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The small
town of Addlestone stands in north Surrey between Weybridge
and Chertsey.
Addlestone
dates from Saxon times and until the 17th century remained
a small hamlet.
Industry
began to develop here following the opening of the Wey Navigation
in the 17th century and the Bassingstoke canal in the 18th
century.
However
the town remained mostly agricultural until the opening of
Addlestone Station in 1848. Connecting the town to London
and Reading, the new railway soon made Addlestone popular
with commuters.
In 1916
Addlestone became the home of the Blériot Aeroplane factory,
which moved here from Brooklands. Blériot, a French inventor
and engineer, made history in 1909 by becoming the first person
to cross the English Channel in a heavier-than-air craft.
The Lang Propeller Works was also established here and Alcock
and Brown flew the Atlantic on Lang's propeller.
The population
of the town rose rapidly during the wars until it became an
attractive suburb of London. In recent years the constructon
of the M25 nearby has improved by the town's communications
still further.
One of
the highlights of Addleston for visitors is the Crouch Oak,
thought be be 1000 years old and one of the oldest trees in
England. The ancient tree once marked the boundary of the
Windsor Forest. Local legend has it that Elizabeth I once
had a picnic under its branches.
HG Wells,
who lived in nearby Woking, mentions Addlestone in his book
'The War of the Worlds'. The second of ten Martian
invasion ships, known as 'cylinders', lands at Addlestone
golf course.
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Addlestone
