Knaphill

Knaphill
Knaphill high street
Knaphill  Knaphill shown within Surrey
Population	8,635
OS grid reference	SU965587
District	Woking
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Woking
Postcode district	GU21
Dialling code	01483
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Woking
List of places UK England Surrey

Knaphill is an urban village in Surrey, England. To the east is Woking, to the west, eventually, is Aldershot, while to the south and north on the A322 – which forms its effective western border – are Brookwood, and Bisley, respectively. Some of the village is set on a hill, hence the name.

History

The village name was first recorded in 1225 as La Cnappe. Since then there have been various spellings of the name including 'Nap Hill, Naphill and Knap Hill.

In 958 A.D., the village was probably part of land granted to Westminster Abbey; there is clear ownership by 1278. The land passed to Henry VIII on the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.

The Basingstoke Canal was built to the south of Knaphill in 1794 and the railway line came in 1838. In 1859, a prison was built in Knaphill. This was later converted into army barracks.

Today

Knaphill is also the home to three schools: Knaphill Lower School, Knaphill Junior School and St John's Primary School. Furthermore Peer Productions, a large theatre company, is based at the Woking Youth Arts Centre in Knaphill. It provides dramatic education for students of all ages. WYAC was previously known as Trinity Studios, and is famous as being the birthplace of the Spice Girls and the boy band 5ive

The local pub Hooden takes a Knap has been changed back to its original name The Garibaldi. There are several other pubs in Knaphill, including The Royal Oak, The Anchor and the recently refurbished Crown. The village has a residents' association. The nearest railway stations are at Brookwood and at Woking.

Sport and leisure

Knaphill has a Non-League football club Knaphill F.C. who play at 'Redding Way', The Brookwood Country Park Football Ground.

Brookwood Hospital

One of the major employers in the area until its closure in the 1990s was Brookwood Hospital, a vast, rambling mental hospital that dated from the late Victorian era. Built on land formerly known as Knaphill Common, the hospital started life as The Surrey Asylum and formed part of the southern boundary of Knaphill (being denoted by the Basingstoke Canal).

Its name was changed to Brookwood Hospital in 1919 to make it easier for patients and visitors travelling by rail to Brookwood Station to locate. Most of the hospital grounds have now been redeveloped, the wards having made way for several superstores and a large number of houses. The central building, which is listed, has been retained and converted into luxury flats. Several of the new residential roads were named after the old hospital wards.

See also

• List of places of worship in Woking (borough)

References

• Knaphill village community website

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons