Virginia Water
| Virginia Water | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 Virginia Water from the air | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU982679 |
| Location: | 51°24’8"N, -0°35’21"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Virginia Water |
| Postcode: | GU25 4 |
| Dialling code: | 01344 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Runnymede |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Runnymede and Weybridge |
Virginia Water is an affluent village in north-western Surrey, close by Windsor Great Park and the Berkshire border.
The village is named for the long lake on whose eastern shore the village stands and which belongs to Windsor Great Park; one of a series of lakes and ponds stretching from here over the nearby borders of Berkshire. The lake's name was transferred from a previous stream, which was probably named after the 'Virgin Queen', Elizabeth I.
The lake
The lake named Virginia Water is a man-made lake within Windsor Great Park, created by damming a stream and thus creating a long, branched flooded valley fed by five brooks. It is said that the lake was created from brook also named Virginia Water which was so named at least from the 17th century and may be named after Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen or after the colony of Virginia, which was itself named for the Queen.
The lake was begun in 1746 by William, Duke of Cumberland who was then Ranger of the Park. Few details are recorded of the building of the lake, however it has been suggested that prisoners-of-war from the recent Jacobite risings, who were encamped at the nearby Breakheart Hill, were involved. The original lake was much smaller than the current form, and was destroyed in a flood in 1768. In 1780 Paul and Thomas Sandby began construction of a much larger lake at the site, and went on to add an artificial waterfall, Meadow Pond and Obelisk Pond.
The lake lies across the bounds of Surrey and Berkshire.
The heaviest pike ever recorded as caught in British waters was caught in Virginia Water, weighing 58 lb 5oz.
During Second World War, the lake was drained, as its recognizable shape was thought likely to provide enemy guidance at night to Windsor and to important military targets in the area.
The village
The village has two rows of shops, although many inhabitants travel to the nearby towns of Staines, Ascot and Windsor for shopping. The 2001 census population of Virginia Water was 6,113.[1]
Many of the village's houses are large detached homes situated on the private Wentworth Estate home of the famous Wentworth Club which has four golf courses. The Ryder Cup was first played there. It is also home to the headquarters of the PGA European Tour, the world's second-richest professional golf tour (after the PGA Tour in the United States). The estate reached the headlines in 1998 when General Augusto Pinochet was kept under house arrest in one of its houses prior to his extradition.[2] It is and has been home though to a great many of the wealthiest of the land including household names and golfers.
Virginia Water is also home to many London commuters. It is close to the M25, M4 and M3 motorways. The village has a four-track railway station in the middle of the village on the line between London Waterloo, Weybridge and Reading. Heathrow Airport is eight miles to the north-east. The towns of Egham, Englefield Green and Old Windsor are nearby.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Virginia Water) |