Woking is a mixture of the very old and very new. What is now known as ‘Old Woking’ was mentioned in the Domesday Book but it now forms a suburb of Woking. The modern town grew up around the Basingstoke Canal and the railways that arrived in the nineteenth century, including a line from London to Brookwood cemetery built by the London Necropolis Company to accommodate the city’s dead. Today Woking is one of the largest towns in Surrey and is known among other things as the landing place for the aliens in H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, the country’s oldest mosque (the Shah Jahan), McLaren Racing, the innovative Lightbox art and heritage centre built by the architects of the London Eye and the home town of the The Jam.

A–Z of Woking delves into the history of this fascinating town, revealing interesting and significant moments in the story of Woking. It highlights well-known landmarks, famous residents and digs beneath the surface to uncover some of the lesser-known facts about Woking and its hidden gems. This A–Z tour of Woking’s history is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this town in Surrey.