Visit Walton-on-Thames Places

Welcome to Visit Walton-on-Thames Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Walton-on-Thames

  

Walton-on-Thames Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Walton-on-Thames

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Walton-on-Thames history

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The name “Walton” is Anglo-Saxon in origin and is cognate with the common phonetic combination meaning “Briton settlement” (literally, “Welsh Town” – weal(as) tun). Before the Romans and the Saxons were present, a Celtic settlement was here. The most common Old English word for the Celtic inhabitants was the “Wealas”, originally meaning “foreigners” or “strangers”. William Camden identified Cowey Stakes or Sale, Walton as the place where Julius Caesar forded the River Thames on his second invasion of Britain. A fisherman removed several wooden stakes about thigh-width and 6 feet (1.8 m) high that were very black and hard enough to turn an axe, and shod with iron. He sold these to John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich, who used to come to the neighbouring Shepperton bank to fish, for half a guinea apiece. Elmbridge Museum requires definitive evidence of these stakes, the evidence at present limited to pre 20th-century secondary sources that conflict as to detail. Walton lay within the Anglo-Saxon district of Elmbridge hundred, in the shire (later county) of Surrey. Walton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Waletona”. The settlement was held jointly as overlords in the feudal system by Edward de Sarisber (Salisbury) and Richard de Tonbrige. Its Domesday assets were: 6 hides; 1 church (St. Mary’s), 2 mills worth £1 5s 0d, 1 fishery worth 5s, 14 ploughs, 40 acres (16 ha) of meadow, supporting 50 hogs. It rendered £28. The nucleus of the village is in the north, while later development took place in the southern manors on all sides of the railway station. About half of the land was south of the South Western Main Line. This included, from west to east, Walton Heath, Burwood manor and Hersham manor; these together became the civil parish of Hersham in the 19th century. On a smaller scale, the majority of Oatlands village, to the south-west, formed part of the town. St. Mary’s Parish Church has some Saxon material and an architectural structure of the 12th century, with later additions. The square flint tower, supported by a 19th-century brick buttress, has a working ring of eight bells, the oldest bearing the date 1606. In the north aisle is a large monument (1755) by the French rococo sculptor and bust maker Roubiliac to Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, commander-in-chief in Ireland, who lived at the former manor and house of Ashley Park in the parish; this was demolished and its many acres subdivided in 1920. Also in the north aisle is a brass to John Selwyn (1587), keeper of Oatlands Park, with figures of himself, his wife and eleven children. An unusual relic kept in the church is a copy of a scold’s bridle presented to the parish in the 17th century, which is mentioned in Jerome K. Jerome’s classic Three Men in a Boat. The royal palace of Oatlands, built by Henry VIII in 1538, was a mile upstream to the west. John Bradshaw lived in the Tudor manor house in the 17th century. He presided at Charles I’s trial. Under the Inclosure Act 1800 there were enclosed (privatised from common land or manorial land subjected to agrarian rights of others) 3,117 acres (12.6 km) of the Walton manors, which included holdings at Chertsey and 475 acres (1.9 km) of arable common fields. A School Board was formed in 1878. A previously existing school was enlarged in 1881. The infant school was built in 1884. The Methodist Church, with a spire taller than the tower of the Anglican Church, was built in 1887. The Baptist Church was built in 1901. A Public Hall, in High Street, was built in 1879 by Mrs Sassoon, who resided at Ashley Park House. This is still in existence and is visible behind the present shopfront. Ashley Park Golf Club was laid out in the 1890s, but ceased to exist prior to 1918. During World War I, troops from New Zealand were hospitalised in the No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital at Mount Felix House, which is now demolished except for its stable block and clock tower. They are remembered by a memorial in the cemetery, where those who died at Mount Felix are buried, and one in St Mary’s Church where an annual service of remembrance is held. They are also remembered in the street name New Zealand Avenue, the Wellington Pub (formerly The Kiwi), and a small memorial in the Homebase car park. Walton upon Thames Urban District merged with Weybridge Urban District to form Walton and Weybridge Urban District in 1933. In World War II, owing largely to the proximity of important aircraft factories at nearby Brooklands, the town was bombed on various occasions by the Luftwaffe. On 27 September 1940, fighter pilot F/Sgt. Charles Sydney, who was based with 92 Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill, died when his Spitfire (R6767) crashed in Station Avenue. He was buried in Orpington and is commemorated today by a memorial plaque close to the crash site. Hersham and Walton Motors (HWM) constructed its own racing car in the early 1950s. Stirling Moss competed in his first Formula One Grand Prix in an HWM. HWM was the world’s first Aston Martin dealership that diversified into Alfa Romeo in 2009. Walton Town hall, which was commissioned to serve as the offices of Weybridge Urban District Council, was designed by Sir John Brown Henson and Partners in the modernist style, featured a curved structure built from concrete with stone cladding and was completed in 1966. It became surplus to requirements and was subsequently demolished after Walton on Thames was absorbed into the Borough of Elmbridge in 1974.

