Weybridge
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Template:Infobox England place Weybridge is a town in the administrative county and Lieutenancy area of Surrey, England, and in the district of Elmbridge. It is in the police area of Surrey and the health authority area of West Surrey. It is bounded to the North by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name.
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History
The early history of Weybridge was simply as a river crossing. In 1537 it became the location of Oatlands Palace built by Henry VIII. When it was demolished in 1650, bricks from its walls helped to line the then new Wey Navigation. Part of the original site of the Palace is now occupied by Oatlands Park Hotel.
At the bottom of Monument Hill, close to the town centre is a monument to the Duchess of York, erected by public subscription in 1820 from the remains of the original Seven Dials Monument that stood in St.Martin's Lane London until 1773.
The famous former Brooklands Aerodrome and Race Circuit is located here, just south of the railway station. It is now the location for the Brooklands Museum. Brooklands was also the home of Vickers the aeroplane construction organisation.
At the top of Monument Hill, adjacent to the cricket green is a World War I war memorial.
The railway
When the London and Southampton Railway opened its station here in 1838, development of what was only a village began. Large houses were built on St George's Hill; and gradually Weybridge became a town.
Other notes
In Weybridge heath many rare species of insects (particularly ants), rare birds and insectivorous plant formerly occurred. The heath was allowed to become vastly overgrown in recent years, but recently Surrey Wildlife Trust invoked a scrub clearance plan in an attempt to restore this valuable habitat.
Weybridge is the UK headquarters of Toshiba Information Systems.
Inhabitants
Famous current inhabitants of Weybridge include singer/songwriter Cliff Richard, TV & Radio presenter Michael Aspel and golfer Nick Faldo. All three live on St Georges Hill, which was the founding place for the Diggers in the 17th century, whose early attempt at communal life heavily influenced the development of embryonic socialist thought.
Famous past inhabitants of Weybridge include John Lennon, the authors E. M. Forster and Warwick Deeping and the entomologist, Horace Donisthorpe.
Areas
Weybridge is made up of a number of distinct areas:
- Town Centre Shopping Area
- Monument Hill / Queens Road Shopping Area
- St George's Hill
- Brooklands
- Oatlands Village
External links
- History of Weybridge (http://www.elmbridge-online.co.uk/weybridge/history.html)
- The Brooklands Society (http://www.brooklands.org.uk/)