4 boundary for education providers. The report cited a lack of effective leadership and severe staff cuts as reasons for its poor findings. In June of the following year, Ofsted upgraded the college's 'inadequate'