Woking

Woking

Woking Town Square before a new glass frontage was added to the Peacocks Centre.
Woking

 Woking shown within Surrey
Population 62,796 
OS grid reference TQ003584
    - London  23 mi (37 km) NE 
District Woking
Shire county Surrey
Region South East
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WOKING
Postcode district GU21, GU22
Dialling code 01483
Police Surrey
Fire Surrey
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament Woking
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Woking ( /ˈwkɪŋ/) is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station.[1] Woking is located 23 miles (37 km) south west of Charing Cross in central London. Woking town itself, excluding the surrounding district, has a population of 62,796.[2] The whole local government district (the borough of Woking) has a population of 92,400 (mid 2009 estimate).[3]

In literature, Woking is where the Martians first land in H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds. It also features in Douglas Adams's The Meaning of Liff, as the word for when you go to the kitchen but forget why.[4]

Contents

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History

Though Woking's earliest written appearance is in Domesday Book, it is mentioned as the site of a monastery in an 8th century context, as Wochingas. In Domesday Book it appears as Wochinges, being held in 1086 by King William the Conqueror, Walter FitzOther, constable of Windsor Castle, and Ansgot and Godfrey from Osbern FitzOsbern, then bishop of Exeter.

Modern Woking was formed in the area to the south of the Basingstoke Canal (opened in 1794) around the railway station, built in 1838 at the junction between lines to London, the south coast, and the south-west of England, and the private railway to Brookwood Cemetery, which was developed by the London Necropolis Company as an overflow burial ground for London's dead. As a result, the original settlement 1 mile to the south-east, on the River Wey, became known as "Old Woking". Later, Woking Crematorium at St Johns became the first crematorium in the United Kingdom.

The first purpose-built mosque in the UK, the Shah Jahan Mosque on Oriental Road, was commissioned by Shahjehan, Begum of Bhopal (1868–1901), one of the four female Muslim rulers of Bhopal who reigned between 1819 and 1926. The mosque has given rise to the town's significant Asian community.

The setting for the novel The War of the Worlds (1898), by H. G. Wells, is Horsell Common north of Woking. This is an early science fiction novel which describes an invasion of Earth by aliens from Mars. It is one of the earliest and best-known depictions of an alien invasion of Earth and has influenced many others, as well as spawning several films and radio dramas and a television series based on the story. The 1938 radio broadcast in the United States caused public outcry against the episode, as many listeners believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress, a notable example of mass hysteria.

Politics

The constituency of Woking has historically been a Conservative safe seat, with the Liberal Democrats being the principal opposition in the last five general elections. Its current Member of Parliament is Jonathan Lord.

Elections to the borough council take place in three out of every four years, with one-third elected in each election. The latest election in 2011 gave the Conservatives an overall majority of seats for the first time in 20 years.[5]

Cllr Ken Howard was elected the 38th Mayor of Woking in May 2011. He is the first non-religious mayor of Woking.

Law

Woking has a Magistrates Court and a Police Station, which is housed in a former school. In the area there are smaller police stations. Nearby, in Guildford and Surrey Heath there are two prisons: a Category C and a women's prison.

Facilities

Woking has a modern shopping centre called The Peacocks and an older shopping area, Wolsey Place. The Peacocks Centre underwent development work in 2010 to add a new facade in the town square. There was an extension that consisted of adding glass with coloured lights that change in sequence.[6]

The main area for evening entertainment is around Chertsey Road[7] which contains restaurants serving a number of cuisines and there are also numerous bars and pubs. The Ambassadors cinemas[8] and New Victoria Theatre[8] can be accessed via the top floor of The Peacocks.

Woking has an indoor swimming pool, "Pool in the Park",[9] and a separate leisure centre which is opposite Pool in the Park. Outdoor facilities include a skatepark, tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches, a cricket pitch (during the summer), bowling greens, a crazy golf course, and a children's adventure playground. These leisure facilities are all located within the attractively landscaped Woking Park[10] near to the town centre. Woking also has the largest public library in Surrey which is located in the town square.

The scene at St Peter's Church, Old Woking is an inspiration for many local artists, as is another local beauty spot at the lock at St John's Lye.[11]

Woking is home to an arts and heritage centre called 'The Lightbox'.[12] The modern structure, located next to the Basingstoke Canal, was designed by architects Marks Barfield,[13] the architects of the London Eye.

A Hawker Hunter jet fighter mounted on a pole roughly ten metres tall is situated outside the 'Big Apple' family entertainment complex. This is the last Hunter built and was used to promote the previous 'Planets' family entertainment complex. Originally black, the plane is now finished in all-over silver.

