Walton-on-Thames

Walton-on-Thames
The Old Manor House, Walton-on-Thames
Population	22,834
OS grid reference	TQ103663
District	Elmbridge
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WALTON-ON-THAMES
Postcode district	KT12
Dialling code	01932
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Esher and Walton

Walton-On-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England.

Location

It is located 15.3 miles (24.6 km) south west of Charing Cross and between the towns of Weybridge and Esher. The River Thames bounds the town to the north. The original village lies in the north, while later development is in the south closer to the railway station; a railway journey to London Waterloo Station takes 25 minutes.

Population

The total population of Walton-on-Thames is 23,000. The population of the Walton Central district of Walton on Thames is 5,862 with Elmbridge's population being 121,936, with the Walton Central having a male population of 2,791 against Elmbridge's male population of 58,867. This makes the female population of Walton Central 3,071 against figures for Elmbridge of 63,069.

History

The name Walton is Anglo-Saxon in origin and is believed to mean "farm of the Britons" or to have meant 'Saxon settlement'. Even before the Romans and the Saxons were present, there was a Celtic settlement here. The Anglo-Saxon word for the Celtic inhabitants who lived here before them is "Wealas".

Walton-on-Thames was also identified by William Camden as the place where Caesar forded the Thames on his second invasion of Britain. However according to Elmbridge Museum, there is no evidence to support this.

Walton-on-Thames lay within the Saxon administrative district of Elmbridge hundred.

Walton-on-Thames appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘’Waletone’’. It was held partly by Edward de Sarisber (Salisbury) and partly by Richard de Tonbrige. Its domesday assets were: 6 hides; 1 church (St Mary's), 2 mills worth £1 5s 0d, 1 fishery worth 5s, 14 ploughs, 40 acres of meadow, worth 50 hogs. It rendered £28.

St. Mary's Parish Church is of Saxon origin, with parts dating back to the 12th and 15th centuries. The square flint tower, supported by a 19th century brick buttress, contains a peal of 6 bells, the oldest bearing the date 1606. The royal palace of Oatlands, built by Henry VIII in 1538, was a mile upstream to the west.

The Church of St Mary

During the First World War New Zealand troops were hospitalised in the now demolished Mount Felix House. They are remembered by the street name New Zealand Avenue, the Wellington Pub (formerly The Kiwi) and a small memorial in the Homebase car park.

Hersham and Walton Motors (HWM), now an Aston Martin dealer, constructed its own racing car in the early 1950s. Stirling Moss won his first Formula One Grand Prix in an HWM. In addition, HWM was the world's first Aston Martin dealership.

Walton Bridge

The River Thames at Walton

There have been five bridges on the site so far and plans are advanced for the sixth. Prior to the first bridge there was a ferry which goes back to, at least, the 15th century.

4th Walton Bridge

The first bridge, constructed between 1748 and 1750, was a timber structure that stood until 1783. Canaletto painted a picture of this bridge in 1754. The painting, which shows the rococo-style of this bridge, may be seen in Dulwich Picture Gallery.

The second bridge was constructed in 1788 and stood until 1859. Constructed of brick and stone, it lasted much longer that its predecessor. This bridge was painted by Turner in 1805 following his sketching tour of the river Thames and Wey at that time.

After the second bridge collapsed a ferry crossing resumed until the construction of the third bridge in 1864. This was a girder bridge on stone piers. At the same time, a brick viaduct was constructed to span the flood plain to the south of the river. As of 2006 the viaduct is still standing.

The third bridge was damaged during the Second World War in 1940 leading to a permanent weight restriction. To alleviate this a fourth temporary bridge was constructed in 1953 on the downstream side of the old bridge which was relegated to use by cyclists and pedestrians. It was finally demolished in 1985.

The fourth bridge was constructed from prefabricated bailey bridge style components that were probably war surplus. In 1999, the fourth bridge was replaced by yet another temporary, fifth bridge occupying the line of the original bridges. This initially had several problems and had to be resurfaced a number of times causing huge traffic disruptions. The fourth bridge was relegated to use by cyclists and pedestrians once the fifth was completed.

