Recorded since Domesday
The settlement appears in the Domesday Book under an earlier form of its name, made up of several manors including one called Walton Leigh. Its Grade I listed manor house, parts of which date from the fifteenth century, still survives within the town's riverside conservation area.
A Martian invasion, on paper
H. G. Wells set part of his novel The War of the Worlds in the town, describing a fighting machine destroyed here during the fictional invasion, a detail still well known to readers of the book today.
Two conservation areas
Walton's older riverside quarter and its historic Church Street and Bridge Street area are both protected as separate conservation areas, reflecting the surviving older buildings among the town's more recent development.
Council
Walton-on-Thames is another Elmbridge Borough Council town, the same authority responsible for Cobham, Esher and Weybridge close by, and a different council from the one covering Dorking.
Frequently asked questions
Is Walton-on-Thames mentioned in a famous novel?+
Yes, H. G. Wells set a scene from The War of the Worlds here, describing the destruction of a Martian fighting machine in the town.
Which council covers Walton-on-Thames?+
Elmbridge Borough Council, the same authority covering Cobham, Esher and Weybridge, not the council responsible for Dorking.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Reigate and Banstead Borough Council – Planning — The planning authority covering Reigate and Redhill, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council – Planning permission — The planning authority covering Epsom, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- Elmbridge Borough Council – Planning permission and applications — The planning authority covering Cobham, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.