Energy policy

Woking council is one of country's leaders in adopting greener energy technologies. Several combined heat and power stations provide district heating and electricity, and electricity is also provided by a combination of hydrogen fuel cells and solar cells dispersed throughout the borough.[14] These are linked via an innovative private electricity distribution system operating completely off the public power grid.

In order to do this the local government laid new power lines to all locations on the Woking sustainable community energy system (due to Department of Trade and Industry regulations). Should the public power grid fail, central Woking would continue to have an energy supply.[15]

The cost for providing this is approximately UK£0.01/kWh less than for public electricity. It has been reported that the borough saves UK£974,000 a year in energy costs if the installation costs are ignored.[15] By March 2004 the initiatives had also cut the borough's carbon emissions by 17.24%, and those of the council by 77.4%.[16]

Woking Station Canopy, which was approved by Woking Councillors in March 2004, was built in 2007. It is equipped with photovoltaic cells to collect sunlight and convert it into energy.[17]

On 23 March 2007, Prince Charles opened a climate change exhibition in Woking. The exhibition, which was a joint venture by Business in the Community and BCSC and endorsed by the Climate Group, featured display stands with information on issues like recycling, energy use, transport, waste reduction and food sources. He also inspected work on the Albion Square canopy. After the launch, the Prince took lunch at Auberge. He then gave a speech to introduce Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth, which was being viewed by local business leaders.

Transport

Rail

Woking railway station is on the Alton Line, Portsmouth Direct Line, South Western Main Line and West of England Main Line. There are frequent trains to and from London Waterloo (via Clapham Junction), a journey taking approximately 25-30 minutes. There is also a twice hourly Waterloo–Woking stopping service that calls at many stations between Waterloo and Woking.

Gatwick Airport can be accessed via Guildford railway station or Clapham Junction. London Heathrow Airport has no direct train services from the south west of England, so a Railair service operates between Woking and Heathrow.

A canopy costing £2.8 million has been built between the station and the main shopping area of the town. It stretches from the railway station entrance (town, platform 1, side) to Albion House. The project included landscaping and the provision of a new way to the town from the railway station.[18]

Rail Accident Investigation Branch has one of its two operational centres in Woking.[19][20]

Roads

Woking is accessible from the M25 motorway (junction 11), the M3 motorway (junction 3) and the A3.

The main access road is the A320 between Guildford and Staines, which passes through the town centre and connects to the M25 to the north, and to the A3 to the south at Guildford.

Bus

A Railair coach service connects Woking railway station and London Heathrow Airport. The service runs approximately every 30 minutes between the station south side to Heathrow Central Bus Station (for Terminals 1, 2 and 3) and Terminal 5 bus station.

The bus services in Woking are mainly operated by Abellio, Arriva and Countryliner. The main bus terminal is just outside the station and provides services to Byfleet and West Byfleet, Camberley, Guildford, Kingston, Ripley and Staines, as well as the towns and villages in between. Other primary town centre bus stops are located in Cawsey Way.

The Bustler community transport service, which operates from bases Westfield and St John's, uses a fleet of minibuses to serve people with a transportation disadvantage.[21]

Canal

The Basingstoke Canal, completed in 1794, passes through the north of the town and is crossed by several footbridges and road bridges. The Lightbox is sandwiched between the canal and Victoria Way, a dual carriageway. The canal underwent restoration in the 1960s and 1970s.

Demographics

Woking is a multicultural town.

There has long been a large tightly-knit Italian community in Woking, most of whom originated from the Sicilian town of Mussomeli.[22] The majority of the original arrivals worked in the Britax factory in Byfleet. Others worked on the mushroom farms in Chobham or for the James Walker company. Many started their own landscaping or ice cream businesses. St Dunstan's Catholic Church in Woking holds masses in Italian.

There is a large Pakistani population in Woking, centred around the suburbs of Maybury and Sheerwater[23], near the Shah Jahan Mosque. This partly originates from workers at the then nearby Sorbo Rubber factory.

Woking has recently seen an influx of eastern European immigrants, mostly from Poland[24]. Many Nepalis are also now settling in the suburbs of Woking as part of the Aldershot overspill.

Suburbs

Woking has several suburban districts, including: Bisley, Horsell, Hook Heath, Mount Hermon, Barnsbury, Maybury, Sheerwater, Goldsworth Park, St Johns, Pyrford, Kingfield, Westfield, Ridgway, West Byfleet and Old Woking. The adjacent village of Knaphill is often considered an outer suburb of Woking. Old Woking is cited as a separate village. Mayford and Sutton Green are to the south on the border between Woking and Guildford.