A sixth bridge is planned. It was intended to be completed by 2009; after a public inquiry rejected some aspects of the original plan, construction is now unlikely to start until 2010.

Today

Walton is part of the Esher and Walton parliamentary constituency, as of 2005 a safe Conservative seat. The current MP is Ian Taylor. The local amenity group the Walton Society has 4 councillors representing central and north Walton, 3 on Elmbridge Borough Council, and one on Surrey County Council. There are seven Conservatives on Elmbridge Council, three in the South ward (near the railway station), two in both Ambleside and North wards. The Walton South and Oatlands division on the County Council, which includes part of the town centre, is Conservative held.

Street map of Walton town centre

The Heart of Walton

The Heart of Walton is the name given to the re-development of Walton town centre. The old town centre was built in the 1960s and had become very run down due to poor maintenance. The re-development includes a shopping mall and 279 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with views over Ashley Park. The main part of the centre, a covered walkway has several brand retailers including Next and Waterstones, as well as a new Debenhams store and public library being constructed opposite. There are also several restaurants built along New Zealand Avenue including Nandos, Giraffe, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Wagamamas.

Notable people

The following people were born in town: Tony Walton, costume designer and scenic designer, in 1934; Julie Andrews, actress and singer, in 1935; Nick Lowe, singer, songwriter and producer, in 1949; Ian Rank-Broadley, sculptor and designer of current British coinage, in 1952, and the tennis player Danny Sapsford in 1969.

Amanda Dowler, murder victim, was born in the town in 1988 and was still living there when last seen alive on 21 March 2002. Her body was found some 30 miles away in Hampshire six months later.

Sport

Walton riverside from the river

Elmbridge Leisure Centre is situated to the east of the town near the River Thames. The centre includes two swimming pool, and extensive gym, indoor courts and a climbing wall.

Walton is situated between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock on a stretch of the Thames that includes a loop around Desborough Island. This offers extensive opportunities for water based sports including rowing, canoeing, kayaking, skiffing, punting and sailing. Walton Rowing Club and Thames Valley Skiff Club are situated on the river towpath between the town centre and the Leisure Centre.

Walton Athletics Club was founded in 1942 and is based at the Stompond Lane Sports Ground. The club has around 200 members ranging in age from 9 years to 60+ years old. Walton AC provides qualified coaching in all athletics disciplines and participates in a number of different leagues to provide appropriate competition for all age groups in Track and Field, Cross Country, Road Running and Sport Hall Athletics.

Walton & Hersham F.C. are a football club who are currently spending the 2007-8 season in the Isthmian League Division One South. Nicknamed the Swans, they play at Stompond Lane, Walton-on-Thames. The club play in an all-red home kit and a white away kit. In 1975, they achieved a shock 4-0 win over Brian Clough's Brighton Hove Albion (then a Football League Third Division side) in the FA Cup.

Walton Casuals F.C. are a football club who are currently spending the 2007-08 season in the Isthmian League Division One South, in the same league as their neighbours Walton & Hersham F.C. Nicknamed the Stags, they play their games at the Franklyn Road Sports Ground just off Waterside Drive and adjacent to the new Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Centre. The club play in a tangerine and black home kit and a change kit of claret and blue.

Trivia

• Tommy Bolin's "Dreamer" was written for someone in Walton-On-Thames, and makes references to the railways there.
• Monty Python filmed a lot of their sketches around Walton. The old town hall can be seen in one sketch. Another with an Admiral Nelson dummy being thrown from one of the flats in Wellington Close (see the re-released video of "Always look on the bright side of life" containing a 'best of' compilation of old sketches) and also the public toilets up near the Regent pub are in the background of another sketch.
• The horror film, Psychomania, was shot on location in and around Walton, including several key scenes in the town centre.
• The ITV sitcom Is It Legal? was shot on location in and around Walton.
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series) was filmed at Nettlefold Studios in Walton.

Nearest places

• Weybridge
• Molesey
• Shepperton
• Hersham
• Cobham
• Esher

References

• "Town Populations" (pdf). 2001 census. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
• Colin Bentley. "History of Walton Bridge" (html). Surrey County Council online. Surrey County Council. Retrieved 2006-12-08.

External Links

• Photographs of Walton-on-Thames