Woking offers a dynamic blend of urban convenience and suburban tranquility. It’s a commuter’s dream, with Woking station providing frequent, direct trains to London Waterloo in about 25 minutes. The town is well-connected by road, close to the M25 and A3. Woking’s schools, such as St John the Baptist School and Woking High School, are highly regarded. Housing options are diverse, from modern apartments in the town center to spacious family homes in leafy suburbs like Horsell and Knaphill. The town center features a wide array of shops, including Victoria Place Shopping Centre and a new Victoria Square development with stores like Marks & Spencer and Boots. Residents enjoy ample green spaces, including Woking Park and the nearby Surrey Hills, perfect for outdoor activities. The vibrant arts scene, exemplified by the New Victoria Theatre, adds to the town’s appeal.

Woking’s urban history is tied to the history of the London Necropolis and Mausoleum Company (LNC), which acquired lands in Woking to form cemeteries. London was experiencing a surge in population, which also meant a surge in need for cemetery space. Woking at the time was sparsely populated and dotted with heathland, and in 1852 Woking Common was chosen as the site for the new cemeteries due to the ease of transport afforded by the momumental advent of the Victorian railway system. When the LNC began to sell away their lands, the town started to develop, fostering its connection to London via the railway.

Woking’s connections to industrialism and post-enlightenment England doesn’t stop there. Acquiring the site of the Royal Dramatic College in 1884, Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner transformed it into his ‘Oriental Institute’. As part of the institution - offering a site for students to pray - the Shah Jahan Mosque was constructed in 1889, making it the first mosque built in England! By the 1890s it was awarding degrees accredited by the University of Punjab in Lahore, predating the University of Surrey.

Due to its size and the being surrounding by protected natural landscapes, developments Woking can be slower compared to other nearby towns. However, Woking Borough published their Masterplan for the future of Woking, particularly the town centre, which aims to produce over 3,000 new dwellings in the town centre of Woking alone! Alongside providing 27,000 sqf of office space specific to the town centre!