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Woking,
a large town with borough status, dates back to AD673 when
it was a settlement of the Wessex tribe.
Modern
Woking developed around the railway station built at the junction
of lines from London to the south coast and to the south west
of England.
The 'Necropolis'
railway line from Waterloo to Brookwood Cemetery also passed
through the junction. The vast cemetery, developed by the
London Necropolis Company, was used as an overflow burial
ground for London's dead. Woking later became home to the
UK's first cremetorium, with the country's first cremation
taking place in 1902.
Because
of its good rail links Woking quickly developed as a commuter
town. Communictations by road are also good, with the M25
running through the borough and the M3 and A3 within easy
reach.
Today
Woking has an excellent pedestrianised shopping centre. The
Wolsey and Peacock shopping malls host many high street names
and a general open-air market is open 6 days a week.
A highlight
of the town is the Ambassadors theatre and cinema complex
which offers the best of the West End, opera, drama, musicals
and international dance.
The Shahjehan
Mosque in Oriental Road, Woking was the UK's first mosque.
In recent
years Woking has become famous as the base of the McLaren
Formula One racing team.
Woking
was the home of the writer HG Wells. In his book 'The
War of the Worlds', Wells had the Martians land at Horsell
Common near Woking town centre. This terrifying incident
is immortalised by a large sculpture of a Martian Fighting
Machine in the town centre.
Woking
is surrounded by some of Surrey's most treasured countryside
for you to viist and enjoy. Many of the town's heaths and
common lands are Sites of Special Scientific Interest with
rare animals, birds and plants.
The Basingstoke
Canal lies a few minutes walk from the Town Square. One of
the the richest waterway in the UK for wildlife, the Basingstoke
Canal is a wonderful place for walks.
The Wey
Navigation flows through the borough's villages of Pyrford
and Old Woking. One of the first rivers to be made navigable,
the Wey Navigation now has facilites for canoeing, boating
and angling.
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Woking
