Although many prehistoric finds have been made in
the neighbourhood of Walton,
especially along the riverside, the town seems to have been a Saxon settlement.
At the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign it gained some modest notoriety
by being identified by William Camden, the Antiquary, as the place
where Caesar forded the Thames during his second invasion of Britain.
As Caesar recorded that the crossing was defended by stakes driven
into its bed, Camden chose for the site Coway Stakes. Camden's view
still lingers though historical opinion now favours other places
In the Doomsday Survey "Waletona", as the place was written,
(derived from the Old English: Wealh = Welshman, Briton, Serf and
Tun = enclosure, settlement, town) was described as having a church,
two mills and a fishery. In 1516 Henry VIII granted the people two
fairs a year which continued until 1878.
In 1583 Walton, like the rest of the neighbourhood, was incorporated with
Henry VIII's Chase of Hampton Court. Although the village was outside
the park fence, local cultivation suffered and everybody was inconvenienced
by the imposition of forest law. When the King died the deer park
was discontinued and life gradually returned to normal.
Until 1750 the river could only be crossed by ford or ferry. In that year
Samuel Dicker, the wealthy owner of the land on the Walton side, built
a wooden toll bridge which was replaced in 1786 by a brick structure.
This collapsed in 1859 and was replaced by an iron bridge in 1864.
The toll rights were bought out in 1870.
Damaged during the last war, the iron bridge was declared unsafe for
traffic in 1955, and a "temporary" Bailey-bridge (seen above)
added for use of traffic. On the Shepperton side one of the toll houses
can still be seen. A new "temporary" bridge has just been
built and opened just before the turn of the century. This is because
the Bailey-bridge had become unsafe and no County Council funding
was available for a permanent bridge. The temporary bridge only has
planning permission for 10 years, so Walton
should see a new permanent one towards the end of that period.
Until 1800 Walton was a tiny village surrounded by the parks and open common
lands.There was hardly any industry and the population mostly lived
by agriculture, market gardening and servicing the big estates. Between
1800 and 1804 the commons were enclosed and communal fields divided
up into individual farms. In 1838 the railway came to Walton and in
the 1840's, Oatlands Park was sold for residential development.
In 1895 Walton was constituted an Urban District and its population
has continued to grow ever since.
St.
Mary's Church stands on the highest point of the town. Of Saxon origins,
parts date from the 12th to 15th centuries. The square flint tower
supported by 19th century angle buttresses in brick, contains a peal
of eight bells, the oldest of which bears the date 1606. The church
contains many monuments. The most notable, in the north aisle, is
to Field Marshal Viscount Shannon who died in 1740. It is one of the
best works of the sculptor Francois Roubiliac. The Field Marshal is
shown standing before a tent surrounded by the accoutrements of war.
Also in the north aisle is a palimpsest brass to
John Selwyn, once keeper of the Royal Park at Oatlands, who died in 1587. In the chancel
floor is a black marble slab commemorating the death in 1681 of William Lilly, one of the
most notorious astrologers of his day. There is a replica of a 17th century scold's bridle
(the original was stolen in 1965) and in the gallery, a late 17th century organ case. The
churchyard contains some fine tombstones among them a stone to Edward "Lumpy"
Stevens, a notable cricketer who died in 1821 and whose bowling led indirectly to the
third stump.
On a clear day, from atop the church tower (which is open to the public
on one or two days per year), landmarks from Canary Wharf to Windsor
castle can be identified.
There were several large country estates surrounding the town.
Ashley Park, once part of Oatlands, formerly ran down to Walton town,
with a fine avenue of trees terminating in the High Street. Its distinguished
occupants included Christopher Villiers, Earl of Anglesey, brother
of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, Charles I's favourite who
was murdered at Portsmouth. The Fletchers owned it in the 18th century
and the Sassons from the middle of the last century, before selling
it for development in 1924. The mansion, dating from the early 17th
century with Tudor origins, was demolished and the numbered parts
sold to an American purchaser. New Zealand Avenue was developed across
the northern part of the park.
Until recently Mount Felix mansion occupied the high ground on the
Walton side of the bridge. This was the home of Samuel Dicker, the
builder of the first Walton bridge. The house was rebuilt on a monumental
scale in the middle of the last century by Sir Charles Barry for the
Earl of Tankerville. During the 1914-18 war it became a military hospital
for the New Zealand troops. The mansion was demolished in 1967 but
an imposing stable block remains, having been restored by Wacker Chemicals.
At the northern end of the parish the pre-conquest manor of Apps was excavated for
reservoirs at the end of the last century. Other great houses were Walton Lodge, believed
to have been the home of Sir John Vanbrugh's parents, and the Grove, a house dating back
to mediaeval times. Elm Grove estate, a gracious brick mansion built about 1812, survives
in the hands of the Council. In front stands a magnificent evergreen oak. Occupied by
Prince Louis of Battenburg, in the summer of 1894 the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas, then
Czarovitch, stayed here for several weeks with his future bride, Princess Alix of
Hess-Darmstadt.
Numbers 23 to 27 in Church Street date from the 17th century and were
formerly the White Hart Inn, closed down in 1905 but known to have
been in business here as early as 1700. Number 47 in High Street with
a Dutch gable end is traditionally said to have been home for a time
of General Ireton, who married Oliver Cromwell's daughter Bridget.
In the 19th century Sir Arthur Sullivan lived at River House, Manor
Road, now Council property.
In Manor Road stands the Manor House of Walton Leigh, a long
timber-framed and brick building dating far back into the middle ages.
Old books record a tradition that John Bradshaw, president of the
Court which sentenced Charles I to death, lodged here.
Walton's affairs have long been associated with the river. There was
an ancient wharf not far from the Swan Inn from
at least 1485. Regattas were held on the river from the 18th century
and they continue to be held. The stretch of
water from Walton backwater to the main weir at Sunbury Lock is known
as the Walton Mile.
In the last few years the popularity of small boats on
the river has increased enormously and there is
a marina at Walton.
Elmbridge councillors have given the go-ahead for a new shopping centre
to be built in Walton. Called the Heart, it is planned to have about
40 shops together with a food superstore. The
scheme will include a new glass covered walkway from New Zealand Avenue
and an entrance from the High Street to the town square and a four
storey car park for 770 cars. The first phase of
the shopping centre is nearing completion and is due to be fully open
in Autumn 2006. Beales department store has been demolished and is
being replaced by a 'Sail' building.
