Horsell Common

For the music band, see Horsell Common (band).

Horsell Common

Horsell Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Horsell, Surrey, England, UK.^[1] It is 355 hectares (880 acres) ^[2] and lies near Horsell, an ancient village near the more modern Woking. It includes a Muslim Burial Ground and a number of Bronze Age barrows and protected heathland. The common has thousands of trees. There are parts of the common all over Horsell, isolated from the rest of the common by roads. The common is popular with people from Horsell and Woking Borough. There is a large amount of wildlife on the common.

The Horsell Common Preservation Society look after all parts of the common and maintain it. People can apply to be members.

Sand pits and The War Of The Worlds

The Sand Pits Panorama

One of the most recognisable features of the common is the sand pits. It is roughly in the centre of the common. The sand there has been used for houses in the nearby area. The pits were used by H.G. Wells as the site of the first Martian landing in his novel The War of the Worlds. The Martians emerge from their craft and fire their Heat-Ray at the bystanders. The sand pits have since become a site of pilgrimage for many science fiction fans.

The video for The Jam single Funeral Pyre was shot here.

Gallery

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  Heathland on Horsell Common

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  The Muslim Burial Ground

References

External links

• Horsell Common
• Surrey County Council map of SSSIs
• Pictures of the Martian invasion memorial statues

Coordinates: 51°20′9″N 0°32′54″W / 51.33583°N 0.54833°W / 51.33583; -0.54833

Borough of Woking
Towns, villages and hamlets	Brookwood Byfleet Castle Green Goldsworth Park Horsell Knaphill Mayford Mimbridge Old Woking Pyrford Sheerwater Sutton Green Westfield West Byfleet Woking
Parks	Horsell Common Westfield Common Woking Park
Places of worship	All Souls' Church, Sutton Green Christ Church, Woking Church of St Andrew, Goldsworth Park Church of St. Edward the Martyr, Brookwood Church of St Mary the Virgin, Horsell St Dunstan's Church, Woking St John's Church, Woking St Mark's Church, Woking St Peter's Church, Old Woking Shah Jahan Mosque
Education	The Bishop David Brown School Hoe Valley School St John the Baptist School, Woking Tante Marie The Winston Churchill School, Woking Woking College Woking High School
Transport	Brookwood railway station Byfleet and New Haw railway station West Byfleet railway station Woking railway station
Buildings and structures	Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Hospital Export House Kingfield Stadium McLaren Technology Centre New Victoria Theatre The Peacocks Shopping Centre Newark Priory Sutton Place Woking Crematorium
Sport	Football Knaphill F.C. Sheerwater F.C. Westfield F.C. Woking F.C. Hockey Woking Hockey Club