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Horsell is a village in the borough of Woking in
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England, less than a mile north-west of
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
town centre. In November 2012, its population was 9,384. Horsell is integral to H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel '' The War of the Worlds'', the sand pits of
Horsell Common Horsell Common is a open space in Horsell, near Woking in Surrey. It is owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society. An area of is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special ...
being the site of the first Martian landing. Horsell Common has since been designated a
Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
. Another landmark is the
McLaren Technology Centre The McLaren Technology Centre is the headquarters of the McLaren Group and its subsidiaries, located on a 500,000 m2 (50-hectare) site in Woking, Surrey, England. The complex consists of two buildings: the original 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 The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
''horig scylf'', meaning "muddy slope". This may refer to the hill known as Horsell Rise now carrying the metalled track. Until the late 19th century, the village consisted of scattered cottages and farms, surrounded by fields, heathlands and nurseries. Suburban development began in the 1880s, but the village remains largely rural in character.


Terrain

Horsell is located in northern
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
and is surrounded by deciduous woodland. Some geographic locations in Horsell are; *Church Hill *Horsell Rise *Horsell Common *The sandpit *ex-Norman Lake


Horsell Common

One of Horsell's significant locations is
Horsell Common Horsell Common is a open space in Horsell, near Woking in Surrey. It is owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society. An area of is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special ...
, where H. G. Wells set the landing of the Martians in his novel ''War of the Worlds''. The common includes an ancient Indian burial ground a bomb crater from World War II, a large, seasonal pond with a sandpit, and an open field extending to the grounds of the
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
headquarters. It hosts a wide variety of plant and wildlife species and has the status of a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The World War II Home Guard base on the common has disappeared. Several smaller institutions were evacuated here during the war.


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 famous twins played cricket for
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
; Alec also played with great success for England.


Notable people

In birth order: * Norman Pares (1857–1936), Vicar of Horsell from 1897 to 1936, had been a member of the
Old Etonians Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
team that won the
1879 FA Cup Final The 1879 FA Cup Final was contested by Old Etonians and Clapham Rovers at the Kennington Oval, London Borough of Lambeth, South London. Old Etonians won by 1–0, the only goal scored by Charles Clerke. Summary Although Clapham dominated the e ...
. *
Ursula Bethell Mary Ursula Bethell (pseudonym, Evelyn Hayes; 6 October 1874 – 15 January 1945), was a New Zealand social worker and poet. She settled at the age of 50 at Rise Cottage on the Cashmere, New Zealand, Cashmere Hills near Christchurch, with her co ...
(1874–1945), a New Zealand poet, was born in Horsell. * Lewis Leigh Fermor (1880–1954), chemist/biologist father of travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, died in Horsell. * Alec (1918–2010) and Eric Bedser (1918–2006), first-class cricketers, spent some of their childhood in Horsell.


Gallery

File:Horsell Common woodland - geograph.org.uk - 168427.jpg, Horsell Common File:Arriva Guildford & West Surrey 4017 GN58 BUA and Horsell Crown.JPG, Part of Horsell High Street File:The Red Lion, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 601418.jpg, The Red Lion Pub File:Littlewick Road, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 166260.jpg, Littlewick Road File:War memorial, Horsell - geograph.org.uk - 45601.jpg, The war memorial


See also

*
History of Woking Woking means"(settlement belonging to the) followers of Wocc (or 'Wocca')". Over time, the name has been written variously as, for example, ''Wochingas'', and ''Wokynge''. Pre-1800 Pre-historic Woking In Horsell Common there are three ancien ...
*
List of places of worship in Woking (borough) There are more than 50 current and former places of worship in the borough of Woking, one of 11 local government districts in the English county of Surrey. The mostly urban area, centred on the Victorian railway town of Woking, is ethnically ...


References


External links


Pictures of the Martian invasion memorial statuesInformation about Horsell from Horsell Residents' Association
{{authority control Villages in Surrey Woking