Surrey is abundant with historical landmarks and famous faces. Alexia Lavender lists some of the less well-known historical sites and figures who have resided in the county, and left their mark on local and national history
If you ask your average Surrey resident to name a historical landmark in Surrey, chances are their answer will include the likes of Hampton Court Palace, residence of the infamous tudor monarch Henry VIII. Whilst the palace may be many people's go-to historical location for a day out in Surrey, the county has many other equally splendid sites to explore.
Similarly, our little patch of Albion is not short of famous faces past and present either. Ranging from authors to scientists, Surrey has seen an array of influential figures reside within its borders. From large towns such as Guildford to quiet country hamlets, the county's backdrop has provided inspiration and resources for numerous creative enterprises and groundbreaking discoveries.
Read on to discover some of the lesser-known, but just as interesting, places and people that have called Surrey their home over the years...
The eerily still 'Silent Pool', Guildford
Photo from Flickr user KatherineDavis
This large, spring-fed lake east of Guildford has had myth and legend attached to it for centuries. The most prominent of these legends involves the 12th century monarch King John and a woodman's daughter. Legend has it that whilst the woodman's daughter was bathing in the pool, she was approached by the King, and whilst retreating away from him, the maiden found herself in deep water and drowned. It is said that her ghost now haunts the Silent Pool, appearing at night.
This legend was heightened when the famous crime writer Agatha Christie mysteriously disappeared in 1926 near the lake, her car found abandoned in nearby Newlands Corner. Initially, it was feared that she had drowned in the Silent Pool, but the writer was discovered some days later in a hotel recovering from amnesia.
Many years later, visitors to the Silent Pool still report a somewhat strange and eerie feel about the lake. Why not visit the pool to make up your own mind about its reported ghostly aura...
Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer
Alfred Edward Chalon
Ada Lovelace
The only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron, Ada had a privileged education. During her schooling, her mother was keen for her to focus on mathematics and science, which was unusual for an aristocratic young girl in the 1800s. It was discovered that Ada had a talent for mathematics, and upon meeting the future 'father of computers' Charles Babbage aged 17, was intrigued by his computing inventions, including the difference engine which was designed to perform calculations.
Ada went on to create several algorithms and mathematical concepts that would serve as the foundation for computing machines that even Charles Babbage hadn't dreamt of. Consequently, Ada Lovelace is widely considered as the world's first computer scientist. From 1841 onwards she lived at Sandown House in Esher with her husband, the Earl of Lovelace.
Today, Ada is not only remembered for her pioneering work in the computer science field, but is also celebrated as a role model for women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Royal honeymoon destination Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham
You may have heard of the charming Edwardian country house and grounds collectively known as Polesden Lacey, located near Dorking. What you may not know, however, is that this rural retreat was once the honeymoon destination for a rather royal couple in 1923 – the then Duke and Duchess of York, soon to be Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) and King George VI.
The royal couple were invited to Polesden Lacey by owner Margaret Greville, who was infamous for hosting members of the most elite social circles in England, including politicians, royalty, and artists at lavish parties at the estate. On her honeymoon, the Duchess of York reportedly commented, "This is a delicious house. The food is too marvellous!".
Surrey Suffragette Dame Ethyl Smyth
Dame Ethyl Smyth was certainly a lady of diverse talents. Growing up in Frimley, Dame Ethyl wanted to dedicate her life to music by becoming a composer, much to her father's annoyance. She achieved this dream after studying music in Germany, where she wrote several plays and an incredible six operas. In recognition to her services to music, Ethyl was made a Dame in 1922. Perhaps her most influential musical masterpiece was linked with the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and their 'Votes for Women' campaign. Her song The March of the Women became the anthem of the movement.
She joined the movement through her friendship with Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the WSPU. Like many suffragettes, both Ethyl and Emmeline went on hunger strikes and were arrested repeatedly – Emmeline was once even arrested outside Dame Ethyl's home in Hook Heath, Woking, where she was recovering from a recent hunger strike. Dame Ethyl also trained as a radiographer during World War One and documented her eventful life in a series of memoirs.
Horsell Common, a sci-fi pilgrimage site
Horsell Common isn't necessarily a historic location of note, however it did provide inspiration for a famous 1898 sci-fi classic by H.G. Wells – The War of the Worlds. In fact it wasn't just the Common which featured in the plot. Multiple spoits in and around Woking are described as locations of important events in the novel, including the Martians' landing on the sand pits at the common. The sand pits at Horsell Common have since become something of a pilgrimage site to sci-fi fans, as many visit them to walk in the footsteps of H.G. Wells.
Record-breaker Percy Lambert
Most of us know of the significance of the Brooklands Racetrack in Weybridge, now commemorated by a museum dedicated to motor racing and other modes of transport, as being the world's first purpose-built racetrack. However, someone you may not have heard of is the man who first put the Brooklands circuit on the racing map – Percy Lambert.
Percy was the person to reach over 100mph, a record which he set at Brooklands on February 13, 1913 in a 4.5 litre Talbot. Tragically, less than a year later in October 1913, Percy crashed his vehicle and died at the scene whilst attempting to break his own world record. Since the tragedy, museum staff and visitors alike have reported seeing Percy's ghost wandering the circuit, with some claiming to have witnessed his headless body haunting the track.
Silvermere Lake, birthplace of the 'bouncing bomb'
Sam Dorrington
Now part of a peaceful, idyllic golf course, Silvermere Lake was once the site of a crucial scientific experiment which played a part in changing the course of history. The lake was the site where Effingham resident Barnes Wallis engineered and tested the 'bouncing bomb', which was to play a vital role in the infamous Dambuster raids on German targets in the Second World War.
After beginning experiments on his own garden patio in Effingham, Wallis relocated his tests to the lake in order to start catapult experiments and investigate the effects of backspin on objects. His research and development into the 'bouncing bomb' eventually lead to the successful execution of Operation Chastise in 1943, with the significance of the Dambusters mission being immortalised in the 1955 film The Dam Busters.
Code-cracker Alan Turing
Stas
Arguably brought the the attention of the wider public most successfully by Hollywood blockbuster The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly, Alan Turing is the man who broke the 'un-breakable' Nazi Enigma Code at the Second World War British Intelligence base in Bletchley Park. However, Turing's humble beginnings started in his family home in Guildford, the town which he returned to frequently to visit his mother throughout his life. More local connections can be made through his effervescent outdoor activities: Turing often ran the 18 miles between his home in Hampton (where he lived from 1945-47) and his mother's house in Guildford, and was also a member of Walton Athletics Club.
More recently in 2013, Alan Turing was granted a royal pardon, as in 1952 he was convicted for gross indecency after details of homosexual activity came to light. Homosexuality was illegal until 1967, and as such Turing opted to undergo hormonal treatment to 'cure' him rather than be imprisoned. This treatment, alongside close police surveillance, proved to be the beginning of the end for Turing, who committed suicide in 1954.
You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on all our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000
