Woking - town in Surrey, England

Woking is the other large town in Surrey apart from Guildford.

Understand

History

Built around its large train station, Woking grew up in the Victorian era. It experienced a boom in the post-war period when modern buildings, car parks and large retail outlets were constructed in the town centre.

Read

In the original version of HG Wells' War of the Worlds, the woodland area northeast of the town known as the 'Sandpits' (due to the presence of beach-like areas of golden sands on Horsell Common) was the location for the aliens' attacks on Earth.

Get in

By train

Woking railway station 📍 is served by fast trains from London and is on the line to London Waterloo (24-minute direct service) from Exeter St. Davids, Weymouth and Portsmouth Harbour.

By car

Woking is about 6 miles (9.6 km) off the M25 (Junction 11/ Wisley Interchange) and the same distance from the A3. Travelling northbound on the A3, turn off at either Painshill and follow the signs through Byfleet and West Byfleet, Burnt Common near Ripley and follow the signs through Send and Old Woking or further south at Burpham or Stoke both in Guildford.

By plane

Woking is well connected to Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

Woking station runs a twice hourly RailAir coaches from the main entrance (on the non-town side) to Heathrow taking between 45 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. Gatwick Airport can be reached via the Gatwick Express; however this requires travel to London Victoria station which can be reached by changing at Clapham Junction. Trains leave London Victoria every 15 minutes reaching Gatwick in under 45 minutes.

Get around

Woking town centre is very compact, and is nearly completely pedestrianised with several small walkways and passages such as Church Path which has several bijou establishments.

Woking is reasonably well served by buses to the surrounding villages and districts with buses leaving from Woking Station and Cawsey Way outside the Toys'r'us and Wolsey Place shopping centre. Areas with large areas of housing rather than traditional high streets such as Brookwood and Goldsworth Park are particularly well catered for.

The two main shopping centres; the Peacocks Centre and Wolsey Place converge on the town square considered to be one of several 'central locations'. The others being the Bandstand on Cawsey Way and Commercial Way, a pedestrianised street that runs nearly 1,300 ft (400 m) to the Chertsey Road

See

• Underpass Mural. Why not visit the underpass which has a mural detailing the alien invasion of H G Wells' The War of the Worlds? 2015-02-23
• Henry VIII's Royal Palace, 51.3033°, -0.5245°, +44 1483 743443, askus@woking-palace.org. Off Carter's Lane; no vehicle access. Very interesting for the history. Henry VIII's grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother to Henry VII, lived at Woking Palace, during the reign on Henry VII, though it stopped being a royal palace in 1620, when ownership passed from James I of England and VI of Scotland to Sir Edward Zouch.
• The Shah Jehan II Mosque, 51.3218°, -0.5475°. It was the first mosque to be constructed in the UK. Invested by the Begum of Bhopal, one of Bhopal's few female rulers in the late 1890s, it was built by British architects who collaborated with the Oriental Institute to design the first religious building of its kind. The call to prayer can be heard in the surrounding areas of Maybury and Sheerwater, both of which have high numbers of Muslim families, mostly with roots on the Indian subcontinent.
• The Lightbox, 51.3216°, -0.5589°. Modern art gallery with restaurant. Has permanent 'History of Woking' exhibition (free) and changing exhibitions, mostly free.

Brookwood cemeteries

Between the villages of Brookwood and Pirbright, west of Woking, sits a vast Victorian necropolis (population 235,000) among mature evergreen trees. Once the largest cemetery in the world, the Brookwood complex spans 220 acres (89 ha), across three contiguous sites with different access points:

• Brookwood Cemetery, Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, GU24 0BL (By train: Brookwood station is adjacent to the North Cemetery and receives regular trains from Woking and London. By car: from A322 SE of Brookwood village, turn R onto Cemetery Pales; main parking is by the cemetery office 📍. If visiting a specific grave, book in advance in order to drive direct to the plot.), NA°, NA°, +44 1483 472222, info@brookwoodcemetery.com. Daily except for 25 Dec and 1 Jan; 8AM-5PM. Opened in the mid-19th century to ease the burden on the capital's groaning churchyards. In its heyday, daily funeral trains transported coffins and mourners from Central London, and its 'residents' now number almost a quarter of a million. With graves, memorials and mausolea from the 1850s to the present day, the cemetery includes segregated areas for a great variety of national backgrounds and faiths. Many notable graves are mapped and marked by signage. The Brookwood Cemetery Society runs guided walks at least monthly. Cemetery free; guided walks £5 by donation 2022-09-18
  • North Cemetery, 51.3021°, -0.6318°. Traditionally the 'nonconformist' side, where Catholics, Baptists, Jews and the irreligious jostle for space among some important segregated plots. Here you can find Christian grounds for the Latvian and Swedish communities of Britain, along with several Muslim plots, from the golden dome of the Najmee Baag area to the white geometric blocks of the Dawoodi Bohra ground. The only Zoroastrian burial ground in Europe has numerous large vaults and other impressive graves, one of which is said to belong to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, under a pseudonym. Definite notable burials in the North Cemetery include the early anatomist Dr Robert Knox and the architect Zaha Hadid. 2022-09-18
  • South Cemetery, 51.2992°, -0.626°. Traditionally the Anglican side, although there are plenty of other plots here too, notably a Serbian Orthodox cemetery. Next to that, you'll find the monastic church of St Edward the Martyr, an early Christian king of England whose shrine and remains are inside. A small community of True Orthodox monks reside here, and might welcome you inside for a look and a chat. Notable graves in the South Cemetery include those of the artists John Singer Sargent, Evelyn De Morgan and William De Morgan, plus the exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. 2022-09-18
• Brookwood Military Cemetery, Dawney Hill, Pirbright, GU24 0JD (By car: from A324 in Pirbright. By train: access from Brookwood station is through the Northern Cemetery.). Daily except for 25 Dec and 1 Jan; M-F 8AM-7:30PM, Sa Su, bank holiday 9AM-7:30PM. The largest war cemetery in the UK and final resting place for thousands of service personnel from Britain, the Commonwealth, and allied countries. Check out the small museum by the entrance to discover some of the stories behind the graves. Two large memorials commemorate Commonwealth casualties from the world wars with no known grave. A small plot is set aside for the burials of Chelsea Pensioners from the Royal Hospital in London. Self-contained cemeteries are provided for nations including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. The latter is the only American cemetery of World War I in the British Isles, and includes a neoclassical chapel that wouldn't look out of place in Arlington. Guided tours are infrequent; keep an eye on the Eventbrite page. Free 2022-09-18