Barnsbury

The Barnsbury Estate is a housing estate of approximately 400 households.[25] Begun in 1936, it is a self-contained estate of bungalows, housing and flats mostly built in the 1950s along with several small shops. Barnsbury is bordered by the Hoe Valley and is located to the south of Woking on the A320.

As part of Woking's proposed Priority Homes PFI submission, back gardens of a significant number of houses were at risk of development.[26] From January to September 2007 this resulted in an extensive community engagement to see if and how these back gardens could be used for development.[25][27] The scheme was eventually cancelled.[28]

Starting in August 2009, Ypod Extra (formerly The Barnsbury Project) on Ash Road is open to all young people on Barnsbury estate every Monday between 6.30 and 9pm. It is run in conjunction with Woking Borough Council and is partly funded and supported by the local police.[29]

Barnsbury also has a Primary School.

Major Projects

Woking 2027

This is a Council sponsored project to improve Woking by 2027. There are 6 main objectives.

  1. A strong community spirit with a clear sense of belonging and responsibility.
  2. A clean, healthy and safe environment.
  3. A transport system that is linked and accessible, recognising Woking's potential as a transport hub.
  4. Access to decent affordable housing for local people and key workers.
  5. A community which values personal health and well-being.
  6. Provide opportunities and encourage people to participate in learning throughout their lives so they progress and reach their full potential.

Hoe Valley Scheme

This is a £40 million to take hundreds of Woking homes away from the flood plain of the Hoe Stream. It will also provide new community facilities and roads. Woking Borough Council have been planning this scheme, which was approved in September 2010, for over 20 years. It is being run in conjunction with the Environment Agency.

The main objectives are to:

The Council will receive finance from: the Public Works Loan Board; a number of grants, including £3.7 million from the Environment Agency; proceeds from the sale of new homes and of other assets. The Council expects the scheme to be fully funded by 2014 with no ongoing costs incurred by the Council.

The Council hopes the scheme will be completed by 2012.

Buildings and structures

The tallest building in Woking is Export House, known locally as 'the BAT Building', from the initials of its first tenant, British American Tobacco.[30] It is 73 metres tall (240 feet),[31] and has Peregrin Falcons nesting on top.[30]

Tallest Buildings:

1. Export House-240' (73m) Completed: 1974 & Ready for Tenants: 1976

2: New Central

3: Centrium

The New Central project has two towers and many other buildings around it. The main tower over-took Centruim making it the second tallest building in Woking.

Woking has many old churches including St Mary's Church which is in Horsell. The church in Old Woking, St. Peter's , has the oldest door in Surrey. It is likely that it is the third oldest door in the British Isles after being dated by dendrochronology

Just outside of Woking town centre is the Shah Jahan Mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in Britain. The mosque was completed in 1889.

Sport

Football: Woking has a non-League football club, Woking F.C., that competes in the Conference South (tier 6). The origin of the club's nickname, the "Cardinals", is disputed. One possibility is that the name was acquired because Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, after whom the smaller of the two shopping centres is named, was staying with King Henry VIII at Woking Palace (the remains of which can be seen near the River Wey at Old Woking) when he heard he had been made a cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1515. Alternatively the Cards are so named because of the cardinal red in one half of their home strip. The colour was chosen because of the town's link to Cardinal Wolsey. A third theory is that Woking F.C. used to play next to a pub called The Cardinals when they played in York Road, Woking. The pub has since been renamed. The Borough also supports three clubs playing in The Combined Counties Football League Division 1 (tier 10), these being Knaphill FC, Sheerwater FC & Westfield FC. There are many smaller clubs in the area.

Gymnastics Woking Gymnastics Club provides professional gymnastics coaching for all ages (babies to adults). The club has a purpose-built facility (refurbished in 2008) next door to the Football Club.

Rugby: Woking has a rugby union club that competes in Surrey League 4 (Level 11). Since the 2006/07 season they have run two teams. They train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Byfleet Recreation Ground. The club originated from British Aerospace RFC and were originally based at the Astra sports club.

Another club outside the borough of Woking, Chobham Rugby Club has 6 senior teams, the 1st XV, 2nd XV (Cannons), 3rd XV, 4th XV (Devils), 5th XV (Crusaders)& Veterans (Martyrs).

The 1st XV played in London Division 1 South (Level 6), however having not won a game in the league all season have found themselves relegated. The Cannons (2nd XV) play in the Canterbury Shield 4 having won Surrey Premier in 08/09. The 3rds, Devils and 5ths play in the John O'Neil and Partners Surrey Reverse leagues. The Devils won their league cup in the 2006/7 season.

