The earliest evidence of human activity is from the Paleolithic, but the low fertility of the sandy local soils meant that the area was the least populated part of the county in 1086.

[2] The main urban centre stretches from Knaphill in the west to Byfleet in the east, but the satellite villages of Brookwood, Mayford, Pyrford and Old Woking retain strong individual identities.

Parts of St Peter's Church in Old Woking date from the reign of William I and Sutton Place, built for Richard Weston c. 1525, is one of the earliest unfortified houses in England.

There are numerous works of public art in the town centre, including a statue of the author, H. G. Wells, who wrote The War of the Worlds while living in Maybury Road.

It covers an area of about 50 ha (120 acres) to the north and south of the station, although the primary shopping and office spaces are between the railway line and the Basingstoke Canal.

Pollen samples taken from the westernmost barrow suggest that the local environment at the time of construction was predominantly open heathland with some areas of deciduous woodland.

[75] The opening of the new navigation had a modest effect on the local area, and, by the 18th century, flour produced by watermills at Woking was being shipped to London from a new wharf at Cartbridge near Send.

In the 1790s, there had been a few scattered smallholdings and squatters' cottages to the south of Knaphill, but the opening of a wharf to serve the nurseries and new brickworks attracted new workers, requiring more extensive accommodation.

The chapel was replaced by a larger church, designed by George Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1842,[97][98] and the surrounding area acquired the name "St John's" at around the same time.

In the same year, Chertsey Rural District Council developed their own schemes in Byfleet and Pyrford,[107][108] and, in the two decades to 1939, Woking UDC constructed a total of 785 houses.

[111][note 12] In 1965, much of the remaining open space in the borough was placed into the Metropolitan Green Belt, restricting the potential for future development of greenfield land.

[124] Although the local soils were unsuitable for large-scale agriculture, nurseries were established on the Bracklesham Beds in the 1790s, to satisfy the increasing demand for ornamental garden plants from the growing middle class in London.

[126] Production moved to Arnold Road in 1922,[129] and during the Second World War, the company made self-sealing aircraft fuel tanks for the Royal Air Force.

[142] The presence of a major railway junction as well as several Vickers factories making aircraft parts, made Woking an obvious target for enemy bombing.

[156][157] In December 2014, the borough council announced that it would establish a task group to explore potential twinning opportunities with towns in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

[166] In the mid-2010s, the industries providing the largest number of jobs in the borough were information technology, food and beverage services, and motor vehicle design and manufacture.

[164] In May 2023, a government review revealed that the council would have debts of £2.4bn by 2026, 100 times the size of its annual £24m budget, including investments in hotels and residential skyscrapers and a £6.4m loan to a local private school.

"[169] On 7 June 2023 Woking council declared bankruptcy with £1.2bn deficit due to risky investments involving hotels and skyscrapers overseen by its former Conservative administration.

Operated by the council-owned subsidiary, ThamesWey, the scheme includes combined heat and power plants, photovoltaic arrays and a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell at Woking Park.

Trains run to London Waterloo via Clapham Junction, to Southampton Central and Salisbury via Basingstoke, to Alton via Farnham and to Portsmouth Harbour via Guildford or Eastleigh.

[216] In 2009, the borough council received funding to develop a 26 km (16 mi) off-road cycle network, resulting in the creation of 21 routes, collectively known as the "Planet Trails".

[219] The Fox Way, a 39 mi (63 km) footpath that circles Guildford,[220] passes through the south of the borough at Sutton Green and Worplesdon railway station.

In the same year, the vicar of Woking reported that there was "one poore writing master" living in his parish and that younger children attended dame schools to learn to read.

The central prayer hall is roofed by an onion dome, topped by a crescent finial, and the northern façade has four open turrets, linked by triangular crow-stepped battlements.

[273] Briarbrae, the Woking home of a Foreign Office employee, Mr Percy Phelps, is a key setting in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 Sherlock Holmes short story "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty".

[288] Other musicians born in Woking, include Rick Parfitt, singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Status Quo,[290] and songwriter Les Reed, who wrote the songs "It's Not Unusual" and "Delilah" for Tom Jones.

[50][note 17] The manor was held by various families, including the Bassets and Despensers,[347] and, in the 15th century, the building was described as "substantial" and capable of accommodating up to 100 guests.

[353] The project was designed by the architects' firm, Benoy, and was managed jointly by ThamesWey, a subsidiary of Woking Borough Council, and Moyallen Holdings Limited.

[378] The land for Brookwood Cemetery was purchased by the London Necropolis Company in 1854[93] and the southern part of the site was consecrated as an Anglican burial ground in November of that year.

Smirke, working in collaboration with William Broderick Thomas, was responsible for design of the landscaping, including the extensive planting of evergreen trees and shrubs.