Do

• New Victoria Theatre and The Ambassadors Cinemas, Peacocks Centre, GU21 6GQ, 51.3206°, -0.5598°, +44 1483 545900. Good cinema and theatre complex. If you want to take in a movie, try and do so on a Monday when all tickets are £5 (any other day you can expect to pay £7 upwards). However, there isn't much in the way of food (bar the obvious popcorn and candy; they even took out the Baskin-Robbins stand) so if you want anything substantial, be sure to buy it before going in.
• Woking FC, Kingfield Stadium, Kingfield Road, GU22 9AA, 51.306333°, -0.558811°, +44 1483 772470. Good, wholesome Conference football. Woking's "The Cardinals", so named from a reference to the Cardinal Red half of the team strip, are a non-league team that play in the Blue Square Premier (tier 5). The grounds, situated south of Woking Park in Kingfield, have a large stand for home supporters, whilst away fans have to make do with standing terraces. Each home game brings associated problems of parking with many cars parking the entire length of Westfield Avenue, which runs adjacent to the stadium, as there is no adequate parking inside the grounds itself.
• Basingstoke Canal. The 32-mile-long (52 km) canal goes the heart of Woking and as well as the obvious option of boat rides activities such as cycling, camping and fishing are well practiced. There are also a wide range of pubs located along the canal and it connects up to River Wey Navigation adding further scope for journeys. There is also a visitor centre further along the canal in Mytchett
• Horsell Common, 51.3358°, -0.548333°. The most popular local walking destination. Most people choose to park in one of the car parks along Shore Road, about 1 mile north of town, and walk through the heathland. A footpath passes the rear of the attractive modern McLaren complex, up to Fairoaks aerodrome. The car park next to Monument Bridge on Monument Road adjoins the Muslim Burial Ground as well as Bronze Age barrows.
• Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, GU21 6ND, 51.3169°, -0.5701°. Tu Th F 9:30AM-5PM, W 10:15AM-5PM, Sa 9:30AM-4PM. A 'library' of Surrey history with many historical documents. Not a general museum - book before visiting. free
• Big Apple, Crown Square, GU21 6HR, 51.320366°, -0.556221°, +44 1483 727100. 10AM-11PM. Town centre bowling alley with Laser Quest and amusement arcade next to the alien.
• Woking Rotaract. A well-established local social club aimed at 18- to 30-year-olds, also attracting numerous members who are new to the country or simply passing through. The club has a very varied calendar, including volunteering and fundraising opportunities alongside more conventional events such as cinema trips, paintballing and meals out.

Buy

Woking has a large shopping area which consists of the Peacock Centre and Wolsey Place shopping malls, and adjacent pedestrianised shopping streets. Most stores are chains: there is little that is distinctively local; for a less 'clone town' shopping experience, head to Guildford.

