Down by the River Wey, in the fields to the east of Old Woking, can be found the ruins of Woking Palace. During the Tudor period it was an important Royal Palace.
Now all that remains are a few brick walls, a small stone building and a network of buried foundations. The lack of large-scale remains at Woking, however, is more than made up for by the romantic location of the ruins, with the River Wey winding its way along its southern boundary and its still water-filled moat to the east and north.
As well as being a Scheduled Ancient Monument, the site is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with the beautiful copse area a blaze of colour in spring.
View Woking Palace's Conservation Management Plan
Henry VIII spent considerable sums of money on Woking during his reign but in 1620 the Manor of Woking was granted to one of James I's courtiers, Sir Edward Zouch, who pulled down much of the Palace buildings and used the material elsewhere in the area. So, although little now remains of the Palace itself, its heritage lives on in many of the houses of the village.
A guide to Woking Palace is available, as well as an explanatory CD, both published by Friends of Woking Palace, priced £2.50 and £5 respectively from the Surrey History Centre and Woking Library.
Woking Palace audio guide
This two and a half mile circular walk and audio guide will take you around Woking Palace and the surrounding area, starting and finishing at Manor Way Car Park in Old Woking.
To get the Woking Palace audio guide, you will need to download the izi.TRAVEL app on to your phone. After this has downloaded you will need to search for 'Woking Palace' and click the download button (either 'Download' in a rectangular button, or a circle with a down arrow in it, depending on your phone). When the download is completed, you are all set to go!
Things to know about this walk:
- We advise that you download this guide before starting the walk as there is limited phone signal at the site.
- The walk begins at Manor Way Car Park in Old Woking. Car parking is free and the address of the car park is Manor Way, Old Woking, Woking GU22 9JX
- We advise you use headphones for this walk to improve the sound quality, but ensure you take these out when crossing the road.
- This walk is just over two miles long and lasts around one hour 15mins.
- The walk is a mixture of road, track and footpath with uneven ground and other trip hazards. It includes a stile. Please take care.
- You are responsible for you own safety throughout this walk.
For more information on the Palace, please see the Friends of Woking Palace website. You can also join special guided heritage walks to the Palace site.
Contact
Email: info@woking-palace.org