Chobham won London 3SW in 2006/07.

In 2008/09 The Cannons won Surrey Premier League; the 3s won Surrey Combination League 1; the Devils came runners up in Surrey Combination League 2 and the Crusaders won Surrey Combination League 4. The 1st XV played in the National EDF Cup for the first time in their history.

The Senior Club won the Surrey Presidents Award 200808/09 for the most successful club in the county.

There is also a large junior and mini section with many County and Divisional players. One of the products of the youth system, Dan Frazier, has just signed with NEC Harlequins at 18 and is on loan at Esher in National Division 1.

Hockey: Woking Hockey Club women's first XI compete in the English Hockey League Women's League 1 (tier 2); the men's first XI compete in a regional league. The club has two AstroTurf pitches next to a clubhouse based in Goldsworth Park.

Cricket: Woking also has a number of cricket clubs including Old Woking CC, Woking & Horsell CC, and Westfield CC.

It is also home to Pyrford Cricket Club. Founded in 1858, Pyrford is one of the oldest cricket clubs in Surrey. Well known former PCC players include former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu, New Zealand wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins and Sky Sports presenter Charles "Got Him" Colvile.

Motor racing: The McLaren Formula One motor racing team is based near to the town, as is Räikkönen Robertson Racing, begun by former Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen.

Korfball: Woking Korfball Club has been active for 25 years, training and playing in the Woking area. It operates in the London league, challenging for titles every season and with 2 or 3 teams of players appearing regularly for the club. In the Season 2007/2008 Woking was second in the London & District Korball Association's Senior Premier League.

Thai Boxing: Woking has two Muay Thai (or Thai Boxing) clubs one of which uses Woking Leisure Centre while the other (Shinkick) has its own premises in Old Woking.

Cycling: In 2009 Woking played host to a round of The Tour Series on 2 June, a new championship of televised town and city centre criterium-style races, established by the organisers of The Tour of Britain bike race. The race took place on a Tuesday evening on a circuit centred on Victoria Way. There are two charity bike rides each year- Woking Bikeathon and Pedal4Charity.

Basketball The Woking Blackhawks basketball club was founded in 1999. They won their first title in 2004, the U-16 Surrey Central Venue League and Cup 2003/4. In 2008 they were voted Surrey Sports Club of the year. They currently have 10 squads with over 150 players, male and female, aging from under 10s up to adult level.

Scuba diving: Surrey Aquanauts is the local scuba diving club and is a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Surrey Aquanauts has existed since 1967 and offers training for new divers and an active diving programme for already qualified divers.

Education

Primary schools

Infant and junior schools in the area include: Goldsworth Primary School, Hoe Bridge School, Kingfield, Knaphill Junior School, Knaphill Lower School, Horsell C of E Aided Junior School, Horsell Village School, The International School of London in Surrey (Private primary & middle school), St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School, St. Dunstan's Catholic Primary School, Barnsbury Primary School, Westfield Primary School, The Hermitage Junior School, The Oaktree School, Beaufort Primary School, St John's Primary School, Greenfield School and Bisley C of E Primary School. In 2004 Sythwood Primary School received the Surrey School of the Year Award for all-round achievements.

Secondary schools

Secondary schools in the area include: Bishop David Brown School, St John the Baptist School, St Andrew's School, The Winston Churchill School and Woking High School.

Other schools

Woking College is located in Old Woking and provides post-16 education.

There are also private sector schools. There are several private preparatory schools in Woking: Hoe Bridge, St Andrew's, Greenfield, Oakfield School and Ripley Court are all mixed, while Halstead School is girls only.

The Surrey campus of The International School of London is located in Woking[32]

Peer Productions, a large theatre company, is based at the Woking Youth Arts Centre in Knaphill. It provides dramatic education for students of all ages.

Woking is also home to the Tante Marie cookery school,[33] the UK's oldest established professional cookery school.[34] According to the Woking News and Mail, it has now been bought by famous chef Gordon Ramsay who intends to set up his own catering college.

Healthcare

Woking comes under Surrey PCT (Primary Care Trust), administered and run by the NHS. Group of GPs together with Woking Community Hospital[35] serve a minority of local residents' primary healthcare needs with its walk-in centre but mostly works in the areas of community rehabilitation and neuro-rehab in the Ted Bradley Unit. Specialist hospitals nearby are St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey (for A&E) and Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.

For private healthcare needs, Nuffield Hospital[36] mainly serves Woking's local residents.

Woking used to have its own hospital with maternity and A&E amongst other departments. Woking Victoria Hospital[37] was situated on the corner of Victoria Way and Chobham Road, right by the Basingstoke Canal, from 1950 until the mid-80's.

