is a
Town in the
Elmbridge borough of
Surrey in
South East England .
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 30 minutes.
at Walton]]
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.
In the
Doomsday Book "waletona" was noted as having a church, two mills and a fishery.
Standing on the highest point of town, St. Mary's Parish Church dates back to before the Domesday Book (1086 AD). The 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.
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 and a small memorial in the
Homebase car park.
Julia Elizabeth Wells was born October 1, 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, and later became
Dame Julie Andrews .
Hersham And Walton Motors (HWM), now an
Aston Martin and
Audi 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.
There have been five bridges on the site so far and plans are well advanced for the sixth. Prior to the first bridge there was a ferry which goes back to, at least, the 15th century.
The first bridge, constructed between
1748 and
1750 , was a wooden structure that stood until
1783 .
Canaletto painted a picture of this bridge in 1754.
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 2005 the viaduct is still standing.
The third bridge was damaged during the
Second World War in
1940 leading to a permanent weight restriction. To allieviate 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 bridge occupying the line of the original bridges. The fourth bridge in turn was relegated to use by cyclists and pedestrians.
A sixth bridge is planned and may be completed by
2009 .
Walton is part of the
Esher And Walton Parliamentary Constituency , as of
2005 a
Safe Conservative seat. The current MP is Ian Taylor. Nine Walton Society Councillors represent Walton on
Elmbridge Council, with one representing Walton on Surrey County Council.
- Julie Andrews (born October 1, 1935), world-famous actor and singer
- Nick Lowe (born March 24, 1949), rock and roll singer-songwriter and producer
- Danny Sapsford (born April 3, 1969), professional tennis player
Tommy Bolin 's "Dreamer" was written for someone in Walton-On-Thames, and makes references to the railroads there.
- Population figures (PDF)
- [http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/History+of+Walton+Bridge?opendocument History of Walton Bridge]