You can visit Walton-on-Thames places with Walkfo Walton-on-Thames to hear history at Walton-on-Thames’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Walton-on-Thames has 70 places to visit in our interactive Walton-on-Thames map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Walton-on-Thames, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Walton-on-Thames places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Walton-on-Thames & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 70 audio facts unique to Walton-on-Thames places in an interactive Walton-on-Thames map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Walton-on-Thames Places Map
70 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Walton-on-Thames historic spots	Walton-on-Thames tourist destinations	Walton-on-Thames plaques	Walton-on-Thames geographic features
Walkfo Walton-on-Thames tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Walton-on-Thames

  

Best Walton-on-Thames places to visit

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Walton-on-Thames has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Walton-on-Thames’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Walton-on-Thames’s information audio spots:

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey . It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes . The venue has hosted bands such as UB40, Madness, Girls Aloud, Spandau Ballet and Simply Red .

Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District Sunbury on Thames Urban District was a local government district from 1894 to 1974. It included the town and parish of Sunbury-on-Thames and the parishes of Littleton and Shepperton.

Hazelwood (rugby ground) The Hazelwood Centre is a rugby union ground and sports facility in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey. The facility serves as the home of London Irish with the clubs’ administrative offices being based here. The professional side use the facility for training, Premiership Rugby Shield matches and pre-season friendlies.

Walton & Hersham F.C. Walton & Hersham Football Club were formed in 1945 following the amalgamation of Walton FC and Hersham FC. They currently play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South. The club won three consecutive league titles in the Corinthian League in the 1960s. The Swans were relegated to the Isthmian League Division Two in the 2015–16 season. In August 2017, the club moved into the Elmbridge Sports Hub, a £20 million sports complex shared with local rivals Walton Casuals.

Walton and Weybridge Urban District Walton and Weybridge Urban District was a local government district in Surrey, England from 1933 to 1974. It was one of the largest urban areas in the country’s history.

Oatlands Palace Oatlands Palace is a former Tudor and Stuart royal palace. It took the place of the former manor of the village of Weybridge, Surrey. Little remains of the original building, so excavations of the palace took place in 1964 to rediscover its extent.

Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club (WLARC) is a rowing club on the River Wey and River Thames. The club is based at Boat House, Walton Lane, Wey Bridge, Elmbridge, Surrey.

Lock Island Lock Island is an island in the River Thames connected to Shepperton Lock. Facing the attached by lock-gate bridge mainland is a hedge-lined lawn hosting a café. The Thames River Police have a station on the island.

Weybridge United Reformed Church The Decorated Gothic Revival church was designed in 1864 by John Tarring and opened the following year. The church joined the United Reformed Church denomination in 1972. Historic England has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

Visit Walton-on-Thames plaques