Virginia Water

History

The area is believed to have been traversed by the Devil's Highway, a Roman road running from London to Silchester in Hampshire. According to a 1983 article by Nicholas Fuentes, the defeat of Boudica’s revolt by the Romans in AD 60/61 may have occurred in Virginia Water. He argued that the topography between Callow Hill and Knowle Hill corresponds with descriptions by Tacitus, with the battlefield situated near the site of the present-day railway station. Christ Church Virginia Water was completed in 1838 and established as a parish the same year. In 1805, a mansion was constructed for Edward Pakenham, the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, which now forms the club house of the Wentworth Club. It is three-storey Gothic style construction. In 1948, it was taken over by the newly established National Health Service, and closed in the early 1980s, experiencing frequent vandalism in the aftermath. Octagon produced 23 residences in the main building and built 190 new houses and apartments on the grounds. Properties are expensive and typically reach beyond the £1 million mark. The sanatorium chapel is Grade II* listed, meaning in a constrained mid-tier of the statutory scheme. The gated estate includes a spa, gymnasium, multi-purpose sports hall, and all-weather tennis court. Famous residents have included Elton John, Bruce Forsyth, Diana Dors and various professional golfers.

Geography

The River Bourne runs from the artificial Virginia Water Lake through the long southern half of Virginia Water. The 2011 census stated that the Virginia Water postcode district (post town) had the following dwellings, thus making up the relative proportions shown: {|class="wikitable sortable" !Type!!Number!!Proportion |- |Whole house or bungalow: Detached||1,175||49.9% |- |Whole house or bungalow: Semi-detached||478||20.3% |- |Whole house or bungalow: Terraced (including end-terrace)||247||10.5% |- |Flat, maisonette or apartment: Purpose-built block of flats or tenement||346||14.7% |- |Flat, maisonette or apartment: Part of a converted or shared house (including bed-sits)||52||2.2% |- |Flat, maisonette or apartment: In a commercial building||33||1.4% |- |Caravan or other mobile or temporary structure||26||1.1% |} Government data in terms of sales of homes from Autumn 2014 to 2015 showed Virginia Water to be the most expensive post town nationally (i.e. excluding any part of London). The recent averaged sold price for its homes was just over £1.1m.

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  25,911
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,833
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,783
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22,092
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,040
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  17,499
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,679
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  16,328

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2019-02-27
  3 km SE of Dorking, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2018-07-05
  1 km S of Ewhurst, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2018-06-27
  5 km W of Capel, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2018-04-01
  4 km E of Holmwood, United Kingdom