Horsell

Horsell
240px Horsell High Street
Horsell  Horsell shown within Surrey
Population	9,384
District	Woking
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WOKING
Postcode district	GU21
Dialling code	01483
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Woking
List of places UK England Surrey

Horsell is an ancient village in the borough of Woking in Surrey, England, located less than a mile northwest of Woking town centre. In November 2012, its population was 9,384.

Horsell has a close association with H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, the sand pits of Horsell Common being used as the site of the first Martian landing. Horsell Common has since been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Another landmark is the McLaren Technology Centre, built on the northern edge of the common in the early 2000s for the McLaren Group.

History

Horsell was first documented in the 13th century, although the parish church of St Mary the Virgin is believed to date from the middle of the 12th century. The name probably comes from the Anglo-Saxon horig scylf, meaning "muddy slope". This may refer to the hill now carrying the metalled track known as "Horsell Rise"; tricky for cars in winter conditions it is then very much enjoyed by local children who create toboggan slides down the centre of it.

Until the late 19th century, the village consisted of scattered cottages and farms, surrounded by fields, heathlands and nurseries. Suburban development eventually began in the 1880s, although the village remains largely rural in character.

File:Horsell church - geograph.org.uk - 45606.jpg

St Mary's Church

Horsell Common

The commonland includes Horsell Common, which is notable for being the place where the martians landed in War of the Worlds, an Ancient Burial Ground and a Muslim Burial Ground. One of Horsell's most significant locations is Horsell Common. The common includes a bomb crater from WW2, a large, seasonal pond with a sandpit (which is where the Martians landed) and an open field which extends to the grounds of the McLaren HQ. Many different species of plants and wildlife can be found there. There was a Home Guard base there, though this has long since disappeared. The Common is popular with the locals and people of Woking Borough.

Schools and facilities

The Anglican parish church of St Mary the Virgin dates back to the middle of the 12th century, and still retains the original doors. The church has strong links with one of the village's junior schools, Horsell C of E Junior School. The village's other schools include the Horsell Village School, built 1851, and independent school St. Andrew's School along with Woking High School, formerly Horsell High School.

It is also the home of Woking and Horsell Cricket Club, whose members have included Alec and Eric Bedser. The twins have played cricket for England.

Notable people

Notable people from Horsell include:

• Robert Green, former England and current West Ham United goalkeeper.
• Rev. Canon Norman Pares, vicar of Horsell from 1897 to 1936, smf a member of the Old Etonians side which won the 1879 FA Cup Final.
• The New Zealand poet Ursula Bethell, born in Horsell on 6 October 1874.

Gallery

• Horsell Common woodland - geograph.org.uk - 168427.jpg

  Horsell Common

• Arriva Guildford & West Surrey 4017 GN58 BUA and Horsell Crown.JPG

  Part of Horsell High Street

• The Red Lion, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 601418.jpg

  The Red Lion Pub

• Littlewick Road, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 166260.jpg

  Littlewick Road

• War memorial, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 45601.jpg

  The war memorial

See also

• History of Woking
• List of places of worship in Woking (borough)

External links

• Pictures of the Martian invasion memorial statues
• Information about Horsell from Horsell Residents' Association
• [1]