|
Walton
on Thames is between Weybridge and Esher.
Archaelogical
finds have dated this ancient site back to Celtic times but
the actual settlement is of Saxon origin.
St Mary's
Church, at the highest point of the town, dates from the Saxon
period.
In 1583
Henry VIII incorporated the area with the Chase (or deer park)
of Hampton Court causing the village to suffer under forest
law. After the King's death the deer park was discontinued
and life returned to normal at Walton.
The Elizabethan
antiquary William Camden identified Walton as the place where
the place where the Romans crossed the Thames during Julius
Caesar's second invasion of Britain. This claim is now disputed.
The original settlement lies beside the banks of the Thames
to the north of the town.
The first
bridge to span the river here was built in 1750. This bridge
was later replaced and over the centuries 5 bridges in all
have spanned the Thames at Walton.
A new
6th bridge is now being built and is due for completion in
2009.
Walton
remained a tiny village surrounded by royal parks until the
arrival of the railway in 1838 and the sale of Oatlands Park
in for residential development in the 1840s. This later development
took place beside the railway station to south of the town.
Lying
only 30 minutes by train to Waterloo, Walton soon became a
popular commuter town. Today whole sections of the town's
1960's shopping area are been demolished to make way for a
new shopping centre known as 'The Heart'. This will incorporate
apartments, shops, restaurants, landscaped gardens and a library.
The Elmbridge
Museum in nearby Weybridge has lots of information on
this area.
In recent
years there has been a great increase in the popularity of
small boats on the river and Walton now has a marina. Visitors
can enjoy a 45 minute cruise on the river aboard a JGF
Passenger Boat. These cruises start close to the bridge
at Cowey Sale where the Romans are said to have crossed the
river.
|
the internet holiday and travel guide to the UK
Walton-on-Thames
