Welcome to Weybridge

Weybridge

Hamptons offers you a warm welcome to Weybridge

Congratulations, if you are house hunting in Weybridge you have already won. A home in this great area with all it offers, automatically makes you the envy of many. Now in order to make your transition as smooth and hassle free as possible Hamptons have put together this great guide which will help you choose the best schools, learn a little about planning and building control, read tips on where to shop, eat and lot’s more, all packed into one little guide with clickable links. Perhaps most importantly we have researched some of the leading local professionals and experts who can help you add value and personalise your soon to be new home. A big WELCOME and enjoy.

A little bit of history

Situated at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it takes its name, Weybridge was a small village until the advent of the railway in 1838 led to its rapid growth into a bustling commuter town. Development on St George’s Hill by Walter George Tarrant’s building company commenced in 1911 heralding the town’s newfound popularity with the elite and the town has since welcomed its fair share of celebrity residents, including Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr, footballer Peter Crouch and Dragon’s Den magnate Theo Paphitis.

Weybridge is known for its motoring and aviation heritage, with Brooklands housing the world’s first purpose-built racetrack and one of Britain’s earliest airfields.

Why move to Weybridge?

The town appeals to Londoners seeking a change of pace who covet the large properties and fantastic schools, with many choosing to establish roots and raise families here. Excellent road links, easy access to major airports and regular speedy train services to London Waterloo ensure the town’s continued popularity with commuters.

Properties in Weybridge are varied, spanning everything from Grade II listed buildings to luxury apartments with a strong market for family homes. The centre of town is home to post-war apartments and Edwardian semis while the many private roads and gated developments are made up of luxurious mansions.

Found where the Thames meets the Wey, Weybridge is an enthralling mix of river life, cosmopolitan living and hidden heritage. In some ways, it is a town of many centres too. While Church Street/High Street is the main hub, there are also hot spots at Queen’s Road and Oatlands Village. While it is not a big town by any stretch, there is a hefty amount packed in as we will discover shortly.

It is, of course, famous for Brooklands, which is just minutes from the town centre. The birthplace of British motorsport and aviation is home to a fascinating time capsule of a museum, with remnants of the famous racetrack looping round the site, and Mercedes-Benz World and the luxurious Brooklands Hotel next door. You can even tour a Concorde at the museum, meaning with a little imagination you can pretend that living the jet set life is still the norm.

If you are searching for a slower pace, however, it is here in abundance too, with so many splendid riverside settings nearby. There is a great National Trust recommended walk, for instance, which follows the route of the last commercial barges on the Wey Navigations from Weybridge to New Haw Lock and back. It is a leisurely five-mile walk that takes you past Thames Lock, the Town Lock and Coxes Mill among other distinctly Instagramable sites.

Coxes Mill was the last commercially operated mill in Surrey, only closing in 1983, but is now home to a collection of apartments. It still makes for an impressive and evocative sight on the riverbank. River life is central to the town and, in fact, there is not one but at least three rowing clubs here, with Weybridge Rowing Club, Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club and Weyfarers Rowing Club getting people out and about and active on the water.

www.greatbritishlife.co.uk

FAMOUS RESIDENTS

Weybridge and the surrounding area has been a home to rockstars, celebrities, athletes, academics, artists and common or garden members of the upper-crust for generations. Here are a few notable names you may or may not know..

Peter Crouch, Footballer, Stoke City F.C. Jacqueline Bisset, Actress

Abbey Clancy – model Cliff Richard – Pop Singer Denny Laine - Guitarist in Pop band Wings E.M. Forster – Author Engelbert Humperdinck – Pop Singer Fanny Kemble – Author, Actor and Anti-slavery supporter Frank Finlay –Aactor Gilbert O’Sullivan – Singer-Songwriter Lucy O’Donnell – the “Lucy” of the 1967 Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” John Lennon - Musician Martine McCutcheon – Singer and Actress Maurice Hewlett – Novelist Michael Aspel –Television Presenter Mike Yarwood, TV personality Paul Draper - Lead singer of Mansun. Theo Paphitis – Businessman and TV personality, Dragons’ Den and entrepreneur Tom Jones – lived in Weybridge in the late 1960s