• Wolsey Place Shopping Centre, GU21 6XS, 51.319348°, -0.559176°, +44 1483 741 000. A single-level precinct that runs from the Bandstand Mall, next to the Telewest Tower (still known locally as the BAT building (British American Tobacco)) to Commercial Way at two separate entrances and Mercia Walk at the Town Square and Christ Church. Wolsey Place has over 65 retail outlets including Boots, a moderately sized Sainsbury's, Topshop/Topman and WH Smiths.
• The Peacocks Centre, GU21 6DA, 51.319063°, -0.565259°. Constructed in 1992 encompassing three floors of retail space in over 80 outlets. Built around a food hall (serving mainly fast food) on the lower concourse the shopping centre has a modern all-glass design. The anchor store is Debenham's, while other stores include TK Maxx, HMV, H&M, NEXT, River Island and Monsoon. Occasionally the food court plays to musical and artistic productions run by local schools, organisations and groups.
• Markets - Monday - Saturday a basic fruit and veg market operates. There is a monthly farmer's market, and occasional French, Italian and Christmas markets. None are particularly spectacular.
• Others - Toys R Us is a something of a concrete blot on the landscape, but provides a wide choice of toys. Commercial Way has most of the town's banks, several estate agents, Harpers is an independent photo store on Commercial Way. The High Street, running alongside the railway line, is not pedestrianised and doesn't have much footfall, or many shops - several restaurants, plus CEX and a florist are essentially all that survive.
• Lion Retail Centre. Has an Asda supermarket, Pets at Home, Hobbycraft (an arts supply shop), an Argos and Halfords.
• The town has three cycle shops, Switchback Cycles, Evans and the Raleigh Cycle centre.
• Ripley Farmers Market is on Ripley Green on the second Saturday of the month.

Eat

Woking is not a fine dining destination. More gastronomic choice can be found in Guildford, or by fast train to central London.

The predominant local cuisines are Indian and Italian, and numerous examples of these can be found in the town centre. The town's restaurants are located primarily on Chertsey Road, where there is KFC, Nandos, Pizza Hut, several Indian restaurants, an Italian restaurant, McDonald's, and Roosters Peri Peri (a cross between KFC & Nandos). In addition, the High Street/Broadway has Sang Thai restaurant, kebab shops, some Chinese and pizza takeaways, more Indian restaurants. On Commercial Way is a Chinese Buffet (eat as much as you like).

• Enzo's. A more intimate choice, a bar/restaurant.
• Jeitta, 9 Church Path, GU21 6EJ (2 min walk from the station.), 51.319186°, -0.557542°, +44 1483 740286. M-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-11:30PM, Su noon-10PM. Delicious Lebanese food served with a smile. If you don't know what to order, share some meze. BYOB. They also do takeaway. ££ 2018-03-23

A second dining/drinking location is Goldsworth Road. Restaurants here include Pizza Express and Zizzis.

• So's Kitchen. Operates a takeaway with adjacent restaurant, and is perhaps the best Chinese in town, although by no means fine dining.

The town centre chain pubs all offer cheap, low-quality food, for as little as £2.

• Stovells. For a more refined 'Surrey' dining experience.
• Drake's. 1 Michelin star.

Drink

Woking's major drinking spot is based on Chertsey Road with several pub chains such as Wetherspoons operating pubs. Eight pubs and bars can be found on this street alone, with two or three others on the south and west side of the town. However drunkenness and bad behaviour can all too often be found here due to increased alcohol intake on 'pub crawls' and 'benders'. This has improved in the past five years with increased policing and ID requesting though the fault rests entirely with the young adult drinking population.

Woking's clubs include Chameleon, a small bar with a packed dance floor, playing mainly pop and hip-hop music, Chameleon (also known as Chavmeleon) is seen as the trendier bar by many and as a right dump by others. The bouncers are reported to be violent. On the other side of the block is Quake. A larger establishment, with three floors of space plays mainly classic pop music and hip-hop though occasionally it is used more appropriately with outside DJs visiting.

RSVP bar plays mostly urban and is popular with Wokings' Asian and newly growing African and Caribbean populations.

The Bed on Church Path is an chic restaurant, night club and bar, which is newly refurbished.

• L'Aroma, High Street (Turn left out of the station and it's down on your right), +44 1483 770742. Family-run traditional Italian cuisine in the heart of Woking.

Sleep

• Holiday Inn Woking, Victoria Way, 51.321936°, -0.555671°, +44 1483 221000. Due in part to the presence of a large consulting company in Woking, a large corporate Holiday Inn is in the centre of the town. It's expensive but more comfortable than your average Holiday Inn. Expect cheaper rates at weekends.
• Premier Inn Woking West, Bridge Barn Lane, Horsell, GU21 6NL (located on the edge of the town), 51.316793°, -0.573973°, +44 871 527 9195.
• The Wheatsheaf pub, Chobham Road (just a couple of hundred yards from town), 51.323431°, -0.559877°, +44 1483 773047. There are bed and breakfasts dotted around some of the villages though these are hard to find.
• Broadway Barn, High St, Ripley GU23 6AQ, 51.300°, -0.493°, +44 1483 223200. Gorgeous little B&B with four rooms in converted 200 year-old barn. No children under 12 or dogs. B&B double £120 2020-07-26

Go next

• London is just under 30 min away by train (London Waterloo to Woking non- stop).
• Portsmouth is 50 min away by train (Woking to Portsmouth fast service)
• Windsor is just under 40 min. by car.
• Farnham is under 40 min away by train.
• Guildford is 15 min away by road, or train.

Woking also has fine countryside and is extensively wooded with forests and copses beginning within 1–2 miles of the town centre. Woking Park to the south east has two large greens, flower beds and a miniature golf course as well as tennis and cricket facilities. There is also Horsell Moors, the Hoe Stream, and the Basingstoke Navigaton System which reaches the villages of St Johns, Brookwood, Woodham, Sheerwater and New Haw.