__NOTOC__ Sheerwater is a residential neighbourhood or small suburb of Woking, in the Woking district in Surrey, England, occasionally described as a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

, between West Byfleet and

Horsell Horsell is a village in the borough of Woking in Surrey, England, less than a mile north-west of Woking 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 W ...

. Its border is defined to the north by a gently winding part of the

Basingstoke Canal The Basingstoke Canal is an English canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation. From Basingstoke, the canal passes through or near Greywell, North Warnborough, Odiham, ...

and to the south by the

South West Main Line The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south we ...

which passes from

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...

level to that of an

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

. The neighbourhood has a business park and light industry at its south-western end. The whole area is

linear Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship ('' function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear ...

, includes diverse green spaces to north and south, and covers .

History and geography

Sheerwater or Sherewater, Pyrford

Sheerwater was also spelt Sherewater until about 1900. Since the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

it was a high sandy

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

with a notable pond: Sherewater Pond, on the borders of Pyrford and

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in t ...

parishes, was an extensive mere on the high Bagshot Sand, drained and planted at the time of its

enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

, 29 September 1815. On enclosure it was allocated into private hands from public

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has a ...

; a farm was created.

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the '' Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist ...

then Edward Brayley, confused Sherewater with a pond by the Guildford road (A3) on Wisley Common, drained by Peter King, 7th Baron King, the Whig politician and writer, rather earlier. Sherewater Pond is marked on

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...

's map (an 18th-century cartographer).

Boundaries

Sheerwater's farm became divided from Woodham by the

in about 1790 and from Pyrford by the

in about 1838. Sherewater or Sheerwater Farm was approximately where the pond stood in 1911, just north of the railway. To the east the area is bounded by the straight road, Sheerwater Road, and to the west the boundary is Monument Road. Sheerwater is a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...

. Albert Drive is the through road of the neighbourhood. Elevations range between 35m above sea level in the central area and 30m at Sheerwater Bridge on the eastern boundary. The Basingstoke Canal and the Rive Ditch are the only water features in the neighbourhood. There is just one lock on the Sheerwater section of the canal, just west of Sheerwater Road. The Rive Ditch enters Sheerwater at Monument Road and leaves at Sheerwater Road, it roughly follows the path of Albert Drive but has been routed completely underground since the area was developed in the 1950s.

Transformation by planned development

Sheerwater was designed as a new neighbourhood by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

and approved by the local Urban District Council, allowing nearly 1,300 homes to be built in the early 1950s and over 5,000 people to settle in the neighbourhood. In April 2017 Woking Borough Council approved the first phase of the redevelopment of the central part of Sheerwater. The first phase will comprise the construction of a leisure centre in the grounds of the Bishop David Brown School and the construction of a number of new homes on the land currently occupied by the athletics track.

Amenities

Dartmouth Avenue is the main parade of shops which include two convenience stores, several fast food outlets, a cafe, a post office, a pharmacy and a glass/glazing business. A large

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...

superstore opened on Albert Drive in October 2014. There is a church, St Michael's, on Dartmouth Avenue. It is shared by

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

and

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

congregations. There was also a Catholic church situated between Albert Drive and Dartmouth Avenue, but this closed in 1995. A small mosque opened in June 2017, also on Dartmouth Avenue. Sheerwater had one

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, ''The Birch and Pines''. This closed in April 2017. Bishop David Brown School is a secondary school supported by the Anglican community in Sheerwater. Notable former Sheerwater residents and pupils were

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

Bruce Foxton Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. ...

and

Rick Buckler Paul Richard Buckler (born 6 December 1955) is an English musician who is the former drummer of The Jam. Early years Buckler was born in the town of Woking in the county of Surrey, England. He received his education at Sheerwater Secondary Sch ...

who together with other pupils of the then Sheerwater Comprehensive School formed

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...

. There is an allotment between Albert Drive and the

. There are no

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s in the neighbourhood.

Sport and leisure

Basingstoke Canal, Sheerwater, Woking - geograph

Sheerwater Recreation Ground was created as part of the development of the area by

in the 1950s. Ownership was transferred to the Urban District Council of Woking (now

Woking Borough Council Woking Borough Council is the local authority for the borough of Woking in the county of Surrey, England. The council consists of 30 councillors, three for each of the 10 wards in the town. It is currently controlled by the Liberal Democrat Pa ...

) on 26 September 1961 with the covenant that the land be used only as a recreation ground, children's playground or public open space. Part of the area is now an international size oval running track, home to Woking Athletics Club. Sheerwater has a Non-League football club Sheerwater F.C. who play on the Sheerwater Recreation Ground. Sheerwater has a Scout group and a Gardening Association. The towpath of the Basingstoke canal is on the Sheerwater side, which provides a traffic-free pedestrian and cycle route to Woking town centre in one direction and to West Byfleet in the other.

Local band

Three teenage residents formed the band ''

'' in the 1970s while attending Sheerwater's secondary school including

– the remainder of the band he led also attended the school.

Economy

Scotswood Park, Sheerwater (geograph 2266357)

The Kingswey Business Park has been split into Optimum and Genesis Parks and others. Equally Woking Business Park adjoins the Oriental Road part of central Woking, at the north of Maybury and these fall within the neat boundaries of the Sheerwater suburb. Their businesses generally simplify their address to the

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

of Woking, which has significant trade, distribution, professional services, scientific research and industry in medium-size business parks.

Local government

Sheerwater was a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, electing a councillor in 2001; this was replaced before the 2011 census by ''Sheerwater and Maybury'', electing one councillor, like most wards of the borough.Your local councillors

. Retrieved 6 November 2013 The current councillor is of the Labour Party, Tahir Aziz, shared with Maybury. He is the only Labour councillor in the borough. At

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

, one of the 81 representatives represents the area within the ''Woking North'' division.Electoral Divisions
Surrey County Council. Retrieved 6 November 2013

Demography

In 2001 Sheerwater's population was 3,522 living in 1,420 households. The

United Kingdom Census 2011 A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, reflecting the local authority's expansion of the

, at its most detailed reporting level split a new version of Sheerwater in two between local authority 'super output areas' 004E and 004F, the north-west and south-east respectively. The new definition excludes Arnold Road and Eve Road as well as cul-de-sacs next to these, instead being placed within Maybury's super output area. Sheerwater is an ethnically diverse area, with around 57% in 004E and 52% in 004F coming from a White British background. The proportion of households in the two divisions of Sheerwater who owned their home outright was 10% above and 23% below the national average respectively. The proportion who owned their home with a loan was within 3% of the national average in both areas. The data showed in the second area a higher proportion than average of rented residential property and of

social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...

relative to the Surrey and national averages.

References

{{authority control Villages in Surrey Woking