Weybridge Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Surrey, and around 20 miles southwest of central London, is the town of Weybridge.

The earliest known reference dates back to circa 675 AD when it was recorded as 'Waigebrugge', literally meaning 'bridge over the River Wey'. From the 13th century or earlier, a wooden bridge was in place, and was used by monks and pilgrims to Chertsey Abbey around three miles away.

In the 1530s Henry VIII ordered the construction of Oatlands Palace in the neighbouring village of Oatlands. This was intended as the residence of his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. It went on to be used as a part-time residence of various Tudor and Stuart monarchs before eventually being broken up into lots for building development in the mid 19th century.

In 1653 the River Wey Navigation opened. This was a precursor to the canals, whereby instead of cutting new waterways, existing rivers were widened to be made navigable by cargo boats. The River Wey is a tributary of the Thames, meaning that Weybridge, along with other towns all the way to Guildford (and later, Godalming by 1764), could do direct trade with London.

In 1822 the York Column was placed on Monument Green. This had originally stood at Seven Dials in London's Covent Garden district. It was dismantled in 1777 and later brought to Weybridge as a memorial to Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, the Duchess of York. She was the wife of Prince Frederick, the second son of George III, and had lived at Oatlands House prior to it being sold off decades later.

In 1838 the railway arrived in Weybridge courtesy of the London and Southampton Railway. Today it is situated on the South West Main Line with direct services to London Waterloo and Woking. It is also on the Chertsey Branch Line, which provides an alternative route into Waterloo, although the latter takes around twice the time to reach the capital.

In 1848 St James' Church was built, replacing an earlier place of worship in its vicinity. Its architect, John Loughborough Pearson, would later go on to design Truro Cathedral.

In 1890 Weybridge became the first town in Britain to be lit entirely by electricity.

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Filmed: 17th January 2023

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/zz6NzpWJMLyL4ftG7

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 River Wey
1:17 Addlestone Road
2:18 The Wey Bridge
3:00 Bridge Road
5:25 Heath Road
5:58 Bridge Road
6:24 Church Street
7:52 Balfour Road
8:26 Church Street
11:11 High Street
13:40 Monument Green
14:58 High Street
17:21 Baker Street