Lightwater
Encyclopedia
Lightwater is a village in the Surrey Heath
district of Surrey
, England
about 27 miles (43.5 km) to the south-west of London
. Immediately surrounding towns and villages include Bagshot
, Deepcut
, Windlesham
, Camberley
, and West End. The village is bounded to the north west by the M3 and to the north east by the Lightwater bypass. To the south east, it is bounded by the Red Road whilst to the south west there is the vehicle testing tracks owned by the Ministry of Defence
.
Prior to development, the natural vegetation was part of the Surrey heathland
as seen in Bagshot and Chobham Common
. The region has been inhabited since pre-historic times with tumuli
in the heathland to the south of the village.
In modern times, Lightwater grew as a place with holiday homes in a chalet
-style for people living in London. Since 1960 it has grown rapidly with housing estates growing in the area just north of Red Road and the military ranges around Greyspot.
The village has full medical facilities and veterinary surgery, its own library
, pubs
, post office
, bank
, a range of shops, and petrol station.
Despite Lightwater being larger in size, the nearest train station is located in Bagshot. This reflects the fact that Bagshot used to be a more important town lying as a staging post on journeys from London to Southampton
and the West Country
. Lightwater has grown in size as a dormitory settlement in recent times. In the adjacent 1890s map of the area, Bagshot is a notable town whilst Lightwater is noted just as a farm.
, with some 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of heathland
, complete with "nature trail", together with a leisure centre
and visitors centre.
The park has a view point, called High View, which gives views of about 250 degrees. From this point Bracknell
, Ascot Racecourse
, LondonSkyline and Bagshot Park
can be seen to the west of the M3.
Towards the north east, planes landing at Heathrow can be spotted, together with the high rise buildings of the City of London and Canary Wharf
. To the east, the taller building of Woking
are visible together with the North Downs
. Despite surveying a heavily built up area, the vista is overwhelmingly green.
Surrey Heath
Surrey Heath is a local government district with Borough status in Surrey, England. Its Council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt....
district of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
about 27 miles (43.5 km) to the south-west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Immediately surrounding towns and villages include Bagshot
Bagshot, Surrey
Bagshot is a small town in southeastern England. It is situated in the northwest corner of Surrey within the county's Surrey Heath council district, close to the border with Berkshire, and is also in the diocese of Guildford. In the past Bagshot served as an important staging post between London,...
, Deepcut
Deepcut
Deepcut is a village in Surrey, situated close to Camberley. It is home to the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut.Malacologist Major Matthew Connolly lived at the Lock House at Deepcut where he brought up his son the writer and critic Cyril Connolly....
, Windlesham
Windlesham
Windlesham is a village in the Surrey Heath district of Surrey in South East England. It is also the name of the parish that covers Bagshot and Lightwater, in addition to Windlesham...
, Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, and West End. The village is bounded to the north west by the M3 and to the north east by the Lightwater bypass. To the south east, it is bounded by the Red Road whilst to the south west there is the vehicle testing tracks owned by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
.
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
as seen in Bagshot and Chobham Common
Chobham Common
Chobham Common is a area of lowland heath a globally rare and threatened habitat, in Surrey, England. It was formerly a freehold owned by the Earl of Onslow, and purchased for £1 an acre by Surrey County Council in 1966...
. The region has been inhabited since pre-historic times with tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
in the heathland to the south of the village.
In modern times, Lightwater grew as a place with holiday homes in a chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
-style for people living in London. Since 1960 it has grown rapidly with housing estates growing in the area just north of Red Road and the military ranges around Greyspot.
The village has full medical facilities and veterinary surgery, its own library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, a range of shops, and petrol station.
Despite Lightwater being larger in size, the nearest train station is located in Bagshot. This reflects the fact that Bagshot used to be a more important town lying as a staging post on journeys from London to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. Lightwater has grown in size as a dormitory settlement in recent times. In the adjacent 1890s map of the area, Bagshot is a notable town whilst Lightwater is noted just as a farm.
Lightwater Country Park
Lightwater has its own country parkCountry park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
, with some 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of heathland
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
, complete with "nature trail", together with a leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
and visitors centre.
The park has a view point, called High View, which gives views of about 250 degrees. From this point Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
, Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
, LondonSkyline and Bagshot Park
Bagshot Park
Bagshot Park is a royal residence located near Bagshot, a village south west of Windsor and approximately north east of Guildford . It is the current home of The Earl and Countess of Wessex. Bagshot Park is on Bagshot Heath, a fifty square-mile tract of formerly open land in Surrey and Berkshire...
can be seen to the west of the M3.
Towards the north east, planes landing at Heathrow can be spotted, together with the high rise buildings of the City of London and Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
. To the east, the taller building of Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
are visible together with the North Downs
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
. Despite surveying a heavily built up area, the vista is overwhelmingly green.