Woking
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| Borough of Woking | |
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| Missing image SurreyWoking.png Woking Shown within Surrey | |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Surrey |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 287th 63.60 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Woking |
| ONS code: | 43UM |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density | Ranked 250th 89,734 1,411 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 91.3% White 5.8% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
| Missing image Arms-woking.jpg Arms of Woking Borough Council Woking Borough Council http://www.woking.gov.uk | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | |
| MP: | Humfrey Malins |
Woking is a large town in England, in the west of Surrey. It is about 30 minutes by train from London. Woking was formed around the railway station built there over 150 years ago to act as a junction between trains to the south coast and the necropolis railway to Brookwood Cemetery. Later, Woking was home to the first crematorium in the United Kingdom (St Johns) and the first mosque in the UK (on Oriental Road). It was also the location for Brookwood Cemetery, which was developed by the London Necropolis Company as an overflow burial ground for London's dead.
It is now a dormitory town for commuters into London and Heathrow airport, and gives its name to a local government district with borough status.
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Facilities
Woking has a modern shopping centre called The Peacocks, linked to an older shopping area called Wolseley Place.
The main road for evening entertainment is Chertsey Road which boasts a number of bars and restaurants.
There is a cinema and theatre within The Peacocks complex.
Woking has a leisure centre and indoor leisure pool, on the outskirts of town within Woking Park.
Politics
Politically, Woking is thought of as a traditional "Conservative" constituency and is felt to be a Safe Seat. The current Member of Parliament for Woking is Humfrey Malins.
Transport
Woking is served by Woking railway station, situated on the Portsmouth Direct Line (which runs from London to Portsmouth) and the South Western Main Line (London to Weymouth).
The Basingstoke Canal passes through Woking.
Sport
Woking has a non-league football club Woking F.C., known as the "Cardinals" (or "Cards").
Woking is the home of the McLaren Formula One team.
Noteable residents
Wokign was home to author H.G. Wells, who had the Martians in The War of the Worlds land in the town. There is a statue of a (Wellsian) Martian in the town centre.
Dame Ethel Smyth also lived in the town at one time.
Celebrity chef Delia Smith was born in Woking in 1941, singer/songwriter Paul Weller (of The Jam and The Style Council) in 1958.
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