West Byfleet
Encyclopedia
West Byfleet is a village in Surrey
. Forming part of the Greater London Urban Area
it lies in the stockbroker belt just outside the M25 motorway
, 19 miles from Charing Cross
, 8 miles from London Heathrow. The village grew up around the station
on the London & South Western Railway. The station, originally "Byfleet
and Woodham
", opened in 1887. Since it was more than mile from the ancient village of Byfleet, the new development soon established its own character as a commuter suburb. The village church was dedicated in 1912 and a separate parish
of West Byfleet was established in 1917. The station lies between Woking
and Byfleet & New Haw. The village is bounded to the north by the Basingstoke Canal
and to the east by the M25 and the Wey Navigation Canal.
, New Haw
, Woodham
, Byfleet
and Ripley
; an alternative to Woking
which has more restaurants and shops. In 2010 Aviva
, the landlord, repossessed the former Woolworths
store and relet approximately half the space to Costa Coffee
and the other half to Lloyd Pharmacy.
Old Avenue is one of the most desirable residential areas in the district. This prosperous road has been designated a Conservation Area and has an arcadian environment supporting detached family homes with spacious gardens. Easy of access by foot or car to West Byfleet Station has encouraged many Central London workers to move into the road and enjoy the frequent and rapid service to and from Waterloo.
http://www.woking.gov.uk/council/safety/survey/byfleet Woking Borough crime survey]
Most secondary school students attend Fulbrook School, St John the Baptist School or Bishop David Brown School. The local independent school is St George's College
. For younger students there is the West Byfleet Junior School or the Marist School. There is the Anglican St John's Church, originally part of the Byfleet
parish until West Byfleet was established as a separate parish in 1917. There is also the Roman Catholic Our Lady Help of Christians Church located on Madeira Road. Additionally there is St Mary's Church on Church Road and a Methodist church on Rectory Lane. The West Byfleet Golf Club is located on Sheerwater Road, providing a Golf Pro Shop, whilst also offering catering, society and open golf events. http://www.wbgc.co.uk In 1949 a Supermarine Spitfire crashed and exploded in flames beside West Byfleet Golf Course after a mid-air collision with another Spitfire over Woking.
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...
. Forming part of the Greater London Urban Area
Greater London Urban Area
The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, England, as defined by the Office for National Statistics. It had an estimated population of 8,505,000 in 2005 and occupied an area of at the time of the 2001 census. It includes most of Greater London,...
it lies in the stockbroker belt just outside the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
, 19 miles from Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
, 8 miles from London Heathrow. The village grew up around the station
West Byfleet railway station
West Byfleet railway station serves West Byfleet and Woodham and is on the Alton Line and Waterloo to Woking line, operated by South West Trains.The station has three platforms, although one of these is rarely used....
on the London & South Western Railway. The station, originally "Byfleet
Byfleet
Byfleet is an inland island village forming a suburb of Woking in Surrey, England. It is in the east of the borough between the River Wey and the River Mole, and is within the M25 motorway....
and Woodham
Woodham, Surrey
Woodham is a small village in Surrey next to New Haw.The main attractions are its location near West Byfleet and Byfleet & New Haw stations for easy access to Waterloo, London.-External links:...
", opened in 1887. Since it was more than mile from the ancient village of Byfleet, the new development soon established its own character as a commuter suburb. The village church was dedicated in 1912 and a separate parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of West Byfleet was established in 1917. The station lies between 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....
and Byfleet & New Haw. The village is bounded to the north by the Basingstoke Canal
Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....
and to the east by the M25 and the Wey Navigation Canal.
Today
The retail centre has declined in diversity over the last 30 years losing many true shops such as hardware, wine merchants, electrical stores and greengrocer. The Waitrose supermarket has revitalised the village's retail attaction. The village retail shops are now replaced with service businesses including restaurants, estate agents and hairdressers. All the major banks are represented. The village has become a focal point for other neighbouring villages such as PyrfordPyrford
Pyrford is an English village that for centuries had historical links with the monastery of Westminster, in whose possession it remained between the Norman Conquest and the Dissolution of the Monasteries nearly five hundred years later. It is thirty miles by road from central London and situated...
, New Haw
New Haw
New Haw is a village in Surrey, England about 25 miles to the southwest of London. It is located near the communities of Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woodham, Weybridge, Addlestone and Ottershaw....
, Woodham
Woodham
-People:* Cecil Woodham-Smith , a British historian* Dai Woodham , a British businessman* Luke Woodham , an American murderer-England:* Woodham, Buckinghamshire* Woodham, County Durham* Woodham Ferrers* Woodham Mortimer...
, Byfleet
Byfleet
Byfleet is an inland island village forming a suburb of Woking in Surrey, England. It is in the east of the borough between the River Wey and the River Mole, and is within the M25 motorway....
and Ripley
Ripley, Surrey
Ripley is a village and parish in Surrey, which grew on the main A3 road from London to Portsmouth. The road was renumbered as B2215 when a bypass was built. The village is situated close to the M25 motorway and southeast of Woking, northeast of Guildford and some southwest of central London...
; an alternative to 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....
which has more restaurants and shops. In 2010 Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
, the landlord, repossessed the former Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
store and relet approximately half the space to Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
and the other half to Lloyd Pharmacy.
Old Avenue is one of the most desirable residential areas in the district. This prosperous road has been designated a Conservation Area and has an arcadian environment supporting detached family homes with spacious gardens. Easy of access by foot or car to West Byfleet Station has encouraged many Central London workers to move into the road and enjoy the frequent and rapid service to and from Waterloo.
http://www.woking.gov.uk/council/safety/survey/byfleet Woking Borough crime survey]
St George's College, Weybridge
St George's College, Weybridge is an independent mixed Roman Catholic co-educational day school in Surrey, England. It had historically been an all-boys' boarding school. The first girls entered the 6th Form in the 1960s and the school decided to take girls at age 11 in 1998...
. For younger students there is the West Byfleet Junior School or the Marist School. There is the Anglican St John's Church, originally part of the Byfleet
Byfleet
Byfleet is an inland island village forming a suburb of Woking in Surrey, England. It is in the east of the borough between the River Wey and the River Mole, and is within the M25 motorway....
parish until West Byfleet was established as a separate parish in 1917. There is also the Roman Catholic Our Lady Help of Christians Church located on Madeira Road. Additionally there is St Mary's Church on Church Road and a Methodist church on Rectory Lane. The West Byfleet Golf Club is located on Sheerwater Road, providing a Golf Pro Shop, whilst also offering catering, society and open golf events. http://www.wbgc.co.uk In 1949 a Supermarine Spitfire crashed and exploded in flames beside West Byfleet Golf Course after a mid-air collision with another Spitfire over Woking.
Notable inhabitants
- Sir Sydney Camm, Hawker aircraft designer.
- Sir George EdwardsGeorge Edwards (aviation)Sir George Robert Freeman Edwards, OM, CBE, FRS, DL , was a British aircraft designer and industrialist.Edwards was born in Highams Park, England...
, Vickers aircraft designer. - Ron R Paine, air racing pilot and founder of Derby Aviation, later British Midland Airways (now BMI).
- Cyril Peckham, aviation photographer
- J C Stobart (1878–1933), author of The Glory That Was Greece lived latterly by West Byfleet Golf Course, and is buried at Old Byfleet.
- Frederick C Stoop, local benefactor and owner of West Hall.
- Helen Batley, designer, Minnie Bats design