Notable people

Literature

HG Wells was living in Woking when he wrote War of the Worlds and the town features prominently in the story, not least in its destruction in an early chapter. The Martians first land on Horsell Common and much of the early story is set in the area.[39]

Douglas Adams describes Woking in The Deeper Meaning of Liff (ptcbl. vb.) as:

Standing in the kitchen wondering what you came in here for.

Emergency services

Woking is served by these emergency services:

McLaren and the Technology Centre

Woking is home to the McLaren Group, an umbrella organization that includes:

During 2010 and 2011 the McLaren technology centre had work on it to add an extension, with the completed pice costing £50million. David Cameron opened this new extension.

Twin towns

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Independent: Hot Spot: Woking
  2. ^ Surrey County Council census data
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Douglas Adams, 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff', London: Pan Books/Faber & Faber, 1992, p. 109.
  5. ^ "Woking". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/council/html/3795.stm. Retrieved 13 February 2011. 
  6. ^ Wolsey Place web site
  7. ^ Map showing Chertsey Road
  8. ^ a b Web site for the Ambassadors cinemas and New Victoria Theatre
  9. ^ Pool in the Park web site
  10. ^ Woking Park web site
  11. ^ (a) (b) Two sites on David Drury, a local artist
  12. ^ The Lightbox website
  13. ^ Marks Barfield - Lightbox architects The Guardian newspaper
  14. ^ Woking Park Fuel Cell http://www.woking.gov.uk/environment/Greeninitiatives/sustainablewoking/fuelcell.pdf
  15. ^ a b Brown, Paul (2004-01-26). "Woking shines in providing renewable energy". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/renewable/Story/0,2763,1131002,00.html. 
  16. ^ London Climate Change Authority Press Release
  17. ^ Woking government news Final stage of the canopy to Albion Way
  18. ^ Woking borough press release
  19. ^ "Department for Transport travel plan: Annexes." Department for Transport. Retrieved on 19 October 2010. "They have offices in Woking and Derby."
  20. ^ "About us." Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
  21. ^ Woking Bustler web site
  22. ^ http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Whats-New/news2001/wokingitalians.html
  23. ^ "Pakistanis in Woking". The Guardian (London). 23 January 2006. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jan/23/britishidentity.features112. 
  24. ^ http://www.sefip.gov.uk/viewDocument.jsp?document=2230
  25. ^ a b "Estate development survey was a fix, say residents". S&B media. 2007-09-06. http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2014707_estate_development_survey_was_a_fix_say_residents. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  26. ^ "Barnsbury residents to have a say on new housing development". Woking Borough Council. 2006-12-29. http://www.woking.gov.uk/news/archive?item=00004595298E.C0A801C2.00003EDA.003E. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  27. ^ "Formal statement by Cllr Philip Goldenberg". Woking Borough Council. 2007-04-16. http://www.woking.gov.uk/news/archive?item=000045FAD25E.C0A801C2.00002618.0001. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  28. ^ "'Garden grab' scheme shelved". S&B media. 2008-01-30. http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2021070_garden_grab_scheme_shelved. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  29. ^ "Woking YMCA takes the Ypod to the streets". Woking YMCA. 2009-08-10. http://www.ymca.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_314138. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
  30. ^ a b Get Wokingham article on Export House http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/s/2011587_highflying_residents_in_penthouse_roost
  31. ^ BBC Surrey In pictures: View from the top of the Hogs Back, slide 4
  32. ^ Ofstead ref for ISL http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/125439
  33. ^ Tante Marie
  34. ^ Tante Marie - The UK's oldest professional cookery school
  35. ^ List of GPs & Woking Community Hospital
  36. ^ Nuffield Hospitals, Woking Community hospital
  37. ^ Listed in the National Archives
  38. ^ http://www.surrey-online.co.uk/towns/woking
  39. ^ a b http://www.wokingsurrey.com/pages/war-of-the-worlds.html
  40. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Smyth
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Hall of fame". Woking Borough Council. http://www.woking.gov.uk/woking/people/halloffame. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 
  42. ^ http://www.ianogilvy.com/Biography.htm
  43. ^ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert/groupAndCountry/view.do?partNumber=1&group=1550&country=GB&language=EN&id=4541
  44. ^ http://susiedent.awardspace.com/html/biography.html
  45. ^ Wells, Dominic (14 August 2008). "Heels before swine in Ben Charles Edwardss The Town That Boars Me". The Times (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article4524538.ece. 
  46. ^ Woking borough twin town info

Further reading

External links