St. John's, Surrey
Encyclopedia
St John's is a village
located some 3 km west of the centre of the town of Woking
in Surrey
, England
. Neighbouring communities include Goldsworth Park
, Hook Heath, Horsell
, and Knaphill
.
The village lies on the Basingstoke Canal
(completed in 1794) and dates largely from the 19th century, when housing first began to be constructed in the area to accommodate workers employed at the local brickworks. The village gained its name from the Church of St John the Baptist, built here in 1842 from designs prepared by Sir George Gilbert Scott
. The church houses a notable organ, described in the National Pipe Organ Register.
Today the village centre is home to a mixture of shops and businesses which include a chemist's shop, a small supermarket, restaurants, and office premises. The village's location on the Basingstoke Canal and adjacent to St John's Lye – a public open space, important for its wildlife, landscape, and outdoor leisure amenities – together with buildings from the late Victorian to Edwardian period lend St John's a distinctive character.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
located some 3 km west of the centre of the town of 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....
in Surrey
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Neighbouring communities include Goldsworth Park
Goldsworth Park
Goldsworth Park is a large housing estate to the north-west of Woking in Surrey, England. It was named after the nearby Goldsworth area which was a large 'tithing' of Woking Parish. The tithing included most of the north west of Woking, such as Brookwood, Knaphill and St. John's. It is bordered by...
, Hook Heath, Horsell
Horsell
Horsell in Surrey is an ancient village nearby to the more modern 19th century Woking, probably best known because of its association with the story The War of the Worlds, written by H. G. Wells. It is the home of the book's narrator , and the landing site of the first Martian transport vessel...
, and Knaphill
Knaphill
Knaphill is an urban village in Surrey, UK. To the east is Woking, to the west, eventually, is Aldershot, while to the south and north on the A322 – which forms its effective western border – are Brookwood, and Bisley, respectively. Some of the village is set on a hill, hence the...
.
The village lies on 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....
(completed in 1794) and dates largely from the 19th century, when housing first began to be constructed in the area to accommodate workers employed at the local brickworks. The village gained its name from the Church of St John the Baptist, built here in 1842 from designs prepared by Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. The church houses a notable organ, described in the National Pipe Organ Register.
Today the village centre is home to a mixture of shops and businesses which include a chemist's shop, a small supermarket, restaurants, and office premises. The village's location on the Basingstoke Canal and adjacent to St John's Lye – a public open space, important for its wildlife, landscape, and outdoor leisure amenities – together with buildings from the late Victorian to Edwardian period lend St John's a distinctive character.