Weybridge grew from a small village by the River Wey. It had a royal palace, the world's first motor-racing track, and factories that built famous aeroplanes, including parts of Concorde.
Oldest first
Newest first
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Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages
Before AD 43
Long ago
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Round houses and ancient weapons
People lived and worked here long before the Romans. In 1981, archaeologists found the remains of a roundhouse and signs of iron-making near the railway lines. Ancient axe heads and a rapier, a kind of sword, were pulled out of the River Wey in 1912.
From the records: “Remains of a roundhouse and archaeological evidence of iron workings were discovered in the triangle of land between the railway lines in 1981.”
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Romans
AD 43 – 410
About AD 300
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A pile of Roman coins
The Romans don't seem to have built much in Weybridge, but 68 bronze Roman coins from around AD 300 were found at Brooklands in 1907.
From the records: “There is not thought to have been a significant Roman presence in Weybridge, but 68 bronze coins of the late 3rd and early 4th centuries were found at Brooklands in 1907.”
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Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
410 – 1066
600s
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Weybridge is first written down
The first written records of Weybridge are from the 600s, when its name was spelled Waigebrugge and Weibrugge.
From the records: “The first written records of a settlement at Weybridge date from the 7th century, when its name is given as Waigebrugge and Weibrugge.”
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Middle Ages
1066 – 1485
1086
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In the Domesday Book
Weybridge appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Webrige'.
From the records: “It appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Webrige and Webruge and in subsequent surviving documents as Waibrigge and Wabrigge (12th century) and Wybrugge and Weybrugge (13th century).”
1175
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The first chapel
The first record of a place of worship in Weybridge is from 1175: a chapel that belonged to Chertsey Abbey.
From the records: “There is no mention of a church at Weybridge in the Domesday Book and the first record of a place of worship is in 1175, in which a chapel in the town is listed as a dependent of Chertsey Abbey.”
1383
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Oatlands gets its name
Oatlands was first written down in 1383 as 'Otelands'. The name may mean the land was used for growing oats.
From the records: “Oatlands is first recorded in 1383 as Otelands, which may indicate that the area was used for the cultivation of oats.”
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Tudors and Stuarts
1485 – 1714
1537
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A royal palace
Weybridge passed to the Crown in 1537. Oatlands Palace was knocked down in the 1600s, and only a gate and some walls from about 1545 are left today.
From the records: “Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Weybridge was held by the Rede family for three years, before passing to the Crown in 1537.”
1649
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The Diggers
In April 1649, a group called the Diggers started farming the common land on St George's Hill, hoping to win back land that had been fenced off. Local landowners forced them out. Today a memorial to Gerrard Winstanley stands near the station.
From the records: “The group began to cultivate the common land on the hill in April 1649, encouraging others to join them and declaring their intention to reclaim enclosed land.”
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Georgians
1714 – 1837
1724
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A fashionable village
In the early 1700s, Weybridge was still small, but lots of rich families lived here. In 1724 the rector counted eighteen upper-class families.
From the records: “Although Weybridge was still only a small village in the early 18th century, a high proportion of the residents were members of the aristocracy.”
About 1790
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The Duke of York moves in
Prince Frederick, Duke of York, bought the Oatlands estate in around 1790.
From the records: “The property was purchased by Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany in around 1790.”
1822
Still here today
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A column from London
The York Column on Monument Green first stood near Covent Garden in London in the 1690s. It was taken down in 1777 and put up in Weybridge in 1822 in memory of the Duchess of York, who had lived at Oatlands.
From the records: “The sundial pillar was commissioned by Thomas Neale in the 1690s to form the centrepiece of his housing development near Covent Garden.”
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Victorians
1837 – 1901
1838
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The railway arrives
Weybridge railway station opened in 1838, and new houses were soon being built.
From the records: “Housebuilding began almost as soon as the land was released, stimulated in part by the opening of Weybridge railway station in 1838.”
1848
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St James' Church
The old church was too small for the growing town, so it was knocked down and St James' Church was built in 1848. Its spire was finished in 1855.
From the records: “By the middle of the century, it was clear that a larger building was required and so the church was demolished in 1848 and replaced by the present St James'.”
1848–1850
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A king of France
After he gave up his throne in 1848, Louis Philippe, King of France, moved to nearby Esher. He went to Mass at the Catholic chapel in Weybridge until he died in 1850.
From the records: “Following his abdication in 1848, Louis Philippe, King of France, moved with his family to Claremont, Esher.”
1890
First in Britain
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Electric street lights
In 1890, Weybridge became the first town in Britain to light its streets with electric light bulbs.
From the records: “In 1890, Weybridge became the first town in Britain to have electric street lighting using incandescent filament bulbs.”
1898–1899
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A famous writer hides away
The French writer Émile Zola had to leave France, and lived at the Oatlands Park Hotel from July 1898 to June 1899.
From the records: “Following the Dreyfus affair, the French novelist Émile Zola (1840–1902) was exiled to England from July 1898 to June 1899, during which time he lived at the Oatlands Park Hotel.”
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The World Wars
1901 – 1945
1907
World first
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Brooklands race track
Brooklands opened in 1907. It was the first track in the world built specially for motor racing. The first car races were held there in July 1907.
From the records: “Brooklands, the first purpose-built motor-racing circuit in the world, opened in 1907.”
1907
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A British plane takes off
Soon after Brooklands opened in 1907, the aviation pioneer A. V. Roe made the first flight in a British-built aeroplane there.
From the records: “In 1907, the aviation pioneer, A.”
1916
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A hospital for soldiers
During the First World War, the Oatlands Park Hotel became a hospital for soldiers from New Zealand.
From the records: “Oatlands Park Hotel was requisitioned in 1916 as a hospital for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and was primarily used to treat "medical & tuberculosis cases and limbless men".”
1935
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Building warplanes
Vickers began making aircraft at Brooklands in 1915. In 1935, the Hawker company opened a factory there and began building the first versions of the Hurricane fighter plane.
From the records: “By 1912, several flying schools had been established at Brooklands and the Vickers company began manufacturing aircraft in 1915.”
1940
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Bombs in the Second World War
Weybridge was badly bombed in the Second World War. In September 1940, an air raid on the Vickers aircraft factory killed 83 people.
From the records: “A devastating air raid took place on the Vickers plant in September 1940, when 83 people were killed.”
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Modern times
Since 1945
Late 1960s
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Making Concorde
Parts of the British-built Concorde planes were made at Brooklands in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
From the records: “Components of the British-built Concordes were manufactured at the site in the late 1960s and early 1970s.”
1991
Still here today
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Brooklands Museum
Aircraft building in Weybridge ended in 1988. Brooklands Museum opened in 1991. You can see a Concorde, a Wellington bomber and old racing cars there.
From the records: “Aerospace manufacturing finally ceased in Weybridge in 1988.”