Godalming

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Godalming






Statistics
Population:	21103
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	SU968437
Administration
Parish:	Godalming
Borough:	Waverley
Shire county:	Surrey
Region:	South East England
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Surrey
Historic county:	Surrey
Services
Police force:	Surrey Police
Fire and rescue:	{{{Fire}}}
Ambulance:	South East Coast
Post office and telephone
Post town:	GODALMING
Postal district:	GU7
Dialling code:	01483
Politics
UK Parliament:	South East Surrey
European Parliament:	South East England

The Pepperpot, Godalming's former town hall.

Godalming is a town in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, seven kilometres south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous stockbroker belt commuter town for London and home of one of England's most prestigious schools, Charterhouse School.

1 History
2 Transport
3 Items of interest
4 Notable people
5 External links

[edit] History

The town has existed since Saxon times (see also Godalming (hundred)), and probably earlier. It is mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great, and the name itself has Saxon origins, 'Godhelms Ingus' roughly translated as “the family of godhelm”, and probably referring to one of the first lords of the manor.

By the time of the 1086 Domesday survey, Godalming had three watermills and a population of roughly 400 people. At the time, its manor belonged to the King, but a few hundred years later, ownership transferred to the Bishop of Salisbury, under a charter granted by King Edward I of England.

In the year 1300, the town was granted the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair. Its major industry at the time was woollen cloth, which contributed to Godalming’s prosperity over the next few centuries, until a sudden decline in the 17th century. Instead, its people applied their skills to the latest knitting and weaving technology and began producing stockings in a variety of materials, and later to leatherwork.

A willingness to adapt, and move from one industry to another meant that Godalming continued to thrive. For example, paper making was adopted in the 17th century, and was still manufactured there in the 20th century. The quarrying of Bargate stone also provided an important source of income, as did passing trade - Godalming was a popular stopping point for stage coaches between Portsmouth and London.

In 1764, trade received an additional boost when canalisation of the river took place, linking the town to Guildford, and from there to the River Thames and London.

So successful was Godalming, that in the early 19th century it was considerably larger than today’s county town of Guildford, and by 1851 the population had passed 6,500. Already, it was becoming a popular residence for commuters, for it was connected to London by railway two years earlier, in 1849, and to Portsmouth in 1859. Today the town is served by Godalming railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line.

Godalming came to world attention in 1881, when it became the first town in the United Kingdom to install a public supply of electricity, and the first in the world to boast electric street lighting, driven by a Siemens AC Alternator and dynamo at Westbrook watermill, feeding seven arc lights and 34 Swan incandescant lights. These lights were later turned off as their supply proved too expensive for the town.

The long history of Godalming is still evident in its architecture, from its parish church, with its Saxon chancel and Norman tower, to its 19th century town hall, nicknamed the Pepperpot. The town has around 230 listed buildings, featuring everything from Tudor timbers to 17th century brickwork.

Other significant buildings include Edwin Lutyens's Red House, and one of the best known English public schools, Charterhouse stands about a mile from the town, on the top of Charterhouse Hill. Charterhouse won the FA Cup as the Old Carthusians in 1880 and 1881.

Winkworth Arboretum, with its collection of rare trees and shrubs, is situated a few miles to the south.

[edit] Transport

Godalming is on the mainline railway between London (Waterloo) and Portsmouth, and is served by South West Trains. The village of Farncombe is effectively a suburb of Godalming to the north east of the town, it too has a railway station. The town is also served by a bus network connecting the town centre with residential areas such as Busbridge and Charterhouse.

[edit] Items of interest

The comic novel The Return of Reginald Perrin, by David Nobbs, contains the following footnote: "Note: It is believed that this book mentions Godalming more than any other book ever written, including A Social, Artistic and Economic History of Godalming by E. Phipps-Blythburgh." The novel was the second in a trilogy, adapted to become a hit TV series: The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

The town has often been used as a backdrop for the shooting of various films and television programmes. In February 2006, Church Street, which runs from the Pepperpot to the parish church, was used in the production of The Holiday, written and directed by Nancy Meyers.