History
Follow in the footsteps of one of Woking's most celebrated residents, the author of The Time Machine, H.G. Wells, by taking a trip into the past and a closer look at the fascinating heritage sites on offer in Woking Borough.
Although often more closely associated with the modern development of Woking Town Centre, Woking Borough is fortunate in having a wide range of buildings and other sites of architectural or historic interest.
These include Henry VIII's Tudor hunting palace, one of the country's earliest navigable waterways, Britain's first mosque, and the largest 19th century cemetery in Europe.
Whether you're passionate about the arts and history, enjoy fun family activities, or would just like somewhere quiet to relax and think, you'll find it all at The Lightbox.
Woking 's gallery and museum opened in September 2007 and was designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of The London Eye. The £7m ecologically-sustainable building is a short walk from Woking Town Square, and sits alongside the Basingstoke Canal. Alongside its galleries, the building also houses Woking's Story, a permanent museum exploring the fascinating history of the town by theme, each of which has interactive displays and oral history listening points, where you can discover people's personal memories of life in the town and watch historic films.
The Surrey History Centre collects and rescues archives and printed materials relating to Surrey's past and present, so that they can tell the story of the County and its people to future generations. Visit the centre to use these fascinating materials, where staff are on hand to assist you in discovering more about your family, house, town or community.
Woking has two beautiful waterways on its doorstep. Both the Basingstoke Canal and the River Wey meander through the borough.
Woking Crematorium and Brookwood Cemetery both have their place in the history books.
Discover Woking's regal side. Woking Palace was frequented by Henry VIII and was home to Lady Margaret Beaufort.
With the Mosque and the Muslim burial ground, Woking was seen as the focus for the development of Islam in Britain.
The modern town of Woking could not have been built were it not for the railway.
Many of Woking's villages are blessed with historic and beautiful churches.